Cathing Up

Yesterday 17 February
8:33 am - Gr and I slept much better last night. Well he slept better, I spent a lot of time trying not to move, because I didn't want to hit his foot. I don't remember how he moved into my bed. Anyhow I need to get going to the eye doctor.

Today 18 February
8:20 am - Mother just called to let me know I should look out the window in the yard. We had three deer out under the hemlock tree eating seeds from the cones. While my darling dog Gr slept away the morning in a chair. The deer look good, still very healthy.

2:48 pm - I've been plucking my way through my to do list. Most importantly I got Gr licenced for another year. I even dug out my St Patrick Day decorations. OK so what I'm really doing is killing time, putting off paying bills. My net chore. Oh and the snow has finally arrived.

8:47 pm - Sitting in the truck in Bennington in a snow storm. Little E is on his third class of CRASH. He got picked up at a party, under aged drinking, three weeks before he turned twenty-one. So the State took his driver licence for six months and the completion of this class. It's going to be a bitch of drive home.

10;25 pm - Still snowing hard, and I can tell you that the roads are slippery.

Snow. Use It When You Can

9:32 am - It's sunny and cold. Big E and Little E took Gr yesterday and headed for Lake Champlain. So I went out cross country skiing in Arlington. It's the first time I've been on skies in two years. I had fun and since nothing hurts on me, and we got few inches of fresh snow last night, I'm going again today. But right now I'd just like to go back to bed.

11:06 am - Oh boy, real big move, I put in my contacts. I just can't get moving today. I'm not even dressed yet. I'm waiting for Mother to come home, cause she wants to ski with me. If she isn't back by one I'm going t just go without her. I have to do something.

1:56 pm - So I got Mother and we went skiing for an hour. The fresh air, sunshine, and exercise made me feel more alive. Big E called to say they are coming home. He says it's to cold on the Lake for him.

8:40 pm - Everyone is asleep, but me. When Big E is home no one gets to use the couch. I've given up any thought that my marriage includes conversation. After 22 years the best I can say is, he's a good man, and we have a comfortable marriage. Trust me when I tell you that not such a bad thing.

Snow Clean Up

11:46 am - Yesterday was a snow day. Little E and I hung out on the couch and did nothing. Today we are at the office cleaning up the snow. I shoveled, Little E is plowing with the skidster. Big Ed's father did fine yesterday and it looks like he'll finally be getting the new knee in February on the tenth.

9:36 pm - It was a quite afternoon. Little and I had lunch at Chili's and bought some food for tonight at Hannafords. Than we just kind of laid back. I went down to Mother's with Gr to visit with Aunt M. I'm having some trouble with my computer, it's time to get the thing cleaned up.

Broken Bear

10:06 am - I've got a nice empty house and I'm enjoying it. The feeling of being relaxed is somehow strange to me. I'm watching an old Jimmy Stewart western Broken Arrow on AMC. I've done my laundry and in a few minutes I'll get to work on some research. Best of all I'm not even going to get out of my PJ's.

11:45 am - I broke the only Christmas gift I got this year that I liked or could use. It was a little bear that my Mother gave me, which was to hold toilet paper. I knocked it off the wall and it broke into pieces on the floor. The whole house just shook, when some of the snow and ice just came slidding off the roof.

9:10 pm - I've all the preliminary research of by book done, now comes real leg work. I love this stuff, and can't wait to start spending my time among old books and papers. Big E called and said they had a great day on the ice and caught some really nice fish. It's good to know we've all had a nice weekend.

Dizzy but Happier

8:00 am - I think I might actually get out of the house and do some shopping today. Gr is laying out front in the snow looking toward Mother's house. I know I shouldn't be this way but I'm excited that the guys are going ice fishing for the weekend and the house will be mine.

11:59 am - Wow! I couldn't believe the case of sensory over load I got when I walked into the stores today. Way to much to have to look at and try to take in. Kind of made me feel dizzy. I'm at Friday's for a little lunch. One more store than home. I'm buying something just for me; a new fry pan. Doesn't take a lot to make me happy.

