Those eyes. A window into that amazing imagination of hers!

Darcy! Darling Darcy. Check out those blue eyes. Yummy.

How lucky for me and Martha! We got to be the ones who entertained Darcy on her very first sleepover away from home. She spent two nights with us at Wyndham House and she -- we think -- loved every last minute!

I enjoyed being her personal slave, "More ice cream Darcy?"....."Oh, you don't like Cheerios, how about some scrambled eggs?"....."Why of course we can watch, Mickey's Christmas again!"

But my favourite moment was when we helped her write a letter to Santa Claus. We drafted it, put it in an envelope, put a stamp on it and walked to the end of the lane and put it in the mailbox. As she closed the door on the mailbox she said, "Happy Christmas Mr Mailman!"

"Very telling," I thought!

At a moment when she could have been thinking only about herself and the presents Santa would bring, she was thinking about the mailman, the guy who would deliver the letter.

Oh, Darcy! Here's wishing you every imaginable happiness in life darling. (comments welcome)

Photo: Taken on the little wooden Biteau Bridge that goes "bumpity, bump, bump". She insisted we wait for at least 12 cars to go "bumpity, bump, bump" before we headed back to the house.

Properly disguised

"Hallowe'en. We like to think of it as just one more day we can disguise the fact that we are incredibly, inutterably, indelibly....insane". (comments welcome)

Photo: The event was "Spooktacular" at the local middle school. About 200 kids aged 7-14...and us, the biggest kids of all.

Magic is still alive

The local Historical Society held their fund-raiser here last night, it was called "An Evening at the Manse". About 24 people attended, and almost all of them had stories to tell: their childhood memories of being here in the house when it was the church Manse.

One comment stands out. Barbara Clement stood in the doorway of one of the bedrooms and said...

"I remember sitting on the edge of the bed in this room when Patsy, the Minister's daughter, told me there was no Santa Claus. I guess I already knew it," she said with a big sigh, "But I just wanted so desperately to believe."

Thankfully Barbara realized last evening that Martha and Merrill are doing everything they can in this old house, after all these years, to convince everyone that there really IS a Santa Claus. (comments welcome)

Photo: We used leaves to fashion a magic pathway from the church parking lot across the yard to Wyndham House...or, as it was known last night, the Manse.

I'm in Heaven!

Well, maybe not Heaven, but at the Gateway Arena in Borden. Skating for the first time in about 5 years. I'm a little shaky but I'll get the legs in shape over the next couple of months. But here's the very best part...french fries with ketchup out of a paper box. Now that's living! See, I still am the luckiest man alive. I'm salivating just writing this! (comments welcome)

PHOTO: by Martha, who also had some fries and a hot chocolate. They have a great canteen here. I'll be back!

He asked once too often!

Finally, Merrill asked for sex...ONCE TOO OFTEN.

"Enough," said Martha, "that's it. It's time to do this thing."

She decided it was easier to live alone than put up with the constant....well, you know!

Happy Hallowe'en. (comments welcome)

PHOTO: by Katelyn Craswell, who also helped Martha dispose of the body!

We are...Charlotte.

We confess! We have become addicted to "Sex And The City".

We are hooked. We can barely go 48 hours without another hit.

And, like all other addicts (to the show) we ask, "Which character am I most like?"

At first it wasn't clear...but then, when we saw the movie (which is the 6-year "climax", when all the story lines are resolved and the series is finally over) it became obvious: We are Charlotte. (I apologize to those of you who haven't followed the series).

In the last few minutes of the movie there is a scene in which Charlotte confesses to her friend Carrie: "I have everything I ever wanted, she says "I'm so happy that I'm terrified.

"No-one gets everything that they want," she continues, "and of course something bad is going to happen to me."

And later, in another scene, Samanatha looks at Charlotte and asks, "How often do you feel happy in your relationship?"

To which Charlotte replies, "Every day."

Incredulous, Samantha persists, "You feel happy every day?"

"Yes." says Charlotte, "Not all day every day, but every day."

The few seconds of silence bear witness to how lucky the girls feel Charlotte is!

We are Charlotte.

-posted by Merrill (comments welcome)