You can see that "IMPALLED" kitty has certainly made a beautiful recovery and installed herself in the sewing room at times.

It was a busy , whirlwind day. It was very cold and horribly windy and I got out early and accomplished all the outdoor chores. Then Crystal came down and since it was her day off I had asked her to take me to town to get feed because she has a truck and in my little Tracker it would take me four trips to town to get it all in my car.

We still did not manage to get it all because that transmission that we had bought for her x-boyfriend is still on the back of her truck taking up half the bed. I man had contacted me to purchase it but I am beginning to think he has backed out as I have not heard from him in over a week. I was SO HOPING a miracle would happen and he could take it off my hands and give me the money to put back on my credit card as it makes it hard to make the payments????

When we got home then the hard work started to unload everything. I managed to get 3 bales of the hay unloaded while Crystal smoked a cigarette and then she got one.

Then we moved on to the Chicken feed  and got it all carried in. I was too tired to get it put in bins -I need more trash cans . They really do help protect the feed from mice during the month, but do not have the extra money to buy them.

Last up to the little shop where I store the donkey food and got it all unloaded. By then I was really bushed.

But I came in and headed to the sewing room and got one more little set of gifts completed before I called it quits.

I got another set of Father/Son caps completed for my Christmas stash. I was not happy with them as they did not want to go together rights and it took a little finagling . They are together, but I just do not feel right about them ????????????????????????????

Time to feed the stove!

End of Janurary Already

It was a busy day. Since I knew Crystal wanted to sleep in this morning I got to head to the s sewing room I got two more of the Winter cap projects cut out and sewed together . These are for two little brothers, so two great-grandsons to me.

I finally called Crystal about 1 and asked her if she would like a bowel of soup before we started cutting wood and she said that would be nice. So we had a 32 bean and 8 vegetable soup with some cornbread sticks and some peanut butter crackers.

Then we headed out and she got the "Wood Truck" started and tried getting it UP the hill, but it would not go without the four wheel drive working??? So, she got "Big Red" -the nice one she drives to work and she went up the hill like there was nothing to it!

The only problem was that there is a big transmission on the back of the truck that we had bought for her xboyfriend -who decided that he did not want it as he went and traded his truck in on a new one! Now we are stuck with a transmission and I am having trouble making my credit card payments????

So we both cut and filled the half of the truck and brought that down to the house and then headed back and cut another half load and brought it down to the house and then it was dark.

I am good and tired and the fibromyalgia is screaming at me but I really HATE that dude-so I am going to fix me a bite to eat and try to knit a bit.

I wanted to add water to the aquariums but the fixture broke that allows me to screw the hose to the water faucet so I will hope to get that piece while I am in town tomorrow as I have asked crystal to take me to get all the critter feed? We will see what the Morrow brings. ~smile~

Sooooo Tired

Me and this NOT SLEEPING is a real killer! It was 3:45AM this morning when I finally dozed off and then was up at 8AM. I know a Lot of people who do not need lots of sleep, but not this ole cookie. I have ALWAYS needed 8 solid hours of sleep -usually for 11PM to 8:30Am ???? So, this is draining my spirit.

I did get up and get some indoor chores done and was thinking about a sewing project when my dear neighbor called me and asked if I would sew two patches on a jacket for him for his job? Would I - Sure I would , after all he has done for me??? He is married to one of my best buds from school and he mowed for me and brought me turnips and worked on my car when it was something I could not do. I was thrilled for the opportunity to even pay him back a Teeny Tiny bit.

It was a little hard for me because of rolling that quilted jacket up to attempt to go under the throat of the machine ??? Then I had trouble seeing the dark threads??? But I knew he would not complain if I did not get every stitch perfect , although I did make sure I caught every corner .

Then I went out and did all the outside chores. It was cold but my new cowl really worked like a charm keeping the wind from down my throat. While Yukon was eating I cleaned out the ashes from Crystal's stove and got a fire started for her. I carried out two buckets and filled one with fallen tree branches for kindling and one with leaves because they make it every easy to start a fire. I carried up a bucket of wood chunks from where I had busted wood and filled her stove and turned it down low.

Then I headed to the house and heard the sound of a little tractor on the road???? I thought -that sounded like Tony when he would come up the road and mow, but there was no mowing now???? Sure enough it was Tony on his tractor with his little trailer behind him filled full of wood! He had gone home and cut a wild cherry and busted it up and it was beautiful. He backed up to the wood rack and we unloaded it. He said well, you are too stubborn to take money ?????