4:35 pm - It's odd to be home without Gr. Big E took him with him ice fishing on Champlain for the weekend. I'm feeling much better today, more like myself. I think I've gotten through another bout of depression. This time was a bad one. Oh well not to dwell. It is 40+ today, but thankfully that wont last. Now that I'm feeling better I'm going to get out tomorrow and enjoy the snow.

6:49 pm - I feel strange tonight, dizzy and light headed. I have no idea what's wrong. I talked to Big E a few minutes ago. It's a wonder he didn't fall asleep talking to me.

10:08 pm I just finished watching the movie Smart People. It's a really good movie, I recommend it. I'm still feeling kind of dizzy, so I think its off to bed, and hope that feeling is gone in the morning.

Closed

9:10 am - C and I are heading for Stony Ridge for breakfast [if they are open]. The best most amazing stuffed hash browns. Stuffed hash browns seem to be an upper Minnesota creation. What this is, is shredded potatoes, fried crispy on one side than flipped like a pancake than loaded with meat, veggies,and cheese. They fold the potatoes up like an omelet and top with eggs. It's incredible.

11:36 am - Bummer...Stony Ridge Cafe is closed until May. I am disappointed beyond words. I still got my stuffed hash browns. C and I went to the Grand Ely Lodge. Not nearly and good.

4:32 pm - I just took Map for a walk out around the block. We put her new boots and the coat my Mother map on her. She really looked adorable. I was surprised that the boots didn't seem to faze her at all, but she just kept trying to shake the coat off. Anyhow she sniffed her way around the block and than came in bouncing off the wall. The house smells great right now, I'm baking beer bread.

8:04 pm - The house has settled down at last. Map used by the last of her energy and is now crashed on the couch. C is visiting with friends on line. I cleaned up the kitchen from dinner [the whole loaf of bread is gone]. C friends MW and HC stopped to say hi on their way to campus. It has been a really pleasant Sunday.

First Day

1:18 pm - Happy New Year. I hope everyone had a good night and that 2009 will see more ups than 08. It is a bright cold day, a great start as long as your not hung over looking at the glare off the snow. I'm trying to get my house put back into shape and Christmas 08 just a memory. I'm not getting anything done very fast. Some sitting and petting the dogs seems more important.

3:15 pm - Mother had us down for a New Years Day dinner. We were without Little E, who was working on the mountain.

9:58 pm - I finally did get all my Christmas wrap for next year put away, along with my Noel's. That was what I was hoping to get done today, so I'm pretty happy. We had a quite night around here with the guys watching College Bowl games. Now its just me and Map and C, everyone else has gone to bed.

The Eve of Christmas Eve

8:01 am - It is a cold clear morning. I had to turn up a couple of the heat zones in the house, because the pellet stove isn't keeping up. Gr escaped this morning from Map, and is taking a puppy break at Mother's.

9:25 am - I just broke a mirror. So do I start looking for those seven years bed luck, or just except that I no longer have a mirror over my mantel.

11:47 am - Someone knocked out the phone at the office this morning, ripped the wires off the pole. So I was a half hour on the cell phone to Fair Point getting them to come and make repairs. Now Gr and I are out delivering gifts around town. With all the errands and other thing that need to be finished up I've decided we'll just pizza for dinner tonight. Right now I'm breaking for lunch.

10:22 pm - Little is out again tonight. His friend J D from high school is back from the Air Force, so they are all meeting up to Friendly's. C and his cousin J P are hang out here at the house, playing video games. And I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm already for Christmas. No stress this year, no last minute things. Cool. Now if Big E felt better and wasn't so worried about his father. Oh well that one of the things I can't fix.

Snow Day

7:40 pm - It looks like our snow has finally come to a stop. Between Friday, yesterday and today, we've gotten around 18 to 20 inches, of the lovely fluffy white stuff. It's been such a nice day around here. We all went down to Mother's this morning for breakfast, and than everyone has just hung out around the house. C and I have shoveled a couple of times, and everyone has been watching football. I've gotten a ton of candy made for Christmas. It really is wonderful to have an adult snow day once in a while.

