Summer Of Discontent

It occurred to me that I don't seem to rant or "vent" as much as I used to via this outlet.  Of course, having constant male companionship doesn't leave my evenings open as much as it used to and the darkened hours when you are alone are a fine time to conjure gripes and tirades.  The storms and aches of the past few days are about enough to convince me of the latter.  Actually, I had felt pretty good until today.  We have had somewhat hot but sunny days and I have finally caught up on some pottery orders.  But the lightning came again today, jarring the earth and my sore bones along with it.  Perhaps there is something to the electromagnetic fields that accompany the downpours.  Or perhaps it's just the side effects of a new round of prescriptions that I don't want to take to begin with.  Whatever the reason, I have what can best be described as, a crappy attitude.  A sore ass, as we used to say on the job sites.

The gardens are enjoying the water and I'm grateful not to have that extra work.  The chickens make me happy yet and somewhat fill the hole left by Grendal's passing.  I make a point of going out at least once a day to sit amongst them on one of the many large rocks in the yard.  As soon as I am seated Susie and PeePee usually come running in their awkward, penguin-like trots to be the first one up in my lap.  It is physically impossible to watch them and not smile.  After they make themselves comfortable they proceed to chatter away while I scratch their backs.  Occasionally they will stop and look right at me, as if they are expecting a reply and in those moments I always feel somewhat self-conscious at my obvious lack of understanding.  I take a stab at what seems to me to be the same sort of chirupping sounds but as they resettle in their position on my leg and nod off with a shake of the head, I believe they are just resigning themselves to the fact that I will never learn to talk properly.

My good Russian friend came out Friday and brought her class of 4 art students so they could learn a bit about clay work and make a couple of small things for themselves.  Sveta is a lot of fun and always insist on bringing food when she visits, and I had plenty from the garden, so we had a nice lunch after class.  I'm not sure how much they learned about clay but the kids learned what a good, honest-to-goodness, real tomato is supposed to taste like and that may have been more important anyway. 
So, they are calling for more rain in the week ahead and I hope they are wrong for at least part of it.  I hope this fog lifts off my head also and lets a little sun shine in.  I could use a bit of sunshine.

*Edit:  I have temporarily removed the word verification and we'll see how badly I'll be inundated with spam. lol!

Good-Bye Sweet Friend

This is, without a doubt, going to be the hardest post I've ever had to write, but I have to just go ahead and get it over with.  Ya'll know Grendal had been sick lately, with what the vet said was asthma, but it turned out to be a bit more serious than that and she passed away at 2:30 a.m. on the first day of this new year.  After I had taken her to the doctor back in December she did seem to improve somewhat but I noticed that by Christmas her breathing was somewhat labored again but she was still eating and all, just sleeping a lot.  I was giving her some natural asthma meds and tried a little Benedryl too, which did seem to help some.  She got a bit of an appetite after taking that.  By Sunday though, she was refusing most food and water and wouldn't get up much.  I gave her a tad more Benedryl and a little respiratory antibiotic I had and early Monday she was up and moving around, so I thought perhaps it was bronchitis or pneumonia, something that could be cured.  I had to take her to another vet because the one I had been using was still closed for remodeling but they were very kind and saw her immediately.  The look on the doctor's face when I told him how she was acting did not indicate good news however.  A couple of X-rays later and it was confirmed to him that she probably had FIP (feline infectious peritonitis) which there is no cure for.  There is no real test for it either, nor a vaccine but he said if he could draw some of the fluid off her chest it would help him diagnose it further and help her breathe, so I said okay.  They drew off a fair amount and it did seem to help her.  It also confirmed his diagnosis.  He was very kind and honest and I appreciated that.  He gave her a shot that he said would help make her more comfortable and he seemed to think she might have some time, maybe a few weeks.  So, I went from thinking it was maybe an infection from asthma to being told she only had a short time to live.
I took her home and she did seem to feel a little better, even eating and drinking a good bit right away but in a couple of hours her breathing was very hard again.  By this time the vet was closed again and wouldn't reopen until today.  We tried to make her as comfortable as we could and she didn't seem to be in pain, just breathing hard.  But I know that in itself is uncomfortable.  Around midnight she didn't want to lay in her bed anymore but wanted to be on the floor, so I got a pillow and laid on the floor with her.  She always seemed to enjoy that.  I talked to her and assured her if she felt it was time to go that I would be okay.  I told her she had done a good job of looking after me those many years but She could go rest if she wanted to.  I don't feel I gave up on her but was simply willing to trade her discomfort for mine.  About 2 hours later she was gone.

