Baby Russell is crying in the upstairs bedroom. Marley, not used to the sound, is keening himself, pacing the downstairs floor.

Krista and Tess joined Cassandra in a mid-morning visit yesterday. For a while, this was a completely different household, the smell of a new baby blending with the smell of crayons deployed on the coloring books.

Krista was wearing a yellow Live Strong bracelet on her wrist. Elastic bracelets in various styles and for various causes have become popular of late. The blue elastic that I'm wearing might have political significance, but it might also be that the Post Office held our bundle of mail with a blue elastic a few weeks ago. (Although I was, and remain, a Boston Celtics fan, I started wearing an elastic on my wrist in 1959 when Wilt Chamberlain came into the NBA. Wilt wore rubber bands on his wrist out of superstition. He stopped wearing them during his retirement.)

We're having a fine stretch of weather. Yesterday afternoon I was outside shoveling, wearing a t-shirt and light sweatpants. We might see some precipitation mid-week, but that might be rain.

The travelers spent the night in Moncton NB and should arrive at the island house by late morning.

Today's installment of "Lord, I'll eat it up if you keep it down." comes from Iceland. (See the section on traditional food.)

In case we're not surprised enough by that strange face looking back at us in the mirror, we can now see the strangeness that awaits us.

For the last 20 years or so, the National Football League has shown that, on any given Sunday, any team can beat any other team. That said, the prospects for the New England Patriots look good today.