Evenin'.
I probably shouldn't write when I'm in a grumpy mood, but I feel like it, so there ya go! I know all will be better in the morning. Maybe it will even be better after I finish writing!
And, I guess it's not that I'm really in a bad mood. It's just been a particularly long, emotionally exhausting past couple o' days.
My work week began last Thursday with a text message so alarming that I had to pull over to the side of the road (I was driving into town and my cellphone picks up reception at that certain point). One of my oldest girlfriends was in distress and, wanting to escape it all, packed her three kids into the car that morning for a very spontaneous 6-hour drive up to the quiet of the north woods. Another old girlfriend (we're a bit of a triad, we three) stepped up to the plate by offering her family's cabin in the woods. Her brother-in-law had to be called to unlock it. Then, he was off to work. I called Mama Pea as soon as I had more information once I was in town at my office, and she dropped everything to begin cooking and baking in order to feed the four . . . knowing money was tight and it wouldn't be practical for them to eat out every meal.
The majority of that day for me was spent getting details of this Escape from the Big Shitty and planning and picking up groceries for meeting the family at a pre-determined intersection to take them to the cabin (where they'd never been before). Too, it's an off-grid cabin, so they needed someone "in the know" to show them the ropes (the brother-in-law still being at work and she probably feeling more comfortable with me doing the showing than a fellow she hadn't seen in a couple of years).
Then, from late afternoon until 10:45 PM when I left for the 1-hour drive home, I was with them getting 'em settled, having dinner, playing games with the kids, showing the novelties of biffies (outhouses), etc.
On Friday, I got a few things done in the office but was with them for a good portion of the day, too. We pulled together a beach cook-out and spent a lovely evening on the lake. Mama and Papa Pea even joined us for an hour or two out there!
Earlier that day, I'd shown Son #2 how to sharpen his knife so that he could get ready to be the hotdog & marshmallow stick preparer that night. Unfortunately, I apparently taught him well because we weren't at the beach 15 minutes before he'd cut himself pretty good. Son #1 wasn't blameless, though. While Son #2 was sharpening one of the stick ends, Son #1 threw a rock at him. As Son #2 said, "And I flinched." Flinch, knife slip, end of story! Boys will be boys! And, wouldn't you know: NEITHER the mom nor I (Ms. Preparedness) had a BandAid! We did have paper towels and a rubber band, though . . . which served just as well.
After the sun had set and we were beginning to watch the fireflies, the family and I planned out our entire Saturday (I'd put a sign up at work saying that "due to a family emergency", my hours would be limited for the weekend) and through brunch on Sunday. The boys were excited about the opportunity to use the fishing poles they'd thought to toss into the car, and we'd all take in the amazing solstice pageant at the folk school that night.
I was tired that night after two days of unexpected action and changes of plan, and so my wake-up call of 4:00 AM Saturday morning didn't help things. I still hadn't received my ordered bug net canopy for the bed, and the mosquitoes started their attack then. Did you know that it's light enough to see a mosquito land on your arm so you can slap it dead at 4:00 AM? I do. I fought them until 4:45 when I finally GAVE up and GOT up.
And, now that I think about it, maybe it was this day's text message that had me so upset that I had to pull over. Yep, now that I remember, it was, because I was driving the 1-ton. I'd cleaned it that morning and checked and refilled fluids (wiper fluid, oil, and radiator water) so it would be ready for the scenic drive the five of us would take that day about an hour north of town. The text message was from the girlfriend who owned the cabin. The family was gone. Poof! They'd packed up and left early that morning.
There was a text from the Gotta Get Away From It All one, too, thanking me and saying that I am "a beautiful friend". Wonderful compliment but I would have liked a little more conversation and information. And explanation.
So, Saturday was spent stressing about what imagined circumstances could have caused this normally entirely-on-the-ball woman to do that. And trying to contact her. And talking to Cabin Girlfriend about what was going on. And the same with a very concerned Mama & Papa Pea who, of course, have known her her entire life. We all finally heard from her in the late afternoon. She'd just felt like she needed to get back. Hmph. After an escape of little over 24 hours? Obviously, she's dealing with some stuff that . . . I don't know, is TOO HARD to deal with? It's not like her. And I'm worried.
After work that night (it certainly wasn't like I didn't need the time in the office vs. a day of fun - AND I did have customers although they didn't buy anything), I called brother-in-law to let him know that I'd like to pick up the keys to the cabin and just make sure everything was closed up properly, pick up Mama Pea's soup pot, etc., etc. I guess I was hoping to find a note, too, to explain the abrupt departure, but I knew that I was hoping against hope. And, I was. No note other than a quick one to Cabin Girlfriend, thanking her.
I tried to de-stress Saturday night once I was home and succeeded to do so until I remembered, THANKFULLY, right before bed, that I'd promised to nanny for a couple hours Sunday morning! And, I'd have to leave the house at 7:00 in order to be there in time. So, another short night of sleep. BUT, a GOOD night of sleep because my bed canopy had arrived in the mail that day, and I spent most of that evening putting it up! I can't tell you HOW good it felt to crawl into it that night, knowing my sleep would NOT be interrupted nor abbreviated by flying, biting bugs!
So, Sunday, I was up and out early. Spent a couple of wonderful, went-by-too-quickly hours with Ruti and then drove into town to meet her folks at the folk school where we had brunch. There was to be a special 10-year anniversary presentation to her daddy after brunch, and I thought I'd stay around for that. As I was milling around the back of the room waiting, I noticed the used-to-be-friend that the ex had the affair with sitting just two rows in front of me. That was, amazingly enough, the first time I'd run into her. And, suddenly, I lost my taste for the event. So, I said goodbye to Ruti and her folks and slipped out.
After getting a couple glazed-over hours in at the office (dunno if I did any good, being there!), I headed to Mama & Papa Pea's for a quick dinner (thank you, Mom!) and Father's Day greeting. I was super disappointed that Dad's present of the book, The Filter Bubble: What the Internet is Hiding from You hadn't arrived in time. Tracking showed that it had been in St. Paul on the 16th . . . but I still hadn't received it by the 19th? What the! He got a handmade card, too. Five-year-old Ruti and I had been working on our respective Father's Day cards that morning when I asked her to tell me what time it was, and she said, "It's one-zero-two-eight." 10:28?! Ack! We were supposed to leave in 15 minutes and we had a mess of card-making supplies spread all over, teeth weren't brushed nor face washed nor hair brushed, AND jammies were still on! So, I had to finish my card by myself in my office that afternoon without NEARLY the amount of crayons, colored pencils, and markers I'd had access to that morning! ;)
After dinner and one beer that went straight to my head - literally, my ears and cheeks were BRIGHT RED! - it was back to the office to close up and figure out a clever way to display / mount some of my business cards on the wall of canvases and gallery mounts I have at my realtor friend's building. Then, down to his office to do that, a quick stop at the self-serve discount greenhouse for the second fuchsia I needed on my way out of town . . . and home!
