Happy birthday, adored one!

I couldn't let February get away from me without telling you that my baby, my youngest girl, my very last child, turned thirteen years old this month.

This girl has always been my funny, sunny, early Valentine -- she brightens any room with her cheery smile, her goofy sense of humor, and her flair for the dramatic pose.

Of course the important task of the big day was to get her ears pierced -- our traditional rite of passage. Her birthday was also a snow day, in advance of the Blizzard. Since we didn't know how quickly the storm would blow in, we scurried to the mall to git 'er done, rather than journey to Pincurls and the fabulous Lynda Lee.

Another tradition -- dinner and milkshakes at the Silver Diner with Coleen and her urchins -- also went by the wayside, as we all freaked out just a tiny little bit in advance of the storm. People abandoned their cars that day before a single flake ever hit the ground. It was madness, I tell you! Instead, the family celebrated with lunch at Cheeseburger in Paradise.

But even though her day did not go exactly as she thought it would, my sunny girl carried her glad heart and spunky, funky humor with her -- as she does every single day.

The child never met a rubber duck she didn't adore -- her collection is extensive, and includes glow-in-the-dark duckies, multi-colored light-up duckies, ducky pajamas, a quacking ducky trashcan (very loud, given by Coleen as payback for the time I gave the seven-year-old Jolie Blonde an extensive grown-up makeup collection), and -- troubling -- a "devil ducky," who sports cheetah spots, horns, and a very sketchy leer.

The sunny girl is surprisingly knowledgeable about ancient Egypt, and loves the one measly mummy owned by the Smithsonian, with a pure and abiding love. She and I recently traveled north to spend a day in Manhattan, and she almost passed out when she found the Egyptian collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

In case you were wondering, her favorite Egyptian god is Thoth, the god of science and literature. Go figure.

People, I could go on and on . . .

. . . about her graceful way of moving . . .

. . . her sacrificially loving and generous heart . . .

. . . and her loyalty as a friend.

I will just stop -- but you can see why I know without a doubt that I am the luckiest mom.

Here's her theme song, useful for brightening any day:

Enough is enough!

So on Tuesday, when my Doug Hill warned us of the impending blizzard, Coleen sent out an email. "That's it -- I'm done. I refuse to acknowledge the reality that is before me, and command you all to come to my house for a Cheeseburger in Paradise party. Dress appropriately. Let me know if the bright red Jeep needs to come for you."

Ask me how fast I put on my Bermuda shorts!

And really this was just what we needed -- nothing chases the cabin fever away like the sight of a beach bum in a Tommy Bahama shirt, frying up the burgers in the George Foreman griller. Tommy Bahama really did intend to fire up the charcoal grill on the deck . . .

. . . but that plan didn't work out quite as he expected.
[NOTE: Suck it, jungle of tomato-y tomato-ness!]

This was a potluck summer cookout, so we all brought our favorite summer sides: pasta salad, sliced tomatoes, a bowl full of fresh fruit. I made zucchini fritters -- fabulous, I'm just sayin'!

And what's a summer cookout without cool and refreshing margaritas?! Tommy Bahama kept the blender humming all night.

Most of us have been just the tiniest little bit stir-crazy, so we enjoyed visiting with faces we hadn't seen in a while. I met the daughter of Coleen's neighbor, so I had the added bonus of making a new friend.

The genuine Viking helmet sported a tropical fish for the evening. I really do need to tell you all about the genuine Viking helmet some time -- and about the fish, as it turns out. Some day . . . .

Everyone hated to leave -- partly because we were having such a good time, and partly because it was such a pain in the . . . boots to pull all that winter crap again and head back out into the thirty inches of snow that has been dumped on us this week.

It sure was a fun party, though!

Snapshot: then and now

Way back on Wednesday, you may recall I was telling you about the lovely, lovely snow, and how much we revel in it, during the few snowfalls we are lucky enough to experience. This was a picture I posted, showing you how prettily the snow lay on our juniper bush in the front yard.

Here's the juniper bush after yesterday's action. Yes, I still think it's lovely -- if a bit more stark.

How is this possible?

Look how beautiful the flowers were at the grocery store yesterday! As you know, I am all about the beautiful white winter landscape we gaze upon these days, but February does tend to make me lose sight of warm weather, and ocean breezes, and feeling the sun on my arms. That all seems too far away sometimes; these flowers do give me just the reminder I need that spring will indeed come, just when we need it.

I am always stunned at these luscious displays of gorgeousness -- right there next to the boxed wine! How do the grocers manage to provide this jolt of summer color in the middle of winter -- and keep the cost down too?

Actually, I suspect I don't want to know the answer, which will involve giant carbon footprints and flower growers in South America who are taken advantage of.

But gosh! Aren't they lovely?

Another snowy day -- and more on the way!

Once again, here in the southern part of northern Virginia, snow fell and blanketed everything with loveliness.

You can imagine why we love the snow so much; we live in a region of the country that rarely receives enough snow to get sick of it. During the course of a typical Virginia winter, it might snow two or three times, but never in any quantity.

Folks 'round these parts do tend to get a little freaky; if our local weather guru (Doug Hill, I sing of your glory) tells us that four or more inches of snow are headed our way, the grocery stores prepare for a stampede of panicked hoarders.

But this winter we have already lived through one Big Snow; this week it has snowed twice more in smaller amounts -- and my Doug Hill is telling me that it appears another Big Snow is on the way this weekend. Actually he used the words, "significant snow event." Doesn't that sound more official and meteorological and stuff?

