Checking In

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?  ;)

Not a Ding-Dong Thing

I was so tired Sunday night, after my first long day since being sick, that I fell into bed that night completely dressed in my bathrobe!  And I woke up, in the same position (!), at (are you ready?) . . . 12:20 yesterday!  Obviously, my body's still workin' hard, trying to get the germies out.

I'd had dinner with a friend that night:  she and I try to get together at least once a month.  Mostly I talk about my "recovery" from the divorce.  I mentioned how "nice" it had been while the ex was out of town:  not having to keep my eyes open while running errands in case I didn't want to see him.  Divorce when you live in small community is doubly hard!  I feel torn, too:  it was good to see him, now returned from Alaska, see that he was healthy and in one piece . . . but so hard, too, to potentially run into him on a daily basis.



The discussion turned towards "what if your ex didn't lived here anymore and you could reclaim the town as 'your own'"?  I try to imagine what it would be like for me if he no longer lived nearby.  I'd certainly dislike not knowing if he was safe, etc., but then technology has brought us all SO much closer that that concern might not even be an issue.  I'd feel for him that he wouldn't get to watch the little ones grow up - like Bundle of Joy and The Peanut.  Children he's known and loved since they were only hours old.  But, I know, too, that he would fall in love with new little ones . . . wherever his journeys took him.  Maybe, if he did move, I'd request that we'd visit at least once a year, in person.  I certainly don't want him completely out of my life!

I dunno.  I'm obviously feeling a little philosophical this morning.  Or, would that be more hypothetical?  Either way, what will be . . . will be.  That's the only thing I know for sure!  :)


Back to yesterday, though, and my late wake-up.  Know what I did once I was finally up?  Not a ding-dong thing.  Truly.  I was a bad farmer and didn't even go out to do chores.  I stayed in my bathrobe (conveniently already on since I'd slept in it!) and made coffee and turned on the computer.  I played with the blog for a few minutes and then, before I knew it, I was redesigning the whole thing!  (Do a SHIFT + Reload/Refresh if your browser doesn't pull up the new look.)  Until 5:30 when I finally got dressed and headed outside, I hadn't done ANYTHING but sit at my desk computer all day.  And, you know what?  It felt WONDERFUL!  I don't know WHEN I've ever been that lazy before!!!


I did make up for it a bit last night, though:  after I was in from chores, I attacked the pantry.  It's been a disaster for many moons but really bugging me for the last several weeks 'cause I haven't been able to even tell what I have.  So, I cranked up my latest audio book ('Abundance'), poured some red wine and set to work!  I don't know how long I worked, but it was a couple of hours for sure.  Made some good progress, and, while it's not completely finished, at least I know what I have now!  (Including 9 . . . yes, N-I-N-E . . . cans of Cream of Mushroom soup!!!  And why??????)


A related sidenote:  of late, I have been thinking about how long we could all live on what's currently in our larders and on our farms / homesteads.  If you didn't buy a single thing from here on out, not even feed for your critters, how long do you think you could live (reasonably healthfully) on what's in your freezer, pantry, cellar, and barn?  I know I could live for at least a year, definitely.  And, maybe I'd add back in feed for the critters.  If that were the case, I'm sure we could all live MUCH longer . . . having assurances of eggs, milk, and/or meat.  How would YOU fare?


I know I'm rambling without direction, but now for some EXCITING news!!!  I did manage to get one HUGE thing done last week while I was sick:  after much researching (both by myself, my local computer guru, and my ex Information Technology Director ex-husband), I picked out the new desktop and laptop computer(s) I've been so sorely in need of . . . and ordered 'em!  Eeeeeek!  The 'eeeeek' is due to the chunk of change spent, but I ordered "big", wanting both these machines to serve me well for MANY years to come!  I can hardly believe they're actually on their way after my wanting & needing them for SO LONG!


And so, with that, I'll sign off.  I think I'll stick some images into this post later - of the Before and After pantry.


