Listen Up, Varmint!

Monday is February 2, which is also known as groundhog day.

 

OK, Varmint.  You better get it right this year.  Otherwise:

 

GROUNDHOG STEW

1 dead goundhog (cleaned with glands removed)
2 large yellow onions, sliced

1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1 cup water
1 cup vinegar
Flour, salt, pepper, cloves

Directions

1. Slice groundhog into large chunks.
2. Soak overnight in a solution of 1 cup water with 1 cup vinegar plus with one sliced onion and a sprinkle of salt.
3. Drain, rinse chunks, and wipe dry.
4. Parboil 20 minutes, drain, and cover with fresh boiling water.
5. Add one sliced onion, celery, carrots, a few cloves, and salt and pepper to taste.
6. Cook until tender; thicken gravy with flour.

 

Yes, this is a real recipe.  I found it on the internet.  But Froggy originally suggested stew, I was kind of thinking of grilling groundhog shishkabobs.

Changed Partially

We have the new internet service and it seems to work fine.  For the internet, anyway.

 

We are having issues with the email.  It received my new confirmation emails from the new company without any issues.  But since then, it's not retrieving the new email.  We'll get it worked out, eventually.

 

I think it's sending from the new email, but I want to get it fixed before I send out a mass "new address" email.

 

However, since I've been online for a while trying to get the email issue straightened out - the internet has not crashed one time!!!

Changes Coming Tomorrow

We're changing internet providers officially tomorrow.  We will still keep the old carrier for a couple of days, to give us time to get everything switched over.  Email mostly, but Bill has some Pachinko Restorations stuff that he'll have to attend to.  Cox is coming out tomorrow, they say between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m., and that it should only take 1 - 1 1/2 hours.  We'll see on both of those!

 

After it's all installed, up and running without any issues I'll call the current carrier and arrange to have the internet turned off with them.  We have decided to go ahead and turn off the satellite tv service like we were talking about.  We just never watch it anymore.  We watch PBS a couple of times a week for specific shows, there are the "big 3" networks but we really don't watch them that often.  We watch one of them (NBC usually) and switch between it and Fox for news coverage.  There are a lot of small local stations, we watch more of them than anything else.  The surround system we've had for several years is on it's way out anyway, we were going to take it out once it quit for good but it's not hooked up to the local only to the dish so Bill's going to take it out in the next few days.  That will leave two small shelves on the entertainment center that should hold the rest of the dvd/blu-rays we have.

 

I cleaned up the dog yard this afternoon, it needs to be cleaned out at least once a week but I don't always remember.  It was Otter's job when she lived here and I keep forgetting about it.  It was not too bad this time because it's only been a week since the last time I cleaned it - as opposed to 3 weeks between cleanings the last time!  The installers might have to trench the yard a bit to run the lines, the customer service rep said that she's pretty sure they can just attach to the old lines that were there (and buried) but we're pretty sure that our current carrier's installers cut those lines and dug part of them up when they did their installation.  So, the dog yard has been cleaned up a bit for them, although I'm sure the dogsters will still have time to leave a few "presents" for them!

 

I've also been doing some research on switching health insurance carriers, since the deadline of March 31 is bearing down on us.  I've talked to a few companies and gotten a lot of information, we think we know which company we are going with but we aren't actually switching yet.  Mostly likely, it will be the old one ending on March 31 and the new one taking over April 1.  I did confirm that the story about "no pre-existing conditions" is true, so Otter will be covered as far as her asthma care.  We'll still have a huge deductible that we will probably never meet, but at least her annual visit will go towards the deductible instead of going nowhere.  Also, Bill's skin cancer will be covered although it will also apply to the deductible.  But that is still better than it not being covered at all.  The premium is going to go up, that can't be avoided.  But I really didn't expect to find major medical coverage for 3 of us for under $500.00/month like we have now.

