Rescue Attempt

As I am writing this, the ice crystals are hitting the windows. It was only 2 degrees here this morning. We are supposed to get an ice storm but not as severe as in the storm of  '92.  I will never forget that one. I was a single mother with a 10 year old boy who very sick that night. During one of the times he was "tossing his cookies", the lights went out. As night progressed, we could hear trees crashing around us in the village. He was very frightened as was I. We had no heat and no light. My sister and her husband came to our rescue and we spent the balance of the week at her house. They had a wood stove and offered us comfort from the storm.

I went in late to work today - had had a little karate battle going on in my stomach throughout the night. As I labored my way up and over one hill, there in the road was a little white poodle. At first I didn't see it because of the snow in the road. The poor thing was so cold and I am quite sure was lost. As I approached, it did get out of the road but as I looked in the rear view mirror, it looked up and down the road as if to say, "What am I going to do now?" I turned the car around and went back to check on it. I have done this so many times in the past. I can't not try to help.  As I approached the dog one more time, it got out of the road again. I pulled over and rolled down my window but it was frightened and ran. I pulled into a driveway and it ran even more. I got out of the car but could not connect with it. I always feel so badly. I know how my boys would feel if they couldn't find their way home. It did have tags on but didn't have much of a "coiffure" so I think whomever had it didn't pay much attention to it. I finally had to give up and depart. I had no food to entice it into my care.

One time, on a terribly cold and windy day, I picked up a very old, big dog who was steadfastly walking down the MIDDLE of the road. When cars approached it acted as if it didn't even hear them.  It had snow frozen on its belly so I knew it had been out for some time. When I opened the car door and called it, in it jumped in my back seat as if to say, "Thank God, someone finally has stopped to help me." I took it up and down the road to houses but no one knew who it belonged to so I brought it home, fed it, warmed it up and called the dog warden with the ID tag. It belonged to someone not too far from where Ihad picked it up so back I went. They were happy to see the dog as was the dog to see them. Apparently the girl in the family had neglected to latch a door to the dog kennel and that is how it commenced its journey.

While I know sometimes, through no fault of the owners, pets get separated and lost. But what makes me see red are the uncaring morons who dump them as if they were one of their McDonald's bags. I will never understand so called humans like that. 

I pray that little white poodle is safe in the arms of a caring individual tonight in this storm.

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"Chores"

Hi Everyone,

Went to work today, it actually was a nice, quiet day, lots of work, but quiet.  The kids were very sweet. I think they were tired out.  Many people talk about how kids are disrespectful nowadays but 99% of the ones I deal with are very polite and fun to be with.  Maybe they realize I am getting old so they treat me more like a grandmother! Hey, I can play that role very easily! Just ask me how many times I have fallen this year!

My husband and I were set for that nice Italian dinner out tonight (that we missed this weekend) and when we got there, they said on Monday's they only serve bar food so we ended up at the local diner. Oh well, when we get the real thing, it will be delicious.

Then I went to the store I hate to shop in, the dreaded grocery store!  It was one of those "noglorybagyourownbutbringyourownbagsorwe'llchargeyouforthem" 

stores but was close to the restaurant. Haven't been there in awhile. I am not sure why I dislike that task so much but the older, I get the more I hate it! Probably because it means trying to plan out what we should eat while seeing what I really want to eat, and then determining what we really will end up eating. When I get home, it is usually dark and because we don't have a garage, we have to heft everything over the slippery side walk up the steps into the house in the kitchen all the while fending off two little dogs who are so very excited to see us. Next comes the fun job of putting it all away! When it is all over, I am tired and all I want to do is order a pizza delivered. You notice I said "I want" to order a pizza but we never have. I don't think they would ever find us. Anyways, that is why I can think of 101 excuses not to go grocery shopping!

You can tell the economy has really affected this particular store quite a bit! The produce didn't look that great and they had moved much of their stuff to the front of the shelves to make it look like they had more. It reminded me of one of those stores you see next to a campground, a little of this and that but not much of anything. I didn't spend very much. It is scary to think it is going to get worse before it gets better.  I am grateful for the way I was raised as I know how to live frugally and still hopefully, happily.

We then had to get a load of wood put in the basement in the dark tonight. We were almost out. We didn't do it this weekend as husband worked all weekend getting wood ready to make new stairs for the house. My brother had given him quite a bit of walnut so he went to his brother's shop to plane it and then brought it home and started biscuit joining it and sanding it for the treads. They will be beautiful when they are finished as he is a perfectionist. 