Have a great Tuesday!

Quick Post

Good morning!

Freshly percolated coffee at my side, I have a moment for a quick update this morning.  I had a good, solid day yesterday.  Good 'cause I remained pretty much on schedule and solid because I worked right up to falling into bed at 10:45 (first at the office and then here at home), just a little past my bedtime.  I could tell that the late 15-30 minutes (going to bed) made a difference, though, 'cause the second alarm (in the bathroom) rang and rang and rang and rang this morning before I finally pulled myself up and out of bed to turn it off about 20 minutes late.

I'm having that friend over for dinner tonight - my raincheck from Monday.  The soup is made, and I'll plop the dumplings in 20 minutes before we eat tonight.  I'll throw together a green salad, too, and we'll call it done.  Nothin' fancy, but good food.

So, I guess I really have nothing to impart, otherwise!  Bonzi (the kitten) has gone into heat and prowls around all night, letting us all know that she's miserable.  She's somewhere between a couple of weeks and a month or two older than Dosie, so I know it's only a matter of time for Dosie . . . .

Between the mountain and Explorer Guy, the mountain won.  After 5 (or was it 7?) days stuck in a 3' x 3' x 6' survival trench, waiting out a 5.4 magnitude earthquake and with a diminishing sanitary situation and a very real threat of losing digits to frostbite (it was -5 in the trench), Explorer Guy grabbed his one tiny window of opportunity - a break in the weather - and descended from his hole at 17,200 to his snow cave at 14,200 on Tuesday.

Then, mid-day yesterday (morning in Alaska), I got a call from The Ex:  Explorer Guy was giving Denali her due and was returning to base camp.  I guess there's a reason no one's ever been able to summit, solo, in January!  ;)  He won't be safe UNTIL he's at base camp in a day or two.  Then it's a matter of waiting for good weather for a pilot and The Ex to be able to fly in to pick him up.

Anyway, that's all.  Gotta head out in 45 minutes:  Thursdays are the only day that all of us women are in our offices at work, and so we celebrate birthdays, etc., on those days.  Saturday is The Young One's 23rd, so we're celebrating at this morning's 10:00 coffee break.

Have a great Thursday!
 

1,755

I've made 1,755 posts on this here blog.  This is my 1,756th.  GAD, that's a lot!

What to report?  Not much.  A smooshed finger.  Note to self:  when the woodpile is falling down, don't try to stop it with the back of your hand which is already holding a piece of firewood.  I think the middle finger of my right hand might actually be quite colorful tomorrow.  So was my language when it happened:  colorful!  I've completely and absolutely misplaced the camera-to-computer USB cable for my digital camera, so I'll have Mama Pea take a picture when I drop the dogs off in the AM.  So far, the knuckle's greyish-purple, and below that is just fat and red.  Nothing broken, so no sympathy.  Just sore.  I'm medicating with whiskey.  (Purely medicinal, mind you.)


At work, I've been putzing with one particular website (design) for TOOOOO long!  Part of this is because the client said that she needed some time to pull the money together in order to pay for it.  So, I haven't felt an exactly huge compelling reason to finish it.  But, I finally gave her a deadline of "by the end of this coming week":  i.e., Sunday.  I'm the kind of person who needs a deadline.  Otherwise, things tend to not get done.  I closed my office door to visitors today and really got a big chunk of it finished.  (The bulk of it was done in . . . October?)  I think I'll be able to "present" it to her tomorrow.  Via e-mail, anyway.  Then, we'll probably meet in person for the final edits.  She and her husband raise Fjord horses:  a hardy strain perfect for our climate.

