The Kids At The Park....

A few weeks ago, it looked like we had seen the last of the freezing weather. On a breezy, very mild March day, I took the kids with me to a function at my work. On the way to the event, we stopped at a terrific park in Carbondale. It is a memorial park developed by the family who lives next to the park. Their son, Jeremy, died on the busy road by their house. The park was set aside as a safe place for kids to play, and is based on the boy's drawings.

Nut Doesn't Fall Far From The Apple Tree...

or something like that. Carl went to the regional concert band contest, and played a solo piece on saxophone. He was rated a first, which means he will move on to state, which will involve playing the piece from memory. He is excited and a little nervous about that.

When he played his piece, he really displayed a good control over note, tone, and phrasing. That is hard to do at his age. I was really proud of how well he performed.

They wouldn't allow pictures or video of the event, so you'll just have to take my word for it. On the way back home, I took him out to eat, and then let him buy some Heroclix superhero figures. That made the whole trip worthwhile for him.

Was It Our Anniversary?

Saturday, March 14th was Lara's and my 18th wedding anniversary. We went out and saw a movie, then had a nice dinner. It so happens that our anniversary is also Lara's Dad's birthday, so after dinner, we called and wished him a great day. Although Lara and I were both tired, it was a good day.

We've Gone To The Dogs....

Okay, that was a pretty stupid post title, hokey and cheap, but I couldn't resist the cheap pun....

Here are Buster and Lucky, with a little extra thrown in at the end...

Thre Trees Are Gone But Spring Has Come

Well,

After the ice storm, our trees were badly damaged. We have taken at least six piles of limbs and branches debris (piles about six feet tall and 20 feet long)out of our yards. However, this last week, it feels like Spring has arrived, and the tree service people finally got around to doing the job we contracted for the DAY OF THE ICE STORM! (A little lesson I learned from this: When you hire for a job, get a specific date from your contractor for work, and then inform them if they don't get it done by then, you will call someone else).

Anyway, the trees are now gone, but life goes on. Spring flowers have begun to bloom.

Kids Music Programs...

This month, Carl participated in a region wide honor band, and the girls participated in their school music program.

Here come the pictures!

The pictures really won't do it justice, nor will they communicate the general dumbfounded awe one experiences as an ice storm destroys your town (well, all of the region) with the force of a tornado, but the speed of a tortoise.

We Survived The 2009 Ice Storm, And All I Got Was This Lousy Hotel Bill

Hello, folks,

The Pugh family weathered the Ice Storm of 2009 (as they are calling it) with only minor bumps and bruises.

What, you didn't know? I guess this event made me aware that bad weather news is only newsworthy if it's in your backyard. I mean, landslides in California? Two feet of snow in Buffalo? Minus 40 in Portland, Maine? Nobody here cares about that. So, three inches of ice in Metropolis? If it didn't stop the Superbowl, then who cares? Not that I mind. Everybody does that, and everybody should. You should care for what happens right here, right now. That's enough to put on anyone's plate. It is hard to actually understand what living through a tough event is like, and empathy is good, but doesn't quite cut actually being there. I wouldn't wish it on anyone, but listening and watching through the night as trees groaned and snapped, with ice raining down like shrapnel and limbs amputated by the jagged burden of weight to fall dead on the spines of houses, giftwraps the knowledge that you are transitory and subject to the whim of Nature, and delivers this gift right to your front door. Even high flying prosody like that crap I just wrote hardly captures the shadow of the experience.

Actually, lots of people called, checked in, and generally offered support, for which we are thankful. Later, when I have the time, I will post some pictures of the damage!

Roger

A Surprise Trip To Dallas, and a Sad Homecoming...

Over the weekend of January 3rd, we decided to visit my sister in Dallas. Her family was throwing a surprise 50th Birthday party for her, and on the spur of the moment, we gathered up the kids and drove down to visit. We left Friday day, and arrived at about 2:30 am Saturday morning. Her surprise party was not until the evening, so we decided to spend the day at the Dallas Zoo.

After the zoo, we got ourselves ready, and prepared to surprise Carla at the wonderful party set up by her daughters. I think we did!

We had a nice drive home, but had suspected, and actually talked about, the eventual death of one of our old cats, Ptolemy. When we got home, we were informed that Ptolemy hadn't eaten or drank anything since we left. He was having a hard time standing on his own, and was obviously in pain. We decided that night to end his life. Here are the last pictures we have of Ptolemy, with a sad group of kids around him. The kids each wrote a remembrance of Ptolemy, and read them before I buried him in our backyard. May you rest in peace, Ptolemy.

Ptolemy 1994-2009.
Rest In Peace, you lovable little shithead.

Better Late Than Never....

Here are pictures from our churches' Christmas play, in which the kids all participated. Also, Santa visited the church, which would be the source of some debate at some point, were I a pious person.

Next are some pictures of the kids on Christmas morning. The kids are pictured with favorite gifts from Aunt Tanya and Uncle Rick, and Tony, Annie, and family. I hope you all had a Merry Christmas!