Last Weekend

husband and I spent part of our time with S1. We went out to lunch and watched a game of curling on the big screen tv in the dininghall while we ate. Took a drive through campus. Husband and S1 dug his car out of the ice and snow.

On Friday S1 will come home, pack his bags and leave on the first of 3 adventures that will determine the course of his life.

Very exciting.

Seed Ordering Time

My order went into Landreth's yesterday (the photo comes from their website). If you have not requested one of their catalogs do so. The artwork and photos are amazing!

The local weatherman is "watching" for something Tuesday and Wednesday. I refuse to get sucked up into the drama of it all. The front yard snow has mostly melted away and is showing all of the items that Bella has found and has chewed. I can see the table on the deck. The backyard is still ripe for sledding.

The curling final for men is on at noon.

That may be the end of my olympic watching. But then again. . .

In my continuing quest

 

to take the edge off I went for a pedicure.
Tomato orange.
My feet feel better though my soul does not.

#5

I don't know that number.

How many fingers do I have on my hand?

Lots of them.

Letter D is

for "damnitall".

Why yes it is. But we don't say that word at school.

Sigh.

 

I love this time of day - when the sky turns pink and the trees become dark silouettes.

Times Gone By

S1's advisor has asked for some young photos of each of the graduating class from his school at the university. Here is what I sent.

Winter Housing

 

on campus.

What I learned from the tow truck driver

Why did I have any time to learn anything personal about the driver you ask?

Because after picking up husband's car on Tuesday morning, (the radiator had cracked) the tow truck driver wanted to follow me to the mechanics as he didn't know the way. At the busy intersection about 2 miles away the tow truck's wheel started to come off - the lugnuts had not been put on or put on properly. (A few people had been fired recently and there had been issues).

So there we stood - waiting for two tow trucks. One for me and one for him.

I learned:

1. That he has 6 well behaved children.
2. He no longer does drugs.
3. That he was possible conceived in a drug induced haze. His mom can't account for 8 hours while smoking pot.
4. That if you inbreed pit bulls that makes them meaner.
5. He wants to move to the country or put a high fence around his property.
6. That if I wanted to run drugs I had better not do it in husband's canoe as "they would get you for sure!"

We waited an hour in the road, directing traffic around our vehicles. He told tales and I listened and we both laughed, a lot. At the end we shook hands and he told me that it had been an enjoyable morning.

Tidbits

Now that the snow has melted on the street except for the areas at the beginning of the street (cars can get through the area husband and I shoveled) and the bottom of our street (no one got out and shoveled in the three houses that share that area) our one neighbor has decided that the snow in those areas is unsightly and needs to be plowed. WHAT?!!!!
(excuse me while I bang my head against the wall). My answer was no. Another neighbor said yes.

Stress has been building up again in my non home life. Not the entire part just a portion. Unfortunately it is a major portion. This week I've taken steps to reduce it. Started a new email address for family so the other only has to be checked once a day and I have scheduled a pedicure after the next meeting. There is nothing so relaxing as a pedicure. I will also be scheduling a massage in the future as I find my shoulders working up to my ears in stress.

Tomorrow I will write about the funnier things that have happened.

We find after years of struggle that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us.

Snow and Activities

 

It has been a busy day at the little blue house. It is snowing again. But there will be a teacher's workday tomorrow so I've been getting ready for that. Laundry that took a back seat for awhile is in the machine. The street has been shoveled where necessary.

While watching the Olympics this afternoon I've been knitting a cleaning cloth. Luckily we do not depend on my knitting skills for food on the table. No matter how careful I was. the counting always seemed to be off and I would have to rip out again. Bah!!

But it is done and such a pretty pink.

Dreaming of spring but enjoying the flakes that are falling.

Happy Valentines Day!

 

 

 

The decorations were few and simple this year but fun to make.

The Power of Speech

A extremely large group of college students had a snowball fight the other night. A police car drove by and some of the students pelted his car with snowballs. The policeman stopped and informed the crowd that he didn't care if they had a snowball fight but he did not want them to throw at buildings or at cars.

The snowball fight continued but fizzled out a short time later.

It is amazing what a few well chosen words can accomplish.

Spring and Pillowcases

 

Early this morning husband and I shoveled our street from our driveway to the main road so that he could get to work. The wind is blowing, it is cold and my toes are still trying to thaw out.

But at the sewing machine it has been spring. The main fabric came from a pair of curtains found at a local thrift store. The gingham and ric rac came from my stash. The pillowcase makes me think of clothes waving in the breeze on a clothesline and the smell of them when they are brought inside. Full of fresh air and sunshine.

House Front

 

**The fabric creation is called a Mola from Central American, see explanation in comment section.

I've lost count of the snow days that I have had so far this winter. Today is another one as we are expecting 5-10 inches in the next 48 hours.

But inside the power is on (we are very lucky, I've heard of some people going on day 3 or 4 without). And I have been doing some sewing. Some for home use, some for school use (we are being moved again to a different room in the fall). The pillow on the chair was backed with dark green corduroy and stuffed. The face of the pillow came from somewhere over in the Cambodia/Vietnam general region. I buy interesting fabrics from a woman in Vermont who goes on annual shopping trips out of the country. The handbag is from the same area.

Time Out from Snow Posts

because the offers are starting to come in for grad school for S1. His nightmares of not being accepted anywhere and having to live with Mom and Dad while looking for some kind of employment are over.

5 of 10 have accepted so far. The other 5 have not replied yet. One with an extremely generous offer and that is also the one down the street. But there are other ones out there.

The one that I'm kind of hoping for is the university in the land of hula skirts and constant warm weather. But the weather here could be coloring my opinion!.

Sunday Snapshots

 

 

More to come on Tuesday, snow that is.

 

Snow

The event started this morning and was snowing by the time that I got up at 7:30. (An aside - the universities that the boys attend also are closed.) We are trying to keep on top of the snow shoveling but this snow is wet and heavy so it is slow going - plus we don't want to kill ourselves - literally and figuratively.

I'm happy that the power is still on so that we can catch up on projects here - laundry, baking etc. Husband is putting in a new ceiling fan in our bedroom.

FYI

Early estimate for the snowfall Friday into Saturday is 12-21 inches.

Groceries - bought
Netflix videos - should arrive tomorrow
Pet food in pantry - checked and double checked. Don't want to run out of pet food.
Furry friends are not so friendly when you run out of food!
Batteries for lights - bought
Super Bowl remembered - yep
Books - ready to be read
Fingers, toes etc crossed that we don't lose power - definitely!!

Need:

Gas in car - tomorrow
Snow to start early on Friday so we don't get stuck at school or in a crappy drive home - my lips to God's ears

Teacher Magic

It was time to go home and one could tell that the class was excited to go. And that we did not have any recess time today due to the playground being covered with snow.

One child was trying to wrestle/kung fu other children. I told him to sit. He came up to me and told me that I needed to use magic to make him sit. I pointed at the floor and said "SIT."

He sat.