As my grandma would have said, "Happy Miffy-Miffy Too-Too!"
It be my birthday today.
But, hi-ho, hi-ho, it's off to work I go.
I'll celebrate with y'all tomorrow!!!
xo ChxMama
Showing posts with label Chicken Mama. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chicken Mama. Show all posts
Prepping for Class
Sorry! No time to post! Gotta run!
I spent the entire day on Wednesday, after blogging . . . and then up until 7:00 PM, outside building the prototype brooder that I'm going to have my class build over this weekend's two-day course.
Yesterday, last night, and today was an extended overnight for me & The Peanut here at Swamp River Ridge. She and I ran errands yesterday afternoon and then visited "Tommy" in his new (and final, after house-sitting, etc. these past months) apartment! (More pictures on that to follow. Last night was his first night in his new digs.)
And then there was dinner with friends, and chores today, and, and . . . I've gotta go to bed. I'm NOT ready for this class that begins in exactly 10 hours. (Are we surprised?)
I spent the entire day on Wednesday, after blogging . . . and then up until 7:00 PM, outside building the prototype brooder that I'm going to have my class build over this weekend's two-day course.
Yesterday, last night, and today was an extended overnight for me & The Peanut here at Swamp River Ridge. She and I ran errands yesterday afternoon and then visited "Tommy" in his new (and final, after house-sitting, etc. these past months) apartment! (More pictures on that to follow. Last night was his first night in his new digs.)
And then there was dinner with friends, and chores today, and, and . . . I've gotta go to bed. I'm NOT ready for this class that begins in exactly 10 hours. (Are we surprised?)
Cheap Labor
I'll tell ya right now . . . if you read both this blog & Mama Pea's, you're gonna see some repetition. Matter of fact, you're even gonna see some of the same exact pictures. Between both of our cameras, we were snapping pictures all day long. But, how many images do you think were on mine when I downloaded them tonight? One. Yep, one. (Obviously, I kept grabbing yours, Mom!)
Anyway . . . .
At some point in the busyness of the last couple of weeks, my folks and I set up today as a day they would come out to Swamp River Ridge to help with some miscellaneous chores, etc. (Although, I noticed that Mom was foolish enough to actually bring her knitting along. Silly, silly woman!)
They helped me put Christmas decorations (yes, I know!) away and take Easter decorations down. (And, yes, Mom TOTALLY staged this photo. Would Dad think to pick up the digital camera to document such a moment? Uh, no. To further illustrate my point, I said to him as we were crawling out from underneath the '77 Suburban after having checked out the transmission leak, "You do realize she's gonna make us crawl back under here so she can get her shot?" Fortunately, Mom was too busy breaking glassware in my kitchen to notice she'd missed a photo opp. And, I guess that's the price I pay for making her prepare dinner on top of all the free labor she & Dad were providing!)
Somehow, we ended up going thru a good portion of the upstairs (read 'disaster area') of the garage. And that wasn't even on the To Do list! I found the box of Halloween costumes and vamped it up for the camera. (And WHY did you post the picture of me on your blog with my arm looking the size of a ham hock, Mother?!) 
Mom readily offered Dad's muscle to move the deck furniture from that upstairs storage area down to the large deck on the far side of the house . . . . Do you see how there is almost no snow left?! In-SANE!!!
Dad repaired the outside light off the utility room. The fact that Tom had had to take the lamp off during the winter was the result of poor planning on my part. I'd chosen a large fixture for this spot, but I didn't realize that the snow sliding off the kitchen roof would get hung up ON said large fixture. And, the power of heavy snow is pretty impressive. Impressive enough to twist the fixture nearly out of its socket. So, we'd pulled it off before anything broke or shorted out. And, yes, I do realize that I'll have to change that before next winter. But, for now, I have my most-used outside light back . . . which is really nice!Finally, I took this shot out the front door a week ago yesterday:
I took this one yesterday (and there was much less snow today!):
I don't know WHEN we've had such an early spring in northeastern Minnesota!
Is it too good to be true? Only time will tell . . . !
.
My New Year's Resolutions, Part I: Ghosts of Resolutions Past
I came upon this completely by accident today, but it was a fun find! Here they are, verbatim:
New Year's Resolutions for 2002: To have lost 20 lbs. by this same time next year. If I am pregnant, the goal will be to weigh no more than I do now.
New Year's Resolution for 2003: Realistic resolution is to exercise the majority of days out of each week this year. Unrealistic resolution is to look like Faith Hill by the end of the year.
New Year's Resolutions for 2004: To be accountable to my Accountability Chain*. Meaning, to do daily exercise every day for each 30-day period with the allowance for 4 days off in that time period. And, to be in bed with lights out by 11:00 PM Sundays - Thursdays (Fridays & Saturdays are "open nights").
* 'Visuals' help me, so each month I made a paper chain (just like you did each Christmas as a kid) and hung it in the kitchen doorway. As I completed each day of exercise, I got to shorten the chain by one paper link. DON'T ask me how many (i.e. FEW) paper chains I made that year.
New Year's Resolutions for 2005: To write one old-fashioned, hand-written (is preferred, but typed is OK) letter each month. To make better use of my time. To make one new recipe each month.
New Year's Resolutions for 2006, 2007, & 2008: Who knows? Undoubtedly some version of both the above and below.
New Year's Resolutions for 2009:
** Ha. I completely gave UP this year and didn't send a single one!
Tomorrow . . . THIS year's resolutions!
New Year's Resolutions for 2002: To have lost 20 lbs. by this same time next year. If I am pregnant, the goal will be to weigh no more than I do now.
