I think I'm done with . . .

making Christmas presents! With only 3 days left, that's a good thing!. Anything else I make in the next few day will be purely an extra gift; a neighbor maybe or an extra guest Christmas morning.

This ornament was made from a picture I saw - no directions, just a picture. I will make more of these (for next year) but not the way I did it this time! I'll have to experiment. It was made for one of the ladies that I've spoiled with an ornament each year. I sure hope she likes it.



This one is small, only 1 3/4" across. The recipient of this one is also getting another present, but she has a small tree and likes the small ornaments. Ya think?



I knit these for me. They were knit at night when I had to just sit and relax before going to bed. It is just a simple 40 stitches, basic dish cloth, but I like them lots.





With all the snow that has been falling all over the country, I sure hope everyone takes care in their travels, whether you are going a mile or across the country. It is bad out there in most places.

My daughter is going from Texas to Nebraska and I worry. I know what the roads can be like, I use to live in Nebraska. Lots more ice than I get here in my area.

Take care everyone!!!

Many wishes for a wonderful Christmas.

(((Hugs)))
Yvette

A whole week's gone by

I can't believe it's been a week since I last posted!

Today is my grandson's birthday - 13. I don't know him well since he lives in Texas and I in Oregon. It is hard for either family to travel, so I have to rely on my daughter to tell me what he's jup to and to send pictures of all the kids (which she can be bad doing! - Love you Hon!!!!) In most of the pictures that I have of him, he looks like he is up to no good as soon as the picture has been taken! He is a very nice looking young man and has a charming smile. He is the youngest of the grandkids behind two sisters, ages almost 21 and almost 19!

I had my daughter when I was very, very, very young! Don't even go there!!!

It has been cold here, no I mean COLD! Like last night is was -6. Today got up to 16, I think. I have had the faucets trickilin for the last 3 days and I still froze up. Get out the little heater, check the pressure in the tank (off the well). Hmmm, I used the bathroom, flushed, and no trickle from either the bathroom faucet or the one in the kitchen. I called Dale to see what the first thing I should do - take heater to pump house, check pressure - OK, I'm on track. He also said to leave a faucet open - ok - Iwent todo that after I put on the boots, hat, scarf, coat and gloves. Hmmm, water !?!?!?!? I still took the heater down to the pump house, plugged it in for a while. Turned up the trickle at the faucets while I ran to the post office (1 bill - blahhh). Everything worked just fine when I got back.

I had also noticed that the bottom metal piece on my house skirting had big gaps in being attached to the wood part of the skirting. This is a major contributor in my pipes freezing! The wind and the cold just flies right under there and does the freeze thing. My battery charged drill had 2 dead batteries. Oh, fun. I'm out there in 9 degree weather with a manual screw driver, balancing on the balls of my feet trying to attach frozen metal! I had some left over hard insulation from the pump house, that I leaned and packed against the gaps that were remaining. I sure hope it works because I don't want to go through that again! I almost lost my balance and would have landed right on my butt right in the snow. And I only had sweat pants on - no jeans, no long johns, no bib coveralls....... just a quick job - sweat pants! My hind end was sooo cold when I got back in the house it hurt.

I traipse down to the pump house to turn off the heater, but left it there since tonight is also suppose to be very cold.
This is a view from my back door looking up into the trees. COLD.


The next one is still looking out the back door but on the ground and to the right of the one above. You can see the icicles hanging off the roof, and those are after I knocked down the really, really big ones. The kennel is in the corner of the picture, but I could no more put the dog out there in this cold, than I could live there myself. There is only about 5 inches on the ground, but it is crusty.



Joey will only use the cat box if he's in the house and I'm gone. Otherwise, he wants out. Well, sort of. Let's say he needs to go out, but really doesn't want to. I have to coax him to come to the door. He will hem and haw about leaving the top step, and then when he can't stand it any more, he will charge out there amonst the trees. Do his thing, and then he will charge back to the steps, and if I didn't see him coming and forget to open the inner door, he would be flattened against it! He is not happy out there when it is this cold, and don't forget he sinks. He will look for previous foot prints to step in rather than make new ones (unless he's charging!)

