Hey again ...

It's been a week and a day ... not bad if I can keep it up ... LOL ... ... ...

The weather is gloomy and we're expecting rain later today, and some snow over the weekend.  There are dirty little patches from the last round of snow but I don't really consider that snow anymore!  The only place I have snow (ice) is in the front of the house as it faces North East ... lots of ice melt on that! 

I got a nice new computer that won't play nice ... I had one of the earlier versions of Windows 10 but with the new computer came a later version and it just doesn't play the same ... frustrates me a lot!!  I lost my Windows Live email and am not sure which is the best to use now.  I have an email through my provider but their site is junk for email, but I need an email reader that will take my current address ... any ideas out there? ... I don't want to change my email address so it's been fun trying to find a reader ...

Gosh, I wish I had something exciting to report but this time of year is pretty boring out here in the woods ... see you next week, hopefully with something, if not exciting, at least interesting ... LOL ...

Getting old isn't for sissies!!!

Four days ago I crawled up on my roof to clear part of it ... the part over the dining area ... the ceiling was sagging and I hit Panic Mode!  Now in order for me to get up on the roof, I have a regular 6' ladder, I had to crawl up to the 4th tread, brush the snow off the wood shed ... crawl up there and make my way through 2 feet of snow to the edge of the carport.  The carport has about 14-16" of corrugated metal overhand until the first support beam - it bends when you crawl up - I got up there fine.

Now I have to work my way through another 2 feet of snow to the edge of the house.  There is about 10-12 inches of overhang that I could stand on before hitting the saggy part - scary part! - I started to remove snow, and remove snow and remove more snow ... being afraid of stepping on that "sag" I'm stretching out in front of me with my shovel getting maybe 4-5 inches of snow at a time until I hit the roof surface.  I have a plastic shovel and a rubber roof, so even if the corners of the shovel are a little bit rounded ... like a dime rounded ... I have to be careful to not dig and put a hole in the rubber ... Well, I worked my way around the roof edge to get to the part where I knew there was a wall under me and continued to shovel layers of snow and ice at the edge over the edge ... a friend came to help, but I was 85% done, but he really did help with that last center part of snow over the "sag" - he could reach farther than I could and we finished sooner.  I had to crawl on all fours across the roof by the edge as rubber boots and rubber roof makes for a treacherous crossing on only 2 feet, but I made it!  Then a hop over to the carport roof and a slide down the wood shed roof.  I had to turn and go off the edge to the ladder backwards ... my girlfriend guided my feet to the top rung and I made my way down the latter - I don't think I've ever been so grateful for terra firma as I was then.  I will NEVER get back up on the roof.

A couple of days after my "adventure" I started hurting in my leg ... I had thoroughly aggravated my sciatic nerve!  I'm still not doing well, but I will get through this again.

The last time I did a job on the sciatic was the week after Thanksgiving ... I was pissed of about something I can't even remember and grabbed a 50 lb bag of chicken feed and tossed it around getting it into the house, stepped wrong and that evening couldn't move without pain ... I think I may just have learned that I'm not 30 anymore, or even 40 or 50 ... I'm just so use to having to do things for and by myself that I don't stop and think.  

I'm using ice to get the sciatic nerve to stop twitching and twisting ... It does work and Icy Hot helps too.  I'm too stubborn to be kept down, but if I'm not careful it just might happen ... some day ... soon ...

Learn a lesson from me ... don't be that stubborn old lady or old man ...
Hugs

Weather Service ...

The weather Service said we'd get 8 - 12" overnight ... Hmmm, I think I have 18" new snow on top of 6-8" from the previous storm a few days ago ... makes about 2 feet and some 3 foot drifts.  I've been shoveling since about 8:30 this morning and came in at noon ... Phew!!  Thank goodness I have my wood stove and the wood box (on enclosed porch) is full ... the vent for the exhaust of the furnace is covered with snow ... I need to get up there to clear vents ... no ladder tall enough ...

My cat, Joey, is use to going out right after breakfast ... I opened the door and he was ready to run down the steps except they had disappeared ... LOL   He was a bit put out, turned around, went to the window to look out at this "stuff" that was preventing him from his normal routine ... After the front stoop and a trail to the carport was cleared, he was happy to go out for about 10 minutes.

Not sure I'll be able to do any more shoveling ... my back is giving me a few fits now and again.

Just thought I'd keep you posted ... not sure how to load a picture from my cell phone ... Happy New Year to everyone!!!  (((HUGS)))

Baby, It's cold outside!!!

I am ready for a bit of above 30 temps.  When I got up this morning (at 6 am) it was 9 deg outside the window!  We are on a heatwave today, it is now 17 ... today's high of 30 will be the low in a couple of days ...

I must not have any blood as I've been cold to one degree or another in the past 2 weeks.  The shower helps, but it doesn't take long for me to feel chilled again.  I HAVE to go outside at least twice a day to feed and water my chickens.  I have 3 bowls for water; the one inside the coop, the one out in the pen and the last one for when they're outside the coop.  OK you say ... they are all FROZEN solid.  I bring the one inside the coop in to thaw, so they will have something to drink.