I know many people don't care for cats or understand how people can get very attached to pets but she was something else.  She was not really a pet but really like a friend.  Never a time that I was sick and in bed that she was not right there beside me the whole time.

I guess in a lot of ways, she was much like me too.  She could be a grumpy ol' turd if you got too close to her tail and she did not care for other animals at all.  But she was a better person than a lot of humans I know, and though never a pushy or demanding cat, she welcomed everybody that came into the house.

She was never a great hunter cat and had gotten kinda pudgy over the years but she always kept her manners.  She was a southern cat after all, you know.  She always amazed the people at the vet clinics, the few times she had to go, because she never freaked out or got upset being in a place like that.  They were always delighted at how she would just sit calmly on the exam table and "chat" with the doctor when he talked to her.  She was better at taking shots than me even!

Even with me, she would always "ask" to get on the couch with me.  She would wait patiently on the floor until I noticed her and asked her to come sit with me.  Or she might poke me gently with her paw to get my attention.

We buried her behind the house, under the dogwoods and ferns.  It's a cool, peaceful place and in the spring I'll plant some catnip beside her grave.  She loved her some catnip.

So, good-bye sweet friend.  I miss you terribly but I am glad you can rest now.

Holiday

Yes!!! it's over!!  My holiday rush is over!!  We made the last delivery on Friday and then took the rest of the day to relax and piddle around town some and on Saturday I didn't do much of anything but look for a Christmas tree.  I suppose you could find a lot of things to complain about in my state, and many people do, but I have to say that in this area the Buy Local/ Buy Small Business movement is well supported and I am very grateful for that.

I was telling my Mom that about every time I made a delivery, which was 3 times this past week, almost all that I had previously delivered would already be sold.  That's a great feeling even though it has worn me out!
Now I have time to relax a little though and enjoy the holidays.  I know a lot of people would be saying, "but Christmas is almost here and will be over soon; you missed it!"  Well, ya'll know I don't adhere to convention so the holidays are just starting to me.  I have until January 5th (or 6th) to celebrate!!  The way it's supposed to be!

I'll be doing another Mug Giveaway this year too!  I'm doing one on Facebook too but this will be separate.  However, I would ask that you only participate in one or the other if we are FB friends.  But of course, ya'll would understand that already.

So yesterday, Chigger, Callie and I headed up into the woods in search of the perfect tree.  It has been raining here quite a lot lately but cleared up and gave us a window of opportunity.  We really enjoyed just hiking in the woods and taking our time.  I found 4 trees that were newly blown over from a storm.  It must have been quite a storm because these were fairly large hardwoods and they have just been snapped over.  They would make excellent firewood but getting to them would be an ordeal.
So, I finally made a tree selection and whacked it down.  It was really good exercise getting that thing back to the house even though it was mostly downhill from where I cut it.  They always look smaller outside and then you get them in the house and it's like the Griswold family tree!  Oh well, I have the room for it so what the heck!  Here you can see Chigger and Callie standing guard over the tree against the chickens.  No pooping on the tree!!

