Reality Check

It is currently 8 degrees below the donut with a real feel of -18. This is definitely a downturn to what our weather this winter has been to this point. This is when the locals start flocking to warmer climates. If I were retired I can honestly say I would be joining them - UFFDA!

It all started earlier in the week when we woke up to the beauty that only a good hoar frost provides

You instinctively know that things are about to change. 2 days later we were in the deep freeze. Tonight the wind chill is supposed to reach -35.

But still we are blessed with beauty - Check out the moon dog!

Card night was a bust again - They won.

Great day for a mini roadtrip

When I got up this morning I was greeted with this beautiful sunrise.

And that was just the beginning. It was a beautiful, warm winter day. I don't know what the warmest temp was but it was melting so...above freezing. That's good enough for me.

Plans at work fell through so we decided to get in the car and head to a nearby town to do some thrifting. We had a great time and left most of it behind for others to enjoy :)

Had a nice lunch and headed back home to get ready for card night. I made a new brownie recipe that flopped so I threw in some microwave popcorn and called it good. We watched a live feed of game cameras in Georgia while we played cards. Got to see possums, deer, and a rabbit.

P.S. They won 😝

Mother Nature brings it on

The weather through the holidays was pretty mild. Actually, REALLY mild for this time of year. Mother Nature decided enough of that last night.

We woke up to anywhere from 8 - 12" of fresh snow and it looked lovely until it had to be removed from the walkways, around wood stove, front of garage, etc.

It continued to snow all day and there was about as much again tonight with the added pleasure of wind - Uffda!

I haven't posted much lately - too much going on, I guess.

Christmas will be another post. But I do have the final installment of my monthly fun socks. It was a very fun gift and my daughter is very creative. I looked forward to the package every month.

No, you can not use my CC to book your AirBNB!

The post title says it all. The CC Company called to ask if I was trying to book a vacation property with AirBNB - seriously? I wish!

Well, the card is now cancelled until I get a new one in the mail. So, I guess there will be no online shopping this weekend. Probably for the best. With the weather today it was right there at the top of my list of fun things to do. I'm grateful that the company keeps a watchful eye - Amazon will just have to wait.

First snow here. Well, technically, it snowed yesterday but I was working and missed it.

I got a care package this week too. I wonder if Crystal will continue this next year!

Work has been INSANE - it doesn't look like it will let up anytime soon either. Today was cleaning catch up to make up for doing absolutely NOTHING at home all week. I remember it being easier and taking less time not THAT long ago.

Last weekend was a family birthday, my cousin. She turned 80 so they had a party for her. She danced and danced. I hope I got those genes.

The pups are in hibernation mode too:

P.S. After 3 weeks - YES 3, we finally WON - Huzzah!

This and That

This week was hot/humid here again (uffda!) so I didn't spend much time outside. I did tackle hosing off and shampooing the hounds though. They sure get stinky, must be something with hounds.

Our eldest Crystal celebrated her 37th BD in Omaha, NE. this year. Sounds like she had a great time. Monday the 6th was the oldest Grandsons 14th BD - 14! We will celebrate with him this Sunday. Time sure flies...

Frank's been having a hard time with the air this week, there's an air quality issue due to the fires in Ontario. It's been pretty hazy around here and mixed with the heat and humidity it's pretty unbearable. I am thankful that we are not in a wildfire zone though and my heart goes out to those that are, and to the firefighters battling those blazes.

I plan on trying to see the meteor shower that is forecast for tonight. I don't know if it will be as visible with the hazy conditions but we'll give it a whirl.

P.S. We won!

Summer is here

I had big plans for the 3 day weekend until...

I don't do well in that kind of heat. It's good for one thing and that's tourists visiting our area and spending time out on the water. For locals, not so much.

However the lilacs are enjoying it. They look the better than they have the past few years. Usually we get frost when they are starting to bud but this year we squeaked by without getting "nipped".

I am rearranging my office today. I may even tackle the kitchen. I hooked up the portable a/c unit this morning and it's making life bearable inside :)

On that note, I'll add a few shots I took of some clouds a couple nights ago (and a morning one with fog over the pond). Unfortunately they didn't have any rain in them.

And then there's this happy girl. Not sure where Cooper was...

And then this is the picture of the week - silly doggies

P.S. We lost again :(

Spring has finally sprung!

I will knock on wood not to jinx anything but it appears that Spring has officially made it's way to the frozen north. Today it was 56 beautiful sunny degrees ABOVE the donut ~ glorious!

I have been busy at work and not doing anything fun at home either. I had to move everything out of the catch all that is our unfinished master bath. But, for good reason, progress is underway. We have a nice big shower unit sitting in the shed ready to be installed the first part of next week. I am beyond excited. This is a long time coming, hence the hoarder situation in that room. Mostly it's stuff I have sorted in the declutter process and waiting for Garage Sale/Auction season so it can get rehomed.

I will have to take pictures once there's actually a kodak moment :)

It WAS a good week until...

Blizzard Warning,  Winter Storm Warning, Winter Weather Advisory

This is the headline of our local "gazette". Seriously???

