Tracking the Night

Good Morning!

The first thing I do in the morning is look out the window to see what happened in the snow the previous night. Last night we had our regular deer visitors and a muskrat. 

The muskrat labors his little body every night up the frozen creek bank, through the snow, across the driveway and down the other side making his way to the overflow pipe in Lake Wobegone. It must be a cold journey as he is wet and short and has to drag himself (or herself) through the snow to do it. The snow, most times, is over his head. His tracks look like someone has dragged a log with a tail on it through the snow.

Our deer vary in population. We always have the "Twins" and sometimes a few more. The first time we saw the Twins was last summer just as we were leaving our driveway. We saw two fawns, maybe a few months old, eating something at the side of the dirt road. We inched closer and closer. They never wavered. They were actually chomping on something that was pretty darn chewy as their jaw movements were exaggerated. They were chewing either dirt or stones! I have never seen deer do this. 

We had seen the mama a few weeks earlier but she was no where to be seen then. The last time we saw her she was limping on an injured back foot. I fear she died either from infection or the coyotes got her. Perhaps the Twins were eating either to get minerals they weren't getting from their mother's milk, or they were eating stones to make their baby teeth fall out.  At any rate, we have watched them since then. My husband saw them yesterday -  "Saw the Twins today. They are getting big. Their ear tips are really dark brown now." Somehow they survived childhood, coyotes, dog soldiers and deer season, thank God! 

Today is the next to the last day before I have to go back to work. While I love the people and kids at work, I long to be home on a daily basis. I can be contented playing with my dogs, going to the cottage, playing a game or two of majong and staring out the windows into the woods. It is also comforting to know you don't have to rush through tasks and can do them thoroughly. When I am back to work, I rush home and "slam, bam, thank you mamm" the household chores just to get them done. A few more years.....

Congratulations to my great nephew, Steve, for completing his last challenge as a new Marine recruit on Parris Island. His mom emailed me this tidbit this morning: 

"According to the calender Steve finished the last of his duties as a recruit, the Crucible.  This morning he is enjoying the Warrior's Breakfast, all you can eat after 54 hours of hiking, fasting, no sleep and physical and mental challenges.  We will leave Tuesday am, can't wait!"

Steve was unable to come home for Christmas so the family is really excited about seeing him. His grandfather, Ed, (my brother) was also a Marine who graduated from Parris Island. It will be a memorable event, especially for him, to see his grandson graduate on January 9th!

Snowing on Lake Wobegone, also on the Cottage Pond and Goosemount Pond. Some day I will tell you the story of how Goosemount got it's name. hee-hee

Have a relaxing Saturday!

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january 2nd 2009

The first line of 

my first blog 

on the second day 

of the new year...

My husband and I spent time this afternoon in the basement sorting gallons of paint. Where did they all come from? It is like going down memory lane. The colors evoke feelings and thoughts as if  glancing at pictures in a photo album. Forgotten colors of days long ago. Some of them were quite "aged". They were trashed. I am combining some of them to make a new color which I will use on the interior walls of my cottage. From growing up in a very frugal household, I still salvage what I can and make good use of it. I guess that is where my "creative" spirit was given birth.

We purchased the property five and a half years ago. It had not been lived in in 30 years! You can't imagine the work that we have put into it, especially my husband.  Our house is livable but long from being completed. However, my cottage is almost done. I had painted the interior colors pink and minty green from the era of the 30's when the cottage was built. Now I am tiring of the Victorian cottage look and am going to more earthy and watery colors. 

When we first saw the cottage, there was a gaping hole in the roof and the interior was the humble abode of a phoebe. (For those of you who don't know birds, a phoebe is a member of the flycatcher family.) The screens on the back porch were ripped and rusted allowing for an easy entry when she glided in to feed her babies in their cozy nest. Today, the cottage is named Phoebe's Cottage after her. 

One day this last summer, I had propped open the front door of the cottage for some reason. I was busy "twittering" around in there when in flew a phoebe! I would like to believe it was the same one who lived in there before. I think she came to see what the new "nest" looked like. I very gently cornered her and carefully carried her out. She flew a short distance away and lit on a tree, flicking her tail as if to say, "SHE is not very neighborly!"

We are surrounded by five ponds and many acres of woods, birds and beautiful skies. No neighbors can spy on us - just woodland creatures, geese and the occasional buzz of an airplane drifting over.

Tonight my friend, Beth, is coming to visit. I am going to be her "guinea pig" for trying out the directions she is handing out at her next card making workshop. We enjoy our stamping, shopping for stamps and talking about stamp times.

Have a good day! 

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