Miki on Ice!

This afternoon we went ice skating for the first time in a long time. Well, E was the only one who actually rented skates and did the proper thing. Miki and I just shuffled around, she in ladybug gumboots and me in street shoes.

The fire dept. reserves ice time on one of the indoor rinks in town. They do it every year around this time as a New Year "social event" for members and family. There were a few other youngsters there for Miki to admire and interact with, but unfortunately Miki's 2 best friends couldn't make it because they were in Vancouver picking up their newly adopted dog. We're going to meet the dog tomorrow morning.

Anyway, E strapped on skates and I plopped Miki in her umbrella stroller. Since it was a private skating affair, we were allowed to do whatever we pleased; staff at the rink told us, "you can dig it up for all we care." It took me a second to realize that she was refering to the ice.

I slooshed around the perimeter and took photos of Miki and the stroller gliding around the big rink as Mama gingerly attempted to find her "ice legs" after eons of neglect. She did quite well, truth be told, and didn't fall once.

Miki eventually tired of the stroller gig and wanted out. I let her shuffle along and she did just fine. However it was only about 10 minutes of this before I began to stress too much about human heads and the "unforgiving surface" of ice and E went to fetch a helmet. A traffic cone joined us on the ice - Miki trying to use it, of course, as a third balancing point - and then variations on a theme got silly: she sat on it, legs and arms wrapped around like a monkey as I pushed her; we tipped it over and she tried to ride it cowgirl-style; and at one point I upended it and dropped Miki in feet-first so it and she resembled a big orange and pink ice cream cone!

We (I should say 'she') lasted about an hour. What with no nap prior to this late afternoon (3:15pm) event it was amazing she lasted that long. As soon as we were home I rekindled the woodstove, spread a blanket on the floor in front of the fire and fell asleep. Miki conked out in her bed immediately and Mama on the couch.

ZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzz.......

Christmas 2007

Fresh-baked apple strudel and strong black tea greeted us on Christmas morning this year. Miki received some great gifts from her Aunt in Chicago and some surprises from Tokyo (see posting below) as well as lots of books, much to Mama & Papa's satisfaction.

We lounged all day, kept the tea flowing and made sure to sloth in front of the woodstove every so often. For dinner we (Ericka) made an awesome salt chicken; 5 pounds of salt, some fennel seeds & a large bird. Completely pack the chicken in the salt and bake for 2 hours. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before striking the salt dome with a hammer. The meat is so tender and just pulls away, I don't recall even using cutlery.

We got to cap the evening off with a little bit of white wine and a Christmas movie: How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Miki loved it! Max the trusty dog-cum-reindeer, was her favorite. No big surprise, eh?

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Christmas 2007 photos cont...

Here are a few more photos taken on Christmas morning.

Miki was extremely lucky this season in that it seems Santa visited Tokyo first before coming to our house and brought 2 great gifts from his Japanese elves: One was a little, battery-operated barking dog (I know, not that bothersome, really, despite what you may be thinking) that also scampers across the floor. The other present came from a good friend whom we know from years ago during out time living in Tokyo. She comes from a "genki" and talented family; in fact, Ericka used to work alongside her father (the science teacher) in the elementary school when we were teaching in Japan. This other gift, ironically enough, was a small wooden duck on wheels and attached to a red leather leash. When you pull the wee duck along the wings flap. Completely unreliant on battery power. I guess Santa had time to visit his Sony workshop and the Japanese-Amish toy workshop!

Radio Room Miki

Miki and I took a walk yesterday morning without much of an "end-point" in mind. 1 hour later we found ourselves at the fire hall. We let ourselves in, nobody was around, had a look at all the fire trucks and even found time to sit in the jumpseat of Engine 1.

We hung out for about 15 minutes, looking at the huge truck tires, all the firefighting gear and helmets. It was time to leave and I had just finished re-arming the door security system and was putting my keys in my pocket when my screeching bloody loud pager went off!

"Cedar fire hall, report of a medical aid on 2858 Furn Drive, cross street is Cedar Road, for 'shortness of breath'".

I stood there for half a second, staring at the pager and then to Miki, pager, Miki... Hmmm...I opened the door, de-activated the alarm and proceeded to the "radio room" pushing Miki in her stroller. I sat down, plopped Miki on my knee and took the call. It was a few more minutes before 2 other members showed up for the actual response. Miki then got to see the fireman jump into their 'turnout gear' and fly out of the truck bay, lights on the rescue truck flashing and sirens screaming. Back in the radio room I simply gave her a pen and some paper and let her doodle while I operated the radio and filled out the on-going medical aid report. The deputy fire chief then showed up, stopped dead in his tracks once he stepped into the radio room and saw there were two radio operators and just chuckled.

