Footprints

We could not have had a better start to February break. I made banana pecan pancakes for breakfast using our new griddle. The first few were dark ("that's what she said"), but then I got the hang of it. After breakfast, I cleaned up and the four of us, five including Basker, went for a walk in the fields behind the house. It was a beautiful day so I went to the top of a knoll to see if could get a good shot of the Wind Turbines in Freedom. The prospect of Industrial Wind Power generation coming to the area has been a heated debat over the last year. Being Chair of the Planning Board, I will be glad when we are finished with the ordinance.

I realized as I rejoined the group that it has been a little less than 3 years since we first found out that Ciara was pregnant with Aden. Now we have two boys. Aden loves walking, running and dancing. I love watching him be independent. Along the way we found a few natural treasures. Deer droppings were all over. With the warmer weather, snow in the fields has melted and the deer have been moving.



There were many other tracks that we suspected could have been fox, birds, mice etc. Half way through our trek, Ciara saw a tuft of grass. We walked by for a closer look at what turned out to be a skunk carcass. Aden had many questions about this. He seemed to be able to recognize it as being somehow related to the cats and dogs that he sees everyday, but didn't understand why it was "incomplete" and what had happened. It was a long while before the image evoked fear. I ran ahead again to climb a deer stand and get a view from the vantage.

Initially I thought it was something that I could take Aden up on, but once I got up there thought against it. Aden had his own idea however and suprised Ciara and I both climbing two-thirds of the way independently. He further suprised us when he was able to climb down, with minimal support. Ciara and I were both relieved that neither Nannies were around to see it.

After our walk we went into town for groceries. The boys fell asleep as we expected, so we traveled further out to Skowhegan. The woman we bought our cloth diapers from opened boutique in one of the shops. We went there to get some supplies and an impulsive train set for Aden. Just down the road we broke for lunch at a fantastic spot. The Old Mill Pub was off the main drag but worth it. The interior was as Old Enlish/Irish as I've been in Maine. The pub fare was delicious - Ciara got the Fish and Chips and I a guacamole burger. Aden got a PB&J, minus the PB. To wash down the burger I had a fantastic Oak Pond Brew. MMM. I love my family.