The first picture perfectly captures the thrill of the last 36 hours spent celebrating the holidays in Rhinelander with my family. More pictures of playing "Don't Break the Ice" are at the end of this entry. Mark and I were woken on Christmas morning to my nephew Kenny tapping on our door at 7:00 saying, "Daylight in the swamp!" (the most beloved and despised wake-up call my siblings and I recall from our youth--both Mom and Dad used it to roust us from our slumber as children). Here, the kids revel in the holiday bounty.
Mark was quite content sitting on the couch with his new Packer cap and cup of coffee.
Beth received a new Beauty and the Beast tea set.
I joined in the tea party and poured the kids cups of tea.
Splendid!
One of Stephen's gifts was a little toy parking garage and he just
loved it.
Kenny enjoyed playing with a (very noisy) toy gun. Here he ambushes me on the stairs.
Mom received a painted ceramic cow from Mark and I to add to her collection. Do you think she likes it?
This little kitty is named Bella and she belongs to Bragg Family South. One of her favorite napping spots was in the baby crib.
Stephen also received some snazzy new tennis shoes that he just adored; he was content parading around that morning in the shoes and his skivvies.
Bill tolerating my camera.
After the grand gift-opening, Mark snuck back downstairs to take a mid-morning nap. Mingo decided to check on him....
While Mark napped, I had a really fun time making this very attractive snowman with my niece, Beth. The face looks so red and blotchy because we used peppermints for the nose and eyes.
Mingo guarding his new buddy.
Here is Lily, our goofy little dog who just loves snow. We call her "the shovel" because she is always rolling and digging in the snow. Here she hides incognito from my parents' dog, Oscar, hoping to ambush him.
In the afternoon, we left the house to take a walk in the woods. Bill was a very kind uncle who agreed to pull his niece in the sled as we walked (which turned out to be an easy thing because she is so wee).
Beth
For those of you who think Mark is just a big sweedie, I'd like to show you his mischievous side. Here you catch a glimpse, but wait for the next series of photos...
Perhaps it was Kenny who started it all, but on this walk....
there was a lot of shenanigans.
The snowball fighting might have started at the house, but it continued for the duration of the walk. Here, Bill lobs a snowball at Don while Don and Kenny pack their own.
Now please witness this: My husband taking a total potshot with a snowball against my little brother, who is defenseless because my oldest brother is restraining his arms so that
he can....
take him down to the ground (notice Mark's look of pleasure at his potshot) so that he can....
give him a facewash!! Don't fret, though, because Bill fights back and...
wacks Donnie with a huge snowball that he launches in feisty retaliation!!
Upon returning from our embattled walk, we found a very tired little boy who must have been so exhausted by the hustle and bustle of the day that he fell asleep right on the carpeted stairs.
Hope prepared a fabulous Christmas dinner with all of the fixin's. Thanks for all your hard work, Hope!
Mom resting with a lapful of love, cat Draco and Beth.
Bill holding an adorable Stephen.
Stephen became quite interested in Bill's glasses and that interest led the other kids to ask their uncle Bill if they could try on his glasses. Bill let them and voila--
Professor Bragg and
Dr. Bragg.
We played some spirited games of "Don't Break the Ice." Kenny and Beth were both very formidable players.
Kenny showing his thrill and shock and breaking the ice!
Last weekend I ventured north again to visit my parents and my friends. Due to Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, I had that Monday off, so I took advantage of the extra day and spent a sunny and relatively "warm" January weekend gallavanting around the Northwoods. In the top picture, Mom's warm brown eyes show a glint of happiness. The second picture shows her joyfully doing what she loves...sewing!
Right before I had arrived, Dad had been doing some snow touch-ups around the trails. He accidentally drove his tractor over an area where an extension cord that was connected from the house to the pole building in back had been laying. The cord had been unplugged, but as you can see if you look at the green in the middle of the plow blades, it certainly became quite an entangled mess...
Oops!
No worries though. Dad handled the problem with great ease, using a wirecutter to cut and break through the plastic snarl. In fact, I daresay Dad seemed to rather enjoy the challenge! (Although he was bummed about ruining a good extension cord).
Thanks Mom and Dad for the nice visit!
Saturday afternoon I drove to Springstead (just a few miles from Park Falls) to visit my good friends Ingrid and Craig and their little boy, Soren. Having just returned from living in Anchorage, Alaska for the last five years, Ingrid and Craig did not think that they would be buying another house for awhile, but when they saw this unique Bavarian house and the gorgeous property it is located on--complete with a barn, chicken coop, and other various small buildings--for a price that was within their budget, they couldn't pass it up the opportunity. Pictured: Their home and barn.
As you can see, the barn is used as both garage and workshop. It has electricity and heating. Craig is extremely talented at making and fixing things and his tool collection is quite impressive.
Here is little Soren trying on his dad's tennis shoes.
I know I took this in sepia, but those are really big blue eyes, just like Ingrid's.
This is Jack, Ingrid and Craig's mixed breed dog they adopted when they moved to Alaska. He is a very good boy.
This is inside the barn at the far end of the building. There is a large stall with this gate (being swung shut by Soren who liked to demonstrate how things worked).
Father and son standing in the stall.
Snowshoes hung on hooks made from different tree branches nailed onto a board. 
Craig after he cleaned the creosote out of the chimney.
The inside of the chicken coop. It's a little dirty, but they will clean it out in the spring and, yes, they will be getting chickens!
Ingrid, Soren, and I went snowshoeing on Sunday morning. Here, Soren is all strapped in and ready to roll for an adventure.
Squirrel! Jack at attention when we spotted a squirrel and told him.
It was such a gorgeous day and the land itself was just beautiful. 
I observed lots of large paper birch like this one on the land. In the background shows a wetland covered by snow. There also is a stream that runs through this area.
A hunting shack sits on the edge of the woods and the marsh.
A pretty, lonely little plant triumphs through the snow.
I hadn't been snowshoeing in years! It was a lot of fun...
We looped around the land. 
Ingrid and Soren standing close to a few fruit trees that are planted on the property.
This house was built by a German family who wanted to start a farm and bring other German immigrants to this area.
A close-up of the wooden beams that make-up the actual frame of the house. These beams run "exposed" through the interior of the house as well, making it very unique.
Craig is collecting some old farming implements as well.
Craig and Ingrid
Playtime! Soren slides down a mound of snow.
A very active birdfeeder--lots of chick-a-dees and this little bird (I don't know the name of it) which is actually just about to land on a branch.
Good boy, Jack!
Lily and Mingo both were very bummed that I didn't take them north with me this time. Poor Lillers!
And I thought I would end this blog with a rare shot: Britches and Fanny actually kind of cuddled up next to each other on a chair (do note Fanny's look of annoyance though).