Finishing this job was also pushed along by a voicemail waiting for me yesterday from a local non-profit for whom I'm designing and printing a brochure (and then some, probably).  I agreed to $400 worth of work, pro bono.  Silly me?  Well, yes and no.  'Yes' because it takes me away from paying customers.  'No' because I got, in return (in addition to free advertising), a glassed-in hand-made aviary that was worth $3000 . . . in 1998!  (Did I blog about that?  I can't remember if I did or not.)  I took possession of it this past fall before the snow came.  It's in the sunroom, in place, awaiting birdies.  But, the weather's been so cold each time I've been to the big city lately that I can't chance bringing the tenants home!  (Same problem with the fish aquarium which is desperately awaiting new life:  the algae eating Plec(ostomus) and fresh-water shrimp being the only inhabitants).  Anyway, point being, I don't like to have two big jobs going on at once.  So, I want to finish up the Fjord horse website before I start the new project . . . which is either going to be for their (the client's) non-profit thrift store or senior center, I don't know which.  Yet.


Hang on, more medicinal whiskey required.


Okay, I'm back.  Just caught up with The Ex on FB.  Ironic:  it's -14 and dropping with a -27 windchill here, and it's snowing and in the teens up in Alaska!  Explorer Guy is doing well and hopes to summit over the weekend.  That said, it's on his way back down when he needs to be super careful.  All of the fatalities that have happened (while trying to summit Denali in January) have occurred on the way DOWN the mountain, not UP it!  I'm sure people tend to think that the hard part is over, and they're not as attentive to the terrain and conditions as they should be.


So, where was I?  I dunno, my train of thought was interrupted.  I was going to write about the weather:  it's cold.  There.  Matter of fact, I even stopped tonight to make a purchase which has been on my town list for about two weeks:  a new pair of insulated Carhartt pants.  I'm NOTHING if not a fashionista.  (Cough, cough, snort!)  Matter of fact, I have 'em on right now as I write, settled on the kitchen's rocker.  I also still have my mukluks on.  
Did I mention that it's cold outside?


(No segue.)


There's a wonderfully-complimentary (yes, I paid both her and Susan and Erin a LOT to say what they did!) and fun post going on over at The Apple Pie Gal's blog.  Be sure to read the comments and encourage Mama Pea to do what she promised!  (Or, would that be, "threatened"?)


(No segue.)


Tonight was the first night (or maybe it only seemed like it) of The New Me's schedule that I was actually home close to the time I'd set.  I pulled in at 7:00 PM and felt like I had the whole night ahead of me!  (Ah-hem, it's 10:50 right now, and I was supposed to be in bed 20 minutes ago.)  Anyway, I got home and spoke to a nice man in Carlton county when I called Mom & Dad to say that I was home, safe and sound, on such a cold night.  Fat-fingered the dialing, I did . . . and that was BEFORE I smashed my finger!  After feeding the dogs and cats, I changed into my work clothes and completely (instead of just scooping the "hard stuff") cleaned the upstairs cat litter box (yuck).  Then it was outside to do chores and work in the battery room of the garage.  I poured 3 gallons of distilled water into 26 of the 72 cells before I ran out.  Seems like these old batteries are sucking up a lot more water . . . and in the winter, at that.  I NEED to get new ones ordered.

All that outside work took a while, and I got back into the house @ 9:00.  I finished my leftovers from the lunch I had with My Girl today for supper and then sat down with you.

And now, it's late.  Off to bed I go.  Oh, let me check the temperature, first, though.  Hang on . . . .  Well, it's not that different from before:  -15 with a -28 windchill.  That's nothin'.  ;)

Tuesday

Good morning, friends!

(Okay, so it won't be morning by the time this is posted, but it was morning when I began my blogging today.  Add in the RIDICULOUS length of time this still-stupid laptop takes to warm up and the various times its frozen up, and we're well into the afternoon.)

Anyway . . . .  I'd hoped to blog yesterday, but I started my day's tasks right when I got up, and I was wiped out come 8:30 PM, so it didn't happen.  My at-home tasks are still directly related to my New Me thinking, so I'm staying true to that . . . which feels good.