New Year's Resolution for 2003: Realistic resolution is to exercise the majority of days out of each week this year. Unrealistic resolution is to look like Faith Hill by the end of the year.
New Year's Resolutions for 2004: To be accountable to my Accountability Chain*. Meaning, to do daily exercise every day for each 30-day period with the allowance for 4 days off in that time period. And, to be in bed with lights out by 11:00 PM Sundays - Thursdays (Fridays & Saturdays are "open nights").
* 'Visuals' help me, so each month I made a paper chain (just like you did each Christmas as a kid) and hung it in the kitchen doorway. As I completed each day of exercise, I got to shorten the chain by one paper link. DON'T ask me how many (i.e. FEW) paper chains I made that year.
New Year's Resolutions for 2005: To write one old-fashioned, hand-written (is preferred, but typed is OK) letter each month. To make better use of my time. To make one new recipe each month.
New Year's Resolutions for 2006, 2007, & 2008: Who knows? Undoubtedly some version of both the above and below.
New Year's Resolutions for 2009:
- To stop swearing . . . at least in front of my parents.
- To return telephone calls and e-mails . . . in a timely fashion. There are currently 18 messages on the voice mail awaiting my attention, and 1,674 e-mails in my Inbox (already read but) needing responses*.
- Another task I ALWAYS want to be better at is getting ALL the Christmas cards out in time (I have N-E-V-E-R gotten them ALL out before Christmas) . . . but it seems silly to make a resolution that I can hardly even start working on for another 10 months, you know?**
- Then, I'm back to those too-generalized / all-encompassing ones that are in the back of my mind year-round like being more organized, taking better care of the dogs & cat, and being a better farmer.
** Ha. I completely gave UP this year and didn't send a single one!
Tomorrow . . . THIS year's resolutions!
When Turkeys Attack!
Turkey-Durk, aka Tom the Turkey, is on his way to a new name: Thanksgiving.
For a while now, his aversion to the color red has caused a few sharp words to be directed his way, but there's been no contact . . . and I've been reminded to avoid wearing red in the chicken yard.
This morning, however, I flipped my pretty, flowered apron over to the reversible side to go out to do chores . . . forgetting that the reversible side would provide a chest-to-knee display of fiery red.
Oh, and did I mention that I'm wearing a dress today? A knee-length dress?
Before I had taken two steps into the poultry yard, Turkey Durk got me . . . BAM! As soon as a pained, startled, "HEY!" was out of my mouth, I realized my error . . . and made a hasty retreat outta there . . . where I removed the offending apron.
Moral of the story? "Lesson learned."
HOWEVER, if this is a sign of a change in attitude on his part, no matter how beautiful he is, he's gonna be on the table in two months!
"I got, got, got, got no time . . . ."
Chicken Mama & one half of Phys-Phys(see blog list on the right-hand side of this screen).
She's my oldest friend . . . since we were five . . . 33 years ago!
Hard to imagine how the time FLIES!
This weekend is my 20th high school class reunion. (An impossibility since that would mean that we're full-blown adults who "know what we're doing" now!)
I (stupidly?) volunteered to design a website for the reunion and so that has been why you haven't seen me here lately. It's taken SOOOO much time! (But, it's free advertising for Chicken Mama's Graphic & Web Design.)
Anyway, since I'm in the thick of these photos, I'll post some oldies but goodies. (As time allows.)
Family Reunion
I'm busy trying to get ready for the 2-day art festival this weekend, but I wanted to get this out to you. This past Sunday was a reunion for Tom's family. If memory serves, their last official reunion was either 1983 or 1986! So, it was time!
While all six siblings were together the summer before Ernie passed away, he (Tom's dad) is the only one we've since lost, so it was a special thing that they could all come to Minneapolis from near and far.
To begin with, Hector & Isabell, who started this branch of the family in 1919. There were six children, the eldest of whom was Ernie . . . and the youngest, Butch*, arriving 16 years later. * She was supposed to be a boy!
The siblings.
Front row, L-R: Honey & Sis.
Back row, L-R: Fatt & her twin, Sonny, then Butch.
(Yes, the family had a thing for strange nicknames!)
While all six siblings were together the summer before Ernie passed away, he (Tom's dad) is the only one we've since lost, so it was a special thing that they could all come to Minneapolis from near and far.
To begin with, Hector & Isabell, who started this branch of the family in 1919. There were six children, the eldest of whom was Ernie . . . and the youngest, Butch*, arriving 16 years later. * She was supposed to be a boy!
The siblings.
Front row, L-R: Honey & Sis.
Back row, L-R: Fatt & her twin, Sonny, then Butch.
(Yes, the family had a thing for strange nicknames!)
Tom with one of his 26 cousins.
They're the same age and so went to school together throughout the years.
They're the same age and so went to school together throughout the years.
I love this picture!
Tom and his aunt (who knows EVERYTHING there is to
know about the family history) had to answer a tie-breaker
for the family trivia quiz.
(I have NO idea how Tom got so far in the game!)
Anyway, here they are, both shouting out the answer.
(Aunt V, mom to above-pictured cousin, won!)
Tom and his aunt (who knows EVERYTHING there is to
know about the family history) had to answer a tie-breaker
for the family trivia quiz.
(I have NO idea how Tom got so far in the game!)
Anyway, here they are, both shouting out the answer.
(Aunt V, mom to above-pictured cousin, won!)
Tom & I pose for OUR branch of family tree pictures.
Not too good at carrying on the family line, are we?! ;)
Not too good at carrying on the family line, are we?! ;)
And, finally, me with one of my two favorite uncles on this side of the family. (Don't let the easy smile fool ya: he's an old goat.) He's also dad & husband to the cousin & aunt pictured above with Tom.