Oh, and did I mention . . . I also found out this weekend that the ex is moving back to town. He'll start his old job again in September. Wow, five whole months living in Alaska. Really? Well, they do say that "that which does not kill us, makes us stronger", right? ;)
Showing posts with label Holidays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Holidays. Show all posts
A Little Bit Back To Normal
I feel like I don't really have much to say since I last wrote!
Lexie, the dog, went home last night after 6 days and 7 nights here at Swamp River Ridge. And, after she broke my nicest (but replaceable, fortunately!) Aladdin lamp on the 2nd day (with the help of Bonzi) and then, yesterday, chewed the cord* off a brand new lamp, it was time. I would have thought that she'd have settled in fully by yesterday, perhaps thinking that this was her new home. But instead, it was as though she said, "Hey! You said Mom and Dad would be home LAST NIGHT and they're NOT, so I'm gonna be a brat!" Oh, well. :)
* I don't know HOW she didn't get shocked (or worse!) by eating that lamp cord! It was plugged in, and she didn't just chew it in half. She did that and then chewed off about a million more lengths of it AND then stripped the plastic off the copper wires! Dumb dog. But, THANK GOODNESS nothing bad happened to her! As a fellow blogger commented when I posted the discovery on Facebook yesterday, "Obviously, she's well grounded!" Yuk, yuk. And true!
Back to the days around Christmas, I'd invited the ex out to Swamp River Ridge on Christmas Eve. As I met him at the door, we both smiled wryly, and I said, "Who woulda thunk it, huh?" (meaning the irony of greeting him at MY house and us being divorced, not even a year after he left). We had a nice visit, though, mostly talking about the upcoming expedition he left for on Sunday.
A friend of his (previously "friend of ours" but this guy is on my "short list" for various reasons, and I don't mean my GOOD "short list") is attempting the first-ever January solo ascent of Denali. He is one of the other two fellows the ex climbed McKinley with back in June. Only 16 individuals have tried this, some in groups and some solo, and 6 have died in the attempt. I guess this is what explorers "DO": try things previously unattainable, but, in my book, it's just STOOPID. The risks are TOO high. Anyway, the ex is his expedition manager and will be stationed in Talkeetna the whole time Explorer Guy is climbing. Explorer Guy will check in every 12 hours, on the dot, with the ex. That's how he'll get the word out that everything's A-OK.
When they climbed in the summertime, they gave themselves 21 days to do it, if memory serves, and it took only 14. For this climb, though, Explorer Guy is allowing himself just over a month. He hopes to be on the mountain by NYE, and he'll have to summit by the last day in January for this attempt to be successful (in the eyes of the record books, etc.). Letting me know that they made it to Talkeetna safe and sound yesterday, the ex wrote that the sun rose at 10:38 AM, and I know they have an opening of only 4 hours of daylight today to fly to the base of the mountain . . . with a storm moving in. If they don't get Explorer Guy in today, they may have to wait days. Like I said, though, this is a dangerous mission . . . and that's an understatement! And, for what? Fame? Ego? "Why do you climb a mountain? Because it's there." Whatever.
Changing the subject . . . .
A dear iFriend, now actual friend, and her wonderful family (husband and two boys) are visiting Mama & Papa Pea and myself this week . . . all the way from Virginia state (although Mom is from southeastern MN where they spent the holiday)! Yesterday, while I got some things done here at home, they went sledding, and I hear there were tears from the littlest one when it was time to leave. But, I totally get it: this being his first time REALLY sledding, who'd WANT to stop?! ;) (You can find pictures over at Mama Pea's blog.)
We all met up for YUMMY homemade pizza last night at the little marketplace that's located exactly half-way between town / my folks and me, here at Swamp River Ridge. This morning, the hubby and Papa Pea and the oldest boy (7+) are going to clear the loop up behind my folks' house, chainsaws in hand. Then, we'll all meet up after lunch to hike the trail together. On NYE, they'll all come out to Swamp River Ridge for an afternoon of sledding (Papa Pea snowshoe-tracked the hill on Christmas Day) followed by dinner, Christmas presents, and some NYE celebrating! A LOVELY way to ring in the New Year!
My Girl stayed overnight on Sunday after returning from celebrating Christmas with her family in the north central part of the state. We had a lovely, low-key, catch-up visit (complete with Christmas presents, naturally) and even went to bed at a respectable time this sleepover: about 1:30!
So, with all of the above, it's still a busy holiday season. I hope to have enough done around here by everyone's arrival on NYE to feel good about the place, but, even if I don't, I will FOCUS on forgetting about that and ENJOY the fellowship of dear friends and family! :) Hear, hear!
Lexie, the dog, went home last night after 6 days and 7 nights here at Swamp River Ridge. And, after she broke my nicest (but replaceable, fortunately!) Aladdin lamp on the 2nd day (with the help of Bonzi) and then, yesterday, chewed the cord* off a brand new lamp, it was time. I would have thought that she'd have settled in fully by yesterday, perhaps thinking that this was her new home. But instead, it was as though she said, "Hey! You said Mom and Dad would be home LAST NIGHT and they're NOT, so I'm gonna be a brat!" Oh, well. :)
* I don't know HOW she didn't get shocked (or worse!) by eating that lamp cord! It was plugged in, and she didn't just chew it in half. She did that and then chewed off about a million more lengths of it AND then stripped the plastic off the copper wires! Dumb dog. But, THANK GOODNESS nothing bad happened to her! As a fellow blogger commented when I posted the discovery on Facebook yesterday, "Obviously, she's well grounded!" Yuk, yuk. And true!
Back to the days around Christmas, I'd invited the ex out to Swamp River Ridge on Christmas Eve. As I met him at the door, we both smiled wryly, and I said, "Who woulda thunk it, huh?" (meaning the irony of greeting him at MY house and us being divorced, not even a year after he left). We had a nice visit, though, mostly talking about the upcoming expedition he left for on Sunday.
A friend of his (previously "friend of ours" but this guy is on my "short list" for various reasons, and I don't mean my GOOD "short list") is attempting the first-ever January solo ascent of Denali. He is one of the other two fellows the ex climbed McKinley with back in June. Only 16 individuals have tried this, some in groups and some solo, and 6 have died in the attempt. I guess this is what explorers "DO": try things previously unattainable, but, in my book, it's just STOOPID. The risks are TOO high. Anyway, the ex is his expedition manager and will be stationed in Talkeetna the whole time Explorer Guy is climbing. Explorer Guy will check in every 12 hours, on the dot, with the ex. That's how he'll get the word out that everything's A-OK.
When they climbed in the summertime, they gave themselves 21 days to do it, if memory serves, and it took only 14. For this climb, though, Explorer Guy is allowing himself just over a month. He hopes to be on the mountain by NYE, and he'll have to summit by the last day in January for this attempt to be successful (in the eyes of the record books, etc.). Letting me know that they made it to Talkeetna safe and sound yesterday, the ex wrote that the sun rose at 10:38 AM, and I know they have an opening of only 4 hours of daylight today to fly to the base of the mountain . . . with a storm moving in. If they don't get Explorer Guy in today, they may have to wait days. Like I said, though, this is a dangerous mission . . . and that's an understatement! And, for what? Fame? Ego? "Why do you climb a mountain? Because it's there." Whatever.
