How about a little sparkle....

It started before dark...has slowed down for the time being...
but I thought I would show you how things are beginning to look.
These are taken from my front porch....I would recommend to click and enlarge the photos to really get a better look.
As you can see, everything is coated with ice. The police are asking people to stay home unless they absolutely have to be out.

Our lights were dimming earlier...then we heard a boom after a bit. I didn't think anything more, but happened to look out and notice our streetlight is out. Then I decided to step out and see what kind of picture I could get...that is when I notice the other side of our street has no electricity. They are on a different something or other than this side of the street...so, I am hoping we escape without losing ours.

While out just those few minutes, I heard limbs breaking in the trees south of us. I don't think they were huge limbs, but too dark to see for sure.
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One year when the girls were young...not sure how old. I don't know if either one was in high school or not. But we got an ice storm...even the yard itself was treacherous to walk on. There was inches of snow under the ice, but the ice was so strong, even us adults could walk on it without breaking through. That is if we could stand up.

The girls and one of their friends took off to the trails, a little bitty section of woods over across the railroad tracks. It has some steep banks...I don't think they would classify as hills. They came home, cold and red faced..and had about wore the seats of their pants wore out from sitting on their bottoms and sliding down those banks or hills or whatever you want to call them. I have not seen it that slick in a long time and wonder if this is going to be another time a sled is not needed.
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I forgot to tell that while at Sarah's yesterday, I was playing with her Legos with her. Well, the set she has has a mommy and a daddy and grandma and grandpa...I left the room for something and Roger said she had the mommy and daddy kissing. So when I told Sarah this evening, I thought it would be something new. But no, she told me she also has her animals kissing each other.

And Sarah texted me today and said she was trying to watch a movie, but could not hear a word of it because of Lorelei singing and chattering so loud. I told her she needed to get a recording...but I didn't tell her I wanted it to share with everyone.

Well, that is about all from my corner of the world. I guess I will have to stay home tomorrow, even if it is beautiful.

Not from here...not today

These are pics my oldest daughter took and sent to me a few days ago from the west coast...she and a friend went here to hike...for the life of me I cannot remember the name of the park. Just look how those kids are there without their shirts...can you imagine being able to do that around here in the middle of January? I immediately thought of George and Betsy when I seen the waterfall...according to Daughter, this is the smaller of two waterfalls in this park. She and her friend are going to have to go back to find the larger one.
I just love the view here...love the feel of the place. I would love to be able to ramble around there and see what I could see....
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A major winter storm is headed our way, ice comes first--maybe up to an inch of it....then as far as inches of snow, right now they are saying 3-5 inches. Just west and north of here...maybe an hour away they are saying up to nine inches of snow, but less ice.

I knew ice was headed our way tomorrow evening/night but had not seen the actual forecast till tonight. But knowing the ice was coming, we decided to make a quick run over to Indianapolis to see Lorelei and her mommy. She was in high form today...really tickled and excited to see us. I figure I better enjoy that while it lasts!!!

She danced and she sang and she jabbered....hardly still a single minute. She also has an old cell phone that she plays with...and she is always pretend talking to her Da-da! You can tell from that that he sure rates high in her world. And some of the faces she makes are priceless...and she is doing them on purpose to make us laugh.

As you can tell, it was a wonderful way to spend the afternoon.

Waiting on spring....

I am looking out on a frozen world this a.m. It is supposed to get above freezing today...maybe by the end of the day most of the snow will be gone. Need I tell you that there are chances of snow next week? About the time it starts to disappear we get more.

However, we have a long way to go before we even begin to compare with the Blizzard of '78. We were young whippersnappers back then...both Roger and I worked at CBS. The factory...where vinyl records and cassettes were made...also where the record club was that everyone belonged to....at 1400 North Fruitridge Ave., Terre Haute, Indiana.

There was a record snowfall...15.5 inches in a single snow...20 inches on the ground was the most recorded. I heard on the news the other night that there was 20 ft. drifts. I read where the airport recorded gusts of wind up to 55 mph...

CBS actually closed down...for at least one day if not two....that was something that just never happened. Roads going east and west would be clear....but the ones going north and south would have snow drifts higher than the roof of our truck.

I don't recall a lot of details....just the joy of getting a day or two off work. And I remember playing in the snow....but I remember the 'feel' of the blizzard. I know lots of businesses closed around town. People just simply could not get to work...schools were closed. Cars were stranded around town.

