Friday, February 27, 2015

Only 22 More Days Till Spring

February 27, 2015

Wow, would you look at that calendar?  Only one more day left in February.  We've been so busy worrying about all the snow and the wicked cold that a whole month has slipped by, and Sunday will begin a new month.  I'm hoping that the new month will be able to snap this cold spell, and bring some warmer air to this part of the country. 

Yesterday, after I had finished posting here, I went to see if any mail had come, and it was snowing again.  Can you believe it?  I don't think it lasted more than a couple of hours, but still.  Spring is only 22 more days away, and I am so ready for the sight of green grass and colorful flowers in gardens.  

SIL Eddie came by yesterday for a visit, and I have to say that he is getting around pretty good.  He still has a ways to go, but he is definitely getting there.  Just don't over do things Eddie.  The body needs time to heal.

I move around a lot here, but I don't seem to be accomplishing very much at all.  I'll probably be up all Saturday night trying to make sure I got everything finished.  Later today, Joe and I will make a run to Walmart to pick up a few last minute things.  I'll need to stop by the Post Office too to mail off a box.  (an order that I am returning) 

I will brave the cold around noon to keep my appointment at the nail salon.  When I get back home, I'll put in one last load of laundry.  Then it will be just a matter of finishing off the packing.  I will trust the dwarfs to take care of the house until I get back. 

Today I dug into my photo archives again for a couple of photos that I took mid February 2013.  This is another thing that I miss now that I'm not working.  There were always so many beautiful birds at the Mrs' yard.  Ah well, thank goodness for archives.



Well, I found out that Pogo does not like oatmeal.  I gave him a little bowl of warm oatmeal along with his dish of doggie food this morning.  However, after one sniff he simply walked away.  He did not eat the doggie food either.  Oh well.

Now I think I'll do a bit of blog reading before it's time to get ready to leave for my appointment.  So, till next month, Y'all have a fantabulous weekend.

Hugs, Edna B.

Thursday, February 26, 2015

Only Three More Days Till Vacation

February 26, 2015

Good morning.  My goodness, there are only three more days to go till Pogo and I head South.  Warmer temps and warmer sunshine.  Yeaaaaah!  Now I have to keep my eye on the Weather Channel in case the weather gods decide to mess up my plans.

I made an appointment for Friday at the nail salon.  Gosh, my nails have not looked this bad since I can't remember when.  It has been more than a month since I've had them tended to.  Even beauty does not coax me out of the house when it is super cold.  That's the wimp in me showing up.

Yesterday I did a load of laundry.  But that's about all I really accomplished.  DIL Janet was coming by after work, so I asked her to see if any stores along her way had any ice melt stuff in stock that she could pick up for me.  What a darling!!  She was able to pick up four bags for me.  The stores around me ran out a while ago.

Our whole parking area has been looking like an ice skating rink.  When Joe gets home later today, he will sprinkle some of the ice melt stuff around to see if we can get rid of a lot of the ice.  We have decided to wait until tomorrow to go shopping.  There are only a few things that we need to pick up for the trip, so it can wait till tomorrow.  I'll take care of the rest of my errands while we are out.

I've been watching the Weather Channel to see how much snow folks got in Virginia, but so far all they've been talking about is Georgia.  Oops, now they are focusing on Virginia.  There are more than 13,000 customers without electric power, and lots of ice and snow everywhere.  I'm hoping that all the bad weather clears away in time to make Audrey's long drive a safe one.

SIL Eddie has been healing nicely after his knee replacement surgery.  He has actually been driving a bit lately.  I think he should go a bit slower but he says he feels okay.  It's his knee, so I guess he would know best.  Just don't overdo it Eddie.

I have a recent newspaper article to share with you today.  In a town not far from here, there's a young woman who was not able to get out and around because the sidewalks had not been cleared.  So she decided to do it herself.  This is pretty amazing because she is in a wheelchair.  She puts the shovel between the chair and the footrest and plows the snow away.  Woo Hoo!! 

She has spent more than 100 hours since January clearing the local area sidewalks so that she and other folks in wheelchairs can get out and about.  I think she is marvelous, and I say shame on you to the town officials who knew she was out there shoveling and they did not send machinery and manpower out to do the job for her. 

I don't have any new photos to share today so I dug one out of my photo archives.  This is a photo of Audrey and Pogo in Florida two years ago.  I can't wait to take new photos of them. 


Well, now I think I should get busy and do a few things around here.  Goodness knows there is plenty for me to do before I leave this weekend.  So, till tomorrow, Y'all stay warm and have a fantabulous day. 

Hugs, Edna B.

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

That's Not More Snow I See, Is It?

February 25, 2015

Good morning.  Shall I tell you that we got another 2 or 3 inches of snow during the night?  Nah, I don't want to spoil your morning.  (But we did!)  I was going to go out today to do some errands, but now I'll have to wait until Joe gets home later today so that he can clean off my car.  It's against the law to drive around with snow on the roof of your car and I can't reach that high.

Someone asks why I need two suitcases.  Well, when my hubby was alive, we would fill a box with the videos he had taped to watch while we were in Florida.  Also, I would pack lots of my craft supplies, books on tape and a tape recorder.  We would mail the box to ourselves at our Florida address, and then mail it back home before we left Florida.

Since I've been taking my doggies to Florida with me, the box is now filled with pee pads, a Potty Patch mat, a couple small tins of doggie food, a fuzzy blanket and my craft stuff.  This year, because of the huge price increase for mailing boxes, I'm going to take a second (smaller) suitcase with me instead.  The only change I may make will be if all of this stuff will fit in my regular suitcase.  I don't think it will, but I will see.

I have an update on Kevin's health problems.  I would explain what the doctor found, but it is a bit complicated and I would have to ask Dee Dee again before trying to explain it.  Part of the problem may be acid reflux along with a wicked infection in his lungs. 

