Home Alone Blues

"I'm all alooone, there's nobody here beside me..." I dropped hubby off at the airport last Thursday. I had so much on my plate with end of the year taxes for the biz, end of the year reports for the town, a new payroll system, software updates, etc. etc. etc. that I was looking forward to having time to get it all done!!
Right after I dropped him off I headed to the town where I spent five hours before I packed up and headed home to my office to work more. I was able to finish the main report by 7:00 that night! I was so excited.
The next morning as I was having some morning Dunkies I started to get a taste of the downside of one adult in the house. There was a dog next to me squeaking away, a bird in the other room squawking for food/love, and three cats staring at me... boring holes into me is more like it.
So I patted everyone, fed everyone and then locked myself away in the office for the morning. Later that I day I also received my late xmas present. An HP Mini Netbook. Add that setup to the list and off my afternoon runs... I got our final reconcile done and some reports pulled for end of year taxes. I finished the job I started days ago of filling the bulk bin for the boiler, and take out all the trash around the house and basement. I also made up a floor plan layout for the new shop. I was pretty excited about that... although I think a move in date of June 1 is going to be a BIG challenge! After the pressure tank failed (or froze) and flooded the shop side of the property we started cleaning it out and filling the dumpster.
In just two days we have it mostly cleared out. One more day to take the walls down then Wil will come in to run electrical. Then we start dry-walling.

I am so excited that we are moving though. To finally be in one location instead of wondering (or having to go see) if something is at the other building, not to mention less rent, utilities, gas, time... I digress.

I spent the evening knitting a scarf that I have had on my roster since last year. I also pulled out a pattern for a beginner's sweater that came in my new knitting magazine. This year I finished a hat and scarf for myself, a hat with ear flaps for hubby, and another hat for me. I started working on a sock project with my SIL, but am stuck at the heal. So that will have to wait until we can catch up with each other again. I got some great yarn when we were in Ireland this past summer for a sweater for Art. While he would love for me to jump right in and knit a sweater for him, I thought I should start with an easy sweater for me so I can work the bugs out and figure out what I am doing with local (coupon purchased) yarn from Michael's before I use the fancy Irish wool yarn.

Today is day three. Thalia kitten woke me up at five am. She stands on the headboard (on the other side of the bed of course) and scratches at the wall. Whatever. I spend fifteen minutes shooing her away, but in that time she wakes the dog. Fast forward the fifteen minutes and now two cats are tearing around the room chasing each other, and the dog is breathing on me and squeaking. My Blizzie was also awakened so she crawled out of the blanket nest she had made herself next to me and now just sits above me on the headboard with a disapproving look. So I get up, throw the dog out on his chain, feed the monsters (and my Blizz), then start coffee. I cleaned up a bit, started some laundry, cleaned the cat boxes, vacuumed upstairs, fed birds and chickens, and tidied papers. In about an hour I plan to head down the hill where I will go to Target to get some cutting boards since the old ones look like they were put in a blender, get more yarn for my sweater with my Michael's 40% off coupon, and head to the shop.
Since we fired the loser thief last month MJ has taken over service. I get to try to help decode the loser's system and figure out what he did/didn't do/needs to be redone. Then I get to do a long awaited (but will be hated anyway) software update. The database runs SO much faster and cleaner, but you lose all sales data from the past. Pick your battle. They want clean and fast so they are going to lose some...
It has been a ridiculously warm and dry January. The sun has been shining which has been lovely but the snow is sad. I think we had one maybe two storms that resulted in all of three inches of snow. At this point the ground is exposed on roads and paths. Of course, there is a storm coming in tonight and tomorrow that will dump 6-12 inches on us (which I would normally love!) just in time for me to have to drive to the airport to pick hubby up. Going to take it slow. I will make a stop in Milford to transfer some $$$ for the town, then stop in Bedford for gas, then depending on how I do I will try to make a run for the airport. Stressed out about it already!
It will be nice to have hubby home again. I am glad to have all this work behind me, and now we can really ramp up activity at the new shop, and plan for some upcoming trips! :-)

Trip Within

2009 was a busy year. We traveled near and far going to Utah, Nevada, Vermont, New York, London, Dublin, and planned our final trip of the year in Colorado.
After two years of staying in New England for Christmas my Mom was glad that we were taking the trek to Colorado for the holiday. We are the only Aunt and Uncle to my brother's kids.




