Sunday Tabasco Sauce

Otter's suggestion!

It's been a busy week. It was a good one, just kind of busy.

There is still snow everywhere, but the streets are mostly clear now. Even the neighborhood, there are patches of ice but they aren't covered solidly like after the last ice storm. We got out today, we would have cleared off the cars even if we didn't get out. I sent Otter out to the driveway with the pushbroom, to clear the bulk of the snow off of my car. With the remote start feature, it didn't take too long for me to clear the windshields. Bill's car has been broomed off, but he didn't work on the windshields. He said he'll do that in the morning. I did offer to help him but he said he'd rather wait until tomorrow since he'll have to warm the car up anyway and that will give him something to do while it's warming. His car doesn't have the remote start so he'll have to actually start it and the door locks don't work if the key is in the ignition. Which is great to not be locked out accidentally, but it means that someone has to either be sitting in the car or standing out there when it's running to warm up.

We finished our taxes this morning. We came out a whole lot better than I thought we would. This is the earliest we've ever gotten them done, we usually get our taxes ready in early February but we got all the information in that we needed so Bill did them this morning.

I never did get my bird feeders filled. I was going to get them filled up Friday morning, but the rain-snow-ice was falling all day and the birds were not in evidence. So yesterday, I headed out the back door to retrieve the feeders and realized that they were solidly attached to the poles. There was quite a bit of ice on each feeder, and I was afraid I would break them trying to get them off the poles. So I tossed a huge amount of birdseed out on the deck and out on the ground. There have been birds out there ever since. We've seen quite a few chickadees and some cardinals. Just a few sparrows this time. No doves lately, but there were plenty of starlings. Have I mentioned how much I detest starlings? Vermin!

We rented the movie District 9 to watch yesterday. It was rated R, but that was probably because of the language. It had a little violence but not too bad. The story itself was just not that good. I think Otter liked it, but I was pretty bored. Last Saturday, we watched the movie 9, the one about the stuffed dolls not the musical Nine. 9 was ok, it was not the best but the story was interesting. I think that I would have been disappointed with both of them, had we seen then in the theater.

Bill's been busy in the garage, cutting wood for the pachinko frames and he also said he had another project that he started a long time ago but was going to get it finished today. No idea what it is!

I was going to post my January book list, but it's not in front of me at the moment. I will probably get it posted tomorrow. I still have a pretty good stack of books to read that I haven't gotten to yet, Otter and I went to the library last Wednesday before hitting the grocery store in advance of the snow & ice. Groceries are very important to stock up on, but so are books! If you ask Otter, she'll probably say that books are the most important.

Short Burst of Information on Saturday

I'm not sure what the official tally is, but we got about 7" of snow.

We have been inside all day, in front of the fireplace. And so have the dogsters!

3rd Cold Friday Update

And probably the final tone today.

It's still cold. It is, in fact, snowing and has been for hours. There are several inches of the white stuff on the ground, I don't know what the official tally is at this point but we've easily got 3 or 4 inches. I know this because I just came in from getting firewood and the snow level on my legs was 4". But it's still coming down and I think it will be for a long time.

Otter has placed a bowl outside on a table on the deck, with the intention of making snow ice cream. But that's the only time she's been outside today. I have been out a couple of times, to take the picture this morning and then 3 trips to get wood. Bill made a couple of trips outside this morning, to get the paper and then he also brought in wood. But we haven't gone anywhere at all and it's been nice.

Now, I'm going to go start dinner. Homemade chicken noodle soup.

Second Cold Friday Update

First things first, a few pictures. Captions are underneath the pictures they describe.

I was standing on my front porch when I took this one, looking east. It's a tree limb from one of the remaining trees in my front yard, and a Rose of Sharon bush that is at the corner of the house is visible behind the tree limb. Also, the corner of the house and the window that is on my right side as I type! There is a tree visible behind the bush. It's just barely on my property line.

The snow has only been falling about an hour but the ground is cold enough that it's beginning to stick. The streets are beginning to get white covered as well. We had discussed attempting to go to the post office, but then it started snowing and the news report was that streets which were semi-passable earlier were deteriorating so we changed our minds. I was thinking that maybe I should attempt to go in to work, but now I'm glad that I didn't even try.

I took this picture from my dining room window. This is one of the chairs on the back deck, it's covered in icicles.




This picture was also taken from the dining room window. The tree limbs have a good 1/2" of ice coating them. The ice is covereing the buds that the tree started sprouting the other day when it got warm. The snow was falling pretty good, but the flakes didn't show up in the picture.

Frasier! He's being a camel in this shot - he had his face in the water dish for a good 5 minutes. Then he went back to his nap.




Maggie Moo! She was looking at me with a really cute expression, then as soon as I started to take the picture she looked away. Guess she wasn't in a posing mood after all.

I'm going back to this in a few minutes. Bill's working on the first frame for a pachinko machine, it's visible in the corner of the picture.

