Too cold...

to snow.  Yes, it can be too cold to snow.  Too cold to go outside...for people.  Sadie manages to lounge out on the deck and get a good roll in the snow when ever she feels like it!  

This is the drop zone...the place where we stack up mail forAndy and Jen,  Doggie Daycare did the photo of Sadie for Christmas.

Saturday activities...Far Guy did some woodcarving.  I did some watercoloring on some stamped cards.  Far Guy managed most of supper we had chili and grilled cheese...he is a great prep cook and had everything ready for me to toast the sandwiches after I finished my nap.  He is now watching Hockey and I will join him soon. We pet Sadie...I may put her on the treadmill again tonight so she gets a walk!  Thursday night she refused my suggestion, Friday she was anxious to get going on the treadmill as I showed her a treat in my pocket.  She reminds us when it is 5 PM and we should feed her...same thing at 8PM when she gets a treat and a second supper.  She will be happy when her people get back from their travels.

Minnesota weather: High -3F or -19C Low was -30F or -34C eh! 

Stay warm!

Far Side

Yarn etc...

 Well I have another finish. The brown coodie is done!

Jen tried it on so I could see how it fit!  The original pattern was not quite what I wanted so I improvised.  I think it will keep someone warm!  Now that I know what I am doing I will re write the pattern for my own use.  In the original pattern the nose part was too short and left a gap at the neck...so I added to the pattern to make it work like I wanted it to!   Jen would like one in black...but I will do a very dark charcoal grey and maybe that one will work for her. 

I have a good start on the pink project for Cee Cee.  The pale green is a special project for someone special.  The big ball of variegated yarn is a two strand project that is in my brain and may come out on my hook one day soon.  In that colorful bag at the back is a shawl that is almost done...and yes I started another puzzle. 

My other baby brother send me a "how cold is it?" photo. 

He has a propane heater in his garage and the moisture from the exhaust froze in place. 

Far Side

Cold and Cards

I picked a project and completed it!! Yeah me! 

We always put cash in cute cards for Christmas, last year I made my own cards and envelopes from card stock...this year I just decorated the front of the blank cards that I purchased...and the envelopes came with the cards...sweet... I am all set for Christmas 2025!   I can cross this project off my list!  In fact I can cross it off the next years list also as I made two years worth of cards!!

I wrote some notecards to people that I had been thinking about...they are ready to mail. 

Twas a cold day...the real feel temperature was -30 F the whole day.  Only Sadie ventured outdoors. 

Jen taught us a new card game called "Trash" it is a new fun game!

Far Side

Don't forget your hat

 or mittens or scarf or extra heavy parka or below zero boots and maybe even a blankie! 

The deep freeze is here.  40 BELOW zero windchills...uffda...such is life in the frozen northland.  What happened to Global Warming?  Apparently it does not apply to Minnesota.  The only good thing about the cold weather is that it is making good ice so the fishermen can get out on the lakes without drowning. 

I heard there were sundogs and saw photos on Facebook...I was not going to venture out for a photo.

Far Guy and I attended at Virtual Craft Get Together sponsored by the VA.  They mailed us supplies.

They are Gnomes...you need the cardboard from a paper towel roll or tp roll, yarn, a pine cone and something for a nose.   The yarn is measured and then cut to length and wrapped around a small ring of cardboard from the paper towel holder, turned inside out and then you tie off the pom pom add a hanger, glue on a pine cone and a nose and VIOLA you have a cute gnome.  Perfect little project on a cold Winters day. 

Christmas card report: 10 more are done drying the total is now 117.  One more productive day and I should be done...but tomorrow is filled with many appointments and errands. 

We got the Christmas letter printed out..not without some drama...upside down a couple of times as the paper was all mixed up....must have been the Christmas Elf:)

Far Side

Chilly

 Yes it is chilly here.  We stayed inside all day yesterday.  I worked on the Grands photo albums and crocheted a bit...and had a nap.  I think the cold tires me out. 

Purple Coneflowers a few summers ago. 

Far Guy woodcarved...he has a flower project in progress.

Far Side

Grandma with a camera

 Yes, I am the grandma with the camera.  I know that I have more photos of the grandgirls than their mother has.   I know that I have different photos of the grandboys than their mother has...however I am sure the amount of photos she has exceed mine. 