The doctor did prescribe a couple of new meds for Kevin to take and will see him again in 2 or 3 weeks to check him again.   I surely do hope that this new medicine will make Kevin better.  Baseball season is going to start soon, he just got his driving license and is applying to college.  His whole life is looking up except for his health problems. 

Last night I got settled into my lounge chair and started working on the blue afghan.  Would you believe that I ran out of yarn with only two rows to go till it is finished?   So I got out another afghan
that I had started before (Frosty Green) and worked on that one for a while till my eyelids started closing. 

Today I need to finish going through a last batch of 2014 receipts so that I can set all my tax stuff aside until I get back from Florida.  I thought I had them all done but I found a few more.   Maybe, once the taxes have been filed,  I will start listing some of my 2015 tax stuff in a notebook and have a head start on next year's tax project.  Sounds like a good plan!

I have a couple of photos to share with you.  I took this first one of my handsome little fellow with my cell phone.  One can't have too many photos of their fur babies.


This next photo is just plain beautiful.  It does not matter how big it is, or where it hangs, or what the weather may be.  The sight of our flag flying freely is a magnificent sight to these happy old eyes.


It's time now to catch up on my blog reading.  I've already had two cups of coffee this morning.  One at 5 a.m. and another at 9 a.m.  I think instead of more coffee, I'll have a glass of orange juice.  Actually, we haven't had our breakfast yet, so I think I'll get that ready before sitting down at my laptop.  So, till tomorrow, Y'all be warm and have a fabulous day.

Hugs, Edna B.

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Oh Such Wicked Wicked Cold!!

February 24, 2015

Good morning.  Brrrrr!  It's cold here.  At the moment, it is 0 degrees.  It wasn't really too bad until around 3:30 a.m. this morning when it started getting really cold.   Even Pogo decided that it was too cold and time to crawl under the blankets with Mommy.  Body heat helps to keep it warmer beneath the blanket.  Today is supposed to get up into the mid teens with snow tonight.

I may not go out today to do any errands.  Instead I may wait until tomorrow when the temperature is supposed to reach 33F.   We have a winter weather advisory in effect until 7 a.m. Wednesday.  I may have to go back into hibernation mode until Saturday.

As much as I crab about the snow and the cold, there is quite a lot of beauty in the winterscapes.  I took these photos of my trees this past weekend while it was snowing.  The first photo is my Red Japanese Maple, and the second photo shows some of my gentle giants.



I also have another pretty photo that I took through the laundry room door.  I thought this was such an interesting view. 


Last night I put a few more rows on the blue afghan, and now there are only four more rows to go to finish it off.  I'll most likely do that later today.  I think I've definitely decided on taking the pattern and some yarn for a poncho with me to work on in Florida. 

I usually pack a box of things to mail to myself in Florida, but this year I think I'll pack a second, smaller, suitcase instead.  The cost for the second suitcase is about the same as the cost of mailing the box.  I may just pack the box and take it to the Post Office to make sure of the price. 

Or the other thing that I could do is to mail the box to Florida, and buy another suitcase while I'm in Florida to bring my extra things home in.   I'll have to give this some thought.  Isn't it wonderful to have such trifling things to worry about?  haha. 

The other thing that I'm concerned about is the weather in the Carolinas and Georgia.  My Audrey will be driving from Virginia to Florida, so I'm hoping that this wicked Southern Winter weather will take a break so that she will have a safe journey.

How about the rest of the Presidential tid-bits?  Do you know who was the only president to be elected to two non-consecutive terms, and that he rejected two-thirds of the bills that Congress sent him?   If you guessed Grover Cleveland, you're right.

Or how about the highest jumping president, who set a record at West Point that lasted for 25 years.  He was also on the record books for a speeding ticket he received while on his horse.  Hmmm, I do believe that this was Ulysses S. Grant.

Guests may have had to reconsider before attending any of this president's parties.  He served no refreshments, banned dancing at the White House and hymns were the only music he allowed.  My goodness, such a party animal!  Did you guess James K. Polk?  Well then, you're right.

And finally, when this president approached, all the servants jumped into closets.  He required the help to be "invisible", but he allowed his son's two pet alligators to wander the White House freely.  Of course, this was none other than Herbert Hoover. 

I've enjoyed these tid-bits, so I may just pick up a couple of books to read up on more of this interesting trivia.  Learning can be such fun, and I love learning new things.  Well that's about all the news for this morning.  So, till tomorrow, Y'all be warm and have a fantabulous day.

Hugs, Edna B.

Monday, February 23, 2015

Oh What A Beautiful Sunday, Oh What A Beautiful Day!

February 23, 2015

Good morning.  Is this not a catchy title for my post today?   I put my own words to a line in a song from the musical "Oklahoma." 

My goodness, what a beautiful day we had yesterday.  The snow stopped falling by noon, the sun came out and the temps were in the upper 30'sF.  Absolutely beautiful!!!  Joe and I assembled the roof rake, and he used it to clear the snow off the porch roof.  What a great buy this rake was.

Joe also did his best to clear away all the ice dams on the porch roof.   This took hours, but he got most all the ice off and now we don't have to worry so much.  We even noticed a few of our neighbors were out clearing the snow off their roofs. 

So far today it is not snowing or raining, but we do have a wind chill warning in effect until 6 p.m. tonight.  The temperature right now is 23F.  Today's high is supposed to be around 21 degrees, going down to -9 degrees tonight. 

It's the Sunday weather that I am most concerned about.  Right now they are showing no more snow all week until Sunday.  EEEEK!  Let's hope that the snow waits until Sunday evening when we will be safely tucked away in Florida. 

Today I have a couple of beautiful sunrise photos that daughter Audrey took yesterday.  Isn't this a pretty way to start your day?  Thanks, Audrey, for sharing.



Yesterday I really did not accomplish very much, but I did put a few more rows on the blue afghan.  Now there are only thirteen more rows to go and it will be finished.  I would like to finish at least one project each month this year.   Anything over and above that will be super.

