The Next Generation

No, not Star Trek . . . the first member of the next generation of our family! Last night at 9:35, Lillian Wayne Reynolds was born, weighing a chubby, but cute, 8 pounds and 13 ounces. Out of deference to her parents and grandparents, I'm not going to post a photo here and will allow them to post the first ones. Nevertheless, we're very excited and happy that everyone -- mother, father, daughter and, yes, even grandparents came through the delivery just fine(though I think the grandmother was touch and go for awhile). Happy Birthday, Lily!!

Daily Brighton Photo

This is cool! I look at the Daily Brighton Photo blog (Brighton, England, that is) every day. Dean Harvey, who publishes the blog, asked for guest photographers from Brighton and, when I asked him if Brighton, MI, USA was acceptable, he said yes. So I sent him a couple of photos from our ice storm and he posted one of them. Now I'm published on both sides of the Atlantic!

I might take some other shots of Brighton, MI to send along to Dean from time to time. If you haven't checked out all the daily phot sites, it's fun to do so -- there's a link to them on most of the bloggers' sites.

Winter, Mothers, Sons & Daughters

Yes, winter has returned to Michigan. We had an ice storm last week (when I took these photos) and have gotten a little snow (less than 1") every day since then. The winter sports people are happy, but no one else is. It's also been pretty cold in the teens & twenties. No wonder Charlie feels smart to have moved to Florida!

On another note, I've finally taken down the Christmas I never wanted to put up. For once, I'm really happy to have the house back to normal. I just never got in the mood -- perhaps if winter had graced us in December rather than January that would have made a difference. The only Christmas CD I listened to was Sufjan Stevens, and that was also in January -- after Christmas!

On a different note, we're all waiting for little Lily to arrive. Each generation's first baby is a great event! She'll be spoiled by everyone in a way that none of her subsequent siblings or cousins (once or twice removed) will be -- just as Paul was on my family's side (and Christy was, as the only girl) and Jim was on his dad's side. It will be a little sad for those who come after, but such is the way of the world.

Lily's pending arrival and the excitement leading up to it has also caused me to ponder the relationships of mothers and daughters, as compared to those of mothers and sons. It's always been fascinating to be out someplace, like the mall, and see a mother with a miniature version of herself at her side. I wonder what it would be like to have a daughter and see oneself mirrored there -- to see glimpses of one's own face, one's mannerisms or voice inflections copied and, ultimately, to realize that someone who shares your DNA will also share your experiences as a woman and, because of that, share a bond with you forever. It's like a chain with links from mother to daughter to daughter, with each a part of something that mothers without daughters can only imagine. I wonder if this is what Jim feels like when he looks at his 3 sons. I doubt it, since he doesn't ponder things in the same way I do. At any rate, in the end it's there's no gain in pondering it too much, because what is is.

So, hurry up, little Lily! I'm as anxious for your arrival as everyone else is. Arrive safely, but arrive soon. . .

Winter Has Returned

Well, our lovely, warm winter appears to be over. After months of almost snow-less, record-setting warmth, we're back to a typical Michigan winter. Snow, sleet, freezing rain and cold have returned. Today, we put the tarp roof on the chicken run so the girls will go out and get some air. Without it, when I open their door on snowy mornings, they look out at the snow and are too afraid to go out in it. There is real meaning to the insult "chicken".

Which puts me in mind of all the chicken-isms in our language: pecking order, spring chicken, tough as an old bird, going to bed with the chickens, hen pecked (just to name a few). You can easily think of more, if you try (or may start noticing now when you hear them). I think their presence goes back to the fact that, at one time, just about everyone -- country and city dwellers alike -- owned chickens as a handy source of eggs and meat.

On a happier note than our rotten weather, we booked our tickets for a long weekend in Florida in March. We'll get to visit Charlie, see Christy & Tom, meet new baby Lily and go to a Spring Training game (not to mention, getting to enjoy some warmer weather).

Today is Orthodox Christmas!

Because we have a Russian friend who is Orthodox, I'm conscious of the fact that not everyone adopts the Julian calendar and celebrates Christmas on December 25. So, Счастливое Рождество всем читателям (Happy Christmas to all readers)! Счастливое Рождество, Николэй!