Prayer request: Miss Dorothy is back in the hospital again. She's been doing pretty well lately but has had some issues possibly related to her medication. The nurse was there yesterday and thought that maybe the doctor should be consulted since there has been some confusion as to doses, timing of pills, etc. So the doctor did a blood test. At 5:30 this morning, the doctor called her husband (my 93 year old boss) and told him that Miss Dorothy's potassium levels were dangerously high and that he was sending an ambulance with strict orders to get her to the hospital to be checked out. The doctor wanted her admitted, he thinks that the potassium levels can be brought down with medication and it might take a couple of days. I don't think she was very pleased about having to go back to the hospital, but she's going to follow the doctor's advice.

I'm not sure if I'll update again later or not. It is Friday, after all. And I like a clean house on Friday afternoon, otherwise it bugs me all day Sabbath. I have already cleaned the sink and done two loads of laundry, Otter's going to vacuum the living room in a little while and then I'll see if there is anything else I want to do before sunset.

First Cold Friday Update

I say First because it's 6:30 in the morning and I'll probably have more to say later!

I'm on my second cup of coffee, so I can at least form somewhat complete thoughts.

We have power! There have been some outages but not in our general area. The ice was not as thick as originally predited, but it could still become a problem later on. But for now, it's not an issue at least as far as electricity is concerned. The roads, however, are a problem. We have not ventured out but have been watching the news. Bill had already told his boss he would like today as a vacation day, but they are officially closed now so he isn't having to use the vacation time. I'm going to call in as well, but not quite this early.

We're iced in now, but there is snow on the way. As cold as it is, I think I'll take a page out of Fraiser's book today. He's curled up, asleep. Dog's smart! He's conserving his energy, or at least that's today's excuse. But I think he's got the right idea.

I did not write this, but it is appropriate:

"SNOWklahoma, Where the cold front's sweepin' down the plain, And the piles of sleet, beneath your feet Follow right behind the freezing rain...SNOW…….klahoma....... We know we belong to the land, But it could use some more salt and more sand, That’s why we say…..WHOA! We’re sliding the other way…YIKES!...............We’...re o...........nly sayin’ You’re slick as s--t SNOWklahoma SNOWklahoma SNOW-K-L-A-H-O-M-A SNOWklahoma, SNOW-K!"

It's about right.

Wet Thursday Update

Well, I think we have a winter storm. But I'm not sure yet!

It was cold this morning so I took Otter to school. Then when I ran an errand about noon, it was beginning to sleet. I left work at 1:30 and it was getting really icy, not so much on the street yet but the car & things above the ground were covered. It took me slightly longer than normal to get to school, I got Otter about 40 minutes early and the ice was coming down heavier by the time we got home. Bill needed to get something at Lowe's so we decided to go while we could since all indications were that we could well be home and iced in for a few days. By the time we got out of Lowe's, it was still sleeting but changing over to rain. We decided to run by Hobby Lobby (they aren't that far from home or that far apart from each other) for paint Bill wanted - which they didn't have, but they did have yarn and I got some! We were in Hobby Lobby for maybe 10 minutes and when we left it was pretty much just rain coming down. It's below freezing and has been for a while, but not deeply below. The rain might stay, or it might transition to snow - which is probably what will happen. The concern is that the rain will turn back to sleet and also the water on the ground already will freeze. Then the snow will probably be after that. That is a recipe for very bad streets.

School has already been cancelled for tomorrow. I'm thinking that Bill & I will probably be home as well, but we'll know for sure in the morning.

The other concern with ice is power outages. That is something we can deal with, we have before. We don't necessary want to, but we can deal with it. Bill's busy cutting boards and stuff he needs to do now, in case we have a power outage. That way, he can still work on the pachinko machines and the frames he's building for them. When he comes in, he's going to get a fire started and then Otter and I have marshmallow plans.

Some Misc Mid Week Stuff of Various Degrees of Importance

Info from Froggy that I thought I should pass on to anyone interested in such things. Like me!

January 27: Chocolate Cake Day, I would normally particpate in this one, but I didn't get the email from Froggy until I was home and I don't want to go back out "just" for this one. But since it's chocolate, it's major. So I think I'll remember the white cake we had last night and go get a piece of chocolate out of the freezer.

January 28: National Blueberry Pancake Day. This is one I'd enjoy, but I don't have time to make pancakes in the morning. Also, Otter is allergic to blueberries. Besides, I'm really tryiing to stick to my oatmeal. But I do have dried blueberries which I'll probably put in it tomorrow!

We might get Winter again tomorrow morning. Or maybe not until tomorrow afternoon.. Or maybe not until tomorrow night. Or maybe not until Friday morning. The forecasters have covered all possible bases now, but it looks like we have a winter storm headed our way. Time of arrival, duration and severity to be determined later! Well, we're prepared. But we generally are. We have firewood, both cars are gassed up, blankets are washed, dog food bin is full, pantry is full and we have water on hand. Wait, that's normal life! I did go to the grocery store today, instead of waiting until Thursday or Friday like normal but we would still have had several days worth of food on-hand even if I didn't. It was very crowded! When we drove by Wallyworld on the way home, their parking lot looked like it was on the verge of overflowing.