Grendal says the hell with all that work, I'm going to take a nap!  She got her new bed a little early for Christmas because she's not been feeling well.  I had to take time last week also to take her to the vet when I noticed she was having a lot of labored breathing.  Turns out Ms. Grendy Cat has asthma.  Really bad asthma.  She got a couple of shots and the vet was real nice and explained her treatment options.  The shots seem to have helped but due to possible bad side effects we don't want her to have to take them a lot if it can be helped.  I'm going to try a homeopathic treatment I found and if that doesn't work she may have to use an inhaler (yes, they actually make such a thing) as they say the inhalers don't have as many side effects.

So, I hope to be back soon with more Christmas and other posts!  I hope all of ya'll are having a nice weekend and maybe even off work for a few days.

Oh yeah, to Hayley:  thanks for the tip on your aunt's store.  I will certainly check it out.  I had been wanting to find a place in Gadsden and have been up there a few times over the past year or so but hadn't come up with anything.  They've really fixed downtown up nice and I figured there had to be some galleries or something there that would be a possible market.

Animal House

Well, I've got a ton of pictures for ya'll today since I have not shown any kind of update or progress on the chickens or garden in some time.  The original batch of hens are doing fine.  Scooter finally broke out of her broody mood and is back in the swing of things.  Sheila is either getting tired of motherhood or got booted out by Prissy because she has been running with the old hens more and leaving Prissy alone with the 6 mutt chicks.  That seems to suit Prissy fine.  Here they are enjoying a half of cantaloupe from the garden.  I ate most of it first and then gave them the rest.  Ramona, the red with the black tail in front, just about jumped up and snatched it away from me.  These chickens are spoiled rotten.  They think any time you come out of the house that you should have some treat for them.

Here is one of my little sweetie pie Speckled Sussex.  They are just the sweetest little things.  They climb all over me when I go see them.  Of course, they think you have treats for them too, but they love to be petted.
I've learned to be careful though because they'll snatch my earrings out given the chance!

Here's a good many of the others.  It is extremely hard to get a good picture of these birds because they are always moving so fast most of them end up blurred.  The reddish ones are the New Hampshires (like Ramona).  The gawky, bloomer-legged one on the far right and the one directly in front are the Partridge Rocks and the one on the right with the long black tail pointed down is one of the Brown Leghorns.  Those things remind me of Allen's pheasants. 

The little mutt chicks are not so little anymore and are all doing fine.  I guess Ms. Prissy and Sheila are pretty good mamas after all.  They've all survived so far and are very active.  I think I have 4 hens and 2 roos with these but I'm not totally sure.

The garden is on it's second wind apparently.  We have had very good harvests of everything this year.  I thought after the black-eyed peas made their crop they would die back but they just rested for a while and are flushing with blooms all over again!  The green beans are all still going strong.  I grew Jade this year, instead of the Blue Lake bush that I normally grow and I will probably stick with these Jade beans.  The package said they were prolific and they were not kidding!

These are my canning tomatoes.  They are finally getting cranked up.  I was a little late getting these in so it's my fault not theirs.  I went through the garden this morning and pruned, weeded and just generally tidied up the whole place.  My cukes have bit the dust and my other tomatoes were looking pretty rough so I pulled all that and a few beans and peas to make it easier to get around between plants.  I also pruned back these tomatoes where they were starting to run across the ground.  They just get too leggy and don't put much effort into fruit if I let them go so they got a good trim.  This should put more energy back into producing fruit and a sturdier base plant.  I have pruned my tomatoes the past couple of years and they will flush back out again to produce more.

The strawberry plants have really grown and become robust so hopefully I will have a good harvest next year.  These plants seem much better suited for this climate than the ones I had before.  On the right of the path is my pepper patch.  They have gotten so big they have fallen over even with staking.  I need to fix that!
The tomatoes you see on the ground are from the plants I pulled.  We picked through those and keep some and will give the rest to the chickens.  The raspberries are starting their second crop this year too!  I believe it will be better than the first one at the beginning of summer.

I have been tidying up along the creek next to the driveway.  It looks SO much better now.  It is very nice to sit down here and listen to the creek.  I have planted a few things and hope to have some real nice areas with the native ferns and things grouped in places.