I have my photos on flash drives and an index that tells me mostly what is where.  I sort through the year and copy the photos I want to my desktop and then transfer them to a folder on my desktop by year so I can order 4 X 6 prints from Walmart...they are 12 cents each.   2017 had 147 photos because it was a busy year in the Grands lives... 2018 had only 50 photos...a calmer year.  Soon I will be caught up with the flash drives.  Back at home I have some doubles of photos that will be put in the albums and I have to scan some that only have one copy.  

After I pick up the photos I write on the back the month, day and year. ( I use a Generals Scribe All  #1251 Black pencil)  Then I sort by child, then I sort those piles again by date in preparation for placing them in the albums. 

When the Grands are in the line up for a photo...I order five photos one for each of their albums.  Other than group photos each of their albums is all about them! 

  Far Guys Infusion went...four sticks from two different Nurses.  It was very cold and windy...now we will stay put and keep warm...very thankful that we only had to go across town. 

I have a number of projects to work on! 

Far Side

Quiet cold day

 It was a quiet cold day.  We did not get above zero all day. 

Not much was accomplished.  I worked on the Grands photos albums.  2011 is complete and I began pulling photos from 2012.  It is a good winter time project.  I crocheted for awhile and watched some old reruns of Project Runway.   Sadie had a calm day also...too cold to do much outside.

Far Side

Hiding

 Phoebe ( Grandson Adam's cat) is hidden from Sadie.

All snuggled up in a basket in the craft room.  The basket is on top of a desk so this hiding spot should be safe for a bit. 

Sadie can jump on the couch now...that used to be Phoebe's safe spot. 

Yesterday it was a cold day, we left for an appointment and there were sun dogs out...very bright sun dogs.  So without consulting a thermometer I knew it was cold.  After a few errands we stayed in hiding also. AND today it is supposed to be even colder the weatherman said -50 windchills...uffda....good thing we have no place to be and we can hide all day today too. 

Far Side

Really cold

 The wind chills were awful, in the -30 below zero.  I think the high yesterday was -8 F  that is no fun. 

Sadie doesn't seem to mind the cold weather, Little Elvis lifts up one paw and you know he is cold. 

It was a four stick day for Far Guy...another new nurse using him for target practice. 

  

Got a New Years greeting from Sherry and her gang:)  Yes we made it too! 

I worked on some cards while watching Sadie and then when reinforcements showed up I cleaned a bathroom...exciting day!

Far Side

Happy New Year!

 We begin again, the year begins with a clean slate and as long as we do the best we can with each day...that must be enough. 

Far Guy is ill, he has been seen by a Doctor and I will make sure he goes to the ER if he gets worse.  He does not have Covid and he does not have the Flu, the tests were all negative.  It began with a sore throat, headache and body aches and has progressed to a cough and shortness of breath.  Of course he says that it is just his normal holiday cold that he gets every year about this time.   More often than not we have ER visits this time of year.

One day at a time.  Happy New Year!  It is -40 something windchill so we are in the deep freeze.

Far Side

Cold

 It is cold here...start the car and wait a while cold.  Wear a scarf around your head cold and wish you had heated mittens when you go to get the mail.  I shoveled a bit in front of the garage.

Cold quiet day activities; laundry,  finishing the book I read for book club...I give it a 7 out of a 10... A Untamed Land  by Lauraine Snelling.  Of course I would have written it differently...the last parts of the book were very sad and depressing.  Guess she had a story line to finish up.  Next week is book club so I have finished in time to discuss it. 

The afternoon movie was so bad I fell asleep.  I was about to rise from my slumber to put supper in the oven...when Far Guy said "I can do it sweetheart!"  So I hunkered down to finish my nap....waking up for the news and to check on supper...Pork Chops and rice. 

I started a new to me crochet project...not sure it will turn out the way I want it to or not....time will tell.

Far Side

Monday Report

Well Far Guy and I had to play Doctor as no one returned the lab results to us as they were supposed to.  So what do you do…omit a dose of rat poison… or guess??  Well we guessed that the dose would be the same as the past two days. ( I wonder if the lab will ever call?)  Good Golly I waited all afternoon to get the results…but I did get the kitchen disinfected again and the downstairs bathroom cleaned.  Far Guy had a nap and so did Chance.

