Head Cold X 2

Uggg....well, I still have my head cold tho I do feel a lot better. Unfortunately, now the Gman has it!

We had Bigggg plans for tonite, Bigggg Plans. New Year's Eve and all....we are supposed to go to the local Legion for dinner and dancing. A fantastic band is playing.

We doubt we'll be going anywhere. At the moment, we're both tired, cranky and blowing our noses a lot. ugh....

Yesterday we were in town. We picked up weatherstripping for two of our doors, as it badly needs replacing. Not that it will get done today! Also picked up some of these nifty things....

I did muster up the energy to get the outlet and light switches on all outside walls done. Here's hoping it helps a bit to keep out some of the draft.

The other day, the Gman made a big pot of Chicken Soup, so we hauled out the canner and have put 6 pints in there. He can take these with him when he goes away to work again.

That's it. I doubt anything else will get done today...we'll just lay around and try to feel better! Happy New Year Everyone!!!

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I'm a Great Auntie!!!

Yes I am....but now, all over again, I am a Great Auntie!! Wesley Martin, born last evening around 7pm....Congrats to my niece, Nicole and her fella Ryan....nuttin like a brand new babe!!! Sphere: Related Content

Snowy Wolf

Uggg, I'm still playing with this new camera. I sure do wish I was more tech savvy!

I'm trying to put up a pic of Da Wolf from yesterday....he was playing in the snow and he was covered in snow when he came back up on the porch. Here he is waiting patiently to be towelled off before being allowed to come in the house and lay on his rug.

I hope this works...or I'll need to call my Help Desk again!

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Da Wolf

Still fiddlin with the new camera...and taking life easy. Folks down the valley had an Open House today, so we spent the afternoon with a bunch of people. Good food and lots of visiting.

Here's our boy - half Wolf half Malamute. He'll be 9 next April...

He Loves the Snow! He likes to lay on the snow in the sunshine.

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Winter Pics

We got a new camera for Christmas. I think I may have figured it out enough to try to put a few pictures up on here....we'll see...

The side yard....frozen mullien plant in the foreground, the sun shining in the background...

Looking down towards the barn...we've had maybe another 6" of snow and the weather has warmed up, right now it's about -7C and it was above 0C today, which has been really nice.

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Christmas Baking

Yesterday, the Gman made up a few batches of shortbread....

we bought new smaller cookie sheets so we could fit 4 trays in the oven at the same time.

He makes the Best shortbread!

While he was busy doing that, I got a start on the croquettes. The mixture is still sitting in the fridge right now - we will probably get them finished still this afternoon.

Earlier today, I got the first batch of gingerbread men done....my Dad always made these. He baked a LOT of them when he had his bakery, they were always really popular.

Of course, his looked well.....good! Professional, not like mine!

Waiting patiently for the final dressing....

After they have their feet, hands and head decorated.

I just dip them in a bowl with icing sugar and a tad of water.

Then dip them into a bowl with sprinkles mixed with coconut.

Done! Not like Dad's, but kinda like Dad's, if ya know what I mean....

Oh No! sorry buddy....

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Christmas Baking

I got a tiny start on the baking today....I only had All the ingredients to make Dutch Almond Buttercake...or Boeterkoek for us flat landers ( gee I hope I spelt that right)....

I got 4 of them made....a couple of our friends love this stuff so much, I give them a cake each for Christmas....

To serve, I just cut into 8 pieces just like a pie....8 instead of 6 because it is pretty rich....

The rest of my recipes all need something I don't have on hand....but tomorrow, we will go do a good day of shopping, and I can pick up everything I need....guess there will be a lot of baking going on in the next couple of days.

Gingerbread boys, Dutch croquettes, shortbread, fudge...I'm putting on pounds just thinking about it. We sure are late this year with getting ready for Christmas....

Our temperature yesterday morning, Sat Dec 20....much warmer today!

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The Gman is Home

The Gman got home late yesterday afternoon, he did have an eventful trip. The roads were fine he said, a little snowy and icy. All was going great until he went thru one of the towns he must pass thru.

Waiting at an intersection for the light....he got rearended. Good thing he left lots of room between him and the guy in front of him. But the poor girl who ran into him, her little car was not looking so good. She hit the Gman's trailer hitch and bent it...that's all the damage to his truck. And his neck hurts somewhat, he will go to our doctor tomorrow morning.

His hitch pushed right thru her radiator....he thinks there is quite a bit of damage to her car. Sphere: Related Content

The Next Round

It's time for the next round of Cold Temperatures....it was -30C when I got up...now it has warmed up to a balmy -25C...