Chigger loves it when we work down by the creek because it gives her an excuse to play in the water!  She has gotten better about getting in the deep areas.  For a long time she would not wade deep enough to get even her belly wet but now she flops in all the deep spots.

Now here's a frugal idea for ya'll.  Chigger loves to "camp out" on the deck in pretty weather but we did not have a bed for her there.  Well, she commandeered my drop cloth, from when I've been painting on the house, so we decided to find her something.  I found this thickly quilted pillow sham for $1, so bought it as a bed for her.  It's just the right size for her and with the slit in the back (for the pillow) it was easy for me to stuff an old folded sheet inside for a little more padding.  Works great and she seems to like it!

And this is just a gratuitous picture of Grendal.  We have had absolutely fabulous weather today and she enjoyed napping on the deck for some time.  It has turned so mild here that I just couldn't stay inside much either.  In fact, I'm going to go out and watch the meteors in a minute and it is so cool here I may have to wear a jacket!  In August!! 

Rite Of Spring

Well, I guess I'm getting back into the swing of working at home. Doesn't take me long! I am horribly behind on many things though, due to being out of town so much these past 6 months. Last weekend I did manage to plant early spring crops. I planted yellow onions (Texas Sweet I think), purple onions (not sure what type), broccoli (Packman), cabbage (Flat Dutch and Savoy), cauliflower and brussel sprouts. Oh, I also received my new strawberry starts that are supposed to be for the south. I ordered Chandler and Eversweet. I put these in the raised bed and transferred my old strawberries to the beds that contain the blueberries and raspberries. I know there is somewhat of a difference in soil requirements there but I had so many old plants I thought, what the heck! I still have a ton so I'll probably end up offering them to a friend or so.


Grendal's had the spring fever too! So much so that she put aside her fear of Chigger and came out to the garden with me. She really enjoyed the sun. Here she is inspecting my planting technique. I did something a little different this year. I dug a trench to which I added composted chicken poo at the bottom. I then planted my starts in the row. Maybe it will work well.


Jack finished the asparagus bed just in time and I planted Jersey Knight. My order was not quite enough to fill up the bed though so I need to place another order! I can see little tiny asparagus spears inching their way up now. It's going to be SO hard not to cut nay of it this year. To the left of this bed we planted 2 bush type cherries. I might order a standard size cherry tree too; I don't know. We have lots of wild cherry trees here and they are very pretty but don't produce a fruit large enough to do anything with. The birds like them though.


The things in the cold frame are doing really well. Except that, this mole has decided he has quite a taste for spinach (Popeye the mole?) and is doing his best to eat all mine. Most of the time they never bother my crops but this one is a little crap. I need to dump something really stinky down his tunnel. That usually works well. The Swiss chard is going bonkers. We need to eat more of it.



Everything is blooming here. It's like life just popped out overnight. It just seems like this is the fastest I have ever seen things grow. I'm behind on starting my tomatoes and peppers and such but I'll try to get to that tomorrow or such. I'm still wary of planting too much now like that. With Alabama weather it could snow next week! Generally, Good Friday is our traditional date for setting out the hot weather crops so I'll wait until then, or so.

Well, all day yesterday was spent in Birmingham taking care of various business but I had all day today to start my pottery again. It looks promising. Seems there are just not enough hours in the day for all I need to do though. I've been enjoying sleeping in a little since being home but that may have to change! I need to be up at first light.
I am also going to try to reinstate my recipe a week posting. I never have shown ya'll my new stove and such, have I? It's so great to have a full size oven and eyes to cook with. Now to just finish the rest of the kitchen around it!

Good Clean Fun

Grendal says 'Happy 4th Day of Christmas' everybody! Today is traditionally known as the Feast Of Fools and what they mean is just that it is a day for silliness. Have fun and let go a little. A lot of people will have a party tonight and play games etc. I am actually going to spend the night alone but maybe Grendal and I can think up something, or watch a funny movie at least. She is already running through the house acting a fool! She may be getting a little too carried away as she just attacked the tree!