But, on the off chance that the storm is as severe as the original forecast - there is the possiblility of power outages due to ice. So, if I don't post and nobody gets email from me then it's safe to assume that we're without electricity. So, Froggy, if you don't hear from me by Friday sometime: call me! We'll be hunkered down in front of the fireplace (fighting for space with two furry dogs), probably roasting marshmallows.

Silver Thoughts

Today is our 25th Anniversary. It's an occasion worth celebrating, especially when you consider how so few marriages seem to last these days. And especially considering the fact that we were briefly one of the statistics ourselves! But that is a story for another time.

These are some of our wedding pictures. I took pictures of the pictures in our album. The quality is not the best!

We got married in a small Baptist church. It's not a tiny church, but it's not a big one either. We did not want a big wedding, we just wanted our family and a few close friends and that is what we had. But it looks like the church is empty in some of the pictures, but it really wasn't. The pastor did not want any pictures taken during the ceremony itself, so most of the pictures were taken after the ceremony. This one, however, isn't! The photographer took pictures of everyone walking down the aisle, then he scooted upstairs to the balcony and snuck a few shots of the actual ceremony. And our first kiss!

This one is another one from the balcony. It's at a better angle, but because of the angle my 3rd bridesmaid is hidden. Sorry FutureJediMom, we know you were there! Froggy was my matron of honor (with a special guest - she had a bun in her oven!), Bill's sister Carolyn and FutureJediMom were my bridesmaids.

Sorry this is sideways, blogger was being uncooperative when I posted this picture. I didn't want a fancy, poofy dress but in the mid-80's I didn't have much choice. Unless I wanted the fluff overload. But I managed to find a dress I loved, the sleeves were a little puffier than I wanted but there wasn't much I could do about that. The sleeves could have been worn off the shoulder and I did think about it, but decided instead to wear them just barely on my shoulders. A train was a necessity, not a 14-foot one but a nice length train. As a redhead, it was suggested that I go with an off-white dress but I had always wanted a white wedding gown so that's what I had. If it clashed, then it clashed and I didn't worry about it! The bodice and sleeves had some light lace decoration. I had a fingertip length viel with beading on the top.

Again, the picture is sideways. My wedding colors were red (not bright, think red roses) and sky blue. The blue was the main color, the red was more of an accent color because I wanted roses. Silk ones, but still roses. The cake decor was blue flowers. The topper was hand made, blown glass. It didn't survive the packing up after the reception. I had it remade later and it still broke!

This is the car we affectionaly called the Klingon Battle Cruiser. It was police surplus and it was big. And heavy. And fast! We took it to Carlsbad Caverns for our honeymoon. When Bill finally sold it many years later, I really was sad to see it go. As soon as we left the reception, we went to the first gas station we found that had a car wash (and was open in late January on a Saturday night) and washed it all off.

It's a Fun Day!

Today is International Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day.

http://www.urban75.com/Mag/bubble.html

Have fun!

Sunday Salsa

This is fun, coming up with different condiment names for Sunday posts. Otter has several suggestions which will be used in the future, and Bill has a few as well. (Even though this is "my" blog, all three of us contribute to it.) Today, it's salsa time!

Even though our anniversary isn't officially until Tuesday, we went out to eat to celebrate it today. We went to Chili's, which used to be my favorite but Bill was never all that wild about. When we started discussing where to go, he suggested Chili's because he knows how much I used to enjoy it. So that's where we went. It was actually very good, and Bill said it was much better than it used to be. Of course, the one we went to today is 500 miles north of the ones we used to go to that he didn't like! Which, I have to say, is good because the Chili's we used to eat at in SA had really gone downhill. I had quesadillas, which was my favorite "Chili's before" meal and Bill had a bacon cheeseburger with fries. Otter had chicken strips with fries and it also came with corn on the cob. We also had lots and lots of chips and salsa before the meal. Otter and I have leftovers in the fridge, which will probably be eaten tonight if anybody is actually hungry. Which might not happen, we didn't eat until 2:00 and we had quite a bit to eat even with getting take-home boxes. Bill said that he probably should have stopped before he finished his huge burger and gotten a take-home box as well. The service was also very good, which is one of the things we judge by.

Since then, Bill's gone back to doing what he was doing before we left - working on a pachinko machine. He's actually working on my machine, he gave me this one because I like the face of it so much. Which I thought was very nice! He's nearly through with it, then he isn't sure if he's going to get another one torn down to redo or if he's going to start working on the frame so that he can put the two he's through with inside so they can be played.

Otter got her regular Sunday chore done (cleaning out the dog yard) which she hates, but it needs to be done. Especially when they haven't been let out in the big yard too much. I cleaned the fireplace, which was pretty dirty. It's not my favorite job and Bill usually does it but I volunteered for it this time so he could enjoy his chore - well, it's not really a chore. He loves to work on those machines. I've also been doing laundry. Otter and I each have a bathroom to clean, which will get done sometime today. Since it's 4:30 now, we are probably running out of "some time today" but they will get done today.

