A Busy Couple o' Days

Holy crow, there's a lot of snow out there!  I haven't stuck a measuring stick into it since the last couple of inches fell yesterday, but there's probably about 14" out there, total so far this winter.  I'll try to remember to do that later today.  For those of you without snow, I feel kind of guilty saying it, but it sure does look BEAUTIFUL out there!  Gorgeouso!  So many years lately, we've held our breath for a white Christmas, but it feels SO good and right to have a white Thanksgiving again.  Growing up, I remember always having them, but it hasn't been that way for several years now.  I MISS the "real winters" of yore.  But, it looks like I've got one this year!  :)

I woke up an hour earlier than the alarm would have gone off this morning, my ears picking up miserable moans and cries from Maisy.  Her ears are acting up again.  From birth and thanks to an immoral breeder, she's had horrible skin irritations.  Fortunately, to look at her, you wouldn't know it.  She doesn't scratch the skin bare like so many poor, afflicted dogs do, but she is the quintessential 'dog can't hold its licker' (generally her "girl parts" . . . and almost always when someone's over for dinner!).  So, up I got and prepped all the ear cleaners and sprays and then tackled both her and the job at hand.  She HATES having me work on her ears . . . which is counter-indicative since she always feels better afterwards.  Dumb dog.  But, she's calm now, snoozing on my left slippered foot, and that's the important thing. 

It was cold this morning:  8 degrees.  Once I was up, I built up the fire in the kitchen's cookstove and got a fire going here in the sunroom.  I've been trying to burn some of the newer wood in lieu of firing up the chainsaw to cut the older, seasoned stuff into pieces small enough to fit into the house's stoves (vs. the big ol' outside furnace), but, no surprise, they're not burning nearly as well, so I think I'll need to do some chainsawing today.

Between Sunday and yesterday, I got a LOT done!  In no particular order, I:

• Shoveled a lot of snow.
• Got the plow onto the 1-ton, thanks to ashes & colder temperatures for getting the truck unstuck and a big birch tree for pushing the plow on those last couple of inches until I could lock it into place.  That operation used up a couple of hours.
• Plowed the 4 1/2 mile winter driveway, making two passes in and out.  (90 minutes for the two passes.)
• Plowed the yard, Swamp River Ridge driveway, and trapper cabin driveway, although there's more to do there.  (That took a couple more hours.)
• The usual:  chop wood, carry water (to the remaining poultry now that it IS, indeed, winter, and the hose running from the garage to the poultry yard has long-since frozen).
• Threw rocks for Maisy, ad finitum.  (On the up side, since Tom left and I've been the one "forced" to do this, I've developed an almost respectable pitching arm!)
• Put away all the Halloween decorations.  No time for Thanksgiving ones:  I'll go straight to Christmas.
• Cleaned, vacuumed, washed dishes.
• Made a full batch of fixings for tacos with the last poundage of bison which has provided me several healthy meals.  And, now that the money has f-i-n-a-l-l-y come in (do you hear the angels singing?), I can order more!
• Eaten ALL the Butterscotch Refrigerator Rolls I made at Baby Girl's house on Saturday.  (In my defense, I left half of the batch there as a b-day present for her daddy.)
• Unloaded 250# of grain and bird seed from the truck.
• Did a good bit of ironing while the generator was running.
• Watered plants.  I used to have so many that this literally took me HOURS!  Right now, the number (17, but, for whatever reason, it only feels like just 5 or so) is the smallest I think I've ever had since living in the dorms in college.  I need to build up the assortment again!

And, ummmm, coupled with the usual e-mails, etc., I think that's it!  No, wait!

• Sorted through the battery box and tested them all, getting rid of the bad ones and putting fresh ones in all the clocks & flashlights that needed it.
• Sorted through my jewelry-making box and cleaned that up in preparation for a little (lotta?) elf work.
• Created and half filled a second box for stationery . . . I've outgrown my single large one.  I always keep a good selection of sympathy, birthday, etc. cards on hand.
• Boxed up some clothes, books to take into town to the ex.
• Hooked up and tested the phone.  Result:  it rings in the house, so, if I'm inside to hear it, I can pick up.  I can call out fine, too, but if you call me to leave a message . . . it stays on the cellphone's voicemail and doesn't patch through to the house's answering machine.  So, if I don't remember to call in to voicemail, I don't know I have any messages.  Just fyi.

Now!  I think that's it!

I have lots of pictures to upload from the last couple of days, so stay tuned.