In full Halloween splendor, Emily pours coffee; cowboy brothers walk through the door; the wind blows the snow away

Yes, I went to Abby's for breakfast again today and found waitress Emily, daughter of Abby, fully dressed in the Halloween spirit. A couple of summers ago, I was pedalling my bike down Sunrise when a very excited

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Hanging out with rascals: Kalib and Jobe at Carr's, Abby's, car, Fred Meyer... they go home (25-image slide show)

Maybe three days back, I promised readers I would take you to Carr's Safeway with Kalib, Jobe and Margie and me and you would leave exhausted. But I got so exhausted myself, I couldn't do it. Then things kept piling on - breakfast with Kalib and Jobe at Abby's; a trip to Dairy Queen brought on by a flyer; a brief shopping spree in Fred Meyer, Thomas the Train and his friends at home.

Finally, I am posting it - at least part of it. I am still exhausted. In fact, I am beginning to believe I will never feel anything but exhausted again. I have already spent more time on this than I can afford, but I am too exhausted to post and write about it in the usual manner and I don't have the time to, either.

So I am not going to explain anything to you, either. I am just going to let you figure it out for yourself. And if you figure it out wrong, oh well.

I will explain the last photo, which I took yesterday evening. It is of Kalib, going to his parents' car with Margie, so she can drive him and Jobe back to Anchorage, where Jacob. Lavina and Lynx will soon land after spending not quite a week in Reno and vicinity on a business trip, with pleasure added in.

The plan was for Margie to stay in town to babysit until Thursday night, when I would come in and pick her up and we would throw a late birthday party for Lavina. Margie is already home. Lavina's brother Anthony and his wife and family are staying at Jacob and Lavina's, so they are babysitting Lynx, too.

Here is the 25-image slide show. I left many mischievous pictures out of it. There were just too many and 25 images is probably too much for a blog slide show, anyway. Plus, I am just exhausted to take any more time and make any more effort -  not because of my grand boys. Through their wonderful mischief, they bring new life and energy to me. I think this extreme exhaustion is hangover from my surgery. I think maybe it has to do with this gigantic, volleyball-sized hernia the doctor left in my tummy. I must bear it for awhile longer.

I hate it, but I must bear it.

What other choice do I have?

None...

The slide show: 25 images of mischief

Jobe steals my camera - Kalib tattles - Jobe's first pic - he proves Kalib was complicit

Late this afternoon, Kalib ran into the living room. "Grampa!" he shouted. "Jobe's got your camera!"

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Kalib and Auntie Mel beneath the full moon late on a chilly afternoon

Kalib and Melanie, late this afternoon. Obviously, there is no snow, but it feels pretty wintry out there. In the past, we have seen the temperature out here drop down right into the -40 degree range with not a flake of snow to be found on the ground.

That is really miserable - especially when the wind blows and the glacier dust flies. I hope it doesn't happen this year.

I know - I still haven't posted the grocery shopping expedition with the boys, or the Abby's breakfast and now I have a Dairy Queen - Fred Meyer expedition with them as well. I just don't have the energy to edit all those pictures right now. The boys will be gone Monday night and Margie with them. Maybe I will find the energy then.

Stop! Shots from my noon-day walk, including four wheeler art, ice bubbles, momma moose; cat looks out the wrong window

I did not stop at the stop sign, but continued on and shortly thereafter stepped onto the

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