snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow.....as far as the eye can see

it''s bad..
cold
windy
snowy
did i mention COLD
so cold we put the ducks into the main basement, (the quail too)
i am keeping the door open and running the kero heater in the main house
dripping the faucets
but it's still cold
we've covered everything we could with plastic,
even the storm windows!
so until further notice

remember that it's really cold and i'm up with the stove just trying to keep us warm

i got the fever................ WARNING PHOTO heavy

spring fever it would seems......AGAIN
so these thankfully were on sale at homedepot.....i got three and really would have liked to get more (light blue, a clear purply purple and a white with yellow)--- they looked healthy and are loaded with buds..so they're here now---i have to repot the old ones i have..... and i am going to see about a pebble tray for them
meanwhile we're bracing for a storm..... up to 8'' of snow possible overnight tonight-20 with windchill

i am still wanting a terrarium, but maybe i'll do a water one...... with water plants instead of tropical?
now for today's look back to the archives humor post.......HERE
it is so appropriate for today as it happened during this time of year.....
in painting news.....the quail painting is progressing

oh and...... we have a new duckling..... she is about 3 months old, and had damage to her foot with the extreme cold ......so she came here to live.... bernie is torn about it.....he feels bad for her but at the same time, doesn't want another duck
she's very very scared..... she saw her nestmate/brother get dispatched and processed right before she came. they don't forget that.
so she's resting in her crate..... today i have to bath her and clip her wings
i think she'll be ok, and if i could only convince one of the girls to accept her we'll be great.....it would be best if the younger girls accepted her.....as she is their niece
and we're going to need a name for her i think.....no?

in cooking......i am working my way through chopmeat, (1.99 a pound at giants- i got about 20 pounds and then they ran out...so i got a raincheck too)

chili
meatloaf
salisbury steak
enchiladas

all for the freezer

ok everyone....those who are facing this storm......stay warm and safe
those who aren't
enjoy your week
i am going to start cooking now while watching the snow get heavier

take good care......

zom·bie noun \ˈzäm-bē\

: a person who moves very slowly and is not aware of what is happening especially because of being very tired

: a dead person who is able to move because of magic according to some religions and in stories, movies, etc.

so this is pretty much me today..and the past few days.
bernie's got this now-.......well he is fighting it off now..... he of course didn't get anywhere near as ill as i was.
everything i do, i get the cold clammy sweats, i get super weak and have to sit for a while.....
he's still doing wood,
he told me YOU DON"T BRING THE WOOD IN

ok

believe me i can agree with that one

so today is the start of another marathon cooking session...but it'll have to be slowly done over a few days
this batch is as follows

1. roasted chicken with leeks sauce
2. tomato sauce
3. baked ziti
4. beef stew
5. potatoe with leek soup
6. chicken enchiladas (from the roasted chicken)
7. split pea soup (just for me as he hates it)
8. beef pot pies
9. chicken and dumplins

i am working on it all starting in a few minutes

i will roast the chicken, while that is roasting i'll do the veggies for everything else, and start the sauce.
i'll make the seasoned flour for the beef as well
and roast the potatoes tonight for not only our dinner but for the potato soup
tomorrow i'll make the ziti
the soup
and start browning the beef in the flour mix
sunday i'll shred up the chicken for the enchiladas and i'm going to add some really finely minced veggies to that too
and so on......

i love cooking this way, not only for us for the week but also for us for the freezer
i just hope my strength holds out

the doctor said this was viral......and checked me also for pneumonia
i can tell you that i feel like a damn zombie......the walking dead
only they don't have to cough as much

the plague has arrived........

coughing.......aching.......
dripping, sneezing........ gloppy stuff out of my nose
and of course i can't see well

so........ in case you all wondered......
i'm dead until further notice......

what a difference a day makes.......

