Digging Out

Monday night we went to sleep listening to the wind howling.  Tuesday was quiet in the morning with a light, snow globe, snow coming down.  By late afternoon the snow was falling sideways and we couldn't see past the 2 or 3 foot area around the house.

We had no where to go.  Didn't need anything.  And Riley was refusing to eat or drink-- because he was also refusing to "need" to go out.  Around 5pm he decided he was hungry and ate his breakfast, then his dinner and jumped like a rabbit through the drifts and peed for what seemed like 5 minutes.
G thinks he may have done his other business on his second trip out.  Slept like a log after that. It's business as usual for Riley today.  And G used the snowblower to carve paths through the half acre yard so Riley can get around easily.  We should have known he would continue to snow surf and knock snow piles into the paths.

Another storm is coming on Friday.  Yippee!

I am working my way through bags of magazine tear-outs.  Things I ripped out of magazines before tucking them into the re-cycle box.  It's been years and about 75% of the pages are going into the recycle now.  I did find the foot image relating to reflexology.  It keeps me busy.

G and are are making some progress eating the "storm food" I had made before the storm hit.  Today I veered off course and had a bowl of Greek yogurt, a third cup of Bran Buds and some juicy red grapefruit segments.  Delicious.  The grapefruit segments always remind me of my old friend K (who cut me loose in the friendship department 4 or 5 years ago).  She liked grapefruit segments when we had a big Sunday breakfast.  I wish I could make her a big bowlful of segments.  I didn't know how to do it (cut segments) when we were friends.  And now--well, I wish I could.  For her.

I am reading Faithful Place by Tana French.  I am only reading it because I couldn't find anything else at the library.  Which reminds me to see what I have written down in my "library book" book and order some books.  I finished The Son by Jo Nesbo and gave it a B minus.

The third season of the Americans on FX starts tonight.  G and I are wondering if we should watch the episodes each week or save them up and binge watch them when the season ends.  Binge watching becomes a very strong habit--real fast.  How about you?

We're Okay

It's snowing sideways outside.  Bitter cold wind.  The snow is so dry it crunches under your feet and hurts your skin.  White out conditions when the gusts.

We still have lights, heat and books to read.

Riley is having the most trouble.  He waited until 15 minutes ago to go out for his morning pee. The pee lasted a good long time and then he plowed his way back to the porch (at least 24 inches deep in the yard) and wanted to go back in.  He's refusing to eat as well--no breakfast and no lunch.  He will eat if I hand him food.  Hope it's all due to weather and not something else.  He most likely doesn't want to have to go out to poop either (dogs are smart that way).  The birds were eating at the feeders this morning but I hope they found a spot out of the wind to rest up.

G has done the front and back porches so we can exit the house if we need to.  Snowplowing would be useless with the wind blowing so hard.  The street aren't being plowed.  Everything is closed. Businesses etc.  As I said, the snow is light powder.  The ski areas call it champagne powder. Good for skiing terrible for plowing or shoveling.

I think in the "old days" they ran a rope from the house to the barn so the farmers didn't get lost in the blizzard on the way to and back from the barn to tend the animals.  I can see how that would happen going out to the barn and even to the outhouse.  Getting lost and wandering until you froze to death.

We'll stay inside.

Almost February, Already!!!

When I procrastinate I am usually imagining an alternate life that I could have been living if I had made better choices.  Which is why I always think about having a "do-over" life.

Would I actually do better the second time around or would I make the same choices, again?

I do think we procrastinate over things we just didn't want to to at all.  I don't like doing the taxes, but when they are completed, I feel rather proud of myself.  Why, then, do I put off doing them to the last possible moments?????  Each year I say I will do them earlier.  Right here on this blog.  And in my daily journal.  Do I?  No.  Will this year be different?  One can dream.

Right now I am procrastinating about going out to look at bathroom vanities.  I should be thrilled.  But I am feeling more dread and pressure.  Yes.  That's the feeling I get when there is a deadline.
The "why do I have to do this" feeling even when it's something I actually do want to do.

The carpenter is pulling into the driveway.  He has my tile samples.  For the bathrooms.  That need vanities.  Riley and G have gone out to greet him.  And after a longer than it should have been chat--we are on the same page for the vanities and I like the slate floor tiles.  Monday the plumber is coming to check under the house for pipes etc. for his estimate.

I did manage to hem the pants.  Now, I am assembling a basket of tools so I can mend two pair of pajamas that have holes in them.  I am always catching the sides of the pants on something.  Like the brown cords I tore at work on a nail.  Ripped from pocket to knee.  That repair has opened up a new rip from pocket to waistband.  I think the cord fabric in these Bean pants is just way too thin and cheap these days. No wonder a customer returned them.

I have a chicken cacciatore to make for dinner today.  One pot wonder.  It reminds me of the chicken paprika my mother made when I was a child.  I remember it being rather stewy with tomatoes and onions.  Lots of onions.  The leftover chicken was always in my lunch sandwich the next day.  There were a few things my mother got right.  That chicken dish was one of them and I loved, loved, loved those chicken sandwiches the next day.

Riley is pacing and wanting his walk.  The paths are rutted with footprints that we made through the snow crust into the wet slush a few days ago.  Now frozen.  Long gone are the smooth paths made by the cross country skiers.  Now it's an ankle twisting mess out there.

When I get back from the walk and the chicken is slow cooking in the oven, I am going to try making a mono print with some paint and a plastic bag right on a page in my journal (like Deborah).  And when it's dry I will embellish it with my new Christmas Sharpies.  I will also link to a new blog I found with journal cues to help me do some art work each day.  Tomorrow.

Walking The Dog

A long time ago I had G take this picture of me and Riley.  He was younger and didn't have a white muzzle. Gosh, he looks so black.  Like black velvet.  I don't know if I even own those jeans.  I still have the socks.

Life on the winter furlough is stuck in a rut already.  G gets up at 6am with Riley.  Then they go back to bed. I get up at 9:30 and Riley and I wait for G to get up around 10:30.  He eats breakfast and then we walk the dog.  Errands are done after the walk.  Lunch is eaten around 3 pm.  It's dark here in Maine at 5.  The news.  Book to read or television to watch.  That's it for the day. Occasionally I cook dinner or we go out instead of eating lunch.

I miss going to work.

Yesterday and today I scheduled a second one hour walk with a friend.  Well, two friends.  Just not both of them at the same time.  So, I am getting 2 hours of exercise each day and some conversation.

I also went up to the attic and got two more pairs of pants out of the size 16 box.  They need hemming so I intend to do that as soon as I hit publish on this post.  I was bored with the two pair I have been wearing for a few weeks now.  New colors are needed.  New socks as well.

All the laundry is done.  G vacuumed.  The dishes are washed.  I am reading another book--that's two this week so far.  None of the blogs I read have new posts.  It's like everyone has gone into hibernation.

I need another layer over my sweater--it's cold in here.  Once I sit on the couch I will be tempted to take a nap.  I'd rather not do that.

Sigh.

Must hem pants.