Years ago I rented a room in a house that Pony Express owned. The house had settled in such a way that the stairs were separating from the wall which, we were told, was not ideal safety-wise. Fancy that. So Pony's ex found someone to fix it. I was perplexed. It would take more than a day to complete and the bathrooms and kitchen were at the top of the stairs while the front door was at the bottom. Would we have to bunker down for 3 days? Or up since the facilities were on the second floor? Turns out they fix the stairs one or two at a time so that, while you may have to stay on one side for an hour or so you can get up and down in a pinch and you can get out in case of a fire in the still of the night.

Over the past 4 months or so I feel as though that's the approach that Mr. Chili has taken with the refurbishing of my computer. He never keeps it more than a day or two and he tries the least invasive surgery first, avoiding major scares and expenses. Just when I thought he'd done everything he could do to make it whole he told me, "Your keyboard is acting funny. Next time you come back give me a little warning I'll replace that keyboard." I didn't even know you could do that on a laptop. He's a marvel that one and I am hugely grateful.

As of his last miracle I am again able to download pictures from my camera. Despite my humongous memory card (thank god my mother doesn't call me on my shit when I wheedle things from her) I haven't filled the card up. Without the ability for instant posting and therefore gratification I lost interest in taking pictures. Which just goes to show you that as far as I'm concerned you're roughing it if the cable goes out. Hell, I get a little hinky when I go somewhere with cable that doesn't have the "guide" button so I can watch my stories and still know what I'm missing.

I have a bunch of pics now anyway so I thought I'd share them. Be warned, they're in no particular order. (Honestly I cannot ever remember the best way to caption in blogger so I'm putting descriptions below and hoping that looks ok.)


In the cafe before our 2nd annual trip to Santaland. We are full of Christmas cheer. Now almost five months later she has fewer teeth.


This is Hula, one of Kath and Alex's (almost) matching cats. Hula is a lover with a backbone. He'll smack the dog back if he deserves it but really all he wants is to snuggle with his people. Can you believe he's almost 19 years old?


This is the dynamic duo after only an evening together during Bobby's trial run visit in March.


Kath demonstrating her magical powers. She can attract every animal in the house with only a few ingredients from her ordinary kitchen. Note that Edwin (the other 19 year old cat) is actually trying to climb up the cabinets to get to the treats first. I'm not sure but it might have been "the power of cheese."


Before Miflohny and the Media Guy had a kid they had a baby shower. I have no idea what present is being opened in this picture but we watched them open every one and there was a quiz. OK, they called it a game but it had quiz-like properties. And I lost. So I'm bitter. Oh wait, I won. I got maple sugar candy. It was yummy! OK, there were games and they were brilliantly designed and infinitely fair and balanced. Also I remember bagels. Possibly the last delicious, mouthwatering bagels before the great WW experiment. Sigh. Bagels.


On Christmas day we open presents then go to visit Queen Bee's mom, Nanny. From 2005's shoot I got a number of lovely photos but, it turns out, not one of the Athlete's face. He's a teenager and he's crafty. This year one of the VA girls set up this lovely shot and I clicked away like a 2 year old with a disposable at a wedding. I don't care what this picture tells you, either, Blondie Girl is still only 3 years old.


Our annual lunch and photo op with Auntie Blanche. She looks pretty good at 96 doesn't she?


The Anna girl, she looks all innocent and sweet at first but she will cut you. And she won't be sorry.


The Bee Fam on Christmas day. Unbelievably wholesome and good looking aren't they?


This is a posterity picture. Bobby's people went to all that trouble to bring his bed over here while he stayed the week and this photo marks the only time he slept on it. He lasted less than 5 minutes. It's possible that he snuck out and snuggled up on it while I was asleep but it's more probable that he joined Em on the couch.


Here is the evidence that he waits for you in the bathroom. How cute is that? You know, until he gooses you with his cold nose.