I think sometime last week I made mention of the fact that the temperatures were warming up a bit and the big melt had begun. WRONG! It seems as if old man winter just can't let go. We woke up Sunday morning to about 6 inches of new "powder". And that's just what is looked like...powder. The sun was shining and seeing the falling tiny flakes sparkling was so beautiful. And when you picked up a handful, it fell through your fingers just like powder. It really was lovely to see and for a moment I almost forgot it was more SNOW! Well, yesterday evening it started again. The forecast says it will snow through Wednesday with the possible accumulation of another 6-8 inches. ENOUGH ALREADY!!!!!!!
January of 2011, I arrived in Michigan with one pair of really pretty boots. To date, I have no idea where they are. But I do know where my 2 pair of "good to 40 below zero" snow boots are as well as my 2 pair of rubber "muck"/rain boots. What does that tell you about my life? And where are they? Inside the back door because Lord knows, you can't possibly go out without putting a pair on your feet, that is if you want to avoid an accident. (I try to not say the word "fall" out loud for fear I'll be jinxed. Isn't it funny how slipping and breaking a bone never enters your mind until you reach a certain age? I don't say that "age" out loud either!)
Here's another sign winter has gone on too long. For the past 5 or 6 years, in early fall I order a case of my favorite tea bags (because you can't buy them in a store anymore...go figure!). A case includes nearly 200 tea bags and lasts me ALL winter. I have ONE left!!!!!! I have searched every handbag, coat pocket, piece of luggage I have used this winter, the car console, anywhere I could have possibly "stashed" a tea bag! TO NO AVAIL!!!!! I can't decide if I should just use it up today and be done with it or wait until tomorrow and drink it to celebrate the first day of SPRING!!!!! This winter is going to reduce me to LIPTON!!!!!! OH NOOOOOOOOOO!
Just spoke with my sister Linda and she told me the high in Louisville today was ONLY going to be about 48 and possibly waking up to a bit of snow tomorrow morning. Boo Hoo! And I'm tired of hearing about Rusty at the Taj Mahal!!!!! I hope it's hot and you are sweating! I can barely get out of the driveway! If you don't hear from me in a few days, send out the St. Bernard and "he" better be packin' the good stuff!
xxoo
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Monday, March 11, 2013
4 days left...
What an interesting day this has been in the "tip of the mitt" (where I live)! I believe the temperature got up to 40 today so the big, no - huge, no - gigantic melt is in full swing! I have heard several incredibly loud crashes today only to discover it's the ice melting off the roof and sliding down to the ground. God forbid you would be under the big slide because I honestly believe some of those chunks would kill you if they hit you on the head! Because we've had so much snow and cold, the ice fishing on the lake has been a very popular activity this winter. However, all ice shanties (I call them outhouses 'cause that's what they look like!) must be off the lake by March 15th. So, 4 more days! I went to Cheboygan this morning and the ice on the lake looked like standing water. OK you fishing people, be careful. I guess we won't see any more pick-up trucks out on the ice.
No school today in Cheboygan just as Brett predicted. We'll see what happens tomorrow. (There is snow forecasted for Wednesday.) Since school was cancelled, Gracie came over to play this afternoon. We had a wonderful time as always but the part of this visit that totally "freaked me out" was the person driving the car to bring her over...GARRETT!!!!!!! He has been taking driver training in school and is allowed to drive with a licensed driver in the car, but I wasn't prepared to see it!!!! Oh my gosh! My life is flying by way too fast!
For any of you who do not know, I have been going to yoga classes since November. I go twice a week and it has been very different for me. I'm a person who normally goes at a pace of about 100 miles an hour...(OK, so maybe my limit has changed to 85 in the past few years) but anyway, I'm a doer, a go-er, someone who loves to be first in line and works hard to get there. So, yoga. It's quiet, slow, very meditative, and a lot of other words that don't apply to me. But I go. The instructor is Lisa and she is awesome. She says yoga is a state of mind and you are experiencing yoga just by showing up. If all you do is walk in the door and sit on your mat, it's yoga. She's very patient with me and doesn't hollar at me when I "break" the mood/movement. This usually happens when she says something very thought-provoking and inspiring. (She does that alot but sometimes it stimulates my thoughts more than she would probably like.) Like today. During a particularly difficult body twist (thought I was going to die), she said "point your breast toward heaven". Hmm!? I had to stop and look at her and tell her it's been a number of years since either of my breasts pointed toward heaven. They more recently appeared to feel more in touch with hell! Class ended! Gotta' love yoga!
