Better?

 I am much better, the swelling in my arm is now the size of a golf ball instead of a softball!  Wow I can move my arm!  I did have an afternoon nap yesterday!   Far Guy says he is just perfect...so I let him cook while I napped!

We ran some errands in town, Post Office drop off, gas fill and a car wash, a curbside pickup at Ace Hardware, a stop at the tire store and DQ!  

Gasoline went up in price again.  Since I keep track of such things the price per gallon has increased by 60 cents a gallon since Election Day.  Gasoline is now $2.59 a gallon here.  I imagine that the price of food will go up also as transportation prices increase.

Progress is being made on Line Three, it is a big deal here in our area of Minnesota...it replaces old line three that was built over 30 years ago.  It transports crude oil to Lake Superior.   The Highway Department put up a bunch of no parking signs along the highway...I suspect that since it is now warmer some people will be laying down along the line...a few weeks ago a few crawled inside one of the pipes and wouldn't get out.  

I am learning more and more about the iMac computer everyday.  Some things are very frustrating...my windows brain has a hard time shutting off sometimes.  One thing I learned yesterday is that if your Magic Mouse is upside down it will just make crazy movements that make no sense on your screen and no matter what you try or how much you sigh in disgust until you use the mouse in it's proper position it will continue to go crazy!  

Far Side

Mosaic Crochet

This year I said I was going to either finish up old projects or learn new things!  Mosaic Crochet is beautiful.

First I made a small swatch...then I graduated to a scarf using small odds and ends of pastel yarns. I am working on it inbetween wasp nests.  

Each row is worked one at a time leaving the ends.  This is the front.

The back...

It stripes wonderfully.

The ends are tied and then cut shorter and you begin to encase the ends. 

Here is the beginning of the envelope. 

I have a ways to go.  I learned about mosaic crochet on You Tube.  There are many different designs.  I would like to make an afghan...maybe...I joined a facebook group and get lots of ideas and oh my the color combinations! 

Grocery Pickup was uneventful.  It was way warmer than last week.  I went by the Post Office drop box and then waited in the Clinic Parking lot for Far Guy to call me.  We came home, disinfected groceries and put them away...had lunch and a nap. 

Shot report:  Far Guy is feeling much better.   I still have a red swollen arm...they say it is normal. I am still tired.  

Luckily I can take a nap when ever I want!  Suppers were planned way ahead of the shots...using a number of freezer meals.  

Far Side

All about the boxes

 I have been accused of being a box hoarder.  It may be partially true.   This week I saved a bunch of boxes that other boxes came in...just incase...I might need them someday. 

Yes that is a candy box filled with dark chocolate from a friend!   Someday when it is empty I will save it for something! 

I saw this other box online....and could not resist! 

It was my paper project for this week.  It is a Greeting Card Organizer!  Perfect for me...I make many cards and previously stored them in a dresser drawer in plastic bags...this is much better!

Shot report:

Far Guy is very tired and his arm is sore...his sorts are out.  He rested many times yesterday.

My arm is sore, red and swollen.  I am tired also so I had a long nap in the afternoon. 

Today is grocery adventure day and we are warming up enough so that it spit snow for a bit yesterday.  

Far Side

Shots

 Far Guy got his second Moderna Vaccination and I got my first one.   I have a bit of a stiff arm and so does Far Guy...no big reactions so far.   We are thankful to finally begin the process together.  In about six weeks we should both be "somewhat protected." 

I have not been in a building with lots of other people for a long time...I was a bit uneasy and felt a little claustrophobic....but happy to finally be doing something to fight this terrible pandemic. 

We had clear skies for the trip.  It was -35 F at our home in the morning.  Relief from the severe cold weather always seems a few days away. 

We went through a drive through for lunch (a big date) and came home and had a nap. 

My baby brother in Oregon finally has electricity.  Apparently one of the cell phone towers  that serves the area was destroyed in the ice storm so cell phone communication is spotty at best. 

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

Happy Birthday Handsome!

 Far Guy is older today!  

A photo from one of the black sand beaches on the Big Island.

