i made a snow girl but it fell over but even it fell it is good because my hill

would of ran it over and i like my hill and it turned icy in the middle and i am building a

snow fort but i need different tools to make a snow fort and fang came to

wilson and from the timber rattlers i went sledding down the hill

I’m taking a page from my daughter’s book and doing a little math….

Kirk and I are committed to giving away a lot of money over our lifetime. A lot is, of course, relative but the goals we have set for ourselves look something like this:

• Live on half our income
• Give away 20%
• Save 20%
• With the remaining 10% being ‘free money’

We’re a ways off from these goals. We’ve been working on them for 5 years or so but we’ve been distracted by things like our mortgage, school loans, a little $3000 sewer problem 6 weeks after we moved into this house and $4000 in car repairs last summer - in short, the stuff of life.

Later this summer, we’re hoping to free up a little cash to participate in micro-financing. There are two that I know of - Finca and Kiva - and likely more. (note: a google search turned up LOTS more options) And while this isn’t technically giving money away we’ll consider it a gift and upon repayment reinvest it in another project.

Reading the stories on Kiva was humbling - it’s amazing what $25 or $50 can do! Wondering what to do with some pocket change? Change a life or two!

Those were the words that came out of Miss Meg’s mouth at bedtime when I asked her to go read quietly on her bed until I could get little Miss El to sleep. She is obviously more Kirk’s child than mine.

Well, it is official, today is Meg’s first snow day ever.  I think she is pretty excited about it.  The idea of staying home and playing on a day when she should be in school seems signify fun.  I remember snow days as a kid and being able to go out and play in it with our neighborhood kids, good times.  Unfortunately I think that today’s “snow” day should really be classified as a frigid day.  The temps are well below zero with wind chills on top (maybe below I guess) of that.  That means that we will not be heading outside to play on the fun snow day.  We’ll have to see what fun we can come up with for inside where it is a little warmer.  Wish us luck!

Where has the fall gone? I feel like it should be about the last weekend in September this coming weekend - not two weeks before Thanksgiving. Fall is my favorite season by far so I want it to last longer. I really like spring because we get to start the garden and everything, but fall is really where it is at. The chill in the air - though not so much recently, and maybe that is why I feel like it is just the end of September - the football on TV, the avian migration, Thanksgiving, Meg’s birthday (I cannot believe that she will be 6) and thoughts of what we want to do this coming winter inside the house. I guess as I think about all of the things I love the most about this season they deal with the relationship of family. All of these activities always involve family and friends for me. Spending time in the yard preparing for winters frosty cover, duck goose and deer hunting, watching football on TV, and taking walks in the cool air before it gets just plain cold.

I’ve always been kind of a Thanksgiving bah humbugger. I think it has to do with when I found out how badly our ancestors screwed over the Native Americans that greeted them as fellow citizens of this land - thanks Jared Diamond, way to go and ruin a perfectly good holiday. Anyway - as I said in my last blog, I’ve been reading Barbara Kingsolver’s book, and in it she mentions reclaiming the Thanksgiving holiday as an opportunity to celebrate the birthday of mother nature. I think I like the sound of that. Eating the bountiful spread of food with family and friends and just being thankful for that opportunity - being thankful that we are fortunate enough to have our family and friends - odd as they may be - with us, and that the planet has provided a bounty of food despite our best efforts. So, bring on Thanksgiving. I guess I should get outside pretty quick and get my fill of fall before it is too late.