Celebrated long distance today with Sam and the completion of the adoption process. Katlin and Lexi are truly at home now. Congratulations to all of them (Miss Madeline included!). Also got a call from dear friend Jack today telling me HC Baker was represented at the youth fundraiser last night. He would have loved that! And had no idea one of my favorite families is back at SMBC. Love all those "H" kids and their Mom and Dad!
God is good! xxoo
No school today in Cheboygan just as Brett predicted. We'll see what happens tomorrow. (There is snow forecasted for Wednesday.) Since school was cancelled, Gracie came over to play this afternoon. We had a wonderful time as always but the part of this visit that totally "freaked me out" was the person driving the car to bring her over...GARRETT!!!!!!! He has been taking driver training in school and is allowed to drive with a licensed driver in the car, but I wasn't prepared to see it!!!! Oh my gosh! My life is flying by way too fast!
For any of you who do not know, I have been going to yoga classes since November. I go twice a week and it has been very different for me. I'm a person who normally goes at a pace of about 100 miles an hour...(OK, so maybe my limit has changed to 85 in the past few years) but anyway, I'm a doer, a go-er, someone who loves to be first in line and works hard to get there. So, yoga. It's quiet, slow, very meditative, and a lot of other words that don't apply to me. But I go. The instructor is Lisa and she is awesome. She says yoga is a state of mind and you are experiencing yoga just by showing up. If all you do is walk in the door and sit on your mat, it's yoga. She's very patient with me and doesn't hollar at me when I "break" the mood/movement. This usually happens when she says something very thought-provoking and inspiring. (She does that alot but sometimes it stimulates my thoughts more than she would probably like.) Like today. During a particularly difficult body twist (thought I was going to die), she said "point your breast toward heaven". Hmm!? I had to stop and look at her and tell her it's been a number of years since either of my breasts pointed toward heaven. They more recently appeared to feel more in touch with hell! Class ended! Gotta' love yoga!
Celebrated long distance today with Sam and the completion of the adoption process. Katlin and Lexi are truly at home now. Congratulations to all of them (Miss Madeline included!). Also got a call from dear friend Jack today telling me HC Baker was represented at the youth fundraiser last night. He would have loved that! And had no idea one of my favorite families is back at SMBC. Love all those "H" kids and their Mom and Dad!
God is good! xxoo
Sunday, March 10, 2013
A Gray Weekend...
I do hope our winter is nearly over. Saturday's high was 38 and for those of you thinking "big deal", it was! Everything has started to melt and so far my new (last fall) gutters have held! Snow and especially ice are the reasons you don't see gutters on homes up here. Once the ice freezes, the weight of it just rips the gutters right off the house. Our neighbors on the right have a pretty good length of gutter swinging right now outside their front porch. So now my driveway is beginning to melt. I am seeing the ground for the first time since January 2. The other "shoe" is that I have an ice skating rink outside my back door! And by the way, tomorrow we are expecting possibly 6-8 inches of new snow. Son-in-law Brett says schools will be cancelled tomorrow due to ice. Once the temps drop tonight, look out! All that melted snow will freeze on the roads. Spring, oh spring!!!!!! Where are you?
Yesterday (Saturday), TR Baker and I drove to Gaylord, about 35 miles south. The main reason we went was to go to a Taco Bell and try the cool ranch doritos taco shells. (TR's reason!) OK, we tried them. TR Baker thought they were great and I had one and thought...it's a taco. Then to add the icing on that cake, we went to Tim Horton's and got a few (12) donuts!!!!!! The good news was we then went grocery shopping at Meijers and did NOT over buy! Made it home in time to watch U of L beat Notre Dame and learn that UK had beat Georgia! What a day!
Woke up today to more rain and melting snow. JOY! But today also included a bit of culture. Cheboygan High School was performing "Fiddler on the Roof" at the Opera House and Gracie and I went. It's been a long time since I had seen a high school musical production and the students did a fine job. Gracie was not familiar with the story so I explained parts of it to her as it progressed. Arranged marriages, Jewish traditions, the wedding under a canopy, the stomping of the wine glass, marrying outside your religion, and having to leave your "homeland". She was most interested in the arranged marriages and marrying outside your religion. Her questions included what if you don't love the person your parents want you to marry and if you go to church, what difference does it make what your husband believes. I told her to talk to her parents about it! (Passed that buck!)