They are having a difficult time this year as their parents are going through a divorce right, and it isn't a cordial or clean one... We had a great time catching up with everyone and enjoyed spending extra time with my brother.
My maternal Grandmother who had been sick for a while, and in a nursing home since summer passed away just a few days before Christmas. So my Mom and I took a trip to Wisconsin in the middle of our trip to Colorado for her funeral. It was a little surreal. I hadn't been to Wisconsin since my paternal Grandfather's funeral four years ago. But my grandparents from both sides must have talked about it because everything was the same. Same chapel, same staff, same cemetery... even the place we all went to afterward was the same restaurant. I felt like I was mourning my Grandfather again while mourning my Grandmother. My Grandpa was doing well. He seems to be in pretty solid shape for his age, and mentally intact. He was glad that his wife was no longer in pain. It was good to catch up with my cousins while there. I have reconnected with them on facebook but there is something nice about visiting in person.


Our pellet boiler has been amazing for us. Hubby went around and addressed a few issues with our ancient distribution system and now the whole house is humming off of pellet fired hot water :-) I still turn the stove in the living room on now and then but it is nice to have the quiet heat all around. We even put our radiant floor on a programmable thermostat so it is always just right in there.
Our pet sitters were here to help as always! We could not travel the way we do without them. Everyone here loves them, and we are so greatful! They thought the little chicken eggs were a delight ;-)

Our chicken crew seem to be settling in. After the mink came in and dropped our population to three we picked up four bantams from a family nearby that didn't have a coop or indoor area for them... we got them the day before it snowed. All were relieved. We got two cochin bantams, and two frizzle bantams. A picture doesn't do our Little Miss Sunshine (frizzle) justice. She is so adorable! A little puff ball with backward feathers. Lou Lou La Roo is the leader of the pack. He is too secure to bother me but he keeps everyone else in line and love. But not in an Elliot I shall destroy you kind of way. Cuddles is just what her name suggests. Sweet and cuddly. Her buddy Sexy Frank is like a miniature fog horn leg horn. He is not much bigger than a cornish hen but has Elliot sized attitude. Little-man-itis reigns supreme. The three remaining older girls seem content with the new brood. Dorrie hasn't laid an egg after her core group got taken out in late September and as a New Year's gift she laid an egg for me yesterday! A good sign.
Winter has arrived in New Hampshire. We had a little early snow and a couple of little storms but not more than a few inches of snow on the ground. The day we came home it started snowing with little flurries, and has been slowly building over the couple of days. After four days we should have a fresh foot or two of snow on the ground. Polar is out on his deck accumulating and loving it. Hubby will probably head down to plow the new warehouse later. I think I will save shoveling until it is all done.