 

We got the pachinko machines moved out of the attic access in the garage last night.  Bill got up into the attic and checked the wiring he installed when the current carrier installed the service, at the time he ran cable himself to be able to have service in the rooms we wanted it in.  He wanted to make sure he got the right one marked to be sure the new installers hook up to the correct lines.  It would kind of be a problem if they hooked up the new service to the wrong lines!  The machines are staying out of the way for a while, Otter is going to go through the boxes that are stacked in the corner of her old room and see what she wants to store.  Some of them are her journals, some have some of her artwork in them and some of them just have "stuff."  She was in a packing frenzy as the moving day got closer and she thinks that some of the boxes were just filled with whatever she could grab to put in them so it would be out of the way.  She might take some of it back to her apartment, some of it may be donated.  But I think the majority of it going to be put up in the attic.  We pulled 4 boxes out of the stack yesterday after moving machines, they are in the center of her old room.  There are still about 4 boxes stacked.  She'll be here Thursday to do laundry and will go through at least the 4 in the floor.  She and I are going to take the huge pile of books to the used book store on Saturday, they are piled/stacked along the wall in the entrance way.  After we get back from that, we're going to go through whatever boxes are still stacked - I don't think she knows that yet! :)  The craft stuff in the garage on my shelf can wait, it's more important to get the garage-bound boxes taken care of first and out of the way.

 

Froggy, you'll have a place to sleep when you visit!  There may still be some boxed stuff, but not very much.  What you will actually be sleeping on, however, is still under discussion.

30 Years!

This is our 30th anniversary.  We had a take-home pizza from Little Ceasar's, followed by a slice of the pineapple upside down cake I made last night.

 

Then we moved pachinko machines around in the garage to get the out of the way of the attic access ladder!

 

Still, it beats the one year where we were putting in a new sewer line and we spent out anniversary on the business end of shovels digging a very long & very deep trench!

Gusty Sunday

It's windy.  Very windy.  Like I needed an anchor when I was outside earlier!  I have to get out again in a couple of hours, I'm Otter's transportation home from work today since Bill needs the car tomorrow.  Otter had the car most of last week and drove it to work today, then I dropped Bill off there when I was running an errand and he got the car.  But since it sounds "howly" outside the window, I don't think the wind has died down at all.

 

Froggy, I started on KN#3's blanket earlier today.  I texted you (and her) a picture of the first row.  I have a couple more rows on it now.  I have several projects going, which is how I like to be.  Bill has a pachinko machine on the way to get restoration work and pin polishing is part of the work it needs.  I'm the "official pin polisher" so I'm trying to get as much crochet done as I can while I still can - pin polishing kills my arm muscles for crochet for a few days.

 

I'm really enjoying having a craft space.  I am working on a recipe box for Otter, she knows about it - she picked out the box.  But she doesn't know exactly how it's going to be "decorated" and won't know until I get it finished.  I'm also going to have two other craft projects soon.  One is the clock I think I've mentioned before - I'm going to make a clock with a wooden tray; I'm going to attach a crocheted doily to the inside front of the tray and the clock parts will be put on it.  I'm also going to be making a shadow box, which I might have mentioned before as well.  I had a small shadow box that Mom made, it had specific items belonging to AJ but the frame fell out of it and I decided it was a little too small so I didn't repair it.  I have some items that were Mom's and I'm going to put all the stuff together in a larger box.  I bought some fabric that will be the backing.  I bought a clear plastic box-style picture frame but it wasn't big enough either so I took it back to Michaels and found a bigger one.  What I bought isn't actually a shadow box, it's a box with a plexiglass lid but it will work fine.  I priced actual shadow box frames and they are outrageous - like $90+ for the size I wanted.  The box I bought was somewhere in the $10.00 range and it will actually work better.  The lid looks like a picture frame, but it doesn't latch shut.  Bill looked at it and he thinks he can attach a magnetic closure like he uses on some of the pachinko machine wall-mounted cabinets he makes.

