The tongue was not in the cheek, but it was on Logan’s nose! Neighbor Logan (7) livened up our day when he knocked on our door and announced he had shoveled our driveway. As he shed outer layers, John texted Shawn to see if he could visit. They were having an early dinner, so we had 25 minutes to enjoy him. Logan looked at a ship magazine that was lying on the table beside him as we chatted. I don’t know why I asked if he could touch his nose with his tongue. I assumed he couldn’t do it, but he jumped out of the chair and walked closer to show us. Moving at his usual warp speed, he was back in the chair but agreed to pose. Like our children and grandchildren, he is resigned to the fact that a camera is always lurking nearby.
Logan made short work of stomping on air bags I had saved for him. There is something intensely satisfying about leaping on them to make the loudest noise possible. I like them deflated before going in the garbage.
A few days ago dog Smoky came out to the road to greet us. We were surprised he was outside when the temperature was about 14F (-10C). The cold didn’t seem to bother him, but our toes began to protest. The steepest part of the road is right here, although it looks deceptively tame in the photo. I sometimes speak of a half walk or going to the stop sign. That stop sign is at the top of the road. We were quite warm when we came back up the hill. Smoky had retreated to a warmer place.
Mehrling Muse 
Cute Logan. You are blessed to have him nearby.
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We haven’t seen much of Logan recently, probably because we had so much company. His parents don’t let him come over if they see extra cars in our drive. I must tell them that people who visit us already know Logan through email and blog. They’d love to meet him in person.
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It’s great that Logan still loves to come and entertain you..
xxx Huge H
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We know that Logan may outgrow us at any moment and try to enjoy every minute with him until he does.
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Sorry Anne, you lost half your Ugs.
xxx Huge Hugs xxx
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My goodness! Where am I going to find my lost Ugs?
xxx Findable Hugs xxx
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What a sweet boy, shoveling the drive! There is something about stomping those bags of air 😁 it’s so satisfying!
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I was horrified the first time Logan stomped air bags to smithereens. It took me by surprise, but as soon as I saw the huge grin on his face, I knew I’d save all others for him.
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love your comments
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Lively people gather in the blog world! It’s wonderful to have a connection with you.
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I hope he stays around for a good while, he will have wonderful memories of visiting you. My grand kids love the bubble wrap. Kids are a treasure.
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Logan is getting old enough to have memories that might last his lifetime. I hope he realizes some day how much we love him. When I was little, I went next door to work crossword puzzles with the retired man who sat on his porch to work them. Also alluring was the brown cookie jar his wife offered us, usually saying we could have two. When I was a teen, I always waved at them, but I no longer sat to visit. I wish now I had.
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Logan with his tongue on his nose is so sweet. It looked like he was licking a cherry on his nose or a drop of ice cream off.
Dog Smoky loves you all- he seems so friendly. Is he Logan’s dog ?
Your house looks so beautiful- still Christmassy.
Susie
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Smoky lives at the half-way point of our walk to the creek. His owner runs a landscaping business out of his home. We have spoken to the owner a couple of times but have no idea of his name. He called the dog by name, and that’s how we learned Smoky was his name.
Son John $ came to visit today, and he helped John carry the Christmas tree out to the burn pile. It will take a few more days to get everything put away.
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Oh, good to know about Smoky.
Landscaping business in NC ?
I would have imagined to be one big landscaped place.
Our Christmas decorations are still up. My younger daughter cries when they are taken down- as she feels the excitement is all over and there is too long to wait for next.
Susie
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I don’t think you can improve on the mountains, but people want their home acres to be groomed. The landscaper plants trees, shrubs, and flowers, as well as installing sod lawns. I would probably cry at taking down Christmas decorations, too, but we bring out snow ornaments and mugs. Next week we’ll get out the Valentine things, mostly mugs.
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That boy is certainly a blessing to y’all. There’s nothing like having a child to cheer you up and such an accommodating one at that! Let him know he’s a hero.
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Logan was proud of himself for shoveling our drive. I didn’t see it until the next day, and was amazed that he moved snow without disturbing the gravel. He is amazing.
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I got all warm and fuzzy thinking of the joy that young wonder brings you.
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I have to confess there is something satisfying about stomping on those puffy bags and the cannon sound they make. I do resist and also save them for when my grandchildren come over.
Your little Logan is someone I would dearly love to meet as I feel like I know him already.
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I’m glad you save your puffy bags for your grandchildren. Children have such fun with them.
When you come to visit, we’ll make sure you get to meet Logan.
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What a total treasure of a young man, Logan is. I’m so thrilled that he comes to visit with you.
I recall my early years … I used to visit our next door neighbour, Mrs. Court, and loved her dearly. I SO wish that I had understood how much that love needed to be kept safe and connected, as I grew up, for if I had, I would have ensured that I’d have kept that connection going for as long as she was here on earth.
Sadly, as we grow, we move on in our lives and some connections can be nudged to the side and as more options become available to us, those nudges eventually push things off the ‘table’ and they get lost in the midst of everything else.
I hope his parents encourage Logan to grow with the connections to you, rather than allow him to accept that you’re nudged off the table – until it’s too late, and all that remains are beautiful memories, and wishes that time could be turned back and things changed.
A fabulous post Anne. Filled with snow shovelling, jumping, bubble blasting fun of the Logan variety. May God bless and keep him safe.
Sending love and squidges ~ Cobs. xxx
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It’s wonderful to keep connections fresh, but as you pointed out, we move on. We’ll enjoy Logan as long as he wants to be with us. His adoptive parents would appreciate your prayers and blessings for him. He was abused as an infant, and there is no telling how that will affect him in years to come.
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Ohhhh, the poor darling.
Having people he can trust and who make him feel loved and wanted, like yourselves, will go a long way to helping his heart and mind heal Anne.
Sending much love to you all ~ Cobs. xxx
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Logan is gifted! I never photograph people, keeping my camera around to snap pics of the details that I see. I guess, like with all gadgets, we use them in ways that make sense to each of us. Hmmm…
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It’s good to hear views from others. Unlike you, I have a person in almost every photograph. Years ago we would look at a couple’s vacation pictures — as a captive audience. They would beam a landscape slide onto the screen and discuss for several minutes when and where it was taken. I vowed right then that I would always have a person to anchor the scene.
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Anne, it’s funny that you say this because I’ve had this conversation a few time lately. I don’t include people in my photos because I think it’s too personal, but almost everyone else I know does include them. Like with so many things, there’s no right or wrong– there’s just preference. One person’s anchor is another person’s obstacle, I guess. Snap on, my dear. I really do enjoy your pics!
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I’m glad you enjoy my pics. They seem to expand the words effortlessly. I have friends in Europe who never publish photos of their children. There are safety reasons, but I don’t know them. I do have express permission to publish photos of neighbor Logan, and my grandsons are game.
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I can see how the pics are a great way to start a post. I’m glad that you have permission to share the photos. Considering some of the pics that I see, I wonder if other people are as conscientious as you are about respecting the privacy of others… 🤔
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Not everyone is aware of how the game changed when social media became widely used. Logan is adopted, and we needed to be extra sensitive to his and his parents’ needs.
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He really has that tongue to nose trick mastered!
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I wondered if Logan would lose the ability to touch his nose with his tongue. A friend in my age group wrote that she could do that trick, and I asked if she still could. Yes, she tried it before she wrote me. I presume Logan will have that ability for life. Wonder if he’d want to do it if he grew a mustache. He’s only 7, so that is years ahead.
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