I told him he had such messed up my words because I was going to tell him how grateful I was that he allowed me to do a tiny thing for him to thank him for all he had done for me and look at it now?? I sure thought he had come out " On The Short End of the Stick" Again!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We both laughed and thanked each other . That is what I call a wonderful neighbor!

My chimney is getting stopped up again! It has only been a few weeks since they cleaned it out???? It kept smoking up the house last night. I went out and looked UP at the chimney but I am so darn scared of heights I am afraid to climb up on the roof and go over the peak to get to the chimney???? I studied it several times ???? Then I got down at the little clean out door but it is quiet a distance from where it is stopped up. My arm is not long enough?? I finally found the flexible rod that Crystal had bought and attached to the brush to clean the chimney from the top. I unscrewed one section of it and forced it ever so gently into the small hole and UP towards the stove pipe entrance. I hit a grate that Tim put in there but by poking around I was able to get through the holes and poke at that creosote. It was hard but I finally got some big chunks falling down on my hands. I got quiet a bit- enough that it made a difference in the blowback in the house.

I was getting sick because I had forgotten to eat so I grabbed a bit and started working on my Winter flowers???

 

Do you remember when I tried this last winter??? It is called winter sewing and they say that the seeds know when to wake up? Some seeds need the cold to activate them - I forgot the technical word for it. I had even saved my milk jugs . Two of the jugs have one of watermelon and one of cabbage and all the others are flowers! They did so good last year- except for when the raccoon got on the porch and turned them over-grrrrr! That is why I have put them in a cage this time. They can still get rained on and snowed on -just no raccoon part - I HOPE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The cabbage and watermelon are both OLD seeds so I thought I would take a gamble-no use keeping them if they really are too old. I am low on seeds. 

I made a couple more runs on the new knitting project, but decided not to gamble since I feel so bad I can hardly hold my head up. Crystal says we are cutting wood tomorrow -??? We will see??,

Friday First Knit Project

Today was my second and last knit class. I took my piece that I thought was big enough to complete a cowl and it almost was. She had me do two more rows and then reminded me how to bind off and she showed me how to do a "mattress stitch" to sew it together! So for all my weeks worth of work I now have a cowl I can wear out to work in - in this blue blazing cold weather!

It turned out to be funny because I had thought I was doing a row of knit and a row of purl - but it turned out I was doing a row of knit and a row of reverse knit!  Live and learn.

    Then she had me make swatches of four other stitches so I would know what they look like?  It was very interesting . Now , "remembering' them is a different story-but I do love the look of the seed stitch- also called the moss stitch.

After that she got me started on a new project - one that uses a simple pattern for a simple narrow scarf. I have already started and ripped it out about 5 times or I would have it half completed. LOL

It was a lovely visit - a little hard to concentrate because they were having a class in the same room for felting and I have always been interested in that too. The ladies were all laughing and having so much fun together!

I was concerned that my shoulder would give me some trouble , but instead it is my Neck!  These human bodies just complain, complain, complain.

It is cold tonight and my stove is complaining too. It does not want to put out good heat and it wants to blow back smoke when I try to put wood in. DARN IT! I know it is because I had to keep it turned down during the week that we have had mild temperatures - plus, I have been trying to conserve wood as it is very low again. Crystal says she intends we can cut wood Sunday , but it is calling for some kind of snow?? Her four wheel drive is not working so if the ground is not good and dry her wood truck will not make it up the steep hills? I wanted to get the truck fixed during pretty weather so I could get way back in the back , but she did not want me back there -she said because of  snakes and bees-but I would rather fuss with them instead of not being able to get to wood when I need it ?

This staying warm in the winter time is such a challenge without help . I keep wondering how in the world did the pioneer women survive once they became widows???? They only had axes to cut wood down with and how did they manage to haul it in from distances from their houses? They truly must have been "super-women"!

I was telling my instructor today that I was trying to learn everything I could while I still had my eyesight and she told me about a lady that she knew of who was blind and one of the leading women knitters!!!!!!!!!!!!! That seems impossible to me -but she said not?????

Brrrr- I hate going back to cold

I sure did hate to see that nice warm weather leave us! Today was my "not so heavy chore day" , so I got to spend some time working inside.

I boogied to the sewing room and pulled off a  Father and Son set of caps for Christmas . I did muff up on the little ones cap and got it a little "wonky" because of these eyeballs but I learned from my mistake and paid better attention on the adult size cap.