24 little hours...........

today bernie started his permanent shift
in all the commotion i forgot an appointment today
i could have sworn it was tomorrow
and while there i got some bad news

meanwhile, the first set of prints i've sold are on their way to their new owner
i hope she likes them
the weather is brutal still
and this morning when i went to check the stove, discovered that not only was it out
but that the house had cooled down to dangerously low levels
we aren't sure why at this point as monday when the temps were lower....the house was warmer!

now i am thinking of offering some of my series as 'print of the month'
with a subscription of 3, 6 or 12 months
depending maybe on the series (cause some series are bigger then others)
i know if i do the crow series it's currently at ten
while the goddesses i think is four or 5 (funny how you forget ....ok funny how I FORGET)
anyway, in addition to looking for representation ....i am thinking of doing this as well
if anyone has any comments on that please let me know. i need you to help me brainstorm.
either by email or use the comments
the other thing is....if i increase my readership i am thinking i should hold a contest.... another thing to consider huh?

i am also hoping for a thaw soon as i need to get back to painting and i can't when that corner is always frozen

 i am also grateful that i cooked ahead in anticipation of not only bernie's schedule change but also that due to the weather we could lose electric (we did but it wasn't long) when transformers overloaded and exploded on the mountains here..... which normally happens every winter that it gets so brutally cold

in other news, today i turned on the kero heater all by myself..... which if you knew me....that's huge!
i am terrified of that thing
but we needed that extra heat this morning........so i turned that on and ran in to throw wood in the stove out back here.

to say i am tired today is an understatement
i'm totally exhausted....
and my eyes are bad again
really bad again
oye

i'm thinking it's time for another miracle
no?

not quite balmy.......but we're warm! and tuesday lookback humor

new scarf

(and i edited to add tuesdays archival humor click HERE)

we got a new back up kero heater.
i ordered it sunday online to be picked up at lowes
bernie ran to get it, we prepped it monday, and set it up yesterday
ran it a few hours in the living room- turned it off when we went to bed
wow
this morning the studio was 74...
the woodstove didn't have to work as hard
the birds water wasn't frozen
and it was actually warm
not florida in august warm.......more like PA in May warm
it's -4 this morning out side and windy!

we did do a few other things... covered the basement windows with plastic
etc

now i know it's been a few days since i posted, bernie and i have been rushing around working to make sure we get through this latest cold snap.
i cooked a lot of stuff ahead due to his schedule change and also ....with the cold snap we used to hear transformers exploding all over the mountain, and we'd lose power
so this way with the food already cooked, it's just fast to reheat on the woodstove
i finally was able to uv coat my digital prints to fill my order during a brief heat wave of 45 degrees
(i didn't open the etsy store yet but i am starting to get orders anyway! which shocked me!)

over the years we've acquired more and more emergency equipment and experience.
we've got oil lamps, and candles, flash lights ( i am really liking the 'headlamps)
water storage, food storage, back up heat
(for back up heat you need to have things that either don't need electric to heat you....or have a battery start.......so woodstove and kero heater for now.... and maybe adding a pellet or biomass stove in the front room for later)

and over the years i've also realized that having food cooked, and waiting helps too....
boy it sure helped us during the power outage of sandy! and we had that generator!
i found it takes a few days to get used to the 'new normal'

anyway.... we're warm, we're fed and we still have electric!

the other good news is that even with the really frigid temps plus windchill, the water buckets did not freeze.....
so i know that the birds are ok
although i am still a bit worried about the quail....but they have a LOT of hay, and each other
plus a lot of food so they should be fine
another thing i noticed is that the birds eat a LOT more during cold weather
i give the chickens extra stuff like suet or even chicken fat....

(they are omnivores and even cannibals so i don't feel bad about it as they will eat each other or a weaker chicken given half a chance - actually that whole 'vegetarian chicken feed' is not healthy for chickens, as they will and should eat bugs etc, it's natural and healthy for them)

i should probably figure something fatty for the ducks....but since i have muscovy and they don't actually have fat layers....relying instead on down to keep them warm,--- they too love their protein in the form of worms and bugs.... small mice, small birds..... reptiles etc..... they also love greens.... so they get some scraps from the kitchen too

we've been putting leftover cooking fats and stuff out for the wild birds and animals too
and luigi the button buck was back but i am hoping he's moved on now...

now with bernie's new schedule, and his location, he can stop at the provisioners to pick up the bulk chicken breasts when they are 1.65 a pound (not bad for boneless skinless, and not injected with saline either so you get what you paid for)-- i can call it in and it will be ready at the dock for him to just pay for and pick up

so are you folks staying warm? safe? i hope so
it's brutal weather out there
i know that the midwest and mountain regions are really in the deep freeze.... arctic type weather so you all stay safe

a week of meals....*** almost

bernie moves to his new schedule on wen.
he had last night and has tonight off.... goes in tomorrow
then has monday and tuesday off
so since i don't do well with schedule changes, i cooked today
here is my list (don't be too impressed )