Our weather was really cold –22F or –30C eh! Monday morning.  I tried to stave off the brisk mailbox walk as long as I could until the Border Collie could not stand it anymore and barked at me…he never barks. Far Guy got lots of get well cards in the mail!  I fed the little Redpolls more Niger Thistle seed they are really hungry.

I did some laundry and then fixed Adobo chicken, baked potato and corn for supper.  I fell asleep during the Evening News…so I have no idea what is happening out there, nor do I care very much.

Chance not cooperating for a photo.

Deep Freeze

It warmed up briefly over the weekend and then it snowed, turned cold and we were thrust back into the deep freeze.  Cold temperatures along with a wind had the wind chills hovering from –30 to –50 below zero.

I took advantage of the warmer weather and took some photos outside…I had been inside the house way too long.  Cabin Fever will get to you sooner or later and a walk in the yard was the best medicine for that!

The glass flowers are holding up quite nicely.

The old Border Collie didn’t want to pose for a photo.

He was ignoring me.  I told him that the snow shows up so nicely on his black coat…but he still ignored me.  I should have had a treat in my pocket!

We got two+ inches of snow before going into the deep freeze again.  We should emerge from the deep freeze on Wednesday and it looks to be a warmer weekend!!  Something to look forward to!

We ran errands yesterday in the brutal cold, no fun at the gas station…or anyplace else.  We are stocked up again for another week.  Chance enjoyed his ride to town…he got REAL bossy as we were getting ready to leave and started whining and then barked at us…he was ready to go!

Cold

Still cold.  It might warm up a bit on Sunday afternoon.

Chance is real bored, he wants to go for his ride…I cannot blame him.  He hasn’t been for a ride since Wednesday. 

I put away downstairs Christmas except for the Nativity set…I wasn’t ready to put that away yet.  The Christmas totes were gone through…we have a few Christmas decorations that belonged to Far Guy’s Mom…they found their way into a pretty box with a note explaining them.  So I explored the Christmas Totes….vacuumed their area and put them back. Dusted too if that counts.   A bunch of odd ball stuff was piled up to mark for a rummage sale.

The Shiny Brite tree is still up, I am not ready to put that away yet either.

Far Guy worked on his latest flower carving and it is awesome.  I will photograph it soon…before and after painting.

Chance slept…chased his treat ball around, pestered someone to play ball (I did) and he tried to lead us to his treat drawer many times…his restricted diet must be boring for him.    When I was cooking supper he was a pain…underfoot and insistant that he was hungry “NOW.”

I hope to make some more of these funky bead creations over the winter.  This one still looks good but it has faded a bit.  I bought some heavier copper wire which might work better.

Hope you all are staying warm. It was turdy below zero here.

Change

I hate the time change.  I am a tad more cranky than normal…not sure why, we are on no schedule other than Chance wanting someone to be up and preparing supper and his dish of food at 5:30 to be consumed at 6PM.  He is kind of bossy that way, he now thinks it’s great that we are on the ball and eating supper early!! Soon enough his tummy will be on the new schedule.

I am trying some new recipes this week.  Three of them…a BBQ chicken recipe, cause I was hungry for BBQ.  A root vegetable latke recipe that I will prepare with a couple of pork chops and then a cheesy sausage frittata with red peppers ( cause green ones give me indigestion). 

I subscribe to many “foodie” type magazines and rarely find a main dish recipe that we may like… either they take too many ingredients some of which we have never heard of or it has some ingredient we don’t like…like ricotta cheese. Some recipes have to be adapted a bit.

It is cold here and damp, we still have snow on the ground…it was about 15 F or –5C eh here yesterday morning.  That little nip in the air produced a grocery list as long as my arm.   The roads are icy…especially here in the woods (It rained and then snowed and then rained and then snowed.)  Far Guy is back to walking round and round in the house. We are hoping for a thaw…or for weather at least above freezing to wash the windows one last time.

 

Flowers from last summer.  This huge basket of flowers hung on the pole along the street in front of the house where Far Guy was born and raised.

