Ruby's first snow

She looks curious, doesn't she? Not too playful, though. Perhaps when it gets thicker she will do some cavorting to entertain us. Mostly she was confused when the snow hit her on the head or nose. Maybe she's too cool for snow now that she's growing up.

A caroling we went

Here is the group I've been caroling with recently. It has been a bit of fun but so much singing is quite a bit of work. At Biltmore we sing for 30 minutes and then rest for 30 minutes. Last time we did 4 sets over 4 hours. Anyway it will be coming to an end for me soon. Another singer will take my place and I will go on to different singing.

Watch me go

I have been working double time on the nursery. I hope Calliope likes green and lavender. I built this storage unit in the shape of a house. Starla is working on filling it up with gifts for our daughter. I'm not really sure if the gifts are chiefly for Calliope's benefit or Starla's delight. Oh well, either are fine with me.

Request for prayer.

I've been praying every day for my new daughter Calliope. That's probably not a surprise. But just yesterday it occurred to me that there were other folks out there who would like to join with me in praying for her. So, please join my daily prayer that God would protect her heart and her smile, that her days would be filled with fun and her evenings with secure, restful sleep. Children in institutions usually have attachment disorders. Let's all start praying now that God will minimize Calliope's attachment issues and that God will prepare Starla and me to lovingly address them. Also, please note the two new links to the right. Half the Sky and China Care both do valuable work for Chinese orphans. If you are considering donating to a charity these are two fine choices.

Our float for the parade

And a freebie of Ruby in costume.

More parade

Parade Day

The parade was quite fun. We traveled from West Asheville all the way to Pack Place and a little down Biltmore Ave. Here are some pictures. Though, I'm not too keen on Christmas parades before Thanksgiving.

Caroling at Biltmore

I have been part of a quartet singing Christmas carols at Biltmore. It has been fun so far, though pretty hard on the voice. 4 sets of 30 minutes is one thing. But singing the tenor part of carols is quite another. Anyway this Saturday we are singing in a parade in Asheville. That's pretty cool. I haven't been in Asheville for a year yet and I am already in a parade.

Chinese lesson 2

	中级62 Adoption
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Chinese lesson

	菜鸟71 Adoption – Comforting Words
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Ruby's friend

Bryan and Matt brought Theo and Buster over on their way to Florida. Ruby and Theo were fast friends. In Ruby's mind that meant they had to wrestle endlessly. By the end of the visit Theo was avoiding Ruby.

My library

Here is one of the two shelves I have built in my library. Not bad, huh? I am contemplating putting up one whole wall of them. Starla says we do not have enough books for even the one shelf. I say we can check out hundreds of books from the library every week just to display them.

Big day in the hood

Today the vacuum trucks came down our street. They sucked up all the leaves I had raked to the curb. I was glad to see them go but the lawn was covered with yellow leaves only hours after they were done.

Fall colors at Beaver Lake

Fall has been lovely here so far. We haven't been getting much frost but I have seen a little snow. Maybe 5 minutes worth. It melted as soon as it hit the ground. The cold temperatures haven't kept me from golfing yet but I imagine the day will come. I have raked many, many leaves. I'm using a rake I found in the tool shed. It has seen better days, though. It is small and has two or three tines missing. I could get a new one but do I really want to spend another $10 at Home Depot? Nope. Of course, $5 coffee at Port City Java is just fine. Sometimes I wonder about the calculations my brain makes.

The reception

The reception was quite fun. There was a dance master and almost everyone danced a little. Starla and I danced quite a bit until the one-step ended in a gallop and she ended out of breath. Brian and Nicole danced wonderfully and added an aristocratic air to the proceedings. Here they are doing the polka. The candy cart was a favourite for everybody. We still have a bag full. Also, you get a picture of me looking surprised. I'm not sure why.

Nicole and Brian get married

Two friends of ours were recently married. I sang in the wedding and Starla was a bridesmaid. It was in Sudbury, MA. We had a very nice trip except that Starla was sick the whole time. She toughed it out though and smiled the whole time we were there. Here are a couple of pictures of my bridesmaid. Also, you can see that Nicole made herself a beautiful dress. The wedding was supposed to have a Victorian feel that the old Wayside Inn and New England setting really accented. I wore tails.

Ruby exiting the couch

I thought I was done blogging this evening until Ruby pulled this maneuver. She stretches out like this about once a week but I had the camera handy tonight. If you grab her feet she'll just stand there until you let her go.

Proud husband

Yes, I created these drawers on my own. They are for Starla. Well, more for her clothes than for her personally. The drawer handles I bought for it were vetoed by Starla. So tomorrow I will be back at Home Depot to get different, more sophisticated ones.

Beaver Lake colors

Today we meet with our architect about the house. We are pretty excited about getting started. I have been doing a fair amount of work on the house but nothing that really changes the way it looks lately. I've been building drawers for Starla's closet. Here are a few pictures of our foliage and lake on this rainy day. Also, Ruby is crowding Starla on the couch. This is a regular occurrence and you shouldn't be worried about Starla. It is a symbiotic relationship. She keeps her feet warm from Ruby's body heat.

Spiked the trees.

Today I fertilized the trees. I used MIracle-Gro spikes for my three Japanese maples and most of the rest of my trees. The maples I planted 3-4 months ago are still looking good. Hopefully, the fertilizer will help and not hurt them. I, also, put down some grass seed in a couple of bare spots on the lawn. I am not sure if I have fescue or not so perhaps I will have different patches of grass in some spots. My next task is to dig up the bushes and shrubs along the driveway and plant a garden. Any tips would be appreciated.

Wine rack.

I made this out of some odds and ends downstairs. Good practice for my bookcases.