Looking at what made me late getting into town & the office on Saturday, it was the time it took me to iron clothes that morning for the day.  So, added to the growing list of Weekend Tasks was ironing 5 tops and 5 bottoms for the coming week.  I got part of that done yesterday, but my time was limited to the period between which I realized the generator was running* and the time it shut down.  When I hear the generator go on today, I'll get the job finished.

* The iron takes SO much electrical energy that, in the winter when the reserves are always low due to the lack of sun to charge the batteries via the solar panels, I try to iron ONLY when the generator is running.

Also on the Weekend Tasks list is going through the week's accumulation of mail and carrying-through with each item.  Yesterday, that took a lot of time.  Because I hadn't had a chance to pick up my mail yet in 2011 (!), there were a lot of Christmas cards.  So, I:

• Entered the reception of each Christmas card (something I like to do each year so that I can look, the following holiday season, to see if so-and-so hasn't sent me a card in the past 5 years . . . in which case, I can probably skip THEM, too!).
• Entered any new (return) addresses in my address book.
• Paid all the bills and then put each of the paid receipts in their proper file.
• Sorted through (not read through!) all of the catalogs and put them away.
• Entered the corresponding information for vehicle work and eye doctor receipts in their appropriate computer file and then put the paper copy into its paper file.

It's amazing how "keeping up on things" like that takes TIME!  But, it also explains the INCHES deep paperwork on my desk:  because I've just been piling all that above-mentioned previous-to-now paperwork on my desk to be taken care of one of these days.  And, as I'm learning, "one of these days is NONE of these days"!!!

It was well into the afternoon by the time all of that was done, and then I headed out to work in the garage's generator room.

I drained the oil from the generator and replaced the oil filter and put in fresh oil.  I replaced the air filter, too.  While the oil was draining, I set to work on the 24 batteries.  I checked and added distilled water to each of the 72 compartments (24 batteries with 3 cells each = 72).  That job takes, literally, a couple of HOURS.  And, as I've mentioned before, it's not pleasant.  First off, I have to wear a full face protector from acid splashes or exploding batteries.  And, that thing HURTS my head!!!  Then, getting to each of the 72 compartments requires bending and stretching into unnatural and uncomfortable positions.  And, you have to stand up and refill the little bottle used to do the filling about 1258 times.  Ugh.  No wonder my knees are feeling it today.

But, that job was overdue and it feels good to have it done!  I ran out of distilled water (as usual) and so need to go back to top-off a few of the cells, but they're all filled to a safe level in the meanwhile.

I was back inside around 7:30 or 8:00 last night but feeling pretty wiped out.  I had a bowl of Grape Nuts for dinner and then some corn chips and salsa once I toddled upstairs around 8:30 to watch 'The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada'.  When I came back downstairs to put away the bag of chips and close up for the night, I realized The New Me was starting to take effect.  I took one look at the still-open box of Grape Nuts on the counter next to the still-open box of crackers I'd snacked on earlier in the day and that The Old Me had left out to be cleaned up "another day" . . . and shook my head in disgust as if to say, "Uhh!  WHO left these sitting out on the counter, cluttering things up?!"  ;)  See, I think it might just be working!

In closing, a few pictures from Alaska.  The Ex got Explorer Guy off and on his way once the weather finally cleared last Friday.  Here's a picture of him leaving (they had to fly in and land on a glacier to begin the trek to summit Denali).  I thought Explorer Guy looked like hell in this shot, but The Ex said that he was feeling good and in good spirits.  Skiing while strapped to a ladder looks super comfy, don't it?!  (But, hopefully the ladder will do its job and keep him from falling into any invisible crevices.)

Yesterday (or was it the day before?), new friends that The Ex had made the previous night in a local pub decided that they should make a lunch drop to Explorer Guy!  One of the two fellows owns a plane, and the other is the owner of the pub.  So, plane running and warmed up, they grabbed a steak sandwich piping hot off the grill and wrapped it, along with some chips and red wine (in a plastic bag), in a bright red drop bag and headed out!

