HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Happy 2008! I know, I know...the blog has suffered as of late, and as a consequence has become quite lame. However, it's a new year, the blog has a new look, and this year for The Hooters will no doubt be wilder than ever.

I hope everyone had a great holiday season! Ours was awesome and lasted a solid two weeks, with one week spent in Missouri with my fam, and the other week spent on the other side of the Ozarks with Marden's fam. After the major ice storm a few weeks ago, Mom and Dad's yard looked like it had been bombed - literally. Marden, Trent, Tye, and Dad all manned chainsaws. I helped some, but when the bonfires started (with the aid of copious amounts of diesel fuel), I wisely retreated to the safety of the indoors. It was bad enough just watching my husband wielding a chainsaw.

Marden tried an experiment with facial hair this holiday season while on leave. I think he looks quite cute in the goatee. Unfortunately the Army doesn't see it that way, and the goat had to go. However, not before some further facial hair fun. I can't say I really care for the biker/cowboy look.

The pets are all great - Lucy continues to peg-leg around and is really enjoying the new abundance of yard at our place. Sally had a bout with a cold, so enjoyed the holidays indoors haming it up...she learned that the "poor trembling puppy" routine gets extra attention and food, especially when paired with a pathetic whine. Before her cold, though, Sally made Marden proud by bagging her first rabbit. Well, she didn't actually get the rabbit...but she sniffed it out and stayed behind it, running it right to Marden. Having never witnessed a beagle running a rabbit before, I was quite impressed...it was actually pretty cool. Also cool was the delicious rabbit stew that we had for supper!

And what else does the new year bring? MULLETHUNT 2008!!! So far we're only a week into the hunt, but I'm expecting an incredibly productive year from our seasoned hunters. Who's going to get the first capture of the new year???

And that wraps up the current Hooter Update. Marden is finally back at work after three weeks of leave, and I'm still working on the house. A tiny bit of trim, some touch-up paint, and some organizing, and we'll be a little closer to done. Though I really don't think a house is ever "done"...it just leads the way for other projects. But, when I can finally step back and declare "done", I'll be diving right in to working on my artwork, building fly rods, teaching the fly fishing class, building a mobile chicken coop, planning a garden, getting some beehives set up...wow. I think I need a nap just typing that.

Yay for 2008~!!!