Storm Pax Is In Our Neighborhood Now

February 13, 2014

Welcome to my little part of snowy New England.  We got a light dusting of snow about an hour an a half ago, and now it seems to have stopped for a while.  Gosh, I hope this is not the calm before the storm!  According to the weather forecast, it is about 28F degrees right now, and we are supposed to be getting snow and rain and more snow.  It could end up being 5-8 inches total of snow before the end of tomorrow.

I went into my archives and dug out some photos that I took one year ago this week.  It shows some of the huge piles of snow that we had all around the driveway.  My driveway is really large, about the size of a small parking lot.  There was too much snow for the plow and no place to put all the snow, but the guy did the best he could.  The second shot is one of our Juncos braving the storm.

I took this next photo through the living room window at work that same week.   As you can see by the large snow piles, they were also running out of places to put all the snow.

Now, about my important meeting yesterday, it was a milestone for me.  I met with a bank lawyer for a closing on my new mortgage.  Early last Fall, I applied for a reverse mortgage.  This is a program for seniors over the age of 64, and was designed to make it easier for them to keep their homes and still be able to live comfortably. 

For years, so many folks have signed up for this, and then abused the program by taking the money and leaving the house behind.  This prompted for the government to make a lot of new laws that made it rather difficult for more seniors to use this program. 

I applied, and was approved last Fall.  However, all these new laws has made it difficult to get through the whole process.  I finally made it through, and yesterday I signed the papers for my new reverse mortgage.  It will take a couple of weeks for all the different bank papers and such to go through, but everything will be settled before the end of the month.

What is a reverse mortgage?  Basically, it's a regular mortgage, but you don't make any payments, and can stay in your home until the day you die.  At that time, the house gets sold and the bank gets paid their money.  I did a lot of research on this, and it seems to be a good program for me.

Last night DIL Janet came for supper and helped me a bit with my tax stuff.  She is just getting over a nasty bout with a virus bug so we had lots to chat about.  She hasn't been able to come by for a couple of weeks and I've really missed her. 

Today I'll spend a little time working on the tax stuff, and then I'm going to play on my laptop for a while.  I need a bit of creative time for my brain.  lol.  So, till tomorrow, Y'all stay warm and have a wonderful day.

Hugs, Edna B.

Winter Storm Pax Is Really Wicked!

February 12, 2014

Good morning.  Brrrr!!  It is chilly, chilly!!   I think we're up to about 5 degrees F so far.  I'm trying to be nice and not complain too much because I realize it could be a lot worse.  Cities and towns in the Southeast are totally shut down because of the snow and ice.  Thousands of folks have no power.  Some have been without power for a week.  This is definitely not nice!

Sometime tonight or early tomorrow morning, the nasty stuff should be here.  We are expecting snow, rain, then back to snow.  At least that is what one forecast says.  I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens. 

Today I have some awesome photos to share.  I do not know who took these fabulous photos, but I surely do envy them their talent.  My friend Maryann found these photos and sent them on to me.  Feast your eyes on these.  Are they not gorgeous? 

Today I'm doing my laundry, and maybe later I'll cook up a pot of pasta and meat sauce.  In between, I'll either catch a little nap or at least rest for a bit.  Later this afternoon, I have an important appointment that I will share more about on tomorrow's post.  I don't want to jinx anything by discussing it today. 

I have another cute image to share this morning.  I found this one on the web, and I must say that I thoroughly agree with this wolf.  Bad groundhog!!!

This evening I want to play a while on my laptop and maybe finish my digi-art for the Friday Photoshop.  If you want to play along, hop on over to the Queen Jester's blog and download this week's image.   We'd love to have you join in the fun.

Yesterday I had my annual physical, and I guess I'm going to be around for a while longer.  I even managed somehow to lose five pounds.  I wish I knew how I managed that feat because I'd like to lose lots more pounds. 

News flash!! We are now up to 7 degrees F.  Oh boy, I feel a heat wave coming on!!   Tonight is supposed to be about 18 degrees F which is a huge improvement over last night's 3 degrees.  That was the outside temp at work.  The positive side of this month so far is that we have more daylight hours.  I definitely like the extra daylight.

Well, that's all the news for this morning.  I need to put the laundry into the dryer and get the next load started.  So, till tomorrow, Y'all be warm and have a wonderful day.

Hugs, Edna B.

Brrr! It's Too Cold For Me!

February 11, 2014

Brrrrr!!  It's 3 degrees F, and it will possibly get all the way up to the mid 20's later today.  Woo Hoo!  Tomorrow night and Thursday we are expecting some more snow or snow/rain mix or both.  No one seems to know quite what we are getting yet. 

