Friday, January 23, 2009

We Are Here



Again


Wednesday, January 21, 2009

January Thaw Preview

The January thaw is coming tomorrow! One day above freezing is something to get excited about. Late this afternoon I went for a short walk with Gretchen and took some preview pics.


Gretchen



Gretchen's butt



The corn stalks glow in the light



The 911 address sign has ruined this for me


I mean really. No one lives there. Why does it need a frigging sign?


Drift



RR Xing



Tracks



I can't believe a collector hasn't snagged these insulators



Scrub trees



Fence Line



More fence


I hope you enjoyed the photo walk. Tomorrow I will be going to the supermarket. I don't think it will be a photo journey.

Getting Comfortable

The new cat, Skittles, is continuing to make her place in the family. Sometimes I think she is channeling her most recent predecessor. Tonight she climbed up the back of my chair, over my shoulder and into my lap, demanding the attention she felt she deserved.

Here she is finally getting brave with the giant Mouse:


Attack!



It is futile to resist!


Tuesday, January 20, 2009

The *Gown*


Dress from the front



She couldn't control the thing and kept tugging at it.



The back, close



The back






This has nothing to do with the dress, but wouldn't that hurt after a while?


I Have No Room To Talk -- But...

Michelle Obama's gown looks like a chenille bedspread.

She looked gorgeous on election night. She has a great figure and could wear anything. So why would she drape herself in the spread off the bed?

I leafed through pictures of gowns designers were begging her to wear. Most were stunning. This thing is not becoming at all.

Like I said, I have no room to talk sitting here in a dirty sweatshirt and jeans. This is not the biggest problem our country faces. But OMG, that dress is horrible.

Inaguration (Part Two)

"Please stand while Barack Obama takes the oath of office."

I stood in front of the TV.

I wasn't instructed to, but I cried.

The time has come at last.

Inaguration (Part One?)

I've been listening to NPR all morning. I finally flipped on the tube and the first thing I saw was Dick Cheney in a wheelchair.

Wow, he's getting out of there in the nick of time.

Or so I thought. Turns out he pulled a muscle in his back while moving into his new digs.

Hurry up. Give us a new administration already.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

A Poem

I got a forward today that I enjoyed because the sentiment within was oh, so true. Well, mostly true. The winds were not 70 mph today (yesterday they were 40) but if the actual temperature does not get above -11, WTF does it matter? Cold is cold.

It's winter in Iowa
And the gentle breezes blow
Seventy miles an hour
At twenty-five below.

Oh, how I love Iowa
When the snow's up to your butt.
You take a breath of winter
And your nose gets frozen shut.

Yes, the weather here is wonderful
So I guess I'll hang around.
I could never leave Iowa
'Cause I'm frozen to the ground!


I really am frozen to the ground because my trusty Subaru would not start today. Not even after the wonderful neighbor came over to jump it. We messed with it for over half an hour til my fingers and toes were frozen. Wonderful Neighbor told me that it is supposed to warm up tonight and by midnight the temps will be above zero. One can only dream.... And surf the internet.... And write blog posts....

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Asked and Answered

Captain Crab asked this morning, "How Cold Is It?"

Today is is cold enough for sundogs.


Left Sun Dog



Right Sun Dog


Mush reports spring-like conditions in Walla Walla, Washington and is happy to be away from "that Midwestern-style frozen tundra crap". Frozen tundra is an apt description of what I see out my front door.


Snow blowing on the tundra


The good deed of the neighbor has been undone but I'm sure he will return with his snow moving machine after the wind stops. If the wind stops? I don't want to think it...

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Neighbors

Where would we be without them? Our neighbors make sure our lane is cleared.







Here the neighbor is building up our "snow fence". It really helps control the drifting.

It really is a beautiful day, if you don't mind temps of -9F. I was snapping pictures and it wasn't too bad. Except for my fingers and toes which starting losing feeling after a couple of minutes. The neighbor stepped out of the cab to chat for a minute and was only wearing a hooded sweatshirt over his shirt. It must be pretty toasty in that tractor!

Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Thanks A Lot, Al. Now What?

Inspired by my friend, Al Gore, and his movie about global warming, I bought CFL light bulbs. They're great! They save energy! They last a long, long time!



The down side is that the CFL's contain mercury. Heaven forbid you should break one in your kitchen. Call the Haz Mat team!

Last week I had my first burn out. I learned there is no "green" way to dispose of them. At least not around here, according to my internet search. I emailed the regional recycling center to find out what I should do.

A homeowner can throw away a few in the garbage. That is all we have in place at the present time.


A few? What if all 5 of my kitchen bulbs burned out? Could I throw all 5 of them away at once, or would I have to wait between tossings? And how do I know how many have been tossed by other people? And wait, I don't own my home! Can renters throw them away?

I have a CFL bulb in it's original hard plastic package sitting on the floor of my car in case CFL recycling boxes start popping up. Or maybe I'll throw it in a dumpster in a town farther away. I'm open for suggestions, people!

Sunday, January 04, 2009

Getting To Know You

For those who missed Crab's announcement, we have adopted a new kitty. On December 30, Crab went to the Humane Society and picked out a cat. It is a good thing I didn't go because I might have come home with all the cats.

Here she is eating her first meal. She didn't even have a name yet.


First Meal


She was awful shy and hid a lot. I had to put her up on the new kitty play station as she wasn't brave enough yet to jump on things.


Play Station


We decided to name her Skittles. She decided to be braver and explore the house.


She found the toilet! I missed the shot of her with her paws in the water.



There's food bits in the sink strainer!



They just don't make pom poms like they used to!


It is fun to have a lively kitten around again.