The dogsters got some back yard play time this afternoon. It's been either too cold, wet or windy for us to be outside much and I've really missed it. I need my outside time as much as the dogs! So, while Otter was cleaning their yard up we let them out and they ran non-stop for about 30 minutes. They chased each other and then I played with them for a while. I don't run with them, my knee would probably just fall off if I did that but I stayed in one place and they almost acted like they were playing tag - and I was frequently it! Then they started sniffing everything in the yard to see if anything had changed, Frasier found something to roll in and then they just sat and watched us work. I cleaned out a lot of debris from the rock garden. Roof debris, the roof was replaced in early December if that gives you an idea of how long it's been since I've really been able to be outside!

Froggy, I commented after you commented on my post which showed the hats & Otter's sewing creation. Basically, I realized that my hat didn't look like Kid#3's and that I'd messed up a few rows. I had problems with it, I was watching tv at the time and usually I can do both. But when I'm working on something that involves counting stitches, counting rows and changing stitches, it doesn't always work. I went back and looked at my cap and saw where I'd gone off pattern on it. I decided to just frog the entire thing and start over. It will probably use more yarn than I originally did, so the frogged yarn was balled up and will be put on Bill's blanket I'm making. I have a lot more of that yarn, so I'll start with a fresh ball and do it right this time.

Also, Froggy - the Hobby Lobby ad here has yarn on sale. I don't know if you have the same ads that we get, but if you do you might want to go check out their yarn department. I have some yarn in mind that I wanted but since I didn't have a project, I haven't bought it yet. But since it's on sale for about half off, I'm going to get it. I'm picking Otter up from school tomorrow and then we're going to Hobby Lobby. The yarn I want is very soft and fuzzy, it's made from bamboo. I'll find a project for it, or keep it until I come up with one. It looks like it's going to be fun yarn.

Otter just reported to me that my dog is dead to the world. Well, he was pretty tired when they came in. Maggie Moo was sitting by the love seat, she was actually leaning on it, and she looked very happy but also very tired when I was walking by her. I'd say that the doggies had a good day!

A Little Bit of Friday Rambling

Well, to start with I'm home today. Home with a sore throat and a killer headache. Which Otter had Wednesday. She stayed home then, and went back to school Thursday. I started having a headache on Wednesday, but it was a day that I was participating in our church's 40 day fasting & prayer program and I'll sometimes get a headache when I fast. Due to lack of caffiene! Anyway, the headache was still hanging around Thursday morning even after multiple cups of coffee. (And I do mean multiple!) I was also beginning to get throat tickles & some congestion. So I thought I was probably coming down with the bug Otter (and apparently a lot of her schoolmates) had. I've been taking motrin, which does help. The headache is better today, but still there. When I got up this morning, it must have been obvious that I was feeling cruddy because Bill told me he thought I should stay home. Which I think was good advice.

I did have to take Otter to school this morning, she had a project for astronomy class which involved counting different types of outdoor lights in the neighborhood because they are studying light pollution and how it affects star gazing. We had already decided that this morning was when we would drive around in the dark so she could count. It was extremely foggy as well. She was able to get her light counts, the fog seemed to make it easier to see some of the types of lights she needed to count. It's about 11:40 a.m. and it's still foggy, but not nearly as bad as it was at 6:45 this morning.

We could get rain tomorrow. We had rain and a little thunder a couple of nights ago. I'm not sure how much rain, but I think it was over an inch. But since tomorrow is Saturday, we aren't going anywhere anyway so I don't care if it rains.

Since I'm home, the dogsters are inside with me. Except for when we put them out when I took Otter to school. They have been back inside since I got home and are back in their usual spots - Frasier sleeping on his blanket and Maggie Moo sleeping on Otter's bed. I'm going to dislodge Frasier in a few minutes, their blankets are about to get washed. Otter has a purple fleecy blanket that is Maggie's to sleep on and Maggie does sleep on it quite a bit. Of course, it's up ON Otter's bed! When Otter isn't in bed and Maggie is, Maggie will either sleep on the side Otter usually sleeps on or on Otter's pillow. So I probably won't have to disturb her to get her purple blanket washed. Fraiser, on the other hand...

Oh well, he'll get over it. And he'll even forgive me for washing the blanket and changing the way it smells! :) He's easily bought, a belly rub will generally be enough to get his affection back. Or ear scratches, he loves those.

-------------------------

I just got the dog blankets in the washing machine. Maggie is where I predicted, up on Otter's bed. This time, she's on the pillow. Frasier was on his blanket, I had to pull it out from under hm and he did not want me to! He gave me the sad eyes he's so good at as I carried the blanket away. But I'm immune! Sometimes, when he thinks I'm going to take his blanket, he'll wrap his front legs around it and hold it between them.

OK, it's time for another motrin and I think I'm going to make a cup of tea. Then I'll probably go back to the couch and watch the news at noon.

I've Been Challenged! (Edited)

And anyone who knows me knows that I love challenges.

Anyway, one of my blog buddies was tagged to answer 7 questions. Instead of tagging 7 additional bloggers, she suggested on her blog that anyone who wants to should participate. Sounds like fun to me! So, here goes. (Just 7 random facts). I'm avoiding the obvious TEXAS or red hair stuff, since that's well known.

1. I have lived in 6 houses and 3 apartments. Which means that I've moved a lot, but probably not nearly as many times as Willieboy since his Dad was military and they lived in Okinawa at one point so he's probably got me beat there. (Edit: 4 apartments!)