Getting back to the load of wood, because it was pitch dark by the time we got home, he found an old lantern so we could see what we were doing. We had been off from work for one and one half weeks and went through many loads but luckily, the furnace hardly kicked on because of it. We still have 2/3 of our wood supply left so that is good. We are holding our breath until we get the next propane bill. Last year in one month alone it was $600! The house is now partially insulated but the upstairs, dining room and kitchen are not. Plus we have those lovely old wavy glass windows that let the heat fly out as well. 

That is a sore point between us as he wants to keep the old glass and I don't. Yes, the glass adds to the vintage look of the house but I am the one who washes or tries to wash them and we lose heat. Because we live in the middle of ponds and streams, there is an unending supply of insects I constantly have to battle that get in between the wavy windows and the storm windows. The windows are so hard to deal with as I have to take off the moldings (yes, I said the moldings) in order to clean the inside of the storms and the outside of the glass windows.

We have learned to live with lower temperatures, more layers of clothing and more quilts on the bed. We even cover our dogs up much of the time because they are small, getting older and mind the cold.

Nighty-night, keep warm.  I am off to the cottage to work for awhile.

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The Last Day at Home

This morning I am thankful for indoor plumbing. It was 0, yeah, you got it, zero degrees! 

My little dogs, however, had to brave the cold to do their duty. I always stand right by the door when it's this bitter so when they return, the "No Waiting" sign is posted to come back in the warmth of the house. Then they plod their little snow covered bodies into the kitchen to quietly wait for their morning treat, "THE BISCUIT". 

Previously SHOUTED out the back door-- one of these enticements - "Do you want a biscuit?", "If you don't come in right now, you won't get a biscuit!", "What good little boys, here is your biscuit!". If all else fails, I blow the whistle and they come tearing into home base.

Yikes! In less than 24 hours I will be back at work with all the waiting emails and phone messages, partially dead plants, germy children, new phone calls ("I tried to call you last week, no one answered!" - no kidding), my boss with his new lists of ideas and budget cuts, hopefully not employee cuts, everyone telling me how tired they are, kids who were overindulged at Christmas and haven't a clue on which way to open a book and staff--- thinking, "and-- why did I choose this profession??"

I have never taken this much time off from work in one swoop, except to go on my Ireland jaunts. I have enjoyed every moment of it!

I spent my time on vacation: 

• doing loads of laundry
• making 30+ detailed /Christmas thank you cards 
• enjoying a quiet Christmas with my in-laws
• missing a fun filled Christmas with my sister's family and my son
• sorting out 4 garbage bags of unloved, ill fitting, and "why did I buy this?" clothing for the church dump box
• actually cleaning my bedroom thoroughly
• giving one dog a bath
• making three double batches of my mom's potato refrigerator rolls
• going on a wonderful stamp/stamp supply shopping day in Corning with my friend, Beth - YES, everything in the store was 60% off!!
• helping my husband bring in loads of wood for the stove. (we go through about one load in two  to three days)
• priming a door for the interior of the cottage
• waiting for my husband to come up from the barn for the promised Italian dinner out. He came in at 11 p.m.! Luckily, our kitchen restaurant was still open!
• cleaning, mopping, but oh!, no dusting
• making zero trips to the grocery store (I hate food shopping!)
• celebrating a wonderful post Christmas with my "irish" sisters and some of their friends --eating, telling Irish trip stories, talking crafts, eating, listening to them catch up on local news (they all live in the same town) and laughing, eating, laughing, laughing. We love each other so much!
• visiting with our elderly neighbor who stopped in to see how we like Dish Network. He is thinking about breaking down and getting it. He has worked for the railroad for many years and knows much of the history of this area and our home. 
• nervously watching for the "dog soldiers" who appeared here last week. They were much, much bigger than my little biscuit-eaters and one seemed to have a very aggressive march. They would make "chow" out of my little boys if they got a hold of them! I have no clue what country they came from or to what country went.
• sorting out the cottage. I love doing this for some strange reason - love to rearrange, look at and calculate new ways to store all my stamping stuff. Sick, huh.
• teaching myself how to do a PowerPoint presentation - so much fun!! I wish I had done this a long time ago. I have tons of stuff more to learn about it.
• setting up this blog - I am excited about it and look forward to writing and preplanning what I will write. It will give me something to think about on my 40 minute rides to and from work.
• having a post Christmas celebration with my son and then going out to lunch and shopping with him. I cherish those moments...

Happy New Year to All!

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