Retrospect

This summer I was introduced to facebook. This has been a wonderful connection to old friends, and to family that live far away... unfortunately, it has sucked every spare moment of time I used to devote to this blog, my online memory of times gone by.
I so enjoy going back to see where I was at a year or two ago for the same month. See what was going on, what was important, and what challenges we faced. Looking at last year during this time we were in a very difficult situation. The ice storm was in full swing. We were in the middle of a nearly two week power outage, had trees, and wires down all around, generators were a hot commodity and we worked day and night to make sure everyone had a warm meal a warm place to sleep, and if possible helped make sure their pipes didn't freeze.
This year we have a good foot of snow on the ground from a couple of storms, but it was a very warm November and December is quite pleasant so far. We had a successful year with the fire department. Only one house fire and the house was not a total loss. They have rebuilt the portion lost and are back to life as normal. After the ice storm it all seemed to be downhill.
My job at the town has intensified over the last year. Our selectmen have been "giving back" by using town fund reserve to keep taxes low. Unfortunately, they have "given" so much that now we are facing cash flow issues and I am called to the floor (along with others) to try to stop the bleed and keep us from having to borrow money. It is all very political and I am trying to make my point without choosing sides and trying not to get involved in the petty he said she said debates. I have a wonderful new deputy. The old deputy was fifty years older than I was and was having health issues, at 88 I'd say she's doing well, but still... She stepped down in June and I asked a long standing member of the community to help me out. She has been wonderful!
The shop is the usual roller coaster ride. Never a dull moment. We finally stopped paying rent for our warehouse and were able to buy property. We are using it as warehouse space and may move the store there eventually. We learned a lot buying commercial property. There was so much more involved between getting planning board approvals, town permits, site surveys, etc. etc. We moved in at the end of August after renovating and paving more of the parking lot. Our business flow is quit the opposite of last year when we were on allocation and could not get anything fast enough. This year people are mad that things were so slow last year, and prices were so high. Oil came down a little bit and pellets stayed the same which didn't really make sense to anyone. People are very sensitive to that sort of thing. Plus it has been really pretty warm this year. Our guys are doing great though and we have not had to let anyone go (knock on wood) so I guess we are doing ok still.
It has still been a learning year with the chickens, bless their little souls. We had dog issues, fox issues, rooster issues, and more fox issues. Alas, we have two original girls still- Abbie and Dorrie, one Rhode Island Red from the last batch- Rhonda, and four new beaks. Two Cochin Bantums- Frank and Cuddles, as well as Two Banty Frizzles Little Miss Sunshine (Sunny), and Lou Lou Roo.
Arts sweetest Zoicite passed away after a a tough year. She was a doll and we miss her every day! She was one of a kind, and it will be a long cold winter without her on our laps!
We do have two spunky new kitties in the house though. They are sisters, and they have energy! They are still working it out with my Blizzadora but they are getting better. Thalia is super smart and I think she has an inner snuggle-bug that will come out when she gets a little older. This smarty can turn on faucets, open doors, and is a great big tattle tail! Calista is Art's cat. She is the original smelly cat. We took away the forever feeder because she would just pack food into her tummy so she felt rock hard, and tooted her way through the day. Now they eat twice a day and the fatties have left the building!
We traveled an incredible amount (again) this year. I think Art is going to be at 70 nights away from home and me just a few days behind. We do have a few trips for the coming year but I think we are both a little burned out and plan to stay closer to home. We got a new tractor (yes a Deere) so we are getting excited about getting the yard and fields in order. Damon had a rough year growing because of all the rain and how cold it stayed through the summer, but we are excited for next year. We have ha Art's cousin's daughter coming a few weekends this fall and she was a huge help in clearing and maintaining the raspberry patch. We also hope to plan a few more fruit trees along the stream behind the pond. We also have a lot of work ahead of us at the new property getting it cleaned out and updated.
We are getting near the home stretch with home projects. We re-did our upstairs bathroom this year, and did a few more windows. Just a slider, a few more windows, and a screened porch and the house will be ready to start over with painting and maintenance! We do hope to tear the cottage down this year and put up another garage with a workout room loft. We can then bring the Porsche home and put the Bobcat in there as well as get my exercise bike out of the middle of the living room! The other exercise stuff we don't really use since it is in the cottage which had a huge tree limb fall through the roof last winter leaving it damp and cold in there...
Family has been up and down as well this year. Art's Mom started walking a big again so that has been wonderful! Not sure she will ever totally give up the wheelchair but she can get to and from the car, bathroom, etc. which is huge! Art's Dad had a scare with a blood vessel popping in his eye. He seems to have leveled out but still has blood pressure issues... They did buy a house down in Tucson so they are excited about that. My Grandmother went into a nursing home this year and is currently not doing very well. I am sometimes sad that I didn't know my extended family very well but I know my cousins and Aunts and Uncles are taking good care of both her and my Grandfather.

