Busy Morning

Mornings are fast. 

Walt Kowalski started his early winter shift, so we're out the door by 5:40am. He's done at 2:30pm now.  JEALOUS!

I *should* get up earlier, but the big bed is so hard to get out of.  I *should* go to sleep earlier, too, but this is the Cat Ranch, it never happens. 

The morning race goes like this:

Wake up
Bathroom
Feed Cats
Walt Kowalski wake up (he gets 5 extra minutes)
Fix hairs
Walt Kowalski shower
Remove cat from heat register
Find work clothes
Remove cat from work clothes
Get dressed
Slap on a little makeup
Put on left shoe
Remove cat from table
Fix lunches
Find right shoe
Get gym bags
Feed cats
Remove cat from chair
Put on right shoe
Wash hands again (about a dozen times so far this morning)
Fix snacks
Fill water bottles
Find coat
Find car keys
Find phone
Find house keys
Search for water bottle that was just here a moment ago
Find gloves
Make travel coffee for Walt Kowalski
Put on gloves
Take off gloves
Clean up hair ball
Put on gloves
Warm cars (if needed)
Turn off lights
Turn on lights
Find phone and keys that were left on table when looking for water bottle
Turn off lights
Lock door
Confirm phones and keys in pocket
Pick-up newspaper in drive way

That's the short version.  Sometimes, like today, there was a clean litter box in there because it was stinky.  Breakfast is when we get to work. 

Yesterday, everything was running smoothly.  We weren't even in a rush. Walt Kowalski said "I'll take your bags out to the car and get the paper.  You lock the house."

So I did. 

Hug, hug, kiss, kiss and away we went to work.

Except.

When I got to work, I thought "what is this extra lump in my coat pocket?"

ARGH!  I have the house keys!  More specifically, I have Walt Kowalski's house keys AND my house keys.

Oh I dreaded sending that text message. 

We have talked about hiding a key outside, but it's one of those things that we'll get around to one of these days.  But it never happened.

Rats.

So I manned up, or rather womanned up and told the boss.  I said I would work through my normal lunch and then go home a little early and log on and finish my last hour of work at home. He was ok with that.  Walt Kowalski had a good laugh, too.

Weekend Project #1:  Get hide-a-key hidden. 

Christmas Memories

On the way home yesterday, I heard a song on the radio I haven't heard in years.  It was " 'Twas the Night Before Christmas" sung (spoken) by Perry Como. 

The moment that song started, I knew it instantly and a flood of memories came back. Now, I can't find my keys, phone, wallet, shoes, cat, on a regular basis, but when I heard this song I was instantly transported back to 1981.

My grandmother would always play the record on her Hi-Fi and her Hi-Fi stereo was more than just a radio, it was a piece of furniture.

I remember the front slide open to reveal the record player and dials inside.  The speakers where hidden by fabric on each side. You can see it in the background to the right here:

(Gee, the living room looks much larger now.)

She had a record player that could be "stacked" with records.  Once one record finished, the needle would raise, the arm would move, and another record would fall and start playing.  As a kid, it was the coolest to watch when the record would change.  "Don't touch!" You didn't want the needle to scratch the record.

I loved Christmas and Christmas music then and I still love it today. Gran had a big collection of records with lots of Christmas albums.  I'm certain she was tired of hearing this song, because I asked for her to play it all the time. What's not to like about the smooth voice of Perry Como?

I can remember standing at the top of the stairs, looking out the small windows in the front door, at the Christmas lights adorning the neighbor's house on the street below.

Gran and Pap would also put candles in the windows.  Not the single flicker candles or icicle lights like we have today, but an electric, 5 blub candle with a switch on the cord.

Getting all the same color bulbs was always the tough part because any bulbs you had from last year were always just a slightly different color from this year's. Nobody wanted a missing or burnt out blub.  And you'd better be careful when you turned off the switch or pulled the curtain, because one slip and the entire base would fall and then you'd be replacing all of the bulbs.  Oh and don't let the bulb touch the sheer curtains either!

I still remember all the words and sang (spoke) along with Perry in the car on the way home. Even now, when I read the words, I hear Perry's voice.

A Visit from St. Nicholas

by Clement Clark Moore

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house 

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse; 

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, 

In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there; 

  The children were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;

And mamma in her ’kerchief, and I in my cap,

Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap,

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,

I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,

Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow

Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,

But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,

I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.

More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,

And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;

“Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!

On, Comet! on, Cupid! on, Donder and Blitzen!

To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall! 

Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!”

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,

When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky;

So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,

With the sleigh full of Toys, and St. Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof

The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.

As I drew in my head, and was turning around,

Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,

And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot; 

A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,

And he looked like a pedler just opening his pack. 

His eyes—how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!

His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!

His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow

And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,

And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;

He had a broad face and a little round belly,

That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly. 

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,

And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself; 

A wink of his eye and a twist of his head, 

Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,

And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,

And laying his finger aside of his nose, 

And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,

And away they all flew like the down of a thistle,

But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,

“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night.”

Dam

I have lived here forever and I have never seen the dam. I even had a friend that lived close to the dam, but never saw the dam. Walt Kowalski and I were out on an adventure this weekend and made a right onto what we thought was called Alien Road.  It was actually Auen Road, but we made a lot of alien jokes.