• pork stew (from scratch today)
• honey mustard chicken legs (froze the chicken in the honey mustard sauce two months ago or so)
• stuffed peppersn ( from scratch today)
• parmesan chicken (from scratch yesterday)

i am going to root around in the freezer as i am pretty sure i have a chuck roast that is just begging to be a stew

and i am going to most likely roast a chicken as well......

possibly a turkey 

and i sure need to bake soon... 

i may also make him a few pizzas and freeze them already made and just ready to reheat

we'll see

now the weather is supposed to again take a nose dive

bernie was home last night so he baby sat the woodstove

today we got another back up kerosene heater...... this one for the front room- we did the prep today and will set it up most likely monday (maybe sunday if it seems it's going to go down to 0 or below then)

and we did some more work on the winterizing downstairs, since i found the water buckets in the duck room frozen

oh and one of the quail got out.... bernie was chasing it through the basement

and i know i shouldn't laugh but it cracked me up to watch that quail run

i cleaned the woodstove today as i have discovered that a coal bed makes for a very inefficient burn in there----

i am really longing for a new house now......all one floor and much more draft proof and energy efficient

i would like a few sources of heat too..... passive solar, geothermal, biomass........

and possibly if we are in an area for it...natural gas

i really would also like tankless water heaters

i would LOVE 14'' of insulation in the walls and maybe 3 feet in the ceiling!

i'm a bit tired of drafts now on my old bones

okey dokey now...

bernie's out of the shower, so i am going to feed him now....stuffed peppers!

on the 3rd day of new years.....a snowstorm dumped on me........

so i was out shoveling us out while i let bernie sleep
he worked over time and hasn't been sleeping
i didn't do too much, just from the van to the street
the snow blower is in the house in the duck room so i used the shovel
then i forgot to make supper (it's in now but is going to not be ready in time)
eggies to the rescue i think
or maybe enchiladas......or even stuffed peppers?
i did manage to keep the house warm during this cold snap
i am extremely proud of me

however then i forgot to put the supper in....
it's always something huh?

i was raised to take pride in being able to do a lot for myself (for ourselves)
i remember my father telling me how fortunate i was that i rarely needed help

so even now that i'm disabled i do as much as i can and i figure i will keep doing that as long as i can

last winter doing it ALL myself was a bit much but doing things here and there
yeah i can do that
so i did

ha
bernie when i finally woke him (late cause i was outside late then did dishes)
got pissed that i didn't wake him
but really he worked very late
and had a rough night himself
he was out in this mess on road calls

i am however letting him get the wood in for me
(which he just went out to do...if he hadn't gotten out there soon i would have done that too)

oye

so....those who got this storm....... how was your snowstorm????

sooooo on the first day of the new year???

well, i exploded a stockpot of ham broth (takes REAL talent to do that......believe me)
while i was not paying attention (cleaning the woodstove)
followed by finding out that the CC had doubled charged me for the truck rental that Ryder screwed up in the first place
followed by luigi the button buck returning to the fold....and wanting bernie to 'open the gate dad' for him to get to our yard

bernie didn't (there isn't a gate) and we're thinking we may have to call the game warden to get luigi to move on
it's dangerous for him and for us to be so tame
which also makes me think that someone has tamed him...\

meanwhile i am having issues with my eyes still so a trip to the doctor is in my near future
other then that we're waiting for this big storm
stay warm
stay safe
(bernie has to work but i think he'll pass the storm in the shop, and by the time he's ready to leave.....it'll be plowed)

today's funny.....

today's blast from the past funny post

and before i forget it

HAPPY NEW YEARS
i wish you all a happy, healthy, magical, dream fore-filled new year
i wish you laughter, love, cheesecake, icecream and lots of interesting memories made
i wish you good books, good friends, and a good many sunny days

see you in the new year......

our new schedule.......