Changing the subject . . . .
A dear iFriend, now actual friend, and her wonderful family (husband and two boys) are visiting Mama & Papa Pea and myself this week . . . all the way from Virginia state (although Mom is from southeastern MN where they spent the holiday)! Yesterday, while I got some things done here at home, they went sledding, and I hear there were tears from the littlest one when it was time to leave. But, I totally get it: this being his first time REALLY sledding, who'd WANT to stop?! ;) (You can find pictures over at Mama Pea's blog.)
We all met up for YUMMY homemade pizza last night at the little marketplace that's located exactly half-way between town / my folks and me, here at Swamp River Ridge. This morning, the hubby and Papa Pea and the oldest boy (7+) are going to clear the loop up behind my folks' house, chainsaws in hand. Then, we'll all meet up after lunch to hike the trail together. On NYE, they'll all come out to Swamp River Ridge for an afternoon of sledding (Papa Pea snowshoe-tracked the hill on Christmas Day) followed by dinner, Christmas presents, and some NYE celebrating! A LOVELY way to ring in the New Year!
My Girl stayed overnight on Sunday after returning from celebrating Christmas with her family in the north central part of the state. We had a lovely, low-key, catch-up visit (complete with Christmas presents, naturally) and even went to bed at a respectable time this sleepover: about 1:30!
So, with all of the above, it's still a busy holiday season. I hope to have enough done around here by everyone's arrival on NYE to feel good about the place, but, even if I don't, I will FOCUS on forgetting about that and ENJOY the fellowship of dear friends and family! :) Hear, hear!
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays, Friends!
I just got the phone call that Mama & Papa Pea are on their way out to Swamp River Ridge. Am I ready? Of course not! But, the point of the special day is to spend it with those you love, and THAT'S what I'm going to focus on . . . kitchen disaster and no pre-meal food prep, be darned. :)
Love to you all!
- Chicken Mama
First Early Bedtime
Well, here I sit . . . winding down for the night. And, surprisingly, I'm very tired. Not my normal, late-night, go, go, go. But, I think a lot of that is owed to apathy. Depression. Whatever you want to call it. I don't feel particularly depressed, but I'm just . . . blah. Not in a "bah humbug!" Scrooge kind of way; no, I don't feel the energy for that. Just . . . blah.
I've been home for four of the past five days, and I've hardly gotten a THING done. Oh, sure, I got that wall temporarily up and finished, and I rearranged and cleaned the living room. And replaced the filter in the fish tank (a much larger task than anticipated). And finally pulled out the stereo and took it apart and got it working again (after well over a year of annoying broken-ness). But, I still haven't done anything regarding Christmas. Christmas! It's my favorite time of year! I love hearing people talk about it, hearing carols played on the radio, hearing Lynne Rossetto Kasper asking Isaac Mizrahi what the holiday trends are in New York this year. I want to bake cookies, I want to wrap gifts, I want a tree! I just. Can't. Seem. To. Do it.
I guess it's no surprise, given my past year, but I don't understand why this, of all seasons, seems to be getting to me. It wasn't like Christmas was huge to the ex: I was always the one to do the decorating of both house and Christmas tree myself. So, maybe it has nothing to do with the divorce at all. Maybe it's just that I'm so completely and utterly exhausted. The holiday season always requires that extra PUSH from all of us, and maybe I simply don't have any reserves left on which to call.
Maybe I'm outta whack because of the full moon. And the full lunar eclipse. I dunno, but it's something.
It's not that I don't want to celebrate; I do! I just . . . seem to have to take baby steps on my way to getting there. Maybe my tree this year will be like my cards: a New Year's tree. I know I'll be sad if Christmas passes over Swamp River Ridge, but I'm just not sure how I'll get there. But, it does help to get this all out of my system by writing it down here. Cathartic and all that rot. ;)
And, yeah, I do need to focus on what I got done those first two days ("the wall") rather than the complete wad of NOTHING I got done in these past 48. Bah! Humbug! (See, I guess I do have it in me!) Okay (and feel free to skip over this self-indulgent bit), let's remember what I did get done these past two days. I . . .
So, with that complaining out of the way, I'll sign off. And, yes, I realize I'm bitching and moaning. Yes, I realize I truly have NOTHING to complain about (especially when I think about a friend whose husband and father to her two little boys returned safe and sound from a tour of duty in the Middle East today).
I'm going to shut down the house and trundle up to bed. I've never been much of a person for a before-bed routine, but I think it will help my body settle into the "you're going to bed now" idea if I do the whole take-off-the-makeup, brush-your-teeth, wash-your-face.
Adios! I'll letcha know how tomorrow's early alarm goes!
I've been home for four of the past five days, and I've hardly gotten a THING done. Oh, sure, I got that wall temporarily up and finished, and I rearranged and cleaned the living room. And replaced the filter in the fish tank (a much larger task than anticipated). And finally pulled out the stereo and took it apart and got it working again (after well over a year of annoying broken-ness). But, I still haven't done anything regarding Christmas. Christmas! It's my favorite time of year! I love hearing people talk about it, hearing carols played on the radio, hearing Lynne Rossetto Kasper asking Isaac Mizrahi what the holiday trends are in New York this year. I want to bake cookies, I want to wrap gifts, I want a tree! I just. Can't. Seem. To. Do it.
I guess it's no surprise, given my past year, but I don't understand why this, of all seasons, seems to be getting to me. It wasn't like Christmas was huge to the ex: I was always the one to do the decorating of both house and Christmas tree myself. So, maybe it has nothing to do with the divorce at all. Maybe it's just that I'm so completely and utterly exhausted. The holiday season always requires that extra PUSH from all of us, and maybe I simply don't have any reserves left on which to call.
Maybe I'm outta whack because of the full moon. And the full lunar eclipse. I dunno, but it's something.
It's not that I don't want to celebrate; I do! I just . . . seem to have to take baby steps on my way to getting there. Maybe my tree this year will be like my cards: a New Year's tree. I know I'll be sad if Christmas passes over Swamp River Ridge, but I'm just not sure how I'll get there. But, it does help to get this all out of my system by writing it down here. Cathartic and all that rot. ;)
And, yeah, I do need to focus on what I got done those first two days ("the wall") rather than the complete wad of NOTHING I got done in these past 48. Bah! Humbug! (See, I guess I do have it in me!) Okay (and feel free to skip over this self-indulgent bit), let's remember what I did get done these past two days. I . . .
- Did chores both days (chickens, geese, fed the furnace, chopped wood, hauled water).
- Pretty much emptied out the car from the big city trip.
- Did quite a few dishes.
- Unpacked and assembled two new lamps.
- Drank an entire bottle of wine.
- Made myself decent meals. That still tasted gross. (See, I am out of whack.)
- Tried to rid the refrig of the smell that is still gagging me just in its recall (rotten lettuce, I think).
- Made a candle. (One. Whoo-freakin'-hoo.)
- Put the digital trail camera up down the driveway yesterday. Changed the batteries today. It still won't work. How much cold weather do they tolerate? Seems like they're not much good if they don't work half of the year!
- Cleaned up the kitchen.