 

We are possibly going to change internet providers.  We had a bad time with Cox a few years ago and finally switched to the phone company we use - it's not Bell/AT&T or whatever they are called.  The only one available where we live is a smaller carrier and it was fine at first.  But there are so many houses out here now and only so much bandwith available.  The internet literally spends more time down than it does up.  After the fiasco with someone cutting the lines a few months back, it's gotten worse.  The wires being cut was not the companies' fault, the problem was their reaction to it and the lies they kept telling me about how it was fixed when they hadn't even sent out a repair crew.  We may well be going back to Cox.  A lot of the problem we had with them was similar - the lines were being cut on a regular basis by construction crews and they were not sympathetic to their customers.  But the houses are pretty much all built now.  Their service was good, that was never the problem.  The current service is becoming a serious problem.  Bill's going to talk to Cox and see what it would take to get service with them again - mostly the monthly fee.  Otter's internet service is through them and she told me what she pays, it should probably be similar.  We'll let everyone know when we make the switch, as the email addresses will be changed.

 

And at the same time, we are probably going to do away with the satellite service.  We both realized at about the same time that we hardly ever watch it.  We have a boatload of local stations and we generally watch them.  When Otter was younger, she watched more of the satellite than we did.  If Cox's service is higher than what we pay now for internet, and it might be because we may have a bundled package discount, we will still be seeing a cheaper cost because the satellite is a big chunk of what we pay each month.  We are not going to change the phone service, at least not yet.  We have a lot of issues with it, like every time it rains!  Although that is better, because we've been able to address each leaky spot in the buried lines when we have rain issues.  They are still there, just less problems.  Also, we want a landline.  There have been a few times when we've had weather related issues where the power might be out for a few days and that includes cell towers!  We have pretty good cell service, but the towers only have a certain amount of battery power and eventually they run out.

 

Tomorrow is our 30th Anniversary.  We're celebrating big:  I'm picking up pizza from Little Ceasar's on the way home!

It's Pie Day!!!

Not to be confused with Pi Day, which is in March.

I made one of these last night and we'll get into it tonight:

(That's not mine, it's a stock photo)

Yes, Froggy.  We will have ice cream with it.

Go get some pie!  (You can also have pie on Pi Day, you just have to wait a couple of months.)

Sleet, Freezing Rain, Flurries or Nothing at All

That, in a nutshell, is our weather forecast for tonight and early tomorrow morning.

 

I guess that the forecasters think that if they say everything is possible, they will get it right.  Makes sense?  No, but apparently it does to the forecasters.

 

It has been very dry lately, we really do need some rain.  Just not the frozen variety.  There have been several grass fires in the area.  I watered the crepe myrtles Monday evening and I soaked the honeysuckle tonight.  And maybe the clematis, I'm not really sure if it's still there or not!  If it doesn't come back, I'll put a rosebush in where it was.  If it does come back, I'll still put a rose somewhere but maybe not this year.

 

Tomorrow, if it's not frozen (it shouldn't be in the afternoon), I'm going to water the tulip bed.

 

Blogger has made a few changes lately.  So far, I'm not impressed.  My blog looks different, but that wasn't my doing.

 

I haven't been able to crochet for several days.  Winter skin is back!  I had a split on my right thumb, it actually woke me up the other night when it split.  Hurt like the dickens!  It was just about healed, but yesterday the steering wheel slipped a little bit and it just about tore that same thumbnail off.  So, now I have an even bigger ouchie spot on my right thumb and this time it's under the nail a bit.  The nail is split at the edge, but I don't want to cut it off because it would have to go so far back into the quick.  It better heal quickly, I get very cranky when I don't get to crochet!

 

Michaels stores must really hate me.  They had all their yarn on sale again this week.  I pretty much have everything non-wool that they sell but this time I did find a few things I needed.  Need, not want!  I got 6 skeins of a smaller gauge, soft & silky yarn by Caron.  I've used it before, I made my turquoise shawl out of it and also Otter's rust colored scarf & hat.  It's really soft and I enjoy working with it.  I had a little bit of that type already but not much.  Otter wanted to go with me so I waited until she came over to do laundry after work yesterday.

 

Yesterday was also 50-cent corndog day at Sonic.  Otter must know her dad pretty well, because she texted me a picture of the Sonic sign the other day with instructions to let him know about it.  So, I did.  And he asked me every day if it was corndog day!  Boy likes his corndogs, a lot.  Anyway, I got his corndogs and also got dinner for myself and Otter was willing to let me buy her dinner as well.