2. My earliest memory is from when I was around 3. What was it? STAR TREK, of course! So I had no choice, it was unescapable that I become a Trek fan.

3. I learned to crochet in 6th grade. Then I taught my Mom how. (Had to get crochet in there somewhere).

4. My favorite color is sky blue. I like green and purple, but sky blue is my absolute favorite.

5. I've been married twice. But I have only had one husband.

6. I once got a black eye, given to me by my very own dog! Do you have any idea just how hard the back of a dog's head is? Rock hard. And it really hurts when they slam into you because they are jumping up and down in excitement as you bend over to reach the collar so you can attach the leash.

7. I've had plastic surgery. I had rhinoplasty when I was 16. In other words, I had a nose job. But it was because of a malformation in my septum & sinus cavity, so it was corrective. It didn't change my nose a lot, but the bridge is narrower than it used to be and it makes it difficult when I have to get new glasses.

Anybody else that wants to take this challenge is welcome. I'm not going to tag people either, it can be annoying to be tagged when you really don't want to be so I generally ignore tagging.

Have fun!

Monday Quick Stuff

Froggy sent me some information about January, I thought I'd share it.

To start with, January is National Oatmeal Month. This is one I could not be less excited about. I dislike oatmeal. Extremely! I eat it nearly every morning for breakfast because it's good for me. But I don't like it. Usually, I put assorted dried fruit and cinnamon in it. Sometimes I stir peanut butter into it and sometimes I add honey. This morning was a peanut butter & honey day. But it's still wallpaper paste! Tomorrow will be more oatmeal, I'll decide on my mix-ins when it's on the table staring me in the face.

January 18: On this day in 1882, A. A. Milne was born. He created Winnie the Pooh, the bear who loves honey. Which means that he's a very smart bear, although Winnie the Pooh is described as being not-so-smart. Who cares, he's Pooh Bear and he's special! One of Otter's favorite stuffed toys from her childhood is a Winnie the Pooh, which she got with a gift card from her Uncle Toadly. It's going to be one of the special ones that get passed down to her kids.

January 19: National Popcorn Day. This one is a good one! I love popcorn. I have to be careful because of the fat content, but it's still good. When I do make it, which isn't often, I use canola oil and make it on the stove. Otter got some flavored microwave popcorn from her grandparents for Christmas and we've had some of it. It's very good. One was carmel flavored - Otter sprinkled garlic powder on it and it was surprisingly good.

Otter had the day off from school today, so she went to work with me. We splurged and had Mexican food for lunch. Then we went to visit Miss Dorothy after work and she looked better than I've seen her in nearly a year. She's a little on the frail side, but she is 92 after all. But she looks wonderful and Otter especially enjoyed getting to see her today. Otter considers Miss Dorothy and her husband (my 93 year old boss) to be her great-grandparents and they return the affection. After the visit, we went to Border's Book Store. Otter didn't quite buy her weight in books, but she did try. She combined a sale special, a $5.00 reward card and a 30% off coupon today. She's a smart shopper, that's for sure.

Bill was off today, too. He spent the day at home working on a pachinko machine. He's nearly through with this particular machine. He's still got several waiting in the garage.

The dogsters spent today outside, where they probaby slept most of the day. Bill didn't want them inside today since he was dealing with a lot of very small parts and Maggie will catch things that fall before they hit the ground. Then she eats them. So they went outside. But since it was in the low 60's and sunny today, I don't feel a bit sorry for them.

2nd Sunday - Pictures Pictures Pictures

This is Bonita, Otter's creature. Bonita is spanish for pretty.


Kid#3's hat. And my arms/hand. It matches the scarf I made for Kid#3, same yarn but a different stitch.

My hat. And the aforementioned limbs. The yarn matches the scarf I made for myself a while back, then frogged and redid completely different! The stitch is different, it's the same as Kid#3's hat pattern/stitch. It was a really fun project.

This is the latest scarf I made for Otter. It wasn't quite finished in this picture, I added fringe to it after the picture was taken. It's about twice as long as a standard scarf, at her request.

A closer view. This yarn was lovely, until I started working with it. Lion Brand, I think - I think it's called suede but we usually refer to it as velour or chenille. I'd call it something else, but I don't say those words! It went together wonderfully, it's soft & Otter says it's very warm. So I would consider making something else out of it.

The pouch I made for Virginia. It's not quite finished, I discovered that I'm out of the pearl buttons I use to make the closure. Also, this one is done slightly differently from the previous ones - it's turned "sideways" and I think it turned out well. I got the yarn last week, I'd been looking for a special one for her and I found it at Hobby Lobby. It's called Candy Corn! I still have plenty, I'll find a use for it eventually.

The scarf is from a couple of weeks back, I made it when we were on vacation over Christmas and the next week. It took me a couple of days, scarves don't normally take long but the yarn was so hard to work with. The other stuff was all yesterday's projects. I started the hat for Kid#3 Friday evening and finished it on Saturday, then I did mine start to finish in a couple of hours yesterday. Virginia's pouch only took me about 30 minutes yesterday.

