Front by the Window

Monday, April 23, 2012

Not just Reading the Paper

Uh-oh. Looks like Kevin does a lot of sitting and reading the newspaper. So, here's a picture of him doing something else!

The Birthday Boy

Kevin and his big brother, Greg (1955-ish)

Kevin and Greg at Elger Bay Grocery store. We go there for breakfast when Greg's in town.

When Kevin was younger, he and his pal, John Heinecke had a go-cart. It was exactly the same as the one in this photo—only different.

. . .

Kevin and his big brother, Greg (2011). Really nice guys just relaxing after a giant breakfast at Elger Bay Café...

Kevin's Birthday Month this Week

Hey! It's Kevin's Birthday Week! He's feeling fine and sassy. (Still not eating popcorn. Just ice cream for a snack. Soft foods. heh. heh. heh.)

We are seeing the SUN finally and thinking about getting out the kayaks. We paddled across Saratoga Passage a couple of times in the summer, all the way from our Camano Island beach to Whidbey Island. We think we are very adventurous.

Friday, April 6, 2012

Best Friends

I am participating in a photo-a-day creative using Instagram. It's a great project through Fat Mum Slim. The prompt a couple of days ago was to photograph "someone who makes you happy". Since Kevin makes me happy and we've been married forever, I took his picture while he was having lunch and feeding Rusty from the table. (OK, that part doesn't make me so happy.)

I like how Rusty is looking my way with his sweet, innocent expression, like

"What? I'm just sitting here minding my own business. Is it my fault that food flies off his plate? I don't think so."

Kevin is a big popcorn eater. He has popcorn about 5 times a week. And he shares it with the dogs! JoJo and seven would sit next to him as he scooped popcorn out of the big bowl onto the floor for them. (OK, that didn't make me so happy, either.) So then, he started to serve them popcorn on their OWN PLATES! Of course, the dogs were in 7th Heaven. What a deeelicious, buttery, salty snack that's not dog food. People food on our very own plates!

Every time I took Jo and sevi to the vet, I got the lecture: dogs are fat. And every time I would tell the vet that she was preaching to the choir. The only way the dogs were going to get back into shape was if I filed for divorce and got custody of their meals. I forced him to stop giving popcorn to Rusty when the poor Collie ended up with bloody diarrhea! (UN-happy!) At least that got Kevin's attention.

Finally! The Popcorn Problem is solved. Yesterday, while eating popcorn and not sharing, Kevin bit down on a very strong kernel and cracked a tooth! Today, the molar was extracted!!!!! HolyOhMuckyEye! That's IT. I am tempted to toss the Turbo-blaster popper off the deck.* The tooth was cracked all the way down to the roots and was not repairable.

Kevin is feeling fine. He shared his soft dinner of mashed potatoes with Rusty. Actually just let him lick the plate. Change takes time around here. But, I don't think we'll be hearing the pop-pop-popping of corn for a very very long time. Not too happy that Kevin was injured by a snack item. Very happy that he'll be OK.

*This is a whole other story. We (the boys) throw broken appliances off the deck and bash them with bats & golf clubs...

Monday, April 2, 2012

Kevin's Birthday Month

It's Kevin's Birthday Month. He doesn't make a big deal out of his Birthday, but since it's his 60th, allow me to make a big deal out of it. I'm doing it whether he wants me to or not. Probably not.

Kevin Jon Burham was born in Des Moines, Iowa on April 25th, 1952; the second son to Arlo Durmont Burham and Cecelia Juliette Jacobson Burham. He has an older brother, Gregory Ryan (named after Gregory Peck. Kevin doesn't know what inspired his name.)

Then...

1952

Now...

April 1, 2012

Same cheerful disposition, handsome smile and a big dimple in his cleft chin (affectionately called a "butt chin"). Kev's hair is still curly, even if it is cut short and gray these days.

I've known Kevin pretty much all my life. Our first encounter was the summer of 1966 when he and Jim Carlson, Gary Cordial, Mike Mitchell and Dan Hughes threw eggs at Christine Husby, Linda Kaudy and me on our way to the Dairy Queen. Chris, Linda and I ran home and gathered a few eggs of our own, but the boys had disappeared. Weenies.

Kevin was the new kid in town and we both were starting high school at Missoula Sentinel in the Fall. He would go on to be one of the jocks. I was a cheerleader. We didn't date or anything in high school, but we certainly participated in the mutual admiration society. He was so cute!

Happy Birthday Month, Kevvie Babe. Sorry, I have an entire month of stories.