 

My feet are nice & toasty.  I have a beagle in a blanket!  Kind of like a pig in a blanket.  She's just about that round!  Actually, she has lost a little bit of weight.  Frasier is snoozing at my feet also, but he's not a fan of blankets.  Also, he isn't snoring as loud as the beaglebrat is.

 

Guess that's it for tonight.

Guess I Should Post Something On Here

It is Sunday, after all.  And I haven't posted in a couple of days.  So, before Froggy reminds me, here goes!!

 

At the moment, I think we are fixin to have one of these:

All the signs are there of an imminent carpet shark attack!

(Nevermind, she curled up on top of the blanket at my feet and went to sleep - the same blanket that she was sleeping under a few minutes ago.)

 

It's been a busy weekend.  Otter was off work yesterday, since she had the first Saturday off that she's had in several weeks she wanted to go shopping.  We hit the Main Street shopping in our small town and had a lot of fun.  I found one of these:

 

It's the larger size (this is a stock photo and not the one I bought).  It was $7.00.  $7.00!!!  I had to look at the price tag 3 or 4 times because I simply could not believe I was reading it right.  It could have easily had another digit either before or after the 7, and it still would have sold.  I went from having a few silver crest (clear edge) and none of the colored edges and now I have 3 (or maybe 4?) gold crest and one pink crest.  It was at the place where we used to have our booth.  There is another particular piece I'm thinking about, but I haven't decided yet.

 

It's one of these:

 

There are actually two, one is Amber (like this) and one is blue.  I like the blue one better, but the Amber one still has it's original Fenton sticker label.  They are both $10.00 and if I buy one, it will be one and not both.  $10.00 is a very good price, but I'd prefer to pay less per item if I were to buy both.

 

Today's adventures included cleaning the dog yard, it's been a couple of weeks since I tackled it and they left me a lot of "presents!"  I also went to the place where we have our booth and looked at a thrift shop.  And ran to Ace Hardware for Billyboy - twice, once by myself and once to take him.  After the 2nd trip, the one where I took him, we stopped at Braums for ice cream sundaes.

 

We had chili for dinner tonight.  I am not exaggerating when I saw I used at least 1 cup of chili powder.  And it was barely even warm!  Warm as in pepper and not cooking heat.  It's a fairly new bottle of chili powder.  Maybe we are finally getting immune?  I hope not!

Is It Still Winter?

 

Cause you can't tell by the local forecast!

 

This time last week it was pretty much the opposite.

 

I like this one better!  It's been nice to have the sun out today.

 

I am a little under the weather today anyway.  I have not felt 100% this week, there has been a lot of stressful issues we/I've had to deal with lately and I also have not slept very well - one might be aggravating the other, I don't know.  But I've also been having some cold bug-type issues and woke up this morning very congested.  So, I called in.  I've mostly been home on the couch, except for when I had to go get Otter so she could have the car for the next few days.  I'm feeling a lot better this afternoon, so I no longer think I'm coming down with a cold.

 

When I picked up Otter we stopped at Wallyworld so I could get milk.  They weren't crowded but they were getting that way.  As we walked out, it looked like the floodgates were opened and customers were flooding in.  Kind of reminded me of Black Friday!  We noticed that they have started stocking swimsuits.  It's still January!

 

I think it is, anyway.

Wednesday Rambles

I came across this on the internet while ago:

 

It's Obvious Who the Best WHO is!

 

(I'm not responsible for any un-family friendly comments but there may be some, so I'm just posting a link and you are at your own risk.)

 

I don't necessarily agree with all the rankings on the list, but there really is only one Dr. Who:

Just thought I'd put that out there!