Here they are, approaching the saddle necessary to pass through in order to access Denali.

And, here they are coming in to drop the package.  Where's Waldo?  Can you find Explorer Guy?  I've uploaded the image in its full size, so, once you click on it to enlarge it, you'll be able to spot him.

The Ex said that the drop was spot-on, directly in front of Explorer Guy who stopped to eat his unexpected snack on the spot!

And, with that, it's back to the last afternoon of my weekend, and there are THINGS TO DO!  

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!

I Miss Weekends

The way I've structured my work weeks, I'm supposed to have two consecutive days off as my weekend.  They're not the typical two days, but they're there.  Although not lately.  I'm not complaining - I gave up one of my last weekend days to nannying - but I do miss them!

As opposed to 99.9% of her contemporaries, Baby Girl hates to have anything (food) on her face, so she is always eager for the warm, wet cloth I give her at the end of her meals.  Notice, "cleaning up" is not limited to the face!  ;)

Better get that belly clean!

And don't forget those toesies!

Also of note, she's usually not one to squabble about diaper changes, but when I set her down to change her diaper on Sunday, she walked out her bedroom door and down the hall, head held high, and clearly exclaimed, "No way, Bopee!  Bye bye!  See you!"  It was ALL I could do to not burst out laughing!  While her words are not always understandable, she obviously has a full comprehension of grammar!  :)

Murphy's Law was smiling on me yesterday when I went outside to tackle the snow.  The truck started right off, no run-down battery.  Then, when I slogged down to clear off the solar panels (a particularly disliked job, just 'cause it's physically awkward to do), Mother Nature had already completed the task!  Whoo-hoo!!

The Internet satellite dish & solar panels, Sunday night.

(I'd had to go down and clear off the satellite dish Sunday night so I could access the Internet.)

And yesterday morning!

I probably spent 2 hours getting the car into the yard, but I didn't mind.  I had a plan, and the plan worked!  After I packed a trail from the car to the driveway a few times with the truck, I parked it there by the car and then drove the car.  

The car, when I left it, Sunday night.  Yes, there's a car somewhere in the dark!

There's the car!  (Yesterday morning.)

Packing the trail from car to driveway.

It took 3 tries to get up the last little slippery hill to the bottom of the driveway, but I did it.  I lost count, however, when it came to getting the car up the only hill of the driveway . . . right where it intersects with the road.  Finally, I decided that I would have to tow it up with the truck.

Attempting the last hill before the driveway.

Action shot of Maisy as I walked back down to retrieve the truck.

Progress:  now the car's at the bottom of the driveway.

One of the last failed attempts at driving the car up the hill of the driveway.  SO close!

I got out to tow rope and got underneath the front of the Yaris to hook it up, but . . . there is NOWHERE to hook a tow rope to on the front of that car!  NO.  WHERE.  So, I jockeyed the car around and put the two vehicles back-to-back.  The two holes in the frame of the rear of the car are relatively small, and I couldn't get the tow rope through them nor a heavy steel hook.  So, I pulled out a strong canoe tie-down and used that to connect the car to the truck.  Then I loaded the dogs into the car so they wouldn't be in the way of the operation and gently eased the truck into gear.

First attempt at towing car up driveway.

We were about halfway up the hill of the driveway, and things were going smoothly when I felt the slightest . . . tug.  Just a tiny one.  I looked in the rear-view mirror and saw Tucker's head, looking out the back of the Yaris, an expression of wonder on his face as the Yaris slowly . . . then gradually picking up speed . . . rolled down the hill, away from the truck!

The picture Tucker painted was so funny that I started laughing . . . until I saw that the heavy snow across from the bottom of the driveway wasn't going to stop the car.  Nope, it was barreling along, right into the woods!

OOPS!

