Stuck in IN

We were supposed to drive to Maryland tonight but cannot because of the snowstorms on the east coast. This is a bummer because we would truly like to be there and not here. I think we'll try to drive Sunday night but it all depends on the roads I guess.

This has been a funky week. It opened with an allegedly drunk guy allegedly driving with a suspended license hitting our Toyota parked on the street Sunday night while I was watching the Obama/Oprah Christmas thing. He had to stop because it messed up one of his wheels, and the cops arrived almost instantaneously somehow. He was arrested and our car is undriveable; he allegedly has no insurance, so I think we're up a creek. Luckily it is our crappy "second car" and not the one we actually use everyday, but we do use it and will need it - or another second car - next semester. The rest of the week saw Lilah staying home from school Wednesday with a cold and being sent home on Thursday for coughing too much, and we had a truly terrible Thursday with Aviva sick and miserable as well. No sleep for nearly two nights. Both are better by now but the crud has been passed on to us. My head is pounding and the dozens of Christmas cookies already consumed are making me sluggish and unable to focus on the tasks at hand (trying to finish the Household book, grading a VERY late student paper, and making an index for the Women book). Blech.

And now we can't get out of town because of the weather. At least it's only flurrying here, so we can do whatever we want in the meantime. This morning, between frequent Lilah meltdowns, we continued making Christmas crafts for the family. Tonight, depending on behavior, we'll go to the 4H grounds to see their low-tech light display and visit Santa and the hilarious Christmas displays from yesteryear in the barn. Fun ....

Tears over Cairo

A giant map of Africa came to the library. I'm not sure what inspired this meltdown over Egypt.

Purple Santa

Shades of Lilah past were seen this past Friday, when Vi was placed upon Purple Santa's lap at a UE party. Lilah got close enough to the most genial Santa imaginable to snatch a candy cane, but that was it. Vi wasn't feeling it at all. Thanks K for taking this picture!