i am still getting used to it

today i cut up the ham for the freezer then made broth with the bone
i ground crumbs for breading pork chops....
and decided that since i have the peppers i am going to make sauce and then stuffed peppers for the freezer

i have to tell you..i am slowly getting used to the schedule......
the hardest part is me thinking ahead to stuff that is going to make a lot of noise and doing that either when bernie gets up or after he leaves at night.
today i realized that i can't run the food processor.....so when he left i did it
i realized that i can't run the vacuum sealer either so tomorrow i'll package the ham and run it after he leaves....
i'll put the breaded pork chops in containers in the freezer..... no noise with that


i think the eye infections made things worse though.... i ran out of eye drops on saturday, i had renewed them after the doctor on friday but the pharmacy was out until today------- so i went all of saturday, sunday and part of today without eye drops
when my eyes feel tired i get exhausted
and they are swollen and smudgy black and red again

ok that's about it.....sorry this is so late,

take good care

painting update-- and sunday is our monday

here is what i've been working on- it's coming along, and i have to say, i am starting to enjoy it a bit...
although i had to stop for the night (today is actually saturday) as i got way too tired.
bernie is off tonight, so we were in the studio...he's working on a model, i'm painting
we are listening to some interesting holiday music on the hammered dulcimer, celtic harp, pan flute, and then some bach-- all instrumental .....
maybe that's why my paintings look like they do?

i also like andean music, (the flutes) a lot of baroque but mostly just the really happy lively stuff... some experimental stuff ( AIR) ........... actually for me this is huge progress because i couldn't listen to music for YEARS...... it hurt my ears...
now i can but only certain kinds.... and i have limited tolerance for rock ....even the stuff i loved growing up!
it just bothers my ears.



in other news....the seed catalogs have started to arrive........ Johnny's got here....... i love them, and i am waiting on Territorial (love them too) fedco, grow italian, high mowing seeds, southern seed exchange, and a few others..... it's almost time to start the early stuff!
some years i can't wait....i am dying for seed starting in november!
i am hoping that i can get a very productive garden again..... i missed it the last two years.

ok it's bed time for us now.... so this will post in the morning.....
have a good weekend everyone

saturday is the new sunday...

or at least it is around here!
friday was bernie's saturday, he took me to the doctor for my eyes
the doctor said i am doing better- but i have to continue the drops for a few more weeks if not months
and it's slow
really slow
right now they are killing me, hot, tired....... and painful
a few hours sleep will help too
i renewed the drops but they won't have them at the pharmacy until monday i was told.... i hope i can hold out that long

i cleaned the woodstove while it was HOT....i had to, it had a 4'' coal bed in it and this stove hates a coal bed like that, it won't heat with that large a coal bed.......
so i left the door unlatched, and burnt down the coals... every 1/2 shifting out the hot coal from the ash and dumping the ash in the ash bucket.

we went to town, (this was today but when you read this...it will be yesterday)
we got a LOT of errands done, cat food, quail food, mailers for the prints of my work, hit a sale at the grocery and stocked the pantry on stuff we'd run down on.
i have to mail out some prints this week.....

now.....shhhhh don't tell bernie but i am probably getting another duck....a girl duck.... i need the eggs.....
this one is technically a grand duck of mine!
just what we need right?
but i'll be freezing duck eggs from her -it's not totally decided yet but it's most likely
now the only errands we didn't get done was the post office, and i forgot eggs...... all this poultry and i am buying eggs?????????? oye

this coming week i am hoping to start mailing stuff out..... i have a few things that were supposed to be mailed two months ago but then we had the test of the emergency preparedness system....
which means NON ESSENTIAL stuff.......stopped dead.

btw, i can recommend an occasional test of your emergency systems, prior to maybe having to deal with things like no electric for a week.....or no money coming in...
i did discover that i needed to put away gift cards to grocery and other stores, that don't expire and have no administration fees... so the art supply store and some grocery stores have cards like that..
i haven't looked into amazon or home depot or even the pet store but i think it's a good thing to do

ok i'm going to run now.....i may update this if i get time to paint
if not well you'll have to wait until YOUR sunday (which is our new monday)

take good care

pictures....of pictures! and more pictures (sorry about that)

detail of male quail

almost finished

okey then, here is some of what i've been working on......i have an eye infection so things have slowed down a bit- bernie's new job slowed me down as well, since he's working (for now) 7pm to 3 am..... 

and then of course.... our little quail visitors took some times up..... so in retaliation, i painted them.

meanwhile it's cold here....got more snow today too. i am trying to settle in to painting daily again.

i have some odds and ends to mail to folks, as soon as i can get it together, there are all sorts of odds and ends paperwork and phone calls i've also had to be doing. 

beginnings

cookies

so with this post i figured i would show you some of the paintings as well as bernie's cookies (the recipe was the other day HERE) these are simple to just drop on the cookie tray as you can see.... i make the dough and then bernie can bake them when he wants them.