 

On another, completely unrelated note, Otter came over this afternoon to bring the car back and visit with her dad.  They were sitting on the couch talking when I got home.  Neither of the dogs wanted to leave Otter long enough to greet me at the door!  Guess I know where I rank with the poochsters...  :)

When Otter was little, like about 4 or 5 or thereabouts, she loved green apple flavored gatorade.  It was a treat, we would occasionally get it for her and she was always very happy with it.  Then gatorade quit making it.  She's never really quit mourning the loss, actually.  Even now, 15 or so years later, when we happen to see gatorade or buy it there is always - always - a discussion that follows and it always centers around how much she misses the green apple flavor.  Today, I went to Big Lots.  AND I FOUND GREEN APPLE GATORADE!  I texted Otter a picture of my hand holding a bottle and no words.  The answering text I got back from her was "getitgetitgetit" so I think she figured it out!  I think you could say I made Otter's year today.  It's a limited release and probably won't be available for long, but she was still glad to get it.  I bought 5 bottles and we looked at another store but they didn't have any of it.  I was at the store close to work, I think they might still have had a few more bottles so I think I'm going to go back there on my lunch hour tomorrow and get as many as I can.  I don't think that they had too many to start with, but I'm pretty sure there were at least a few more bottles.

 

I have a very happy Otter today!

Tired Tuesday

I didn't sleep too well last night and I've been draggy all day.  I guess that's a good title, then?

 

I posted a recipe on the cooking blog just now.  I haven't posted anything on it in months, because I kind of ran out of recipes and either haven't found a new one that sounded good or didn't like it.  I finally found one today, although I should probably give credit where it's due:  Bill saw a commercial for chicken pot pies made with biscuits so I made them tonight.  They were good, but I think Bill liked them more than I did.

 

We figured out something about Maggie Moo.  She likes their blankets, Frasier usually stays off of them.  We used to think he was playing with the blankets when they were at the end of the couch, he would move them around and use his feet.  But after we moved their blankets to the spot beside the fireplace, we realized that he was still snoozing in their spot at the end of the couch and had no interest in the blankets.  Maggie Moo, however, seems very happy that the blankets are closer to the fireplace.  So, they are now referred to as Maggie Moo's blankets.  She has a tendency to mess the blankets around until they are in a pile, and it gets annoying when she digs around in them.  Bill suggested I cover her up with them when she was digging around the other day, and she went right to sleep!  Since then, I've covered her up a few times and she immediately takes a nap.  Turns out, all this time she's just been trying to cover herself up with her blankies!  Silly baby.

 

Frasier is still quite happy with his blanket-free spot at the end of the couch.  Or at my feet when I'm sitting on the couch.

 

Spoiled bratties!

Not Ready!!!

RUN!

Monday's coming.  And there doesn't seem to be anything we can do about it.

 

Sigh.

 

It's been a good weekend.  I'm just not ready for it to be over, is all.  I went to the library yesterday, when the book bag gets too heavy to carry is how I determine that I have enough books.  Otter's method for measuring the number of books she has is when the stack of books is equal to (or over) her height, or when the stack weighs more than she does.  Either way works!

 

Otter was over today, she started out the day with a migraine and texted me that she wasn't sure if she'd make the entire day or not but then her headache got a lot better and she was able to work her entire shift.  When she got off work, she came over and brought her laundry.  While her clothes were in the washer, we ran up to the dollar store.  We also stopped at Sonic for lunch to bring home.  She spent several hours over here, part of the time was spent playing with the dogs.  The Beaglebrat was very happy to see Otter, so was the Chupacabra, but Beaglebrat still claims Otter has her person.  We had a really nice visit with her, and I think she enjoyed it too.  We might not see her again for a few days, but she is off next Saturday and she's requested a shopping day.  Which I am happy to oblige her on!  We were going to the Tulsa Flea Market but they are not open next Saturday.  They are open most Saturdays, but of course they aren't open on the day that Otter can go!  Well, maybe the next Saturday she's off.  At any rate, we have several shops we want to go to on Saturday.

 

I washed the afghan this morning.  I'd been putting it off.  It needed it, the aforementioned beaglebrat gave it a good licking not too long back.  I knew it would be fine in the washer, but the yarn is not recommended to be put in the dryer.  I was afraid it might be too heavy to put it on the only place big enough to dry it - the shower curtain rod.  But it worked fine, and it's now clean and dry.