A few days ago we had 6" of snow, which was nice since we are way below normal, but it rained the next day and most of it is gone ... there are some frozen patches here and there, but not worth much.

My friend S and I have been crafting a lot for the 2 craft fairs we did this year.  One of them we will do again in 2017 and hopefully a new fair to us will call and say "You're in!"  Won't know until summer, but I'm still going to craft all year 'cause it's the big one here in my town!!  We need a lot more products and repeats of what's been sold and what seems to draw attention.  I have a list of items that I'd like to do, but we'll see when it comes right down to it.  I can only knit, sew or paint for so long until I need to get up and do something else for a while ... and in the summer it will be hard to do some of it, but I can knit outside and while camping, so those projects won't fall behind.  The painting and sewing (and beading) aren't so easy to take anywhere ... there is also too much dirt and dust ...

I just changed my furnace filter ... should have been done a few months ago ... My house wouldn't warm up, so I looked at it through the slats in the vent OMG ... changed now.

If I don't get back on here before Christmas, I wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Joyful New Year.  Hugs all around ...

Time flies ...

Time sure flies when you're having fun ... NOT!  I've hit the "bored beyond comprehension" state.  I'm beginning to hate the computer!  I upgraded to Windows 10 and changed my browser to Chrome.  Boy do I miss Windows XP!!  It was easy to use, and things were called what they were ...  I needed to clear all the cookies I'd been accumulating for a while and couldn't find anything that said "cookies" ... anywhere!  I had to do a search to find out it was under a tab called "content settings"  - what a moronic name ... there are many, many more things I'm really beginning to hate!!  I'll go into them as they pop up on me, besides when they do, I really need to vent, so stay tuned ... I know they're coming ... LOL!

I also think cabin fever has set in ... we've had a bit of snow the last couple of days, not enough to get excited about.  The snow rarely lasts more than a day ... little skiff that is more annoying than useful.  It has been cold and windy though.  It's hard to sometimes even go out to feed the chickens and let them out.  They also take a while to come out of the coop.  They eat and if they can find some sunshine they run for it or if it's overcast they scoot back into the coop - I have a heat lamp in there ...

The roller coaster ride that is the election is one of the most frightening things I've seen ever since I sort-of started paying attentions to elections ... I'm a Ted Cruz supporter.  Trump scares the hell out of me and Rubio is wishy washy.  He does something and then denies it ... sorry Marco, you are not much better than Trump.  Trump is out for himself ... if he didn't think he could get something out of being President he wouldn't be running ...

There was a surprise in my mail box today ... the March/April 2016 issue of Grit magazine!  I'm going to go through it as soon as I crawl into my bed in my warm fuzzies (pj's)  I usually watch TV while playing games on my tablet, but tonight after all the votes are counted, Grit will be gone through with a fine tuned comb.  I even read the ads ... LOL  I also go to some of the web sites just to see what they're all about.

Sure wish I had more open, sunlit ground on my property, but it's covered with trees ... not a bad thing, but I'd like to rearrange the trees a bit ... that way I can have a flat garden area and a greenhouse that both get sun!  The only place for a greenhouse is in the front of the house ... and that spot is used for the snow piles in winter ... I want a permanent greenhouse ... I've been trying to get seeds to grow for many years, but I've resigned myself to getting seedlings for whatever I want to grow ... I just don't have that darn green thumb for seeds.  I try to start them indoors, but my house is really dark and the way the house is laid out I don't have good window placement for seeds ...

I had a nice vacation last year to see my daughter, son-in-law and grandson.  We met in Seattle - the grandson is in the Navy and son-in-law had a big meeting with Microsoft, so my daughter went and talked me into going ... I loved every minute of it.  And my bestest friend and her daughter met us for an afternoon of lunch and some shopping.  Bestest friend and daughter live on Widbey Island, so it was a bit of a trip, but we all agreed it was worth it.  I need another trip away from the house!!!

There are quite a few dozens of eggs in the fridge so tomorrow I'll dehydrate some more raw eggs.  I also have celery that needs to be dried too.  That'll keep me busy for a couple of days ... then what?

I'm running out of things to 'talk' about besides being more pissy, so I'll let you all go for now.  Hope things are working out well for everyone.

Ta ta

I'm still running on absent ...

I just can't get it together to post regularly ... I'm learning how Windows 10 works and it's not the easiest thing I've ever done!  There are things I want to do, things I had in Windows 7 but don't exist in W10.  I need to have reminders pop up on my screen, and make a sound, from my calendar ... I can't find instructions for it.  Now I'll agree that "I" might be the problem in either not being able to find instructions or not understanding them ... and it's not easy finding the right place to post a question or getting an answer that "I" understand ... I'm a total end user on the computer.

I have MS Edge and it doesn't seem to be compatible with my Apache Open Office program.  I need a free, simple word processing program that will work with W10. 

Ahhh, always computer issues here ...

