Up In Amherst

Here's what this week looks like in our world:

1. Athena is here for one more day. We have been having a good time showing her around a bit and she has been joining us in life.... during our busy, moving days. She and Jess went to Northampton most of yesterday. Oh, and Baird took her to the Take it or Leave It shed at our dump. She liked that! We had a BeDe card/ Collage night Weds eve. Ben helped Athena combine her movie and music into one format so she can enter it into a competition. Those are just a few of the highlights.

2. We have been pulling stuff out of the Shutesbury house left and right and the piles are building at the Amherst house as we don't have time to unpack or store in attic etc, before the next load. Next week will have to be a sort it all out week but for now we are preparing for the buyers to move in and rent beginning Tuesday.

3. The big home inspection was yesterday. No official word yet as to any request for repairs or discount in the purchase price.

4. Today Athena, Kristin (Ben's sister) and I will help Jess move all her teaching stuff and do some decorating of her classroom down in West Springfield. Aaron and Baird will do more work in Amherst. The gas plumber will come hook up my stove and move our drier out of Aaron's future bedroom. Aaron is moving in this coming week (Aug 31) .... but he has no room yet. Eeek!

We Have a Buyer!

It is true..a family has put a deposit on the Shutesbury house. Big inspection this week..and they plan to rent from us until the closing...beginning in just 2 short weeks ahhhhhhh! For more info, click on the link for Musings from Amherst over on the right of this page.

ttfn!

Pray for Mr. King the Christmas Tree Man

Gordon King is a famed arborist, one of international renown I am told. A retired Umass professor. A local man, a neighbor of sorts, who owns the tree farm in Leverett where we have cut our wonderful trees for the past several years. A few years back his wife had died. It was a sad Christmas season for him. Then, perhaps it was the following year, he told us of a wonderful woman friend from his younger days, as I recall, that he had reconnected with. He was happy again; they were to be wed. They would spend some time at his place in Leverett and some at her place in Amherst.

Today, Mr. King and his wife, Barbara Hamilton (ages 87 and 82 respectively) are in intensive care in the burn unit at Mass General. Yesterday, their condominium in Amherst (just up the street from my office) exploded. The place was instantly and completley destroyed. They were apparently blown outside by the force of the blast but sustained extensive severe burns. Both were transported to Mass General in Boston. Barbara was flown by a Life Flight helicopter from the high school parking lot near our home. I was up in Shutesbury at the time, for a showing, but Baird and Aaron and our friend Julian witnessed the air evacuation. Today Baird and I went by the scene. Incredible. Four townhouse condo units were destroyed by fire within minutes. Eight others are damaged. The cause of the explosion appears to be gas related, but specifics are not yet known.

I plan to send Mr. King a copy of this photo taken at his tree farm December 2005. I don't know when he will be alert enough to see it but his family is likely there with him and maybe it will be meaningful to them. It is only a small gesture but it is something I can do, at a time when there is little anyone can do. Please pray for Mr. King and his wife, Barbara.

Almost Half Way There!

Well, we have almost half the Soules gang on this blog as contributors now.

Hoping this will be a real way to keep some of the Reunion 2006 connectedness alive for more than just a couple of months. If you live in proximity to one of the fam who is not yet listed here, to the right, as a Contributor, please take it upon yourself to get them registered and blogging!

And if you ARE listed as a contributor but have been only lurking as a reader.... come on...post a blog! :-)

lol

Who will be next?

Janet's Come and Gone

We had a great time with Janet here this weekend.

She arrived here in Amherst late Friday evening and stayed until today, Sunday around noon. She became the first official overnight guest in Baird's Studio room at Lessey St. Athena is expected to be #2 in just one week! Who will be our #3?????

Janet's time here was a most enjoyable visit for us. I blooged in more detail, including some pics, on my own blog: Musings from Amherst. If UR interested the link is on the right hand side bar of this blog.

Adios amigos!

Waiting on the West Coast Jet Lady

Baird and I are awaiting the arrival of our first offical house guest at 38 Lessey. Janet (aka west coast jet lady) is enroute and as I type she is probably about an hour away. She has been traveling all day but sounds awake and well on the phone. We are really looking forward to seeing her. Hope to journey over to Northampton with her for some fun tomorrow before she heads up to VT on Sunday.

Oh... btw... tomorrow, in Massachusetts it is Tax Free Day. That means all merchandise under $2500 is tax free for the day. Unfortunately we don't have any $$ right now to cut loose with but I will find some small item for sure..... just so I can feel like I got a deal on Tax Free Day.

Hey..so...back to house guests....it is for sure..... Athena is coming up for a few days in less than 2 weeks! Just before school starts, she will come to visit and hang out with us. Yipee!

Oh...and back to jet.... the east coast jet...(otherwise known as Jess Greene) has done quite a bit more web design work on the art site for B & J Greene. Check it out at www.bandjgreene.com Jess has been working on it for quite awhile, it is almost done and there is some fun stuff there.

School...

... has begun and as the second day dawns, I just thought I would say hello. "Hello." Life is good, yet I miss all y'all's company. My year so far is good, although I cannot say too much yet, for I have yet another class of students to still meet today. I hope to challenge, manage and inspire these kids, and hopefully I will be able to do that. Anyway, I must say adieu, and prepare for the days' classes. "Adieu." -ams

Hi all!

Hi all! Hope you are well. Post some updates will ya??

Things here...are well...still here about says it. If you want a more specific update go to my personal blog -- click on the link, Musings from Amherst, on right side of this page. I don't want to clog up this blog with all our details.

and ya'll Post now, ya hear??!!

Ciao!
Carol