Much as I don't want to go out today, I will have to keep an appointment this morning at the doctor's office for my annual physical.  It would be so nice if I could just email him and tell him how I am.  Unfortunately, he insists on seeing me in person.  Hmm, maybe he doesn't have Skype at his office.  If he did, maybe we could do Skype visits?  Somehow I don't think he would agree to this either.

Gosh, time is slipping by quickly now, and I have so much to do in the next couple of weeks.  The biggest thing is getting the taxes done.  I have my papers more than half ready.  Tomorrow night, I have to work so once the Mrs is tucked in for the night, I will work on the rest of my papers and receipts.  Hopefully, I can have everything finished and ready for the accountant before the end of the week. 

Next, I have to call and arrange for a car rental for when I am in Florida.  That's less than three weeks away.  I need to start seriously thinking of what to pack in my mailer box that I will mail the week before we leave.  I think I will pack some yarn and a crochet hook and pattern, along with some pee pads for Pogo.  All my reading material is on my tablet so I don't have to pack any books.

Yesterday and last night I watched the Olympic Games but they only had skiing.  I must say that I was quite impressed at how well these young folks are doing over there.   I especially enjoyed the parts when they were showing the backgrounds on some of the players.  Very interesting indeed. 

Kyra, I was so touched when I read your comment.  I just knew that you were a very kind and caring person, and I am so glad to call you my friend. 

I'm starting to have some problems with Mr. Blogger, so I think I'll post some photos and call it a day.  I took these photos last week as I was leaving work.  They seem to be a sign that Spring might be coming soon, but right now they are buried under a lot of snow.

Now I think I'll make another cup of coffee.  So, till tomorrow, Y'all stay warm and have a wonderful day. 

Hugs, Edna B.

Good Deeds Are Good For The Soul

February 10, 2014

Good morning.  Goodness!  The overnight dusting of snow is actually a couple of inches of new white stuff covering everything in sight.   As for the wonderful mini heat wave we were expecting later in the week, well it has been downgraded by several degrees.  It is no longer a mini heat wave.  I just knew it was too good to be true.

I have a wonderful story to share.  It seems that Thursday night, SIL Mac was on his way home and came across a stranded young serviceman whose truck had broken down.  They called for a tow truck and Mac took the young man home with him.  He and Audrey invited him to dinner and to stay with them until the truck could be repaired.

This young man had just re-upped for another tour, and was on a thirty day leave.  He was heading home to Texas before going on to his next assignment.  It took a couple of days to get the truck repaired, and finally this fine young man was back on the road and heading homeward.  He has quite a journey ahead of him, and I wish him much good luck and God speed.

This is just one more reason why I am so proud of my children.  They do me right proud.  One of the perks of these elder years is that we can brag all we want with a huge smile on our face.  Funny, when I graduated High School, it was written in my yearbook that I was known for always having a smile on my face.  Except for the extra wrinkles on my face, smiling is good.

Last night, I got to watch a few hours of the Olympic games.  I saw some of the skiing, snow boarding and dancing.  These young folks are just awesome!!  It was all enjoyable to watch, but my favorite is the figure skating and dancing.  I could watch the dancing all night long.  It is so graceful and beautiful.

As a teenager, I gave ice skating a try.  Alas, the best I was able to accomplish while still in an upright position was one lonely figure eight.  I'm not sure how I managed to do that, but at least I was proud of myself for a few minutes.  Most of my time on ice skates was spent on my rear on the ice.  Thank goodness for the pillow I finally tied on to my backside. 

It must be the "one blade" thing with me.  I did just wonderful on roller skates.  My best friend and I practically lived at the roller skating rink.  It's the same now with a bicycle.  Two wheels is just not for me.  Three wheels is more my speed.  One of these days, I'm hoping to get me one of those grown up lady tricycles, with a basket on the front for Pogo to ride in.

Enough babble.  Here's the last of my Junco photos from last week. 

I dug out a photo from last Spring to share and maybe brighten up your day a bit.  Daffodils and Jonquils are simply gorgeous and always such a happy addition to the garden.

Well that's all my news for this morning.  I've had a pot of corn chowder cooking on the stove, and it should be done now.  Mmmm, this is going to taste ever so good at lunch time.  So, till tomorrow, Y'all be safe and have a wonderful day.

Hugs, Edna B.

More Snow Coming Tonight. Oh Boy!

February 9, 2014

It's cold outside, but the sun is shining so it's not such a bad day.  On my way home from work this morning, we were having a very light sprinkling of snow, but that has stopped already.  Tonight, we are expecting more snow.  Just how much we'll get isn't clear yet.  But I don't have to work tonight, so I'm not too worried about it.

I'm watching the Weather Channel and they are forecasting a mini heat wave for this Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with temps in the low 40's F.  Now that I can handle!!!   The bad news is that a weather forecaster on another TV channel is not forecasting this wonderful little heat wave.  Hmm, amazing how different they all read the upcoming weather.  I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

The Queen Jester has started the Photoshop Friday again, and here is the photo we had to work with this past week.