If he's slow, and I go in before he decides to come back, he will go around the house to the front, and the following picture shows you how he lets me know he wants in . . . you cannot ignore a cat that will keep that up indefinitely! Thank goodness for aluminum screens - can you imagine what the fiberglass ones would look like? Even these have holes and small tears. Ahhh, Joey, one of the loves of my life.



When the temperature is in the twenties, he's not quite so bad about going out, but will always let me know like this that he wants in - even in summer.

Oh goodie, the Weather Channel just told me it was 3 degrees outside here in our area. I'm going to let you go so I can throw some more wood on the fire!

I can't even think of any thing profound to leave you with except:

STAY WARM!!!!!!!!

(((Hugs)))

Wow . . .

I went back and looked at my post from yesterday, phew, I sounded really, really bad - nothing nice to say about anything! I can usually let things go, just attribute it to the times we live in, but since my trip to the market came out of my pocket, I just let it all out! I need to calm down. LOL

Lets see what I can do today . . . I 'met' another blogger, Betty of Joy in Our Lives. She left a very nice comment on my blog a few days ago, and I thought that she sounded like a wonderful and fun person. I checked out her blog and Boy, was I right. She has a house full of fur children, a great husband and a family that won't quit! I will be following her, and I have listed her in my sidebar, check it out.

My fur kids might not be rescue animals, but they've come to me - I did not look for them, so in a way I did rescue them. I have also had many that have crossed the Rainbow Bridge, and I know we will make quite a commotion when we all meet again.

This post wasn't meant to be sad . . . (as I sniffle at all the memories) but a celebration of all the varied lives that have touched mine. I've had a huge volume of cats through the years, but only 2 dogs. I had Tramp when I was 12 or so. He was literally a Heinz 57. Happy, fun and very lovable. When we moved from the house we lived in, we gave Tramp to our neighbors so he could have a yard and family full of kids. We moved to a small apartment and Tramp would not have been either happy or welcome there.

SueAnn is my current dog type companion. She is now 7. I got her 2 months after moving here to Oregon. At best we figure her birthday as 9-11, and the birth year was 2001. I needed a 'good' memory of that day, and SueAnn has been GREAT! She is part Lab and part Hound. Her nose and voice are Hound, the rest is small black Lab. She has the most expressive face and ears. The ears are floppy, but when she is really listening to something they sort of come up.

She is medium-large at 56 lbs, has a long tail like a whip and smiles and 'talks' to me. She has left bruises on my legs from her tail - I can't believe it doesn't hurt her when she hits anything with that tail! When I say she 'talks', she really does! Not words, but kind of low noises - not barks, she's been told to use her "inside voice" and will kind of "woo,woo". You have to hear her to believe it. And she can keep it up until she gets what she wants (mostly). There are times when I tell her "NO", and she will walk away totally deflated. Makes me laugh, but then she'll get her treat anyway - I'm well trained to follow orders!

She is very afraid of gunfire and thunder storms. Living here in the Southern Oregon Cascades, there is some sort of hunting season going on for most of the year, and SueAnn does NOT like it one bit. If it is off in the distance and only makes a 'pop' she will look to me to see if she should panic or not, but if it is loud and close by, she will come running to be let in, or try to climb on my shoulders! I can sometimes diffuse the fear by asking her "Did they get it?" with an excited tone to my voice, but that doesn't always work. She also dislikes/fears thunderstorms and the summer is fun here - we get our share of them too.