- Did a load of laundry.
- Got some business card work done for a client.
- Worked on some Christmas presents.
- Did a little online ordering.
So, with that complaining out of the way, I'll sign off. And, yes, I realize I'm bitching and moaning. Yes, I realize I truly have NOTHING to complain about (especially when I think about a friend whose husband and father to her two little boys returned safe and sound from a tour of duty in the Middle East today).
I'm going to shut down the house and trundle up to bed. I've never been much of a person for a before-bed routine, but I think it will help my body settle into the "you're going to bed now" idea if I do the whole take-off-the-makeup, brush-your-teeth, wash-your-face.
Adios! I'll letcha know how tomorrow's early alarm goes!
Here I Am!
I haven't had a chance to write since last Friday when I told you about the calendars (C, yours should arrive today or tomorrow, and yours, LH, will go out on Saturday). And, Susan, you had asked about the new header image which I said I'd used in a past calendar? Well, at least I knew I'd used it: it's December in the new 2011 calendar! :)
I worked a long, 10-hour day nannying on Saturday and then visited Bundle of Joy and her mama for a short time on my way home that night. I felt as bad as I EVER have about the dogs that day: aside from a few jaunts out of the truck to get a little exercise and relieve themselves, they'd spent the WHOLE DAY in the back seat. When I nanny for Baby Girl, the dogs play well with the resident Black Lab, but it was so cold that I couldn't leave all three out all day. I'm kind of in the market for a Suburban (I need a truck with more room . . . as well as a second truck for the wintertime when the 1-ton is hooked up to the plow), and I'll feel slightly better about leaving them for those long hours when they have more space in which to stretch out . . . and maybe even play or chew on bones. Yes, I know I could leave them at home, but then their bladders would burst . . . and, I know that they are so used to being with me constantly that they get a little upset (Maisy, especially) when they're away from me.
I can't remember what I did during the early part of Sunday, but I think I had to run into town that afternoon & evening to do some work at the office. Anyway, it was another day that zipped by with me feeling like I had nothing much to show for it.
I woke up when the alarm went off at 6:30 on Monday morning feeling like death. I was scheduled for some car work and my first eye exam in the big city, some 3+ hours away, and my first appointment was at 11:00. During the night, I'd dreamed that, while the doctor said that I did, indeed, need an eye glass prescription, what he was more concerned about was my heart. And, oh, how my chest ACHED once I finally did get up - psycho-somatic, huh?! Anyway, I let myself sleep about two more hours and then finally DRAGGED myself up out of bed.
I switched my 11:00 car appointment to 4:00, but I was still going to be about 30 minutes late for the eye appointment. I called, trying to bump it back, but there were no openings, so, when I did arrive there, we filled out paperwork instead and rescheduled the visit. When I'd dropped the dogs off at my folks' on the way out of town (thanks, again!), they both asked me if I felt okayaQQQQ==E (that, from Bonzi, the cat). Obviously, how I WAS feeling was fairly clear.
Too, I'd asked Mama & Papa Pea if there was a chance they'd take Maisy & Tucker overnight that night: my list was, LITERALLY, 3 full pages - typed (!), and I'd been thinking about staying overnight to get everything done. After the visit to the optometrist, I called around for some motel rates. And, here is where I got a good lesson in honesty.
The Days Inn's most inexpensive room was $84.95. "May I ask what you're in town for?," the desk clerk politely queried. Instantly, my hackles went up. Even though she sounded genuinely interested, my gut reaction was, "What business is it of YOURS?" Instead, I said, "Ohhh, I just have some appointments." She said, "Ma'am, by any chance are any of those doctors' appointments?" Me (again, bristly, but wondering if this line of questioning was "going" somewhere): "Yes, but just an eye doctor." Receptionist, "Oh! Well, in that case, ma'am, may I offer your our Medical Stay Special? We can give you that room for $52!"
My mood instantly changed, and I said (literally), "Holy Moly, Rocky! (I'm such a nerd.) Uhhh, YES, I'd love that!" So, the deal was done: I would stay overnight.
I zipped right over to the motel and got an early check-in. Then, with fast food to-go in hand, I settled in, determined to make the rest of my Monday better than the first part. 45 minutes later, feeling (and looking - thank you, makeup!) MUCH better, I headed across the state line to my auto appointment in Wisconsin. Thanks to Target having begun their holiday hours (open 'til midnight) that very day, I shopped straight through 'til about 11:30 PM, following the car appointment (where I ordered 2 new rims & Blizzaks for the rear of the Yaris AND scheduled a repair to the hatchback for the car . . . both parts & labor [which was going to be between $200 and $300] 100% covered thanks to the platinum warranty the ex and I had purchased when we bought the car.)
More fast-food in hand for dinner (what else is open at that time of night?!), I tiredly returned to my motel room just before midnight. (And was reminded why I don't have TV: with so many channels, there was literally NOTHING to watch . . . not even a cheesy reality show. I ended up watching a documentary about Area 51 in the desert. Hmph. So much for catching up on junky TV!)
I let myself sleep in on Tuesday morning . . . but so much so that I didn't have time to take a shower before the by-11:00 check-out. No matter. I made use of my second day and shopped, straight through (well, I did take 10 minutes to stop at Caribou for a latte and lemon poppyseed cake slice when I'd bonked) from 11:00 until 6:01 when I was heading out of town. I was E-X-H-A-U-S-T-E-D.
The car was SO FULL that, in order to get the last purchases to fit , I'd had to break up the box of booze I'd bought at my final stop of the day and leave the cardboard box in the cart at the cart station. There wasn't a spare inch for that liquor box to fit. So, instead, bottle of wine were stuffed under the seats and snuggled here and there throughout the load. I took pictures: it was pretty hysterical. (Unfortunately, for illustration's sake, those images are now on my computer at work.)
Well, the computer froze up and I had to reboot . . . but now I can’t access the Internet. So, I’ll finish my post here on Word and then paste & copy when I can get to the iHighway again.
On my way home, I realized that there was ZERO room for the dogs, so, after a call to my folks to find out if one of their Suburbans was available (neither was, as luck would have it), I called the ex to see if I could unload some of the loot into his Jeep for the night. I knew we’d both be at the same birthday party Wednesday (last) night, and so I could make the final transfer then. So, that done and the dogs picked up, we finally returned home about 11:30 Tuesday night.
It was cold out, already below zero and dropping, but did you hear me singing as I made trip after trip to unload the car? I was SO happy to be home that I bustled back and forth (to stay warm!) and sang a cheery little homemade ditty about “home, home, so good to be home”! :) (With the temps so low, there was no option of leaving everything in the car until the light of morning. Anything liquid would have frozen and burst its packing. Even at the ex’s we had to haul a couple of very heavy boxes into his apartment for the night to avoid the same problem.