FORTUNATELY, I can look at these things as being pretty darn funny!  (Especially since there was no damage to the car.)  That's a big difference between me and the ex.  While my proverbial glass is always half full, his was always half empty . . . with a hole in the bottom . . . and acid leaking out.  (I don't think he'll argue that point with me, either.  The lifestyle that Swamp River Ridge engenders was just not for him!)  So, with no one upset and me giggling about "Ahhh, the Simple Life!", I went to Plan B.  (The canoe tie-down had obviously broken.)

With the back door of the Yaris open, I had access to a heavy, steel ring, and I attached the tow rope to that, via, the aforementioned heavy steel hook.  Then, dogs in the truck now, since the back door of the Yaris was open, we made Attempt B . . . which worked flawlessly, I'm happy to say!  I only had to get out of the truck and jog back to the Yaris to turn the steering wheel 2 or 12 times.  I must admit that I commented to the dogs, more than once, "I wish you could steer!"  ;)

Success!!!

Now, to get car from Point A (at the right) to Point B (at the left)!

Time to rearrange the parking area in the garage.

It was mid-afternoon by the time I had the snow in front of the garage cleared and the contents of the parking area moved so that I could fit the Yaris in.  I was stuck in the icy snow of the yard, rocking the car back and forth in order to try to avoid having to shovel any more of the cement-like weight when I looked up to see a four-wheel-drive Jeep zip into the yard!  The ex jumped out saying, "Am I just in time?"  We both laughed, and I argued, "Heyyyy, I'm getting it!"

He and his construction boss have been working up on the Rez, and he'd stopped on his way home to deliver the big amount of molding and trim he'd salvaged for me from the job.  It will be perfect kindling!  So, never a girl to look a gift horse in the mouth (or a strong, willing back to shovel incredibly heavy snow), after we unloaded the wood, Tom pushed and shoveled and pushed and shoveled some more . . . and we eventually got the car into the garage.  Then, with a big thanks from me, he was off to his night job.

I left the car in the garage overnight so the majority of the snow would melt . . . leaving me a much nicer atmosphere for changing the tires today.  That's my first task of the day, after I finish this post.

Regarding plowing:  after I saw the shape of the road in the light of day, coupled with the consistency of the snow . . . and adding in the week's temperatures, I've decided that I'm NOT going to plow this first big snowfall.  Why?  Well, until there's a good base, it's inevitable that a good inch or so of the road comes away with the first plowing of the season.  And, since the temperatures are still warm and the snow is easily packable, I'm going to do just that on each of my drives in and out . . . trying for that snow base for plowing.  Besides, I'm still waiting to get the truck in for a pre-plowing tune-up, and I haven't been able to do that yet because of the lack of money . . . AND, the mechanic can't get the truck into his garage with the 9' plow blade on.  So, assuming I can squeak by until the next big snowfall, that's my plan.

Even though I didn't get done what I'd wanted to yesterday (exchange the Halloween decorations for the Thanksgiving ones - I may need to go straight to Christmas), I did get a few more things done once I was inside last night.  Thanks to some Greek Lentil Soup in the freezer from Mama Pea, I coupled that with some fresh-from-the-oven popovers for a good dinner.  Got a batch of dishes done while finishing up my latest audio book.  Did some needed vacuuming since the generator was running, AND got a (also much-needed since I used up the last of my detergent last week) full batch of laundry soap made.  So, it was a limited weekend . . . but a profitable one!

Popovers, before.

Popovers, after!

And so, with that, it's off to change some tires I go!

Me (That's Right, It's All About Me)

There's repeat of a meme going thru Facebook right now:  25 Things About Me.  I've done this one before, but, let's face it, it's fun, so I'm gonna do it again.  (I wonder if I'll have any repeats?  It would be interesting to see!)  So, without further ado and in no particular order . . . .

