Woo Hoo! Xmas!

I don't know why I'm so excited this year. Maybe because I expect to actually see some snow this year in PA, or because I'll have the right vehicle to go play in it. Maybe it's the little village Matt & I bought at a January clearance sale and get to use for the first time. Maybe it's the promise of having Debbie and Girlie and son here... I'll be missing Maddie & Gillie and our parents and Matt's sibs, but it's still shaping up to be a heck of a little party. Knitting furiously along on my presents... and I bought Snow Dwarf boots today. Shaun is here next week... bring on the white stuff!

Robesonia 2007

Matt, Girlie, and I made some new friends at a R.O.V.E.R.S event today. Unlike most car shows, where you park your baby and talk about how pretty she is, at Robesonia your pride and joy gets a real workout. There were a series of tracks marked with gates to steer through. They led up slippery grades, down rocky chasms, and across precarious angles. The old battle-scarred trucks fared much better than their modern luxury counterparts (no surprise there). Drivers were aided by helpful guiding shouts. "Left! Left! Straighten it out! Gas! Gas! GAS!!!"

Overheard: "I'll bust the other side on the next run, so it's even." and "Did I hurt the tree?"

My favorite bumper sticker: "Barbie called. She wants her Jeep back!"

Shaun arrives on the 26th!

1970 Land Rover instructional video

Here are two videos of one of Shaun's littermates tearing up the English countryside. Note that it's not a pickup - it's a regular 88" with the hardtop removed. Love love love the "stiff upper lip" pep talk at the end of the second video about maintaining Rover's rep. Thanks, Fred!

Doesn't it feel good...

... to clothe someone you care about? I went to OCOM with Kate, and she's one of the people I still really miss from Portland. Here's daughter Isabel Rose in all cuteness with her blankie - my first lacey project! She's SO adorable!

OMG!!! I'm psychic!

I had only seen Shaun in that one short, but it turns out he's got a whole kids show. Unfortunately the DVDs are only available in Region 2 format, so I can't get one, but I did see on the website that they actually use a Rover on the farm. And it's the same one! Down to the color! I am totally wigging out here. They even made a replica "real one" to do tours around English zoos. This is really weird because the pickups are pretty rare. And we primarily called it Shaun because it was the only good W&G name left!

Shaun joins the family

I'm still sad about losing Wendo, but I know she'll be in good hands. Brenda has already started a scrapbook! :)

And the sting was considerably lessened today by the acquisition of a little 1970 Land Rover pick up. He's got that surefooted 4WD, of course, so Matt can use him to get to the hospital when the weather turns. And he used about a third of the proceeds from Wendo's adoption, so we can still deal with our bills.

His name is Shaun, after the sheep in Wallace & Gromit's "A Close Shave."