Patience and Patients

We had a mid morning appointment far away. It was –12 F Friday morning.  So we were up early.  I am so NOT a morning person.

There is no snow over there…oh maybe a few piles here and there but not much snow for this time of year.

Construction is already going to start over there.  Good thing we had our appointment before they started.

We have seen this before…it is called job security.  Put in a street with a median then in a couple of years remove it. 

Well anyways we were there a half an hour early.  The Doctor was running an hour late which turned into an hour and a half.  So we were there over two and a half hours.  We decided not to have lab work done there because that usually takes well over an hour, so the Doc ordered lab work to be done at our local clinic.  Ten minutes and you are in and out locally.

Far Guy’s appointment with his Neurologist went well, I need to keep a better eye on him and his medication.  He has been having too many Trigeminal Neuralgia flares.   The Doc and I would like to see him in less pain.  

On the way home I got hangry…that is hungry and angry and was too bossy to the driver so I got to drive.  We walked Chance and gave him some water.  He was a very patient boy…unlike me.

We stopped by Hometown Crafts which used to be Ben Franklin in Detroit Lakes…I just needed two ink pads…how hard can that be?  One brown and one black.  I got the Chocolate Brown one but they were all sold out of the black and don’t stock refill ink except in fuschia, iris, sandlewood and some more gosh awful colors.  They also had some of those dry as a bone ink pads just like our local Ben Franklin.  I could come back at 5PM and talk to the gal that does the ordering…REALLY???  That is so not happening. I would have died from starvation by then…

We finally made it to our favorite “After a Doctor’s visit place to eat that serves breakfast all day.”  I had blueberry pancakes…Far Guy had a Southern Biscuit Chicken something.   I think I was just too hungry as it did not sit well with me and it is just sitting in my stomach many many hours later….was it the pancakes or the coffee I had in the waiting room whilst waiting?

We stopped by “the home” and visited with a friend who now has a new knee. He is in rehab for another week maybe longer since he lives alone and has to take care of himself when he gets home.  He was happy to see us.  Didya know that that big incision for a knee surgery no longer has stitches or staples…it is glued together and then a clear tape is put over the whole thing?  They no longer use that machine that bends your knee back and forth for hours either.

Cold and Area News

How cold is it? Pretty cold…

* WIND CHILL READINGS... AS LOW AS 35 BELOW.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WIND CHILL ADVISORY MEANS THAT VERY COLD AIR AND STRONG WINDS WILL COMBINE TO GENERATE LOW WIND CHILLS. THIS WILL RESULT IN FROST BITE AND LEAD TO HYPOTHERMIA IF PRECAUTIONS ARE NOT TAKEN. IF YOU MUST VENTURE OUTDOORS... MAKE SURE YOU WEAR A HAT AND GLOVES.

I read this after I walked the dog in my shirt sleeves and my crocs…it was a tad chilly out there.
Seems another storm is headed this way on Sunday. Snow and wind. More fun.

We ran some errands yesterday so we are good to go.  When we get a clear day the temperatures drop.  It was nice to see the sun but it nearly blinded me!

We have been watching the progress of the renovation of the Grocery Store in Osage.  The guy that bought the store has been working in all kinds of weather, the rumor is that it will be a Grocery/Hardware Store and will open May 1st! It will be nice to have the store open again.

They took the whole roof off and  are rebuilding.  Looks like the new entrance might be on this side…just have to wait and see.

It was another sad week in local news. Our sympathy to all those who have lost a loved one this week.

A local fellow was killed in a snowmobile accident one night.  I went to school with his sister and I knew his wife…they have a 13 year old at home…he was young…57.  His Mom still lives on the old farm place…she must be incredibly sad.  

This was also a sad week for our friends Gravy and Dawn.  Gravy’s sister had Lewy Bodies Dementia.  It is a progressive dementia often misdiagnosed. Lewy bodies are protein deposits that develop in the nerve cells in your brain.  It is a horrid disease for which there is no cure… they think that Robin Williams may have had Lewy Bodies Dementia. Gravy’s sister was 61 years old.

A 33 year old Police Officer was shot and killed by a nut case in Fargo North Dakota.  Fargo has not had an Police Officer shooting death since the 1880’s.