I must admit that I am one of the panicky shoppers right before a storm. But while all around me are stocking up on toilet paper, milk, and enough canned soup to live through the Apocalypse, I am filling my cart with chips, Cokes, wine, popcorn, and several kinds of chocolate.

And birdseed.

Books, books, books!

I wanted to tell you about these excellent books, written for older children. Susan Cooper is one of the finest writers of juvenile and young adult fiction I have come across, and I love to recommend her books. I read her The Dark is Rising sequence as a kid, and all of my urchins have read and loved the series.

The five-book sequence begins with Over Sea, Under Stone, in which we meet the three young Drew children, who are on holiday with their parents in coastal Cornwall. It has all the elements of a classic mystery/adventure, as the children find a treasure map; the treasure may in fact be the legendary Grail! They also realize that their Great-Uncle Merry is more than he seems. The magical or fantasy elements of the series are only hinted at in this novel.

The second book, The Dark is Rising, moves away from the Drew children and introduces Will Stanton, who begins to experience strangeness just before Christmas, on his eleventh birthday. We are also introduced explicitly to the themes of Light and Dark which animate the rest of the series. Will comes to understand that he is one of the Old Ones, guardians of the Light. He must go on a quest for the Circle of Signs, which will help the Old Ones ward off the forces of the Dark. Cooper draws on Celtic mythology as well as the Arthurian legend as she weaves her story about a young boy who realizes he must do a seemingly impossible thing.

Greenwitch, the third book in the sequence, returns us to the Drew children and introduces them to Will Stanton, whom they do not trust at first. The four children's adventure leads them on another quest, this time for an underwater artifact that may or not untie the mysteries of the legendary Grail.

Book four of the series, The Grey King, finds Will Stanton in Wales, recovering from a serious illness. As he regains his strength, he meets Bran, whose connections to the Old Ones and to the Pendragon of the old stories are uncovered -- to Bran's confusion and dismay. Will must call upon magic he thought was gone to wake the Sleepers in the Hills: the battle against the Dark looms closer and closer.

Silver on the Tree concludes the series, as Will, Bran, the Drew children, and Uncle Merry all join forces to attempt to defeat the forces of the Dark.

Here's what I love about these books:

1. They discuss good and evil, and the evil is really evil -- there's no doubt. But at the same time the good is powerful and explicit as well; the reader is never ambivalent about which side to root for! I think this may be because Cooper began the series in 1965; I love older fiction that is not afraid to take a stand!

2. The children all have a powerful and loving adult presence in their lives.

3. I love any literature that keeps the Arthurian legend alive! These novels also reference Celtic mythology in a way that made my urchins want to learn more. Now that's a good book!

4. Oooh -- she's such a good writer! The adventures are suspenseful; the relationships are real; the humor is witty; the children are not annoyingly sweet to each other.

Now I will say that I know these books will not please everyone. They are definitely intended for older children -- maybe nine years old and up? It's hard to tell, because every kid is different. If you have a precocious reader at your house I would encourage you to read these first, before you hand them to your kid. He or she may be reading at a middle school level, but may not have a middle school soul -- you are the only competent judge of that.

And while the battle between the Light and the Dark is explicit, it is NOT explicitly Christian. If you have a problem with your kids reading about supernatural adventures, or are concerned about introducing magic or witchcraft into your kids' literary repertoire, these may not be the books for you.

tangent: I could make a strong Christian argument on behalf of these books (as I can for Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, and Macbeth -- all just chock full of witches and magic). But I will save it for another day!

I have illustrated this post with the covers of the books that my family know and love, but they have recently been re-issued. These editions are available at all the booksellers you love; I have included them (as well as some other fabulous, fabulous YA fiction by Susan Cooper) in the "Terrific Books for Your Kids" carousel over there on the left -- the link takes you to Amazon.com so you can take a closer look.

Happy reading!

Hitting the Slopes

We went skiing this weekend with the tall boy's Boy Scout troop, and just had the swellest time! The tall boy and his dad stayed in a lodge at a Boy Scout camp with the rugged manly men. It wasn't too tough, since they had cots, a wood-burning stove, and a dad to cook breakfast for them.

The girl urchins and I roughed it at a nearby hotel.

The skiing was fun, if more exhausting than I remember it being; I recall the days when I could ski and ski without feeling like I required a knee replacement (or two). The oldest girl had no such problems; she flung herself all over the mountain, and laughed when she got caught in the middle of a snow ball fight between two Boy Scouts.

And the sunny girl had to keep up, which was not a problem, since she appears to be fearless.

This annual outing outing has turned into a family event; of course dads are along for the adventure, but sisters and brothers, moms and cousins, and the occasional girlfriend also turn up to join in the fun for the day. Here are a couple of dads and some older siblings home from college. It was great to have them along!

The tall boy skied like a crazy person, coming inside only to eat or chug a Gatorade. He is all about the ski technique, if you understand "technique" to mean "flinging oneself head-first down the steepest slope one can find." The phrase "pell-mell" describes his style best, I think.

He skied for much of the day with this confident-in-his-own-skin friend. He's an Eagle scout, as you can tell from the sweet pink hat.

By the end of the day, the pink-hatted boy and his dad were d-o-n-e. I can assure you, they weren't the only ones!

At twilight, the tall boy went for one run with me on one of the tamer slopes. It was all my knees could take! He was very gracious and didn't mock me . . . too much. Soon after, the scouts and dads headed back to their cabin, and we headed out too.

I tell you, the hot hotel showers and the NCIS marathon at the end of a long day really take it out of you!