Sunday, November 30, 2008

Success!

The new windows are so clear!  The waxwings took flight from the red cedars and flew right into the front room window.  It sounded horrendous!  The cat, of course, took advantage of the gift from nature, lol.  Most survived, one or two did not.  My dh and I are rather amazed at how much more clear these windows are.  I guess, over time, because of a factory goof up, the windows have been getting a haze from the silver coating tarnishing inside the sandwich.  Because it occurred so slowly, we did not realize how bad it was until the new windows were installed.  Our views, ever so beautiful, are much more so now!  
Yesterday, we had a visit from the car girls walking up.  They, much like the waxwings, flitted in, enjoyed a few minutes with the dress up chests, enjoyed the marshmallows from cups of hot chocolate, rode a few yards on the bikes, packaged up their leftovers from their snacks, and flew away home, but not through the windows! lol

Saturday, November 29, 2008

Black Friday

My dh loves to go shopping.  He used to go do black friday with our daughter-in-law but now he works.  But, he did leave work, and ran to the local Ace store to pick up a special gift... 
for my best friend Bubba.  Bubba loves it.  It is a round padded pet bed and I think it must feel good on Bubba's old bones.  He spent last evening in it in the great room, then all night in it in the bedroom at the foot of the bed, then today, out in the great room again.  Who knew???

Friday, November 28, 2008

Windows

The window replacement people have been here all day replacing our windows with bright new CLEAR window.  It is so nice to look out on our beautiful views and not have diagonal lines and other distracting things embedded within the window sandwich.  They did not get finished.  All is done except in the great room, so will have to wait a week for them to come back.  They seemed to be really responsible workers, and cleaned up the debris and polished the windows before they left.  I would recommend them based on what I know of them today.  

Foggy Foggy Dew

We are sort of fogged in this morning.  It looks like my world goes to the rock wall and then all I see is a grayish wall.  Sometimes a misty valley appears as if in a shroud.  Some people (I used to) might find the fog depressing.  For some reason, it doesn't bother me anymore.  I have been working on some twinchies, (2"X 2" squares) collages focusing on different themes.  One was our gifts from nature.  If you can look at fog as a gift of nature it helps. I know the pines need the moisture and the fog makes everything outdoors damp.  Makes the fireplace seem more cheery too, lol.  On another thread, the waxwings are still here enjoying daily, actually minute by minute snacks on the red cedars.  They are so interesting to watch.  Their colors are subtle greys with yellowish breasts, and have a white circle around their eyes.  Gifts from nature!

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Pimping Blogs

My kids have been up grading their blogs.  I naturally, wanted to do that too.  What I wanted to do on my art blog was upload some of my own art for the background, but haven't been able to figure that one out.  The site the kids are using tells me it is not compatible with Macs.  GRRRR.  But, today, I found some backgrounds I like so you see my bitty upgrade along the sides.  :~D  Next, some cute "placards" or boxes if you will to frame the other things on my blogs.  

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Retirement...Yeah Right

Tomorrow morning bright and early (6:45 am) I have to be to my dh's work to teach a workshop to his crew dealing with hazardous material.  Once a teacher always a teacher, evidently.   Well, it is only for one day so I guess I can live with that. LOL  I had to make rewards and study up on some vocabulary, and study an outline, make booklets for the crew, gather up pencils,   hmmmmmm...  did I leave anything out,  it has been a while since I've done this!  The last time was my own art workshop in September.  I am deciding whether to try that again in January or February.  I want to hold workshops, but I have also really dived into this retirement freedom mode and am loving it.




Saturday, November 15, 2008

New Toy!





Here is my very first pictures taken with my new 14.7 mp camera.  Of course I grabbed it and took these with no pre reading of instructions.  But couldn't miss the rainbow!  I think I am gonna love this new little digital elph!  We had a double rainbow right over our "awesome place"!  If I had read the instruction booklet, I would have been able to set it for taking this sort of special shot, and maybe the glowing colors of the rainbow would have shown up better.  But, I still like these snaps.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Retirement?