I did much better on the seam allowances on these two this time -so that made me happy.

I went up and fed Yukon and put wood in Crystal's stove and came back to check the weather report - ONLY to discover I have misplaced a day! That means tomorrow is my last knitting class and I have not completed this project. I believe I have spent more time going backwards -rather than going forwards! Grr.

So I sat down and went to town - I am hoping to complete enough of what started out to be a scarf - now I decided I want it to be a cowl for me. I will not mind the mistakes when I am outdoors working in the cold and I have decided I like cowls because you do not have to worry about scarf tails flapping in the wind and getting hung up in something! But, I will for sure need my instructors help showing me how to connect the thing into one piece.

I went back out at dark to gather the eggs so they don't freeze and feed Yukon for the night. I checked on the fire for Crystal and the darn thing had gone out so I went hunting kindling and poked that in and leaves and wood and to my shock the door fell off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! O Yea- I almost had a heartattack! Good thing that fire had not started! So, I got the door back on and got the fire going while I carried a few pieces of wood in for her -then down to the house and carried me many pieces up on the porch and a few in the house.

I had fixed that big crockpot full of 32 bean and 8 vegetable soup yesterday -then took off a small pot last night and added orzo to it to have something different. It was fair.
So tonight I took off a small pot and have added tomatoes to it-but the tomatoes made it taste just like "store-bought" soup????????????????? UCK? But it is what it is and with the cornbread I have fixed it will fill my tummy!

Well, shoot, I forgot to plant my seeds!

I had planned to do a Winter Sew for my flowers for Spring -but I really ran out of time. I guess it was the hour I took first thing this morning to check out this book. Everything was so nice and quiet and my eyes were doing half-way good . I really enjoyed this book!  When I started to sew I fussed because how in the world were you suppose to learn the properties of that fabric that was out there??? So this lady really covered that perfectly in good common sense descriptions

.

She posts a swatch of the fabric and then tells a little about its history and how it is made and how to use it. I mean she covers just about everything you would appreciate knowing about it.

On the other page beside it she list ALL the properties dealing with it. I it is simply amazing! She also has written one called All About Wool - and I would really enjoy checking it out before my eyeballs leave town because I am really interested in wool. I have found out it has some terrific properties and uses that would blow your mind!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I Hate to tear myself away from the reading but I knew I had a full day ahead of me as this is the last warm day in my future for a while. I went out and did all of my chores and then went to cleaning out my runs . I got all of one room clean and only had enough shavings for 3 runs in the second room . I only had that much because I had raked up the shavings from where I was cutting the firewood! Thank goodness for that.

I carried all of the litter down to the garden . I have been digging ditches in my raised beds and then dumping the litter in it - then covering it up with the black soil - hoping to encourage it to compost before spring time. The beds sink down quiet a bit each year and buying new soil gets to be very expensive. So, I am hoping this will work and enrich the beds at the same time.

I was good and tired from all that up and down the hill -that it a lot of exercise . But then I picked up two big buckets of tree limbs that had fallen and broke them up into small pieces and used them to restart the fires for both me and  Crystal.

I then went hunting for some kind of firewood???? I saw a piece of pine down and thought maybe I could cut it up - but I really hate to use pine as it can be so dangerous. I went to check it out and discovered it had already been cut a little bit. Not much , but enough to take me a good hour of carrying and  toting up and down an even bigger hill. I carried several armfuls down the hill to Crystal's pile. Then I got a bucket and carried 3 pieces down to the house . Next I got the bright idea to get my little log carrier - a metal frame on two little wheels that you can stack a few pieces of wood on .

I piled on about 10 pieces and started down off the hill only to realize that it was trying to drag me down the hill. So, in times past I would just lay it down on the ground and only lift it up a couple of inches to Slowly go down a hill -but this time - It Had Other Ideas! Because there were slick leaves on the ground and the hill was steep -when I laid it down -it took off like a big sled! I could not believe what my eyeballs were seeing . It slid 3/4 of the way down the hill and then politely TURNED OVER - spilling all of my wood everywhere. OK, I picked it all back up and tried again only to have the same thing happen again - but this time it made it all the way down the hill before it turned over.  I picked them all back up and made it to the gate where Yukon was eating . I opened the gate wide while he was busy and tried with all my might to drag them across the tree roots that grow there only to have the darn thing turn over again and spill all my wood AGAIN! I very quickly attack the pile because I do not want Yukon to get any bright ideas about beating me through the gate and having to chase a contrary donkey down the road.!!!!!!!!!!!!