That was before the era of everyone having front wheel drive and four-wheel drive. Roger had bought a 4-wheel drive truck right before we got married and people kind of laughed about it...you know the type of sneering laugh of why do you think you need that? Not that it could go through 20 ft. snow drifts, but it could and did go a lot of places normal cars did not go.

So, I guess I should complain....we could have another blizzard.

Better late than never

I hope this shows...it is Simon's Cat in Santa Claws. I just happened to check his website and there it was. But it is so true of cats. It so reminds me of our current cats when they were mere kitties. The first Christmas we had the cats, they wanted to stay right in the middle of it.
Specially at first...it did get easier to detour them away from it after the initial newness of it. The next couple of years they did not bother it, then this year Bubbie tried to start. I just happened to be there and put a stop to it before he could start.
Look at them...that was when they were not even a year old. You can sure see the mischief in his eyes in that bottom picture. He is 3½ years old and he still has a glint in his eyes. We play chase through the house. I will tag him and take off running, and he will come creeping in to find me. I jump out and scare him and he takes off. I can't wait for Lorelei to be old enough to understand just how to play with him. He needs someone younger than me.

What I wanted to tell you about is the Puss Puss there in the top picture. I have never, ever seen a cat with more curiosity. I could write pages and pages of stuff she does, and you probably wouldn't believe me unless you have a cat just like her.

Her true love is probably Roger. I don't care what he goes to do, she is right in the middle of it. Whether it is to sit down and sign a paper, or if he is cutting out the leather for a knife sheath, or if he is in the basement doing something to on his work bench...she is right there with her nose in the middle. And she dearly loves his fly tying table.

The other day, I kept picking up this little flexible plastic tubing....it was about a foot long. I figured it was something she had snitched from Roger and couldn't think to ask him. I did not want to throw it away, even if it did look completely useless. Finally, he came through and it was in the floor again, and he told me what it was and I think that was his second time of taking it back down in the basement.

The next day she brought a piece of leather...I don't know if it was an actual lacing or if it was just a piece he had trimmed off, but there she had it in the kitchen. I think the one time was all we picked it up. She lost interest in it.

Then there was yesterday. She had went down and stolen a pipe cleaner, or part of one, and she play ALL. DAY. LONG. with that pipe cleaner...she had it in every room in the house, on the counters, on the table, under stuff, in a bag....up and down the basement stairs. Then she would leave it laying on one side of the door, and go behind the door and reach under the door to play with it.

She is just so little and petite, and so curious. It is cute most of the time, but sometimes it can be annoying. But I still love her.

A different view....

I post a picture taken in November over on my other blog, Time Stand Still.....right Here.
When I posted the other photo, we all wondered what it is used for...see those poles leaning against the tree? We think they are poles for a tee-pee. Then look at that bench....both things combined made Roger and I wonder if it belongs to some kind of re-enactor/mountain man type. I don't know who owns it, but I sure wish I had one like it.

It is hard to see the chimney in this photo, but if you look at the other photo on my other blog, you will see it. There is just nothing quite like sitting my the fire with a loved one...be it husband, kid, parent, or friend. It is true about any fire, even if it is a bonfire outside...

Some of my favorite memories are of when Roger and I lived in Tennessee, we had a fireplace. We only used it for a little bit, but in that time we did have a few fires in it. Also my friend came and we got to sit by the fire and visit.

Later Roger bricked it in, and we got a woodburner...a Buckstove to be exact. It had double walls, with a fan in back that circulated the heat. At the time we got it, the double walls with a fan was a new idea....and a fine idea at that.

We have an old garage here...it has our lawnmower and some other junk in it. I keep coming back to the idea of cleaning it out, using a power washer on the inside, then painting the walls and getting a woodburner to go in it....I would probably sit out there and have a fire sometimes even in the summer even.

Then I could smell woodsmoke any time I wanted to....

My 1000th post.....

I thought about posting a photo from the past, but just decided to post this one. It is the type that makes me want to sit and think about the past....

I just happened to notice that my last post was the 999th post! My first post was may 31, 2007....most times I don't even notice the day to remark about it on my blog...so just wanted to point out that this is my 1000th post.