Fluffernutter

It's National Fluffernutter Day! Fluff is a truly New England original! Like maple cotton candy, boiled dinner, and Dunkin Donuts! In the thirteen years we have lived here I have learned that Fluff is amazing stuff! It is a fluffy , gooey, sugary delight and today it is celebrated as a sandwich. White bread (a must), peanut butter, and fluff. Sweet lunchable goodness! Wheat bread is a no-no. Plus it just doesn't taste right without white bread! If you are in it for nutrition and watching your calories, go eat some carrot sticks instead. Somerville, Mass is the birthplace of this culinary wonder but it was soon sold to the Fluff confectioner in Lynn, Mass. (Lynn Lynn the city of sin, you never come out the way you went in...)
For this and other yummy Fluff concoctions visit their web site!
http://www.marshmallowfluff.com/pages/recipe_favorites.html

Feline Fine

How can you tell that I have been home for a while? Our family grows! LOL! We added nine new beaks last week, and this week we have two new members of our little family.
Now that Blizzie is (mostly) out of her kitten/scratchy phase we started talking about replacing the faded and scratched couches in the living room. I would really like a sectional. It would help define that part of the room and separate it from the back part. So we went around to the different furniture stores and found what we both agreed upon.
Meanwhile at home we are adjusting to life without Zoi. Blizz has never quite warmed up to snuggling with Art. She'll play with him, but if he tries to pat her nice she just bites or runs away... After having such a good buddy snuggler in Zo I was pretty sure he was going to want another cat. I gave him some time to think about it, because you cannot get a new couch if you are going to get a kitten. Not practial at all. If you are going to get a kitten now is the time since we are home and not traveling every other week.
So, he agreed to go look at some kitties. All the shelters are full and there were a lot of kitties to choose from. Our first stop had a pretty gray boy with thumbs that was pretty sweet, and I liked the white and tabby kitten. A few rooms later as soon as we walked in a little gray tabby walked up to Art, wrapped in and out of his legs then started purring. He stood up to look around and she stood on her back legs (front legs on Art's shins) to get his attention. Just like Zoi used to do. He melted immediately. He continued looking but never took his hand off this little tabby. I was enamored with a long black haired cat with thumbs. She was sweet.
It was the first place we went to so he wanted to keep looking. We left and worked out way out to the Seacoast stopping at shelters along the way. Some of those places are so weird. The ASPCA has got to be run by some hippie liberal freaks. Those nutters wouldn't even let us open a cage to pat a kitten to see if we would like him without filling out the entire adoption application and giving them a copy of our license. Needless to say we left. Way to try to find those kittens a home!
After all of our looking he still had the tabby in his mind. Someone was patting her as we left so he was worried that she might get adopted. I tried to call the shelter to see if we could put a "hold" on the kitten but not so. We did download and fill out the app but had to go back at noon on Friday to see if we could get her.
We were there promptly at noon. Probably a little earlier actually ;) They were delayed in opening, of course! When the doors opened he shot right back to the room where she was. I could hear the relief in his voice when he announced that she was still there. Someone else came in the room (and he wasn't going to let her go again!) so I went out to get the ball rolling. Lisa came to help us. When we got back to the room Art was playing with a cute little gray kitten. She was so sweet. The little tabby had a bit of an edge on her today. Didn't want to be held as much and was a little hissy. But Lisa found her paperwork and told us what they knew about her. She was surrendered because the family had a kid. She came in with ear mites and while almost a year old was not fixed. She was also surrendered with her sister. A sister that the previous owner requested she not be separated from. The gray kitten is nuzzling with me at this point. Art is checking out a black cat he sparred (playfully) with yesterday. Black Thumbs is gone. Adopted. Good for her! Back to the sister. Lisa went off to find out who that was and the search began. Oh, wait a minute. Here she is. Right in front of us. A little gray kitten!
Kismet. I said immediately that you can't separate them! Art just kind of nodded his head.
So now we have two adorable snuggly new kitties.
The tabby is Calista, and the gray one is Thalia. Tally and Cally. They are temporarily set up upstairs in the TV room. We are introducing them to Blizz slowly. Zoi was such a snot to her so we aren't sure how she will be. Hopefully much better. So far so good! Polar is oblivious. He doesn't care. He just hopes they will play with him too!