Mind-Numbing? No, It's the Fingers . . . .
At some point on Sunday, I lost feeling in the tips of my 2 middle fingers on my right hand. It's not painful, but it's annoying.
I couldn't figure out why this happened (I hadn't "done" anything that I was aware of) until it finally clicked yesterday: I've had a couple of days of my back killing me so much that I've had to take pain killers. So, back pain + numb fingers = pinched nerves, I'll bet.
Then, this morning, it was confirmed. As soon as I got up, I loaded a laundry basket with dirty clothes to take downstairs to the washer. I realized my fingers were all feeling normal! Yayyy, it's gone!
But then, once I'd been upright for about 15 minutes . . . the aching in my forearm and tingling in my fingers started returning. Yup, probably a pinched nerve along my spine. Hmph. Must have our massage therapist look at that. Unfortunately, she's out of town until next week. Oh, well, it's not the end of the world. If that's my only problem for the day (ha!), I'll take it! ;)
I couldn't figure out why this happened (I hadn't "done" anything that I was aware of) until it finally clicked yesterday: I've had a couple of days of my back killing me so much that I've had to take pain killers. So, back pain + numb fingers = pinched nerves, I'll bet.
Then, this morning, it was confirmed. As soon as I got up, I loaded a laundry basket with dirty clothes to take downstairs to the washer. I realized my fingers were all feeling normal! Yayyy, it's gone!
But then, once I'd been upright for about 15 minutes . . . the aching in my forearm and tingling in my fingers started returning. Yup, probably a pinched nerve along my spine. Hmph. Must have our massage therapist look at that. Unfortunately, she's out of town until next week. Oh, well, it's not the end of the world. If that's my only problem for the day (ha!), I'll take it! ;)
Dumb, Da Dumb, Dumb . . . DUMB!
Not the brightest bulb in the bin, am I? Although, I surely am the reddest!
Obviously, I chose the 100% DEET route yesterday while working outside instead of the Covered Head To Toe in Mosquito Netting option. And then I promptly forgot that my winter-tenderized skin had not seen the light of day in about, oh, 9 months.
Oddly enough, though, it doesn't hurt. I had Tom apply a combination of Lavender & Idaho Tansy essential oils last night after my shower . . . but it didn't hurt before that, either, so . . . ? At any rate, I'm considering myself lucky that I'm not in pain.
I AM in pain, however, when it comes to my aching, swollen right thumb.
Late last night, when I went out to close up the chickens, my hand slipped while shoving a stubborn double-hung window closed, and my thumb SMASHED up into the low ceiling. THANKFULLY, I'd clipped my usually long nails last week. If I hadn't, I don't think I'd have a thumbnail this morning. As it was, after I opened my eyes following the blinding pain of bending the thumbnail backwards, I thought, "Geez, I think I bloodied it this time!" But then, it ALWAYS feels that bad when you do that, doesn't it? And, there never is any blood.
But, when I got inside and took off my glove . . . vindication! Blood! I won't tell you how far down the nail bent backwards - that would only curl your toes even more. Suffice it to say, though, I "did it good"!
How Well Do You Know Chicken Mama?
I just created this quiz on Facebook and had so much fun doing it that I thought I'd post it here, too. Leave your answers in the Comments section, and I'll post the right ones in a couple of days.
1) What body part would I like to get a tattoo on - but never will?
a) Ring Finger
b) Left Hip
c) Back of Neck
d) Forehead
e) Back of Right Heel
2) What did I used to hide in my bedroom in a Tupperware when I was a kid?
a) Barbies
b) Candy
c) Potato Chips
d) Water
e) Bugs
3) Who is my CURRENT movie star / character crush?
a) Harry Potter
b) Kris Kristofferson
c) Viggo Mortensen
d) Angelina Jolie
e) Edward Cullen
4) What was the name of my childhood dog?
a) Gus
b) Max
c) Morley
d) Weasel
e) Pippy
5) Which of the following poultry has Chicken Mama raised?
a) Chickens, turkeys, and emus.
b) Chickens, turkeys, geese, and ducks.
c) Chickens, ostriches, and guineas.
d) Chicken, guineas, turkeys, ducks, and geese.
e) Chickens, peacocks, turkeys, ducks, and geese.
6) Where did I go for my honeymoon? (Hint, it was in February.)
a) Hastings, England
b) Banff, Canada
c) Iceland
d) The Bahamas
e) Our little Hafweh Haus.
7) What is my most favorite TV show of all time?
a) The Office
b) Cheers
c) The Cosby Show
d) Northern Exposure
e) The Twilight Zone
8) How old was I when I got my first (real) kiss?
a) 11
b) 16
c) 18
d) 21
e) 13
9) What song would I choose to sing at a karaoke bar?
a) Clementine
b) I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas
c) Over the Rainbow
d) Rockin' with the Rhythm
e) Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay
10) What did I want to be when I was little?
a) Garbage Collector
b) Chicken Farmer & Horse Trainer
c) OTR Truck Driver & Nurse
d) Professional Cheerleader
e) Nurse & Pharmacist
1) What body part would I like to get a tattoo on - but never will?
a) Ring Finger
b) Left Hip
c) Back of Neck
d) Forehead
e) Back of Right Heel
2) What did I used to hide in my bedroom in a Tupperware when I was a kid?
a) Barbies
b) Candy
c) Potato Chips
d) Water
e) Bugs
3) Who is my CURRENT movie star / character crush?
a) Harry Potter
b) Kris Kristofferson
c) Viggo Mortensen
d) Angelina Jolie
e) Edward Cullen
4) What was the name of my childhood dog?
a) Gus
b) Max
c) Morley
d) Weasel
e) Pippy
5) Which of the following poultry has Chicken Mama raised?
a) Chickens, turkeys, and emus.
b) Chickens, turkeys, geese, and ducks.
c) Chickens, ostriches, and guineas.
d) Chicken, guineas, turkeys, ducks, and geese.
e) Chickens, peacocks, turkeys, ducks, and geese.