Okay, here is the recipe for the cinnamon rolls I showed ya'll the other day. I am going to publish the original version but like I did, I think you could substitute a variety of fruits or nuts. I think dried apricots, blueberries or such would work well.

Cinnamon-Date-Pecan Rolls with Maple Glaze

Dough:
1 tsp. sugar
1 package dry yeast
3/4 cup warm water
1/3 cup sugar
3 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/2 tsp. salt
1 large egg
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Filling:
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. grated orange rind
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
3/4 cup chopped pitted dates
1/4 cup chopped pecans

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. maple syrup (I just used pancake syrup)
1 Tbsp. milk (I used 2%)

Dissolve yeast and 1 tsp. sugar in 3/4 cup warm water; let stand 5 minutes. Combine 1/3 cup sugar, butter, salt and egg in a large bowl. Add yeast mixture and beat with a mixer at medium speed until blended.

Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup and level with knife. Gradually add flour to yeast mixture, beating mixture on low until a soft dough forms. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (about 5 minutes). Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm area (85 degrees), free from drafts for 1 hour or until dough is about double. Punch dough down and turnout onto a lightly floured surface.

To prepare filling, combine brown sugar, cinnamon, and orange rind in a small bowl. Roll dough into a 10x15 inch rectangle; brush with melted butter. Sprinkle brown sugar mixture over dough leaving a 1/2 inch border. Sprinkle date and pecan mixture over sugar. Beginning on the long side, roll up jelly-roll fashion and pinch seam to seal. Cut roll into 18 1/2" slices. Place slices in a 13x9 inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until rolls have doubled in size. *I did not have a rectangular pan so I just baked mine in one of my pie plates; worked fine.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Uncover rolls and bake at this temperature for 20 minutes or until rolls are golden brown.

To prepare glaze, combine powdered sugar, syrup and milk in a small bowl and stir with a whisk until smooth. Drizzle glaze over warm rolls. Serve immediately.

Hope ya'll enjoy these if you make them. I certainly did!


*The Allman Brothers

Spooky

I guess you can tell by the look on Grendal's face that she was not really happy about posing for this Halloween photo. I'm not sure why...she normally gets a kick out of pictures but maybe she was mad because I didn't get her a good costume! lol! I had to bribe her with kitty treats to get just a few photos.

Anyhoo, I hope you all have a nice All Hallow's Eve, however you choose to observe it, if at all. If nothing else it's a good time to enjoy this harvest time with warm, comforting food and friends.


*there have been several versions of this song.

Moment Of Clarity

This weekend turned out be be a very relaxing and introspective one. It didn't start particularly well, as I was feeling kinda crappy Friday evening but I woke up Saturday with a better attitude.

Me and Grendal just contemplated the intricacies of life and the ever-changing flow of human relationships. Well, I think Grendal was mostly contemplating which bugs to eat but anyway...you get the idea. In between such philosophical endeavors I did a little gardening, fired a bunch of mugs for the show I've been invited to and did a little house cleaning.

This is a view from standing next to the house, which would be on the right. Of course, that is the parking area on the left and further down on that side, my pathetic garden. I have finally come up with a great master plan for the layout and formal construction of the garden though so maybe I'll post about that soon. Further down the drive you can see where it bears off to the right. That goes back down the valley to provide access to the power lines and areas where I hope to build a tractor shed and such.

This is a close up of the flower bed you see on the right, just past the Bobcat. Things are beginning to bloom; it's looking really pretty. I have almost filled this bed up. I have bought a few plants but am trying to use a lot of native stuff and just transplant it over here. All of the natives just go bonkers when you give them a real bed with good soil to grow in and the deer are less likely to eat them.

