Kalib gets sick and stays home, I take a walk in the cold air and later go on a coffee drive - how much more excitement do you want?

I have been very lazy and have yet to dig up any of my winter clothes - if everything hasn't disappeared - or buy new clothing if it has. I was desperate to go on a walk this morning, but with the temperature at -22 (-30 c), I needed some kind of protection. 

So I put on an extra sweatshirt, two light jackets and pulled a thin pair of pajama-like cotton pants over my Levi's. In and of themselves, they would not trap much heat, but I reasoned that they would create a layer of air between them and my Levi's and that would be good enough for a relatively short walk. I wouldn't want to be out all day dressed like that, though. Or even for more than just the tiniest while, if there had been a strong wind blowing.

Every single one of my three, good, beaver hats - each worth about $200 - has disappeared, but I found another hat that would do. I had no idea where any gloves were, but my hands are pretty cold-conditioned and I figured that I would be fine if I kept them in my pockets and just pulled them out every now and then to take a picture.

I put on two pairs of socks and then stepped into my regular, kick-around shoes.

As I headed toward the door, I saw these two, engrossed in something going on in Caleb's computer. Little Kalib did not go to daycare today, as he had a bad runny nose, sniffles, and other ailments. Hence, the Kleenix.

On that front, it has now been two weeks since whatever bug struck me, struck me. I hope it was the swine flu, so that I can be done with it. The symptoms read somewhat the same. Probably not, though - that one might still be waiting for me. I am certainly much better than I was two weeks ago, but I remain annoyingly congested and I have a cough that goes away and then comes right back again.

So I walked, and soon I saw a shaft of light falling through the trees, down the road. I could hear a car coming, so I got ready and shot the picture, just as the shadow entered it.

I rounded the corner, walked up the road, then turned around to see what my shadow looked like. I was surprised to see that it was frightened. "Don't shoot!" it shouted silently. "Please! Don't shoot! I have a wife, and kids! And a grandson! Don't shoot! Don't shoot!"

Silly shadow! I didn't even have a gun.

Shortly after I topped the hill and started to head down, a school bus rolled past the end of the road and the way the light looked coming through its window's was amazing. I tried to take a picture, but the pocket camera was just too damned slow.

Sometimes, a school bus will go by and another will soon follow. So, hoping this might happen, I stopped, raised my camera and waited.

After about 15 minutes, none had come. I noticed that my bare fingers were starting to go numb. So I decided to photograph the very next vehicle that came along and call it quits. It was this UPS van. I put my camera back in my pocket, tucked my hands in, too, and headed on, hoping that I might find some moose in the marsh.

I didn't, but even before I got to the marsh, I saw the tracks of a snowshoe hare.

And then two ravens flew over me.

At 4:00 PM, I took my coffee break and here I am, on it, driving down Pittman.

Still on my coffee break, passing by the fire-station. I liked the way it looked, but the damn camera would not focus. Oh well. I took the picture anyway.

Kalib jumps up and down; a flight of fancy about the Yankees and the Cubs

I had taken Margie out to eat at Taco Bell and when we came home and turned into the driveway, we saw a strange sight through the front room window: the silhouette of Jacob as he jumped up and down.

We entered the house and saw that what he had been doing was mimicking Kalib, for Kalib had learned to jump. Now, he was busy honing his new skill.

This was really not a situation for the pocket camera, but rather the EOS 1Ds M III, but the pocket camera was in my pocket and the Ds III was not.

I thought about running into my office to grab it, but if you want to photograph a toddler jumping, you had better do it while he is jumping, which he might not be after you run to your office to get another camera.

And anyway, sometimes I just find it fun to see what I can get with the pocket camera when the situation is all wrong for it. Canon has just released two new pocket cameras - the G11 and the s90, both of which are supposed to be greatly improved in low light.

So when I get that check I mentioned last night, I am going to be really tempted to buy one. While I would not use a pocket camera when I am doing paid-for work, I love the pocket camera. Yes, when I use it I miss the super wide-angle, the big telephotos and the motor drive, but there is something that is just plain fun about using a camera with a limited lens and that you can only get a shot off every couple of seconds.

It adds challenge, I guess.

But really, Billy? For Kalib's first big jumping episode?

He shows off for his grandma, who is very pleased.

He observes as his dad demonstrates the possibilities.

Of course, I had to tell the world. So I got into the car and drove straight back to Taco Bell, got in line and soon saw this New York Yankee fan in my rear view mirror. I had no idea who he was but when I saw him pull out his cell phone I quickly punched the button on mine labeled "cell phone nearest to you" and sure enough, I got him before he could even make his call.

"Hello?" he answered, puzzled.