6) Where did I go for my honeymoon? (Hint, it was in February.)
a) Hastings, England
b) Banff, Canada
c) Iceland
d) The Bahamas
e) Our little Hafweh Haus.
7) What is my most favorite TV show of all time?
a) The Office
b) Cheers
c) The Cosby Show
d) Northern Exposure
e) The Twilight Zone
8) How old was I when I got my first (real) kiss?
a) 11
b) 16
c) 18
d) 21
e) 13
9) What song would I choose to sing at a karaoke bar?
a) Clementine
b) I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas
c) Over the Rainbow
d) Rockin' with the Rhythm
e) Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay
10) What did I want to be when I was little?
a) Garbage Collector
b) Chicken Farmer & Horse Trainer
c) OTR Truck Driver & Nurse
d) Professional Cheerleader
e) Nurse & Pharmacist
Busy, busy!
I've been away from home much more than usual these past couple of days, so that explains the lack of posts . . . and just when I was gettin' up a head of steam! ;) Oh, well. (And, yes, I do hope to return to my new "habit" of posting regularly.)
Anyway, yesterday I was nannying for Baby Girl. It was a beautiful, sunny day, but the wind was still cool, so I bundled her up when we went out for our walk. Here she is, in the Baby Bjorn. I thought she looked SO cute all snuggled up with her "ears" hat on . . . that I had to take a picture to share!
And, speaking of cutie-pies . . . .
Here is Peanut #2 on Thursday when she and I got to hang out for a couple of hours. We went on a 1-hour walk, and she - at only 18 months - walked the WHOLE way! (Maybe this is normal for 18-month olds?), but I was one IMPRESSED nanny! :)
Happy Sunday!
What to choose . . . .
Today is an absolutely GORGEOUS day outside. Not a cloud in the sky, and 45 degrees in the shade as I write. Yesterday was cool and windy - lots of snow flurries in the morning and so windy all day that I told Tom to call me when he left town for his drive home so that I'd know to expect him at a certain time. I was SURE there'd be trees down on the road too large for him to move w/o a chainsaw. But, he pulled in at the appointed hour - no troubles.
So, this is the debate today: do I get just a little done across the board (jumping from project to project) or do I get a lot done on just one or two things? Oh, the decisions. All high on the list today are deskwork, yard work, dishes, cleaning out the refrig (stin-ky!), website work, and house cleaning. And, I HAVE to finish "watering the batteries". I got 8 of the 24 done one day last week but then ran out of distilled water. Tom has since brought 6 more gallons from town and getting that annoying little task done has really been weighing on me. So, that, at the very least, will be one of the chores accomplished today.
I took this dorky self-portrait of myself while in the battery room last Tuesday. I could see through the fog on my safety glasses, but I didn't realize I looked so . . . freaky . . . when a person saw me "from the outside in"! ;) (The headlamp is my mainstay for chores around here, and I'm wearing it here so that I can clearly see into each of the 3 compartments that need to be filled in each battery. And, at 3 compartments in each of the 24 batteries . . . well, let's just say that it's a painstaking process. This time, I thought to take my most recent book-on-tape with me, though, and it made a HUGE difference!)
I mentioned that Tom was coming home from town yesterday. We both had Girls' / Boys' Nights Out, respectively, Friday night. A friend of ours who lives just outside of town was bach(elor)-ing it, and he'd invited some guys over for a night of food & fellowship. It turned out to be quite a group - about 10 in all. All men except for one woman who works hand-in-hand with one of the guys doing logging the old-fashioned way, with horses. Tom said she fit right in, arriving in her Carharrts and muck boots, plucking on her guitar, and drinking straight Kentucky bourbon with beer chasers! ;) The host had told everyone to bring meat for the grill (manly men eat meat and all that), and it sounds like there was QUITE the feast! Steaks, salmon, venison, you name it. I'd helped Tom make a marinade for some of the venison strips we'd harvested last week (see image below), and he said the meat was delicioius! "Melt-in-your-mouth" tender.
I, meanwhile, stayed after my massage with a dear friend (and massage therapist) for a long-overdue catch-up. While I mixed up Cosmos, she made a YUMMY pizza on a cornmeal crust with fresh tomatoes, fresh spinach, garlic and cheese. Sooooo good! My massage had been scheduled for 4:15, and I didn't pull into the yard here at Swamp River Ridge until 2:00 AM!!! Holy cannoli, Batman! Time sure does fly when you're having fun! Anyway, it was a fun night for both of us.
(My coffee cup seems to have a hole in it this morning! Wonder if there will be any left by the time Tom gets up?)
Random thought: it's been such a late, cool spring that we haven't enjoyed a single morning with our coffee cups out on the deck yet! Matter of fact, two weeks ago today was the first time it REALLY felt like spring. You know, the way that warm air and warm sun (after a winter of cold) feels on your skin? And then, yesterday I was hanging clothes on the line wearing my down jacket!
