My posts have been about the twins lately, but we have an exciting week coming up.  Molly and Sam are coming and on sunday, we will have several guests for a baby shower for them.
Yesterday, I hosted my Literary Club and our lovely Baltimore Oriole came to show off for them. Isn't he lovely.  The hummers have also returned and the swallow is building in a new house this year.  Apparently the old house has had it.
Charlie finished up his carriage house today. It is now complete.  HE has done a great job.
Jacob is coming to spend the night tonight, so I baked an angel cake for him.

Not much other news today.

Tom has now completed two benches and another one is almost done.  He has a workshop in this old schoolhouse that is one our property and he refined it when we first moved in in 1999.  
Despite his fading eyesight, he is still able to do this.  We just keep going with what we have.   I think this is a total of 7 benches he has made over last year and this year.

the twins are really growing. 

Beth and charlie are cleaning up brush in the back yard and the place us looking really nice.  The big excitement this week is preparing for Molly's shower on Sunday.  I hope we have a nice day.  Tom has been making more benches to sit around the picnic table under the birch for party comers to sit and have fellowship.  The twins will probably be in their twin stroller.

Yesterday I made Potato Leek soup for one of Beth's friends.  It was not as good as my first.  I don't know why.  It was the same recipe.
Today Diana will come for her piano lesson.  She is trying to relearn pieces she played as a child.  I am actually doing the same thing.  It's sad that we can't play things we did so well in our teen years.  I guess that's what getting old means.  Things we once had, have left our grasp.

Well, I need to get going for the day.  I miss seeing the birds.  A bear apparently ate all our bird seeds over the weekend.

Today is Palm sunday.  Arnold Leach and I played a piano duet, "the Holy City". It is a lovely piece, but hard for me.  We will play it again at the Sunrise service in North Paris.
Beth went into the woods to put up a duck house that tom made last summer.  she found at least 3 feet of snow in the woods.  We hope to see our lawn this week in very warm temperatures.
We continue to enjoy Archie and Stephanies' twins when Beth baby sits.  Tom and I get to hold them.


I can't wait to take Maura out for a nice walk in the back yard soon.  I've felt bottled up all winter because I do not want to take a fall.
I"m happy that baseball season is here.  I won't watch all the Sox games, but when it is convenient, I will watch.
Tom goes to eye specialist tomorrow for another shot in his eye.  i feel so sorry for him, but if this helps him to be able to see, I guess it is worth it.

Texas vacation
We had a wonderful time in Dallas.  Chuck had tickets to Shun men, which is a multi talented dance historical opera.  It was filled with animation to make the story more interesting.  I loved it very much.  then we did the George W Bush Museum including getting a picture made in the oval office as it was when he was president.
Another high light was the Ross Perot science museum.  We went twice and still only saw a portion of it.  Everything was interactive so you could spend a week in there and not get all around.

we also ate there and the cook would not let us take a slice of pizza from the counter, but made a fresh on one and brought it to us.  We also ate at the Bush and found Laura's cookies healthy but lacking in taste.  They were all fun.

Speaking of fun, we did the Luby cafeteria, My favorite and numerous others.  We ate Texas, Mexican, Asian, Ranch, Italian, Canadian and many others.

Tom got his Berlin Wall plaque and I got a pretty stole.  Also got a new Bible at the half price Bookstore.  Luella bought me a cover and got both engraved with my name.

We had interesting connections in Washington and I was very glad to get home.  Snow storms had closed  the Portland airport when we were due to fly home, so had a take a later flight.
The weather was perfect in Dallas, nothing like the 3 or 4 feet we came home to.

January 13, 2017
The twins are now 2 weeks old an looking very cute in Facebook photos.  Don't have personal shots since the hospital, but here is Arora and Quinn.

They are two precious little girls and I can't wait until they are old enough to come here for a visit.  It has been very cold, so I understand why they can't get out of the house yet.  I want them to be safe.
Our family is rapidly growing and with Molly's baby due in July, our house will be bursting at the seams, but that's fine with me.

We plan a trip to Longmeadow on the 23rd to see Dean and Eunice.  I hope the weather is nice and no snow storms to hamper our trip.  Then we will go to Dallas in February.  I hope we can fly direct from Boston.  I don't like the plane changes with tom in a wheelchair, even though we get through security and to the gates quickly.

I wish we had time and money to drive in our car.  That would be very nice.  I like traveling by car with Tom.  we have fun together.

Thanksgiving photo