"Kalib jumped today," I said.

"Who the hell is Kalib?" he asked. "And who the hell are you and how the hell did you get my number?"

So I told him I was driving the red Escape that was waiting in line for tacos right in front of him and that Kalib was my grandson.

"Oh," he said. "I never would have guessed. You look too young to be a grandfather. I thought maybe you were 31. Well, congratulations then. Hey! Did you see how the Yankees cleaned up on the LA Angels of Anaheim? I think they're going to the series, I think they're going all the way. You think?"

"When I was a kid, I was a big fan of Mickey Mantle," I answered. "I wanted to go all the way, but it didn't happen. My parents kept dragging me off to church. That's why."

"Oh," he said. "I guess you really must be a grandpa, then. And what do you mean? The Yanks went all the way with Mantle! Seven times! It didn't matter if you were in church or not! The Yankees still won! God always watches over the Yankees."

"Well, I'm a Cubs fan now," I said, "and they never go all the way." He hung up.

LA Angels of Anaheim?

I called this lady and told her, too. She was so ecstatic that she began to hop around like a rabbit. I tried to photograph her hopping, but the pocket camera can be a little slow and so this is how I wound up catching her - right between hops.

CM*D32: Tiger Kalib and Tiger Caleb

I know, the background is terribly distracting, cluttered. But when you step outside and are surprised to find your grandson being Tiger Kalib, you go with the background that you have, not the one you wish you had. Kalib places the ball.

Kalib pulls back the club for a swing.

Kalib swings! And misses!

He tries again. Boy, does he rap that ball!

Tiger Kalib and Tiger Caleb.

I hope this brings a smile to all you Kalib lovers down in Arizona. I know you can use one, right now.

*Cocoon mode: Until I finish up a big project that I am working on, I am keeping this blog at bare-minimum simple. I anticipate about one month (obviously, now, more than a month. Perhaps forever, it feels like).

Cocoon mode* - day 12: Kalib and Caleb pedal off on their bikes to listen to Peggy Sue

So I stepped outside and there was Kalib, sitting on his bike, like he was going somewhere - Texas, maybe.

Then Caleb came along. "Nephew," he said. "Let's go! The open road awaits!" Little Kalib's legs were too short for him to properly pedal, so he propelled himself by chugging with his feet.

Off they went. Soon they disappeared. I went back into the house to read the newspaper. Later in the afternoon, my cell phone vibrated and shook. It was them. They had called to let me know that they had gotten a little carried away and had pedaled all the way to Texas - Lubbock, to be precise, where they had gone to pay tribute to Buddy Holly.

They had called from Lubbock's famous Buddy Holly Bar and I could hear "Peggy Sue" in the background, mingled with the sounds of random gunfire and brawling.

Trouble was, they were too tired to pedal back home. 

I sighed, climbed into the Escape, drove to Lubbock, picked them up and brought them back home.

It was not at all how I had intended to spend my afternoon, but I could not leave them stranded in Lubbock, Texas, even if the entertainment was good.

*Cocoon mode: Until I finish up a big project that I am working on, I am keeping this blog at bare-minimum simple. I anticipate about one month.

Cocoon mode* - day 7: Caleb sits down to make a stand in the TV room; Kalib saturates himself in incense from India

When they were growing, all three boys slept in this room and sometimes it got pretty chaotic. In time, we enlarged the house, but soon only Caleb and the girls were still home, and then the girls became women and moved out into the world. 

After awhile, Caleb moved into the middle bedroom, which had grown with the enlargement of the house and had briefly been occupied by Rex. Not long after, we put a TV in the original room and called it, "the TV room."

In time, the room began to fill with things that we did not know what else to do with, so we put them there.

Still, Caleb found the space to go in and watch TV.

Then, after Margie got hurt this last time, we had to move a bunch of stuff from our bedroom in order to clear space to accommodate her needs and so into this room it went.

And still, Caleb holds his TV room territory.

One day, perhaps, we will figure out what to do with this stuff. 

I am not certain where he found it, but little Kalib got ahold of some packages of incense from India and then flung the scented wands around as if they were pick-up sticks. By the time I came out and discovered what was going on it was too late to stop it and Jake had just saw it as an interesting learning opportunity for Kalib and so had not interfered.

Afterwards, Kalib carried the scent around on his body and clothes. Aroma wise, being around him was kind of like being back in India. Even when we took him out driving, the aroma of India came with us.

His parents now go house-shopping at every opportunity. Soon, this house will be less chaotic than it is now, but we will have to learn to cope with it.

*Cocoon mode: Until I finish up a big project that I am working on, I am keeping this blog at bare-minimum simple. I anticipate about one month.