A Winter Something-land

We did indeed get snow, though it was on the low side of predictions. I’d say we got 3 to 4 inches, and half that is still plastered to the sides of things, thanks to the moderate winds. For all its problems, though, the little Subaru didn’t let us down. We opted out of snow tires this year, for cost reasons — the price doesn’t seem worth the amount of use you get out of them in this area — but our all-weather radials barely even slipped on the icy roads yesterday morning. Sully’s breakfast was only slightly delayed; the reason for that was the rapid transition between pouring rain and snow meant all the doors on both vehicles were firmly frozen in place! It took us a good half hour just to gain entry to the car. Steve also made it to work with no problems.

We were sure we’d lose power, too; it blinked and flickered and threatened all Thursday evening, but stayed on. Mom and Dad, 3/4 of a mile up the road, however, were not so lucky. They are still without, and earliest predictions for restoration put them at the middle of next week. It is nice that we’re not both out; they can come here to eat and shower. That doesn’t help their pipes, though, that are likely to have frozen last night. It fell into the low 20′s.

It was a pretty snow, but I’m ready for it to be gone now. One day, that’s my limit! I had my fill of the messy, dirty stuff from 6 very long winters in Ontario! Honestly, I wouldn’t care if I never saw snow again! But the first day, while it’s still pristine, is nice. I’m wondering if I might get out for a ride this afternoon as it melts; I do love riding in the snow.

Sully was just happy yesterday to be dry. The week of cold rain really took its toll, I think. At dinner time last night he was galloping through the drifts and seemed to be trying to make the snow fly up around him, like a speedster on a dirt track. Pretty funny.

I made more bagels yesterday. I tried a recipe left by WhileHeWasOut in my comments a few days ago. They were much easier, and are delicious, though I do think the boiling  may be what gives them that certain texture. Maybe next time I’ll do the recipe but boil them, and see what happens. I made mini-bagels this go round; built-in portion control.

I’ll leave you with a photo I snapped yesterday from our front porch.

January Warm-up

The forecasters are calling for near 70 degrees this weekend. That is insane. It’s been cold, though not unbearable. Plus, Steve’s hours have changed (again!) which means I don’t have to get out before dawn. I’ve found the cold is much better borne in the daylight The days are also getting noticeably longer; whereas a couple weeks ago the dark was setting in at 4:30 in the afternoon, now there are still traces of light at 6pm.

I finally had to give up on my Pineapple Symphony doily. I think the pattern was mis-written, because no matter how I worked it I couldn’t come out with the right number of points. I’ll try to find a better one. I switched gears and am working on filet pattern for a pillow cover. It has a quilt-block design. I think it will look great when put over a dark fabric (it’s in natural-colored thread.) While the stitches in filet crochet are all the same (this one calls for an extended double crochet) you create your pattern out of a combination of four-stitch solid blocks and two-stitch open, or mesh, block. It is counted off similar to cross-stitch. I’ve been spending a lot of time crocheting!

Mom and I actually got out for a long walk yesterday. It felt great to be out of the house. Hibernation mode has been almost too strong to fight this year! And with this warm up, I need to get in some time with Sully. He’s more or less had the month off, with my not asking anything major of him even during the short rides we’ve had. Maybe we’ll get in a long one this weekend. He’s holding weight really well, even through the cold snaps. He’s getting about 20 lbs of hay and 3 lbs of beet pulp for his daily forage ration. The feeder is still work very well, though he has managed to almost get the grate completely off. I keep tweaking it, making minor modifications, and it’s proving to be worth the expense. We’ve had zero waste so far due to wind or trampling.

I wonder if I’m terribly ambitious to think I could get in a horse ride and a bike ride today…

The trusty Subaru has undergone two minor repairs, but is still exhibiting symptoms, so it has to go back in this weekend. I will be glad to get whatever the problem is, resolved. It is performing better than it has in awhile, due to those repairs, so that’s good.

In other news, I washed windows yesterday. Yes, this demands recognition. I’m actually thinking about taking down and applying Oxy-clean to the curtains today. Whoa, Nellie! This burst of energy can only be a preparation to sleep through February!

A Crafty Weekend

The weekend went sort of as planned. The only thing we didn’t get done is the Subaru repair, which is pushed to Wednesday. We did get out on Saturday, though, and had the tires rotated, had my hair cut and had a nice lunch at Bojangles.

When we got home, I got started on the slippers I’ve been promising Steve. When I finished them Saturday night (it takes about 5 hours to make a pair), I put pictures up on Proof It, and the orders started pouring in! And by orders, I mean Mom and Dad both wanted a pair.

So I spent all day yesterday crocheting slippers. I got Mom’s pair done, and one done for Dad… I needed to make sure it fit him before making the second one. So that’s what I’ll be doing today. I may even get to a pair for myself today!

It’s a good day for it. It’s raining again, but at least the temperatures have come up a bit so Steve won’t have any trouble getting to work. I’m not going to complain about the rain; it is much needed and will make for excellent spring grass!

I also finished the blue afghan Friday evening. It’s on its way to its intended recipient. I’ll be putting up some pics of it later, as well.