Favorite Things- Holly Housemaid Edition

The house we live in is a whole lot of house for me to try to keep up with. Between the animals fur, the hubby (who does a lot to help- outside and with dishes) and birds who love to see how far they can throw anything and everything. Not to mention two kitchens, three bathrooms, over sixty stairs, five bedrooms, etc. etc... Vacuuming is a full day all by itself. I grew up with a very clean house. My Mom was so diligent about cleaning. I did not inherit her polished home drive, but clutter and grubblies in my toes do aggravate. There are a few key cleaning tools I have grown dependent upon to help me get it done, quick!



This little gem does not necessarily clean, but it does help certain areas seem fresh even when they otherwise would not be. Like near our shoes, or by the cat box. The little motion sensor is wonderful!

This powder is such a help with the Swamp Dog smell that we have all summer, and the cold wet dog smell all winter. It keeps him dry, cleans and absorbs the goo, and because it's menthol he won't lick it all off :)







This is a brandy new toy but I have had the idea in my mind since I went to a baby shower this summer and saw the girl get two diaper genie canisters. You put the stinky diaper in swirl the lid and the smell (and poo) is sealed in the plastic container until you take it out. Wow is that nice for a cat box. Especially now that we have three little sets of kitty piddy's running around.

The Magic Eraser. What can I say. It's Magic! Not sure how or why but it will get just about any crud off of any surface. Toothpaste goo soaked into wood, slime in shower, glass buildup, appliances... Wow!
My vacuum cleaner. Hubby got it for me for my birthday four or five years ago. Not sure how I ever owned furry animals before this vac. I average four to seven times emptying the canister when I vacuum the house. It is awesome that it rolls everywhere easily, is light, has a wand to get the cob webs and bird feathers, and can be dumped and back into service in less than a minute! I turn off the brushes to do the hardwood and tile floors. Sucks almost as good as day one. LOVE IT!




My muck boots. They don't "clean" per-say but they do help keep a lot of gunk out of the house. Tromping back and forth to the greenhouse is a dirty path. They easily slip on and off though so life is good.
Simple Green. I tripped on this by accident. It was on clearance at Big Lots for something like a buck and I needed a quick cleaner. I am amazed at how clean this gets my butcher block countertop, and wood floor. It is a miracle bird poo and fruit goo remover on the floor and walls, and gets sticky beverage leftovers off of the countertop. It gives a nice shine to stainless sinks, and appliances too. Only the lemon seems to really work great and give a polished finish look, but I don't know what I would do without!






Last but not least. My Swiffer. Hubby is a mop man through and through. Once or twice a year he will haul out the bucket, the Murphy's oil soap, and the big ugly old mop then proceed to swab the decks. Good for him! Me? Not something I have time or desire to do every week or two! No Siree! I dilute Murphy's oil soap with water, or Lemon Simple Green, spray it on the floor and Swiffer my way to a clean smell, and dog slobber free shine! No need for the Spray Swiffer. Much easier to spray my own cleaner depending on the floor and the goo...

First Crisp Fall Day!

Pets are not your lunch! but they do give us breakfast.