Happy Birthday handsome! 

Far Side

Still cold and a new computer

 It was -40 F when Far Guy got up on Saturday morning.   I snuggled back in for a bit and then got up to take a photo. Which at some point will appear on this blog....maybe.

***** Update: I had a facetime tutorial with Jen...I loaded this photo from my old computer onto a flashdrive and got it to the new computer and drug it over to the desktop...all by myself.  It might be a miracle!  Jen gave me a great tour...and now my head is full of stuff to process. 

After household duties were taken care of we moved my old Windows 7 across the room.  Then we unpackaged and set up the new computer an IMac...desktop.  I ordered it a few weeks ago. 

So...I am learning more about Magic Mouses and Lightning Cords and red, yellow and green dots... and I have no idea where or how I got that photo up there but there it is..I took that photo this afternoon and found it under ...recents.  It is someplace that has liquid water! AND get this the screensaver changes with the daylight etc...now the stars are out...:) 

I tried to import bookmarks from Chrome...I got some really really old ones...but it was better than nothing.  It all takes time.  I have sound now...I didn't for a while and it was bugging Far Guy....so he fixed that for me.   I stupidly plugged in my old speakers which obviously were not compatible.

We are cozy and warm and we are expecting another brutal night of sub zero weather.  At least we have electricity...some people do not in all the ice storms around the country.  What a bunch of crazy weather.

Oh yes Happy Valentine's Day to my husband!  He is a keeper! Everyday is Valentines Day around here!!

Far Side

Brrrr

 Friday morning it was -35 when Far Guy got up...I asked "How cold is it out there?"  He said -35 so I covered up and went back to sleep while watching the morning news.  

I eventually got up and cleaned the bathroom, did some laundry and dusted. 

My other baby brother delivered our mail.  I poked my nose out to get the mail...brrrr. 

While cooking supper I kept announcing the falling temperatures...-14 to -20 when we did the dishes.  Announcing the dropping temperatures irritates someone I love ...but I do it anyway...I think he expects it.  

We are warm and cozy.  The new furnace seems warmer than the old furnace...another heat register was added upstairs.  It is noisy in a different way...but quieter than the old furnace...this one sounds like a jet engine warming up.  I CAN hear the television over the noise of this one...

My new computer ( I Mac) came during the furnace adventure...we may set it up today if we feel like having a technological adventure.  We have not unpacked the box yet.  My old computer (Windows 7) still works but it has driver issues and is slow as a turtle crossing the road on a summer day.  We will set up the old computer across the room until I have some photo files transferred.  I plan to transfer some photos by flashdrive and then load them on the new computer. Like I said it will be an adventure. 

In the meantime here is a puzzle for you. 

Stay safe and warm! 

Far Side

Normal?

 We are back to normal...if there is such a thing! 

It is very cold.  -26 for a low and -8 for a high.  Anything done outside should take as little time as possible!  We recycled on the way into town, I dropped Far Guy off at the Infusion Center I picked up our online grocery order, went by the Post Office drop box and the drive through at the bank, filled the gas guzzling car with its 4 gallons of gas so we have a full tank and then waited in the parking lot for Far Guy's call...I crocheted while I waited and watched people.

The grocery adventure was not without drama...seems they overcharged us...and when I called the gal said "Oh my I recall that and it is my fault."  I hate calling them to complain...but I refuse to pay for groceries I did not get.

In the mail was a tiny box of chocolates and some lip balm from a local retirement home...they said it would be sweet of us to move there. 

We disinfected groceries at home and washed fruit and vegetables.  

I mixed up a bunch of stuff; brown sugar, apple cider, Worcestershire sauce, and Sweet Baby Rays BBQ Sauce...poured it over some miserable pork shoulder poor excuse for pork chops that I got one week last Fall...put the whole works in the slow cooker for about five hours...and it wasn't too bad served with vegetables and a baked potato.  

So we are normal for these pandemic times.  It is supposed to get colder in the next couple of days...brutal they said.  Oh well at least we will be warm! 