I spent Nov dehydrating different things and trying them out.  Rehydrating and eating them.  Some are good, others not so much.  I dehydrated some canned fruit, but I think fresh would be better.  I'll try the next go round.  I dried potato flakes, but with the amount of work, I wonder if it's worth it.  If I have an abundance of potatoes, I'll probably do it, but not to save money and time.  My canned beets dried nicely and rehydrated nicely, but they lost a lot of flavor, maybe I used too much water to rehydrate ... who knows?  I also used HOT tap water where maybe I should have used boiling water and less of it.  I'll try again with canned and also fresh when I can find them.

Susan just bought me "The Ultimate Dehydrator Cookbook" by Tammy Gangloff - I LOVE IT!!  It tells you exactly how to dry, what temp and how long until done.  My Presto 6300 Dehydrator is permanently set at around 140 deg and has to be unplugged to stop.  I ordered the Presto 6301 earlier this week - it has 6 trays, timer and temp regulators.  I bought the 6300 for about $35 to see if dehydrating was something I wanted to pursue ... YES, YES, and YES!!  The 6301 will be here somewhere between Jan 5-11 ... I can hardly wait!!

We have had very low temps here for the last week or two ... like 0F overnight and right now it's 12:20 pm and 10F ... I've had a cold too, and going out in this hurts my breathing.  I have to watch the chickens heat lamp and give them fresh HOT water to thaw their waterer!  They must be good with the heat lamp as they're still laying ... go figure.  The girls are good, but even the inside water is freezing ... I just keep putting HOT water on it. 

I think in the last 2 weeks we've had a good 3-4 feet of snow with the temp staying mainly below freezing.  I have to shovel it away from the door, front and back, watch for ice and spread salt crystals so we don't end up on our butts!!

First day of the new year and it is just like any other day, except I now have a 365 blank page book to write in.  I'd better make it good ... LOL.  Oops it's a 366 blank page book - Leap Year!

Well, I'll try to keep up better ... LOL!!!

Boy oh boy have I been absent ...

It seems to go in spurts - nothing to say for a long time, even though things do happen, it just doesn't seem blog worthy.  I wish I could hit a consistent pace ... like once a week, or twice maybe, but sometimes I don't think you want to hear on a daily basis that I'm dehydrating onions ... I've been doing that almost daily for 1 1/2 weeks.  I dehydrate because I can't eat them fast enough, so dried they last forever and nothing goes to waste.

I've also been experimenting with other things like zucchini, pineapple and bananas.  Now I need to experiment with re-hydrating them.  Most of what I've read says to use HOT water for hours or even a day or two.  I'll find out.  I guess it also depends where you live and the humidity in the area at the time.  I love the dried pineapple - the process concentrates the flavor and even though they are a bit chewy, they are GOOD!!

I have some banana chips I did in July 2014, and they are still crisp and flavorful.  I've also dehydrated celery ... it comes out wonderful too!  My dehydrator is a Dehydro by Presto.  It has one temperature and the on/off switch is unplugging the machine.  The temp is set at 140 deg, but it seems to work fine even though some of the instructions say 115 to 155 degrees.  I just watch the time and check the food after every 90 minutes.  I may eventually move up to a bigger and better machine, but I have to save my nickles and dimes for that! 

My friend, Susan, and I were vendors in a craft show on Oct 10.  It was a so-so show.  I sold enough to cover my expense for the table, but Susan did not.  I think there were 15 vendors and I doubt many of them enjoyed the fair.  There weren't many people coming through, and those that did were elderly.  I'm elderly so no offense meant, but the items Susan and I had were for all ages and the holidays.  There were a couple of families, but nooo, not the best show I've ever done ... We will do it again next year - it could just have been a fluke this time.  It was only the 2nd Annual fair, so we'll give it another chance.  We will also express our ideas to the group putting on the fair about other things they need to do to attract attention and draw people in.  She asked for our opinion and for help, so we're not stepping on toes ... LOL  Susan and I have both organized craft fairs, so we do have some ideas ...

The weather is turning and getting colder, rain in the forecast, but the snow is a whole week off.  By the time we hit Sun 11-8, I'm sure the snow will disappear from the forecast.  We need SNOW desperately as the last 5 years have been very dry, but I'm beginning to despair of ever seeing 3-4-5 foot snowfalls again.

The two new chickens I got in March or April haven't laid one darn egg!  No they are not males, but if they're laying in the yard, I haven't found anything even though I walk the yard 1-2 times a week.  The older girls need to go in the stew pot, but I'm not ready for that yet.  Next spring when the new 'crop' of chicks come out I'll probably butcher them for the freezer - at this age they're only good for soup & stock, but they will be enjoyed none-the-less.

Easter Sunday

Have a Happy Easter Bunny Day ... and more seriously, have a Wonderful Easter Sunday.  I wish I could be in Texas with my family to celebrate this High Holy Day.  I miss them, but they are all in my heart.

I know it's been a long time since I posted, but since my last post in January, nothing in the world has changed ... it is still burning, the Christians and Jews are still being persecuted, the terrorists are still killing anyone who is not Muslim ... I have strong opinions on the above mentioned items, but for today I will Pray for Everyone!  It can't hurt ...

It's snowing outside and the temp sits at 32 ... nothing is sticking of course, but it is COLD.  Thankfully there is only a slight, slight breeze, but it is still cold air moving around.  Brrrrr!!