When our fire/rescue truck returned to the hall - about 25 minutes later - Miki clapped. No kidding.

Needless to say, she had plenty she wanted to share with Mama once we got home and the return walk, 20 minutes without toddlers, took 45 minutes. So excited from her first job "on scene" at the fire hall, Miki fought off sleep long enough to see the horses in the fields just down the road from us. I got one final photo of her ambling along this road before she promptly fell asleep in the stroller.

Strudel Time

The annual rolling of the strudel began late night, but not as late as my dear mother's! As soon as Miki went to bed, fussed and asked for her Papa...I got started on the dough. Every Christmas Eve I think that the recipe for strudel dough is SO easy and produces such fine results that I should make it at other times throughout the year. But alas, I never do, and that is what make it that much more tasty! Hopefully Miki will enjoy the strudel tradition a bit more next time around...She only took one bite.
Maybe I didn't add enough butter for her liking. Ha!

Merry 2007 Christmas

Merry Christmas from Vancouver Island!

The tree is up, the gifts are wrapped, Miki is fast asleep and the apple strudel is baked and waiting for the morning tea ritual.

We hope everyone is healthy and happy and we do wish we could be together this holiday season. Perhaps next year...?

Miki, Rope and I took a long walk this afternoon so Mama could get some cooking done (and talk to Grammy in Vermont, so I was told). A lot of the photos that follow this post were taken on that stroll.

It's after midnight here, gotta get moving and play my duty as Santa before finding sleep myself. To all a good night!

Hay Ride

Lastnight we went on a neighborhood hay ride organized by the fire department. It was scheduled for last Sunday but cancelled due to horrendous weather.

By 3pm yesterday the skies cleared and the preparations were under way. 2 semi-trucks each with a double flat-bed trailer (they're called "b-trains" in trucker lingo) were rented, outfitted with a sound system, lights and loaded with bails of hay for benches. At 6pm the rigs rolled out, flanked in both the front and rear by the fire engines. It really was quite impressive and I had planned on taking lots of photos but my camera battery died 5 min. into the journey. I've included what few shots I was able to snap just to give you some idea. It was lots of fun and I honestly wish we could do it more than once a year.

Bridge good, dog bad

There are a few small wooden planks laid across our backyard creek in various locations and I've managed to impress upon Miki that she is to use these, and these only, when she wants to forge the other side. Today Rope took a few hearty slurps from the creek while you-know-who was watching so thanks to our lovely canine I've now got to teach her something about potable water and giardia!

Santa's Snax

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

This evening, before we put Miki to bed, Mama had her write a letter to Santa and prepare his and Rudolph's midnight snacks: Four of those molasses cookies, a glass of soy milk (don't laugh, it's true) and a big 'ol carrot for the reindeer.
BubbleShare: Share photos - Print Christmas Coloring Pages.

So big!

We've been saying this to Miki ever since she was born. I think it was the first "sign" she learned, actually. The action has evolved for her, much like any grammar or language does, and she now uses it to correctly describe something to us that is large or big.

The House Hippo

I don't know where it came from or how it got there, but the small plastic hippopotamus figurine has become a cornerstone of our back deck. He sits on the deck corner, about chest height, mouth in a fully open roar to greet (or scare!) all would-be visitors. Today Miki fetched it down (she can finally reach it herself) under the sudden impulse (I guess) that she needed to imitate its gaping maw... Beware the House Hippo!

Giggle

The sun was out today over a clear, blue sky. It was warm in the sun but crisp in the shade. Miki and I went out on the lawn this afternoon to play with Rope. I had him chasing a stick all over the yard and since it was cool, he got real excited leaping over the creek and growling at nothing in particular. It did, however, entertain and please Miki to no end. She was full of belly giggles, watching that crazy dog tear around the yard.

Wool jumpsuit

"One husband's mistake is another daughter's gain".

A few months ago I mistakenly put one of Ericka's favorite wool sweaters in the dryer and it came out sized to fit one of Santa's elves. Ooops. Well, E handed it over to a good friend of ours whom also happens to be an amazing seamstress, no, "children's fashion designer" is more like it. She does amazing things for toddlers with various pieces of textiles. Anyway, Miki's Christmas present this year was Mama's "old" sweater cut-up and reassembled into a 2-piece wool and fleece-lined jumpsuit. Very hip and practical.