i also took a photo of bernie adding sugar to the tops of his cookies so you can see what they look like..it really is that simple....and the dough does get better after a few days in the fridge.

 
 here they are during the sugar part.... we use a rainbow mix now of decorator sugar, i love how festive these cookies look, and i love the almost sponge texture of them after baking. one of my friends baked them with anise and she said they liked them that way, which is something bernie and i were talking about doing with the next batch maybe.....i was also thinking of maybe lemon zest and lavender buds too for spring.

so there you have the cookies....and the paintings ......and what all is going on....i couldn't post the knitting (still working on vinelace in blue) as it got so long.....but still not finished, i am thinking it's going to be about 6' long when i'm done..... depending on how i block it out

ok folks.....til next time

and the day after

i hope you all have had a wonderful holiday, filled with memories and happiness.

we had a very brief and quiet holiday, bernie works nights so he got up at 1:30 in the afternoon, i didn't wake him earlier.
we had a nice meal, the ham i got the other day, brussels sprouts and roasted sweet potatoes
then we had tea and pfeffernusse cookies.

he had to leave at 5:30 so really he only had time to bring in wood....and relax a bit after dinner

now since this posts in the morning, my day after is going to be errands, post office, feed store, pet food store.
friday i have another eye doctor appointment, plus then some food shopping.
i am trying to get a handle on this new routine, so i can get back to painting
the painting that is currently on the board is the quail!
bernie and i aren't sure the quail are eating.....we put food in their bowl, and i moved the bowl to the back of the pen where they've been hanging out
if i don't see them eating tomorrow we'll move them back to the crate.....they seemed to do fine in there... so if that's what they prefer, that is what they will get.

luigi the baby buck hasn't been around, and i saw a small button buck on the side of the road the other day.......it maybe was him.
it's sad but it's life.
let's see........ oh i am going to be doing a bunch of freezer meals with ham (this is a big ham!) and then broth from the bone for beans ...ham broth makes a good base not only for beans but i also mix it half and half with chicken and make all sorts of mixed soups with it....
a potato or potato and leek soup in a ham broth is very good

i keep ham broth either frozen or i can it (pressure can the clear broth at 10-15 depending on your elevation, for 90 minutes for the quarts)

i hope those of you up north here are staying warm, it was BITTER cold this morning.
bernie called me from the parking lot of his job to tell me he was warming up the car to leave and that it was really cold.
since he put the storm in the one window i can't do myself (in the studio-he has trouble with it too but he's taller) the studio is staying much warmer for a longer time. i was able to sleep til midnight ......stoke the stove then sleep until 4am
i didn't sleep well without him there but i did get some light sleep

and i am so thankful that this year we aren't getting bernie ready to go over the road for almost three months.....he's grateful too.
anyway i hope you all had wonderful holidays.

Merry christmas

i wish you all the brightest and happiest of holiday seasons

some humor from the archives

http://notashyviolet.blogspot.com/2005/02/how-did-shrew-get-in-attic.html
Saturday, February 12, 2005

How did a SHREW get in the attic?

We had a shrew in the attic, not like in Shakespeare's 'Taming of the Shrew' but a real live dead shrew..... sort of a mole like creature, which I thought lived underground or at least NEAR the ground. But no we found one in the attic.
ok well rather Bernie found one in the attic.
He brought it down and informed me ' I don't think it is a mouse' .........ya think?
no it wasn't a mouse.
and it stank................ badly........
(stunk? what ever is the verb for that....is it a verb? gees it is a long time since I had grammer and such)

We wrapped it in napkins and plastic bag for a coffin and unceromoniously dumped it in the garbage.
The Laperm's were VERY interested in the garbage after that but fortunately, lacking opposable thumbs so far have not figured out how to get into the kitchen covered can. ( say that three times fast...... with coffee in your mouth....go ahead......I DARE you hahaha don't blame me if you do however)

Ok that all leads up to the actual point of this story, ( and yes you smart ass I actually DO have a point)

The nice man with the last meal bucket will be coming today to help escort any other rodent beings that have entered our home in the two months prior to his visit, to the pearly gates of rodent heaven

Now before you send me hate mail about rodent right to life. Let me assure you that for 15 of the 19 years we have lived in this little stone house in the woods..... we have not bothered the uninvited mouse guests. Indeed we have unwittingly FED the little buggers, cat food, bird seed, cookies, bread, my good dress shoes........... candles........ you name it
I repeated would stand in different rooms and ask the mice to please vacate the premeses as we couldn't really all live happily ever after with dancing rodents........giving birth to 5 bazillion babies an hour...... I did not want a sign over our home with the quote........over '5 million mice sold' to paraphrase a famous yellow arch.
Needless to say the mice turned a deaf ear. Mice know a good deal when they land in it.