This photo proved to be quite a challenge.  It's not easy trying to mess up such a pretty little girl.  To see what everyone came up with, visit the Queen Jester's blog.  While you're there, download the picture for this upcoming week and join in the fun.   Here's my Photoshop rendition of the little girl.

Today, I also have a few more photos of the little Juncos at my feeder, along with one Sparrow.

I was hoping to watch the figure skating and the couples skating today, but so far I haven't found either on any channel.  So I guess I'll have a nap instead.  Maybe later on some of the skating will be on TV and I can watch it then.  Right now, Pogo and I are watching Sponge Bob.  Well, I'm watching it.  It seems that Pogo got bored and has fallen asleep in his little bed.   Hmm, maybe I'll join him.

Well that's it for the news today.  Till tomorrow, Y'all be warm and have a wonderful day.

Hugs, Edna B.

Oh Boy, It's Cold!!

February 7, 2014

Good morning.  It's six o'clock a.m. and I'm at work.  My friend needed the night off and offered to work next Sunday night for me if I could work last night for her.  A very good swap for me because we are expecting more snow for Sunday night into Monday, and I don't want to go out in the snow.

The Mrs was a bit cranky last night, but I think it's from being cooped up in the house for so long.  She would like to get out once in a while, but it has just been too cold for that.  I told her that as soon as it warms up enough, I will try to get her outside once in a while. 

It is quite cold outside right now.  The thermometer is only reading around 7F degrees.  Brrrrr.  I just stepped outside for a moment to get a photo of the huge bright star (most likely a planet) that is shining in the sky.   Soon it will be daylight and I won't be able to see this again until tonight.

In a few minutes, I'm going to go outside and start my car to warm it up.  After that, I shall head on home.  Today I need to work on my taxes a bit more.  Last night after the Mrs was asleep, I was able to get quite a bit of my tax stuff added up.  Now I just have to put things in order and match up receipts to the figures.  This is the part that takes quite a while.  Sighhhhhh, I wish I could just wiggle my nose and make this stuff disappear.

I did not have a chance to watch any of the Olympics last night, but I imagine there will be repeats today.  I enjoy watching the figure skating and the couples skating.   I'm hoping that the sickies in the world can behave themselves long enough for our athletes to enjoy this special time. 

It's time now for me to check the Mrs again before I pack up to go home.  Here are a few more of my birdie photos from Wednesday.

Well that's it for this morning.  Till Sunday, Y'all stay warm and have a wonderful day.

Hugs, Edna B.

It's A White Winter Wonderland Here

February 6, 2014

It's a little after 4 a.m. and I've been up for a while.  Once I wake up during the night, I can't seem to fall back to sleep.  When I officially retire, that won't matter any more because it won't matter much when I sleep or when I don't.  I guess that's another of the perks of the "Golden Years".

Well the snow finally stopped falling last night.  During the day, we got quite a bit of it before it changed over to a mixture of rain and snow for a while.  This lasted just long enough to make the snow on the ground wet and very heavy. 

A couple of the dwarfs shoveled a bit to help Joe clear the yard, but the snow was very heavy for shoveling.  Joe got out the snow blower and did his best to clear away some of the snow.  However, the snow was too wet and heavy for the snow blower too. 

I finally had to call for a snow plow to come in and clear away most of the snow.  This fellow did a great job of plowing, and later Joe went out to clear away some of the snow that was still falling.  Folks, we're getting very weary of all the snow.  It's a lot easier to get rid of it when it only falls about six inches at a time.  This much is easier for the snow blower to handle.   Nine or ten inches of wet, heavy snow is not so much fun.

During all this time, my little birds were busy at the feeder.  The little Juncos are usually ground feeders, but when the snow covers the food they fly up to the feeder to get the birdseed.  I took so many photos of them through the kitchen window that it was hard to pick out my favorite shots.  So I divided some of them into small groups and will post a few each day. 

Aren't these little birds adorable?  They are not used to eating at the feeder so sometimes they have a problem hanging on long enough to get at the food.  A lot of their antics are really fun to watch.  The first photo shows one of the birds resting in the tall rose bush outside the window.   The blue in background is my car, Baby Blue Eyes.

This morning, I need to put the bills back out in the mailbox, put a load of laundry in the washer, and get started sorting out all my tax paperwork.  Ugh!!!  I only have two weeks left to get the taxes finished up and another week to get everything else done before Pogo and I go on vacation.  Time is flying by again.  I'm hoping that it slows down when we get to Florida so that our time there will last longer.

Now it's time to get started on today's chores.  Till tomorrow, Y'all stay warm and have a fantabulous day.

Hugs, Edna B.