Lupines in the Wild Gardens 2009

Far Side 

Warm again

 The furnace guys were here early Wednesday morning, in no time at all they had the old furnace out and the new one installed.  By noon we had heat!  Heat and a furnace are a wonderful thing.  

Our 96 plus hours without a furnace were miserable.  Drafty...cold floors...but we were able to dress warm, stay positive and keep the entire house from freezing up! . What an adventure.  Far Guy asked me...did you ask me on Friday what we had planned for Saturday...I usually don't ask that anymore as something happens that requires all of our attention. 

The tile floors will catch up after a few days.   Our weather is still brutally cold.  It was -27 F yesterday morning....and the high was maybe 2 above zero.  Nippy! 

I crocheted some more wasp nests while the furnace guys were here...the outside door was open quite a bit...letting in blasts of cold air.   After they left we cleaned the floors and had a nap.  Staying warm takes lots of energy.   We have a well insulated house...with six inch walls filled with insulation...I can only imagine how cold it was for the early settlers to this area. 

My other baby brother delivered our mail. 

Today is grocery adventure day. 

Stay warm and safe!

Far Side

Wasp Nest Pattern and Furnace News

 To keep busy and warm  I wrote my wonky not at all professional pattern for the wasp nests. 

Yarn 4 ply...Grey, Green, Beige color about any color will do     Crochet Hook I as in Idiot

Make a magic loop...you can find out how to do that on the Internet better than I can show you.  You could also do some chains and connect it and stitch it up...magic loop is faster! 

Single Crochet (SC)  8 stitches into the magic loop

Pull the circle closed...pull it tight so no hole is seen...slip stitch last stitch to first stitch and chain one

* SC twice in the first stitch continue with a SC in each of the remaining stitches.  Slip stitch last to first stitch at the end of the round and chain one

Continue to repeat * adding two stitches at the beginning of each round until you have a funnel shape.  The side where you have added all the stitches may look a bit strange but it is all good.

When your funnel is a good shape do not bind off.  Instead anchor a stitch along the last row and chain 30 to begin a hanger, SC back across to the beginning and anchor well.   Pull your yarn through the last stitch and leave a long tail.

Fill the nest with plastic bags.  Use a yarn needle to stitch along the top of the nest.

Draw up the tail tight and stitch in place several times, tuck in the other end of the hanger and stitch it in place several times. 

The wasp nest on the right was done using this pattern...the others were created watching TV and adding stitches when ever I felt like it.

I will dip these nests in Mod Podge one day in the Spring when it is nice outside and hang them up to drip and dry.  That way they will shed water should they get wet.  

I have been tempted to make some smaller nests...and see if they work as well. 

Furnace News: Day Four 

Finally found a furnace that will fit our space...we may have to remodel the laundry/furnace room a bit next summer....we will see.  He may be here today to start the installation...he was looking for a hard to find kit...that converts a Natural Gas Furnace to Liquid Propane....at any rate things are moving in the right direction.  Good thing too as our weather is not getting any warmer.  We are okay.  I like it cooler to sleep at night anyway...but during the day I like to be warm...our tile floors seem to get colder everyday. 

Far Side

Day Three: No Furnace

 Still no news on a new furnace.  They must be hard to find.  

I finished up the Christmas Letter and Christmas Photo Card project. 

I have four folders full.  Some of the longer photo cards had to be trimmed. 

It is fun to read all the old letters again.   

Fireplace

We are staying warm. Sometimes it is a bit chilly/drafty in the house so we run the fireplace for awhile or the furnace fan to help circulate the air.   If all else fails the corn bags get heated in the microwave and join me under the down comforter!  Far Guy sometimes wears a stocking hat! 

Our weather is still horrid I believe our high for the day was -5 F. 

Far Side

Day Two : No Furnace

 My other baby brother dropped of another electric heater for us...we have four going now.  It was 30 something BELOW ZERO on Sunday morning.  The wind chill was awful around -45. We are only heating the bottom level of the house...heat rises so the upstairs is most likely getting enough. 