25 Things About Me

1. I used to hate cats.  Hate 'em.  Now I have three.
2. I smoke.  A pipe.  On occasion.
3. Fundamentally, I am a very lazy person.  What keeps me moving are the examples set by my folks (the hardest working people you'll ever meet!), the desire to be "a good person", and doing what's required to live the life I want.
4. With our wedding scheduled for (and held in) February, I convinced Tom to marry me in a civil service the previous June.  I felt quite sure he would get cold feet if we waited.  (Analyze THAT, why don't you, given the fact that we're now divorced!!)
5. I think I (?!) believe in previous lives.  At least, I believe that there is some unknown entity that connects us to certain places or lifestyles that we've never experienced in this life.
6. I have two stoves in my kitchen, and I use the old, wood cookstove that raised a family of 13 local children 95% of the time.  And, I wouldn't give it up for love nor money.
7. If it weren't for the solitary fact that I'll be able to use it as a digital picture frame in my office/gallery once I can replace it as my laptop, I would use this computer for target practice.  (Update:  considering I had this list written up to Item 15 when this computer crashed, and I lost all of those [8-14], I may use it for target practice yet!)
8. I wish I could be more organized.  (That's actually my biggest wish in life.)
9. I think I could be a very "good" rich person.  
10. If I was rich and didn't have to work to make money, I still don't think I'd have enough time to do ALL the things I want to do in life.
11. Caffeine doesn't affect me.  I can drink coffee right before bed.  Conversely, if I'm tired while driving, caffeine doesn't help.
12. You will never come to my house and find ALL the dishes done.  Just . . . can't . . . do . . . it.
13. I designed this Swamp River Ridge house and know every inch of it, down to the 4 1/2" difference between the "matching" bump-outs that are the kitchen and sunroom.
14. I will forever be grateful to Tom for getting me through my depression / years of infertility struggles.
15. I am very glad that Tom finally had the strength to tell me, that horrible January day, that he was not happy in our marriage.  I never would have (ended the marriage), and we're both better, happier people now, because of that.  For that, I thank him.
16. I'd always wanted a big, commercial strength Kitchen Aid and got one, from an old boyfriend, for a wedding gift.  It has sat, proudly, on the kitchen counter these past 10 years.  I have used it . . . once.
17. I have always wanted to live by myself, in a cabin in the woods, for an entire calendar year.  No human contact other than, perhaps, two or three visits . . . but for no more than a couple of hours (mail & resupply & news).  I don't think I'd want to do it w/out a computer connection to the world, though.  Nor would I do it without the companionship of some four-leggeds.
18. I have always wanted to live, for some period of time (at least two weeks), without clocks.  I'm interested to see how my internal timepiece would adjust.
19. I love art.  I wish I had the money to spend on it.  I would support a lot of local artists.
20. I would like to travel across America in an RV some day.  (With no time or money restrictions.)
21. I almost lost the nearly 35-year friendship of my best friend following her wedding.  I'm glad I didnt.
22. I have been to only one open-casket funeral and touched only one dead person in my life.  She was cold.  (Go figure.)
23. I have never been able to stick to any sort of diet (not just the lose-weight kind).  If there's something I'm choosing to omit from my food groups, I can think of nothing but that treat / bready-goodness / alcohol . . . and immediately cave.
24. I could never live in a part of the world where spiders were big and common.
25. I've gotten the autograph of only one famous person, David Byrne of The Talking Heads.  If a friend who "knew music" hadn't picked him out at the London airport, I would have had no idea who he was.

Here's the link to the last time I did this - in January of 2009.  And, yep, I DID have some repeats!

Now, dear reader, will you do the same?  I l-o-v-e learning things like this about my friends!

The Bewitching Hour

Good morning!  I'm in a particularly good mood this day.  Dunno why, particularly since I lost a GOOSE yesterday!  