Quick story: thinking about even the booze freezing reminds me of a New Year’s Eve, some years ago. We were at friends’ new property (next to where The Peanut now lives, these folks being her aunt & uncle), and their cabin was super, super tiny. Matter of fact, I don’t even think the stove was hooked up yet. Anyway, for whatever reason, we were all outside and taking advantage of the snow cover to burn a huge brush pile and try to stay warm. I’m not sure if that was the same year that it was -25 (F) when we got to the lodge we were all having dinner at or not. At any rate, it was C-O-L-D. While we were enjoying other libations, we set a bottle of wine (or was it champagne?) on the tiny deck in preparation for midnight. As the night passed, one of the women suddenly exclaimed, “Ohmigod, look at the wine!” Despite its high alcohol content, it had been freezing as we’d been tending the fire, and the cork had pushed up THROUGH the foil wrapper and was a-l-m-o-s-t out! Now, THAT’S a cold bottle of wine (unfortunately, I think it was a red that SHOULD have been served at room temperature!). Anyway, it was a fun way to learn (with no harm nor foul) that even booze on the lower end of the alcohol content spectrum, will freeze in cold weather!
After sleeping poorly after my big city trip Tuesday night and waking up yesterday still feeling and looking like death only slightly warmed over, I spent the day trying to unpack a bit, get my head on straight, prep for Bundle of Joy’s first birthday party, and get some business & personal mail ready to go out. I had a little must-do work at the office, too, and I’d hoped to run in and get that done before the birthday party and dinner . . . but I didn’t. And, in my focus to get everything ELSE together (some stuff for both the ex and My Girl, who would be at the party, as well as some groceries and party supplies I’d bought for it . . . and the mailings that needed to go out including a stupid busy-work [is this really necessary?!] form for the assessor’s office that needed to be there by the end of the day), I forgot Bundle of Joy’s birthday present. Oi vey. What a dum-dum.
Anyway, I got myself into town after the party last night at 9:03 PM. I finished up at the office around 11:30 and headed home. That done, I could finally “take the week off” to prep for Christmas – that being my original plan. Yes, I did have the two days in the big city, and that DID need to be done (both for supplies and in prep for the holiday), but now I’m left with only THREE days– today, tomorrow, and Sunday - to get done what I’d hoped to get done (“week”, my arse). I’ll go in and have the gallery open all day on Saturday, hoping to catch some last-minute shoppers. I won’t even bore you with the details of all I’d hoped to do this week: it’s too unrealistically hilarious. I’ll leave it at the fact that I still don’t have a SINGLE, SOLITARY Christmas decoration down from storage yet, but I hope to change that by the end of the day. Oh, and I have given myself a small reprieve: I’m going to make my Christmas cards be New Year’s cards this year!
Okay, Internet’s back up on my laptop now, so off I go to post this epistle (sorry it’s so long)!
T Minus 48 and Counting . . . .
So, the first annual (yes, I realize that's a grammatical contradiction, but you know what I mean) Chicken Mama Designs sale is 48 hours away (minus 21 minutes as I write). My Girl really stepped up to the plate with my delegation yesterday and already has the carafes of coffee and accompanying sugar (you provide your own cream) and disposable cups from the local coffee shop lined up. I'm still waiting to hear confirmation on the cake and a Christmas wreath and some pointsettias. She also took on the other big job I threw her way yesterday: painting up a temporary sandwich board for the sidewalk. The real, professionally-printed one won't be ready by then, but I feel that I need SOMETHING out there to show customers and drive-bys that they have the right place. So, I will cut some clean Plywood this morning and slap it together with a couple of hinges and then throw some white, green, and red paint into the truck. Then, after work tonight, she'll set to creating a decent sign for me.
Okay, I'm back. Was multi-tasking again. Got an update from My Girl, had a quick FB catch-up with a dear iFriend (or maybe it should be eFriend?), and took a booking to nanny.
I'm battling the You're Wasting Time Demon by remaining here in the kitchen rocker, blogging. But, I know I feel better when I DO take the time and write. Besides, it's probably a good way for me to get some of the things that are filling my brain OUT! A way to organize my day, perhaps?
I know I'm not going to get into town until later than I'd like today. But, as important as prepping for the sale is, so are the little ones in my life. And, I like to give them all advent calendars at the beginning of December. The Peanut got hers at her birthday party the night before Thanksgiving, but Baby Girl and Bundle of Joy haven't received theirs yet. I will wrap them and drop them off this morning. I know, I know, I've said that I'm not religious, and I'm not . . . but my maternal grandma always sent me advent calendars each year, and I just LOVED looking forward to opening a new window each morning, so I'm carrying on the tradition. I even like to have one here on the refrig at home, but I'm now o-u-t of 'em, after these last three have been distributed. I usually buy a good selection of them online from Germany every couple of years. But, like I said, I'm out. I'll resupply after the holidays - and maybe get them at a discount. BTW, Mama Pea has the most hysterical, almost obscene (in size) advent calendar. It COVERS her refrigerator! Ha! You'll have to ask her to post photos of it. :)
Hmmm, apparently you CAN teach cats! Whenever I write here from my laptop, it's always been a battle with the kitties who want to jump up on it. Dosie just v-e-r-y carefully hopped up onto my lap, stepping on only the corner of the computer and then settling herself up on my forearms as I'm typing! Good girl! Still . . . this is . . . very . . . impractical . . . !! And I can't think. OFF, you go!
Okay. Seems like there was something else I was going to mention, but I think I will sign off. I still need to jump into the shower, at least long enough to wash my hair. Need to wrap those calendars, too. And cut the Plywood and hinge the two pieces together. And do chores. But THEN I should be ready! ;)
P.S. Sorry I haven't posted any pictures. Haven't had the time to take any! Although, I did take a couple last night in my office. Will get those up . . . sometime!
Okay, I'm back. Was multi-tasking again. Got an update from My Girl, had a quick FB catch-up with a dear iFriend (or maybe it should be eFriend?), and took a booking to nanny.
I'm battling the You're Wasting Time Demon by remaining here in the kitchen rocker, blogging. But, I know I feel better when I DO take the time and write. Besides, it's probably a good way for me to get some of the things that are filling my brain OUT! A way to organize my day, perhaps?
I know I'm not going to get into town until later than I'd like today. But, as important as prepping for the sale is, so are the little ones in my life. And, I like to give them all advent calendars at the beginning of December. The Peanut got hers at her birthday party the night before Thanksgiving, but Baby Girl and Bundle of Joy haven't received theirs yet. I will wrap them and drop them off this morning. I know, I know, I've said that I'm not religious, and I'm not . . . but my maternal grandma always sent me advent calendars each year, and I just LOVED looking forward to opening a new window each morning, so I'm carrying on the tradition. I even like to have one here on the refrig at home, but I'm now o-u-t of 'em, after these last three have been distributed. I usually buy a good selection of them online from Germany every couple of years. But, like I said, I'm out. I'll resupply after the holidays - and maybe get them at a discount. BTW, Mama Pea has the most hysterical, almost obscene (in size) advent calendar. It COVERS her refrigerator! Ha! You'll have to ask her to post photos of it. :)
Hmmm, apparently you CAN teach cats! Whenever I write here from my laptop, it's always been a battle with the kitties who want to jump up on it. Dosie just v-e-r-y carefully hopped up onto my lap, stepping on only the corner of the computer and then settling herself up on my forearms as I'm typing! Good girl! Still . . . this is . . . very . . . impractical . . . !! And I can't think. OFF, you go!
