Still Kickin'

1)  Not much has been happening, and 2) it's been way too cold to sit and type with frozen fingers, but the denizens of Farview Farm are all alive and well.

We had sun for a few days, but it never warmed up.  Michael's outings have been brief at best, definitely of the get 'er done and get back in the house variety.  I'm just the escort and he gets to set the pace, but I'm all for keeping to his schedule on cold, cold days.  Since it's pouring rain and windy, I doubt today will be much different.

Thanks to Florence and Dan, we're decorated for the holidays.  They brought a small poinsettia that now sits on a tall stand away from the cats and just to the side of the TV so I can enjoy it daily.  Couldn't see the sense of putting up anything else for just me, and I hate to think what rambunctious Ralph would do to a decorated Christmas tree.  He gets older, but he doesn't change.

While it's not quite as cold today, we're due for a week or so of rain and snow.  Can't say we're looking forward to that.  I doubt the wildlife are either.  Once in awhile the tribe of turkeys marched through and Michael and I were startled the other day when a covey of quail flew out of the juniper in front of us.  Deer sightings have been rare...I miss 'em.

Happy holidays to one and all!

Stay safe.  Be well.

Can't Complain

Woke up yesterday to black and white...power out on the inside and snow outdoors, about four inches.  The electricity's back (obviously) and the snow's still there.  Everything is better than those days of hellacious wind and rain.  Given what has happened weatherwise across America, it's darned hard to complain about anything here.

Ralph and Celeste became permanent lap fixtures.  It was like moving boulders when I had to get up and, boy!, did I get dirty looks then.  Michael is not a fan of snow, as I hear some dogs are.  We went out several times, but he found the nearest twig or leaf to aim at and it was right back to the porch and into the house.

Florence and Dan were in the same situation down in Fiddletown, but they have a generator.  Florence and I agreed that flushing the toilet becomes a luxury, and the first thing I do when we regain power (no power, no water).  Texting is my main source of communication in an outage.  I do have a landline (which costs a fortune) for emergencies and in case the cellphone runs out.

The sun just rose over the hills and the sky is clear.  As soon as I bring in more wood, I'll put Stove to work.  No need for icicles in the house.

Stay safe.  Be well.

Brrr

It's cold, and about to get colder.  Low 30s in the morning, not heating up much during the day, and snow is predicted to our level by Monday.  Just what did I expect?  It's winter!  Michael and I don't spend much time out on the porch, grateful if we find a patch of weak sunlight to sit in.  The cats are darned near tapping their feet, waiting for me to sit down so they can be full-time lap cats.  I don't mind...they warm me, too.

Ralph has become an obsessive muffin maker, pummeling my arm to the point I actually pulled up my sleeve to check for bruising.  What's with that?

There is a commercial running now in which a young boy invites his grandma to dance.  It sure brings back memories of my own sons.  At a certain age, after school they were each required to dance two dances with me.  As I told them then, "Some day you'll be glad you know how to dance.  Most boys won't, and girls love to dance.  You'll thank me then."  (I love to be right!)

I'm pretty frugal with the firewood, but I think I'm going to weaken and light up Stove today.  It's cold!

Stay safe.  Be well.

Holding Pattern

Not much has been happening lately, certainly nothing worth writing about.  That really hasn't changed, but I figured it was time to put in an appearance again.

The turkeys had been keeping a low profile just before Thanksgiving, but they're back in droves now and are loudly proclaiming their recovered territories.  Like the gangs in West Side Story (1961 film), the Jets and the Sharks, we have the front yard gang and the back yard gang.  So far it's just been yelling, but I've seen this escalate into real battles in the past.

We've been in a holding pattern with the weather.  Sunrise and sunset are spectacular with glowing red skies.  Michael and I take advantage of our sunny porch time.  We need rain, but it's hard not to enjoy this weather in December.  Down in the valley, they've been socked in with daily fog.  In just a matter of miles, it's like we live on different planets.

By consensus, Christmas has been cancelled.

Stay safe.  Be well.

Dinner With A Friend

Michael and I got around to having Thanksgiving dinner last night.  I was surprised to find that the whole meal could be done in the microwave in a matter of minutes.  TV dinners sure have changed from the old days.  I had sworn from the git-go that I would not feed this dog from my plate, but somehow realized that it's just much nicer to have dinner with a friend.  I am very selective about what tidbits Michael gets...generally protein only.  We did try a bite of carrot last evening and I thought he'd eaten it, but found out he'd spit it out behind his blanket.  He feels about carrots like one of my Kids feels about peas.

Yes, we still need more rain, but the weather lately has been perfect, sunny and warm(ish) days and crisp, cool nights.  We've been going to bed earlier just for the pleasure of snuggling under warm blankets.  I do mean 'we' and I do mean 'snuggle.'  All four of us fit into my spot on the bed like a pack of huskies in the snow.

I may be the only two-legged in the house, but I sure don't live alone.

Stay safe.  Be well.

Hiatus

The passing parade of birds never ceases to fascinate me.  Right now the trees are full of busy, busy woodpeckers boring holes to stuff with acorns and the air is filled with their rat-a-tat-tat and raucous cries.  It's also the time of the dinky birds, those little bitty guys whose chirp is as tiny as they are.  They're partial to the nearly bare lilac bushes in front of the kitchen windows.  Michael and I watch them flit here and there from our perch on the porch.  There is no shortage of turkeys on parade, but, given the holiday, they're keeping a low profile just now.

Michael has become quite adventurous to the limits of his 20-foot leash.  For the longest time he's been heading to the right side of the walkway, choosing just the right juniper to favor with his attention and shuffling through the leaves.  In the last week, he's been exploring the left side, going into what used to be the herb garden and the huge rosemary bush.  I had started letting him off the leash when Florence would come by, but the last time, the little booger took off down to the road again.  That ended his free-roaming days and he;s back on the lunge line.

It's been way past chilly to downright cold lately, and we both look for patches of sunlight when we're outside.  Yesterday even the sunshine had no warmth.

Because of the chill, Celeste has once again become a lap cover.  The looks I get when I have to get up and displace her.  Ralph has become obsessed with making muffins on my arm.  It really puts him in the zone as he stares into space while kneading like a demented baker.

Another holiday without the Kids.

Stay safe.  Be well.

Good Sense

I did something yesterday that I haven't done in a long time.  I actually finished a chore that has been hanging fire for, oh, say two years.  It's amazing how one can see a thing that needs doing and then unsee it and ignore it, but by golly, I had done just that.  What the impetus was to do the deed, I don't know, but suddenly the urge was there and, uncharacteristically, I acted on it.  It took three full days of sticking to it without let up.  It's not like me to be so single-minded as I tend to become distracted and head in another direction; not this time.

In case it doesn't show, I have a tremendous sense of accomplishment.  That's a good sense.

Stay safe.  Be well.