I think we're in for a very cold weekend....my fashion statement these past two weeks consists of...2 pairs of socks, long johns, lined flannel blue jeans...undershirt, long sleeved t shirt, long sleeved longjohn top, sweatshirt, sweater AND my lined heavy duty workvest.

All topped off by 2 toques....all of this at the same time, lol! I still feel like the Pillsbury DoughBoy.

I'm taking some comfort in the fact that Everyone around here is layering right now like I am....yesterday 4 friends stopped in for tea. Took them all a loooonggg time to get their outerwear off, then they all huddled by the woodstove.

I am being VERY careful around here....walking carefully down to the barn, making sure the Wolf goes everywhere with me. Any work that could turn dangerous is simply not being done.

I have zero desire to slip and fall, break a bone etc while I am here alone in this kind of weather. Two careful daily trips to the barn to bring hot water down to the girls is the extent of my outside activity.

I can't WAIT for tomorrow night, the Gman will be back home, where he belongs....he has a long cold drive ahead of him. I hope the road conditions will be OK.

It sure does look purty out there tho!

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Milking a Cow (or Goats)

I've never had a milk cow or a milk goat. My grandpa did....lots of dairy cows, but I was just little then.

I've thought about getting a milk goat. But I don't think so. I Really don't want to be tied down to the milking, even tho I seem to be at home most of the time! Plus, we can get our goat milk from a friend.

But I'm interested in learning more about animals. Maybe we will get a feeder calf, let it grow out on the grass and eventually send it off to freezer camp.

Anyway I have been reading over at Throwback at Trapper Creek. Matron has wonderful photographs, and great write ups over there, you should check it out, if you haven't been there before....

A few weeks ago, Matron put up a tutorial on milking. Lots of explanation along with the usual great photos....so if you ever wondered how to milk a cow bop over to the link below....


http://matronofhusbandry.wordpress.com/2008/12/01/one-maid-a-milking/ Sphere: Related Content

Getting Ready for Christmas!

I know, I know....I shoulda started before now...but hey, this is Me I'm talking about! Some good news...friends were going into town so they will mail the Christmas cards! That was beginning to bother me, I want people to have the cards before the holiday!

It's hard to believe in 8 days it will be Christmas! This year has gone by so fast...I guess they all do when ya get older.

So I've gotten just "a bit of a start" on decorating. It was sooo cold here a few days ago, I was running around trying to button up the house as best I could.

I remembered I had bought a solar sheet - supposed to help keep the warm air in and the cold air out in the winter, so I hastily hung that up over the living room door (that doesn't get used....no deck out there yet).

It doesn't look so good, lol! So this afternoon, I turned it into a present....

I started setting up the Nativity Table....it's not finished yet, looking kinda hard still....have to soften it up abit.

My little angels - given to me from a great lady I used to work with at the College....I think I've had these probably 10 years.....they come out every Christmas.

And the sofa table decorated...I did that several days ago.....I also ran some lights.

It's starting to look like Christmas!

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It's Warming Up a Bit

Well, here's hoping the worst of that Ice Storm is over with.....we had a few nights of -30C, but last nite it warmed up to -15C.

It's almost -10C outside right now....it's amazing how much warmer it feels at -10C than -30C, lol!

I've mostly been trying to keep the house warm and cuddling up close to the woodstove. This afternoon, I'm going to do a bit more Christmas decorating....the Gman is due home on Saturday, weeeeeeee! Sphere: Related Content

-36C This Morning

Ouchie Mama....it's cold out there! -36C at 6am! And I just checked again, and the temperature hasn't changed.....

In case American friends are wondering...-40C = -40F. That is where the two temperatures meet.

Wearing my toque on my head, Uggs on my feet, 2 pairs of socks, fingerless mitts on my hands, hands wrapped around hotttt coffee....

And da Wolf....I kept him in the last 2 nights....here he is all snuggled up on the stair landing.

Think it's gonna be a hot oatmeal morning for the laying hens, poor things!

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The Deep Freeze

We're defintely in a deep freeze here.....-25C this morning....and I think the high was probably around -12C. This is the same Arctic storm that's hitting the rest of BC, Alberta, Montana, Washington and Oregon....

I turned on some baseboard heaters down in our basement for the first time. We don't want any pipes freezing - the woodstove has been fully banked all day, but it still feels cold in the house. As the coldroom was a bit too cold, I opened the door partway, this will hopefully bring it up a couple of degrees in there.

Da Wolf goes out for a minute, then comes right back in! He has a comfy rug inside to curl up on.

The girls seem to be fine down in their coop. It's both insulated and heated, as long as they have lots of feed and lots of water, they should be fine. I picked up 9 eggs this morning, and since we have lots on hand already, I scrambled them up......

Wrapped the plate with tin foil to keep the eggs warm....

And brought them back down to the hens. They gobbled 'em up like nuttin!