Before we knew it, we were just a mile away from the dam.  We've come this far, let's go see the dam.

Dam. Hee hee.

The dam was authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1936 and completed in 1952. It is one of 16 flood control structures in the area.

If this dam wasn't here, the point downtown would be under at least 4 feet of water. 

Holy cow! That's a dam.  I have seen smaller dams, Kingston, and larger dams, Hoover, but this was still impressive. 

It was a miserable cold and rainy day, but the dam was still cool.

I want to go back in the rainy season to see how high the water is and see more water shooting out.

Dam.  Hee hee. 

Groceries

It was a beautiful day yesterday. Cool, but as long as you were in the sun it was warm.

I had a few errands to run at lunch.  I (and Walt Kowalski) am one of those people that doesn't have to have a front row parking space.  I don’t mind walking a few extra steps to the store AND if I'm driving Big Red, I really don't mind parking away from everybody to give myself more room to maneuver. 

The dollar store was one my list, so I parked at the back of the parking lot.  But as I was on my way, I thought about the grocery store in the same plaza.  They have gift cards on sale. Ok, slight detour to the grocery. It's not a far walk.  The weather is good. I'll leave my car parked here.

Gift cards are easy to carry.  But as I picked up my gift cards, I saw a few other things on sale.  Oh, I'll grab those.  Also easy to carry. Yams.  I need some more yams.  A jar of apricot preserves.  I need that, too. OK, now I need a buggy.  Well, now that I have a buggy, I can get a few other large items I need.  They are on sale.

And I have a $10 coupon, so I better get enough to use the coupon.

25 minutes later, I have a buggy full and I exit the store.  Only to remember I am parked WAY over there. 

Crap.  OK, through the parking lot I go with my buggy full of groceries. 

Now, it didn't seem like a long walk when I was just carrying my wallet.  But when you're pushing a cart full of groceries, suddenly it's not a short trip. 

You can't even see my car in this photo!

Push the buggy through the parking lot, past the truck full of construction workers having lunch.

Unload the groceries.

I'm so far away, there are no cart corrals and I won't leave a buggy unattended.

Push the buggy back through the parking lot, past the truck full of construction workers having lunch.

Walk back to my car, past the truck full of construction workers having lunch. They watched me every time.  I'm certain they had a good laugh at the crazy lady pushing the buggy.

Finally, finished. Back to work.

 

And I forgot to go to the Dollar Store. 

Timber!

The extended warm weather has allowed us additional time for tree cutting, log splitting, and forest clean up.  Log splitting and forest clean up can continue even after the weather turns cold and rainy and snowy, but tree cutting becomes dangerous. 

These trees aren't pretty.  They are crooked and twisted.  Some are dead.  Others have diseases and are dying.  We aren't just cutting trees to cut trees. 

We have a few piles of wood.  There is the pile for this year, the pile for next year..

The pile by the garage.  The pile for the neighbors. 
 

 
Then what happens, we get a call from Chainsaw Johnny's aunt.  She is having a tree cut in her yard (we're not cutting it, she's hired a company.) and do we want the wood?

Of course!  It's maple, it's precut for us, it will make nice warm fires, and it was FREE. But that also means another pile of wood.

 
It was a big pile of wood. These are only the branches of the tree!

 
There's still many branches to go and the trunk of the tree is 4 feet across! It was a beautiful tree at one time, but has grown too large.  She had concerns about it falling on her house and it was providing so much shade to her house, that she was having moisture, dampness, and moss issues IN her house. 

We filled our Big Red truck and Chain Saw Johnny's truck and there is still two more truckloads of logs just from the first cutting!  We're going to be overloaded with wood.  If there is a cold disaster, we'll be ready.  

What comes after hauling...splitting.

 
Walt Kowalski said "We're wood groupies.  We'll go where the wood is." I said I think we're more like wood junkies.  We need another wood fix.

Come on over for a fire.  It's great!

Croak Croak

It's the season of cleanout up outside.

We got the swing moved and wrapped, dragged the patio furniture up the hill to the shed, emptied the flower pots, pulled the peppers, dig up the dahlias.  Rake leaves. Rake leaves. Rake leaves. Just normal fall activities. 

I still need to bring in the solar lights.

The hostas got frosted, or rather frozen, and they are done. I have been in the process of cutting of the top leaves. 

 
It's a simple process.  The hand trimmers don't cut very well now that the leaves have withered, so  sharp knife is a better instrument. Grab a handful, pull to the side, cut, cut, cut, throw in wheelbarrow.

I love hostas, so there was plenty to cut.  The leaves mixed in and will be raked out later. Except as I grabbed a handful of leaves, I think a leaf moved. 

 
No, wait, that leaf didn't move, it hopped.

Well hello there Toady. You were hiding in the leaves.  (He's in all three photos!)

I don't know who was more startled.  He was a big guy, and hopped away into a new hiding place in the rocks.

Feeling of Forebording

While out walking for my lunch today, I kept looking over my shoulder.

The clouds were moving faster than I was walking. WALK FASTER! I had an umbrella with me, but the wind started and it would have been useless.

Luckily, these dark clouds passed with only a few sprinkles.  Let's hope it stays that way for football playoffs tonight.


UPDATE:  I made it inside before the rain came and ended before football started.