Signs

I am hearing talk of Spring.  Horses are shedding, Jack Rabbits are changing colors, trees are budding out, perennials are turning green, birds are showing up earlier than normal. 

What kind of signs do you have? 

We have no signs of Spring here...unless you count really dirty snow and below zero temperatures that are coming this week.  Green grass is way under the snow. 

I still wear my parka, my warm mittens and my head covering are in the pockets.  Seems like the wind is always blowing here....and let me tell you it slices right through you! 

Spring seems like a long ways off.  I bet we have at least another two months of snow...maybe three.

Far Side

Out for Lunch

We went out for lunch one day this week...well drive thru is considered out.

We always like to look at License Plates.  It is usually a summer time activity.  Coming from a touristy town where one of the fun things to do was to see how many out of state vehicles were parked on Main Street.  The passenger has to call out the states as the driver has to watch out for tourists walking across the street as people hardly ever use the crosswalks. 

Arbys has a great lunch! AND this vehicle was in line in front of us. 

Far Side

Lemons

 I made Far Guy lemon pudding with meringue topping for his birthday, just like lemon pie but without the crust.   I am no good at crust....and who needs a whole pie anyways.

I put it in custard cups and there is enough for two nights.  

He had a good birthday with many calls throughout the day.   He requested steak and a salad for supper.   We had a quiet day at home.  It was a tad bit warmer...a few more days and we should be out of the deep freeze. 

My baby brothers home in Oregon sustained damage from trees that fell in the ice storm over the weekend.  They don't have electricity...or heat.  Luckily they have neighbors and friends that are helping them clean up the mess.  As most trees in Oregon are huge it takes many days to do the clean up. 

The weather is crazy all over...stay safe out there...just when we thought 2020 was bad enough 2021 isn't looking like a walk in the park.

I have a pillow from a dear friend that says "When life gives you lemons make lemonade. "

Far Side

Ready set

SNOW??

Yes it snowed...most of the day yesterday it melted...but toward evening it began to stay on the grass.

 My flowers held in there

Impatiens and a Yellow Viola

Ready set BAKE

Aubrey and Katie helped bake cookies....Swedish Browns and Lemon Cookies

This is the remnant of about 15 dozen cookies.  I mixed up the Swedish Browns (sometimes I call them Sweet Molly Browns) before they got here and when they arrived we began and in two hours the cookies were baked and cooling and the kitchen all cleaned up!   It is great to have baking help!!  Aubrey is a great helper as is my niece Katie!!!!! 

Ready set Bake again!  I am all set for the Cake Bake today!

Gathering what you need is half the battle.  4 cakes are from scratch and 3 are helped with the assistance of a cake mix and lemon pudding.  I hope they all turn out okay.

Far Side

Flowers and a snow encounter

Every week when we shop I wander by the floral department.  I admire all the different color roses and wonder if I could have roses in the house which bouquet would I pick?  My moods are different just like flowers….mostly I like yellows and orange roses, next would be red and then pink, purple and ivory or white. 

Maybe when spring comes I will find a heavy duty vase and have some flowers out on the table on the patio.  I saw one of those old milk can carriers filled with vases…that may work…or maybe just an old quart jar in a wooden box.

I cannot have flowers or green plants in the house…my eyes will itch and my nose will run and I will get a nasty cough… the result of too many years in the greenhouses continually being assaulted by plants.

My roses that I had growing outside finally died…Minnesota (freeze your butt off) winters can be hard on plants.

Yesterday I got stuck in a snowbank.  The snow is deep in the yard…very deep. (Waist deep)  I wanted to retrieve a suet feeder (against Far Guys wishes) and put it in a tree that would be closer to firm footing.  Well I busted through the crust of the snow so many times that I ended up crawling on all fours.  I retrieved the suet feeder and tried dragging it along crawling.  I finally sat down to re- ass-ess the situation and my butt fell through the crust of the snow…picture feet in the air along with my head.  I rested and looked at the sky. Eventually I lifted my butt out of the snow and half rolled scooted to the patio.  I was covered in snow, all my clothing was wet…snow had been shoved up my shirt and down my pants and into my boots.  I was done being outside enjoying the snow.

Far Side

Snow Report and A New Recipe

We have three inches of snow at the snowstick and I think it is staying for the winter.

The tracks are squirrel and fox.  And so our winter begins thirty-five days early…as we are technically still in Fall.

We have had a quiet week.   I am crocheting some winter hats…my pattern, yarn and hook have been adjusted several times.

We are trying two new to us recipes this week…one was a keeper and I should have taken a photo of it.