Was saddened this weekend to learn Malcolm's precious dog Daisy passed away. I did not know Daisy but her photos looked exactly like our Lady who died in the accident. But I am excited to remember tomorrow is the official "adoption" day for Sam and her precious girls. It's been a long wait, and it will be bittersweet without Abe, but even though I am 600 miles away, I know I will feel the love coming from Richmond, KY.
Sending love to each of you during this Lenten season. What would we do without our Lord and Savior? xxoo
Yesterday (Saturday), TR Baker and I drove to Gaylord, about 35 miles south. The main reason we went was to go to a Taco Bell and try the cool ranch doritos taco shells. (TR's reason!) OK, we tried them. TR Baker thought they were great and I had one and thought...it's a taco. Then to add the icing on that cake, we went to Tim Horton's and got a few (12) donuts!!!!!! The good news was we then went grocery shopping at Meijers and did NOT over buy! Made it home in time to watch U of L beat Notre Dame and learn that UK had beat Georgia! What a day!
Woke up today to more rain and melting snow. JOY! But today also included a bit of culture. Cheboygan High School was performing "Fiddler on the Roof" at the Opera House and Gracie and I went. It's been a long time since I had seen a high school musical production and the students did a fine job. Gracie was not familiar with the story so I explained parts of it to her as it progressed. Arranged marriages, Jewish traditions, the wedding under a canopy, the stomping of the wine glass, marrying outside your religion, and having to leave your "homeland". She was most interested in the arranged marriages and marrying outside your religion. Her questions included what if you don't love the person your parents want you to marry and if you go to church, what difference does it make what your husband believes. I told her to talk to her parents about it! (Passed that buck!)
Was saddened this weekend to learn Malcolm's precious dog Daisy passed away. I did not know Daisy but her photos looked exactly like our Lady who died in the accident. But I am excited to remember tomorrow is the official "adoption" day for Sam and her precious girls. It's been a long wait, and it will be bittersweet without Abe, but even though I am 600 miles away, I know I will feel the love coming from Richmond, KY.
Sending love to each of you during this Lenten season. What would we do without our Lord and Savior? xxoo
Saturday, March 2, 2013
This and That...
1. BACON!!!!!!
How is it that bacon is so bad for you but tastes so delicious? And for those of you who know why it's bad, I'm not really looking for an explanation. I WOULD love for someone to say to me, "Oh it's not really bad for you. Eat all you want" and mean it! My son has invited me to someone else's dinner party tonight. I was pleased and also had the opportunity to see the hostess and tell her and she welcomed me also (thank you Ms. Sam!). My son also told me he was to bring cole slaw and a side dish. I have NEVER in my life made cole slaw so TR Baker contacted another wonderful friend (Ms. Shannon) and got her recipe. Fingers crossed!!!! The side dish we chose to make is shrimp and grits. Hence the bacon. I always top my shrimp and grits with diced green onions and crumbled bacon. I know you can buy fake bacon, already cooked bacon, REAL bacon bits, fake bacon bits, and on and on. But you just can't beat the ever-popular bacon "fried up in a pan"! Which brings me to my other question about bacon. Why do we cook something that makes such an awful mess? While frying, your hands are all greasy. After frying, your stove top is a disaster and you have to nearly clean the whole kitchen. You have to hot soapy-wash the fan filters to get rid of the odor. (How can it smell so good while frying yet leave the worst stinky smell behind?) Well, I've had two pieces and am waiting for it to cool enough so I can ziplock bag it and hide it from myself in the fridge!!!!! Don't you just LOVE bacon?
2. MARCH - Already?
Didn't we just celebrate New Year's Eve? Yesterday was March first. Someone posted a photo on FB yesterday showing tiny purple crocuses poking their beautiful heads up through the snow. My heart warmed for a half a second until I realized they sure weren't poking their heads up through the snow in my neighborhood! They won't be able to blink their eyes in this snow until June, that is if they survived and this snow has melted. The good news is the TV weather people have not forecasted any large accumulation this week and by Friday, the temperature is supposed to reach 35!!!!!! Now that's good news.
