November 30, 2009 at 1:36 pm (Uncategorized)
After many months of silence, finally a post. We have no internet connection at home and haven’t since my last post. The phone company is NOT my friend.
Anyway, I will try to get to the local library from time to time to use their internet connection.
Sorry that I have been gone so long…..I have missed posting and communicating!
March 6, 2009 at 9:10 am (Uncategorized)
It looks and feels like spring may actually on its way. The daffodils by the front gate are about 4 inches high and the old lilac in the front yard is threatening to burst out new leaves. After a cold start this week we are enjoying warm and windy weather.
My lovely old Roper range is now complete! When I acquired it, it was missing 3 knobs and had one of the door handles pop riveted together. With many thanks for her efforts, N54th found a complete set of knobs and handles for this grand old beauty. Now I even have spares, if I should ever need them. I also need to thank my hubby, Jeff2, for all his efforts in re-wiring the electric outlet on the front and replacing the light. This stove is such a joy to use. Modern appliances are just not made this way anymore.
Plans for this years garden are well under way. Most of the seed has been aquired and I am itching for the time to roll around to till the garden area and start planting. I really enjoy the time spent in my garden.
I am sad to report that after being told by the phone company that DSL was now available in our little neck of the woods, it still is not. This was the second time they had told us this, even going as far as setting up an install date and having us wait around for an installer who was never going to arrive……..again…….
February 24, 2009 at 10:06 am (Uncategorized)
We are having typical pre-spring type weather. Most days on the cool side with some that are warmer. We have had some snow showers on some of the cooler days and rain showers on the warmer ones. We have had some days of brillant sunshine, but those seem to occur on the cooler days. I am anxious for the warmer weather of spring……Just tired of being cooped up in the house.
The phone company is again tempting us with DSL. Once again they are saying that it is now available in our area. So, again I have told them to sign us up. Time will tell whether we actually get it this time or not.
Hunter is now an amazing 5 years old and growing like a weed. Although he goes outside to play for a bit most days, he is also yearning for the warmer weather when he can be outside most of the time.
We have recently seen a flock of turkeys in the hay field. These are the first we have seen in quite a while. During the hellish drought of two years ago and the moderate drought of last year they had relocated elsewhere due to the lack of available water in the creek. It was nice to see them back again.
I am putting together seeds for this years garden. I can hardly wait until it is time to till and plant again. While I was looking at seeds I found some seed starting cups geared at kids. These are complete with the starting pots and the seed. Hunter was so excited when I brought these home and told him that I was going to give him a space in the garden area for his own garden.
February 11, 2009 at 8:54 am (Uncategorized)
A little over a week and a half ago we were experiencing the worst ice storm in this areas history. It started out by raining for 36 hours, threatening to flood some areas. Then the temperature dropped and the rain began coating everything with 3/4 of an inch of ice. Then the freezing rain turned to snow and the temps dropped to the lowest of the winter season.
The scope of the damage caused by the ice was something to behold. The sound of the ice covered trees breaking and crashing down to earth accompanied by the shattering ice was akin to listening to a bull in a china shop. There are still masses of trees and branches everywhere. Some are still lying precariously across power and telephone lines.
Then we had a few days of temps in the upper 60s with sunshine. The ice and snow are gone. Just for some variety today we have a high wind warning to be followed by the threat of thunderstorms and even higher wind gusts this afternoon. The utility company has put out an advisory that “some power outages may occur.” Humm, really?
There is still a large tree lying across our telephone line. When we went by that area yesterday we noticed that not only was the tree still there, but that it was hanging much lower. I am not sure just how much more strain the line can take, but the wind that is cranking outside will not help that situation. The large tree is not the only one lying across said line, it is just the biggest. If we do not lose phone service with this, I will be amazed.
February 6, 2009 at 8:15 am (Uncategorized)
We now have electricity again. I was actually surprised that the power came on as quickly as it did, after finally getting out and seeing the extent of the damage caused by the ice storm. However, the tree that was lying across the phone line is still there, so I am still expecting the phone to go out at some point, unless the phone company gets it fixed soon.
February 3, 2009 at 1:18 pm (Uncategorized)
A little over a week ago we experienced a whiz bang of an ice storm. Everything was coated in about 3/4 of an inch of ice. That was after it had rained for about 36 hours. Then the freezing rain turned to snow.
It was erie to listen to the sharp cracks of the trees breaking from the weight of all that ice. We had a tree at the end of the pasture come completely uprooted and fall over. The destruction from this storm is just amazing.