To Warm For Winter

9:27 am - I had a fight with the pellet stove again this morning, but it's going now. A dark morning and the wind is coming up. To warm for any snow. I'm sick of this weather, I want real winter.

3:29 pm - It's 61 degrees. So much for snow, but on the up side the ice has melted away. With the warm weather I took the opportunity to get the bunnies cage cleaned out. Now I have a few more gifts to wrap. I bought some more things for the dogs. Now I've got to move some money around for the business.

5:25 pm - Mother had me come down while some insurance guys came in. She is trying to decide what kind of Medicare to have. Since Mother is healthy, it looks like she will be going with Part C plan, with a small co-pay. The thing is Mother hates to make a decision, which is why she wants me to tell her what to do.

7:05 pm - Thought I would do a follow up on my Dollar a Day. To make up for yesterday; when I didn't donate, today I left two dollars at Whitman's in a can for the NorthShaft Lion's Club's fund to build a park in North Bennington. Hate to say this, but donating a dollar a day isn't as easy as you might think.

Christmas Trees, and Snowed In In Duluth

1:13 pm - A really good morning. Took Mother and Gr, and we went and got our Christmas trees. We cut our own at the Mattison Tree Farm. I'm sure that the tree I picked out will not make Big E happy, but I like it. We stopped at the cemetery so I could put Christmas flags and Dad's grave and on Nanna and Grampa's. Gr friend was there as soon as we stopped the truck. Some day I'll have to find out the name of that hound. When we got home I helped Mother get her tree in a stand, mine went in the barn until the 18th. I got a call from the guys in MN. C got a deer this morning. He said it was nice spike horn. The bigger news is that Little E might not get out of Duluth in the morning. They are expecting fifteen inches of snow. Big E and C are taking him down to the airport tonight. I got him a room at the Country Inn & Suites for two nights, just in case he doesn't get out in the morning.

2:56 pm - I should be doing a ton of things, but Gr is sleeping all cuddled up with me on the couch. I just can't bring myself to move and disturb him. So here I sit, curled up under a blanket watching old TV shows.

5:55 pm - So I finished wrapping all the gifts that are leaving the house. Still have things for Big E and the boys to wrap. This looks to me like a tiny Christmas in gift department. I just can't seem to find that perfect thing. I just called Little E and he is in the hotel. He said that Big E and C left about ten minutes ago, so I should hear from them about eight.

9:48 pm - Little wont be making it out of Duluth tomorrow. I just got the call that his flight has been canceled, because of the weather. So I guess I'll pick him up on Tuesday, if they get out. Big E is back at C's house, watching M run around in the snow. He says they have about ten inches already. I wish I was in MN with them.

Rain Freezing Rain, and Driving Home

5:49 am - This is going to be a tuff drive home. It's raining and it's thirty degrees, so it's freezing. I just stopped for a soda and almost didn't make it across the parking lot do to the ice.

11:59 am - I made it home. Everything is in the house. I finally had something to eat, got into comfy PJ's and am just beginning to unwind. It was a touchy drive home. I've made two one dollar contributions [just in case I don't get out tomorrow], one dollar at the rest stop in White River Junction to support the free coffee for travelers, and one dollar for the Second Chance Animal Shelter. For now the fire is roaring, Gr is curled up with me on the couch, I've got things to do, but God it's good to be home.

3:15 pm - The rain just keeps coming and freezing onto everything. It didn't take Gr long to get tired of me. He's gone down to Mother's to hang out. I'm not moving to fast today, but I have started wrapping and I out out a few more Christmas decorations.

10:11 pm - Still storming. It's going to be a mess in the morning. I am going to bed with hopes of sleeping in, in the morning.

Chores and Jobs and Truth

7:24 am - This is going to a screwy day. I've got myself packed for my Christmas shopping trip. As it seems is normal the day before you leave on a trip, things tend to pile up. The electrician Mother and I have been waiting on for months is coming this morning. I've got to be here because Mother wont be, she's going shopping with Aunt H. Oh well, as I well know everything will get done and by this time tomorrow I'll be on the road in search of gifts.