Today is Mandarin Orange Monday.  I have a photo that I took of a reflection in our kitchen window.  I was trying to shoot photos of the snow outside, and forgot to shut off the kitchen light.


I actually like this photo, but it is Monday so I decided to play around in Photoshop and orangify the photo a bit.  After getting carried away with different layers and filters, I ended up with this pretty piece of digital art.


Well, now I'm going to make myself a fresh cup of coffee and enjoy a bit of blog reading.  I enjoy starting my days this way, catching up on how my blog friends are doing.  So, till tomorrow, Y'all be warm and have a fabulous day.

Hugs, Edna B.

Sunday, February 22, 2015

Snow And Rain Forecast For Today (What Else Is New?)

February 22, 2015

Good morning.  It's not quite daylight yet, only 5:30 a.m.and it is snowing.   The snow started some time during the night, and so far the build up isn't too bad.  At the moment, it's 33F degrees with the possibility of making it to 38F.  I'm not sure if we're going to get any rain yet.  I'll just have to wait and see what the day brings.

They said on TV that so far there have only been five days this month where there was no snow falling in our area.  One look at my yard, and you can see why.  It will probably take us till April to get rid of all the snow piled up here.

Yesterday was a rather blah day here.  I keep trying to think what it was that I accomplished but nothing comes to mind.  Aside from washing a couple of Pogo's fuzzy blankets, it was a day of rest.  I did get a couple of packages in the mail.  (Wow, mail three days in a row!!)  One box was full of new things for Pogo.  Jammies, a tee shirt and sweaters, and nothing fit him.  The box will have to be sent back. 

The other package held one of my scrap pages printed on metal.  Oh my, did it ever come out great!!  Now I just have to find a good spot to hang it.  I used one of the Amazon Local deals to purchase this item.  If this service is offered in your area, do sign up for it.  There are some really great bargains offered every two or three days. 

Amazon also offers a free kindle app for your laptop, phone or tablet.  Download this and get daily offers for free or very low cost books.  This is where I get most all my books now.  For reasonably priced "paper" books, I buy from the Amazon bookstore.  You can't beat their prices.  (no, this is not a paid advertisement)

Today I have some cute photos of one of our little wrens.  They are just the cutest little birds.  They love the peanut butter.  Actually all the birds and the squirrels like the peanut butter.  I buy the biggest jar I can find and spread it really thick on hamburger rolls.  They don't last very long, so we put new ones out quite often. 




I've been crocheting a bit on the blue afghan, and I'm hoping to finish it this week.  There are only eighteen more rows to go.  I've slowed down a bit, so I probably won't be able to make as many this year as I did last year.  But that's okay because there are a few other crochet projects that I want to work on too. 

Well, Joe is up and Pogo has gone out to the house to have his turkey treat.  So I guess it's time for me to get started on a few things around here.  Today I want to start packing my "mailer box".  This is the one that I mail to myself in Florida.  It will be waiting for me when I arrive.  I also want to wash my Spring clothes that I am packing to take with me.  We need to assemble the roof rake too so that Joe can try it out. 

On that note, I'll take my leave.  So, till tomorrow, Y'all be safe and have a fantabulous day.

Hugs, Edna B.

Friday, February 20, 2015

Grab Your Tissues, This One Will Bring Tears To Your Eyes

February 20, 2015

Good afternoon.  Sorry for not posting this morning, but I had things to do.  I'm back home now and enjoying a chicken sandwich.  I cut up a nice plate of chicken for Pogo, but so far he has turned up his nose at his lunch and is taking a nap on his little sofa. 

When I was at Walmart yesterday, I bought a new fuzzy blanket for Pogo.  (surely he needs as many as we can find!)  I also bought a table lamp that had to be returned today, so while I was there I bought him another new fuzzy blanket.  You just can't have too many fuzzies to cuddle up in.

I got an email yesterday from the ASPCA that was featuring a story about a tiny Maltese mix doggie who was hit by a car this winter in New York and left on the road for dead.  A passerby found the little dog and took it to the local animal hospital where it was stabilized and sent over to an ASPCA hospital.  This precious little bundle's name is Coconut, and he is ever so darling.

Coconut has since received lots of medical care, mending broken bones and other body parts.  This poor little fellow was very near death when he was first found and brought to a hospital.  Folks, this breaks my heart.  How can anyone hurt an animal.  Your pets give you unconditional love.  This is just not acceptable behavior towards our furry kids.   Here's a photo of Coconut.  If you live near New York, he is looking for a new forever home where he will be loved and protected.  If interested, call 1-212-876-7700 ext. 4120.  This is the ASPCA Adoption Center.  Now tell me, isn't he just precious?


I have a newspaper article to share with you.  This was in the paper a few days ago.  It seems that the First Lady is slamming an American family dinner favorite, boxed mac and cheese.  According to Michelle Obama, it is not real food.  She says that the powdered cheese in the package is not real cheese.  The reporter, Tom Shattuck, had this to say: 

"The fact is, Madame Muenster, mac and cheese is real food.  Powdered cheese is usually made from cheese and created by a process called "spray drying".  It's powdered so that millions of Americans who cannot afford an in-house food guru can have a close facsimile of the good stuff that will stay preserved for months.  Powdered mac and cheese is a blessing for lower and middle class families, and to have the nation's self appointed Camembert Cop suggest that we rubes might as well be serving our kids macaroni and plutonium does a disservice to working people"


Once again, there was no mail delivery yesterday.  It's almost 1 p.m., and I'm wondering if we'll get any mail today.  The postal delivery service has gone way downhill, and of course, they are blaming it all on the snow.  I'm not understand this because they do not have to delivery to any house where the mailbox is not easily accessible.  They only have to delivery to folks who have shoveled away the snow.  A lot of folks did not do this, but we did.  So why are we not getting mail every day? 