Ok so what changed my mind?

well you all know I make soap right? cp or cold processes soap.........
well now you do know
and so do the mice
I make great soap
Mice like soap
Mice EAT soap
that cuts into profits
and then the laperms started to catch the mice and kill them
in light of those two facts, plus we would have dizzy dancing mice in the kitchen when the laperms CAUGHT the mice but didn't finish the deed........
so the mice had to go
we made sure they have a wonderful last meal..... from the sounds of it..... it is mouse thanksgiving.
the attic is littered with mouse skeletons
and tiny mouse ghosts too I would imagine, but maybe not as they all seem to be very happy up there.
And today because of the shrew, the baits will be renewed.......
and more mice will go to the light
til next time
vi
ps: please send all hate mail toidontgivearatsass@whatdoyoumean.com

before i forget......

first off i want to wish you all the very happiest of holiday seasons

then i want to tell you how to make one of my favorite cookies
(it makes a LOT..... either freeze half or use this as a holiday tray cookie)

i make the dough, and keep it in the fridge.....it keeps about a week in the fridge
it rarely lasts that long with bernie around

thoroughly cream 1 cup of sweet unsalted butter
use the high speed on the mixer
then add 8oz of cream cheese and thoroughly cream that with the butter
add 2 and 3/4 cups of white sugar... scrap down the sides of the bowl and keep that mixer going at high speed
add 4 duck eggs (or 5 jumbo chicken eggs) and beat that batter within an inch of it's life
add 1 tablespoon each of vanilla (remember when i told you how to make it?) and almond extract
and continue to beat it until it's fluffy and smooth and almost looks like frosting

meanwhile sift 5 and 1/2 cups of flour with 4 teaspoons cream of tartar, and 2 teaspoons of baking SODA...... mix this all up very well you can add some salt....maybe 1/8 teaspoon

then stir it into the wet ingredients.... be careful not to over mix.... you can use the mixer on low/med
and stop often to scrap the sides down

DO NOT OVER MIX THIS PART

chill for about an hour

drop by tablespoonfulls on a cookie sheet -
sprinkle some multi colored sanding sugar or sprinkles on the top
and bake between 10 and 14 mins at 350 degrees
until the edges are medium brown

let cool on the tray about 3 minutes then move them to a cooling rack

ok now the variations

you can add some ground cardamon to the dry ingredients
and or some lemon or orange zest
about a teaspoon measure
you can add chips to the finished dough (or part of the finished dough)
or nuts
or sprinkle chopped nuts on top
raisins soaked in liquid can be added to the dough before dropping on the cookie sheet
or cranraisins...... or sweetened dried cherries, or blueberries....crushed toffee.....

or bake without and then ice or glaze later
( i like lemon icing on these just FYI)

we do however make these all year round... they are not just for christmas.

now just a fast update on other stuff.....i have a layout on the board for a nest with quail....
we'll see how that goes
i have the quail in a better/larger/ more quail comfortable arrangement now in the basement, after doing research with google and also quail breeders here.. one got out and was flying around in the duck room but we got it back and they are both fine, nestled together in the alfalfa hay part of their new pen...they also have sand/oyster shell to dust themselves with, and i ground the pellets into crumble for them, and added some bird seed too..........
in knitting news i have about 40 inches of vine lace on that scarf i'm working on......it looks like i also have another 200 yards or so left of the skein so i am going to keep knitting.

bernie starts his new job tomorrow night..... he's met some of the guys when he brought his tool box up to the new shop.

ok i think you folks are all caught up....now tomorrow (this will post monday so for tuesday's post) i have a funny story...... i am liking reposting the archive stories that are funny..... i hope you folks are enjoying them too.
and again i can't say this enough, i wish you all the most wonderful of holiday seasons

not all anniversaries are good ones

today while you read this, i will be remembering my mother
who died on this date, also on a sunday.
(she actually died sometime overnight......she went out with the solstice )
we buried her christmas eve.
my dad was a mess and so left me to make the arrangements
believe me it was a very very low point in my life

however, it does comfort me to think that my mom went home to spend the holidays with HER mom, dad, siblings, grands........... friends
all who'd crossed over prior to this.
and i realize that when it's my turn, i will be doing the same thing, ........going home.