11:08 am - Yeah it's snowing. Great big fat flakes. I don't think it will last, it's to warm, but right now at least it's kind of pretty. Oh and I'm working my way through all those jobs so that I can out of here tomorrow. Big E gave me good news. We got a job over in Stratton, so there will be work through January. Than we'll have to see what comes up.

9:06 pm - I did it, finished up with the last thing, paying my home bills at just before seven thirty. Big E has me worried. The last couple of nights he has looked waisted. Mentally used up, instead of his usual physically spent. I know part of it is how bad things are going with he business, but I think the bigger problem is how sick his Dad is. I don't know how to be a good a wife in this matter. Should you sugar coat just how sick the Doctors and the family have let D become, or do you look him in the eye and tell him the truth. I know that I prefer the truth, but Big E, I don't which way to go.

Walking and Worry

11:50 am - Mother got her new stuff and she's actually happy with everything. So to celebrate that and the fact that Gr was good while the guys where there, we went for a walk in the woods. The puddles up there are froze in some really neat circular patterns. It was a really nice walk.

9:36 pm - I had to run Big E up to Rutland to get his work truck. We had dinner out, and talked the big talk about just how bad business is. Looks like maybe another week and we'll have to let all the guys go. First time we haven't had work in fourteen years. Deep breath and assume that something will come up, and we'll get through.

Shop Till You Drop with Mother

6:48 am - I felt really strange last night. I was light headed and I seemed to be having trouble coming up with the right words. I guess I tired. Up early this morning to take Mother to Saratoga. She's after a new TV. I'm hoping to beat the crowds.

2:58 pm - Well we got back just before the snow started. This may finally be the snow storm we've been waiting for. Mother did find a TV after three stores, and she got quite a few gifts. I'm just tired out, I'd love to crawl into bed and call it a night.

8:38 pm - The snow has turned to freezing rain, and the wind has come up. I'm just hoping that the Christmas decoration stay put. I'm glad that everyone is home, because I don't think this would a good night to be on the road. We had tacos for diner tonight mad with meat from Big E's bear. Not bad really.

Deck The Halls, Or Should I Say The Lawn

8:15 am - Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving yesterday. Ours was very quite, just four of us at Mother's. I slept in this morning. Gr had a bad night, asking to go out over and over. I still don't know if he didn't feel good, or he smelled something outside. So I didn't get a lot of sleep.

9:00 am - I know now that Gr was sick last night. I found a little mess in the basement. Poor little guy.

3:42 pm - Took me four hours to do the outside Christmas decorating. I'm still not quite done. I need to pick up a small string of lights for a wreath. It was a beautiful day for decorating. I even got a short snow shower.

5:18 pm - We went up to Arlington to go for a walk, and I could not believe the traffic. The roads are busier than on a normal work day. Although I'm sure the news people will say otherwise, I'd say there are a lot of shoppers out doing the Black Friday thing. I'm going to have to get rid of my favorite pair of Carhartt Overalls. I've worn them seven years and it shows. But it's going to be really hard to part with them. Maybe I can turn them into something new.

8:50 pm - I'm watching "The Polar Express". I've never seen it before, nor have I ever read the book. It is a really sweet story. Between this movie, and looking out my window at the Christmas lights I strong earlier today, I do believe I am getting into the Sprite of the Holiday.

Chocolate Dreams

7:22 am - The storm that the weather men said would make this morning a mess, didn't come. Little E went out last night, so as a nice change Big E and I had the house to ourselves. I love my boys, but I'm really ready for them to move out.

12:13 pm - I've just come from the dentist. I was dreading this cleaning, since due to scheduling, I haven't been in since last May. My jaw is sore from holding my mouth open, but other wise I'm good. Thanks to good genes from Dad. This cold dreary rainy day sucks. Snow would be so much better.