I think I had better get on the stick with Spring Cleaning, maybe that will get Mother Nature in gear for crying out loud.

So, moving on to more pleasant things...

Ang and I took the boys to the local Barber Shop for a haircut. It was little Rowan's first time for a full cut. Milo is an old pro already (at 8!).

Rowan before, look at all that hair!

Milo before, he is getting SO big!

It was fun for all of us and then when we were heading out an older gentleman that had been watching all of the festivities (the paparazzi and all) wanted to give me money to take the boys out to lunch to continue the celebration. How sweet is that? So, we headed down the block to a little place that serves smoothies and had a grand old time there as well. It was nice to take a couple hours off work and spend with them.

Rowan after, he looks so serious - and OLDER!

Ang and Milo had pictures yesterday for TaeKwonDo and Kumdo so I can't wait to see how those turned out.

I got a care package in the mail yesterday from Crystal - My monthly fun sock!

And today ANOTHER care package from a fellow blogger - I am so blessed

The soaps smell heavenly and that card that she MADE is just too cute. So pffft on the weather - LIFE IS GOOD!

The Gift That Keeps ON Giving

At Home

And at work

The End (I hope)

A picture (or two) is worth a thousand words

This was the situation at our place yesterday...

Mister Milo wins again

This past week has been a whirlwind at work. Crazy busy!

The highlight was Monday night when Milo had his belt test in Taekwondo. This is his 3rd test and this one was for the solid orange belt. He nailed it! I could see a huge improvement in his confidence and also his sportsmanship. He worked so hard at the last test and had to redo quite a few times. This time he finished first a few times, he was SO proud of himself. This is working out so well for him. On St. Patrick's Day there will be a tournament and he is registered for that - I can't wait to go watch!

Weather has at least been decent this week. Above freezing during the day so our "ice rink" driveway is all melted - yay!

We even came into March "like a lamb". Mother Nature probably has some real doozy lined up for us since we'll no doubt go out "like a lion". Now, THERE'S something to look forward to.

P.S. They won.

More of the same

The word around here is snow. It just keeps coming. I have shoveled more in the past week than I really wanted to and I don't mind it but when it's every day and multiple times a day - enough!

Oh, it's pretty...

But still.

I have shoveled twice tonight and the morning will be one more time to get ready for the neighbor to come with his tractor and add to the "snow mountain". The grandkiddo's are supposed to be out tomorrow so they will love it and I will love watching them play.

I did another "upgrade" this week. I tried it out this morning and it works just slick as a whistle. AND it was on clearance to boot - go me!

When the girls were young I used an old waffle baker that was my Grandma's. It was old, it wasn't "nonstick" and it had a broken leg so you had to prop it up with whatever was laying around. I loved that iron but this is just perfect for the hubby and I. Angie got one of these and told me about it and I figured if it worked for her it would work for me.

P.S. We tied

Out with the New, In with the Old.

I have fought the drip coffeemaker market for long enough. I have spent more time and had more frustration than it's worth. It's time to go back to the tried and true, the simple and basic.

I loved the idea of this coffee machine and while it worked it was flat awesome! I like making those froo froo coffee's. It worked out well for that but nothing I can't reproduce manually.

First it wanted to be cleaned. I get it, we don't use softened water in it but then even after cleaning it had the annoying "clean me" light flashing. Then it would brew only what it felt like. It could be a full carafe, half carafe or a cup. After several attempts we had a full pot. Well, we are heavy coffee drinkers. The time it took it was a no brainer to just go back to the old method.

And here she is, in all of her glory. No moving parts, no vinegar rinses, no hard water issues. We've come full circle folks. Now it does take time, about a half hour start to finish but, hey, I'll take it!

This weekend was all about snow. Here's the first round, starting Saturday afternoon and finishing up Sunday late morning. 

Got all plowed out Sunday by noon and it was wash, rinse, and repeat Sunday afternoon until this morning. I think we ended up with about 8 inches in the 2 times. And who doesn't love all that snow with wind to make it a complete blizzard? 

Gotta love Minnesota, Mother Nature sure has a sense of humor that's for sure.

Tired of winter

We were really looking forward to a nice weekend so we could get out and go snoop at some thrift stores. Well, temperature wise it's nice but we have gale force winds so we will be staying in, at least for today. We had the nice day earlier in the week so it was melting and glorious but now...

The driveway is a rink and the vehicles are covered in salt. Good thing mine is made of some kind of plastic but the underside is not so it's probably rusting as I type.

Frank made a "creation" for me the other morning. I call it a deconstructed omelet. It was tasty though.

The hounds are having "cabin fever" issues as well. This was one of their better days. Cooper will growl at Elke when she lays on him usually. He has bad hips though so I get it. We're all getting older.

Card night was a bust - They won! (mutter mutter)

Happy Valentine's Day

I'm a little late getting this in - nothing too exciting around here. We did have a nice dinner, Lobster Tail, Shrimp, and Crab Cakes. We ate too much but it was good. We ate in. We don't really go all out for V Day but we were here, together, and we decided we would be each other's valentine. What more can you ask for?