I guess we have this mental image after working for so many years, that when we quit working life will be a "dream." Everything will just fall into place, right?   In many ways the peace of not having the pressure of work is lovely, but I have found that the paper work etc. trying to get to the "dream" is obnoxious!  I had to deal with my work about my retirement stuff, and that was weird.  I still had to call them last month, about something.  Maybe, it will finally be set up as I want it!!  Then there is insurances, :-(  Grrrrrrr!  And my retirement fund, now that was a maze of financial wanderings.  I, again, just maybe have that finally settled although I had to call about it today, again.  Social Security seemed to be the easiest to set up and get going... who knew?  You hear all this stuff about government agencies being slow and cumbersome, but nope, that was fairly easy, compared to the other things I had to take care of.  I actually started last January to "arrange" everything so when I finally officially retired, everything would be ready.  Yeah, right!   Anyway, after the first of the year, we have to start learning about Medicare, and again Grrrrrrr!  I do not like having to study up on anything and it makes me real crabby when I have to do so.  At our age... we just want simplicity... it's all we can remember!  LOL 

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Bits of Rain

We have had quiet little showers of rain today.  Most times when it rains we know it because the wind pelts our windows with the raindrops, and it makes quite a concert.  Today, the only way we knew it was raining was to see the wet decks when we look out, or if we let one of our animals out the doors.  We have a guy coming to replace our windows, finally.  I hope he comes soon.  We have a couple windows that we cannot even see out of because the silver inner coating (low e windows) has tarnished.  I hope this is not the norm for e windows.  Guess we will find out in another five years. 

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

More Visitors

Visitors recently have been the fox.  He or she trotted across the sage field north of us giving me a very nice chance to admire it, and went down over the edge on this side of the cliffs.  Very reddish colored with white neck scruff and large bushy white ended tail.  Another time,  an unidentified flock of large grayish short tailed birds with bright yellow breasts popped up into view from behind the rock wall to the west.  They sat on the rocks for some time, seemingly like they were discussing something rather grave.  As quickly as they came, after their rest, they all left together, heading to the north.  This morning a little salt and pepper colored dog, I think may have been a medium sized poodle growing out its summer hair cut, was out on the buffalo grass, wandering around. He/she too, left after snooping around our wooden deck.  I am actually always surprised when stray dogs (or cats) show up around here as we are so far from the road, and other people.    The black birds assemble and pick and flutter around every morning to the east, using the apricot tree as their main roost.  This morning, they seemed to be entranced with the snow, and would swoosh down from the tree almost as one, to strut around in the the circle covered in very wet snow pecking into it for whatever it is that blackbirds would want...  perhaps just a nice cold icy drink?  It's  a good thing they took advantage of the snow,  as it is gone now and they will have to go back to the stale watering pan.  
I was supposed to go into town for a flu shot today, but talked myself out of it.  Maybe next week I will make it.  Driving into town seems like such a waste of precious time!

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Awesome Place

Mother Nature gave us a great show today.  The sunrise to the east was red red red as the sun attempted to shine through the early morning cloud cover.  Then we had a lovely sunny morning.  Right after noon, the clouds moved over us and it rained, a nice calm rain.  Then we had another couple of hours of sun.  Then more clouds, this time with "tater wagon" thunder and making us feel like it was evening, the atmosphere was so darkish.  Heavy rain again.  Then, sun, with the most amazing full rainbow that was sooo bright and glowing, along with a second one not so vibrant.  Of course, as the sun was setting, the evening clouds glowed in beautiful pinks, with turquoise pieces of sky patch worked into the mix.  We have been busy looking out as often as we could to see what what new.  The mountains shrouded in clouds, the rain enhanced  brighter than usual yellow leaves, and the darkened branches and shrubs from the rain.  The highlight of the day was an anticipated visit of migrating robins, a group swooping and flitting down onto the red ceder trees to feast on the blue cedar berries, their lovely orangy breast feathers complimenting the blues and greens of the trees.  Wow, we really was reminded of what an awesome place we live in, here on our red dirt hill.
In the morning, before the rain,  dh got the garden area tilled.  I worked on some art dolls, tongue in cheek named "the first ever meeting of the Carolville garden club."  Hopefully, there will be a photo of the lovely ladies in the future.  

Saturday, November 1, 2008