Kid#3, I'll be mailing your hat to you at your college address. Sometime this week, I'll email Froggy and let her know.

Sunday Wasabi

Wasabi is a condiment. At least in Otter's world it is! I've never tried it, but it's supposed to be melt-your-brain hot. Maybe eventually. I like hot spices, but I also like to be able to taste what I'm eating so I tend to avoid the really hot stuff so my taste buds don't get burnt out!

Anyway.

Bubba & Bubba did get the rest of our firewood delivered. They brought it sometime during the day Thursday, it was stacked neatly on the outside of the fence when Otter got home from school. When Bill got home from work, it got moved to the back yard and stacked it on the wood rack. Now we are fully supplied. Which of course means that the weather got warm.

UFO progress report: I've finished Kid#3's hat and made mine, I made a pouch for Virginia and I put two or three rows on the blanket I'm making for Bill. The blanket is a work in progress, it's a way to use up small amounts of yarn that I don't have a use for so it's a long-term project. Which is fine with me! It's a fun pattern. I'm also working on my latest pillow cover, I started it but I haven't had a chance to get back to it. I'm also going to get back to the arm warmers that Otter wanted, I've come up with a pattern that will work. I couldn't find one that would do what I wanted, so I created my own.

I will eventually post pictures of the caps and so forth, but my camera has finally officially bit the dust. I guess I need to dig up the old digital camera, the one that uses floppy discs.

My picnic basket is beginning to show signs of wear. It's coming undone at the bottom on the back side. It holds my yarn, so it is something that I'll replace when I have to. Apparently, they are very collectible and I have one of the more popular ones. Which I find surprising, I got it at an antique/junk/fun/collectible store for $3.00 2 years ago. Froggy, the one where you found Scooter's puzzles. In fact, Froggy you were with me when I bought it - the first time you came to see us and we stopped there after we'd picked up Otter from church camp.

I've also found lots of Fenton there, so I might have to schedule a shopping trip there in the (very near) future. :)

Now, I hear my yarn calling me. Oh yeah - funny story: Yesterday, Otter was making something. She likes the so-called Ugly Dolls and she decided she could make one. So when we went to Hobby Lobby Friday, she found some fabric and googly eyes. Then she made a pattern yesterday, cut it out and sewed it together. When it came time to make hair for the creature, she was stumped. She came up with an idea. Here's the funny part - she actually had to ask me if I had any yarn!

Please Pray

for the people of Haiti. They are in desperate need.

Here are a few links for anyone interested in donating to the relief efforts. Their need is so great right now, anything at all that you could donate would help them.

http://www.redcross.org/ I'm not a fan of the Red Cross, but when they do their job they do it well.

http://crs-blog.org/ You don't have to be Catholic to donate to the Catholic Relief.

http://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/www_usn_2.nsf The Salvation Army is one of the best there is.

http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umcor/give/ This link might not work, but it's the only one I could find. UMCOR is the United Methodist Church, and they do a great deal around the world. If the link doesn't work for you, try Google and maybe you can find a better one.

http://www.sbc.net/redirect.asp?ci=1009&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ebaptistglobalresponse%2Ecom%2Fnew%2Fgiving%2Ephp This is the Southern Baptist Church's link. They are also in areas where quite a few people won't go.

Pray. Pray hard. And then pray some more.

Some Mid-Week Rambling Thoughts

It's been a busy week and it's only half over!

Today, we had firewood delivered. We called the man we usually buy it from, we refer to him affectionately as Bubba. And his helper is also Bubba. They are funny, but they get the job done and reasonably. They were supposed to come out at 11:30 this morning, I was going to arrange my lunch hour to meet them. But he called me earlier, he had to get the brakes fixed in his truck so he wanted to reschedule me so I set it up for 3:30. Which meant that my after-school plans with Otter had to be rearranged. She wants to go to Hobby Lobby, which will probably be Friday after work. Tomorrow, I have to get groceries and then get home by 4:30 so Bubba & Bubba Jr. can bring the rest of the wood. They were a little short.

The rest of our plans today included the library, which we have rescheduled for Sunday afternoon. One of the branch locations is open on Sundays and it's our favorite one. So we'll take care of Otter's book needs then. She's got plenty to read until then, so she won't be deprived.

Bill got another pachinko machine today. He saw this one on Craigslist, which is where most of them have come from. Today's addition is in pretty good shape, he might clean it up and possibly sell it. He's planning on keeping 4 for himself and probably selling the rest. But that is subject to change.

I am working on my UFO's. I finished both throw pillows, the second one is the one Bill requested I make with camo yarn. Because the crochet part is a granny square, there were lots of "holes" for the pillow to show through so I sewed a dark green cover for it first, then put the crochet square on the outside and it looks pretty good. I have two more throw pillows, one is going to be fabric covered with lace and the fabric is cut, partially pinned and on my "to get to" shelf. The other one is going to be another crochet covered one, I bought light blue yarn today for one side and a varigated light blue/pale green yarn for the other side. It's called Ocean and it's really pretty. But I'm not sure when I'm going to start on it, as I'm also working on one other UFO - a lavender hat. And then maybe a couple more hats.

