post-Halloween roundup

Halloween was good this year! Lilah was Peter Pan for the Montessori cosume party (see also Bob the Builder and Katherine the Princess) and a bee for trick-or-treating. We had fun trick-or-treating around the neighborhood with Wyatt. Vivi was a ladybug, but she wasn't in the costume long. There is still a surprisingly large amount of almond joys and peanut butter cups around here, which brings me joy.

Shoko, we hardly knew ye

RIP Shoko

Our rabbit Shoko died on Sunday at the age of 8. She had not been doing well for some weeks, so it was expected. Her best friend Gabby seems to be doing ok with it, but who knows really? Anyway, I bought Shoko at a pet store in Herzliya Pituach, where we lived for two years before moving here, to be a companion to Daisy, my dissertation rabbit (who died 5+ years ago). She was kind of trouble from the beginning, giving us scabies, being generally neurotic, chewing the whiskers and even fur off of Daisy's face, etc. We brought Shoko and Daisy in a pet carrier on an Air France flight when we moved back to the States in June 2002, and her departure reminds me of how much our lives have changed since that time. She was like a tangible link to a past life, that Israeli shafan.

I am stunned that I can't upload a picture of her. We apparently haven't taken pictures of the rabbits in years and the pictures from our first crappy digital camera won't upload.

Lilah is doing fine with it all (she was basically scared of Shoko) and helped Abba dig a hole in the yard for her. We saw a cat mummy at the museum on Halloween so she had quite a lot of pet death this weekend.

Finally, the cousins

Long ago - or maybe it was just a few weeks ago - we were in Maryland hanging out with cousin James. Here are the three cousins together for the first time. Poor James!

GrandDad's goats

The girls should have known better than to fall asleep during the rolling country drive to GrandDad's house. Among the wonderful things that awaited (in addition to GrandDad and a giant dinner): Chuck and Heidi (the pygmy goats) and Uncle Todd.

Don't forget Australia

Obligatory picture of baby with pumpkins

Taken at Baugher's in Westminster, MD.