We are quietly working on a site update, little bits at a time ;) 

So, if you see the site go down in the next few days or something looks strange ... don't be alarmed :) We will get it sorted out shortly. 

The older images seem to be missing now. To be fixed. 

Yes, we are still alive and well. Incl. cats, gerbils, fish and mice :)

In the mix of all the things I have been tending to, some distractions and some personal reasons - I haven't focused on the site. I keep thinking, next month iBlog 2 will be out and I can do a new design, update the whole site and get a fresh start. But, despite many hours & days of helping with iBlog 2, it is not ready yet for prime time. There's a couple things I want that iBlog 2 doesn't support yet. Hopefully those are implemented soon.

I also have the new JAlbum, to bring you some new and exciting images from our neck of the woods. Our photo library keeps growing and I really need to share some images.

Plus, I'm moving my blog back from my mobile to my desktop as the notebook has been in the closet or bag 99% of the time. And, actually, there is a faster notebook in the wings :) And no, I'm not talking about the iPhone. If Apple allowed 3rd party apps, blogging from the iPhone would be superb. I'm up for that.

So, as soon as I get some bits and bytes in order, I'll be updating again.

We finally received some of that nice romantic white fluffy stuff :-)



It really makes things glow.



With a glass of champagne in our hand we wish everybody - and especially our family, friends, relatives and blog friends - a

Happy New Year - Gelukkig Nieuwjaar - Hyvaa Uutta Vuotta - Bonne Annee - Buon Natale - Gutes Neues Jahr

Cingular - best known for their "Raising the bar" motto - advised me I had to upgrade my trusted Panasonic cellphone to something newer or else find myself unable to make calls in another 2 or 3 months. Part of the ATT - Cingular merger and switching everybody to better Cingular technology. The closest Cingular store is 45 min out of my way, but, considering I would get the phone free after rebate when I loaded it with more minutes, so it wasn't all that bad.

The sales representative was very nice, in fact one of the nicer ones I've dealt with, and pointed out that coverage in my area is spotty. Basically along the highway etc. Which is true. Maine is far from ideal to get a cell connection given its forested diverse terrain with low population density. But I wanted to keep our number active and this is a backup / emergency phone with a prepaid plan, so, I didn't worry. A half hour later I walked out with the new phone.

My happiness was shortlived. Along the road I could see the signal reception wasn't as I expected. Back home I'm lucky to get a 1-2 bar signal outside, where the old phone gets 3-4. You literally hold a phone in each hand and the old one will get a usable signal and the new one doesn't. This could be a matter of life or death at some point and really worried me, so, I called to Cingular. Past customer service level 1 (pffff) I got to someone understanding the situation and with computer access to the right data. I was advised that I really should get good coverage in my area and should switch to a different phone within 30 days at the point of sale. Nothing else they could do. Sigh.

I called the guys at the 'local' Cingular outlet. One of his colleagues explained what the friendly guy last night failed to explain: this switch locked me into Cingular towers ONLY! And that's why my left hand gets 3-4 bars (connecting via US Cellular/Verizon/Unicell/... tower) and my right hand gets 0-1-2 because Cingular is on the other side of town, over the hill near the highway / shopping center. And, most likely getting a different phone will not help, but I'm welcome to try it.

With this 'mandatory Cingular upgrade' I lost connectivity with every other company's tower in Maine. Merry Christmas to you too, Cingular.

We wish everybody a very Merry Christmas.

Our Christmas will not be white - unfortunately there is none of that nice fluffy white stuff, but it will be bright :) Here are this years decorations in the front garden:






And this is our festive green house :)



Have fun and be safe.

There should be a flash video file below by elysiumproductions.com

Keep bringing boxes!

Needed: serious DIY person with skills, patience, perseverance and sense of adventure
Job at hand: one 75+ year old garage in need of some serious TLC to fix: in-grown tree damage, water infiltration, missing sills, roof, siding and preferably install some type of foundation.
Ideal applicant: icerabbit

So what exactly has been my main DIY activity for the past few weeks?






Yes, it's off the ground!


Forms are ready.





We have concrete.



Stay tuned for more images.

Oh how time flies when you're busy. Time to highlight a few of the projects.

As spring came early this year, at the end of April I built a deck in the back garden. Can you spot the proud builder? ;)