The sage is blooming as is the catmint. I am also trying to cultivate a fair number of medicinal and/or culinary plants. I found out this winter that sage makes a really good cough suppressant tea. Doesn't taste real good but it's ok. Most of the weekend was cloudy and slightly windy but it wasn't gloomy, even with the lack of sunshine. In fact, it was quite peaceful and calming. The rain has set in now and I am listening to it on the metal roof. It will lull me to sleep tonight as I also have the windows open and a wonderful cool breeze is wafting through the house. I just put fresh, bamboo/cotton sheets on the bed and will soon be snuggled down and hopefully resting well. Only one thing lacking but I'll let you decide what that is....heehee, you all know what I'm thinking.


*Jay-Z

Lost My Driving Wheel

I'm in a Cowboy Junkies kinda mood these past few days. This damp, frigid weather isn't helping much. I know part of what is bringing me down but I won't go into that lest I embarrass the men. At least it gives me some hope that a few days will bring some relief. So, be patient with me. I have several things I want to write about and even tried to start a post on one subject tonight but the words just were not coming right.
I've been enjoying myself at work lately but a very intense loneliness has settled on me. Worse than usual. Maybe it's just because this winter seems to grasping at everything in an effort to hold on just a little longer. I feel like taking a piece of rebar and whaling the crap out it's icy fingers until it looses it's grip on the trees and foliage. I need warmth; from the sun, the handle of a sledgehammer, a tall man's embrace. Guess I'll have to settle for my flannel sheets and Grendal laying next to me. At least I have her for company.

I do have one good note I wanted share. I won't leave you completely despondent. I didn't want to say anything until it was very certain, so as not to jinx myself, but I think it's safe now. Thanks to a couple of good friends and readers, a newspaper in a neighboring city (the city I grew up in actually) is going to do a special feature article on my house for their Home and Garden issue next month. Since sustainable building is becoming more popular, they thought my house would be a good story. It will not be out until the end of March but I'll be sure to put up a link, if available, or some photos or something. I hope to make substantial progress on the exterior of the house before they come to take photos but I'm not sure how that is going to go. Ah well, they know it's not finished. So, we'll see.

*Cowboy Junkies

I'm Sick Ya'll

Yes, that really is a song title and by the legendary Otis Redding, no less. So, anyway, I'm sick! I feel like crap. I guess that's what I get for bragging about how well I was doing back at the first of the week. I thought I was about over the problem I was having during the week and then this afternoon this crud started coming on. My throat is swelling and I feel like someone beat the hell out of me.
Before I started feeling truly crappy I did manage to go for a little walk around the place to check on things. We had some strong storms last night so I walked down to the road. Sometimes there will be limbs down (or even a tree) on the drive but everything was okay.
Oh, I also walked down to check the spring and I did see another deer scrape on a tree about 50 yards from that one I showed ya'll. This big rock is near the spring and I just love all the moss and little ferns that grow on it.
Here you can see where I have been adding to the edge of the driveway. I need to add a lot more fill on that left side there. Anytime I have a big truck come in they squeal and moan about that turn being so sharp. Sissies. They never come close to the edge though. But I'm going to fix it. It does need to be wider. I have cut the right side about 2 feet more into the hill but those large rocks keep me from doing much more there.
This is a great big ol' sycamore tree down at the road. Very pretty tree. I love it's white bark.
I believe these are beech trees. They will hold their leaves all winter and stay that copper-like color. It's almost like the new leaves of spring force these old leaves off the tree as they bud out. I think I know how the trees feel. Grendal has leeched onto me and won't let go. She likes to sit in my lap a lot because I naturally put off a lot of heat and she always acts like she is cold. Now that I'm sick, I guess I'm running a fever and am hotter than ever (quit your snickering, you know what I mean), so she has attached herself to me like that moss on a rock.