Then I think I might be caught up with sewing and crochet projects. But don't ask me about my craft projects waiting on my workbench out in the garage!

Is It True?

Is Bill actually a Good Boy?

Never.

Couldn't happen.

Not in a million years.

Except that it did.

He came home from work today, bearing a certificate and a Lowe's gift card. And the news that he gets to park in the 1st parking space for the next month.

All because somebody he works with thinks he's a Good Boy.

At least for the monoth of January, he's the Employee of the Month.

But he's not a Good Boy! Just ask Otter.

Sunday Honey Mustard

Today's title also courtesy of Otter!

It's still fairly cold, but I think it might be above freezing. It's sunny anyway, and not windy. Next week should be cold nights with above freezing days so maybe we'll see the end of the white spots by the end of the week. Hope so, anyway!

Otter and I saw the first Robin of the year just now. It was standing in the street. Froggy saw a hummingbird in her yard a couple of days ago. We also saw a flock of geese heading north this afternoon. The geese were low enough that they could have just been pond hopping. I refilled my bird feeders yesterday morning - while it was very cold and also snowing. There were several cardinals, a few chickadees, some sparrows, a bunch of starlings (vermin!) and a woodpecker. We haven't seen the squirrel in a few days, but he likes to haunt the feeder at the end of the trellis because he can climb down to it. He does try to get to the feeders on the metal poles, but he winds up doing the squirrel version of pole dancing! It's funny to watch, he keeps trying and eventually will figure it out. They are smart animals, at least when it comes to getting food.

Willie and I went to Talequah this afternoon. Froggy - we were pretty close to the Cherokee place we went to last summer. He now has 3 more pachinko machines in his collection. I'm not sure, but I think he's now got around 7 of them. These were in fairly good shape, he'll have to clean them and that can be labor-intensive and time consuming, but they seem to be in good working order. Bill's just happy that they were too big for the cars, it gave him a chance to take the White Lightning out and cruise down the highway. I think the car enjoyed the run, I know the driver did! (No, he didn't let me drive this time. Darn.)

No more Fenton finds lately, but I haven't been anywhere to look for it since our vacation week. Weather & car issues kept me from shopping! But I have managed to get a lot of crochet projects done. I finished one throw pillow yesterday, it has different varigated colors on each side and I am nearly finished with the throw pillow that Bill requested - camoflauge yarn to match the quilt he made. I'm making an effort to get a few UFO's taken care of. (Un Finished Objects). I had put them aside to make a few things for Christmas.

Movie review: Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. It was kind of cute, but don't see it if you are expecting it to be like the wonderful children's book that Otter loved when she was young. The story was ok, but it was refreshing to watch a movie for once that didn't have much of an agenda. But other than the title, it doesn't have much in common with the original story.

I guess that's it for today. Not much went on this week, just work and weather and car issues. And crochet, of course.

Frasier Friday

It's mee! My mommm tooked a picture of me and look at how beeutiful I amm. Cept for Maggiee, she jumped into my picture because shee's jjealous of mee.

I want my grasss to come back, there iss all this white stuff on the outside places and it's ccoldd. Wee don't like it. Mommm said it is called snoww and ice. I like to eat ice. But not thisss kind.

It makes my paws cold. Can you make it go away? Pleease. I promise I'll be gooood. I'm always a gooood boy, I'm Frasier.

Baby, It's Cold Outside! (Edited)

And I'm so glad I'm inside.

Of course, the inside I'm referring to is home.

I did try to go to work today. But neither of the two cars in my driveway wanted me to do that. I think I have a dead battery in my car, the Impala. It wouldn't start, but it didn't act like it was because it's so cold. The El Camino, however, just plain doesn't like the cold! And it won't start for anything.

Not that I blame it!

Bill leaves for work at 6:00 a.m. I don't have to leave until about 7:30. I love my remote start feature, and I generally start the car about 10 minutes before I need to leave when it's really cold. Like today. It was 15 degrees when we got up this morning, but it is very windy and I think it's a safe bet to say that we've already reached our high for the day. I've tried a couple of times to get my car started, and it's not cooperating. So, I am home today with the Otter and two furry stinky dogs. Bill wasn't where he could come home and get me, and I did thinking about calling somebody for a ride but I have the time to take off so I decided to just use a day. When Bill gets home this evening, he's going to look at my car and then we'll most likely have to go buy me a new battery.

Wish the car would have done this yesterday, when it was at the mechanics!

Since I've been home, I've gotten all my laundry done and also cleaned the kitchen. And made a loaf of bread. And did a little crochet, which was difficult because of my winter skin. And watched the news on tv at noon. And played with two doggies. And visited with Otter, although she didn't get up until close to 10:00!

Not that I blame her. It was a good morning to sleep in. She gets another one tomorrow. Although I probably won't be waiting for her to wake up since I anticipate being at work, and I won't do the chores that were originally on her list. Lucky girl!

(Edit) It was the battery. Bill got home a little early, pulled the old battery out of the car and we took it to the auto parts store to be tested. Which took a while, as their tester wasn't working right. They eventually got a reading, and it was bad. So we bought a new one, brought it home and Bill put it in. The car started right up. And it's colder than it was this morning.