How much weight can an eagle carry?  Well, apparently the weight of a full-grown goose.  Un-freakin'-believable.  I looked online, and there are videos of eagles going after small mountain goats, wolves, foxes, and fawns.  At a dead stop, they can carry only about half their weight, but, if the wind is right and the prey is on an open hillside . . . they can swoop away with MUCH more.  (How big does this "open hillside" need to be?  Again, apparently my poultry yard - at 60' x 60' and on a bit of a hill - qualifies.)  Mama & Papa Pea are butchering today, and I was going to bring in two of these geese, but now?  Forget it.  I need to hang on to what I can.  And, unless I get just of couple of chickens which will remain INSIDE the chicken house this winter, Chicken Mama ain't getting any more poultry until the (poultry) yard goes through a SEVERE remodel.

The ex and I spent a full day together yesterday, our first since the divorce was finalized.  (Our trips to Duluth to meet with lawyers in the midst of it all don't qualify as 'enjoyable' days, I don't think!)  He came out to do loads of roof work - dangerous roof work.  In the past when he'd worked on the roof (after falling off it and really banging himself up that once), he'd always worn his climbing gear and was roped off, but it was neat watching him do the same yesterday - except in a MUCH more comprehensive manner.  It's amazing what one learns climbing Denali!  ;)  Point being, it was nice to watch him doing the work in a much more . . . what's the word . . . competent . . . fashion.  Cheers to him!

Some of you may remember that, the same day Tom was moving out back in January, we discovered that the roof portion of the Kalamazoo chimney (the stove in the middle room of the house) was G-O-N-E.  A BIG, wet snow load had taken it right off the roof, and the snow was so deep at the side of the house there that the heavy chimney had buried itself when it fell.  Both of us wiping away tears, we'd put a temporary patch over the hole.  For obvious reasons, I had bigger concerns that spring but, as the temps began to drop this fall, I knew I wanted the repair work done.  And, now it is!  Tom replaced and trussed the chimney up with two supports that are screwed through the insulated roof and into the beams of the timberframe house below.  NOW if the chimney goes, it's takin' the entire roof with it!  ;)

That same snow melt last winter also ripped out two of the four screws holding the Yagi (phone) antennae in place, causing in to point right down into the roof.  I'm actually amazed that I kept receiving a signal!  That, too, was repaired in the same fashion (super duper long screws that are over a foot in length), and I should be good to go!

Then, we got the rechargeable battery replaced in the rooftop weather station and, finally, Tom reconnected a portion of the 2nd story zinc gutter downspout and screwed that in place.  It was a full day of much-needed work done, and I'm ever so appreciative!

Oh, and what did I do all day?  I was the go-fer.  And ladder holder.  Until we realized he'd be up there for HOURS.  Then, when I was inside vacuuming once during a length of time when Tom wouldn't be needing anything, I heard a massive crash.  Oops:  a wind gust had gotten the h-e-a-v-y ladder, and DOWN it went!  Amazingly, it didn't take out any windows on the way down nor even seem to damage the deck railing it landed on.  Lucky, lucky!  So, the ladder stayed down until Tom was ready to descend after hours in the cold, biting wind.  (At least it was a sunny, sunny day.)  I was exhausted last night, and I didn't "do" anything!  I can't imagine how HE felt!


Then, the ex and I went to Bundle of Joy's house for dinner.  My folks and I had long-standing plans to be there last night, but Mama Pea's fighting a bit of a bug, and she didn't want to subject Bundle of Joy to it . . . nor have to restrict her baby-time because of it!  But, when Bundle of Joy's mama and daddy heard that Tom was going to be here for the day, they insisted that he and I both come for supper.  And, believe me, that food tasted GOOD after a hard day's work!  It was a lovely end to the day, and both Tom and I are SO glad that we can still enjoy each other's company . . . AND the company of friends . . . when we're together.  Despite a little bit of ugliness during the course of the divorce, one can hardly ask for more.


Because I was here at home yesterday, a normal in-office day for me, I'll spend some time in town today, both helping my folks with their butchering and getting some work done.  That AND welcoming a couple of my most favorite little trick-or-treaters when they stop in at the office.  :)


What are YOUR plans for Halloween?  BOO!