Well, you could ask for good weather I suppose. And we had that too, it was a whopping 44 degrees above the donut today! We were ready for that after a couple three weeks of highs that amounted to a few degrees above the donut. I'm officially sick of winter.

That's about it.

February Footwear

Got my new monthly fun sock delivery from Crystal yesterday. They are perfect, can't wait to try them out!

I always see people knitting socks and I have made the attempt a couple of times but, apparently, it's not my time to do it yet. I have some other WIP's but haven't really done a lot of knitting this winter. Still working on the declutter and just spending time with Frank. Winters are especially hard for him and this one has been the worst by far. We've had so much COLD. I'm talking below the donut MOST nights and barely above during the day. This coming week is supposed to be a "heatwave" in the 20's - I am looking forward to that.

Not much else happening here this weekend. Cleaning, blah blah blah.

P.S. We won!!

Unofficial Minnesota Holiday

“Just because something is traditional is no reason to do it, of course.”
― Lemony Snicket, The Blank Book

Today is the first day of the Firearm Deer Season. It is something that is a long standing tradition in my family and has been something Frank and I have done for many years. Well, this year, for many reasons we decided to pass. The weather was misty, damp, and cold so it was a good day to stay indoors. We hope to get the deer report from other family and friends and wish them luck, and safety.

I made Chicken Wild Rice Hotdish, It's a fave of ours for Deer Season (hunting not required). Talked to Crystal on the phone for quite a while, her life is very busy. We also had a visit from our friend Dale.

Later, I worked on the Dog sweater for Cooper. I finished the back and now it's on to to the underneath portion. It's been a fun knit even though I flubbed and had to take out 7 rows. Crocheting is much easier to frog than knitting as anyone that has done both can attest to. I do like the look of it, will he wear it? Who knows.

Link to the pattern is here. I had to use the L/XL size for Coop - He is so long and lanky that I had to lay it on him to make sure it would cover him. It seemed adequate. And if he refuses to wear it I have a grandpuppy that it will fit as well so it's a win win!

Speaking of winning, we did not - They won :(

First Snow

The news has been talking all week about the Winter storm we were to have starting Thursday through 7 am today. Well, we got a bit of snow and a lot of wind and cold but, luckily, it was not as bad as expected. We hunkered down and rode it out. The wind is still blowing and it's still cold but we've retained power through it (so far) and kept warm and well fed.

The past couple of days everyone (myself included) ran around picking up necessities, gassing up the car, getting out the shovels, etc., so that we were all set. Minnesotan's have the drill down!

This is what things looked like on the Sprucehaven this morning.

Even Coop is under impressed with it all. He isn't a fan of wind OR cold.

Yesterday I took Milo his new red scarf I knitted for him, he seemed to like it. It was around his neck, around his waist, tied to a stick as a flag, and tried on the kitty. It seemed to pass all the tests.

Tonight is Card Night so last night I tried a new cookie recipe for us - I pretty much used the recipe as a guide only. It called for milk, which I haven't seen in a recipe before and I used orange juice instead since it was for cranberry cookies (it called for craisins, which I did use). They turned out pretty good and it's nice to try something new.

Summer is in full swing

Town is crazy there are tourists everywhere. I never understood why they come "up north" but all congregate at Walmart and the grocery stores. If I didn't live here I would be at a lake, enjoying myself but that's just me.

It's been hot as a pistol the past week or so. And humid. You can almost hear the corn growing but we have been taking it slow. This type of weather is so hard on Frank.

The flowering shrubs seem to like it though. We spend a lot of time indoors but make sure to get out morning and evening. I'm gone at work during the day anyway so it doesn't much matter if it's hot outside.

The farm shares are getting better all along. This week we got Eggplant, Fennel, peppers, cukes, zucchini, carrots, radishes, and of course lettuce. I'll be honest, the bunnies get to share because we just don't eat THAT much lettuce. I have been busy drying the fresh herbs and freezing what we can't eat in a week. The CSA guy says the tomatoes are starting to turn so maybe they'll be ready next week.

P.S. They won last week but we did this week :)

Busy week

This week flew by, work was crazy busy and Frank had his appointment in Brainerd with the Pulmonologist. What a difference a clinic makes, they actually had the forethought to take him for a walk and check his oxygen. That's a first - his oxygen level dropped to 85. The Doc wanted him on oxygen immediately! The Lincair van was here moments after we got home. He's supposed to use the bottles with a carrier that slings over his shoulder if he's up and moving but, so far, he hasn't used that. He says it's too cumbersome so hopefully we can get him one of those portable concentrators. He does use the big concentrators overnight though. He also suggested Frank get a blood test for the Alpha 1 gene, may be too late to help even if he has it though but we did advise the girls to have it and, if necessary, the grandbabies.

Weather was, as usual, unpredictable this week. Overnight Tuesday we had freezing rain and then snow. The wood stove got down pretty far so it was a job to get it going with everything covered with ice. The car door was froze shut. Needless to say I was late to an appointment that morning.

When it rains, it pours. Unless you live in Minnesota, then it snows 😕

Picture of the week:

P.S. They won