 

I managed to get quite a bit done on Otter's poncho this morning.  I'm probably about 1/2 way done with the first half.  She's decided that she does want to use the light blue yarn for the other half, the one I'm currently working on is lavender.  That was the original plan, but she was thinking about it just being one color - lavender.  I bought the blue yarn when I got the lavender, so I'm probably not going to need to get any more of either color.

 

Darn!  :)

Does Anybody Know What Day it is?

Not Friday, that's for sure.

 

It was cold today.  I mean COLD!  It was in the low 20's when we got up, and that was the high temp for the day.  It was a downhill run all day, it was supposed to be even colder by late afternoon - about the time I'd be getting off work and possibly going to the grocery store.  So, I decided to run a couple of errands at lunch instead.  Which is when the cold front hit, several hours ahead of schedule.  Which I shouldn't have been surprised about, given the fact that the Tulsa forecasters can't predict a hole if they dig it themselves...  (As Bill says!)

 

I just about froze from the car to the door at Wallyworld, and I think I saw a few snowflakes.  The wind was terrible, they were at least right about the -4 windchill factor!  Even if they were wrong on the time.  I got my couple of things (dog food, because the dogsters told me that I would be sleeping outside tonight if I didn't get them more food!) and it the wind was even stronger on the way back to the car.  I got pretty cold going from the car to the door at work, too.

 

Of course, when I got off at 3:30 it was much warmer than it had been an lunch...

 

I put the grocery store off until tomorrow anyway.  It's supposed to be brutally cold in the morning (as opposed to lunchtime today?) but the rest of the day isn't supposed to be so bad.  But, as Bill says, they can't predict a hole...

I Survived...

my first day back at work after being off for a week and a half.

(And I do know that it's only the first day of the workweek!  But the picture fits.)

 

But it wasn't easy!  I didn't want to get up at 5:00 this morning, and I sure didn't want to go outside in the 18 degree, windy weather!

 

The Teenager was hospitalized right after Christmas.  He had been coughing some and not feeling the best, but not acting like he had anything seriously wrong with him.  A couple of days after Christmas, he was suddenly weak and wasn't able to really get up.  So the staff nurse at the retirement village he lives at got an ambulance and got him to the hospital.  Turns out, he had pneumonia.  But none of the usual symptoms, so nobody realized it.  He's been home since Saturday afternoon and he's doing much better.  He's still not back at work, he might be able to come in for a while towards the end of the week.  Until then, he's resting at home.  He has called me more times than I can count today, I love him to pieces but I wanted to take his telephone away from him by about noon today. :)  He could probably use some prayers, also his wife has a slight cold and she's also 98 years young so she could probably use a few as well.

 

As I type this, there is a roaring fire in the fireplace.  I have a blanket over my knees, it was over my legs but a certain speckled beaglebaby is a blanket thief and she's managed to get most of it off of my lap and is now cuddled up on top of it.  Bill's sitting on the other end of the couch.  SNORING.

Sunday Shopping Adventures With Otter

It is Sunday and I did get some shopping in, with Otter.  I just didn't buy anything (besides lunch!) but Otter did.  Well, I bought her some books but that was part of her Christmas presents - she always gets books and always will as part of her Christmas gifts from us.  If she ever has children, they'll get books as well.  But I didn't find anything besides that today.  We went to a few thrift stores and also the antique mall we now have our booth at - she found a purse there.

 

Frasier is very clingy today.  He was actually kind of a pest this morning.  He simply had to have all of my attention and if I wasn't petting him, he shoved his head up underneath my hand.  And he would not take "no" for an answer!  He's a lot more relaxed this afternoon, but he was a brat this morning!  Yes, I did stop what I was doing and pet him each time he decided it was affection time!

 

Bill just got on my bad side.  He reminded me that we have to go back to work tomorrow!  I've really enjoyed my week and a half off, he had a full two weeks.  I got a little crochet done, not as much as I wanted to but at least some.  I got a little crafting done, again not as much as I wanted but I enjoyed what I did manage to get done.  I slept in a lot, and I'm sure the dogsters have enjoyed having us home.  But, it's back to the real world tomorrow.  Ugh.

