I want to say thanks to all the folks who have written, called or come by over the last couple of days. I must have been sounding down in my blog or on the phone.  It means the world to me that so many people would check in to see how we’re doing.. I’m feeling a whole lot better now.. I think I was really missing Gabe.. and I’ve been starting to think about Sam’s birthday coming up….
    Somehow things seem brighter today… I don’t have much mor to report tonight.. and I’mrally having trouble staying awake.. so I think I’ll try to get away with a one paragraph post.. Is that legal ? Hope so !  Gnite all.. Gnite Sam

Then I did some of he larger and more assorted bins.. Like this one.. i contains chemicals which are relatively non-flammable and fairly non-toxic.. Nothing I would eat, but the kind of chemicals you wouldn’t mind having in your house… I think the label really captures it..

Of course the previous label is only necessary relative to this one..   Though nothing really dangerous here either.

I had some early meetings so I headed off to work.. First thing I saw in the parking lot was this label on a car.. I’m sure it was there for me..

I tromped up to my office … and took a picture of th magnetic message I’d placed on my door.. At this point I hadn’t really made the connection that I was labeling everything today.

I went into my office and got on the phone.. As I talked I was admiring the cool engraving on my new bizzarro desk.. I couldn’t resist taking a picture..

I had some late meetings so I didn’t get home until nearly 7.. Soon after, Rusty and Tyler shoed up.. I’d figured out my theme at that point.. so I labeled them ..

Gabe was there.. so he got labeled too !

Then Brad, Silas and RJ showed up.. Brad told us he had a surprise for us.. He’d gotten himself inked with Sam’s initials … a great label !.. I was so moved by what he did. I can’t believe the love these kids all have for each other and for Sam.. All of these kids mean so much to me..

Here’s a newly shorn Silas… who also told us some good SamStone stories from his recent vacation to Dry Tortuga.

.and a freshly pierced RJ..

It took me a while to pick up on this hole labeling theme for today.. but here’s the lesson… and even though it sounds obvious.. it really came to me tonight.  It made me think about how I am now frequently labeling each day.. or each situation as “good” or “bad”.. or labeling myself as “Sad” or “OK”,   Diane’s advice to me is to just ‘be’.. not to try and simplify down to a simple label like that.. I think I get it….
   OK.. all for now.. gotta sleep…’Nite folks.. ‘Nite Sam
-me

I’ve spent the whole weekend… actually the whole previous week getting ready to do soemthing.. It’s been a fun and productive week in many ways.. and a very strange week for me in others. It’s been fun just hanging out with Diane.. It’s been hard not havin any of the kids round.. We’ve cleaned and hauled.. and repaired so much in this week while Gabe’s been away.  The old lab the new lab and the pantry are now clean and uncluttered.. The lab in particular is a thing of beauty.. it’s all ready for… what ? I found that work to be easy to start, fulfilling and engaging.. but the moemnt I sat down to try and work on my day job stuff.. or the paper I’m writng.. I feel like I hit a brick wall. it’s liek I’m enjoying getting ready to wrok.. but when I try to execute.. I’m stuck.
   I’ve tried to shake  myself out of tat mood and mode several times this weekend.. Diane and I started the day with a nice short and fast hike on the Cattamount trail with the dogs

Just before 9 Diane and I headed down to New Haven Vt for a late breakfast with Homer and Mary.. We’d been trying to get together for months.. and here was the opportunity. We Homer and I were thinking of going to an auction of machine tools at UVM.. but opted to stay home and save money together, instead.

One other purpose of th visit was to take our whirligig in for repairs. it managed to shake itself to pieces in the high winds over the last 2 days.. from the look of it, it through a fan blade.. then vibrated itself to pieces.. Homer has promised to nurse it back to health for us.

We moved inside for breakfast. Homer took charge and made the pancakes. it was really nice talking to those guys. We shared stories on what brought us to Vermont and how we met our life partners

We looked at some of Homer’s older pieces for ideas. We really liked the frame on this cute older picture of Homer and Mary’s daughter Raye

Homer came up with a plan for the plaque.. then it was time for us to head back home. Before we did.. I had to take a look around at all of Homer’s cool stuff. his house is like a museum.

I likd this post card he had on his ‘fridge.. Resonated deeply with me today.

I also liked this freaky stainles stell mirror ball in their pool.

Ans the little caged alien guy

And the bent wood shed…

And the scary snake/camel dude

Or tis shelf of wax heads…

It was great spending time with Mary and Homer.. I always come away from their house creatively charged.

I channeled that creativity into some pretty basic repair items when I got home.. I  rebuilt and reglazed the window that blew out of the upstairs bathroom window.

And I repaired the broken rocker on our old rocking chair..

Towards evening Mason and Mo-walka came buy wit the new and improved Rusty !.. Rusty has been out west in Durango Colorado at school. He’s realllllly lving it. It was great to see him.. and her about how much he loves his school. He cut his hair which is freaky ! He looks good !

We started talking about asparagus.. which reminds me to tell an interesting.. if somewhat gross story from dinner last night… and a few nights before.   If you’re like me.. eating asparagus has a strange impact on your… uh.. excreta… If you know what I mean.. then you know what I mean.. If you don’t , it means that  you’re one of the 60 % of humans who can’t experience what I’m talking about. I originally believed it was a metabolic difference which either did or did not allow a certain family of sulfur containing chemicals (mercaptins) that pass through your kidneys undisturbed when you eat asparagus.  I’ve since learned that the chemical passes through everyone’s   kidneys.. What makes the difference is that 60% of humans lake the gene that allows them to smell these compounds. For those 40 % of us who can smell that chemical.. it’s very distinctive. I found in Wikipedia that the French Author  Marcel Proust  claimed that asparagus “…transforms my chamber-pot into a flask of perfume.”  .. For you other 60% .. you don’t know what you’re missing.
   An on that strange note… I think I’ll sign off.. Gnite all…. Gabe.. can’t wait to see you tomorrow..  Gnite Sam..
-me