3. GRACIE -
Gracie and her Dad have gone to Mt. Pleasant, MI, today. Gracie's 5th grade basketball team won the district and today and tomorrow in Mt. Pleasant, is the regional tournament. (Needless to say, I have not been invited back to see a game since I spoke my mind to that stupid woman who was screaming at my granddaughter and accusing me of not knowing anything about basketball! You've probably forgotten that silly episode, sorry to mention it again!) Anyway, today and tomorrow, Gracie will be playing the big dogs...from Detroit area. Oh my! Say a prayer for them for safe travels and safe games. Please and thank you! (Emily and Garrett have stayed behind to run the store!)
4. MY GRATEFUL JAR
Remember at the first of the year I talked about my grateful jar. It is an old Ball canning jar and it sits in my kitchen window. Well, Gracie and I are the only ones adding to it. I've already had to empty the contents into a shoe box (my grateful storage facility!). When Gracie comes over, the first thing she does after arriving is to write she "got to come to Jo's" on a tiny piece of paper and puts it in the jar. Do you wonder why I love this child? Did you "do" a grateful jar? How's it comin'?
Time to hot soapy-wash the fan filters. Gotta' go! Stay warm! OOPS! Is it already warm where you are? Don't tell me! I can't stand it! Stay LOVED! xxoo
How is it that bacon is so bad for you but tastes so delicious? And for those of you who know why it's bad, I'm not really looking for an explanation. I WOULD love for someone to say to me, "Oh it's not really bad for you. Eat all you want" and mean it! My son has invited me to someone else's dinner party tonight. I was pleased and also had the opportunity to see the hostess and tell her and she welcomed me also (thank you Ms. Sam!). My son also told me he was to bring cole slaw and a side dish. I have NEVER in my life made cole slaw so TR Baker contacted another wonderful friend (Ms. Shannon) and got her recipe. Fingers crossed!!!! The side dish we chose to make is shrimp and grits. Hence the bacon. I always top my shrimp and grits with diced green onions and crumbled bacon. I know you can buy fake bacon, already cooked bacon, REAL bacon bits, fake bacon bits, and on and on. But you just can't beat the ever-popular bacon "fried up in a pan"! Which brings me to my other question about bacon. Why do we cook something that makes such an awful mess? While frying, your hands are all greasy. After frying, your stove top is a disaster and you have to nearly clean the whole kitchen. You have to hot soapy-wash the fan filters to get rid of the odor. (How can it smell so good while frying yet leave the worst stinky smell behind?) Well, I've had two pieces and am waiting for it to cool enough so I can ziplock bag it and hide it from myself in the fridge!!!!! Don't you just LOVE bacon?
2. MARCH - Already?
Didn't we just celebrate New Year's Eve? Yesterday was March first. Someone posted a photo on FB yesterday showing tiny purple crocuses poking their beautiful heads up through the snow. My heart warmed for a half a second until I realized they sure weren't poking their heads up through the snow in my neighborhood! They won't be able to blink their eyes in this snow until June, that is if they survived and this snow has melted. The good news is the TV weather people have not forecasted any large accumulation this week and by Friday, the temperature is supposed to reach 35!!!!!! Now that's good news.
3. GRACIE -
Gracie and her Dad have gone to Mt. Pleasant, MI, today. Gracie's 5th grade basketball team won the district and today and tomorrow in Mt. Pleasant, is the regional tournament. (Needless to say, I have not been invited back to see a game since I spoke my mind to that stupid woman who was screaming at my granddaughter and accusing me of not knowing anything about basketball! You've probably forgotten that silly episode, sorry to mention it again!) Anyway, today and tomorrow, Gracie will be playing the big dogs...from Detroit area. Oh my! Say a prayer for them for safe travels and safe games. Please and thank you! (Emily and Garrett have stayed behind to run the store!)
4. MY GRATEFUL JAR
Remember at the first of the year I talked about my grateful jar. It is an old Ball canning jar and it sits in my kitchen window. Well, Gracie and I are the only ones adding to it. I've already had to empty the contents into a shoe box (my grateful storage facility!). When Gracie comes over, the first thing she does after arriving is to write she "got to come to Jo's" on a tiny piece of paper and puts it in the jar. Do you wonder why I love this child? Did you "do" a grateful jar? How's it comin'?
Time to hot soapy-wash the fan filters. Gotta' go! Stay warm! OOPS! Is it already warm where you are? Don't tell me! I can't stand it! Stay LOVED! xxoo
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