3:35 pm - It's almost snow. I wish we were doing better right now, I know just the business I would buy. Way back in 1976 the first job I ever had was cleaning house at the Chocolate Barn. Well the place is for sale. Now first I make chocolate so that part of the business I would keep [adding my own designs]. I would turn the beautiful 1840's house into a B&B. Back in the barn I would still sell VT products and antiques, but I would add a bakery, coffee shop feel to the place [I would get my friend DM and Mother to do the baking] with tables and sofas. I'd open early in the morning, at like 5am. I really believe that in a couple of years I could be making a nice living. Oh well at least it doesn't cost anything to dream.

8:00 pm - The power just came back on. I don't know why it was out, the weather is fine.

10:09 pm - I don't know what's got Big E all worked up tonight, but after dinner he got a mood going. His lousy mood effects everybody in the house right down to the dog. Lets just say that's a relief that he went to bed. I love the man, but he's a pain in the ass to live with sometimes.

Snow, Football, an Cat Dancing

7:28 am - Sometime last night after dark it snowed. We got up to this morning to a dusting on the ground.

4:14 pm - Well I went with Mother to Manchester where I helped her buy the new appliances at Brook Valley. Than I left Gr with her and went to Pittsfield to pick up some Christmas decorating things. Now it's just really good to be home curled up on the couch. Peace and quite. I'm going to do some work on Photo Shop, write a little, and relax, on my last night of being home alone.

7:07 pm - I just realized today is when C should have been playing in a bowl game. Had the Ironmen scored in those last two minutes two weeks ago in St Cloud, today they would have been playing one more football game. Oh well as sad as it still makes me feel, would a, should a, could a, but didn't.

8:05 pm - I just found a really good movie on the Western channel
. I think is is some of Burt Reynolds finest work in his early years.

I Love the Damn Pellet Stove

9:36 am - The damn pellet stove isn't working again this morning. I love the stove when it's running, because it's so much cleaner and easier than a wood stove, but when it stops running there isn't much you can do. Turn it off, wait, turn it on and hope. Than if it doesn't work call the guy and pay. The stove is supposed to save money, but I've forked out $150 in service calls already this year.

12:32 pm - I did the good daughter thing and took Mother to Home Depot to look at a stove and refrigerator she is thinking about buying. We picked out a stove, but than she decided she didn't like any of their fridges. So I guess I'll be making another trip. Than she wanted to go to the Christmas Tree farm to pick up bows to make wreathes, but they weren't open. I got the lawn picked up, and the bunnies moved back to their winter home. So the rest of the day will be spent doing paper work.

6:01 pm - I just finished listing some items for sale on EBay and Photosmart A826 Home Photo Center
Amazon. I figure I can clean something up, get them out of the house, and make a little money while I'm at it.

Big Bad Black Bear

7:23 am - I didn't write yesterday because I spent the day with Mother. We got up at 5:45 and Gr and I picked up Mother and drove up to the P & H Truck Stop for breakfast [they have the best cinnamon raisin toast in the world]. Than we went back to our Lake Camp so I could see what kind of mess they left me when it was closed up [I'm going to have a lot of work this Spring]. After that I took Mother shopping. We didn't get home until seven. I just wanted to go to bed. It was a tiring day.

12:05 pm - I feel like I'm spinning my wheels and going no where today. All I've done in the office this morning is make phone calls and try to set up advertising. I'm working but it sure doesn't look like I'm getting anything done and it doesn't feel like it either. Good new for me; my lost book weight has been found. I guess I must have left it at Friendly's last time I ate there. OK so lunch, a walk, and back to work.

2:26 pm - I ran into B L. I shouldn't say anything like this, but God she's really looking old. OK back to work.

3:52 pm - Big E and Little E just showed up at the office. Big E shot a black bear today up in Minerva,NY. They brought it back to the shop to hang and to get me to take picture of it. I asked Big E why he killed it and he said the bear was coming at him growling. I suppose that means we'll have another mount hanging in the living room [perhaps I should have one the mice I've killed recently stuffed, and mounted on the wall]. It's nice looking animal and is about 200 lb.

8:34 pm - So everyone is home tonight. What a joy, Gr and I had to give up our couch, because Big E can't share. I always have a hard time getting used to having to share the house [and my life], when the guys come home from camp. I know I'm not supposed to feel this way, but hay I like to be alone. However that being said I like having the guys around to.