We had a quiet day, we watched church online... I worked on a paper project...putting Christmas photo cards in page protectors and albums...the new page protects with spots for 5 x 7 cards is working well...some photo cards have to be trimmed. It is putzy work...but fun to see little kids grow from one year to the next. 

The house is drafty...we run the fireplace every once in awhile and the furnace fan to mix up the air a bit.  We could always move into the bathroom as it is the warmest room in the house!  I am running a fan in the living room to help stir up the air...and Far Guy walks round and round stirring it up also! 

It was -15 F when I was making supper and the temperature was falling rapidly.  I hear by the weekend we should be able to put the cold spell behind us. 

We are okay.  

The heater in the living room by the fireplace.

Far Side

Chilly

We woke up a tad chilly on Saturday morning.  The furnace stopped working sometime in the night. 

Far Guy called the guy who sold and installed the furnace in 2013.   He returned our call in a couple of hours....he could come and look at it but it is cold out there and he doesn't have parts to fix anything...huh??  Not exactly a friendly kind of guy. 

I said call Ryan a local fellow...he answered the phone and said he would be over in a little while.  The furnace is shot...it needs to be replaced.  The Heat Exchanger is under warranty....we could have not so friendly guy replace it...who knows when and if that would happen.  We looked at each other and said almost in unison "You can sell us a new furnace."  

We have a gas fireplace and several heaters going...we shall not freeze to death.  My other baby brother brought us over a heater and my baby brother said there are several heaters at his house and we are welcome to use them.  Several neighbors and relatives called to check on us. 

The house is a bit drafty....but it is really cold outside. -24 F or -31 C and falling as I write this on Saturday night.  -27 F at 11 PM

Ryan said he would get back to us on Monday with a plan for a new furnace. 

We are warmer than were were the first years we were married and lived in a old trailer house with frost on the walls, and warmer than the winter that we spent living in an RV the winter before we built the house. 

Sure the furnace could have picked one of those really nice above freezing days to crap out instead of during the Arctic Blast we are experiencing....but that didn't happen.  Oh well...it is what it is. 

I am on the waiting list for a vaccination at the Clinic in Detroit Lakes Minnesota...thanks Cousin Linda for sharing that information. 

So were are warm and alive and waiting on a vaccination for me...things could be worse. 

Far Side

Sundogs

 We had sundogs on Friday morning.  I took a photo out the dining room window. 

We got a phone call that our Income Taxes were done....so we decided it was an okay day ( better than next week when it will be bone chilling cold) to go to town to sign the proper papers and pay the bill.  We could cross something off our list of things to do! 

It was blowing a bit out there.  

In the morning she who sees robins first dropped off our mail and in the afternoon she dropped off venison soup!  It was delicious and had lots of carrots!!  I had it for supper, Far Guy had a small bowl of soup with his lasagna. 

Friday is usually catch up day around the house... I did some laundry, dusted and cleaned the bathroom...had a nice nap in the afternoon. 

Far Side

Hibernation

 It is turning downright cold...freeze your butt off cold....sub zero cold with horrid wind chills.  So we are hibernating at home. 

 Grocery pick up was great, just a brand swap on bread.  

Far Guy made a list for groceries...he said he may as well cook up some Seafood Gumbo.  Miracle of miracles everything he needed was available.  I am not a huge fan of Gumbo...I will have it once the day he makes it...maybe with some fresh bread!  It is one of his favorite freezer meals.

Book Club was a good discussion on the trials and tribulations of pioneer life in 1877 North Dakota;  An Untamed Land by Lauraine Snelling.  The book to read for the March meeting is My Life with Martin Luther King Jr by Coretta Scott King. 

For something new this week, I took out the cards that were a gift from Jen. 

Can you see the faint design?  It is there...it is a new kind of stamp that allows you to see the outline of the design. It is called Fadeout, no line coloring detail ink.

This one was created with Prismacolor pencils and a lot of glitter.

This one was created using Tombow watercolor markers and just a bit of glitter. 

I have some Arteza water based markers and some good old pan watercolors to try the next time I decide to play with these cards. ( Jen pre stamped ten cards for me, five different designs.)

Stay safe and warm out there! 