Okay. Seems like there was something else I was going to mention, but I think I will sign off. I still need to jump into the shower, at least long enough to wash my hair. Need to wrap those calendars, too. And cut the Plywood and hinge the two pieces together. And do chores. But THEN I should be ready! ;)
P.S. Sorry I haven't posted any pictures. Haven't had the time to take any! Although, I did take a couple last night in my office. Will get those up . . . sometime!
Happy Thanksgiving!!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING, friends! Even if we’ve never met, I do consider YOU, dear reader, a friend. :)
So, Holy Mother of . . . Snowstorms . . . did I get dumped on last night! And how! The prediction was for an inch of snow an hour, and that wasn’t far off the mark. In (usually fairly snowless, at least in years past) November, Swamp River Ridge has already gotten more than it’s gotten some winters, in TOTAL!! (Go figure that it would be my first year on my own – ha!)
Last night was The Peanut’s 3rd birthday party (next year, her birthday will fall ON Thanksgiving, I’ve realized!), and the snow hadn’t started when I arrived to house about 6:30. It was about 60 minutes later when her daddy looked out the window and exclaimed, “Holy Cow! It’s comin’ DOWN!” Most weather forecasts of snowstorms being extremely overrated, I think we all thought he was joking . . . kinda. So, I didn’t go to the window. But, as more and more of the crew did . . . and reiterated what he’d said . . . I looked. Oh . . . my. I went downstairs to look outside and take an evaluation. “Uhhh, I think I’ll give myself half an hour,” I said, returning upstairs. My drive home to the very east end of the county would take an hour and 15 minutes . . . in normal weather.
After just 15 more minutes of keeping one eye out the window, I said, “Ugh. I’m gonna have to get going.” I soooooooo didn’t want to, and I was immediately invited to stay the night (waking up with my most favorite 3-year old in the world snuggling up next to me on Thanksgiving morning would be the whipped cream on the pumpkin pie!). But, I was driving the Yaris, and the plow truck was here at home. So, in order to get back OUT, I had to get home! Amidst “we love you!”s and “call when you get home!”, I bundled up and stepped out into it. In that SHORT period of time (75 minutes?), there was already 3” of snow on the ground, and it was coming down FAST.
When I stopped in town to get gas, I spoke to a father and son who had just come up the shore from the nearest big city: normally a 2-hour drive. It had taken them FIVE. Fortunately, they were trying to get to family up on the Rez for Turkey Day, so they only had 20 more miles to get through. And, having already made it that far from MICHIGAN (!), they were determined. With well wishes and cautions to drive safely, I headed back onto the road, stopping for a quick second at my folks. After a “what time will you call us by and then what time should Dad head out if we don’t hear from you” discussion, I left them, too . . . the car packed with $103 worth of groceries, a bottle of whiskey from the liquor store, four new audio books that had arrived in the mail, a full tank of gas, and two fuzzy dogs. (And my extra winter gear and a shovel.) I was prepared for anything! ;)
Meanwhile, once I’d seen the road conditions, I’d been trying to get ahold of My Girl, my adopted daughter. She was modeling at the art colony for their Life Drawing class, and then a friend was going to drive her 20 miles east to her sister’s for Thanksgiving (her car’s been in the garage). I was really worried about that drive AND her starting it SOONER rather than later. I was a few miles on my way out of town by the time we connected, and I pulled my “this is your mother putting her foot down!” card to say that she needed to cut the art class short (n-o-w!) and there was NO way her friend was going to get to her in order to drive her to her family. After some back and forth on the phone and calls to this person and that person, I was turned around and heading back into town to pick her up . . . her sister’s house being in MY direction.
The drive to her sister’s was not fun. It paralleled the big lake for the majority of the way, and the wind was HOWLING against us from it, throwing lots and lots of snow into my field of vision. I’ll bet my mileage topped out at 30 mph, and, even at that, there were a couple of times when I was slipping . . . heading in a 45 degree angle into the oncoming lane. Fortunately, there was hardly ANY traffic.
From My Girl’s sister’s, I called my folks to report that I was heading out on the 30 minute drive to Swamp River Ridge. In an hour, at 11:00, they would start to worry and Dad would start to suit up.
I thought the main road was bad . . . until I turned onto my 4 ½ mile winter driveway and realized that the snow on the main road (with old tracks to follow only ½ the way) had been PEANUTS. Peanuts, I say! As soon as I was a couple hundred yards into this last section, I knew I was in trouble. As in, don’t stop, or you’re not gonna get started again. And, I knew I couldn’t walk in the remaining 4+ miles to home and the phone before Dad would head out . . . and I certainly didn’t want him to have to do that with me being SO close to Swamp River Ridge! Some people would say that it was the strength of prayer that got me home, but I’m an atheist (actually, probably more an agnostic, as I age, and realized that I DON’T “know”). Anyway, I think it was thanks to sheer will, determination, and grit.
I made it home at 10:57 . . . three minutes to spare. I was plowing – with the low-slung Yaris - the whole way. Three times, I had to stop and make umpteen “runs” at either particularly deep snow or hills. When I called Mama Pea, Mom said, “Oh, good, your father can have a beer and relax now!” :)
Now that I have all of that out of my system (sharing it here with you), I am ready to brush my teeth and HIT IT! I won’t get in to my folks’ to celebrate this special day until much later than hoped, but the snow has stopped while I’ve been writing, and I see BLUE SKY in the southwest: whoo-hoo!
I tried to take some pictures last night, but, since then, my camera has disappeared. It must be in the car somewhere. I’ll send this post to you just as soon as I get in from my “snow evaluation” out there . . . including cleaning off the Internet satellite so I have some reception. Then, maybe later today, I’ll get some pictures up . . . and tell you about the rest of my night and explain why I didn’t get to bed until 3:30 this morning. ;)
I hope you and yours have an absolutely Currier & Ives holiday today!
Oops - I Forgot a Title!
Remember when I wrote about all the things I need to do before Christmas and my idea about assigning each task to a particular day or group of days?
Well, now that it's the beginning of December and the days are speeding towards the season's finish line (Christmas), I think it's time to actively attack the list. Here are the things I need to complete before Santa's visit (along with the number of days I expect each to take):
Whew! That's all! And, counting today, I have 23 days in which to get these done. BUT, the good news is that some tasks have already been finished or postponed and so didn't even need to make the above list! Those are:
So, in preparation for hopefully doing the following on Friday:
I will do this today:
And then this:
I think that's reasonable. Now, off to do some daily things, first, that AREN'T on the list (like dishes & outside chores).
