New Year 2007

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow (part deux)

Another storm and another 17 inches of snow. All major roads in and out of town closed. Stores on Main Street are closed except for the grocery store, the hardware store, and both video stores. A few photos of the storms aftermath at my house.


My husband cleaning snow off the porch with Kate helping him. Duke and visiting neighbor dog wishing they were on my side of the gate.


Compare this photo with the one taken last week. Definitely more snow but about the same number of birds in the tree.


If Duke figures out that he can jump that fence easily now, we are in big trouble.



The drifts out on the sidewalk and near the street are the worst. Nothing there to stop the wind that is blowing strong and pushing snow around in front of it.

Am I Blue?

I'm in the midst of post-Christmas let down this week. I think it is because we (my husband and I) stayed home this year. It has been relaxing but at the same time I miss my brother and sisters. They seem so far away this year. My brother is in San Diego and one sister is in Cleveland. My sister who has been living in Amsterdam is in New York City right now and seems farther away than when she was overseas. Even my baby sister who lives in Denver seems to be a greater distance away from me this year than normal. Now with another large storm bearing down on us I am sure to feel even more isolated.

Non-holiday Trivia

-A hamlet is a village without a church and a town is not a city until it has a cathedral.

The above quote is interesting to me because I've always wondered if I lived in a hamlet, village, or a town. Now I know I don't live in a hamlet because there are churches here but what am I living in? A village or a town? How does a village make the jump to being called a town? As for the difference between a town and a city? I"ve always thought the difference is in the way cars are parked on each one's main street. Towns have diagonal parking spaces- where the cars are parked nose into the curb. In cities the parking spots are lined up one after another next to the curb with each car's nose right behind the rear end of the car in front of it.

If asked, since we have diagonal parking spaces on Main Street, I would say I live in a town but in the phone book we are listed as a city. I still say I live in a town but one with delusions of grandeur.

That Holy Thing

-George MacDonald (1824-1905)

They were all looking for a king
To slay their foes and lift them high:
Thou cam'st, a little baby thing
That made a woman cry.

O Son of Man, to right my lot
Naught but Thy presence can avail;
Yet on the road Thy wheels are not,
Nor on the sea Thy sail!

My how or when Thou wilt not heed,
But come down Thine own secret stair,
That Thou mayst answer all my need-
Yea, every bygone prayer.

Letters To Santa

The five- year-olds in the elementary school kindergarten class were asked to write letters to Santa.

Dear Santa,
How are you doing? Are your reindeer in top shape? If you get the chance I would like a remote controlled truck. Also a motorbike if you could carry it. Maybe a four wheeler, also if you could get me a army man truck.
Love you Santa,
Chandaler

Dear Santa,
I would like a toy car to drive around in. I would also like a motorcycle.
Love,
Jorge

Dear Santa,
I would like a Hot Wheels race car for Christmas. Happy Christmas! I am going to leave you some chocolates on Christmas Eve. Please open the doors because we do not have a chimney. Could you bring my Mom some jewelery? She likes jewelry a lot. My brother would like a play horse named Butterscotch for Christmas. My Dad would like more Christmas decorations for our house.
Love,
Emmanuel

Dear Santa,
I hope you are feeling well. How is Mrs. Claus? How are your reindeer doing? I've been a very good girl this year. I'm going to leave you lots of cookies and milk. I want a computer, drum and a doll that can talk. I hope you don't get too cold on your trip around the world.
Love,
Shalyn

Dear Santa,
How does Rudolph's nose glow? And I would like a 12 gauge shotgun, a double gauge shotgun, a flip cell phone, a black fish with a tank, a bull (cow), the book Snow Lamb, a long dart gun, a football beanbag, and a hamster with a cage.
Love,
Andy

Dear Santa,
Is Rudolph's nose still red and bright? Are you OK? I will leave you cookies and milk. You can get in my Mom's ceiling where her closet is! I will leave you a Pepsi for breakfast! Can you sew yourself up if you get an ouchie? When is your birthday? What I want from Christmas is... Barbie dolls that dance, stuffed animals named Stamping, Carebear dolls, princess dress, tiara and jewelery.
Thank you Santa for everything!
Love,
Abbi

Dear Santa,
I would like a Bratz Diamond Makeover doll. When you come to my house, I will have chocolate chip cookies and milk for you and carrots for your reindeer. Please say "Hi" to Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen. I would like you to an especially big "Hi" to Rudolph!
Love,
Shelby