When I started, I had no idea if I would do it for even a month, let alone for years. Roger was still working when I first started it. I cannot remember how long I had started it before I told any of my family about it....I did not even tell Roger. Not one soul did I tell. I was afraid they would read it and afraid they wouldn't at the same time!

Now that they know, some of them read it on a fairly regular basis...some never even look at it. I do love knowing that some of them take the time to read it...they usually give me feedback in the form of emails. I don't know if they can even imagine how much I appreciate them. And I love getting comments in general.

In looking back, I realize just how many major things have happened. I don't even know where to begin. Roger retired, I had to have a biopsy to check for breast cancer, which turned out negative, oldest daughter got divorced, youngest daughter and husband bought their first home, Lorelei was born, youngest daughter moved a couple hours away, and oldest daughter moved clear across the country for a job I think she loves and that is very interesting, youngest daughter had two major surgeries....

Roger has finally got the time and most of the tools he needs to make knives...and has made several since retiring. I have had time to make a few quilts. And I have taken more pictures in these few years than all the ones put together up until the point I started my blog. In the search for photos, we have started seeing bald eagles. Not a lot, but more than I ever thought I would see in my lifetime. And we have went down roads we would never would have traveled otherwise.

I got my Cougar and Puss Puss after starting the blog...and later inherited Bubbie and Mama Cat. Sarah took her dog home to live with her after they bought their first house. Just in the past year both her dog and our old dog, Shelby have crossed the rainbow bridge.

These are just a few of the things that have happened...I am sure I am forgetting things. Probably serious things. If I think of more...I may do another post...

It is just amazing to look back and think of all the living that has been done in these few years.

Waiting on a visitor....

We are going to have company! Or is it company when it is your daughter and granddaughter? I guess I should call them visitors. Daughter told me a couple days ago that she might come and spend the night tonight...I have been holding my breath, keeping my fingers crossed and saying a little prayer that nothing would happen to prevent the visit.

And nothing has...they should be here in a couple hours at the most. It has been a good long while since I have seen the Lorelei without her being sick. At least to me it has been a long time...over two weeks. In the overall scheme of things that is not long. I am so anxious to see her, while at the same time knowing she will have changed so much in the short while since I have seen her.

Some of the things I have missed is Tea With Otti. She got a tea set for Christmas...it is one of her favorite things. When I have been over there, there is never a day that she misses playing with it. Her thing now is to go get dog food and put it in her cup and serve it to Otto. Then she tries to sneak and get water. Next, when she is bored with that part, she will get dog food to tempt Otto and take off running down the hall with him chasing her.

Another thing she has been doing is singing in the shower...at the top of her voice. I don't know that it is a song every time...she will just sing words sometimes. And sometimes she makes up little tunes when she is just sitting. I told Sarah that she will be another Russell Crowe and write her first song by the age of three...I saw him interviewed, probably by Jay Leno and music is his first love. In that interview he told that he wrote his first song at 3 yrs. old.

Let me think...what else has Lorelei been doing. OH, have any of you seen the movie UP....it is an animation and it has an old man in it. Sarah said they were watching it, and it showed the old man and the boy walking through the forest, Lorelei looked up at Sarah and said 'Grandpa?'

The last time I was over there, she was taking her mommy's hands and putting them over her mommy's eyes and say 'Where did mommy go? Where did mommy go?' Then she would pull Sarah's hands away and say 'There she is!'
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It is another cold day here in the Wabash Valley. Not quite as cold as yesterday...we don't feel the cold seeping in today. I think our weatherman is predicting more significant snowfall sometime in the next few days. I am not sure what I want....I want spring, but thinking I would like to have time to get out in one more snow to take photos...so if it does snow I am going to try think positive about it.

I will sign off for now...

Yesterday.....

This was taken yesterday...I know it is a mess with all the cluttered background. I meant to get out and try to take some better ones but never got around to it. The birds were out there all day long....all kinds. There were a couple pair of cardinals, nuthatches, chickadees, woodpeckers, finches, sparrows, and starlings. I heard a blue jay once, but did not see it.

I think they must have known today was coming...they worked steadily all day long at filling their little bellies....today there has only been the occasional bird. I would like to know where the others are. Do they have some place they go that is not as cold as others? It is a real puzzle.

Yesterday I tried to keep the cats inside till the birds could eat their fill without fear....but when the cats do get out, they are not very smart. They get right under the feeder and sit and wait. Occasionally a bird will come and the cat will jump. I am thankful that the cats are so dumb that they don't try to hide.