Second random thought: we are currently in a small battle with the county. Property taxes (if you choose to pay in installments) are due on the 15th of each May and October. So, this past week found me contemplating our 1st installment bill. Yeah, ummm, I don't think so. According to the county, we made enough improvements to Swamp River Ridge in the last tax year to cause our taxes to jump up (are you ready?) 814.3%. Yes, 814.3%. Precisely. Annnnd, the funny thing is . . . there have been NO (major) changes made to the house since August of '07! You do the math. They say we owe hundreds and hundreds of dollars now (when it's only been a fraction of that in the past). As I said, ummm, yeah, not so much. Oh! And, with the economy the way it is, property values have been DECREASING, so . . . ??! (Anyway, wish us luck!)
So, that's the news of the day. Anybody out there want to help me decide which of the above "must-dos" I WILL do today?
So, this is the debate today: do I get just a little done across the board (jumping from project to project) or do I get a lot done on just one or two things? Oh, the decisions. All high on the list today are deskwork, yard work, dishes, cleaning out the refrig (stin-ky!), website work, and house cleaning. And, I HAVE to finish "watering the batteries". I got 8 of the 24 done one day last week but then ran out of distilled water. Tom has since brought 6 more gallons from town and getting that annoying little task done has really been weighing on me. So, that, at the very least, will be one of the chores accomplished today.
I took this dorky self-portrait of myself while in the battery room last Tuesday. I could see through the fog on my safety glasses, but I didn't realize I looked so . . . freaky . . . when a person saw me "from the outside in"! ;) (The headlamp is my mainstay for chores around here, and I'm wearing it here so that I can clearly see into each of the 3 compartments that need to be filled in each battery. And, at 3 compartments in each of the 24 batteries . . . well, let's just say that it's a painstaking process. This time, I thought to take my most recent book-on-tape with me, though, and it made a HUGE difference!)
I mentioned that Tom was coming home from town yesterday. We both had Girls' / Boys' Nights Out, respectively, Friday night. A friend of ours who lives just outside of town was bach(elor)-ing it, and he'd invited some guys over for a night of food & fellowship. It turned out to be quite a group - about 10 in all. All men except for one woman who works hand-in-hand with one of the guys doing logging the old-fashioned way, with horses. Tom said she fit right in, arriving in her Carharrts and muck boots, plucking on her guitar, and drinking straight Kentucky bourbon with beer chasers! ;) The host had told everyone to bring meat for the grill (manly men eat meat and all that), and it sounds like there was QUITE the feast! Steaks, salmon, venison, you name it. I'd helped Tom make a marinade for some of the venison strips we'd harvested last week (see image below), and he said the meat was delicioius! "Melt-in-your-mouth" tender.
I, meanwhile, stayed after my massage with a dear friend (and massage therapist) for a long-overdue catch-up. While I mixed up Cosmos, she made a YUMMY pizza on a cornmeal crust with fresh tomatoes, fresh spinach, garlic and cheese. Sooooo good! My massage had been scheduled for 4:15, and I didn't pull into the yard here at Swamp River Ridge until 2:00 AM!!! Holy cannoli, Batman! Time sure does fly when you're having fun! Anyway, it was a fun night for both of us.
(My coffee cup seems to have a hole in it this morning! Wonder if there will be any left by the time Tom gets up?)
Random thought: it's been such a late, cool spring that we haven't enjoyed a single morning with our coffee cups out on the deck yet! Matter of fact, two weeks ago today was the first time it REALLY felt like spring. You know, the way that warm air and warm sun (after a winter of cold) feels on your skin? And then, yesterday I was hanging clothes on the line wearing my down jacket!
Second random thought: we are currently in a small battle with the county. Property taxes (if you choose to pay in installments) are due on the 15th of each May and October. So, this past week found me contemplating our 1st installment bill. Yeah, ummm, I don't think so. According to the county, we made enough improvements to Swamp River Ridge in the last tax year to cause our taxes to jump up (are you ready?) 814.3%. Yes, 814.3%. Precisely. Annnnd, the funny thing is . . . there have been NO (major) changes made to the house since August of '07! You do the math. They say we owe hundreds and hundreds of dollars now (when it's only been a fraction of that in the past). As I said, ummm, yeah, not so much. Oh! And, with the economy the way it is, property values have been DECREASING, so . . . ??! (Anyway, wish us luck!)
So, that's the news of the day. Anybody out there want to help me decide which of the above "must-dos" I WILL do today?
What's YOUR 'Sound of Summer'?
I had a weird night's sleep . . . or weird morning . . . or . . . ? I went upstairs to watch a movie last night at 9:00 . . . and woke up on the couch this morning at 6:00 to daylight and the TV off! I vaguely remember trying to keep my eyes open through the flick ('The Secret Life of Bees'). Usually a good movie will keep me awake, but not so this time, I guess!
Anyway . . . .
This past week has brought some wonderful signs that springtime is really coming! First off were the pussy willows (already a week ago, at least). Then I heard the first bird song of spring - you know, the long melodious ones that entice you to get up each morning? I wish I knew bird identification well enough to know WHICH bird it was, but I think it was some sort of finch.
My favorite summertime bird has shown up (albeit a bit early, it seems): the Red-Winged Blackbirds. I guess they aren't the most striking of birds, even with the brilliant red and yellow wing bars, but their song is MY "sound of summer". What's yours?
The rhubarb and day lilies up by the garage started poking through. They're the only plants with enough southern exposure to have any hope this early: everything else is still buried under feet of snow! (You'll have to look carefully to see the green in the day lily patch below.)
The hard, skating-rink-like ice has been replaced by the soft-crumbling variety, and where there's no snow the mud is getting deeper every day. The 5% of the chicken yard that is free of white stuff is . . . well . . . disgusting! Here's Tucker standing knee-deep (okay, so that's not sayin' much!) in the mud and water on the driveway.
I've gotten in two long walks with the dogs recently - the snow finally being low enough that I can get around in many places inaccessible all winter.
