we're all here in the den. Brian's reading from a Hardy Boys books from his childhood collection while the he and the boys sit by the fireplace. Hazel nods off in her swing and Margaret showers down the hall. it's a cozy night in the Wells house.

we had a productive day today. Brian got the big kids out to run this morning, Margaret and Samuel ran their 3 miles, Brian 4, and William and John 1. Hazel and i stayed in bed and drank coffee.

we did school out in our little school room, getting a lot accomplished: Bible, read-a-loud, math, grammar, spelling, literature, penmanship, phonics, art, science, and history. it is really amazing how much we can get done when everyone is in their right minds.

i took Hazel out for a three mile walk after lunch. it was so refreshing! Margaret has grown very responsible, and i can trust her to make sure everyone does what they're supposed to do when i have to leave the house to run errands or exercise.

i ran into Karen, Keegan, and Jewels at the grocery store and invited them to join us at the park this afternoon. it was nice to have some adult conversation for a little bit while the kids played.

we made a quick stop at the neighborhood library on the way home to get books for research papers. i sure do like that little library. it will be sorely missed if and when we move from here.

Brian and the boys were supposed to have a cub scout meeting this evening, but that got cancelled. so here we are having a sweet evening at home. these days it is such a relief when an activity gets cancelled. we have something going on almost every night of the week otherwise.

a guy named Marcus has been stopping by our house to ask if we have any work for him to do. he's come by about 5 times in the past month. he looks to be maybe 18 or so, is as big as a tank, but has the eyes of a child. he's very respectful and acts awfully nervous. we never have any work for him to do  - we have 5 kids we're training to do that stuff - but we've given him a few dollars each time. he's mentioned that he keeps coming back to us because we're so nice to him. the poor guy! well, he came again tonight and Brian talked to him. apparently he's homeless now. Brian gave him the phone number for our church and encouraged him to call them, as the deacons might be able to help him find some work. the first time Brian offered him the phone number (last week), he turned him down, but this time he came asking for the number. anyways, i really hurt for this guy. he comes across as a big little kid.

i don't have a picture for today. i'll try to get something tomorrow.