Well guess what?  The mail just came.  I was so excited that I darn near cut off my thumb opening a package.  That was not so smart on my part. I put antibiotic and a bandaid on my thumb.  No worry, I'm going to live. 

Before I take my leave for today, let me share a few more Presidential tidbits with you.   Do you know which president had two nicknames?  "The Human Iceberg" for his cool demeanor, and "Pious Moonlight Dude" for his romantic ways.   Are you thinking Benjamin Harrison?  Then you're right!

Then there was the president who once considered pursuing the life of a cowboy in Argentina instead of a politician in Washington.  Can you guess?  Yup, it was Dwight D. Eisenhower.

This president's advisors were known as the "Kitchen Cabinet."  He was famous for his temper and being the only president to kill a man in a duel.  Have you guessed?  Of course, it was Andrew Jackson. 

I have one more photo to share today.  This is a photo I took with my phone yesterday from the Walmart parking lot.  It was snowing (you can't see the snow falling but it was) and the sun was doing its best to shine through the snow and clouds.  I just thought it was such a pretty picture.  That's my little blue baby parked right under that yellow arrow.


Okay, that's it for today.  Now I'm off to see what sort of fun mischief that Pogo and I can get into this afternoon.  So, till Sunday, Y'all stay warm and have a magnificent day.

Hugs, Edna B.

Thursday, February 19, 2015

The Winter Blues Are Not So Bad Today

February 19, 2015

Good morning.  Oh my, the sun is shining.  Yes it is cold, but the sun sure does help lift the spirits.  I'm watching the Weather Channel, and they are forecasting lots of rain for us over the weekend, and a high temp of 45F on Sunday.  That is not so good.  We have mountains of snow all around us, so the added rain and the one warm day is going to make a huge mess.  Ah well, we'll deal with it when it gets here.

Yesterday, we made it out to Pogo's errands.  Joe carried Pogo, and I carried myself.  It was slippery everywhere except at the veterinary hospital.  Their parking lots and sidewalks were plowed right down to the pavement. 

Pogo got a little feisty at the doctor's office.  For some reason, he would not let her take his temperature.  He put up quite a struggle, and he won that battle.  He might be tiny, but oh boy is he ever fierce when he has to be.  Other than that, he was declared a fit, healthy and handsome fellow.  Of course, I already knew that!

While we were at Petco, we met a lady with a tiny one year old Yorkie who looked a lot like Pogo.  These two little doggies had such fun meeting each other.  We were in there looking for some new Spring shirts for Pogo, but so far none of the new stock had been put out yet.  Maybe we'll have a look around when we get to Florida.

Notice I said "when we get to Florida"?  I'm tryng to be very positive.  It's not easy with the weather we've been having.   I have a six foot privacy fence on the other of my house, and in most places, you can barely see the top of the fence. 

I just went to the door to get a photo of the front entrance to my driveway.  As you see, the snow on both sides of the street is much higher than the vehicles on the road.  The second photo shows the snow that fell overnight.  Yup, the snow started up again late yesterday afternoon.  Sad to say, it is snowing a light snow right now too. 



Yesterday, I promised you some cute photos from the day before.  Last summer, Joe hung three basket weave bird houses in the trees.  We had no idea if anyone would make them their home, but we had hopes.  Well, I got my answer a couple of days ago.  To my surprise, our little wrens love these little houses.

If you look close, near the yellow arrow that I put on the photo, you can see a little wren going into his house.  In the second photo, the little wren is in the entrance looking out at the snow falling.



I was so happy to get these photos.  This year, I'm going to order a few more houses for Joe to hang in the trees.  I'll look around for some different ones too.  We do have a few other houses hung outside, but I've never noticed if any of the birds are using them. 

I was going to take a new photo of Pogo to show off his new hair cut but he's been having a case of the squirties, and he's not in the mood for photos.  Here's one photo that I just took of Pogo and his Valentine Bear. 


Right now I have lots of fuzzy blankets to wash.  I think the anxieties from yesterday are catching up and rattling Pogo's nerves.  No problem.  Mama has a washer and dryer that will do most of the work.

This week we celebrated Presidents Day, and the local newspaper ran some interesting trivia about some of the presidents.  Do you know which president gave the longest inaugural address of any president - 8,445 words, followed by the shortest time served as president?   If you guessed William Henry Harrison, you guessed right.

Do you know which president had once been a fashion model, and served as both vice president and president without being elected to either office?   Well that was Gerald Ford.

And do you know which president was the first president to have his photo taken - luckily not during one of his customary early-morning nude swims in the Potomac River?  That was none other than John Quincy Adams.

There were a few more fun tidbits, but I'll save them for other posts.  Right now I need to get busy on the laundry and making up a grocery list so that we can do our shopping later this afternoon.  I'll also be picking up a batch of my meds for the first time with this new insurance company.  This should be interesting.

So that's all my news for this morning.   Till tomorrow, Y'all have a fabulous day.

Hugs, Edna B.

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Trying To Get Into "Spring Time" Mode

February 18, 2015

Good morning.  First let me correct myself.  Yesterday was not a day off from the white stuff.  As soon as I finished posting my blog, I looked out the window and there it was!  And it went on all day.  However, it did finally stop, and today is just cold.

I'm watching the Weather Channel and all that Artic Cold is just wicked awful.  It makes me wonder how come it is happening.  Do you supposed this is the beginning of things to come?  Gosh I hope not. 

Well last night, I finally broke down and tried to get into Spring time mode.  I was watching the yard and garden show on QVC, and all the beautiful flowers were getting to me.  There were so many beautiful new perennials  for this year.  They even had a hardy palm tree that would grow and thrive in the cold up to 15 degrees below zero.  I thought about that one. 

But in the end, I just could not pass up these gorgeous poppies.  I love poppies, but I have never had much luck growing them.  These are guaranteed to grow.  Aren't these just gorgeous?  The photo was taken from the TV screen.