Last Friday we headed over to a favorite destination that was logged recently. I was amazed at how low the snow was - didn't seem like I was breaking through much at all. Famous last words. Here I am, just about as deep as I could go!
Okay, I'll sign off for now. I feel like it's taken me about 3 hours to write this post this morning! Must have something to do with not going to bed last night. ;)
Anyway . . . .
This past week has brought some wonderful signs that springtime is really coming! First off were the pussy willows (already a week ago, at least). Then I heard the first bird song of spring - you know, the long melodious ones that entice you to get up each morning? I wish I knew bird identification well enough to know WHICH bird it was, but I think it was some sort of finch.
My favorite summertime bird has shown up (albeit a bit early, it seems): the Red-Winged Blackbirds. I guess they aren't the most striking of birds, even with the brilliant red and yellow wing bars, but their song is MY "sound of summer". What's yours?
The rhubarb and day lilies up by the garage started poking through. They're the only plants with enough southern exposure to have any hope this early: everything else is still buried under feet of snow! (You'll have to look carefully to see the green in the day lily patch below.)
The hard, skating-rink-like ice has been replaced by the soft-crumbling variety, and where there's no snow the mud is getting deeper every day. The 5% of the chicken yard that is free of white stuff is . . . well . . . disgusting! Here's Tucker standing knee-deep (okay, so that's not sayin' much!) in the mud and water on the driveway.
I've gotten in two long walks with the dogs recently - the snow finally being low enough that I can get around in many places inaccessible all winter.
Last Friday we headed over to a favorite destination that was logged recently. I was amazed at how low the snow was - didn't seem like I was breaking through much at all. Famous last words. Here I am, just about as deep as I could go!
Okay, I'll sign off for now. I feel like it's taken me about 3 hours to write this post this morning! Must have something to do with not going to bed last night. ;)
April Fool's - The Joke's On Us!
Here are some more pictures from the April Fool's Day snowstorm . . . .
This one was taking standing just outside the side door (our "usual" door) looking at the front entrance of the house. (Or what we could see of it behind the snow!)
Yours truly trying to shovel my way out to do chores.
Standing in the woodshed looking back at the path I shoveled from Tom's office door in the garage to the wood furnace and into the woodshed.
In this picture you can see how high the snow is based on how closely (height-wise) I'm standing to the top of the 8' fence posts (on the right). I took this standing in the chicken yard looking down at the chicken house, the woodshed, and then the garage beyond.
And, finally, a nice picture of Maisy. Thing is, though, that I was STANDING when I took this. That's how high the snowbanks on the side of the path to the house are!
This one was taking standing just outside the side door (our "usual" door) looking at the front entrance of the house. (Or what we could see of it behind the snow!)
Yours truly trying to shovel my way out to do chores.
Standing in the woodshed looking back at the path I shoveled from Tom's office door in the garage to the wood furnace and into the woodshed.
In this picture you can see how high the snow is based on how closely (height-wise) I'm standing to the top of the 8' fence posts (on the right). I took this standing in the chicken yard looking down at the chicken house, the woodshed, and then the garage beyond.
And, finally, a nice picture of Maisy. Thing is, though, that I was STANDING when I took this. That's how high the snowbanks on the side of the path to the house are!
Hauling Wood
Tom was away this past weekend working on that cabin 2 1/2 hours away (he's since finished up and is now HOME!), but wood needed to be hauled.
We weren't as ready for the firewood season last fall as we could have been, AND we had that cold snap of temperatures below 0° for nearly two weeks. The upshot of all that is that we've needed to get our hands on more wood.
The little cabin we built near town (on my parents' property) has had several stacks of wood leftover from trees that had to be felled when we cleared the cabin site so many years ago. Having that wood sitting there, moldering (it's too big to use in the cabin's little Jøtul) and unused, has bugged me for years. So, inspiration struck the other day: I would start hauling the wood down with the toboggan to bring home by the pickup truckload to burn! Two birds with one stone, and all that rot!
Of course, my dad couldn't stand by and allow his daughter to do that work all by herself! ;)
Here's an illustration of what happens when you combine a cheap, plastic sled and too much wood . . . DAD! (Good thing he doesn't read this!)
My dad's help was REALLY wonderful! Especially since he took on the task of pickarooning apart all the wood. Remember that mid-winter thaw that we had a week or so ago, and the RAIN that accompanied it? Yeah, well it also cemented all the pieces of wood into one, frozen, solid mass. Here you see my dad working in the foreground with our little cabin, the Håfweh Haus, in the rear.
I couldn't believe all the deer activity by the wood piles! They'd actually been bedding down there at night. This picture is a very POOR example of one of the melted, poop-filled ovals that illustrate a long rest. I put Maisy in the picture to lend (size) perspective, but you can see (or not!) that it didn't work very well.
Red-faced and sweaty, Dad and I share a job well done! Tucker observes. ;)
Tom has since unloaded this first of what I hope will be three full loads, and I look forward to things being much neater and cleaner in the woods around the little cabin this coming spring and summer!
We weren't as ready for the firewood season last fall as we could have been, AND we had that cold snap of temperatures below 0° for nearly two weeks. The upshot of all that is that we've needed to get our hands on more wood.
The little cabin we built near town (on my parents' property) has had several stacks of wood leftover from trees that had to be felled when we cleared the cabin site so many years ago. Having that wood sitting there, moldering (it's too big to use in the cabin's little Jøtul) and unused, has bugged me for years. So, inspiration struck the other day: I would start hauling the wood down with the toboggan to bring home by the pickup truckload to burn! Two birds with one stone, and all that rot!
