better?

happy birthday tabitha. she's not up yet

this morning i feel much better. as of last night, tabitha and the kids were still very sick. my chest is still tight and i still cough until it hurts or a piece of my lung comes up. i'll get some exercise hauling wood today and that'll help. the kids have been cooped up for so long that they have the maniacals. they delve into fits of the craziest of uncontrollable crazies. over the last three sick days i have read the first three in the harry potter series. luckily it's fourth grade reading or i wouldn't have survived.

we forced ourselves to walk across the street into to the wooded field and cut a christmas tree yesterday. i never realized how perfect cedar is for a christmas tree when you have kids. it is so prickly that it is self regulating as to the damage the kids can inflict on it before their skin crawls and itches. our very own whomping willow of sorts. although toly, being the third hence impervious to pain, still needs close monitoring. the tree is so ugly that it's beautiful. we almost rejected it once we got it inside but the kids fell in love with it. it was pretty easy to convince me not to go back for the one i wanted. maybe i'll get to choose next year?

our computer is about to give up the ghost. the power supply went out and nothing could be done for it. we were headed for a seventy mile trip for a new one. i dreaded spending $150 for a new one since we are planning on replacing this computer in march--tax return. did i mention that the car has been acting funny lately? after getting the whole family ready and excited to get out of the house. we piled into the car. about two miles down the road the check engine light came on. i panicked and promptly turned around. tristan started to bawl. i'm sure he was hoping for a rendezvous with a certain mexican restaurant. wasn't gonna happen anyway.

lamenting our sorry state, broken car and broken computer, tabitha put the laptop back together and it magically worked--was it ever broken? YES i swear.. having just read most of the first three harry potters, i was convinced some dark magic was involved. as tabitha went to phone brag to her father that she just fixed the computer i sunk back into the couch and the rest of HP#3. if the check engine light mysteriously stays dark next time i attempt to drive the car well have proof that dark magic was indeed involved.

i got this cool new T-shirt the other day. a goldfish wearing a crown captioned with KARL IS KING. yes, spelled with a K--my ego won't recover from this one very soon. presents that inflate your ego--is there a better kind?

the hotbed cold-frame has started the anabolic reaction--it's really warm in there. i hope to plant some arugula today. arugula is my favorite salad greed. there might be some swiss chard involved too. it has been a while since the seed box has been pawed through. speaking of seeds, i finished the first page of our christmas present. one more to go. we ordered little baggies for the seeds and hope to send the omelay heirloom seed pack presents very soon.

we really want to get the kids a pentatonic harp for christmas. affording it is another matter. $150 seems like so little, yet like a fortune in the same breath. the car can wait to get looked at since we now have a second vehicle. hello online shopping while we still have a working computer. keep your fingers crossed that this one holds together until march.

i also have another large design job that will help pay for the new computer. that'll happen in spring. we just need to get through the holidays and we can coast after that. we want to get a mac and leave this horrible windows realm. it'll be better for the kids. i hope this piece-o-crap computer isn't paying attention while i conspire against it.. better go.. nice computer, nice computer, just kidding computer...