Father's Day 2011

Monique has labored hard to restore the front (or is it the back) of the house after the blessed sewerage connection wrought its disturbances. Here is a composite result. Monique was there to greet us on Father’s Day 2011!

John and Mike (from next door) were busy meanwhile rebuilding the dock that had been rammed, wracked, and otherwise brought to abrupt awakeness the summer before by a little mishap that Mike felt responsible for. Here he made amends displaying terrific skills and tooling armaments sufficient to cause the celebrated father of the day, that’s me, to experience transports of envy.

A leisurely afternoon later—interrupted only by a half-harrowing, half-delightful excursion to the biggest (indeed only) dog park I’ve ever seen—far too big to see the fifty or so dogs that were gamboling all around…

We settled down to drink a toast of cranberry juice. Above the hosts…

And here the Father in question!

Gifts—my God—splendid gifts were bestowed on yours unworthy, not least a live quince bush, of which in another post, the by now traditional cigars, and four brand new but no longer manufactured Shaeffer fountain pens, courtesy of e-Bay, no less. Sometimes it seems that the very hard labor that lets you become a father is not just its own reward.

Welcome, Amelia

My name is Amelia Arden Magee. I was born precisely at 11:08 in the morning of June 4, 2011, not a minute too early, not a minute too late, determined to live up to the motto in life I thought up while in Mommy’s womb, which is and shall be: “All in Good Time!”

Here is a splendid family photo — couldn’t have been complete without me. Making a clock-wise circle from noon, my Daddy Michael, my Mommy Cathy, my sister Zoe — all admiring me (Amelia).

Right from the start the comforts of pillows and loving arms to hold me, here those of my Big Sister Zoe who, I think you’ll agree, has motherly talents and an angelic smile! I’m smiling too, but you just can’t see it.

My aunt Monique arrived in good time to keep us all company while I picked the right time to arrive, and I heard them all laughing and having a good time in the kitchen. It was such fun to listen to them, I snuggled in a little deeper and decided to see what might happen next before I arrived.

One thing they did was to show Aunt Monique all of the lovely sights of Wyoming, towering mountains and the rushing of bright sparkling water. I’m glad I picked such a scenic and wonderful place to make home!

Uncle John came too, by airplane, and spent his first evening trying to grasp the deeper meaning of pictures and words on paper, something he is always doing, and always with great success — because he knows how to pick experts to help his own understanding. Here Zoe is lending a hand in Uncle John’s unending education.

To rest up from study, Uncle John helped Daddy out in the yard. They called it “work,” whatever that is, but kept talking about fantasy baseball and fantasy football, whatever they are. I’ll have to ask Zoe to explain it to me. All in Good Time!

Finally, and in perfect time — and I timed it just right just for them — Grandma and Grandpa arrived in Wyoming to see me. And that is my story, the beginning of it. I cannot write yet, never mind the highest form of it, blogging, but I am gifted in the secret arts of telepathic communication (they say it fades as you grow) so I found a receptive member of the family to present all this to you in more or less suitable words.

Amelia Arden Magee