Today has been bitter cold...the house has had a chill all day and I don't have the thermostat down...it is just so cold that it seeps in. The cats go out, only to turn around and come back in in about 5 minutes...and sometimes they go out one door, go straight to the other one and want back in. The joys of owning cats!

Mine!

Roger has been busy again...he has had this knife cut out for a while now...not sure if he had did any of the forge work with it or not. But he finished it for me the other day, and I just today took pictures.
I just cannot take photos that do them justice....I don't have lighting, other than the flash on my camera. But even if I did, I do not understand using it...so you are left with these photos.
It sure fits my hand....feels just right. I don't know if I will ever have the nerve to take it and use it...some of his buddies have used theirs. But I have been know to lose things, so this may never leave the house. It is very close to being like Jeremy's--it is what I requested. I did have him make my sheath a bit different though.

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Here, it has turned cold again....3-6" is in the forecast. I don't even know if I hope they are wrong or right. We had a very warm for January day yesterday and almost all the previous snow is gone. But it left one big ugly world behind. Everything just looks dirty and dingy. So maybe to be covering it with white would be a big improvement.

I have things I need to do and cannot seem to quit thinking about other things. I need to focus on more positive things but having trouble with it right now. I have cut a few strips of fabric to start another quilt top. Seems like every time I go down and actually get in the mood and start, something happens to call me away from the task. Then it is hard to get motivated to go back.
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I also splurged on myself and bought The Awakening Land. It was a mini series on TV that aired in 1978 which is when we lived in Tennessee. Since watching the mini series, I have read the books by Conrad Richter that it was based on numerous times. (The Trees, The Fields, The Town, or they were all combined into one volume called The Awakening Land.) Anyway, one of the first things I did when we got Internet access was start searching for it on VHS/DVD, every so often, I would scour the Internet....just hoping to come across it. You just cannot imagine my surprise to do a search a few weeks ago and have it actually pop up.

Anyway, that is all from this corner of the world for now...

Red barn in white

This is another drive-by shot....on the way to Sarah's. I wanted to post something but don't feel like dragging out the camera right now for what I want to post about so will put this photo up.
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What I would like to know is this: does everyone go to Walmart, or wherever you go, with the intentions of getting just a few things and almost always end up with a cart piled high? I just got home a few minutes ago....I got a new dish drainer. I have a dishwasher and had went to the small dish drainer. Lately, I have been washing dishes more than using the dishwasher, and find I need the bigger drainer.

I about fainted when I saw the price....the drainer was $12.47, which would put it over $13 with taxes. The tray it sits on was $7.97.....and get this, I don't like doing dishes. I don't let them set and set....I cannot bare to go in to cook with a big pile of dirty dishes sitting. So mine are always done up at least once a day, and most times two...occasionally three.

I feel like I have been doing dishes all my life. I am sure I am not the only woman that feels like that....and I don't just hate the job itself. It is the fact that I no more than get them done, till someone messes up some. It feels like I make no headway. I really would hate to see all the dishes I have done put in a pile....it would be a mountain I am sure.

As for how long I have been doing them, I think I started around 4th grade...not sure...could have been a little earlier or a little later. I always did the supper dishes...and helped with either the breakfast or dinner dishes. You would think I could not forget which other one I helped with, but for the life of me I don't remember.

She did teach me to do them and get them over with...every now and then I would try to put them off, and she would tell me I could, but that I would have to get up early the next morn and wash them. She would let me leave a cast iron pan every now and then....which she usually did that night. She was not one to leave a bunch of dirty dishes either.

I can so clearly remember one time, my brothers and I were out playing ball after supper. Mom came to the back door and yelled and told me it was time to do the dishes....so, I went in uncomplaining...it did no good with mom so we basically didn't do too much. Anyway, when I got in, she had them already washed them for me...what she really wanted was to give me some ice cream. There had been just a little bit left, so she gave it to me.

I remember that so clearly....

See, ice cream was a BIG treat in our world....it was something we probably did not have once a month...not even sure if we averaged having it once every two months. And we almost always got butter pecan! You would think I would be tired of it by now, but about half the time I get ice cream now, I will still get butter pecan.