 

It was very cold today.  18 or thereabouts when Bill got up around 5:30, AND a 35+ mph wind.  The wind calmed down today and it did warm up a little bit, but I don't think we ever actually got over 32.  It's going to be pretty cold tonight, above freezing tomorrow (I think) but it will be extremely cold mid-week.  The fireplace has been blazing all day today, Billyboy and the dogsters have spent most of the day in front of it.  I brought in some more firewood when I got home from my shopping trip, and Bill built the fire up again.  The dogs have once again assumed their usual spots in front of it.

 

We had a nice visit with Otter.  She brought her laundry over and her 2nd load was still in the washer when we left to go shopping.  Bill finished it up for her; he teased her about paying him for doing her laundry by bringing in firewood for him. :)  The dogs were glad to see her, as usual.  But Maggie Moo was crazier than normal when her Otter got here!  She is usually overjoyed, but today she was bouncier (and brattier) than normal.  I think she's missed seeing her Otter, I think the last time Otter was actually over here was the 23rd?

 

Froggy, Otter will see about getting one or hopefully two days off when you and KN#3 are here.  If you haven't gotten your flights arranged, you should probably do that soon.  Because I'm going to hold you to your promise to come see us!

1/1/15

We had a fairly quiet New Year's Eve.  We had BLT's and pina coladas (1 each, we aren't really big partiers) and watched tv.  It was cold so we had a roaring fire in the fireplace.  And we didn't even make it to midight!  I think it was around 10:00 when we gave up and went to bed.  There are almost never any fireworks here at midnight, it's usually too cold and this year was no exception.

 

I woke up at 5:00 this morning when Frasier informed me that he needed to go outside and then I went back to bed.  When I got up at 5:00, I had a lot of sinus pressure.  When I woke up again about 7:00 a.m., I had a full-blown sinus headache and it really hurt.  I was thinking it might be a sinus infection, I had a little bit of a headache yesterday.  I parked myself on the couch and sat upright for a while, Bill had a fire going and I had a footwarmer (in the shape of a beagle) and a blanket.  Bill brought me coffee, motrin and a glass of water, then some bread so I didn't have to take the motrin on an empty stomach.  After I'd been up for a while, the sinus pressure eased and the headache lightened up considerably.  It didn't go away, but it is much less.  I was still thinking sinus infection, but then I remembered that Bill did this same thing a couple of days ago.  I'm watching it, if it is what Bill was dealing with then I'll be better tomorrow.  If not, then I will go get it checked out.

 

It's been cold and will stay that way for a few days.  I put 3 birdfeeders out yesterday and then I had to refill them this morning.  At the moment, I have two larger ones out and also a suet feeder.  We've had the normal billion and one sparrows, plus cardinals.  I've seen several female cardinals at one time and there is usually at least one male in the vicinity.  This morning, there were two males and about 4 females.  It's unusual to see more than one male at a time.  I have also seen two blue jays.  When the birds aren't on the feeders or getting seed that spilled on the ground, they hang out inside the trellis by the porch.

 

(I went to Atwood's yesterday and loaded up on birdseed.  I bought 15 pounds.  I had about 10 pounds on hand already.  When it's cold like this, the birdseed goes fast.  And sometimes it's helped along by two furry, four-footed "birds" that think anything on the ground/floor is fair game!)

 

I got out briefly late this morning.  I went to Wallyworld.  I forgot a few things yesterday when I got a few groceries.  They weren't too crowded but there were more people going in when I left, I'm sure the cold weather and chance of sleet/freezing rain might have something to do with the number of shoppers.

 

I did get the year started out right, though:  With crochet!  I frogged out two rows on the poncho I'm making for Otter and re-did them.  This time, I counted stitches and did it right!  I had plans to work on a couple of craft items, but not with a headache.  Maybe tomorrow.

 

And now, back to my blanket & my beagle and the Twilight Zone marathon on Scy-Fy.