So we should all make the best of everyday that we are upright and feeding ourselves.

For the Birds

We bought 25 pounds of Niger Thistle Seed the other day.  The thistle feeders are filled once a day.  The little Red Polls are hungry.   I saw one finch amongst the bunch …a close relative no doubt….maybe an in-law.

I will guess that there are 60 plus birds feeding at once…maybe more. Sometimes it looks like that Hitchcock movie in our yard.  The day I was shoveling the patio all the birds flew but one.  Poor thing was walking around looking for seeds, one of his wings looked funny…perhaps a clash with a tree or a window.  He walked around as I shoveled, one time I almost covered him up with snow…I was torn …what to do…what to do.  He jumped up and struggled out of the avalanche…I told him I was sorry.  Then I started carrying shovels of snow way away from him.  I finally decided to let nature takes it’s course, I got real up close and personal with him while clearing off the tops of the solar lights.  He flew into the thistle feeder and just rested there, panting heavily. Poor thing.

When we got home from town he was gone…possibly totally recovered…some things just take time.  Perhaps he flew off into the woods and died…but I hope he lived to see another day.

Maybe this is him…maybe not…
If you don’t have Red Polls at your house rest assured they are being fed well in Northern Minnesota where it is colder than a witches titty on the shady side of an iceberg.

Cold Preparations

Uffda …the worm has turned.  We are back in the deep freeze and will be again for about a week according to the weather guessers forecasters.  My other baby brother was by with his snow blower and blew most of our snow.  We finished the shoveling and then decided we better make a trip to town to reinforce the snacks essential supplies.

Part of the roads were a little slippery…snowpacked from the snow we got on Thursday. It will take a few days for the roads to completely clear.
We stopped and recycled, that is a job you don’t want to do on a sub zero day.  We recycle everything we can.

Our county makes it easy for us with these huge recycling bins located in our nearest little town.  We usually sort before we go, sometimes in the summer we get a bit lax BUT when bees start flying all over you are reminded why you sort.

We got er done and three stops later in a bigger town and we are set to go for awhile.

Last week whilst I was gone the brush cleaners were by and trimmed all of the brush away from the back drive.
All the brush is gone from the area underneath the power poles.   It is a great fire stop now, not much there to burn should the natives become restless in the spring.  It looks all neat and clean now and in the spring wildflowers will have a head start!

Yes, I am thinking of spring…in four months we should be done with snow and cold.

Dead of Winter

Not sure where I heard the saying “We are in the dead of winter.”

It must be that part of winter that is coldest, windiest most miserable time that makes you want to hibernate and not wake up until spring.  We have been way, way below zero, too cold to talk about… and the wind is raw and goes right through you.  One night we had windchill warnings…the kind that said “Cover all exposed skin, exposed skin can freeze in just minutes.”  I wonder if eyeballs  can freeze too?

Chance lifts up his paws trying to warm them… in a dogs mind I suppose that works.  

We got all bundled up one day for Dental Appointments, afternoon appointments.  I never try and schedule anything for morning in the winter.  By afternoon our weather usually warms up and roads are better to travel.  Far Guy did great, I had xrays that revealed one small cavity and I need a repair of one of my fillings.

Far Guy took the refresher class for Defensive Driving yesterday.  A program in Minnesota for drivers over 55 years old, if you take the class you get 10% off your Automobile Insurance.  So he is done for another three years.  He said he picked a non perfumy corner to sit in and in walked three retired teachers that were having a perfume war. 

I attended Vi’s funeral.  It was a packed church, Vi was well liked and had many friends and relatives.  After the service her Granddaughter spoke very eloquently about her Grandma.  She began with “Two weeks ago I would never have thought that we would bury Grandma today.” It was a long service…one of those High Masses…those Catholics once they get you in church they don’t want to let you back out again.  I skipped the funeral hotdish…although I bet it was good because it was one of Vi’s recipes. 

Just down the road a bit there was an accident the other night and a young person was ejected from his vehicle and killed.  I knew his Mom, she was a First Responder in an area that is adjacent to ours. His family must be incredibly sad.

Life is fleeting and in the blink of an eye it can change.