I'm starting my list of items that will be needed for our Black Powder Shoot camping trip.  It is hard to foresee what kind of clothes to bring this time of year.  It could be sunny, but still cold or it could be raining or snowing ... LOL   Food will mostly be the basics ... milk, bread, etc., etc.  and WARM food, he, he, he.

I sure hope it warms up by then ... we will be leaving home on April 29 and back home on May 3.  This might be our last year to have the Shoot where it's been for many, many years.  The company that bought the property is extremely worried about fires and people drinking where there are guns.  There has never been an issue before with the drinking and guns ... we really are adults even if we dress up in period costume ... I sure hope the Mt. Mazama Mountain Men can find a place that is just as nice or better.  There will be observers from the company to see if we are good boys and girls ...  

I'm also doing some knitting, beading and crocheting for a Craft Faire in October.  I know it sounds like a long way off, but when every thing is hand made it takes time.  My friend and I have knit/crochet 2 Yoda Baby Buntings ... beaded little Angel earrings and wrist Rosaries.  I have patterns for Ornament covers; I'd like to have between 6-10 done in different designs and colors.  My friend will make soap and I have wash/dish clothes that we will sell together.  I am very excited, and should be busier than I am right now.  There is time, but it has a habit of moving very, very quickly.  I WILL GET IT ALL DONE!!!! LOL

I leave you for now with Prayers for Easter.  God Bless.

I'm still around ...

Things have been very blah and so so since my last post.  The weather has been real cold with a day or two of 'nice'.  No snow to speak of which makes me sad.  I've been following the things going on in the world, but I really have nothing to say since I think the govt is as crooked as a winding mountain road!  The attacks in Paris makes me worry about when it will come to the US ...

My animals are healthy and a lot of fun to watch - crazy chickens.  Of course the dog and cat are equally fun, but the chicks are the best!  The cat, Joey, will hang on the living room screen when he wants in, and will keep it up until you open the door.  PIA, but at least I know what he wants.  If I don't pay attention to his antics they will get worse and worse when he wants out - he'll terrorize the other cats or knock things down just to be let out.

My Social Security was increased by 1.7% this year ... that gives me $16 more a month.  I promise I won't spend it all in one place ... LOL  It's wonderful to get a raise, but when every thing else, car ins., cable, phone bill goes up more than the raise ... I want to say  "what good is it", but it is an increase even if it doesn't cover the bills.  I DO appreciate it, but to call it great is a really bad joke.  I now make $5.79 an hour using the formula of annual pay divided by 2080 (the number of hours we normally work during a year) and I just can't make it stretch ...

Tim, my grandson, enlisted in the Navy at the end of last year - I'm sooo proud!!  I'm also a bit scared.

The two granddaughters are doing fine, I just can't believe how grown they've become; K will be 27 at the beginning of March and A will be 25 at the end of March ... WOW, makes me feel OLD!!

I've been knitting quite a bit this last 6 months or so, now I just need to finish those projects ... LOL.  I have to finish binding off a cowl for myself, but the yarn is hard to work with - homegrown (not me) alpaca with quite a bit of fuzz and size 5 needles. I can only do so many stitches at a time since the yarn splits really bad.  I will get it done this week sometime which means I will start something new.  Never mind that I already have a half dozen other projects to finish.  I love my knitting!!

Even though it's only January, I'm starting to think gardening and what I'll plant this year.  I need to plant a ton more of each veggie and learn how to can for long term storage ... I got tons of bell peppers last year, but instead of puting it by, I ate them almost faster than they ripened!   I hope I can get this down before harvest this year ... I also need better soil; that would help too!!  LOL

I think I've run out of nonsense to talk about, but this is pretty much how it is on a daily basis here on my little patch of earth.  I have to post more often - 3 months is NOT acceptable to me!!

Bless you all, and Happy New Year!

If it ain't one thing it's another ...

I feel like I'm loosing the battle of the dollar.  I just paid my vehicle registration on my Jeep - only $86 ... it is for 2 years but next month I have $86 to pay on my GMC, also for 2 years.  Then in July '15 I will have to lay out $118.75 for my truck camper.  It's nice that they're all for two years, but I'd really like for the GMC truck to be during in between years from the Jeep ...

I also have, for the next 2 months a vet payment of $175 for the surgery on my "baby" SueAnn. 

I have one bit of good news for me ... I received confirmation that my property taxes have been deferred until I sell the house, or die (do NOT plan that for a long time).  This will save me $150 a month in Nov, Feb and May. 

Enough of the money stuff .. it just gets more and more depressing ...

I've been getting 'going into winter' chores done a little at a time, but I was told that we are suppose to have SNOW on Saturday, so I need to really get the butt in gear.  I still have to drain an roll up all the hoses and shut off the water to the outdoor spigot.  I need to figure out where to park my truck for the season, and, oh yes, suspend the insurance.