Seriously, what does one have to do to explain to the furry ones in our home that the birds are cohabitants of this household not a snack! The dog was let off the leash while we were painting the other day... no big deal. He's eleven for crying out loud. He takes fifteen minute to get up for dinner! HA! We turned our back to do some ladder work and {poof} he was gone. Just a few minutes later he comes trotting up to his porch with my beloved Bobbie in his mouth! Terror! Hubby puts the dog in the basement and I run out to check the rest of the girls. He also got our new baby Roo Killer. Sad day. The next day we found a pile of little white and blue feathers in the living room. Bunny was no longer in her cage... Blizziemonster was the only one in the house while we were gone! Geesh! Welcome to Slaughterhouse number five!
I moved the couch so that Beaker was further out of reach and took down the bird bath that left a crack big enough for a bird to get out (or a paw to get in). Outside in the greenhouse I sured up the outer door, and fixed the latch on the inner door. Polar will always be chained up or leashed outside. Period.
Not to be deterred we went to a chicken swap on Sunday. I got a couple of black silkie chicks and 3 Canadian Chantecler chicks. We were then out of bucks so we headed out. We barely made it out of the parking lot when we decided to hunt for an atm. We found one and headed back to the swap to see if anyone else had shown up.
We looked around, not really anything new, but they did have a beautiful white silkie Roo. Nah, The day after Killer was sacrificed my sweet Isabel Silkie crowed for me. Alas, she was re-christened by Art and now her-mmmm- I mean his name is Igor...)
We were about to leave the swap when I noticed a new van with a couple of boxes. I went over and out peeked a cute little red headed beak, then another. We asked what he had and he said he wasn't sure, but we could take the box for twelve bucks. Someone else came up and the guy said, "not to worry" he had another box with three of them in the back of his van for him. So we took the mystery box of chickens home. I was guessing there were five girls inside.
We got home and sprung the girls packed into the box. Four New Hampshire Reds. They look like they are about five or six months old. He wasn't sure who was laying yet or not, but he said they were close or laying...
I put the babies in with Igor in the back coop and let the bigger girls in with our other four. Dorrie (former low girl on the totem pole) went to town on them. Man, chickens are Mean! Mean! Mean! The four stuck together and held their ground though. At four days in Abbie has switched 'teams' and hangs out with the reds now. The others are still prone to the occasional snit fit but the reds don't seem to mind. They are the most social birds we have had yet :-)
They flock around me and love to be held and fed! Abbie always did too so I guess she blends ;)
I thought for sure I would not be able to tell them apart but they actually look very different and have varied personalities.
Olga is the lightest one, Pennie has a little white on her tail, and a white and red alternating pattern on her neck, Queenie is the lighter of the dark reds, and Rhonda is the reddest.
The next day I went out in the morning and had two eggs from the older girls and a new darker colored egg! Yippee! Then when I went out later that day I found a whopping four more eggs! Two from old girls, two from new! Then when I went out to close up the coop for the night I found another from the Reds! Eight eggs! Happy Happy Joy Joy!The little Silkies had to fight for every scrap of food they ever got I have a feeling. They were sopping wet when we got them (rained the day of the swap and their owner had them in an open pickup bed...) When I set them in the coop they ran for the feeder and ate and ate and ate and ate! They still camp out by it and I have to make sure that others get a turn to eat! I think they are easing up a little now that they have gorged themselves for several days!One of my (twin) neices asked me to name a chicken after her when I got to her letter in the alphabet (we are going in alphabetical order to better keep track?!). Problem is I can't remember which neice asked! LOL! Anyway, I named the older 'new' silkie Lexie, and the smaller one Mollie.The Chanteclers are a beautiful and very hardy bird. They are for both meat and laying but we will be using them strictly as layers. One is two months old, and two are one month. Suzy (the older one) has elected herself adoptive Momma of the two little ones- Tori, and Natalie. They are shy birds and have set up camp behind the box we brought them home in.
Little Igor is the king of that roost! He is so proud :-) He has lost two BFF's in his short life but he is only stronger for it! I think he and Suzy may work it out and be good buddies, too.
Now we have one big happy coop with Abbie, Corrie, Dorrie, Frannie, Lexi, Mollie, Natalie, Olga, Pennie, Queenie, Rhonda, Suzie, and Tori!

Out my Window

Atlas Shrugged was not a 'How To' manual...

New meaning to the "Elephant in the room!"
It may not be perfect but it is the best out there!


How to get a banana socialism vs. capitalism.
Socialism - Capitalism
Be careful what you wish for!
Atlas Shrugged was a cautionary tale.