I Finally made it all the way down the next hill to the house and I just parked the darn thing there . I was tooooooo tired to even attempt to unload it. It will be there until I get back to it as there is NOBODY going to break their neck to unload it . lol

I was disappointed to not get my seeds planted but I would rather have clean cages for my chickens. I have 3 more runs that need cleaning but I will have to get more shavings. I was so grateful that I had put on a pot of bean soup this morning ! Nothing like the smell of fresh food waiting for you when you come in the house -bone weary.

We Had some heavy rain

I had to go out and this was what the creek looked like when I had to drive through it to come home.

Darn, I went to snap a picture of the river and my windshield wipper came down at the wrong time!
Now I cannot get the other river picture to show up! Grr.

I worked on the knitting but seems like I spend more time RIPPING than I do knitting!!!!!!!!!

Today Crystal and I both worked on getting some wood in and we succeed somewhat -enough for a little while. But cold weather is on the way Weds. and I am not looking forward to it after this pretty break we have had!!!!!!!!!!

Sun. Jan.22,2017

I went for my very first Knitting class on Friday. Boy was I plum tuckered out after my adventure with the opossums that morning.  Between being so very tired with 3 hours of sleep- bad eyeballs and older brain I pondered if that might have anything to do with my slow intake of knowledge????

Anyway , here we are two days latere and this is the size of my project????? I keep wondering Is it really Twice As Much Work to make something when you knit because you are using TWO tools to do the job????? Orrrrrrrr, is it because I am brand new at this and I remember being very slow when I started to learn to crochet??????

Any ole hoo - I have spent quiet a bit of time - RIPPING!!!!!!!!!! Just like I have done in sewing or crocheting?????Except when you rip in crochet you only have to worry about ONE little stitch - not a gazillion stitches depending on the size of your knitting project???????? Well, I said I wanted to "work" my brain to keep it young - it sure feels like it got STRETCHED and is squalling at me??????

Then last night I had a terrible Fibromyalgia Flare! It got mad at me because of the monster chainsaw I attempted to run yesterday ! Attempted being the key word here. You see a young friend dumped us a load of wood and I had used my little saw to cut up all the manageable pieces. Now there are these Chair size pieces that I have been "Attempting" to cut down the center to make them into smaller sizes so I could carry them to the little buster machine???? Crystal had even bought what is called a "Rip"blade to do the job and you need a bigger saw to run the thing to have enough power to cut down into the logs????? Only problem is whenever I try to start the thing it likes to throw me on the ground and laugh at me. My dear daughter says , all you need is a couple good yanks and then you have it made!  Maybe sooooooo, if you are twenty some years younger than ME!

So I would carry the behemoth Up the hill to her tiny house and get her to start it and then trot Down the hill to the family of monster logs. I worked for several hours and pulled off a very small amount of wood! This wood is so darn strong when I tried to insert a broken ax head into one of them to split it where the wood splitter would not - it bent the AX head!!!!!!!!!!!!! now how am I suppose to go up against something like that?????????????????

By then I was dog tired and this machine had decided it hated me and when I would lay it on top of one of the wood pieces it would just dance across the top of it and not even sink into the wood????? It laughed at me one time too many and the rain came so I headed for the house and a warm shower. That was when the fibro kicked in - telling me  all about pain and lack of sleep and misery! I HATE mr. fibromyalgia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wish I could send him on a slow boat to nowhere!   So I am soooo sore and miserable today. My shoulder feels like it wants to fall off from that saw!

Really I did not plan to grow up and become a  1. Plummer
                                                                             2. Mechanic
                                                                              3. Logger
I am a "girly-girl" and was meant to be a Princess! What happened to that plan??????? ~smile~

My Latest Project

SURPRISE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nope- not my planned project either!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I had gone to be HOPING to get a good night's sleep because I had my First Knitting class this morning. Well, about 1:30 is AM I hear d rooster fussing at the top of his lungs. I would not normally hear this commotion if I was on the couch but I was "Testing" out my daughter's bed???? I had been trying to GO TO SLEEP anyway but with no success - I guess because I was excited at the prospects of learning something new???