Note to self for tomorrow - "Suspend Insurance"

A good friend just (Saturday) unloaded a truck bed full of bags of cans and bottles!  It's messy and dirty to return cans, but boy can we get a nice bunch of dollars for our effort - I like that part.  It pays for cat food, cat litter and a few other things our Snap card doesn't cover.  Nice help!

I've sent emails to some of our elected officials challenging them to come live in my house for a month on what I make from SS and Snap.  I know there are people worse off than me, an I pray for them, but each month that comes, I feel like I'm sinking.  I know, get over myself and deal with it ... yup, somehow that's just what I'll do.

The weather really feels like late Fall; a lot of rain lately with the promise of snow.  I hope we have a really, really snowy winter.  We haven't had a good snow pack in the mountains for quite a lot of years and need it.  It's also fun to play in when you feel like you could sink to your waist ... LOL.  I'm also one of those people who likes to shovel ... every one says I'm nuts, but I don't care.  It's refreshing and exercise is good for me!

Gee, I didn't mean for this post to sound so down, but hopefully I now have it out of my system.

Have a great rest of October and Happy Halloween ... God Bless

More stuff, not all of it nice ...

We had good weather out at Deer Camp.  We filled 3 out of 4 tags.  Ron did not get his deer.  The guys are now out at Elk Camp - it ends fri the 24th, so we'll see if any Elk are brought home.

There are several groups of campers that come to our campground every year and we are like one big family out there.  There are jokes played and they can go back and forth between camps during the whole time.  Lots of laughs.  I left camp 5 days before the end of the season - a week is just about what I can take camping ... they say I'm getting old ... What????  Old ... who me?  67 is not old!!!

There were a total of 200+ croppy caught!  After Elk is over we're going to have a really BIG fish fry!!!  Love those croppy!!

The weather has dropped since then and we've had several nights of rain lately.  We still need rain ... and lots of it ... then we need a good hard freeze to prepare us for snow.  Every where I look for weather says that the Pacific Northwest will have above average temperatures this winter.  Just not a good thing!  If the weather goes no lower than 26 deg we could still get a load of snow.  I pray for SNOW!!  Several friends plow during the winter to make a bit of extra money.  I love winter as long as I can stay WARM ... LOL

It seems that I gather orphans.  I have a girlfriend from Boston staying with me since her husband passed away and now very good friends from So. Cal are looking to come up and stay until they can get back on their feet.  I've already scoped out where they can park the camper and get hooked up here.  M will find a job while she's going to (online) school to learn Medical Transcription.  I'm sooo pulling for her.  Her husband (B) is medically retired but is willing to help out with things that need to get done around the property.  Looking forward to seeing them again.  Things are definitely in the works, they would like to be here in 2-3 months.  I can keep the ground clear of snow until they arrive ... I know I'm nuts, but I really like to shovel snow ... really!

I got bad news today ... SueAnn, my 13 yr old dog had a growth removed last week; the biopsy on the lump was cancerous.  There was a small part of the lump left, but in the location the lump was, I can see how a bit could be missed.  For now I will watch her.  She is the love of my life and I will take care of her until she can't any more.  It is just heartbreaking for me ... I'll let this topic drop for now ...

Fall chores are slowly getting done, the hoses being put away, the camper being winterized too.  The garden (LOL, LOL, LOL) needs to be cleaned up.  I have to find a place to put my compost pile before I start cleaning the garden ... but I need a container of some sort ... or build one out of pallets ... no matter what, I needed it last week ... LOL - this too will get done ... or not.  Then a big messy inside winter job - cleaning the wood stove (that should have been done a couple of weeks ago) and the wood box on the front porch ... and loading it up.  By the time I'm done with those chores, I don't need the stove ... LOL.  I've been picking up pine cones to use as fire starters - they work really well.  I should have enough wood for the winter months ... surely hope so!  Next year we will have to get wood for 4-5 cords for next winter.  I do use a lot of wood - I hate being cold!!!  Besides, the stove is so old that it's hard to set the damper, so it usually ends up being warmer in here than I really like, but I crack windows to help.

I'm going to let this post sink in ... I need to get back to my knitting ... LOL.

Blessed Be ya'll !

A lot of nothing ... LOL

It's been too long, but there really hasn't been anything worth mentioning ... I will start mentioning stuff so you don't think I've abandoned you ... LOL.

Today, Mar.7, 2014 at 11:00 am, it is about 35 degrees out with scattered clouds and the grass is starting to green up ... what happened to winter??  There were a few days with snow - maybe 12" or so, but then it just hung around getting smaller and dirtier as the days went by.  We haven't seen a decent snowstorm in years ... yes years!  I do not believe in global warming, but I do believe in climate change.  The earth has cycles.  Warmer for years (10-15) and then cooler for a period of time ... I just take each day as it comes - there's no reason to make so much noise or spend so many millions on a natural event.  The Earth moves, it is a living thing and a lot of people are making "much about nothing."

I took my dog, SueAnn, in for a routine check and even though she's 12 1/2 yrs old, she's healthy and active.  She can't run and catch the ball for as long as she use to, but then neither can I ... as a matter of fact, she does better than I do ... LOL

I spoke with my contractor the other day and he suggested we might be able to dig the trench now instead of waiting until the end of April ... we had picked that date because we were expecting snow, but that looks like it's not happening.  We will get together and pick a day as soon as John is finished putting rock on the roads in our district.  T.H.E.N  I will get the grant money sooner and can get back to normal ... no, things won't even be close to normal until we have a new government, but you all know what I mean.