The other item that I could not pass up is a set of huge, ever blooming and fragrant day lilies.  These will grow anywhere and I have just the spot for them.  It a set of five different colors, two of each.


I could have bought more plants, but Joe might not have been too happy about it.  He's the one who does all the planting.  But who knows, maybe if they have another garden show, I'll pick up a couple more items.

 Well, I had to reschedule my appointment with the accountant till the middle of March.  I have to stay home tomorrow and wait for the oil delivery truck.  If I'm not here, they won't deliver the oil.  At least I have all my papers in order for when I do get to have the taxes done. 

Today, Joe is home, and is outside shoveling the doorways and steps, and cleaning off my car.  He'll be going with Pogo and me to Pogo's appointments.   I'm thinking that lunch at Burger King might be in order.  Oh my, that sounds yummy!

Yesterday, I got some cute photos of the little birds outside.  Here's one of our tiny sparrows waiting in the rose bush for his turn at the feeder.  (photo taken through the storm window and screen)


I'll save the other photos for tomorrow's post.  Right now, I want to pick out a nice warm sweater for Pogo to wear after his hair cut.  The car will be warm and he'll also have on a winter jacket, so he'll be okay. 

I can't believe how quickly vacation time is getting here.  Just a little more than a week and we'll be off to sunny Florida.  Woo Hoo!  By the way, did you know that today is International Eat More Ice Cream Day?   So what are you waiting for?   Open that freezer and enjoy an ice cream treat. 

Well that's all the news for this morning.  So till tomorrow, Y'all have a fantabulous day.

Hugs, Edna B.

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Yeah! The Roofs Are Done!

February 17, 2015

Good morning.  Shhhh, don't say anything out loud, but there is no snow falling from the sky here at the moment.  It feels kind of funny.  But nice.  But oh my, the South is getting walloped with freezing rain and ice.  That is not so nice! 

Well, the roofs are finally cleared of the snow.  Thank goodness.  It was wicked expensive, but such a load off my mind.  Roofs are collapsing everywhere from the weight of all the snow that is on them.  I don't want to be one of those statistics. 

I haven't been taking many more photos because somehow they all look the same from day to day.  The ones that I take through the window aren't so good because there is snow stuck to the screen on the window.   But here is one photo of our little sparrows.  These two are waiting for Joe to finish spreading some seed and bread beneath my car. 


I found a picture on daughter's web site of a really cute idea for a bird feeder.  This one uses cups and saucers.  If it weren't for our pesky squirrels, I'd make up a couple of these for our gardens.


Kyra sent me an email with a link to some really adorable whimsical art.  Check out this link.  It will make your eyes smile.  http://www.viralforest.com/someone-drawing-quirky-chalk-charcoal-characters-streets-ann-arbor-michigan/

Yesterday, I bundled Pogo up in his toasty winter jacket and took him out to play in the snow.  Oops!  Not a good idea.  He did not like it at all, and couldn't wait for me to pick him up and make his little feet warm again   Sorry Pogo.

Today I have to try to finish gathering up all my tax stuff because I'm going to be busy most of tomorrow with Pogo's appointments, and I see the accountant the next day.  After that, it will be time to seriously start putting things into our suitcase and printing out our airline tickets.  Cross your fingers that the weather holds out and we're able to board the plane and make it to Florida. 

Well, that's my news for this morning.  Till tomorrow, Y'all be warm and have a super day.

Hugs, Edna B.

Monday, February 16, 2015

It's Mandarin Orange Monday


February 16, 2015

Good morning.  Gosh it it cold!!!   It's 2 degrees above zero with a wind chill of -17.  Guess who isn't leaving her house today?   The weather man says there is more snow coming tomorrow and Wednesday, and then again next Sunday.   Get it out of your system Mr. Winter.  I don't want any bad weather to mess up my flight plans the following weekend.

I woke up to the sound of pitter patter on my roof.  Nope, not Santa's reindeer making an early visit.  It's the guys who are working to clear the rest of the snow off my roofs.  Between the time they left the other night and this morning, there's whole new mess of snow up there to be cleaned up.  Not to mention all the huge icicles. 

I feel bad for those folks in the South who are getting pelted now with the snow and ice.  The scariest part is the ice.  It coats everything, and then all the power lines and poles start coming down.   I had to drive through the South one winter when they were having a snow and ice storm, and it was not pretty.  Here's hoping that they don't get hit too bad with this storm.

Remember the photo I posted that showed how nice and clean the yard looked Saturday night after Joe was finished shoveling?  Well this is what it looked like yesterday morning.  The first photo is the hedge right outside my window, and the large white mound in the next photo is my car.   There was another foot of snow and the snow did not stop until sometime in the afternoon.


 
I have to admit though, that there is also beauty outside with all that snow.  Here's a shot of the bottom branches on some of my gentle giants.  I'm not crazy about the snow, but this really is beautiful.
 
 
Because it is Mandarin Orange Monday, I took this photo into Photoshop and played around for a while with filters and layers.  And here is my orange masterpiece.   If you click on it to make it bigger, you'll see a sinister face in it.  Once I saw that, I figured my piece was done.
 
 
All the dwarfs are home today, and right now they are having breakfast out in the kitchen.  The food smells wafting in to my apartment are making me hungry.  I think it's time to rustle up some breakfast for Pogo and me.  He's been busy barking at all the noises coming from the guys working outside, and by now has probably worked up a good appetite.  So, till tomorrow, Y'all stay warm and have a fantabulous day.
 
Hugs, Edna B.


Sunday, February 15, 2015

We're In The Middle Of Another Blizzard

February 15, 2015

Good morning.  Gosh, for a little while (around 3 a.m.) I thought that the snow had changed its mind about dumping on us again because it had stopped.  Alas, silly girl that I am, that only lasted for a little while.  Then all of a sudden it started back up with a vengeance.  Visibility is not so good outside right now. 