Well, now that it's the beginning of December and the days are speeding towards the season's finish line (Christmas), I think it's time to actively attack the list. Here are the things I need to complete before Santa's visit (along with the number of days I expect each to take):
- Christmas Cards - 4
- Process Apples - 3
- Attend Natalie's Birth - 2
- Bill Paying / Budgeting / Related Deskwork - 2
- Decorate for Christmas - 2
- Nanny - 3
- Make Christmas Presents - 2
- Wrap Christmas Presents - 2
- Cookie Bake - 1
- To Duluth for Supplies - 1
- Attend HAF Sale - 1
- Clean Chicken House - 1
- Clean House for Christmas Company - 1
- Dogs to Groomer - Partial
- Find & Cut Down Christmas Tree - Partial
- Past-due Statements for Chicken Mama's Graphic & Web Design - Partial
- Re-pot Houseplants - Partial
- Battery Maintenance - Partial
- Equalize Batteries - Partial
- Entrance Fee Paid for HAF - Partial
- Belated 75th B-day Card & Letter to J & D - Partial
- Redesign & Print Wellspring Therapy Business Cards & GCs - Partial
- Make B-day Card & Present for & Celebrate with C - Partial
- Attend Messiah Concert - Partial
- Make Card & Present for Baby Girl's Birthday - Partial
- Attend Party for Baby Girl's 1st Birthday - Partial
Whew! That's all! And, counting today, I have 23 days in which to get these done. BUT, the good news is that some tasks have already been finished or postponed and so didn't even need to make the above list! Those are:
- Wrap R's B-day Present, Make Card - DONE
- Prep for Community Center Art Sale - DONE
- Attend CC Art Sale - DONE
- Teach VPC Website Administration (Mutually Postponed until January)
- Prep for VPC Website Tutorial (See Above)
- Mom's Website Up - DONE
- Clean Out Refrig - DONE
- Pack Bag for Hospital - DONE
So, in preparation for hopefully doing the following on Friday:
- Deliver 5 Grandbaby Hats - Partial
- Wood Shavings @ Lumber Mill - Partial
I will do this today:
- Finish 5 Grandbaby Hats - Partial
And then this:
- Keep HAF Website Updated - Partial
- Advertise HAF on Local Internet Bulletin Board - Partial
- Keep Mom's Website Up-to-Date - Partial
- Place Order & Do Invoicing for YL - Partial
- Prep for HAF Christmas Sale
I think that's reasonable. Now, off to do some daily things, first, that AREN'T on the list (like dishes & outside chores).
Ready?
Set?
Go!!!
Set?
Go!!!
The New Year Begun
I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to the "normalcy" that next Monday will bring.
I like things to be somewhat "set".
And, these past two weeks of holly-daze have made for some confusion regarding what day of the week it is, where are we going, who's doing what and so on. So I'm ready to bring Monday morning's normalcy BACK! (Mind you, I CERTAINLY did not feel that way when I worked outside the home . . . let's make that PERFECTLY clear.)
That said, the lack of normalcy has allowed for a huge amount of visiting and catching up with friends. We're still "doing Christmas" with various groups of people, and yesterday was no exception: on the road for the 1-hour drive to town to have a traditional "meat pie" meal with friends at 2:00 and then down to the local tavern for a surprise birthday party at 6:00. After getting in about 1:30 AM on New Year's Eve, I don't think last night was but an hour earlier. So, I'm happy to be in tonight!
The snow continues to fall. It doesn't seem that we've had a day or two lately between little storms. The winter of '08-09 will go down as The Year We Finally Had Winter, no doubt! And, all I can say is, "Thank goodness for back-up plows!" We STILL don't have our 1-ton ("good", new) pickup back from the mechanic, so the old 1977 plow truck has been earning its keep. And, in addition to our 4+ mile-long winter driveway, we're keeping a friend's long, twisty, hilly driveway open while he travels for work every two weeks! Tom drove the plow truck to his massage therapy appointment this afternoon and then plowed out Big View on his way home.
(Some day, I'll have to tell the story of the old '77 plow truck. It's the vehicle I got to [had to?!] drive in high school on the days I was lucky enough to take one of the cars in. Mom & Dad figured I had fewer chances of getting hurt in a metal box that size. It's also the car I had my very first kiss in! Right in front of town's only mortuary! Good grief.)
Anyway, I digress . . . .
Here are some shots I took yesterday after yet another dumping. It being New Year's Day, the main road wasn't plowed when we headed into town @ 1:00 in the afternoon. Fortunately, the snow was fluffy, and we'd taken the 4-wheel drive Subaru.
So, this is the "main road" that we drive 12 miles of in the winter (between our 4 mile long winter driveway and the highway).
Even the highway wasn't very clear. We drive about 20 miles of this to get to town.
And then: town. In the early afternoon of the 1st, it was quiet! Perhaps everyone was still nursing hangovers?!
I like things to be somewhat "set".
And, these past two weeks of holly-daze have made for some confusion regarding what day of the week it is, where are we going, who's doing what and so on. So I'm ready to bring Monday morning's normalcy BACK! (Mind you, I CERTAINLY did not feel that way when I worked outside the home . . . let's make that PERFECTLY clear.)
That said, the lack of normalcy has allowed for a huge amount of visiting and catching up with friends. We're still "doing Christmas" with various groups of people, and yesterday was no exception: on the road for the 1-hour drive to town to have a traditional "meat pie" meal with friends at 2:00 and then down to the local tavern for a surprise birthday party at 6:00. After getting in about 1:30 AM on New Year's Eve, I don't think last night was but an hour earlier. So, I'm happy to be in tonight!
The snow continues to fall. It doesn't seem that we've had a day or two lately between little storms. The winter of '08-09 will go down as The Year We Finally Had Winter, no doubt! And, all I can say is, "Thank goodness for back-up plows!" We STILL don't have our 1-ton ("good", new) pickup back from the mechanic, so the old 1977 plow truck has been earning its keep. And, in addition to our 4+ mile-long winter driveway, we're keeping a friend's long, twisty, hilly driveway open while he travels for work every two weeks! Tom drove the plow truck to his massage therapy appointment this afternoon and then plowed out Big View on his way home.
(Some day, I'll have to tell the story of the old '77 plow truck. It's the vehicle I got to [had to?!] drive in high school on the days I was lucky enough to take one of the cars in. Mom & Dad figured I had fewer chances of getting hurt in a metal box that size. It's also the car I had my very first kiss in! Right in front of town's only mortuary! Good grief.)
Anyway, I digress . . . .
Here are some shots I took yesterday after yet another dumping. It being New Year's Day, the main road wasn't plowed when we headed into town @ 1:00 in the afternoon. Fortunately, the snow was fluffy, and we'd taken the 4-wheel drive Subaru.
So, this is the "main road" that we drive 12 miles of in the winter (between our 4 mile long winter driveway and the highway).
Even the highway wasn't very clear. We drive about 20 miles of this to get to town.
And then: town. In the early afternoon of the 1st, it was quiet! Perhaps everyone was still nursing hangovers?!
Finally!
It's me. I'm back. Believe it or not. I know how aggravated I get when the authors of my favorite sites don't update, so I do understand . . . and apologize.
So, what's been going on? Nothing. And everything!
We are into the "shoulder season" of heating. That means that it's too warm during the days to justify keeping the Central Boiler (outdoor wood furnace) stoked with wood. So, earlier this week, we did the switch over. Now, instead of coming as a by-product from the furnace, our hot water is produced by the massive hot water heater in the utility room . . . whose forced-air fan sounds like a 747 every time it runs.