Yummy nice warm eggs in their tummies, figured it was the least I could do for them!

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It's STILL Snowing!

OK now, this is beginning to get "old". Have u ever seen that email that goes around in winter? The one where on the first day that it snows, the author writes how pretty everything looks, as he bundles up to git out dere and shovel?

On Day 2, he's still extolling the wonders of snow...how pristine everything looks?

On Day 3, just the teeniest bit of reality begins to sink in....he doesn't mind going out to shovel. He still sees the snow in that virginal, beautiful way....butttttttt.....

Day 4, he would rather see it begin to slow down? And yet the snow keeps falling, and he keeps shovelling, now muttering things under his breath.

By Day 5, he is almost a raging lunatic. Raging against the snow, attempting to bargain with the Snow God...promising this and that, if only the Snow God would just LAY OFF?

Yeah....well, guess where I am, lol???? There is nothing to say. Other than to state the fact that i finally got all the Christmas cards finished yesterday, and now there is absolutely NO WAY I can get to a mailbox or post office.

Are you on our Christmas card list? Pay no mind if you don't get your card till February ok???

Here ya go, this is what I walked outside to see this morning.....it stopped snowing while I was out there shovelling, feeding and camera clicking, but it has now started snowing again....sigh.

Yes, you see that correctly....it looks like almost 8 inches of fresh snow overnight....

Here's the driveway that was plowed just a few days ago....

Snowmobile tracks made by our neighbour in an effort to keep the driveway somewhat usable....

The path after I have shovelled my way down to the barn again....

The chicken run after I have shovelled it out and thrown hay down. The girls are still desperate to get outside.

there's the generator...I've dug it out from under snow at least 3 times already....

I've been thinking of Mexico lately.....

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It's Snowing Again!

It has been snowing since very early this morning....I again had to shovel the path to the barn....it's still snowing now and they are calling for more snow to come over the next two days.

It's warmer today tho, thank goodness! 0C as I write this just after 11am....

I use my garden bench as a bit of a measure as to how much snow we get, lol!

Can you see it there in the pic to the left?

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Finally ...a Good Number of Eggs

Our hens have been slowing down for quite awhile now. We culled some of the hens early this Fall, as we had waaayyyy too many birds for the amount of eggs they were giving. A few of them were moulting, but there were Several that seemed to be "just along for the ride".

So we ended up with 18 birds. Day before yesterday I noticed one that looked like she wasn't feeling well....listless and with a very pale comb. Yesterday when I went down in the morning to feed them, she was dead.

That leaves us with 17 birds now....and we had been getting maybe 8 or 9 eggs a day, the odd day getting 10.

This morning, here's what I collected. 13 eggs out of 17 girls...things are looking up! let's hope they keep this up!

One egg was Really Tiny...way smaller actually than the little ones that the new hens are laying. So, maybe just maybe one of the hens is coming off the moult?? Hope so!

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A Cold Cold Morning

Brrrr...it's a cold one out there this morning. It was -15C when I got up and put the coffee on....I've got the woodstove blasting, and I feel like the Pillsbury Dough Boy because I have so many layers of clothes on!

When I went to get wood from the mud room, I saw this....frosty whorls on the Inside of the windows. Granted, the mud room isn't heated...I actually like the windows like this, they make some neat designs!

And a pic of the valley, everything is frosted and iced out there....it looks beautiful on the trees, everything is sparkling. The sun is out too....

I'm determined to get the yearly Christmas letter done today, so I can get moving along on the cards that need to get out into the mail....and I may do a bit more decorating later on today!

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Getting Ready for Christmas!

Slowly, very slowly I am starting to get ready for Christmas. We don't usually start decorating until well into December....the other day I brought up my little tabletop Christmas Tree and decorated one of our living room tables....


I always think of my Grandma at this time of year....this used to be her little Christmas tree, I think she got it when she went into the nursing home. I'm Very Glad I was able to have it.

Every year, when I bring it upstairs, I always think of her....she's been gone now for several years, but I still miss her. She was a wonderful woman!






I tried taking a picture with the lights turned on the tree and on the tabletop, but it didn't work out, lol....I have a lot to learn still when it comes to digital cameras! They sure are fun to use tho....

So besides doing our table, I have hung a wreath on the front door, tied up some red ribbons on the railing outside the door....and hung a Season's Greetings plaque out there....

The rest will slowly get done as we wind our way to the 25th.....at some point, we'll hike around our property for our big tree. We have a vaulted ceiling in the living room, so we like to have a Big Tall Tree in there....

Soon, it will be time to do all the baking! But first, I need to get going on the Christmas Cards, there is always lots to do at this time of year, isn't there? Sphere: Related Content