Of course, my dad couldn't stand by and allow his daughter to do that work all by herself! ;)
Here's an illustration of what happens when you combine a cheap, plastic sled and too much wood . . . DAD! (Good thing he doesn't read this!)
My dad's help was REALLY wonderful! Especially since he took on the task of pickarooning apart all the wood. Remember that mid-winter thaw that we had a week or so ago, and the RAIN that accompanied it? Yeah, well it also cemented all the pieces of wood into one, frozen, solid mass. Here you see my dad working in the foreground with our little cabin, the Håfweh Haus, in the rear.
I couldn't believe all the deer activity by the wood piles! They'd actually been bedding down there at night. This picture is a very POOR example of one of the melted, poop-filled ovals that illustrate a long rest. I put Maisy in the picture to lend (size) perspective, but you can see (or not!) that it didn't work very well.
Red-faced and sweaty, Dad and I share a job well done! Tucker observes. ;)
Tom has since unloaded this first of what I hope will be three full loads, and I look forward to things being much neater and cleaner in the woods around the little cabin this coming spring and summer!
All Plucked Out
I uploaded these pictures on Monday, but it's taken me until now to get any text posted with them. We took the opportunity of relatively mild temps (14 degrees F above) to butcher that day. Eleven chickens and two ducks, to be specific. It was a long but rewarding day. By the late end of it, all 13 were completely processed and languishing in the freezer.
I'll write more about the day later, but for now . . . a picture of Turkey-Durk (aka Tom the Turkey) so that you can see that his feathers are growing in nicely after the October (?) attack by Tucker the Plucker:
Next, we have Maisy basking in the . . . steady hail of feathers shooting out from the plucking machine:
And, finally, a shot of yours truly hand-plucking the next-in-line chicken while Tom finishes processing another:
I'll write more about the day later, but for now . . . a picture of Turkey-Durk (aka Tom the Turkey) so that you can see that his feathers are growing in nicely after the October (?) attack by Tucker the Plucker:
Next, we have Maisy basking in the . . . steady hail of feathers shooting out from the plucking machine:
And, finally, a shot of yours truly hand-plucking the next-in-line chicken while Tom finishes processing another:
Resolutions, Part II
Where was I? Oh, right: I enjoy making resolutions just as I love "fresh starts" . . . like Mondays . . . except due to phone calls & delivery trucks, I haven't had much of a chance to "start" my day yet! :)
In the past, I've made unrealistic New Year's Resolutions. They've been too generalized and all-encompassing. Things like "eat better" or "lose weight". Nuh-uh. Ain't gonna happen that way.
(Geez, one hour and 5 minutes later, and all I've gotten written are these two tiny paragraphs! What a busy morning!)
So, this year I made (somewhat) realistic resolutions. Three, in fact. (Although there was another I shared with Tom yesterday over our yummy brunch, but that's already flown out of my feeble mind . . . .)
1. To stop swearing . . . in front of my parents. I told Tom I was going to try to stop swearing altogether, to which he provided me an EASY out by saying, "What?! You hardly swear at all!" So then, I amended it to the above 'cause I know they really, really dislike it. I've only seen them 1x since the 1st of the year and wasn't even conscious of my resolution that night. So, Mom, how did I do??
2. and 3. To return telephone calls and e-mails . . . in a timely fashion. There are currently 18 messages on the voicemail awaiting my attention, and 1,674 e-mails in my Inbox (already read but) needing responses. HOW pathetic is that?!
The telephone is my biggest hurdle. As the years have passed, I've just REALLY become adverse to talking on the phone. Part of it is the (less-than-ideal) phone service since we've moved up here AND the commonality of folks using cellphones now instead of landlines. I just HATE it when I can't hear 110% perfectly clearly. And, that does not happen with our phone system . . . and it's doubly bad when people call using their cellphones.
That fourth resolution is still elluding me, and I've even asked Tom if he remembers what it was (he doesn't).
Another task I ALWAYS want to be better at is getting ALL the Christmas cards out in time (I have N-E-V-E-R gotten them ALL out before Christmas) . . . but it seems silly to make a resolution that I can hardly even start working on for another 10 months, you know?
Then, I'm back to those too-generalized / all-encompassing ones that are in the back of my mind year-round like:
Anyway, those are my constant "challenges" for 2009. Any of you want to share yours?
In the past, I've made unrealistic New Year's Resolutions. They've been too generalized and all-encompassing. Things like "eat better" or "lose weight". Nuh-uh. Ain't gonna happen that way.
(Geez, one hour and 5 minutes later, and all I've gotten written are these two tiny paragraphs! What a busy morning!)
So, this year I made (somewhat) realistic resolutions. Three, in fact. (Although there was another I shared with Tom yesterday over our yummy brunch, but that's already flown out of my feeble mind . . . .)
1. To stop swearing . . . in front of my parents. I told Tom I was going to try to stop swearing altogether, to which he provided me an EASY out by saying, "What?! You hardly swear at all!" So then, I amended it to the above 'cause I know they really, really dislike it. I've only seen them 1x since the 1st of the year and wasn't even conscious of my resolution that night. So, Mom, how did I do??
2. and 3. To return telephone calls and e-mails . . . in a timely fashion. There are currently 18 messages on the voicemail awaiting my attention, and 1,674 e-mails in my Inbox (already read but) needing responses. HOW pathetic is that?!
The telephone is my biggest hurdle. As the years have passed, I've just REALLY become adverse to talking on the phone. Part of it is the (less-than-ideal) phone service since we've moved up here AND the commonality of folks using cellphones now instead of landlines. I just HATE it when I can't hear 110% perfectly clearly. And, that does not happen with our phone system . . . and it's doubly bad when people call using their cellphones.
