Gauche to Apologize

I recently learned that it is gauche / poor Internet etiquette to apologize for not having posted a blog entry in a while. So, perish the thought that I be anything less than mannerly (!), on I will plod . . . with no apology for my lack of posts lately. ;)

While packing up after the art festival last Saturday, I proclaimed to my fellow artisans that "I'm going to take tomorrow off, and THEN, beginning on Monday, I am . . . GOING. TO. GET. ORGANIZED." Yeah, well, it's Wednesday night (Thursday morning, technically), and this is the first I've felt "organized" enough to get my thoughts sorted out to even begin to write anything legible! And then, I just a few minutes ago realized, as I was blissfully thinking about how I could stay up as late as I wanted to tonight - updating the blog or whatever - because I had all day tomorrow (until a 5:00 appointment) to "get organized" . . . that I have to have a birthday present made for a party on Saturday, my cookie bake ingredients list together, AND the whole house cleaned BEFORE the cookie bake starts at 8:00 AM Saturday morning. And I'll be tied up all day Friday. That leaves me from now until 4:30 tomorrow afternoon. Oh, and I'm supposed to get a decent night's sleep in there somewhere. So much for getting organized. At this point, it's still Running Around Putting Out The Proverbial Fires.

Sigh.

We got buckets of snow this afternoon and evening. So much so that plowing our 4 miles out to the main road plus the driving conditions ON the main road made us 1/2 an hour late to our 5:30 dinner date. But, arrive safe and sound, we did. We had a wonderful time. These friends are a young couple just starting out in life. They are a modern version of a quintessentially traditional couple from 100 years ago. Does that make any sense? They're innocent, but not in a naive way. They're eager to learn, they're eager to share their lives. They want to do things "the right way". Treat others like you would (like to) be treated, and all that rot. They're just . . . I don't know how to explain it. Just REALLY sweet young people.

Anyway, homemade pizza made in their 1940s (?) era combi-fire wood cookstove was followed by blueberry pie fresh from the oven. M-m-good!!! Outside, their multiple decks (think 1950's single-level "getaway cabin") were snow-covered, the evergreen boughs and white Christmas lights shining out from underneath. It really looked like a fairy tale.


Their first "baby" is Abby. She's just about 16 weeks old now. Tom and I wanted to take her home. She is ADORABLE! And, SUCH a good dog! Already! She didn't even bark ONCE . . . the entire night. Not even when we arrived! They are such good dog parents - they'll have "real" kids down in a snap! :)


What a tangent! Didn't mean for my post to be all about them! It was just a really lovely night, though.

Driving home in the still blowing & falling snow made for another time-consuming trip. We put it into 4-wheel drive for the whole drive home (vs. just for plowing) - it was slippery. We had almost-completely-concealed tracks to follow for the first 6 miles, but then they turned off, and it was just blank road ahead. I had to slow to nearly complete stops more than once due to the blowing snow that blinded me. I couldn't see a thing! Three times on the way out - plowing our 4 mile "winter driveway" - Tom had to get out to scrape the ice off the windshield. One the way home, even on the main road, he had to do it once.

I dropped the blade and plowed on the way in tonight, too, of course. In some places, you could hardly tell that we'd plowed only hours before!

Tom was riding Shotgun tonight and gave me a huge compliment when we got home, telling me that I did a great job plowing. :) I must be a real Northwoods Woman if THAT'S what tickles my fancy, but it was great to hear a manly man say that to me. And, because I truly love plowing so much, I am the #1 (most frequent) plower in the family. I just have to remember to stay off the road this coming Monday, though: for the past two years, I have gone into the ditch each December 15th! Hmph, WHAT'S up with that?!

Before Saturday's annual Cookie Bake, we wanted to get the dining room ceiling insulated. The master bathroom is directly above it, and it's a bit . . . well . . . less-than-pleasant when one is sitting at the table while another 'one' is using the facilities directly above you . . . with not much sound barrier. You get the idea.


So, I pulled nearly everything out of the dining room this morning so that Tom could insulate. (Insulating is SUCH a yucky job, poor guy! I noticed during dinner that the skin all around his eyes was red and puffy. [Of course, he wouldn't wear protective glasses or a mask.]) Anyway, he went great guns and, after finishing the diningroom, continued on to the center sitting area and the foyer! Now, those three big areas are nearly ALL insulated! Know what that means? Sand, sand, sanding for me after the first of the year. I'll sand the tongue and groove (for the ceiling) out in the (now insulated!) garage, and then we can have real ceilings downstairs! (What a concept!)

Okay, my lids are growing heavy, and it's 12:52 AM. Time for my heating pad and bed.