It snowed all day yesterday and last night.  It wasn't too heavy, but it was steady.  Remember that nice man who was going to come by and clear all the snow off my roofs?  Well he wasn't so nice.  He never showed up.  When I finally reached him by phone, he said he was really busy, sorry. 

I called another fellow who said he would come by around ten a.m.  After a repeat phone call, he finally showed up around noon time, took one look and said "Sorry, your house is too big."   Do I need to tell you how stressed I was getting?  

Next I called another young man back (three guys called me back after the first guy was already supposed to be coming out to do the job) and he said he was in the area and would be by shortly.  And he showed up!!   Just two young fellows with two big pickup trucks, snow blowers, shovels, ladders and roof rakes. 

These young guys went to work, and did not leave until more than five hours later, saying that they would be back at 7 in the morning to finish up.   Here's a photo (taken through the storm door after dark) showing one of the  trucks backed up to the porch.  They were trying to put the ladder in the back of the truck in hopes that it would reach up to the top of the highest peak.  Alas, it did not quite reach.  However, I have three roofs on my house, and they cleared two of them before they left last night.


Early yesterday morning, Joe bundled up and went outside to start clearing away some of the huge mounds of snow close to the driveway side of the house.  He was out there all day, and into the evening.   He got the whole driveway area down to almost ground, and moved tons of snow away from our doors and my little gardens by the windows.  We had to take the birdfeeder line down, but have been putting food beneath my car for the birds.

Here's a couple shots of Joe getting ready to clear the path out to the shed again.  All the snow being pushed off the roof filled in the walkway and path that he had already carved out.  How about those snow piles, huh?  They are way taller than Joe and are all around the parking area. 



When all the snow is done falling on us, it will be time to shovel the snow away from the base of the house all the way around the house.  That will be a tricky job, because the snow is several feet high all around the house.  Well, we'll worry about that when the time comes. 

Just now, I have left a message on the young man's phone (the kid clearing the roofs) asking him to call me before he comes out.   The snow is getting heavier, visibility is poor, the wind is picking up and the wind chill is getting quite nasty.  I don't want these kids getting hurt, so I left word that if he wants to wait until tomorrow to come back it will be fine with me.  Now I'll just wait for him to call.

Right now, there has been some snow lightning in Boston.   My goodness, Old Man Winter is in a doozy of a snit.   I hope we're not getting a taste of winters to come.   I just got a return call from the snow removal guy, and he will be re-scheduling for 7 a.m. tomorrow morning instead of today, unless it clears up later today.   Gosh, I feel better now because I don't any of these young fellows getting hurt here. 

I'm watching the Weather Channel, and Boston and Plymouth are getting quite a bit of Thunder Snow (lightning).  It looks really nasty outside.  Our blizzard warning was supposed to be over tonight, but now it is on till 7 a.m. tomorrow.  This is understandable when one has a look outside.  The wind is really beginning to whip around pretty good.   The porch roof over our front door was clear of snow yesterday afternoon.  It now has close to a foot of snow on it.  All new snow.  Simply disgusting!!

Our mail delivery system is not functioning so good lately.  Last week, they missed a couple of days, but I attributed that to the storms.  This week, they did not show up on Thursday which was a good day and the roads were very clear.  They delivered on Friday, but then no one showed up yesterday.   I had put some bills out in the mailbox to be picked up, but now they will have to wait until Tuesday.  Needless to say, I will be calling the Post Office again on Tuesday with a complaint of the non deliveries.

In the mail that we got on Friday, there was a super little box from Nani.   In it was some snack packs for Pogo, and the cutest little doll for me.  What a beautiful little ray of sunshine my little doll is.  Thank you so much Nani.   Here's a photo of my little doll.  Isn't she just so sweet?


It's only 6:30 a.m., and I've been up since 3 a.m.  Pogo had a wee bit of a problem during the night, which resulted in an accident on the carpet and two scatter rugs.  Plus my blue bathrobe and one of his fuzzy blankets.  But now he's been bathed and dried, and there is a load of laundry in the washer.  No biggie.  

*****For the past half hour, I've been trying to take some photos through the kitchen window and my storm door of the snow, and the birds and an energetic little squirrel.  Hopefully some of the photos will come out good enough to post here tomorrow. 

Now I'm going to make myself a cup of coffee and catch up on my blog reading.  Till tomorrow, Y'all have a fabulous day.

Hugs, Edna B.

Friday, February 13, 2015

Pogo Is A Collector Of All Things Fuzzy

February 13, 2015

Good morning.  I'm not so crazy today.  The sun is shining and there is nothing falling from the sky.  No white stuff, no wet stuff, just bright sunshine.  It's only for today, but I'll take it.  Did I mention it is cold?   Today is supposed to get up to 12F degrees, and tonight will go down to four below zero.

Did you like my title today?  I thought I was bad about collecting things, but my Pogo is just like me in a way.  He collects fuzzies.   Blankets, bathrobes, and anything that is fuzzy and big enough for him to crawl under. 

This is a photo of him sleeping on his little sofa last night.  As you can see, he has a pink and gray fuzzy blanket, a black printed blanket, and my fuzzy blue bathrobe.  Under all of this is a green and white Pooh Bear fuzzy blanket.  He has another collection of these fuzzies on my sofa and in his bed.


Early yesterday afternoon, a nice gentleman stopped by to have a look at my roofs and talk with me.  The first thing he said was "Gosh, you sure have a mess on your hands!"   He meant all the snow and icicles on the roofs.   He told me that they are overwhelmed with snow removal jobs, but that he would fit me in somehow.  He would try to come by later today and tomorrow to see how much snow they could get off the roofs. 

We also discussed having him come by later after all the snows have gone by to give me some prices for installing the heater cords that go around the whole perimeter of your roof.   This way we won't have the problem with all the huge icicles and built up water and ice beneath the snow on the roof.  It's another unexpected big expense, but it could save me a lot of money in repairs.  We'll see.