We are on day 8 of the power outage from the storm. The electric company doesn’t even have an estimate for when the power will be restored. At the begining we heard an estimate that it might be the middle of February. We have also heard that it might be March….it is anyones guess.
We took a short drive following our power and telephone lines to see if we could dtermine where the break was…….what we found was almost beyond belief. That fact that we even have phone service with a larger tree across the phone lines, weighing them down almost to the ground. Further on there are even more branches across the phone lines. We found no clue as where the break in the electric line cound have been.
We are using a generator a couple of times a day to keep the fridge and chest freezer cool. That is also the time when we jump on the internet and check email and such. We are fortunate to have planned ahead for a situation such as this. We have a wood stove for heat, the afore mentioned generator and a battery back up plant for Jeff2’s ham radios.
I will be back from time to time to update and at some point to finally say that the power has been restored.
January 23, 2009 at 10:23 am (Uncategorized)
Here I am, once again facing a fork in the road. I have been stuck here for so long that I have worn a hole in that place. The past year had proven to be a hard one. Mentally. That has proven to transfer over to physically as well. Tired. Far too many nights with little sleep. Couple that with the nights of sleep but plagued with dreams of the waking world that left me no real rest.
So I am still here. Running out the days filled with cooking, baking, cleaning and laundry. If it weren’t for the routine of life I would be nothing at all. I am not however feeling sorry for myself, but rather desperately searching for something, anything, that will spur some kind of forward motion.
As I contemplate the forks in the road I mentally list the pros and cons of each fork. The road of the most traveled, well worn and clearly marked. The road less traveled with few worn spots and virtually no markers. As usual, neither looks very inviting.
In the end, whenever I can finally make some sort of headway into forward motion, I know which road I will end up traveling. It will be neither. I will end up making my own way into the unknown. Comfortable in the knowledge that not all who wander are lost.
I just want to get to a place of moving forward.
Stagnation sucks.
December 6, 2008 at 10:06 am (Uncategorized)
The sounds of winter days are muffled under a blanket of snow, whether the gray and white days of falling snow, or the sunny days of blue skies and glistening snow. In the meadows few animals are seen. Only their footprints are revealed, in meandering lines that originate somewhere unseen and go to places unknown. Grasses nod their heads of grain, inviting flocks of passing birds. Cardinals, so secretive throughout the summer nesting season, now flaunt themselves on backyard feeders, and sprays of wild roseberries add a decorative touch of red to roadsides and hedgerows.
Outside the nights of December fall dark and early, and houses twinkle with strings of colored lights. Back porches are stacked with firewood, and the crystalline air is delicately scented with wood smoke. Inside, homes are filled with firelight and candle glow; ovens yield old family recipes, while outside, the drifting snow fills the valleys and covers the rooftops.
There are mornings of frost feathered trees seen through ice etched window panes. The chill of winter drives us indoors to the warmth of the fireside. By the back door sunlight flashes from the icicle that hangs just below the eve. Flocks of starlings gather in the walnut trees and crows search the frozen hayfield for anything they might have overlooked in times of greater abundance.
Beneath a bird feeder there are numerous tracks, like cuneiform writing on the snow covered ground, silent thank you messages for a handful of seeds. Inside, this is a time of quiet contemplation, and of long evenings spent by the fire.It is a time when many of us enjoy the handcrafts we were too busy for in the warmer months. It is a time, too, of quiet conversations reflecting on the passing year and weaving plans for the year to come.
As the abbreviated winter day draws to a close, with a melancholy sunset that is reflected on the glazed surface of the snow, we enjoy the warmth and comfort of the house. The strange perfume of the paper white narcissus blooming on the windowsill mingles with the scent of wood smoke, hinting at the myriad of flowers that lie slumbering beneath the frozen crust of earth just beyond the comfort of the house.
November 6, 2008 at 4:34 am (Uncategorized)
I haven’t been posting lately due to the poor dial-up connection. It is just too time consuming and therefore frustrating and infuriating to spend the time writing a post only to not be able to post it!
I am hoping for a better connection so I can get back to posting more regularly. Thanks for hanging in there with me.
October 3, 2008 at 6:30 am (Uncategorized)
Last week end we went to the local apple festival and I came home with 2 generous bushels of apples. So far I have made and canned 2 batches of apple butter and 1 batch of apple sauce. I still need to make more apple sauce and pie filling.
We are in need of some rain, but there is none in the forecast. It is very dry which is hastening the loss of leaves from the trees. We are missing out on a lot of the glorious autumn colors due to the dry conditions. Already we have had the overnight temperatures dip down into the lower 30s.
I will try and post a bit more later. Right now I need to go and address more apples. 