I know from the past when a raccoon is in your chickens you only have a brief period of time to save them or it is all over but the praying of funerals!
So I toss on shoes and a jacket and a flashlight and hustle outdoors shinning the light as I go??? At first I do not see anything but then I see movement in the cage with the rooster-O- so I amble over there and discover a opossum in with him and him going nuts. RATS!!!!!! But at least it is not a raccoon! I get the door open and take a board and attempt to rake the dude out of the cage , but he is having nothing to do with it. He latches his "monkey feet" around the wire at the back and will not budge? I go around to the back of the cage and beg, plead , the poke with sticks ,jump up and down -but Nothing. GRRR! I get my breath and go for another round and FINALLy get him to move - only he goes UP IN the ROOF??? GRRRR!  I decide I will go to the building and get some screws and a board and screw the board to the wire of the next cage that he has loosened by hanging onto it.

I pop through the door of the building looking and what does my eyeballs fall upon????? Not a screwdriver but ANOTHER DOG GONE OPOSSUM!!!!!!!!!! Double GRRRRRRRRRRRRR! It shimmies across the floor and up the wire on the side of one of the chicken runs to the top of their cage!

As my mouth GAPES open in disbelief -my eyes follow it up the wire and what do my eyeballs Now see????? Yep - you guessed it - ANOTHER DERN OPOSSUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  This one the biggest of the group-perched on Top of another cage?????????????????????? By now I have decide I am in a opossum NIGHTMARE as the second one has found a weak spot in that cage and the wire is Hanging down and one of the little hens has hit the floor and I am having a heart attack my now?????????

I REALLY HATED to bother my daughter because it is 2:30AM by now and she gets up at 3:45Am but I am outnumbered so I take off up to her "Tiny House" and wake her up and ask her to get her gun???? I REALLY DESPISE killing any animal , but my precious little chickens lives are in danger.
We both stagger down the hill and attempt to try to figure out how to shoot the big guy without putting holes in the roof??????????? Finally I beg to hide my head outdoors and let her do the deed.

She comes out and says that critter is blessed because she missed him and all he did was move over one inch???? I check on the second one and it is bouncing up and down on the frail wire over the other cage. She goes for a cigarette and I go look for a cage????? I find an old carrying cage I use to show the bunnies in and bring it in the building, but have NO LOCK for it. I look high and low and finally end up getting two of my old dog leases and bring them in?????

NOW WHAT???????? These dumb critters have not moved a muscle for over another hour , except to twitch their ears at us. I march into the first run and look up at a critter Dangling from the wire and reach up and grab a tail!!!!!!!!!!! Yea, I am a girly girly and I wanted to "shrike" in fear and disbelief at what I am attempting to do . Now that I am latched on the critter tried to run off with me attached to its rear end. My only salvation is my 128pounds compared to her 10 pounds. We go up and down and finally she loses her grip and down she falls with me screaming - open the cage-open the cage and a big PLOP as I get her in the cage!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! By now I am trembling in disbelief at what has just transpired!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WE latch her in both sides of the cage and carry her back into the other room and look way up at the big dude who is suppose to be deceased but praying for his life now??? At the top  of the roof. His big long tail looks like a snake hanging down and I again shiver in my cold wet shoes.

I try to lay out a plan - ( like-daughter, it's your turn) Haw,haw,haw! I clear a path and place the ladder at the desk and gauge where to put my feet -both going up and coming down with a load -give Crystal the look of "Man the cage" and up I go. I latch onto that tail with all my might -moving my hands up right at his rear end so I have a better hold and PULLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL- He hangs tight for what seems an eternity and finally loses his grip and as I feel him coming I begin backing OFF the desk -letting his feet touch the desk so he thinks he is going somewhere (not up my arm) and then hit the ladder - letting him climb down the ladder as I get my feet on solid ground and swing him all the way to the cage that Crystal has timed perfectly for him to go in and for her to NOT COME OUT! Two locks and they are in ! They take one look at each other and you can see they are stunned. This was Not the way their Date was suppose to end!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Me trembling - Crystal laughing -we Both dissolve in laughter!

The smaller one is impossible to get to so it just has to stay put ! By then  Crystal has to go to work and I am too "Buzzed up" to sleep. I did wrap up and finally get warm -doze off - and get 3 hours sleep before my first Knitting class!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ( Is it no wonder I kept getting CONFUSED)
I loved my class and my instructor and when Crystal came home I conned her into driving me to Re-locate these two lovebirds to a nice country home beside a lovely creek! Of course it is on the Other side of the river and I hope they do not ever venture back. I have looked my building OVER and cannot figure out HOW in the WORLD they ever got in there??? I know this is bad because if they can get in there  - then a dumb raccoon can and that would be a blood bath as I have seen them kill 30 chickens in one night!

