I'm back from the Riverside show. Got delayed in Portland -- flights to Spokane were canceled because of weather. They tried a few flights until a Southwest plane slid off the end of the runway. At that point, everyone gave up and closed the airport. Return flight the following day was uneventful, but the car had 15" of snow, so I had to borrow a snow shovel from the lot attendant to dig out the car. I really need to add some cold-weather items to the car -- boots, gloves, shovel.

Here's a pic of a 4' icicle hanging at the back of the house. Had to knock it off after I took the picture so the weight wouldn't pull down the gutter. Wish the pic was better. I'm not getting the quality I want, but a new camera is not in my near future.


Off to Costco in the morning to get better tires.

Linda

Life can't get much better than a nap in the sun.

Well, another two weeks have passed, and I'm back in an airport again. I'm on my way to Dallas for the Grapvine show, and thus ends the seven weeks of down-time. Back in November I had such good intentions for planned accomplishments -- Gallery for the website, a bazillion new designs, paint bedroom, prune trees, and yes, the Wood Pile. But those good intentions are now just a good, albeit impotent memory. Like all the rest, the Wood Pile still looms in front of me. It's still covered with snow -- Not the SAME snow. Nope, we had one day above 32F when it rained, and then the temp dropped again so the wood all froze together in a big lump. I tried kicking a few pieces loose but really can't recommend this procedure.
At least the Family Visit went well. We cranked the heat up to a blistering 65F, rolled my mother up in a blanket and plopped her on a heating pad, so she was content. Dakota developed a cough, and God forbid I return him sick to his father, so outdoor activities had to be curtailed, but indoor events were a success. It was pretty much a Martha Stewart week. I don't remember when I've cooked this many meals, washed this many dishes, or tried to be such a gosh-danged homemaker. We even made Christmas ornaments and dog treats. The Great Meatloaf Cookoff resulted in a four-way tie (In true Democratic Spirit, we each voted for our own), but all agreed that we'd been suffiently "meatloafed" that it won't be on the menu again for a long time.



Don't know why, but I can't get anymore pics to load, so am quitting in disgust, and will try again later.

Linda

Best Wishes for a Happy Holiday, and High Hopes for the New Year to all from Linda, Creighton and the critters. Heat and water are restored. Today I bought one of the last four Christmas trees remaining in Spokane. Most of our tree decorations are still in Fort Bragg, and pickings were pretty slim today, but we're happy. My mother and Dakota are arriving tomorrow afternoon, so it's 16 hours and counting down. Still need to finish installing the carpet and moving furniture into the spare room.
Scheduled events for the week are:
1)The Great Meatloaf Cookoff (Home Ec)
2)Sock Golf (P.E.)
3)Baking dog biscuits (more Home Ec)
4)Making ornaments for my rather empty tree (Arts & Crafts)
5)Catapult construction (Engineering)
6)Lighting filings from defective mag plates (Science)
Hope to post pics of the final projects.

Linda

We'll had a few recent setbacks, and are struggling to get the house ready for the Family Visit in two days. The furnace quit two days ago; also, no hot water, and the three cords of wood are green and won't burn. Temp in the house is around 56 F. AND we still have to lay the carpet in the guest room for, yes, the Family Visit. So, if you really want to read a more interesting blog than this, check out and be sure to read days 14-19 of December. Her rant on the Michael's shopper is not to be missed. I wish she would move next door to me. I have lots of cheap wine (well, I do now, but I bet there's less by the end of the evening LOL), and I'm sure everything would be much funnier if she were here.
On a happy note, I have uploaded a few new images to my website.
Hope to upload a Christmas pic in the next couple of days, but just in case....wishing everyone a safe and joyful holiday season. May everything be dipped in chocolate and deep-fried.

Linda

Final GPS testing reports sent to France abut midnight...just in time for their 8am deadline. What a relief that's done. Sot it's back to normal routines today. C is pressing rubber, and I'm onto the wood project again. I bought a wheelbarrow (some assembly required) to haul the wood, but it didn't happen, and today the wheel barrow still looks like this

Yup, that's two jumbo jars of Jif on the microwave, rubber cement on the counter, and a Bedel Kraus box. Those, plus the dog, pretty much describe my Life.

And the wood pile now looks like this.

Here's Batman on his morning Cat Patrol.


Linda

This is my fashion statement of the week. It's GPS Testing Time, and I've hiked miles around this loop near the house the last ten days. The job sounded like a great idea when I signed up in October, but I had NO idea it would turn into THIS. Hope the next testing opportunity turns up say April or May. Two more days to go, and it's done, and then back to the rubber business. Hopefully handling the paycheck will bring some feeling back to my fingers.

I've quoted many times that "there are no bad climates, just inappropriate clothing". Well, if I put on any more layers, I'm not sure I could walk, and I haven't seen my feet all week LOL.

Hey Paula, thanks (sarcasism interjected here) thanks for the pics of Santa Cruz VBG...but truely, I wish you the best with your retreat. Lookin' forward to Dallas! Is it warm there????

Linda

Two cords of wood were delivered this morning. It's gonna be another a-haulin' and a-stackin' weekend. There are a lot of people selling wood up here, but I buy from Jake. He's thirteen. He buys woods rounds, then splits and sells them. His nine-year-old sister helps witht the stacking, and his grandfather drives them around to deliver the wood. I've bought a total of three cords. He says he has another 7 cords to sell this week. I have no idea how many more cords he's sold this winter, but I've got a pretty good idea that he's having a better month than I. I am so danged proud of him :-)

I uploaded some new images to my website. Plates should be here today or Monday. One is for making "To" and "From" Christmas tags. If you want something different for your packaging, you might like these. It's my token Christmas image, albeit a bit late in the season.

Linda

My felting successes. YAYYYYY!

Linda

THE FRONT PORCH
Yesterday was The Day the Kitchen Curtains were hung. They've been lying in the corner since July, waiting for C to get them up. He said that he didn't hang them because he wanted me to talk to him. I explained that it wasn't "talking" at all, but somewhere between bitching and nagging. At least now the endless "talking" will stop.

It's also been a week of continuing the Homestead Mode. The weather stays cold and snowy, so we've been a-splittin', and a-haulin' and a-stackin' skads of wood. Needless to say, we've also been a-burnin' wood at an alarming rate, so two more cords will be arriving next week. I feel obligated to bring home huge sacks of flour, salt, beans, and especially a BIG side o' bacon. Better get two slabs of the bacon.

We were hired by Magellan to do System Test on some GPS equipment. It's scheduled to begin tomorrow, and the weather couldn't be worse for being outside all day. Paula, can Zoey carry a key of Brandy yet? I think we're going to need it LOL.

Update on the felting. Success!! All but one of my projects felted properly. I've since made a couple more bowls, which I'm felting tonight. I'll post pics soon.

Linda