California Thoughts

My body is in Oklahoma, but my heart will always be in TEXAS.

Today, my thoughts are in California.

And one thought directed at the Aggies - I support your team (when we are not playing each other). And I would support your team if they'd made it this far. Think about that before you comment, please.

Today's Weather Report is Brought To You by the Letter C

As in COLD!

The forecast for Thursday and Friday is so far down on the thermometer that most local school districts have already cancelled classes both days. I have to say, I agree with the decision - otherwise they might have popsicles waiting at the bus stops instead of students! Otter's pleased, it means she can sleep in. I'm also not too upset about it, I would have taken her to school anyway since the extreme cold can aggravate her asthma. And this way, the pupsters can stay indoors. They'll probably snooze all day anyway.

Which might not be a bad idea, considering that we have an arctic cold front barreling down on us.

Sunday Soy Sauce

Today's title suggested by Otter!

I'm not glad that this week is over. It's been a good vacation. I like my job. I just don't want to go back to it yet! But real life starts tomorrow, sigh.

I forgot to mention in my last post that the Fenton match holder I bought (for next to nothing) was cracked at the bottom. But since I wanted the handle, and it was very cheap (always good!), it wasn't a big deal. I took the handle off and put it on the green one anyway, which was my original plan. At the moment, the amber kettle is sitting on the entertainment center with the rest of the Fenton. But it might eventually be moved out to the garage, where I have several assorted pieces of broken glass (some is Fenton) which will - eventually/one of these years/someday/maybe/if I ever get around to it - be used in a mosaic project I have in mind.

We're having a home day today. We had planned on going to church, but we didn't watch the clock and it was too late by the time we realized it. So we stayed home and are doing stuff around the house instead. Otter and I have been doing laundry and I helped Bill with some reorganizing/cleaning out in the garage. We had to make a little room for something out there, so I took advantage and swept. It was pretty bad!

Bill's also playing with his toy, which means he's working on refurbishing another pachinko machine. He finished the first one, it looks great and is now shrink-wrapped and stored in the garage. When he gets them all finished, he's going to start building a case/cabinet for them and they'll be moved into the office at that point. Which will mean that he'll have to clean off the shelf unit that holds some of his misc. junk such as labels we don't use much anymore, postage scale, general clutter. I think he's going to move the shelf out to the shed or possibly put it in the garage attic since he's badly in need of shelving up there. But that's not for a while, there are a whole lot of steps to cleaning up the machines and fixing anything that might be broken. Until then, he's got a hobby that shouldn't require the use of too many power tools which is always a Good Thing with Willie.

We still have some snow on the ground, it's probably not going to be above freezing for several days so it will hang around. If we get enough sun, it will start to melt again but I think we're in for cloudy days this next week. There was more snow last night, but we just got a trace amount. However, the bird feeders are now empty again so Otter and I might get them refilled this afternoon. Glad I bought 40 pounds of birdseed last week when Atwood's had it on sale!

And since it is still so cold, like I need an excuse, I'm going to make chili. With buffalo. It's really good. Otter wants to know, what do buffalo say? Moo?

First Friday of 2010

2010 starts with Friday! It's gotta be a good year! :)

It also started with a little Fenton, I found a match holder which resembles a bucket at a store yesterday when I found the Rose piece. The match holder originally came with a metal handle, they are not really common pieces anymore and finding them with the handle is even less common. It's green, really a pretty piece. Today, Otter wanted to go to a "junktique" store we love and they had a match holder in amber with the handle. Needless to say, it came home with me. I now have two match holders, so I'm probably set as far ast they go. I also saw a few other pieces I liked but either had enough of already (rare for that too happen!) or they were out of my preferred price range.

I've noticed something recently. While I am still seeing a lot of milk glass, not just Fenton but frequently in the hobnail pattern, it seems like I'm seeing more and more clear colors in Fenton but again, not just Fenton. I'm thinking that the collecting trend is changing, away from milk glass and towards clear colors. Which is fine with me!

It's still cold, it's coat weather mostly. But it's also sunny and even though we're still below freezing, we've been above a couple of times and with the sunshine the snow is melting. Which means that muddy season is starting. As Frasier and Maggie can attest! When Otter and I got home from our errands, we let the dogs in. And then we promptly had to tackle Frasier and clean his feet! He was not amused, and he immediately ran back outside to refill his feet with plenty of mud. We had to let the carpet spots dry, then Otter ran the vacuum and it looks good for now. But probably not for long!

It's been a good vacation. We've gotten a lot of stuff done around the house, had plenty of family time and really enjoyed Christmas. Otter and I did manage to get quite a bit of shopping in, of course! We got another piece for her bathroom today, all she needs now is a trash can and I'm going to repaint the shelf & kleenex box cover. It's turning out really nicely, the burgundy shower curtain is a really good color and it looks very nice.

Well, Bill just informed me that he's heading out to the garage to do some de-cluttering so I guess I'd better go with him. It's less stressful that way! At least, for me that is. :)

Happy New Year!