But, I was blessed -no lives were lost this time - my only problem now is that the cage where the smaller critter started with the one rooster! Well, I have moved That rooster in there because he was flogging me in another building , so I had put him out there where I could feed him through the wire- only now he had tap danced across my head into the wild blue yonder and was waiting to greet me this morning as I was leaving with that "LOOK" in his eyes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GRRRRR!

Lovely Rainy Day

I am so very grateful that we are being blessed with rain instead of snow! It has 50 degrees and I am                                                                                    HAPPY!
If it would be this way all Winter long I would be thrilled!

I worked indoors this morning and then had a lovely visit from a dear friend for the afternoon. She had been shopping at a place she called World Market and shared her treasures with me including some Jasmine Rice, which she had shared last month and when I cooked it - it smelled divine! This time she had brought a little container with something called Rice Seasoning - so I am very curious to see what it is like????
She had been terribly sick with the flu at Christmas and I was so tickled to get to see her. I teased her about the fact she had told me one time years ago that she would not mind to get the flu and get to spend a few days in bed reading! She said she sure did get to "eat those words",as she was too sick to read at all!!!!!!!!!!

After our lovely visit I headed to the sewing room to start to work on those caps for next year. I sorted through the pieces of fleece I had bought and then went looking for the piece of pink fleece that I knew I already had. I unrolled it and cut some strips the size to match the new for the caps and ????? What did my eyes behold?????????? Would you believe that is Stinkbug Poop!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Turns your stomach, doesn't it??????????? GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, I laid out my next piece of fleece and started cutting! I had intended this piece to be for the guys in the group and then I came up with the idea it would be good for the two young Dads with their young son they each have???. You have to cut out enough for the front and a liner and then it is reversible.

I was amazed that after an hour and a half of cutting my back was screaming at me to stop. Human bodies sure do complain a lot and Miss Callie was upside down by then anyway. I thought it would be nice for you to see that she sure did heal from being impaled and is enjoying the life of a kitty with a home now - instead of being throwed out like trash by somebody.

She is so darn hard to get a picture of because of her coloring. Even on this white she does not stand out?

Rainy Saturday

I started off my morning by darning up my poor work jacket that I wear outdoors. I think I had snagged it on everything possible and it was just hanging off of me. But it is warm when I wear a thinner jacket under it . Then I was ready to truck outdoors and do all of my critter chores.

I came in the house and grabbed a shower as Crystal and I have an afternoon date with one of her girlfriends and her hubby and I knew she would need a shower as she is working in her Tiny house.  This is a small bookcase that my hubby  built for me several years ago and all of a sudden it took a notion to Lean . So, I took all the books off and cut a piece of the paneling from the fire and forced the case back up as right as I could muster and hold it there while I screwed the paneling on to the back to secure it. It took me a few trys but it is a lot better. Now  have to refill it with all the books.

Then I had to take a break and fall over laughing at Rosie as she attacked her favorite rug and balled it up and turned into Miss Monster of the rug.

After the show Crystal and I went to meet her friends.

It had been years since I had seen her girlfriend and it was such a treasure to get to spend time with her.

There was this neat restaurant that they had eaten at and they wanted us to go with them so off we went.

We drove 35 minutes to town to meet them and then 40 minutes through the country to the place -ONLY - to be disappointed because it was CLOSED for vacation!!!!!!!!! LOL

We did find something to eat anyway - I had spaghetti that was really good and it was such a nice treat not to be cooking or washing dishes. ~smile~

Then I drug Crystal shopping around the corner where I snagged two new water bowls for my chickens because the freezing weather had busted mine and Crystal got some new curtains for her tiny house. It was such a treat to get to spend some quality time with my daughter.

My little visitor

It was such a beautiful day here today. I had been outdoors working on the wood and one piece of wood gave me such a fit. I fought and wrestled with that booger for a good half hour and gave up and came in and got some lunch. While I was in the kitchen there was this little squirrel that kept peeking in the door but every time I tried to snap a picture he would be gone before I could pull it off. So, this was the best I could do to prove his existence.