Well, I have heard stronger rumblings of getting called back to work. I hate to lose all the time I have to work on the house but I need the money to buy the last few big ticket items for the house. I really only lack the flooring, the kitchen cabinets, interior doors and the finish plywood for that wall, as far as big money items. I would also like to buy a decent couch and a new bed. I don't think that's too greedy. I also really want to start adding to the solar aspect of the house with a hot water system and maybe some panels but I've just got to finish the structure first.
In a way, I'm aggravated that I haven't gotten more done on the house since I've been laid off but then, in some ways, I do think I've made fairly decent progress. Ya'll know I'm not going to be satisfied with my own work until it's finished. But then again, they haven't actually called yet so I may still have some more time.

King For A Day

The Grendal of Christmas Present hopes you all have had a wonderful holiday season and will join in the Twelfth Night festivities. The date of Epiphany can vary, if you are going by certain liturgical calenders, but I am just counting straight from Christmas Day for my celebrations. Anyway, today or tomorrow is the date to have all holiday decorations removed from the house and general cleaning done.
Twelfth Night is a time of parties and celebration and many people wait until this night to give gifts, as this is the date generally associated with the Magi visiting the Christ child and presenting the gifts to Him. A 'King's cake' is often baked and decorated lavishly and a coin or bean is slipped into the cake at some point. Some divide the cake into as many pieces as they have guests and some bake it in. Anyway, whoever gets the token is proclaimed King for the day and gets to bless the house.
For the blessing you should have incense or sprigs of dried sage and juniper to burn and a small container of spring water, none of that chlorinated crap. You go to each room of the house with the items, sprinkling the water and saying a simple blessing, such as "Bless all who dwell within this house".
Since Grendal is pretty much Queen of Everyday around here, she extends her blessings to all of you and wishes you all a wonderful 2010. Though times are tough for many people right now, may these trials show us all what is really important in life and help us to hold them closer.


*Green Day

In The New Year

I did not mean to disappear like that but things got kinda busy here over the New Year holiday. An old friend called and wanted to visit, so I cooked the traditional veggies and he brought the pork chops, which we grilled. He insisted on helping me around the house and although I hate to say, 'yeah, come work for me!', I was grateful for the second pair of hands and friendly company. Especially since he knows how to get a contrary Bobcat cranked when the battery in it has gone bad. We discovered that the battery had cracked and most of the water ran out. Not good. So, we borrowed the battery out of Oliver and ran the Bobcat off that. Yeah Allen, if you are reading, I'm going to put it back just as soon as I can get Tommy to bring me a new battery!
I insulated the new duct work I ran from the wood stove to the living room. Let me tell you, that makes a huge difference, so if you haven't done yours you might want to look into that. Just saying. Anyway, Grendal discovered the hole in the floor that releases hot air and now it's a challenge to keep her big butt off the thing so the room gets warmed.
More work continued on the window. I know this looks like a mess and ...well, it is. If you build a window using came instead of copper foil, you have to grout the joints where the glass fits into the channels. This makes the window weather proof and more structurally sound. The grout is a thick, black, oily goo that you just have to scrub into the joints with your hands.
Then you sprinkle the window with whiting and scrub again with a stiff brush. This helps absorb the oil and cleans up the excess grout. It also polishes the lead and zinc came and makes the whole window look finished.
With the Bobcat running, we went over to a neighbors pasture where they had a very large hickory tree fall on their fence. They had told me if I could get the tree off I could have the wood. He sawed it up for me and together we rolled the chunks down the hill and into the bucket of the Bobcat. The tree was so large we could only get about 4 sections of the trunk into the bucket at one time but we could then lift them right up and roll them out into the bed of my truck. I was grateful that he also split a good bit of wood but I will have to get out there and split some more this week as they are predicting a very cold week ahead and even more snow!!

As far as the 12 Days of Christmas, there are not really any traditions or such for the past couple of days but I do have one for tomorrow and of course, Tuesday, which is Epiphany. Although, according to the way some people count it, Epiphany is not until the 6th. At any rate, we are going to say it's Tuesday.