it all makes sense now ...

i believe that i am beginning to understand why
dad has the tendency to speak so much [at times]

you see ... due to his follicular challenges
the man is working with one less tool in his gestural toolkit

take a look at the following image ...

sure, the big eyes and chubby cheeks pull you in
the button nose and gapped grin elicit pleasant emotions
but it is that wayward wisp of golden hair
and the blurry curls on the horizon
that really speak to my playful spirit

but now...
like a shorn samson
i have lost some of my evocative powers

what are we looking at here ...
surprise, excitement, bewilderment, joy ?

so long ... wild morning hair
we shall meet again

gobble gobble ...

we are looking forward to the long weekend
at the casa de cooper

don't get me wrong ...
most weekends [especially those during college football season]
are pretty special around here

but during the holidays ...
we turn the dial to 11 on rockwellian charm

and speaking of college football ...
this year we are thankful for
the gift of an early Hawkeye Football game*

not only does it mean that we get dad home for an extra day
but we also have the luxury of spreading out the pig-skinned goodness
and it avoids the possibility of viewing conflicts with the penn state game
which, considering the implications of the battle at camp randall ...
is a good thing

as we all know ... sometimes just watching such a contest
can be as fatiguing as participating in it

* 11am IOWA time on friday ... check your local listings

it ain't easy being green ...

dad always tells me how lucky i am
to have a creative, caring teacher for a mother
well today ... she brought her A game

please note: for those who are aghast
by the "waste" of all that bubble wrap ...
tell it to amazon.com
this is a portion of the dunnage that accompanied
something we ordered online
something the size of your fist
that was shipped in a box you could bury a horse in !

you make the call ...

a simple before and after
remember, there is no "right answer"

hey ma ... look what i made
it sticks to the cat really well !

i would love to clean my plate
& let you have some quiet time


ok ... maybe that was not a proper comparison
in the interest of fair play
i offer the following pair of images ...

cherubic, surfer chic

sneeze, yawn or burp
it is still a good looking haircut !

it was just a matter of time ...

it was inevitable ...
the progress was so slow at first
but it gradually picked up speed
and what was once deemed shaggy and cute
became decidedly scruffy & unkempt


as so, the fun with scissors began ...

i knew it was going to go well
as soon as i saw the cape

i had no idea that squirt bottles would be involved !

but one can only smile at
their own evolving reflection for so long

eventually i got a little bored
i imagine this is why dad rarely visits the barber

but it was all worth it in the end

i must admit that there is some sadness in the realization
that my quest to resurrect the mullet
ended as quickly as it began

but on the plus side ...
i was starting to get tired of the whole
"what a cute little girl" thing

classic cool ...

i know you didn't ask but ...

if mellencamp* were an adjective
[* as in john cougar]

and its entry in webster's required an illustration

it would look like this !


and as long as you are shopping for images
check out the one we have for ...

thumbs up for matching over-alls

shall we play ...

how about a quick game of catch-up ?
since the last time we gathered here
there has been ...

one big pumpkin

one big game

more pumpkins ... for carving

lots of leaves ... for piling

another pumpkin ... posed this time

a two pillow stacked hat

a pair of candy-filled pumpkins

more than one big grin

two little hands [pictured with pumpkin]

& done.