Staying Inside.

 Staying Inside.

 

Dear Hearts, it is cold outside. Twenty-seven degrees does not sound too terribly cold, but just put a brisk little breeze on top of that cold air and see what happens. Goose bumps deluxe! Dread getting up in the morning! Have water in the heated water bowl for the hens, so no water will have to be hauled out there unless they happen to mess that one bowl up. Guess an old woman will have to bring the water pail inside so it won’t take a special trip just to fill it up and refill their bowl tomorrow morning. Trying to think ahead, ya know.

 

Connie just called me to remind me to get the hose off the faucet and put its little cover on. Then the faucets have to drip all night to prevent the water from freezing inside the house. Ongoing story from one winter to the next is this business of trying to keep things from freezing. If my house were in Florida, it would be hurricanes or tropical storms, so this might not be any worse. My friend Anna Beth lives in Mississippi and still watches the weather. Guess there is not a perfect place to live.

 

Had black-eyed peas, cabbage with ham bone, onions, and coffee for brunch today. Whatever happens this year, it won’t be because my diet was off on the first day of the year.

 

Have both a gas and an electric heater going at the moment. The bills may be out of sight, but that expense is not going to turn off either appliance. The older one gets, the easier it is to get spoiled to being comfortable. That is probably the reason an electric blanket is now on my bed.

 

Still not sure the dogs will stay off my bed, but Sylvia slept in the crate last night. Thompson took the recliner—as usual. He kept whining at me until HE got the recliner. Sitting up to read was not his idea of a necessity for the old woman who feeds him. Hmm.

 

Oh! A black cat just streaked across the road into the yard down on the corner. Both dogs would just dearly love to get ahold of that creature. Hope they never do! Always think of a friend by the name of Ardie who loved her cats. Of course, Connie adopted a couple of cats years ago from the cat shelter. They pretty well rule the roost at her house. When her cats lived at the shelter, the workers would let them out of their cages when they took the litter boxes out to clean them. So, both of her cats just go wild and try to climb the cabinets when she takes the litter box out to dump the litter. She said that is the only reason she can think of for their behavior because it ONLY happens when she pulls the boxes out to clean them. Habits are formed early, huh.

 

Had to put a lamp next to my desk because this day has been pretty dark. The clouds this morning looked like a comforter all rolled up to show one side as white fluff and the other side as deep royal blue. Strange looking clouds. Thought about going out to take pictures, but my pictures hardly ever come out all that good. Will leave the fine skills of Keith Mattson to give us the impression of good scenes in nature!

 

Connie’s animal cookies are going fast around here. They are not Scooby snacks, but they are just plum good. Doesn’t take much sugar to get me interested in cookies. These are plain, but crunchy is always welcome!

 

Spent part of the day on the Jacquie Lawson website looking through birthday cards and such. Sent some to the grands to arrive on their birthdays. Jennifer has to remind me each year of whose birthday is when. Yes, some folks are just easily confused or forgetful, and other folks get a big kick out of saying, “Now, Mom, we talked about this.” Rolling my eyes here.

 

Feeling sorry for the farmers and those who take care of livestock today. This is the beginning of the really nasty weather that makes grown men cry and old women wrap up in multiple layers of clothing so that having to go to the necessary room is sheer torture. Nothing worse than getting about half of the clothes off and desperately needing to go. Depends. That name had to have come from some woman out on the farm whose husband asked her if she would be able to go feed the cows with him. Her reply would have been, “Depends.”  Now if that does not make you smile or nod your head, you are a man.

 

My daddy, if he were still alive, would be on the phone early tomorrow morning asking if any of us would like to go out to Petrolia Lake to seine minnows with him. He always picked the coldest morning to ask us that since he knew the answer would be “Heck, no!” Wondering if he ever called his grandson Danny Pollard to ask him that. He called Lewis every winter and asked him that at least once during the cold weather. We always got a laugh out of it. Daddy and Granddad Pollard both had a wry sense of humor. Sterling and Danny came by it honestly.

 

Guess your eyes and patience have been strained enough. Besides, a book is right here by my elbow waiting to be finished. Don’t know what we would do without good books! Guess we’d just have to write a few.

 

Live with kindnesses toward man and beast. Remember to be grateful to the Creator for His love. Rest well, my friends. You are loved.