Dear Santa,
I want a real cellphone, a Barbie doll, baby doll, a real car, make-up, rings, earrings, and a stereo, crayon tracer to make a picture, fair dog that barks (I think she means a toy that she saw at the county fair last August), world ball, football, beanbag, that is it. Thank you for the stuff. How are your elves? How is Mrs. Claus? A real microphone head set. That is it.
Love,
Maddy

Dear Santa,
How is Rudolph and the other reindeers? Are you good and fat for Christmas? I want a digital Barbie camera. Bring me things that you think would best for me please. I am going to leave juice, cookies and milk, and carrots for the reindeer. I have a chimney that you can come in through. I won't have a fire, though. When are you going to have a baby? I have a Christmas tree for presents to go under. I have stocking so please fill them to the top. I want some markers and a coloring book. Can you bring me a doll of Frosty the Snowman? How is Mrs. Claus? Have the elves been good? Is Rudolph's nose really bright?
Love,
Lindsey

Hi Santa, how are you doing? How's Rudolph? For Christmas I would like a plastic snowman, a four wheeler, a toy dinosaur and a rubber turkey. When you come down the chimney there will be cookies and milk.
Love,
KC


May you all get that rubber turkey you asked for this year. Wishing you a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Digging The Snow

I drove the truck up to the grocery store this morning without my sunglasses on and had to squint the whole way. I did not squint just because the sun was too bright. I squinted because my eyelids refused to open up all the way. I had light hitting my eyeballs from every direction imaginable and they did not like it one bit. I forgot how bright a sunlit winter day is after a big snow storm. I remedied that problem on my next outing.

Later in the morning I took Kate with me on a walk up to the Post Office. I wasn't sure if there would be any mail today but knew that stretching my legs after being cooped up for two day would feel good. Kate enjoyed it too since we walked through a couple of alleys to get there. Better smells in the alleys. After we left the Post Office we walked up and down both sides of Main Street, stepping into the street whenever we came across a section of the sidewalk that had been cleared of ice by the use of salt. The streets are snow packed and icy in some spots so a few time we both had to do some careful stepping.

I spent part of the afternoon shovelling out the driveway. If you look at the photo in the post below you can see a chain link gate in the back of the picture. That area of snow in front of the gate clear up to the house is all concrete. Today it was warm enough for me to work without a coat on. I put my big sun hat on my head, my gloves on my hands, and the ear buds of my MP3 player in my ears and started shoving snow around. I like shoveling snow. It's one of those jobs that allows you to see the results right away. Shovelling snow is also one of those jobs that is so repetitive it becomes a walking meditation. All I focused on was the movement of shovel and weight of the snow. By the end of the job I was in a kind of trance and it took a few seconds to return to complete consciousness. It is kind of like sleep walking but not so deeply.

All in all, a good day.

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow

Hanukkah Blizzard Of 2006

We are looking at blizzard conditions out here on the plains. Went to bed last night with cold rain falling. Woke up in the middle of the night to heard hard pellets of sleet hitting the bedroom window. Woke up this morning to find 5-6 inches of snow on the ground and my porch. I had to push some it out of the way with the storm door when I let the dogs out. This storm has closed Interstate 70, between Denver, CO and Colby, KS. Two hundred thirty-four miles of road shutdown. The wind must be blowing badly for that to happen. The weather people say this thing could dump up to 24 inches of snow before it moves on and it is expected to sit over the area for the next 24 to 48 hours. Once the winds really start blowing here...

The good thing about this storm is that it is a wet and heavy snow that will produce plenty of moisture for the farmer and that we will have snow on the ground for Christmas. Color me gone. I going to go play in the snow.

More Proof That My Dog Is Goofier Than Your Dog

My husband took Duke hunting yesterday and returned home while I was out picking up the mail. I saw the truck parked in front of the house as I was walking back and when I was about 3/4 of a block away I watched as my husband stepped through the front gate and walked over to the truck. He was carrying Duke's orange chest protector in his hand. When he got to the truck bed he put the vest in the bed. That was different. Most of the time Duke's chest protector is hung up on a hook that is attached to the laundry room wall.

By this time I had reached the alley and could see Duke in the yard. He was not wearing his collar and his head, ears, front chest and legs were wet. Great, I thought, he has rolled in something dead. But he hadn't. What he had done was find a skunk and chase it. By the time my husband got to him Duke had caught the skunk by the tail and was spinning him around. As my husband said,"Duke was giving him an airplane ride." The skunk did not enjoy his airplane ride and sprayed Duke until Duke finally dropped him. Then he scurried away as fast as he could go.

Duke was wet because my husband had used Nature's Miracle on him to remove the skunk odor and was now waiting for it to dry. After my husband finished telling me what had happened I looked back at Duke. I have never see a dog look more pleased with himself in my life.