Then I went back out to the pile of wood that has these monstrous slabs that I have been trying to figure out what to do with? I took my little chainsaw and cut one of the pieces down the middle and my saw asked me what in the world was I trying to do to it???? There really is a difference in cutting wood through the tree as compared to cutting Down through the center??? It was amazing. I drug Crystal's new saw out and filled it up with gas and oil and tried to start it -but it yanked me to the ground and laughed at me! How very Rude of it! So I went back to busting what I had cut. Then Crystal pulled in and started her monster for me. She cut one piece and then turned it over to me while she went to work on her tiny house that Tim had messed up so bad. So she shampooed carpet and I got a few more pieces cut down the center to where I could carry them back up the hill to the little buster and split them into manageable pieces. Yea. I would have been happy if it had just let me cut the last two pieces I had set up to where I would not hit the chain to the ground and it ran out of gas!GRRRR!  Heap Big Saw uses Heap Big Fuel!!!!!!!!! By then it was dark anyway so I carried all the saws back to the building and finished carrying my wood to the house. Then I used the broom rake and raked up the shavings and put them in a bag so I can use them in the chicken runs , so that was a win win for me! Yea!

By then it was dark so I came in and found some pain pills for Mr. Fibromyalgia and time to settle in and count my blessings. I did cut a section of paneling that was left over from the fire. I need it to put on the back of a little bookcase that my DH had made me years ago and now for some odd reason it has decided to LEAN sideways and is very toddly. LOL

Not Good Weds.

The weather is warming up and the snow and ice are melting and it is calling for rain. Things should be looking good but my daughter and her partner are fighting like cats and dogs so I know this will not last long. His truck is broke down and we are waiting for parts to get it fixed so maybe then he will have his freedom. She has moved back into her old bedroom and he is standing outside the window accusing her of every man in town . Even through she went straight to work and then home?? I am so very disappointed after I risked my neck driving after dark last night to go pick him up after he started walking out of the country???  I was hoping the calm could stay until the truck was fixed. Guess not????

I decided I would try to distract my broken heart by working on one of my new Christmas presents but Miss Gabby is having a hard time understanding the rules of being the new "Sewing Cat"?

She has decided that the rule is for me to Cut AROUND her during the project????? I think this little cross-eyed cat is a little confused - as am I ????? lol

My First Real Sewing Projects of 2017

This is the pair of jogging pants made from the sweat shirt fleece I found at JoAnn's and had the coupon for 50% off for. It is nice and soft and feels warm to the touch?

This is the other piece of sweat shirt fleece I found and had a 40% coupon off  that I used. Yet, it is entirely different. It feels a little more like sweater fabric and is a little bit scratchy.

After I completed both of them and tried them on I thought , well, they are a little big on me I could take them in a bit? BUT then I REMEMBERED I had Not Prewashed my fabric -so IF they shrink up to the size of doll clothes I will be really miffed as I have had lots of problems with the fabric at JoAnn's before??? So, as usual, I will just have to learn everything the hard way and see what happens??????? GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

All of this cold has been wearing me down so I peeked in on the birds to lighten my mood.

Another Brrrrrr Day

As temperatures were Definitely in the single digits -Rosie had the right idea! I wished I could have followed in her foot prints-but I donned my triple layers of clothing -drew up two gallon jugs of hot water and headed out into the wild blue yonder to greet the day.

It was so cold it was taking my breath-but I scurried on out and feed Yukon -then scattered all of the water to everybody so they would have some fresh warm water for their systems. They all got a double dose of feed today too-as I knew their bodies were working over time to keep warm. Most of the gals did not even lay as they needed to just keep their bodies going, but I did bring in 5 eggs -two of which were the pretty blue eggs. I was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO glad to get back in the house and head to the hot shower . My flesh was cold and it was the coldest where I had a couple layers of fat around those "love handles" and my thighs????

Finally all dry and in fresh clothes Crystal, Tim and I got into a container of shrimp she had bought -then they headed back to the Tiny House  and I headed to the sewing room. I managed to work on my two pair of jogging pants  and boy were they full of lessons.

The one piece of sweat shirt fleece is just pink and a heavy weight so other than dealing with double layers it is coming along good. But this other piece is giving me challenges. I don't know what it's qualities are?? I got it because it seems heavier and warmer than the regular piece- BUT- it wants to pop the stitches from my serger and when it does it wants to fray and unravel-!

I have been going back over the ripped out parts because they want to ravel and this time I used the zigzag stitch-but the stretch of the fabric and the speed of my stitch did not want to play right and made a mess! I just shook my head and said I was Glad it is a project just for me! This will actually be on the seam where I am hemming the leg????GOL-DARN-IT!