She is on medication to help calm her, but she is still not happy with the sounds. She does not go ballistic like she use to, but she still wants to hide and be in a safe place. I've got a kennel that we tried using, but she doesn't like to be confined either. Aarrrggghhh! I take each incident of gunfire and thunderstorms as they come, but I never know how bad she will get. Desensitizing has been tried and doesn't work - the sounds are not normal, they are recorded and she knows the difference. She "feels" thunderstorms hours before they get here - atmospheric pressure and all that stuff. She will start walking around with her tail sooo tucked that she looks like she doesn't have one, and will stay so close to me that if I stop she will either step on me or I on her! I wish I could help her deal with this, but I don't know what else to try besides more medication and I don't want a doped up dog. Any one have any other ideas?

Sorry this got so long, but that's my SueAnn . . . well, parts of her anyway.

. . . and Christmas is only 14 days away, yup 14 days, two weeks away, that's it. Then you can breathe for a while and start on next year!!!! LOL

I will leave you with this: I try to be the kind of human my dog thinks I am.

(((Hugs))) everyone!

Boy, am I angry . . .

I went to Wal-Mart today - the store we all love to hate! I know the prices of everything I purchase and I can't believe that what I bought today cost $20 MORE than what I got two weeks ago! There are a few prices that have gone down, but most have gone up by at least 10 cents! In two weeks??? How do families do it? I know that I'm ready to cut a few things out, but good gracious, this is ridiculous. I could stand to loose a few pounds, but I prefer to do it myself, not dictated to by what I can afford or not!

I think next time I go to town, I will try a discount market just to see what I end up paying. Probably more, since I won't be going in for another two weeks. I HATE going to town to shop! Don't get me wrong, I like to eat, but, phew!! I do use some packaged, easy to fix meals, but if you compare the ingredients to fresh, I wonder if you come out ahead? Probably not. I also buy a lot of brand name products instead of generic - I tried the generic stuff and found the flavors greatly lacking. Why should I buy cheap and not like the taste, to purchasing brand name and enjoying my own cooking? And I do like my own cooking - LOL . . .

We don't eat a lot of meat, but when we do, I want the leanest and tastiest I can get. Why spend less money on meat that is full of fat and have lots less when done cooking? I want flavorful foods that taste good and fill me up.

Ahhh, why am I ranting? I guess because I can. And, how good for us is the food that we buy? Most has too much fat and too many chemicals. I don't care how good the food producers are at advertising, most skirt the health issue. The FDA needs to really, really check into the claims that are made. Yeah, sure.

Last night I watched a news report on the elderly in Okinawa, Japan. They have a major population OVER 100 years of age. Cancer, Alzheimer's and heart disease are almost unheard of in Okinawa. They eat low fat, low sodium and low chemical content foods. And their portions are not "Super Sized"! We, even I, could learn a lot from these people. Neither do we exercise like we should. I am guilty too. Most of us say we have no time - turn off the TV, computer and all other electronic gadgets, and take a walk each night after dinner. The WHOLE family! Kids and all. Take the dog, it probably needs exercise too!

All this as I just finished two small pork chops with spinach on the side. LOL The chops were cooked in margarine, with Worcesteshire Sauce and water to steam. Worcestershire Sauce - the king of sodium! Not the healthiest, but . . .better than a lot of meals I've cooked. Like lots of mashed potatoes with butter and gravy!

I guess I can only do the best for me, but people need to really look at what they fix and eat. Just my opinion, but shared by many I know.

As a footnote to this - I eat my share of crap too, I love garlic Triscuits and can eat a box in one sitting if I don't watch myself!

I think I should end this - I'm just getting more and more frustrated at the treatment of the people by large corporations. No more than I use to, but shopping today just brought it out in the open.

Speaking of food - here is some 'food' for thought:
How we live our days is how we live our lives.

Hugs to every one. Really! LOL

19

Not that I'm counting or anything - but the days are starting to go faster and faster . . . and on the 26th they will come to a complete stop. No more, nada, ziltch, over, done . . . that is for another year. Phew.

Every year I keep saying, a few weeks after Christmas, that I will start on the next year. Uh, huh, yup, right!!! I want to, well part of me wants to, the other just sticks its tongue out at me. Well this coming year it will happen. You just watch and see!