I've started really taking a good look at what I eat and when ... not the healthiest routine here, but I'm working on it.  I've been eating oatmeal most mornings, but still have my cravings for the bagel and cream cheese ... and I have some in the kitchen, ummm!  I've been studying up on Coconut Oil and have learned from different sources that it is GOOD for me.  This morning I had my oatmeal and added some (1 1/2 tsp) coconut oil and cinnamon to it ... um ... no, not with the oatmeal I have in the house.  I usually give oatmeal to the chickens so I buy the cheapest I can find.  Now I will have to get a decent brand of oatmeal.  The 'Old Fashioned' just does not go down well ... I like my oatmeal where I don't have to CHEW it ... next trip to the store I will get Quaker Oatmeal - I know I like that!!!

Talk about knitting ... there are 2 major projects on the needles, one is a Cowl for me out of the Caron Simply Soft in Orchid and the other is a short sleeved sweater in Vanna's Choice in Oatmeal.  There is also a 'kitty blanket' on some needles, and I'm trying really, really hard NOT to start a blanket ... we'll see how long that lasts.  I love blankets and throws to wrap up in, at least in winter.  I want to knit a shawl for around the shoulders for both winter and summer use.  The summers can get cool in the evenings at 4500-5000' altitude, so better safe than sorry.  My comfort zone over the years has gotten warmer and warmer - I use to like about 66-68 about 20 yrs ago, but now have moved up to 72-75, or warmer depending ... Yup, I'm getting older!  Hate to admit that, but with creaking bones and arthritis there's no denying it.

I need to get off my butt and go wash the bathroom ceiling - not a fun job at all!!
Have a great day, week, month ... oh hell, have a great LIFE ... LOL

Christmas Eve

I'm listening to Christmas music on the television and wrapping presents.  It is peaceful, warm and fuzzy and I love it.  There aren't many gifts this year - too many things have happened that cost money - but the people the gifts are for understand; times are tough for them too.

I've tried calling my Mom a bunch of times, but she was either out visiting with friends or enjoying the friendships of the people at her assisted living facility.  There is a 9 hr difference in time, so I can't keep calling throughout the day.  It's 6:30 pm here and 3:30 am in Denmark.  I will call her tomorrow morning and hope to catch her.

I have to be up early tomorrow anyway, so I will call again ...  I need to start my Scalloped Potatoes around 10 am to have them ready for dinner at 1pm.  While the potatoes are baking I'll hop in the shower and get dressed.  Then scoop up the bag with the gifts, grab the potatoes and off I go ...  I'm going to Dale's parents house with all the other misfits ... LOL.  We always have a wonderful time.

I found out that the only gas station in my little community has closed - bummer - the nearest one now is about 9 miles away.  The people there aren't the friendliest and the place is dirty ... so I will have to drive at least 12 miles or so to get gas.  It a real bummer since all the summer campers depends on it, and the hunters in the Fall.  There is still the Keno Store for supplies, but there is NO gas nor propane.  The tractor store got a propane station so that's a relief.  I'm not sure why the they're closing, but someone said it was due to insurance ... as in ObamaScare ... now why doesn't that surprise me?  I'm very, very sorry to see the station - and convenience store - closed.  There was no gas station when I first moved here, but oh boy, were we happy to see it open. 

I sure do wish we would get some more snow - the dirty patches just don't count for a White Christmas, but I'm happy and grateful that I'm alive to growl about it ... LOL
Merry Christmas to all...
(((Hugs)))

I seem to be behinder than usual ... LOL

Things move so slowly here in my life that the same thing day after day is just not worth writing about ... pretty sad huh?  Today I'm playing catch up  for the last exciting (LOL) month ...

Thanksgiving was very nice; good friend and good food is always a "fuzzy warm" experience.  I ate too much as always, but not "too much" to make me sick.  The weather was decent, as in not too cold, but no one knew that a week later it would be 3 degrees overnight.

It is currently 11:16 am and the temp has risen to 10 ... today's high is moving up on 30.  I want it to get to at least 28 and SNOW.  Lots of snow.  The sky is bright blue with not a cloud in sight ... but even though the sun is shining brightly there is no warmth in it.

I need to get back to getting presents ready for family and friends, but as always, money is tight - VERY tight.

Oh, I do have some news ... I've spoken with the Lady at the USDA about the grant to cover expenses for my well issue.  The money has been set aside, but will not be issued until the job is done; and it will be issued to the contractor.  The ground is pretty frozen so the job won't happen until April at the earliest ... bummer.  I guess I'm one of the honest folks out there - I would verify the amount for the ditch digging only and set that aside for John and then put my reserves back in my bank to be used for gifts.  I don't think of taking the money and running ... I need my system to be to code.  Not complying could mean a large fine and I'm not into paying anything that would go to the government, no matter what the amount is - my money is my money .. OK, enough of this!