That fourth resolution is still elluding me, and I've even asked Tom if he remembers what it was (he doesn't).
Another task I ALWAYS want to be better at is getting ALL the Christmas cards out in time (I have N-E-V-E-R gotten them ALL out before Christmas) . . . but it seems silly to make a resolution that I can hardly even start working on for another 10 months, you know?
Then, I'm back to those too-generalized / all-encompassing ones that are in the back of my mind year-round like:
- To be more organized.
- To take better care of the dogs / cat (brushing them more, taking time to give them more love & attention).
- To be a better farmer (do chores right away in the morning and see them through to completion [i.e. replace the wood shavings in ALL the nest boxes instead of just the worst ones], etc.). Matter of fact, this is one of the reasons I haven't really been push, push, pushing for (us to get) our cow 'cause I need to know I CAN get out there each day to milk her right away and not have her moo-ing in pain and discomfort until I do haul my rear outside.
Anyway, those are my constant "challenges" for 2009. Any of you want to share yours?
Rainy Post-Christmas Greetings to You!
Boy, from one extreme to the other! Just last week it was in the -20s, and this morning it's hovering right around 32° / 33° with RAIN! What a horrible, treacherous MESS!
Sleep was interrupted in the wee hours of this morning for quite some time by the tcht . . . tcht . . . tcht . . . tchttt . . . tchttttt . . . tchtttttttttt . . . SWOOOOOOSH . . . SPLAT! of the snow coming off the roof. We had - probably - about a foot of fluffy snow sitting on our zinc (metal) roof, but the weight of the sleet and the warm temps have finally prompted it to first inch and then slide off with a sound similar to an approaching freight train! Anyone who sleeps under a metal roof knows exactly the sound I mean, and for those of you who don't . . . well, you'll just have to trust me. It can't properly be described until experienced. But, it's LOUD.
We're supposed to have friends over for dinner tonight - including the little peanut whom I first nannied for (vs. who I currently nanny for) - but I'm concerned about the driving conditions. Especially when they'll have 16+ miles of unfamiliar snow (and now ice) covered roads to traverse to get to us. Trapper Cabin Handyman (Tom) has a snow-from-a-roof removal job this morning, and he'll be able to give a report of the road conditions when he returns from that.
Christmas was wonderful . . . but exhausting. The good thing is that I learn - each year - how to be a bit more efficient / organized for the coming year in the hopes of being able to sit down more and relax during the course of the day. We host Christmas Day (my folks come out) while they host Christmas Eve . . . Eve. "Christmas Eve EVE", you say!? Yup. We used to celebrate Christmas Eve with them ON Christmas Eve. (What a novel idea!) But then, we realized that it would be more enjoyable for all of us if we had a day in between the two celebrations. So now, we go to them for "Christmas Eve" on the 23rd and have the 24th to ourselves (we've got a nice tradition started with a couple in town - Tom's business partner for the Ice Film Festival).
Here are a couple of pics from Christmas . . . .
The "ease" of taking a family picture when two of the family members are dogs. Tucker was being uncooperative, and Maisy was giving us the cold shoulder. And, I really must apologize for wearing white after Labor Day (HOW gauche!), but I was trying to look like a candy-cane. Kinda.
(Oh, well . . . Blogger [or, more probably, our satellite dish in this weather] isn't cooperating with me posting pictures this morning. They'll have to come later, I guess.)
Sleep was interrupted in the wee hours of this morning for quite some time by the tcht . . . tcht . . . tcht . . . tchttt . . . tchttttt . . . tchtttttttttt . . . SWOOOOOOSH . . . SPLAT! of the snow coming off the roof. We had - probably - about a foot of fluffy snow sitting on our zinc (metal) roof, but the weight of the sleet and the warm temps have finally prompted it to first inch and then slide off with a sound similar to an approaching freight train! Anyone who sleeps under a metal roof knows exactly the sound I mean, and for those of you who don't . . . well, you'll just have to trust me. It can't properly be described until experienced. But, it's LOUD.
We're supposed to have friends over for dinner tonight - including the little peanut whom I first nannied for (vs. who I currently nanny for) - but I'm concerned about the driving conditions. Especially when they'll have 16+ miles of unfamiliar snow (and now ice) covered roads to traverse to get to us. Trapper Cabin Handyman (Tom) has a snow-from-a-roof removal job this morning, and he'll be able to give a report of the road conditions when he returns from that.
* * * * * * * * *
Christmas was wonderful . . . but exhausting. The good thing is that I learn - each year - how to be a bit more efficient / organized for the coming year in the hopes of being able to sit down more and relax during the course of the day. We host Christmas Day (my folks come out) while they host Christmas Eve . . . Eve. "Christmas Eve EVE", you say!? Yup. We used to celebrate Christmas Eve with them ON Christmas Eve. (What a novel idea!) But then, we realized that it would be more enjoyable for all of us if we had a day in between the two celebrations. So now, we go to them for "Christmas Eve" on the 23rd and have the 24th to ourselves (we've got a nice tradition started with a couple in town - Tom's business partner for the Ice Film Festival).
Here are a couple of pics from Christmas . . . .
The "ease" of taking a family picture when two of the family members are dogs. Tucker was being uncooperative, and Maisy was giving us the cold shoulder. And, I really must apologize for wearing white after Labor Day (HOW gauche!), but I was trying to look like a candy-cane. Kinda.
(Oh, well . . . Blogger [or, more probably, our satellite dish in this weather] isn't cooperating with me posting pictures this morning. They'll have to come later, I guess.)
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.
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.
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