We went to Mom and Dad’s for a fantastic venison roast last night, and I also made a chocolate cobbler to take along. I’d made it once before, and it was as good (and as easy) as I remembered. Tonight, we’ll have what’s left after our baked spaghetti pie. And I am thawing two roasting hens for one of our all-time favorites, Glazed Chicken and Vegetables. I’ll make that for a family dinner tomorrow, since Steve has the day off.

Today, though, more crochet. And maybe a nap.

 

A Pain in the… Head?

We’ve had a busy weekend, or busy for us. After the day spent shopping on Friday we had to return to Mt. Airy at 10:30 Saturday morning for an alignment. They were unable to work the Subaru in on Friday. We went thinking it would be a simple and inexpensive trip, and had toyed with the idea of having lunch out at one of our favorite restaurants. We returned having spent far more than expected, and with a new boot and tie rod on the car, in addition to the alignment. I must say, it is driving great now. We came home and threw some brats on the grill, and Mom and Dad stayed for a very late lunch. They’d been over most of the morning getting the old ’67 running, and cleaning out the Intrepid in preparation for its going to its new home tomorrow.

We anticipated a Sunday of some riding/walking and an afternoon spent with family. Instead, a familiar pain woke me up at 6am. Apparently it was time for my bi-annual migraine. I nursed it all day, sleeping away much of my Sunday. Now, at 7pm and after a delicious supper of Swiss Chicken, there is just a shadow of it remaining, or what I like to call a “headache hangover.” Hopefully tomorrow will be more normal.

All in all, I am kind of glad to see the backside of this weekend, and that is a rare sentiment indeed.

Come Hail or High Water

Or both, as it were. We have had an extremely eventful few days.

Moments after arriving home from shopping on Saturday and unloading our haul, the storm of the century, or at least the decade, descended upon us. We’d noted the strange black clouds over the mountains to the west as we drove home. They were dark rose colored at the same time. They looked like something you might see on a Nat Geo special about super cells. It started as rain with a little wind and a little lightning, and quickly escalated to pea sized hail that came in sideways from the wind. The hail grew larger and larger until it reached golf ball size. The noise was deafening, like being inside a snare drum, and the house was vibrating. The hail hit the ground and then bounced three to four feet into the air during the heaviest part; there are mud marks near the porch roof on the front of the house where hail hit the flower beds and ricocheted upward. Looking out the windows over the hay fields and pastures, it looked like giant popcorn exploding from underground.

Click on the pic to see more over at Proof It.

We got about 3 inches of it over a 40 minute period, with drifts of more than 2 feet in some places. The hail was followed by torrential rains and flash flooding. Our driveway is washed into 6 inch deep gullies. The hail stripped all the buds off the trees, broke the windshield and tail-light on our Subaru and badly pocked and dented both cars.

Sully and Chuck were both trapped out in the hail storm. Sully was frozen in one spot when I got there moments afterward. His ears were up and his eyes were huge, but other than those physical signs, he seemed completely calm, but unwilling to take a single step. I went to him and started rubbing and scratching on him, and he visibly loosened and breathed a heavy sigh. I could find no injuries on him. When I turned to walk back to the barn, he followed me and gladly went into the stall for the night. The hail caused much of the electric fencing to come off its insulators, so I repaired what I could before round two of rain and lightning rolled in.

In addition, the storms washed out the road between here and Jenny’s. I headed over to feed Sunday morning and was met by a road block. As I slowed the car at the blockade, the brakes on the Subaru failed. I very carefully drove the crippled car back home and parked it. It was still raining, and the other car has no working wipers, so we were stranded.

Steve took yesterday off work, and we were able to get the car into the shop, driving it using the emergency brake. They got it fixed up by mid-afternoon, and said it was a brake line that rusted in two. The repair wasn’t too devastating, though they did tell us we need two new tires, in addition to the windshield, before inspection rolls around in August.

When it rains, it pours.

While at the garage, as we walked to the rear of the lot to get the car, I fell. The lot is graveled with large stone, and I was walking along the side of the building between it and the front bumpers of parked cars. I stepped sideways on a large rock, twisted my ankle, went down on one knee, and then fell forward between one of those truck bumpers and the building. The bumper caught the inside of my bicep, but rather than slowing my fall, I just kept going. My arm was twisted up and behind my back, and I hit on my opposite wrist, forearm and elbow. I couldn’t move for a moment, as it kind of knocked the wind out of me. Steve rushed over, as did the garage owner, and helped me up. I had scrapes and cuts, and immediate goose-eggs on my knee and forearm. My entire knee quickly swelled to the point I couldn’t straighten it. Steve drove me home and fixed me ice packs, and got some ibuprophen in me. Though the knee and left arm were causing me the most pain, I could tell it was the right shoulder that would prove the worst. Sure enough, today, I can’t move the right arm away from my body at all. So I am a one-armed wonder at the moment!

The knee is better today. I didn’t twist it, so that’s good. I’m a little surprised that I didn’t dislocate my shoulder or break my collar bone; I am wondering if I tore some of the connective tissue, though. Only time will tell.