I lost my cute little Lucy chicken before Thanksgiving to a raccoon.  I've stuffed every entry I can see, but raccoons are smart, but I've also taken to locking the girls up in the coop at night.  They have absolutely no problem with that ... besides it's very cold at night and I have a heat lamp in there that keeps them a lot warmer than having a cold breeze flying through the door.

I've worked on my Hugel garden - yes, last minute me! - but am at a stop because the ground is frozen.  It really is done, but I just wanted to get the last of the dirt on top of the pile ... oh well, Spring will come soon enough and the whole pile needs to 'stew' so it's ready for planting after last frost.

I'm hunkering down today, and probably for the rest of winter.  I'm going to get off the internet and sink into a pile of yarn and do some knitting - the couch is a lot closer to the wood stove than the computer is so that will be a real cozy experience ... Love the wood stove!

I will definite try to post more often, but I don't guarantee anything ... LOL
Hugs to everyone and Merry Christmas!!!
me

OK, it's been wayyy too long ...

I'm not quite sure where life was when I posted last ... I was getting ready to pull out of the driveway.  The trip to the campsite and set up was uneventful, but it did start to rain while I was getting gas in the truck ... but it stopped while I was driving out. Thank goodness!  I hate setting up camp in the rain.

There were a couple of days with wild winds, up to 60-80 mpg gusts!!  And the rain ... that was after set-up so it's easier to deal with ... LOL  For the first 2-3 days we lived without the canopy covering the picnic table; it was just way too windy.  When the winds finally stopped their erratic ways, we started to climb in temps ... nice, we hit the lower 70's for several days ... gave everything a chance to dry out!  Woohoo!  It then dropped down to the normal fall weather.

Opening day was on Sat. 28th of Sept.  The hunters were there, but the bucks must have taken a vacation as all anyone saw were does.  A few hunters got lucky, but most didn't.  There a a bunch of empty freezers for the winter ... even Elk Season was sparse.

After I came home on Oct. 2, I spent a couple of days just resting ... it is beginning to wear me out to do a long camping trip (8 days) but I will continue to go until I just can't drag myself out into the woods ... LOL.  That is a long time off, but I can still be worn out when I come home ... LOL

The camper was cleared out, everything dumped that needed to be dumped ... the water lines blown out so nothing freezes.  There are still a few things that need to be put back in the camper, but that's no big deal as the camper is tucked into bed not too far from the house, like 50 feet ... LOL  I even Suspended my insurance while she sits ... now I have to remember to reinstate ins at the end of April ...

I've been doing winter prep chores around here so that there will be no mishaps to deal with when there is 4 feet of snow on the ground!  I've rolled up hoses, put tools away, got the vent in the hall way replaced (no stepping over bowls) and am waiting for the temps to drop a bit more before turning on the heat lamp in the (well) pump house.  I need to lower the bulb so it is close to the lines coming out of the ground by the well shaft - no biggie.  The outside faucet is off, but not wrapped and covered - there really is still time for that!  I also cleaned out the wood stove, the wood box and reloaded it.  It is ready for fires ... I've only lit it once but the darn thing burns so hot that I need windows open so I'm waiting until the temps during the day reach 40-45 and below.

This is what's still going on - helping friends and neighbors winterize until no more can be done ... I've also been following all the ups and downs of DC and about the only thing I can do now is spout my feelings at the TV and shake my head!

I finished the shoulder wrap I've been knitting for my Mom ... I still need to weave in all the loose ends, but then it will be ready to mail ... I'll again try to take a picture and post it ...

Have a great Fall and do your winterizing early!
(((Hugs)))
Me

Troubles still ahead ...

I thought I'd sneak in here and let you know that I'm still trying to save the computer!  It gets slower every day and at the moment there is nothing I can do about it ... blahhh!  I need a new tower, but with the money I just laid out for my 2nd installment of property taxes it will have to wait.  I hope the darn computer will play nice with me until then.

The weather has been pretty nice during the day, although it is still cold.  I don't think 40-something is warm and I have a habit to hunker down inside when it's like that outside.  We are forecast to have snow on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.  I don't know how nuch but hope just a little.  My Chicken Girls come out of the pen everyd ay now and are laying bunches of eggs!  We had about a month where they went on strike, but there is no longer a dry spell.  I know it's because they can get out and scrounge about. 

I sooo need to get the chicken coop and pen cleaned out - there are only 8 chickens, but it stinks like a humoungous barn.  I can smell it while I'm walking up to it - Ugghh!  It is one of those things that needs a total cleaning; no half done chore - it is all or nothing.  The "Ugghh" freezes at night so I would need to really work on it layer by layer and that is just not happening.  It is about 6 inches deep.  The ground in front of the "human" door is also frozen and I play slip and slide trying to reach the far corners of the coop - not fun, and besides it hurts the back to lean into the coop. 