Far Side 

Foggy Day

 Yesterday it was foggy.  We went to town to return a new old car wrong part and ordered the correct part.  Stopped by Wally World and picked up our order from them.  

There is progress on the newest gas station in town. 

We hope it has a decent car wash.  We waited at the car wash last Thursday about 35 minutes for our turn.  When it gets below 5 degrees the car wash is closed. 

It was a dreary day.  

Back at home I made some rhubarb raspberry jam ( I like it swirled in my Greek yogurt)...delivered some jam to neighbors...a taste of summer on a dreary day.  I met the newest neighborhood dog...a Border Collie/Great Pyrenees cross by the name of Titus.  He has Border Collie coloring...and is a real friendly fluffball.  He joins Putz and Snoopy. He made Jo and I laugh with his puppy antics. 

Today we pick up our normal grocery order...always an adventure.

Far Side

Snowfolks and other stuff

 What says winter like snowfolks.

I left the red lights on the wreath...I may turn them on a time or two. 

We are supposed to get an Arctic Blast soon.  Fun...not so much.  I suppose we are overdue as our weather has been mild.  

My Mom is signed up to get her first vaccination on Friday...she is 91...Dad (94) got his at the VA and gets his second shot on Friday. 

There were some vaccines available in the area however we live in the wrong county...even though we go to that clinic and hospital....picky ..picky...picky.  The hospital in our county is only doing health care workers and nursing homes right now. 

I am crocheting wasp nests....I have two done.  They worked real good for us last summer. Each one I crochet is a bit different...and I have no pattern....perhaps I should write one! 

My paper projects... I grabbed all the loose recipes that I had printed off and shoved behind the recipe boxes...ditched the ones we didn't like and copied some to recipe cards...a few we have not tried yet so they were folded and put in the recipe box....I cringed when I did that...but I was still able to shut the box!

Made Tater Tot Hotdish for supper minus the tater tots.   I layered frozen hash browns, frozen mixed vegetables, browned hamburger and added diluted cream of chicken soup...bake for awhile ( about an hour) covered and then uncovered and  top with cheese.  I made enough so we have some freezer meals. 

Far Side

Onto February

 As we turn the calendar over we say goodbye to January.

I have fun making calendars with my own photos.

Onto February! 

Since it is someones birthday later in the month he and his new old car are the subject for February.

One month more of the Pandemic...or one month closer to a vaccination and some kind of immunity.  I am still waiting...I filled out a questionnaire from our local clinic.  No news yet.

My computer  Windows 7 is getting really wonky...and slow as molasses...I got this computer back in 2010. So I guess it is time for a new one...it has been ordered...and I hope this old one holds out until the new one gets here. 

I have been going through photo files and taking many off of my simple saves...not sure they are compatible with the new system I am getting.  It may be a real adventure. 

We ran errands in town...dropped off the taxes at the accountants, got the special gas for the new old car and went by the bank...so much for our outing.  The special gas is $3.09 a gallon. 

Steak, Salmon and salad for supper...I am not real fond of Salmon a fork full suits me fine.  The steak was excellent! 

Far Side

Yarn projects

 I took the latest shawl off the blocking mats. 

It is a beautiful burgundy/wine color.  It will go into the finished project drawer.   It is Lion Brand Amazing Lace Yarn part acrylic and part nylon and the yarn people call the color Cranberry Garland....fancy smancy color name.

As I was looking at my stash of yarn....I came across a skein of plain grey yarn...I recalled I said I would make my brothers some of the wasp nests that I made last summer. 

Remember these...they are crochet in the round...I think just a single crochet...they are stuffed with plastic grocery bags and I sealed them with Mod Podge.  I hung one near the front door of the sauna and one under the back deck...and we had no wasps last summer.  I declare them a winning idea...the idea is that the wasps think other wasps started a nest so they move on to someplace else...works for me as there is nothing quite as painful as a wasp sting.   I have one more place I could hang one...so I will make nests for awhile. 

I am also working on two other crochet projects.   Always something to finish! 

We got about 1/2 inch of snow...so I shoveled...easy outside work! 

Far Side