That stump behind the kids came from across the road. Ordinary people drag valuable things home. But we aren't ordinary, really. My landscaper designer (Aunt B) will help us fit it into the landscaping.

Priya and Anneka helped gather the paltry bit of produce from our pathetic garden before it froze.

And really, besides some various kinds of peppers, a few carrots, the few tomatoes we got away from the free-range chickens, this swiss chard is about all we had to show for. And some potatoes. But swiss chard is tricky because it tastes so, well... green. I tried the Rustic Swiss Chard Tart recipe that someone won quite a few dollars for in Better Homes and Gardens magazine. The crust was really good, but the swiss chard still tasted really green. Like alfalfa. Cheese doesn't really even help it. Kale is green and spinach is green and they are good. Beans are green and they are good. Swiss chard comes in green and yellow and red and is beautiful, but it tastes green.

Ellie is perhaps the only one who can carry "Oocie". The cat appeared one day in the shed and must have been someone's pet, but as someone wise (Mark) once said (in relation to a dog-pound Basset Hound named Buford that I had to have once who turned out to have a body odor problem and a penchant for wandering), "There's a reason why someone got rid of it."