Once in a while, I have the tv on in the background of my day, just for some movement and a little noise. There are two sentences that I hear over and over and over again. And I HATE them.

"If I (he, she) can do it, you can do it" or some verbal equivalent. It has been sooo over used that I want to puke!!! Of course the other one (to me) is no better. Ever since Shaker design and/or Minimalism was discovered (?) I have heard the term "Less is more." Aarrrggghhhh! I also HATE that statement. I swear I have heard it forever! less of what? furniture, decorations, dust bunnies, dog hair?????? less what?

These two statements can drive me up a wall, and that's not a pretty sight!

"If I can do it, you can do it" I DON'T WANT TO! How's that? "Less is more." Less is BORING!!!!!

OK, now that I've gotten that said, I feel great! I need to leave to go work out and I can stomp the rest of my aggravation out to my hearts content on the treadmill!!! Works every time! I may not be loosing weight, which I need to, but I'm toning and starting to feel a lot better. I guess the weight will come off eventually??

Oops, just looked at the clock - I'm out of here . . .

The countdown continues . . .

Yup, 24 days til Christmas! Seems like I've been crafting away and got tons and tons done, not sure where it is, but I've been slaving away. I did finish the 4 beaded ornaments and got them mailed out, my daughter loves them (Phew!). I've finished the 3rd snake scarf and I'm done with the knitted gifts. I may (after Christmas) make some more, but we'll see. This one is for a 'grown-up' friend - sure hope she doesn't read my blog or I'm in trouble!!! - There is a bell at the end of the tail, but it's not too loud. This one is about 5 feet long and will wrap around the neck nicely.

I've also been playing around with the button bouquets. I have 'some' bright colored buttons, but most of these are just part of the stash I've had for years. I thought maybe some felt leaves would help, but now that I see them, I'm not sure. They just don't stand out as much as the real colorful buttons do, and looking at the leaves . . . hmmm, I'm just not sure. I think I need to change the leaves a bit. Personally, I think they look better in person, but I'm not the recipient.

Then last Saturday, the 23rd, Dale and Candy had baby goats! They are sooo cute! They were born about 2:30 am - doesn't it seem that all babies come in the middle of the night?? In these pictures they are about 9 hours old. The baby in the top picture is about 14-15 inches long as she (??) lays.

We are having breakfast here. This one is the same size as the first. Just twins, boy and girl. The poor Momma was HUGE; it's a good thing there were only 2. She was the most uncomfortable looking goat I've ever seen (like I've seen a lot - LOL). She was having trouble just moving around. She would lie down and groan, she would stand up and groan. Even while she laid down she was groaning and moaning. She was almost as wide as she was long! She has turned out to be a very good Momma. The kids are now up and running around, being goats.

I had a very wonderful Thanksgiving at Dale and Candy's with TONS and TONS of food! There were about 14 adults and 3 children. Lots of fun, laughter and eating. I got home about 8:30, waddled around the house for a couple of hours and went to bed! I had eaten sooo much, I just could not get comfortable to do anything.

Lots of thoughts on everything to be thankful for; good health, roof over our heads, loving family and friends. I guess it sums up to be ENOUGH. Enough food, enough good times, enough love and companionship - ENOUGH! Of course there are things we would like to be thankful for, like a new house, a new car, more money - but you know what? We have what we need and are thankful for it.

I leave you with thoughts of Peace that we will be thankful for in the near future, and that all our servicemen and women will join us at our table next Thanksgiving!

(((Hugs)))

now 32 days . . .

I got the beaded ornaments, of the last post, finished with a name tag and the year AND got them mailed off to my daughter in Texas. Now I hope they get there in one piece! They should; I wrapped them in tissue paper, inserted them in a sandwich bag with air in there, and surrounded them with newspaper. The box and paper weighed more than all 4 ornaments together. I test shook the box and nothing rattled - that's a great sign.

