T h e R o z e l l F a m i l y

Holiday Newsletter from the Love Shack

Hard to believe, but this is the 10th time I have attempted to write this holiday newsletter. It’s a lot

harder than it looks, especially with children getting older and assuming they now have editorial powers. But people seem to enjoy it, so we will give it another whirl. So I begin this year’s edition at 02:30 hrs the Sunday

before Christmas. Not a creature is stirring,

except for the family of mice that moved in due to the holes in the house because we are still working on the addition on the Shack. The children are sleep-ing (still in the same bedroom, BTW) with visions of I-Phones, I-Pods, I-Touchs dancing in their heads. Won’t they be excited to wake up instead to the beautiful 6 panel wood door Dad will install for them on their bedroom on Christmas day. Maybe a new

toboggan too! Momma has settled in for a long winter’s nap... and if I turn on a light or step

on the cat, she just may snap!

Oh, the weather outside is frightful, ... The wind outside roars and spins the TV antenna around like a propeller to ensure only one channel.

The fire so delightful… the kitchen is about 6

degrees, but that’s ok, I‘ll throw on my flannel shirt, still reeking of chainsaw exhaust, to remind me of my love of firewood processing. And all the Face-book friends down south are posting pictures and reveling in East Coast storm that snowed them in today. I’m really sad that I missed out on six to eight hours of snowplowing here at the Compound and up at camp, but I am really happy for them…

I began this newsletter in 2000,

mainly as a way to keep family and friends updated on our progress following the loss of my Dad and the start of care giving for my Mom. We had begun building our “structures” on our 64 acres that year, and our youngest child was also

born then. Ten years later, we are still carving out our niche in the wilderness, and the children are old enough to

help out when they feel like it. Ten years later, my eyes and Momma’s ears are beginning to age prematurely, so we figure that in a few more years when the youngest is in high school, she will have it made. On the next few pages we will bring you some ten year highlights and more musings on the travails and delights of creating one’s own wilderness empire and attempting to raise three decent beautiful human beings. Hope you had a great holiday.

VOLUME 10 HOLIDAY 2009

10th Anniversary Edition!

Page 2 Volume 10 Holiday 2009

What we did this year...

Emma began high school this year and is about ten locers down from dad’s classroom door. She comes

in somedays for lunch with him or just to steal form his stash of snacks or bottled water. She is doing really well with er horses and skating and such and is excelling in track relay.

Mary learned how to play poker this year and will take your money, sucker.

2002

2004

Emma began high school this year and is about ten

lockers down from Dad’s classroom door. She

comes in some days for lunch with him or just to

steal from his stash of snacks or bottled water or to

ask for money. She is doing really well with her horses. She is still figure skating and is excelling in

track and field.

Mary learned how to play poker this year and will take your

money, sucker. She has taken up the violin and enjoys the A-Team

on Retro TV and does a good Mr. T impersonation. She got into

Michael Jackson this year a little too late, but sings “I’m Bad”

pretty well. Ain’t it the truth! In the winter she enjoys sledding out back so much that she gets to laughing so hard she “has accidents”

in multi layers of snow pants. At least she can change herself now.

Highlights over the Years...

Page 3 Holiday Newsletter from the Love Shack

(Yes, some would consider this lame,

but it is the tenth anniversary, after all…)

Cousin Kelly wants in

Good Looking Man on ABC World News To-

night.. Person of the Week, 9-25-09...Diane

Sawyer herself did a three minutes segment.

(Katie Couric had her chance and now she's cry-

ing in the corner…) We had an international Holocaust Survivors/Liberators gathering at our

school. Also recognized by the Governor, state

legislators, and by the NYS DAR as their

Teacher of the Year. Invited to Wash. DC in the

spring, 3 films to be released on all this...Still

trying to figure it all out...

2008 2006

What could be more fun than spend-

ing 10 glorious days with our cousins

in Cape Cod. Dad rescued one of the

twins when he got his head stuck in

the banister railing.

Shaggy started sixth grade

and got a BB gun this year.

Uncle Ted taught Ned how

to shoot soda cans. Santa is

bringing some nice new black eye patches.

THE ROZ ELL FA MIL Y HOLIDAY N EW SL ETTER

2009 5630 COUNTY RO UTE 30

GRANVILL E, N EW YOR K 12832

Phone: 518-632-5063 Email:

Matt- marozell@gmail.com Laura-laurarozell@gmail.com

teachinghistorymatters.wordpress.com adkbuildingalone.blogspot.com

Swingin’ in the barn.

More Highlights

Have a happy, safe, and blessed holiday

season and a peaceful New Year!

~Matthew and Laura, Emma, Ned, and

Mary~

~Kitty, Molly, Lilly, Mozey, Rainman

Matt and friend Ted went to see Derek Jeter break Gehrig’s record, 9-11-09, at Yankee Stadium (we got to see it on the Jumbo Tron as somebody had to get his 3rd inning nachos.)

Pond Life...

Birthday # 9, 3-17.

Ned buried in Cape Cod and at USS Yorktown in Charleston.

The annual “first day of school

in front of unfinished house”

picture. If you want to see the

“progress,” go to the link above.

Sisters

Ned in corn maze 10-17.