I have a couple of photos to share that I took from our kitchen window.  As you can see, the snow is beginning to take away most of my view.  The snow is getting higher and higher with every storm.  I had to zoom in to get the photo of the little bird on the treat holder.  He and his friends finished this one off, and I made up more peanut butter treats that Joe put out when he got home.



Yesterday, I also did a bit more work on my taxes.  There's still a ways to go, but if I do a batch each day, I hope to be ready for my appointment with the accountant next week.   Last night, I actually got back to my crocheting too.  I am way behind on all the projects that I wanted to make this year. 

Later today, Joe and I will do some food shopping.  On the way, I have to stop by the bank, the hardware store and the Post Office.  It's going to feel good to get out of the house for a bit.

Well that's my news for today.  So till Sunday, Y'all stay warm and have a fabulous weekend.

Hugs, Edna B.

P.S.  HAPPY VALENTINES DAY everybody.

Thursday, February 12, 2015

I Have Seasonal Affective Disorder

February 12, 2015

Good morning.  It's not snowing at the moment, but I don't really want to look out my window in case I'm wrong.  They say ignorance is bliss, and right now I'd like to believe that is not snowing this morning.

I've been listening to the Weather Channel, and the upcoming outlook is pretty bleak.  Lots more wicked Artic cold temps and another huge storm is what they are talking about.  However, they are saying that Spring will be here in 36 days and 11 hours.   Well now, isn't that special!

Now they (the Weather Channel)  are asking "Are you grumpty, are you tired, have you no energy?"   Well it's called "Snow Fatigue".    In other words, "Seasonal Affective Disorder".   The best thing to do is to do things that make you happy or that make you feel as though you have accomplished something.  Also go outside and get lots of sunshine.   Sunshine on your face is the best remedy.

This good information comes from a doctor featured on the Weather Channel.   I guess if one has a problem of any sort, you just stick a word in front of  "Affective Disorder" to give your problem a name.  Playing with your crafts and puzzles and doing your household chores should cure you.  As for the sunshine, well that's totally up to Mother Nature. 

Folks, I spent most all day yesterday making phone calls, trying to find a company that does roof snow removal.  Out of all the calls, only one was answered by a person.  He said he'd call me back, but so far has not.  Most places had a recording answer their calls saying that they were not taking on any new customers. 

One business had a recording on saying that they were closed for the season.  Now that one baffled me.  If you do snow removal, how can you be closed for the season in the middle of all these large snow storms?

This morning I've been busy making more calls.  So far, I'm not having any luck.  The only two people I managed to reach did not have any helpful information for me, although one of them may call me back with a number.   Is it any wonder why my Seasonal Affective Disorder is kicking in?  I'm crabby, tired, grouchy, have no energy, have lost my sense of humor, and in short - I'm ready to dance in the sun if it ever finds my little hometown.

In answer to questions about that wicked nasty electric bill that I mentioned, it is a one month only bill for my entire house.  Even though this is a big house, it is still an enormous bill.  I'm expecting three more just like it before it starts to go down a bit.  As for heat, I have mostly oil heat in the house.  Just one room has electric heat, and that person likes her room cool.

Once I got done making all those phone calls yesterday, I spent a few hours working on my taxes.  Talk about Seasonal Affective Disorder!!!  Between working on the taxes and the snow, I'm getting a huge double whammy!   Thanks be that this is not a terminal condition.  If Spring and Summer arrive, and I still have all my roofs in good order on my house, I'll begin to heal. 

UPDATE!  UPDATE!   It looks like I may have a cure coming a lot sooner than Springtime.  My phone just rang, and it was a local landscaper that I had called.  He gave me a name and phone number of someone who could help me.  I called, and the nice man said he would be by in a couple of hours to have a look and give me a price.  Gosh, if he were here, I'd have given him a huge hug!!!!

I have a couple of photos of the leak that we sprung, and the gorgeous orange bucket that catches most of the drips.  As you can see, the wee wee pad catches a lot of drips too.  The leaks are coming in through the top of a door frame.  It is caused by all the ice and snow on the roof.  If the temperature goes up one or two degrees, it leaks.  Then the temperature goes back down and the drips stop.  (This orange bucket is the monster that frightened Pogo)



On a lighter note, I found an adorable image on my daughter's web page and thought I would share it here.  I think all our school kids would really enjoy going to school in something like this.


Now I'm going to grab my little dog and dance around the house like a crazy lady.   No one will see me so it's okay.  And even if they do, I just tell them that I'm old and it's okay for an old lady to act crazy sometimes.   So far, they all buy it.

So, till tomorrow, Y'all be safe and have a fantabulous day.

Hugs, Edna B.

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

So Much Snow Brings Scary Roof Problems

February 11, 2015

Good morning.  Guess what?  Yup, it's been snowing all morning.  I don't even want to look out my window to see how much of it there is.  I'm just hoping it all stops pretty soon. 

The plow truck came by yesterday morning again.  I'm grateful that he had time to take care of us, but I hope not to have to see him again for a while.  Sorry man.  Nothing personal.  When Joe got home from work, he got out the ladder and cleared the snow off the roof on the shed again, and the snow from the roofs over both porches. 

As for the snow on the main roofs of the house, I may have to call in a professional roof-snow remover.  There's just too much snow, and the roofs are just too high.  I'll have to do some research on this today.  I did manage to order us a roof rake from Amazon, but I'm afraid it won't be of any help to us on these main roofs.

Has anyone noticed a huge difference in their electric bills?  I got some advertising in the Fall about rising electricity costs, and that I should be looking into alternate types of power.  Well, I got busy with other things and paid not enough attention to this.  For December, my electric bill was definitely higher, but I just got my January bill and almost choked over it.  One month and almost $900.  Now I definitely have to start researching alternative power sources.  This is jut not very funny.

On a brighter note, I borrowed this delightful image from my daughter's web page.  I think it pretty much shows how most New Englanders feel.