The weather is gloomy today. Light rain and just 30 degrees as we "speak". After I finish my breakfast, I will start the wood stove and get some warm ambiance going. Once the fire has created some nice coals, I won't have to watch it quite as closely, I can just toss a piece of wood in now and then. The temperature can go up quite fast and I always open a window or two or three! Not wide open, but cracked 1-2 inch (3-5 cm), if I don't, then after a while it becomes very hard to breathe in here! There is a heat reclaimer on the stove pipe that has a fan in it that really, really blows the heat around. I have had the back door open and it is still near 85 degrees in the house, just way too hot for comfort - that's why the windows are open, it keeps it comfy.

The cat is hanging on the screen and wants in, so I'll let you go for now with this little message.

The things that come to those who wait will be the things left by those who got there first!

37 days

Do I hit the panic button yet? I have been really, really busy getting my Christmas gifts done, but there still seem to be more on the to-do list than on the 'done' list!

This is what I've been, and still am, up to. The balls are almost 3 inches across and the beads are little, itty, bitty things! Can we say "hard to see"?

These are going to my daughter to give as gifts.







I have also been knitting - not quite as hard to see since the yarn is worsted weight. I knit in the evening when the light is just too hard to bead by. These two scarves are about 4 1/2 feet long and 5-6 inches wide. I'm making another one for a "grown-up". I think that will finish off the scarves for now, but I thoroughly enjoy the process. As you can see, there are button eyes, and wood bead tails. Lot of fun!
I'm not sure what project I'm moving on to next, but I will keep going until I run out of time. I've really had issues trying to upload these pictures, so no matter how disjointed they look, I'm publishing them as they are. I think I need to question Blogger on this . . .

Like the title says, 37 days . . . and they will pass very,very fast.

Hugs to everyone!

Musings

I have this total fixation with the Nome, Alaska city web cam. I have had it as a 'favorite' on my computer since the Iditarod last march. During the Iditarod the camera was pointed at the finish line. Now it is pointed at the Visitor Center and Norton Sound. I check the camera on, at least, a daily basis, sometimes more! Today the sea and sky almost blend together in a steely gray and the ground is covered with snow. I don't know what the average snow amount is for Nome Alaska, but after the Iditarod, there was a row of buildings on the left side of the current view that I had no clue existed! They were drifted over.. But drifts are not snowfall totals, and with Nome's location right on the edge of the sea, I don't suppose they get that much - but I know I will be watching. The pictures update every minute - check it out here.

Well, we put the camper (almost) to bed for the winter. We just need to cover her up. Such a lonely sight . . .





And this was right after 'separation' . . . .






It is just sooo sad to me that another camping season is over. In a way, I wish I could camp all year, but this camper is just not built for winter camping. We 'almost' tried it during deer season when we never got above 40 deg during the day and had temps in the low 20's at night! It's just too cold for these old bones!

It is raining today, on and off all day is the promise. I like the rain, we can always use a gentle rain, but I get restless too. It is not so easy to pop out for a breath of fresh air, take a short walk with the dog, or just mosey around the property 'looking' at the scenery. You have to bundle up -right now it's 37 deg- so you don't get chilled, or soaked! Sometimes you can find a spot under the trees where it really isn't raining, but you can get lucky and find a spot where every drip in the forest falls from too!

Since the furnace just kicked on, I will leave you to your musings and go clean out the wood stove. Uggh, not fun. Then I will take a trip outside to dump the ashes, come in and start a nice fire. After that trip outside, I will need a nice fire! I have a wood box on the front porch that gets filled when there (hopefully) is no rain or snow falling, then I bring it next to the stove as needed. I think that the wood gets moved and carried a half dozen times before it is burned . . . and then again as ashes after it has burned. Yup, wood warms you up many, many times.

Have a good, warm day.

Fog

It has come and gone all day, just like the cat . . .


FOG

The fog comes
on little cat feet.

It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.

Carl Sandburg