The biggest cause-and-effect of turning off the furnace, though, is the temperature in the house (illustrated by the polar fleece jacket I have on over my floor-length bathrobe as I write): the mornings are chilly! Instead of having any sort of heat connected to the wall-mounted thermostats (which are turned off now until the fall), we rely on the three woodstoves for warmth: one in the kitchen, one in the middle area between the dining room and living room, and one in the sunroom. And, we let them burn down at night or when we're working outside. Bottom line, on cloudy days or until the warm sun starts streaming in the windows, the house is a wee bit on the "chill side" these days! (Oh, and did I mention that we awoke to snowglobe snow falling yesterday morning and about 2" of very wet white stuff stuck to everything? Yes, this is INDEED the year winter never ended! And, as much as I am a winter girl, I do have to say, "Enough, already!")
One of my best girlfriends has been working tirelessly this whole winter to open a deli / grocery store / restaurant in our little "blink and you'll miss it" berg on the main highway. I doubt she's slept more than 4 hours a night the last couple of weeks, but she reached her goal of opening last Thursday! Here is a shot of her -
work-weary - and Tom the evening of her opening when we stopped by for dinner. I can't tell you WHAT a treat it is to know that she is there!
For example, last night Mom & Dad and Tom & I met there for our Mother's Day dinner. Instead of us driving an hour in to Mom & Dad's (and then on to a restaurant) or Mom & Dad driving the hour out here for dinner . . . we all only had the hop-skip-and-a-jump jaunt to meet in the middle! Or, on Saturday when I was planning the meal for Mother's Day (at that point, we were still going to all gather out here), I wasn't worried about making sure I had all the ingredients when I was in town earlier on in the week: if I needed some last ingredient, I could just pop down to her! AND, we now have a place to go to meet friends and have a glass of wine or smooth draught Schell's in an iced mug (as we all enjoyed last night)!
Speaking of Mother's Day . . . . I'm SO proud of my mama! She is now a blogger! It's official! She made the mistake of mentioning that she was thinking of starting her own blog when they were out to celebrate her birthday at the end of April. By the time I went to bed that night, I had one created for her. It took her until yesterday to work up the gumption / find the right words for her first post, but she's off and runnin' now! Stop by A Home Grown Journal when you have time, and say hello to Mama Pea! ;)
Okay, I think I'll sign off for now. I have OODLES of deskwork to do this morning. Maybe I'll post again later today when I'm ready for a break . . . but no promises! ;)
So, what's been going on? Nothing. And everything!
We are into the "shoulder season" of heating. That means that it's too warm during the days to justify keeping the Central Boiler (outdoor wood furnace) stoked with wood. So, earlier this week, we did the switch over. Now, instead of coming as a by-product from the furnace, our hot water is produced by the massive hot water heater in the utility room . . . whose forced-air fan sounds like a 747 every time it runs.
The biggest cause-and-effect of turning off the furnace, though, is the temperature in the house (illustrated by the polar fleece jacket I have on over my floor-length bathrobe as I write): the mornings are chilly! Instead of having any sort of heat connected to the wall-mounted thermostats (which are turned off now until the fall), we rely on the three woodstoves for warmth: one in the kitchen, one in the middle area between the dining room and living room, and one in the sunroom. And, we let them burn down at night or when we're working outside. Bottom line, on cloudy days or until the warm sun starts streaming in the windows, the house is a wee bit on the "chill side" these days! (Oh, and did I mention that we awoke to snowglobe snow falling yesterday morning and about 2" of very wet white stuff stuck to everything? Yes, this is INDEED the year winter never ended! And, as much as I am a winter girl, I do have to say, "Enough, already!")
One of my best girlfriends has been working tirelessly this whole winter to open a deli / grocery store / restaurant in our little "blink and you'll miss it" berg on the main highway. I doubt she's slept more than 4 hours a night the last couple of weeks, but she reached her goal of opening last Thursday! Here is a shot of her -
work-weary - and Tom the evening of her opening when we stopped by for dinner. I can't tell you WHAT a treat it is to know that she is there!For example, last night Mom & Dad and Tom & I met there for our Mother's Day dinner. Instead of us driving an hour in to Mom & Dad's (and then on to a restaurant) or Mom & Dad driving the hour out here for dinner . . . we all only had the hop-skip-and-a-jump jaunt to meet in the middle! Or, on Saturday when I was planning the meal for Mother's Day (at that point, we were still going to all gather out here), I wasn't worried about making sure I had all the ingredients when I was in town earlier on in the week: if I needed some last ingredient, I could just pop down to her! AND, we now have a place to go to meet friends and have a glass of wine or smooth draught Schell's in an iced mug (as we all enjoyed last night)!
Speaking of Mother's Day . . . . I'm SO proud of my mama! She is now a blogger! It's official! She made the mistake of mentioning that she was thinking of starting her own blog when they were out to celebrate her birthday at the end of April. By the time I went to bed that night, I had one created for her. It took her until yesterday to work up the gumption / find the right words for her first post, but she's off and runnin' now! Stop by A Home Grown Journal when you have time, and say hello to Mama Pea! ;)
Okay, I think I'll sign off for now. I have OODLES of deskwork to do this morning. Maybe I'll post again later today when I'm ready for a break . . . but no promises! ;)
Eight Days And Counting . . . Aaaaghhh!
Have any of you figured out the key to holiday organization? Or, just organization in general so that a person is not constantly running around like the proverbial chicken with her head cut off?
I am trying very hard to not panic about the dwindling number of days left before Christmas . . . a time of year that SHOULD, ideally, be for sitting around watching the crackling fire and glittering lights on the tree while sipping eggnog. Unfortunately, I don't even have the tree up yet! Heck, we haven't even gone out to cut it down yet! I repeat, "Aaaaghhhhh!"
How does that saying go? The faster I go, the behinder I get?
I'm not sure what (more) it's going to take because I certainly haven't been sitting around on my keester. So, I guess I'll just keep plugging away - continuously reminding myself that it will do me no good to start rushing and/or freaking out - and hope that I'll E-V-E-N-T-U-A-L-L-Y get caught up. Truly, that is my goal in life: before I kick the bucket at the ripe old age of 100, I want to feel organized and (relatively) "on top of things". I'll keep you posted. ;) I have sixty-four years left for potential organization!
I am trying very hard to not panic about the dwindling number of days left before Christmas . . . a time of year that SHOULD, ideally, be for sitting around watching the crackling fire and glittering lights on the tree while sipping eggnog. Unfortunately, I don't even have the tree up yet! Heck, we haven't even gone out to cut it down yet! I repeat, "Aaaaghhhhh!"
How does that saying go? The faster I go, the behinder I get?
I'm not sure what (more) it's going to take because I certainly haven't been sitting around on my keester. So, I guess I'll just keep plugging away - continuously reminding myself that it will do me no good to start rushing and/or freaking out - and hope that I'll E-V-E-N-T-U-A-L-L-Y get caught up. Truly, that is my goal in life: before I kick the bucket at the ripe old age of 100, I want to feel organized and (relatively) "on top of things". I'll keep you posted. ;) I have sixty-four years left for potential organization!
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