Monte Cristo Pull Apart Loaf

Our recipe serves two people ( adapted from a recipe in the latest Kraft food & family magazine)

3-4 slices of bread  we like potato bread…flattened with a rolling pin.

Top with swiss cheese, sliced ham or turkey or both. Fold in half and place fold side down in foil lined bread pan or corningware. (Spray foil with a bit of olive oil first.)

Mix together  1 egg,  a few tablespoons of milk, 1 Tablespoon Miracle Whip and about 1/4 teaspoon mustard.  Mix well…pour over bread. Refrigerate for 4 hours. Then Bake 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

You can add more bread, cheese and meat and use more eggs and milk to make more servings.

We both gave this recipe 5 out of 5 stars and will make it again.  Oh yes you can sprinkle it with powdered sugar just before serving and serve it with jam if you want to be fancy smancy.

The other new recipe will be tried later this week.

A Nap

We will need a nap today.  We won’t know when to eat or sleep with the time change.

I will skip the hair net today.  This is an old photo from my vast collection of Forgotten Old Photos…an unknown couple taking an afternoon nap on what we used to call an Indian Blanket. ( A colorful blanket with designs on it.)  Not sure what other people would call it.

Today Far Guy will change all the batteries in the smoke alarms.  He stocked up on batteries last week…because he knows me well.  I insist that the batteries be changed with the time change spring and fall.  What if they don’t beep when the battery is low…what if we are gone when it beeps…that would be a false sense of security.  So he changes them so I don’t have to worry.  Like he says he can use the batteries elsewhere where it is not as important as saving our lives.

Far Guy is still struggling… now with a cough AND a sore throat to accompany his shortness of breath…he is on a different antibiotic after a trip to Urgent Care.

I made soup…homemade vegetable beef…with beef of course …rutabega, cabbage, carrots and potatoes….and fresh flat bread…boy was that yummy.

I dislike the time change…it makes me crankier than normal….I hate that it gets dark before supper.

Twinkling Like Stars

I finally got some time to play with a new set of pens from Jen and Andy.  I was waiting to get my desk cleared off to start this project!

They are glitter pens…Copic Spica Glitter Pens that are Twinkling Like Stars!

 

I stamped some snowmen cards and played away.  I love the bright colors that sparkle.

In fact I got a little carried away with my stamping…so my work box is full again.  I cut up a bunch of heavy watercolor paper and stamped away!  Yes… I have a small box of other glittery “stuff”  you can never have too much glitter.

We had a beautiful day here in Minnesota yesterday it was 29F…it felt awsome and warm!!  It gave us hope that winter will end someday.

Disclaimer: I have not been paid for or accepted any Copic markers in exchange for this review…but if they want to send me some to try out I would welcome them!

Chance: The Field Report

Hiya!  It’s me again with a field report.  We went for a ride on Tuesday afternoon just before nap time.  Gotta keep these old farts on a schedule.  Ride, nap and supper.

The snow is icy and hard in the places where there is snow, we have ice too…there is two inches of snow at the snow stick.  It rained last night (Wednesday) and our walk was all icy.

One of the area fields…I think this one had beans in it last summer…or potatoes.  It was beans…Far Side found a photo taken in almost the same spot last August.  She must be a creature of habit too.

This is the neighbors corn field.  Those dots are Wild Turkeys.

In the old grain field across the road from us were 44 Wild Turkeys.   I hear them gobble gobbling through our woods…they make quite a racket…and I bark at them.

I might have rolled down my window and barked at them…then again Far Guy slowed down so Far Side could get a photo…all I know is something spooked them and made them fly back into our woods.   Might have been me…who really knows for sure?

Hanging Around

The snow is still hanging around.

This is the snow curl on my garage.  It is comfy just hanging on.  The snow we have gotten this year so far is a dry snow that doesn’t weigh much.  One of these days the curl will come crashing down.   Sometimes it makes a squeaking noise as it inches down the roof.  Chance hates it when the buildings start to shed snow.  One time when he was a pup he was buried by a snowslide and Far Guy had to rescue him…he has never forgotten.

Here is the snow hang over on the grain bin.   I have to put that cover/cap on the repair list.  Last time it was out of place Paige set it back to right again. Andy boosted her in the air to the roof where there is a ladder which is now covered up in snow.   That other wooden ladder was for vines to climb the bin.  I should probably take it down as it is rickety.

You still have time to enter your guess for the day you think the snow will be gone from the snow stick.  Guess a date and AM or PM here.  Entries will be accepted until Sunday March 9 at 9PM.