i miss my mom in odd ways and at odd times.... i see her in dreams so that's not too bad then, but i miss talking to her
bernie used to laugh cause i would call her up and say 'i'm not speaking to YOU but......'
and then we'd talk for 2 hours of 'not speaking to each other'
i guess we had a complicated relationship.

mom put her foot down with dad on my side several times.... really important times
like art school......
dad said no way
mom let him have it.....and i got to go to art school, which is a very good thing cause you really wouldn't want me in an office type situation.......art departments are very different from normal offices (or they used to be)
and i think we can all agree that i would be wasted on any other job.....right?

she also put her foot down when my first car was totaled (by dad).......every penny i had saved was put into that car and there was nothing left....
mom made dad get me a car, and even forced him to get me a yellow one (the one i wanted) not the green one i hated

the last cogent thing mom said to me was......'promise me you'll take care of your father'
i did
so this time of the year is poignant for me, bittersweet with good and bad memories
christmas eve.....even after all this time is the day i buried my mother.
although i am going to try to remember that it is also the day my mom got to go home to her mom......

i am trying to think of something else uplifting to say to you folks who stop by to read me.....
because really, it's not so bad, after all these years, i am used to it
i don't think you get over it.....but i know you do get used to it
it's like a scar on your body.....it's there....most of the time you don't think about it too much, and the idea that the people that you love who are no longer with you, but have gone home..... that does really help a lot.

anyway......to my parents.....
have a wonderful holiday in heaven with all the family that has gone on before.....
save me a seat by the fire (and one for bernie too please) for when it's my time to come home
i hope that i have done you proud

love from bina (my family's name for me)
your youngest child

PHOTO heavy this was our friday (and a letter to god)

our first thing this morning visitor

bernie walked out this morning to put the ducks out and discovered we had a visitor......in the duck pen,............and it was not a duck.

now if you remember the other day, we thought we had a loose flock of ruffed grouse...... and remember i have an eye infection in both my eyes.... (bernie is not good at identifying birds, or plants) so we've assumed that is what we had.......well yesterday (ahem...... i suppose it would be thursday for you then) we had pictures of two of these birds out on the driveway sunning themselves.... turns out...... not grouse at all but NORTHERN BOBWHITE QUAIL...girls

then this morning was just this one. ......... we found the bodies of two of the others out back in the duck pen, and from the looks of them it seemed to have been something pulled their heads through the chain link and broke their necks.... we didn't find the fourth body...... and we assumed the worst.

the colors don't show well here- they are brilliant

i am so happy to tell you that this afternoon the 'fourth body' showed up alive.......and these little birds are both now safely in the house in a warm safe crate with food and water. 

this bird in the picture saw the black grain pans that i use to feed the ducks and rushed over, hopped into it and started to eat...... 

AHHA.....i said to myself, ....THIS bird is domestically raised....... 

and i put the crate in the pen with sawdust and the little bird wisely ran into the crate

later in the afternoon the second one eventually did too...... 

so we have them now....

see how amazing the colors are?

   and it took me all damn day with a lot of help to find out WHAT these little birds are...... and they are girls it looks like, there was a boy but his body is out back. if they make it through to spring, i may think about getting them a boy and a pen

then when we went back out to bring in the ducks..... we surprised our newest son....luigi...... the button buck, (these are pictures from after we went in) i did explain to him that we weren't really his parents, and that he could eat now but had to learn to be wild......and that means don't get too attached or close to us....it's dangerous for him and for us.......

dear god, 
when i was talking about the partridge in the pear tree, or the duck in the apple tree, or the chicken in the whatever tree........
i kinda thought you KNEW i was kidding

however thank you for the two quail.........
as they are pretty little birds and as you know i will paint them

now about the baby buckling.......who apparently thinks we're mom and dad.......and wants to claim the duck room as his bedroom...........

CAN WE TALK?

i see you ignored the request for the 45 million lottery win....i can only assume that you think it would (ha............ yeah right but you will send me more mouths to feed) change me

love from your friend
violet