Whipple's First Hanukkah?

Julie's college friend Martha Weiss and family are visiting us on the farm this week. Martha, her husband Josh Rosenthal, and daughters Annie and Isabel, live in Washington DC. They have shared their celebration of Hanukkah in our home for the past two nights. Our kids were fascinated by the candles and the ceremony. And by the gifts and games of course. It's been an enriching thing for our kids to see a different holiday celebration than Christmas. We all wondered if this might be the first time Hanukkah was observed in Whipple.

We've had a really nice visit. Both Josh and Martha are biologists so we've spent lots of time talking about nature, birds, plants, and Martha's area of expertise, caterpillar poop. As one of our Hanukkah gifts, they gave us the new field guide to North American caterpillars, which is ultra great.

The Weiss/Rosenthals head out today for Cincinnati and the Thompson/Zickefooses will go shopping for our FABULOUS New Year's Eve outfits. I am sure I'll inflict photos on you.

Enjoy the last hours of 2005.