11 June 2009

Fire!

Between the cold wet grass, the gray skies, the fired up dog, the smoke, and of course the flames from the massive pile of sticks and limbs Blizzie decided to stay in her basket today.
Hubby has been on fire in the yard this year! He and the bobcat have two piles of ice storm debris like this, and a third yet to be compiled.
This one is clearly viewed from the house so I was delighted when I peeked out the window and saw it ablaze!
Fire is fascinating. I love my pellet stove, and the pellet fire is cool to watch, but wood fire is mesmerizing. The pops, hisses, snakes, and sizzles just add to the effect!
Hubby is the firemaster. I help move some of the smaller sticks but he just throws tree limbs about without a second thought of the heat!
Polar had a great time! He loves to hang out with us. He did wish we had hot dogs though... come to think of it so did I!
It was a perfect night for a bonfire. It was chilly and has been cold and rainy the past couple of days. Nice to hang out in the warm glow!
Impressed that hubby got it burned down by 11:00pm. About six hours- just right! The ice storm is fading into my memory.

05 June 2009

National Donut Day!!


I thought it was a Dunkie's holiday, but Krispy Kream (sp?) is doing it, too. Maybe even Winchel's, etc...

04 June 2009

Longest Week!

We lost our beloved Ginney this week. She was always low girl on the totem pole but she was also very sweet. She loved to be cuddled and enjoyed it when I would hand feed her or fend Elliot off. She was sick for a while and I knew that but it is still sad...
We have also been going through tough times with our now thirteen year old cat Zoi. This is the little one they told us to euthenize last fall because she would not live for more than a week or two. Well our stubborn little kitty showed them. But, she now is extremely incontinent and thus is outside or in a room lined with a tarp for her frequent mishaps. It is so frustrating when she piddles mere inches from her cat box. Her balance is a little wonky but otherwise she seems fine. She can run to the door or across the field just fine.
Then Tuesday came... After a long night with Zoi I discovered that Elliot Roo had run away. Very strange because even if he hops or is let out of the fence he stays very close to his girls and food bowl. Today he was gone. I walked all around the woods (through the poison ivy thank you very much!) to try to find him and I swore I could hear him when I called out to him, but I could not find him... Two days later I found that a neighbor had put him in their fence. So now I have the conundrum of whether I should let him stay there and let the girls live free of this tyrant or do I bring him back home?
We went through a stressful morning getting a "proper" commitment letter from the bank for our property purchase, then ran down to the store to try to finalize an advertising program with the local aaa baseball team, and then went through a six hour review with one of our guys. SIX hours! He is the second of six. This could be a long summer!
Then the bomb. Toward the end of the review Art's cell phone rang. It was his eldest sister. I told him to take it so he left the table for about twenty minutes. When he came back we wrapped up and dropped our guy off at the shop.
Art's Mom has been doing so much better this year, walking several feet at a time and feeling and looking better than she has in a long time. We were almost feeling comfortable. We weren't even thinking about Dad. My father in law had a vein burst in one eye and now he is blind in that eye. They also fear that the other eye will soon do the same. This is devastating. This man lives to carve and read. He is also very active and the primary caretaker in the house.
My Mil and I were talking last week because her driver's license is coming due. At her age she would have to take a driving test to keep it. She hasn't driven since going in a wheelchair and her eyesight is not that great anyway. So when I asked if she was going to renew she laughed at me and told me there was no way she could drive anymore.
The siblings all coordinated to see who could get them to their necessary doctor's appointments in the coming weeks. Art called to try to get them to Mass Eye and Ear for a second opinion. They stubbornly refused help or a ride down there insisting that Dad could still drive just fine with his one good eye. They also sprung on us that since Dad's other eye is in peril Mom is going to get hand controls and renew her license. What?!? This is where we are at...