I have a spot of ground outside the front door that has a layer of 2-3" of ice.  That spot doesn't get any sun in the winter time, so even with the 40-something degrees during the day it is a sheet of ice - the warmer days will melt the top layer and the 20-something at night will freeze it again making it much smoother the next day.  I have used lots of ice melt on it, but not much happening ... the other day I had a brain flash ... I scraped the gravel from the non-iced driveway over the ice.  Just that simple!  I now have traction ... now why didn't I think of that sooner?

I'm doing fun stuff today - like laundry and stripping the bed.  The best fun is being able to post today.  This 'puter' is cooperating right now so I thought I'd give you all an earfull ... LOL!  It seems to slow down the further we get into the day, and by evening it can take 20 minutes to open a window.  I do need to go look, at least, at a new tower to figure out what I want and what I can afford.  I have a very good friend who will, I hope, transfer the data for me.  Please Patti, please?

I will go for now, but hopefully get back to posting soon, and post some pictures.
Hugs to you all 

Computers ... Aargghhhh!!

I need a new computer ... I think this one is on its last leg.  My old monitor died in September ... I replaced it.  Do you know that monitors are few and far between?  There are only a handfull available anymore; I got the 20" HP W2027a.  In December it started having fits - white lines across the whole darn thing!  It kept getting worse and worse to the point that it seems to cross out things.  I have to tell you that I shrunk down the Windows area to a normal size, not stretched all across the screen making everything fat.  Anyway, I called the store where I bought it and they told me to call HP directly and they would replace it.  Yup, they had me run through a few tests and decided that it really was defective - I told them that at the beginning of the phone call, but I understand their side of it.

The new monitor cam yesterday afternoon and I will hook it up today.  I have 3 days in which to send the 'broken' one back ... no problem as they are paying for that too!

Then Mozilla Firefox wouldn't open ... it opened the day before, now it wouldn't.  It told me that the profile was corrupt or missing ... Huh?  I searched on the Firefox help site and did find a reference to my problem ... it had me try this, try that, and try this again.  Everytime it wanted me to open something, it wouldn't!  I finally found a recommended site to go through my computer and, oh boy, it got fixed!!  Until two days ago - one week from being fixed.  I've now reset Internet Explorer as my main browser and can get to all my sites again, but I'm not fond of IE.  I happen to feel safer on Firefox.  I don't know what to do now ... my tower is OLD, and slow.  If I get a new one, if that is even possible anymore, then I have to have all my "stuff" transferred over ... I would really like a tablet, but I really don't have the finances for that ... so I keep struggling for now.

I sure hope you all had a good weekend and did something fun.  We still have snow on the ground, but sunshine.  The temperature is all the way up to the mid 30's, but the nights have been in the single digits.  I hate breaking ice for my chickens, but that is part of the joy of chicken ownership.  It does warm me up hacking away at a frozen pot of water, but I reallly can find other ways to warm up ... LOL.  The girls are on strike - very, very few eggs.  It is just too cold right now.

It has been predicted that we are getting some more snow on Wednesday, but we'll see how much.
Have a good, warm day.
(((Hugs)))

Frozen pipes anyone?

It was a beautiful clear sunny morning when I rolled out at about 8:20 ... until I tried to turn on the HOT water ... frozen, absolutely frozen solid.  Not sure exactly where the pipes were frozen it is always disheartening when you realize you have to get dressed and go out to take a look.  UGGH!!

I happened to look at the outdoor thermometer before I left the house and it was -6 ... yup -6.  I just about went back to bed and pulled the covers waayyy over my head, but nope, the pipes have to be melted.  I did what I could from the inside - took off the tub faucet handles, the shields and sat there with a heavy duty blow dryer aimed through the holes in the wall at the manifold for hot/cold/shower.  And I sat, and I sat, and I sat some more ... no hot water!  Damn ...  I called my bestest friend at 9:25, told him what I've done and he said keep on keeping on, and call him by 10 if nothing broke loose.

He called me back about 15 minutes later to say that he was frozen too!  Oh brother.  It only took him 30 minutes to thaw his pipes at the water heater ... good, I'm glad.  He then came down and started in on mine since nothing had broken loose ... oh goodie!  He has a torch that he used, and the blow dryer too.  NOTHING!!!  We were out there for 1 1/2 hour before we got more than a tiny, little trickle out of the hot water tap, both bathroom sink and kitchen sink.  He continued, bless his heart, to work on the pipes ... FINALLY!!!  We have hot water!! Yeahhhhh!!  We then knew we had to do some insulating ... that took another 30 minutes, but we got it done.  By this time it was after 1:00 pm.  I keep turning the water on to make sure it's still there ... can you blame me?

We visited for a while, actually we had to thaw out, had a few drinks - well earned - then we had to clear, actually HE cleared the roof on the chicken yard.  There was about 14-16 inches of snow on the seam, in the middle of the chicken yard roof - it had to go.  I have one of those roof rakes that works super, but I'm a little short to get the center of the roof, so my friend did most of that for me.  This man is such a blessing; he steps in to help when I get stuck trying to do anything.

So, how was your Sunday?  I'm POOPED!  I think I will sleep well tonight, but will still try the hot water when I have to get up to go potty - wouldn't you?

Long post for frozen pipes, huh?

Blessings to all of you, and hope your Sunday was a lot better than mine.