Then my next thought was : O NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO - I plum Forgot to pre-Wash this fabric!!!!!!!!!! If I wash and dry it and it shrinks up to the moon and back I will be so disappointed???? But, what can I say - that seems to be the life of learning the sewing lessons. IF it is not in the techniques - then always things to learn about the fabrics and they do not give you much information on the bolts of fabrics. So, I see it as either Swim or Drown. lol

I even caught my precious Coco sleeping in. Smart girl!

I do have a funny story for you! Last night at almost midnight I was reading a really good book. My eyes kept giving me problems fading in and out and I was really into the story and fussing with the eyeballs when all of a sudden there was a Big bang at the front door-which I had my back to . I FROZE- I was SOOOOO SCARED. The front door was vibrating a little bit and I could not breath. I remembered Crystal saying she could look through the front window into the living room and my eyes were wondering IF I WAS OUT OF SIGHT. I rolled my eyes to see how far away the phone was, knowing with this phone it would take 10 minutes to make it operate. (It is so Smart - it does not like to make it easy to work) Finally I started to get my breath back and this was a Mystery I was reading. Quiet ensued and I went back to my story. A little later I got the flash light and went and peeked out the front door from the glass and could see the front Storm door standing wide open! WHEW!!!! I opened the door and grabbed it and pulled it back in and checked the lock but it was till locked. I pulled it tight and released it and the wind grabbed it again and jerked it wide open. I like to never got it back shut. Every time I would close it the wind would yank it wide open and almost blow me out the door trying to hang onto it! That DARN Wind!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Snow Day

Yukon looking for his dinner tonight. It snowed 6 inches and that was enough for me , but I know we are very lucky as others got much more and with these below freezing temperatures it will stay around a few days. BRRRRRR1

I kept working on the snow from midnight -then 1 AM - then 2 AM when I got so pooped ! Up again at 5AM and back at 10 AM so it was not as hard as it would have been doing it all at one time.

Crystal had an ergonomic shovel that I thought looked like something crazy, but I tried it out and Fell in love with it!

It kept me busy shoveling paths so I could get out and do my chores. I have just found it is easier when I have paths to follow instead of trudging through snow?

It will be a while before this stuff leaves as it is suppose to be in the single digits and the wind is already whipping my doggie door open.

This is going up the hill to Yukon. It is so cold that his food is frozen and I keep hacking away at it with a funny looking hammer.  Now to run down to the house and feed that wood-stove!!!  After Crystal and Tim throwed bricks down the chimney -where it was stopped up -it is acting like a champ now - it you keep its tummy full! ~smile~

Before the Snow

I made it to town because I received a coupon for half off at Jo-Ann's. So I was able to get this beautiful pink sweat- shirt fleece on sale .

This was the piece Igot yesterday for 40% off - so I laid them both out and cut out me two pair of pants. I had got two yards but after I studied the left over pieces I believe I could get away with a yard and a half??? I will have to re-check myself to make for sure. But, I Need some warm jogging pants for Home! I am excited about the colors.

I made it home just in time for it to Start doing this on the ground? My turkeys took the hint and even went in their cage where I could lock them up to be safe.  And they say turkeys are dumb birds - not today they are not. That little one is the baby that was born in the Late Summer. I think it is so pretty and I have enjoyed watching it grow. The one in front is Daddy and mama was coming up the rear.

I unloaded some more feed and was going back to town to get Yukon some hay when Crystal stopped me and said that Tim was in town -so she called him and he brought home 3 bales of hay which we put down in the barn for him and I fed him his grain so he should be a happy boy during the rest of this storm which is suppose to last over night.

My Little Mocha is such a ham as she gets loving from Crystal while we chat. I love this little rascal so very much and she loves Crystal. Chihuahuas are very picky about whom they allow in their lives. She also loves Tim and he calls her Grouchy. lol

While we were outdoors feeding Yukon a lady slide out of the road on the slick spot down below my mailbox so Crystal went down the road to see if she could help and She Slide out of the road on the ice that was getting snow covered.  ~smile~ She was not hurt and a man in another truck pulled both of them back on the road and everybody made it home safe. I am SO very glad that Crystal does not have to get out in this stuff to go to work tomorrow! Yea.

It is just  a tad past midnight and the white stuff is Just really starting to come down now. I carried Crystal's ergonomic snow shovel and just went out and experimented using it ! Turns out I love it! So it and I are going to become friends. lol