Remember we SPRING ahead tonight…I hope you bought those fresh batteries for your Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors…you are worth it! 

One of those days

I broke the printer this morning…it is not just sick..I killed it.  We have had it a good long time.  It was a good printer, something went clunk. I tried to fix it, Far Guy tried to fix it..it is beyond repair.  I put it on the shopping list and a replacement is sitting here in a box.

Whilst I was trying to get some other “stuff” done Far Guy was wrestling with the vacuum cleaner.  He was hoping it would be broken too so he could replace it..but it lives yet another day or two or three to aggravate him some more.

Far Guy wanted two simple things at Wally World..blueberries and printer paper that you can print stickers on.  No such luck.  When the gal asked him if he found everything he lied and said “yes.”  Then he said (I was so proud of him) “I lied I did not find everything”  She said “That’s okay sometimes I lie too.” ( She never asked him what he couldn’t find.)  Customer service at it’s finest.

I was asked to do something extra special for the museum.  I politely asked a third party to email me a photo. She is a ditz and said “I cannot email photos but I will mail you one.”  I asked her to mail it to me at home, she replied “I already sent it to the museum”…lets see you want me to drive how far..28 miles because you are S.T.U.P.I.D. ?? Apparently.  I drove to town, the photos are bad copies or blurry..go figure.  What a waste of my time.  I don’t have any nerves to get on anymore they are all shot.

I think I might need to hibernate just a tad to improve my mood…  I may not get up till noon and I may not answer the freaking phone all day long:)

This 'n' That

It is still raining up here, well it could be worse, it could be snow.   I finally decided to just ignore it and go outdoors anyway..Chance and I looked like drowned rats.  


I hosted the cousins group here on Tuesday night.  We have decided that our quilt squares this year will be redwork..and we will all use the same color red embroidery floss.   Cousin Evelyn stamped all the squares for us, she brought her own iron.  I got out my dusty old ironing board..I keep it stashed next to the washer..it was pathetically dusty. Good thing I got it out before everyone got here, since I had to vacuum it off.   I made the Lemon Cake again ..and took some pumpkin bread out of the freezer.   We made cards..I drive them nuts with this on going project..I give them buttons, a piece of paper and some embroidery floss..they have to design the front of a card, then I attach them to a piece of card stock .. instant card..Evelyn sends them off to cousins and Aunts or Uncles in the hospital.  The biggest whiners, like cousin Hilda " I am no good at this card thing."  Make the best cards.  We should have enough until the next time we meet again at my house.   Chance loved all the company, and kept sneaking down from upstairs..he and Far Guy were hiding up there. 


Far Guy is reading a manuscript that was written by his bi polar friend.  I started reading it too, it is pretty good, I was impressed.  I have a hard time not editing it, not for misspelled words..although they irritate me, I look for continuity..and stuff that doesn't make sense. Run on sentences don't bother me a bit, or punctuation.   I guess that is just how I read.   This is a hand typed manuscript..Far Guy and I have mini reviews now that I am reading it, we have had some very interesting discussions.    Tom  left for Mississippi,  he called the other day just to say "Hi" and tell Far Guy that he got his car out of hock.  It will certainly make his life easier..he is a house painter..he can use his car to get around instead of the motor-home.  

Yesterday we were bored..so we went into town to run a few errands.  We stopped by two antique shops in town.   Each delightful in their own way.  The first one was free of dust, and the displays were perfect.  I purchased a small box of black and white photographs.   Then we went to the very large, dusty, unorganized shop..Linda ( I went to school with her) is a NUT..she had a huge box of black and whites just for me!    What fun, looking at these old photos..I don't know any of the people..but I find the photos interesting just the same.     I now have photos from all over the United States..some even have names on them!  I have started a new blog called Forgotten Old Photos..I will be writing about old photos and maybe even learning a thing or two.   A new adventure for the winter! 


We got an ad the other day in the mail, it was one of those you have won!! But what did you win?? You have to take your special key and your extra special secret number to the local Car dealership to claim your prize.   The fishing rod, the big screen TV, the money or big drum roll..a car!!   I won a fishing rod, I figured as much, they handed it over after I told them I was perfectly happy with my vehicle and had no intention of buying anything... I just stopped by for my prize.  


I checked my email this morning, someone from Ghana has almost a million dollars that they just need a little help spending.  They found my email address alongside the road.. in Africa.. funny..I wonder how it got there?? 


I have procrastinated so long that the sun is out..it nearly blinded me..I am off to take photographs of the Larch ( Tamarack) :)