Have you ever had a float made with butter pecan ice cream and Pepsi? In my own opinion, no other float can compare....though now I usually use Coke. Everyone says they don't want to deal with the nuts, but they usually go to the bottom and you use a spoon and eat them last.
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Oh, the tests came back negative on Lorelei....and she IS feeling better and the temperature has been down the past two days. I am so relieved that she is feeling better. And her mommy is feeling good. So things are definitely looking up.

Now if I could just have a day or two of sunshine and bright blue skies...I might feel like doing something.

Not great photos, but great subjects anyway

On the drive we managed to sneak in last week, we saw 5, yeah FIVE eagles. The first four were together...one adult and four juveniles. They were just a bit too far for my camera. I could barely tell they were eagles through it...Roger's spotting scope was a bit better. We drove on a ways and saw this single eagle....it was a bit closer, but this time was snowing so hard. Still I think you can tell it is an eagle!
We also spotted this fellow...I don't are if there are a lot of coyotes, I still love to see them. They are another animal I never saw in the wild till later in my life.

After long absence...

After a long absence, I think I am about ready to start blogging again, but don't hold it again me if I fail to post every day...I feel like I have been on a long journey. Before I tell anything that has been happening, I wanted to show a few pictures of the Toot.

Below, you will see her hard at work with her screwdriver...working on one of her toys. She does love tools. And always turning anything with wheels upside down. She has been doing that forever. I bet she won't be very old at all before she is helping her daddy when he works on his car. He is not a mechanic by trade, but loves to fiddle with his car, or if his friends are doing anything interesting to theirs, they sometimes call him. It is a fun thing, not a job.

Also, be sure and notice how close Otto is...usually, he is not far from her.
and by the same token, he couldn't get far away if he tried. Lots of mornings, the first thing she does is go get him up. She will run into her mom and dad's room, and I am thinking she is going after them, but no, she goes and yells for Otti and comes running out with him.
One morn he had his collar on, and Lorelei was climbing on his back holding on to it...he got up to go do something. Well, he never does anything in slow motion, so she had a short wild ride before she fell off...no harm. I was really surprised that she did not start trying it on a regular basis...but normally, he just lays and takes it all.
She has recently started to love baby dolls...and has to have a least one to take to bed with her every night, and sometimes we will have her, two or three babies, and maybe Olivia all to pack into her crib.
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Lorelei's mom had her second surgery the 16th, except for a couple or three nights, I was over there for probably 3 weeks....this surgery only took about 50 minutes compared to the 7 ½ hours of the first surgery. Recovery has went well....

Our older daughter came home from Los Angeles for Christmas...it was so funny to see Lorelei's reaction to her. Usually, when she hasn't seen some one for a while, she is a little bit shy. But she seen her Auntie asleep on the couch, and said 'Mommy?', and went over there. I wondered what she would do when she saw it was her aunt and not her mommy....she just kept going with a smile that could not be any bigger! And from then on, she made almost every step her aunt made.

And even though her aunt left the 30th, she still mentions her almost daily....it is just so sweet. She said her name to me, two or three times yesterday, and Sarah said she had mentioned her the day before.

Little Lo is sick...Sarah came home to spend the night on the 5th, and Lorelei started vomiting and running a temp that night...Sarah did call the doctor while she was here, she could not get in to see her, but the doctor seemed to think it was just a stomach flu that was going around anyway.

Well, that has been 11 days ago and she is still running a temp. Sarah took her to her new pediatrician over there. He checked her over physically and could not see anything...her lungs were clear, her ears were fine, etc...so thought maybe it was just the end of some virus. But he is having her checked for bladder infection. So keep her in your prayers.
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We have had snow, snow and more snow...of course not as much as my brothers in Tennessee. I will have to check in with George and Betsy and see what they have....they live in Tennessee also, but farther west than where I am from.

I have not been taking many photos...haven't been doing much of anything since being home. Roger got me a little netbook for Christmas...we ordered it after I came home, just something small to take with me for convenience. Or something to take up and down to the basement when I am working down there. It only weights 2.8 pounds....I think the physical size is a little over 7 inches wide, and a bit over 10 inches long, and about and 1 inch in depth.

It does not have its on dvd/cd drive, so had to buy and external cd/dvd writer to make the recovery disk...so been fooling some getting it set up.

For now, that is all I have to say...please bare with me as I try to catch up with everyone.