I have not been in much of a mood for crocheting lately, and sad to say I don't spend as much time on it as I should.  I do have a photo of claret afghan that I started.  This one will be for Jasmine.  I've mostly been working on this and on the blue one for Kevin when I do take time to crochet.

 
That's all my news for this morning.  Now I think I'll make me a fresh cup of hot coffee and do a bit of blog reading.  Till tomorrow, Y'all have a splendid day.

Hugs, Edna B.

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

The Snow Has Finally Stopped For A While

February 10, 2015

Good morning everybody.  I'm trying to be cheerful.  Sometime during the night, the snow finally stopped falling.  We got several more inches of snow before it was finished.  Now I just have to wait for the snow plow to get here later this morning to clear away last night's snow.   He was here for the second time, late yesterday morning, and then Joe cleared the day's snow away in the afternoon. 

Before going to bed last evening, Joe went out and shoveled all the snow that the town plows keep piling in front of our driveway.  He was out there for a couple of hours.  So you can imagine our frustration when the morning daylight shows another huge mountain of hardened snow blocking our driveway again.  These town plows have no heart at all.

I took a couple of photos of our parking area to show the huge mounds of snow that surround the whole yard, and all the way to end of the driveway.   Is it any wonder why we're getting tired of the snow?



Update on Kevin - Deanne and Kevin made it safely into Boston to the hospital yesterday, thanks to a wonderful family friend who drove them in and home again later.   Deanne sent me this photo just before Kevin was taken in to surgery.


According to Deanne, the surgery went well, but did not show anything that might be causing Kevin's problems.  However, they will go back in two weeks to hear what the doctor has to say after all the test results are in.   I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed for you Kevin.  (even if it does make me look a bit odd when I walk!)

Getting back to the weather, other parts of the country are enjoying sunshine and warmer temps.  Beth sent me this photo showing new leaves sprouting on a tree outside her home.  I faded the background of the photo a bit so that the leaf area would show up better.   Now if only she could send some of that Spring weather to us!


Well, now it's time to wake up one of the dwarfs so that he can get his car cleaned off before the snow plow gets here.  So, till tomorrow, Y'all be warm and have a great day.

Hugs, Edna B.

Monday, February 9, 2015

Today Starts "Random Acts Of Kindness Week" Feb. 9-15, 2015

February 9, 2015

Good morning.  It's 4:39 a.m. and I thought before I try to catch a few more winks, I had best post my blog first.  If I manage to fall asleep, I might not waked until lunchtime.   With all the snow we've had, I wanted to be awake when the snow plow came through so that I would know what time he came.  He showed up at 3:50 a.m.

Could someone please tell the snow gods that enough is enough!!    We have very little space left to pile up more snow.  The huge piles of snow around the parking area are way taller than our cars.
Here's what it looked like late yesterday morning when Joe got through clearing it all out with the snow blower and shovels.

 
Later in the day once more snow had fallen,  I took this photo that shows my beautiful Red Japanese Maple tree being swallowed up by the huge snow piles.  In the right corner of the photo is my car and dwarf Mikes red car.  That shows you how huge these snow piles are.
 
 
I did not do very much with my taxes, as I was busy tending to the leak that sprung in the top of the door frame in my pantry.  Oh goodie goodie.  This is just what I need at a time when I can't do a darn thing about it.  So we put a pee pad on the floor along with a bucket to catch most of the drips.
 
When the pantry light was out, the silhouette of the bucket must have looked like a monster of sorts to Pogo, so he spent quite a bit of time barking at it, trying to protect us from it of course.  After a while, I found it was easier just to leave the light on so that he could see that it was only a bucket. 
 
I have a rose bush right outside my door that always looks beautiful covered in snow.  Here's a photo I took yesterday,  I played around with it in Photoshop for a while and ended up with the second photo.  Of course, today being Mandarin Orange Monday, I took it back to Photoshop and orangified it a bit. 
 


 
I would tell you how I did this, but I used so many different layers and filters and gradients, etc. that I forgot what I did.  But I'm happy with it so that's all that counts.
 
I think I'll call to cancel and reschedule both of my doctor appointments.  They are only follow up check ups so it shouldn't be a problem.  Maybe I can change them to the end of next month.  The weather should be much better by then. 
 
Has anyone tried to buy a roof rake?  None of the stores around have them, and they aren't planning to bring any of them in.  I was told by two stores that they are out of season.  Excuse me?  We are buried in snow.  How can it not be a good season to carry roof rakes?    Somehow my brain cannot calculate the logic in all of this . 
 
It's rather disheartening to see the stores loading up on spring and summer clothes and garden supplies when the temperature is in the single digits and we'll still be loaded with snow a month from now.  I want to see "ice melt",  snow brushes and shovels, roof rakes, etc.  Today I will go on line and see if maybe I can order a roof rake from somewhere to be shipped to the house.  
 
Yesterday afternoon, I watched a Spring garden show on QVC.  Any other time I could have been tempted to buy a new plant or two for our gardens, but not this time.  We can't even find out gardens right now.  They are totally buried with all this wonderful white stuff. 
 
Today begins "Random Acts Of Kindness" week, which is February 9-15 this year.  Here are a few ideas of what you can do:  Pick up trash, send flowers, clean graffiti, buy coffee for a stranger, help someone with yard work (or shoveling snow), offer a couple hours of free babysitting, give a phone card, pay for the person behind you's order, adopt a soldier (become a pen pal),  bring music to a nursing home, make a bird feeder, give care-packs to the homeless, donate to an animal shelter, help a needy family, give some a hug, send someone a home made card, leave change on a vending machine for the next person.  If you live where there is no snow, you might mow a neighbor's lawn, help to plant a garden or weed a flower bed.  Whatever you do, it will be most appreciated.
 
Now I think I'll hop back under my covers and try to catch a wee bit more sleep.  So till tomorrow, Y'all be warm and safe, and have a fabulous day.
 
Hugs, Edna B.