And...
Thursday, December 31, 2015
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Bits and Pieces
Read Speaking In Bones yesterday, and then started a new J A Jance mystery. Roxie slept with me the night before last, but Finney has never gotten in bed with me - until this morning. I had to answer a call of nature at 4 a.m., and when I returned, Finney was asleep in my spot, with her head on my pillow. She went totally limp when I attempted to move her, and I finally had to "scoop" her off the bed and onto the floor. Before I could get my butt down on the side of the bed, she was back up, in my space again. I finally got her to settle at my feet, and we had another good sleep until my alarm went off.
Victor and Xena's folks are back from their 12 days of travel, and I need to transcribe my appointments for next year on the new calendar, today or tomorrow. Saturday morning I'll meet with a couple about walking their 5 dogs while they are out of town in February. They have a a lady who will be the live-in care-taker while they're gone, but she recently injured her back, and the dogs pull, so I'll have walking duties.
I gave a friend a Surfer Dude calendar for 2016 as a Christmas gift, and she cried when she opened it... Didn't mean to make her cry, just wanted to give her something SD oriented. She loved that stallion. Guess I'd better get a copy of the book about him for her birthday present.
Taking the Christmas tree down today. Will carefully pack the ornaments and lights, and take our welcome Santa down from the front door. They are coming by tomorrow to pick up trees to make into fresh mulch - so ours will go onto the pile. Both Beatrice and I get checks tomorrow, so we'll also grab cat food, squirrel food and bird food tomorrow. Not doing anything special for New Years Eve. But I'll watch the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade without commercial interruption on the Home and Garden television channel on Friday, and I think the Gators play in a Bowl Game that afternoon. We'll probably have black-eyed peas, pork chops, collard greens, apple sauce and corn bread for supper - not making Hoppin' John this year.
Please enjoy the rest of the year 2015!
Victor and Xena's folks are back from their 12 days of travel, and I need to transcribe my appointments for next year on the new calendar, today or tomorrow. Saturday morning I'll meet with a couple about walking their 5 dogs while they are out of town in February. They have a a lady who will be the live-in care-taker while they're gone, but she recently injured her back, and the dogs pull, so I'll have walking duties.
I gave a friend a Surfer Dude calendar for 2016 as a Christmas gift, and she cried when she opened it... Didn't mean to make her cry, just wanted to give her something SD oriented. She loved that stallion. Guess I'd better get a copy of the book about him for her birthday present.
Taking the Christmas tree down today. Will carefully pack the ornaments and lights, and take our welcome Santa down from the front door. They are coming by tomorrow to pick up trees to make into fresh mulch - so ours will go onto the pile. Both Beatrice and I get checks tomorrow, so we'll also grab cat food, squirrel food and bird food tomorrow. Not doing anything special for New Years Eve. But I'll watch the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade without commercial interruption on the Home and Garden television channel on Friday, and I think the Gators play in a Bowl Game that afternoon. We'll probably have black-eyed peas, pork chops, collard greens, apple sauce and corn bread for supper - not making Hoppin' John this year.
Please enjoy the rest of the year 2015!
Monday, December 28, 2015
Favorite Snow Sculptures - 1
Owl - close-up
Owl
Whales, walrus, corals and sponges
Ice Queen
Around the world
Horse and hand
Rooster, hen and chicks
The owl, from another angle
Books and Critters
Yesterday and today have been busy - met the Brittany Spaniels' family at 5:20 yesterday morning, and was a passenger to DIA, then drove back home to feed the girls. Roxie and Finney are fun. Then over to take care (feed, water, and walk the dogs, and feed and water the hens) of the Chandler critters. Discovered their Subaru in the driveway has a flat tire this morning - I hope they have a spare. Spent the night with the girls, and enjoyed the fireplace. But, after feeding and walkin them, and taking care of the Chandler critters this morning, it was still only 4 degrees (F) when I came home to my place to feed the kits and clean their boxes. Lovey attached herself to my chest and wouldn't let go, once I sat down. Nedi explored the balcony for 5 seconds and returned inside. Taking down the Christmas tree tomorrow - have to find a small box to place all the new ornaments in. Finished re-reading Betrayer and Intruder yesterday - began another Jack Reacher novel last night, and it's very good, as usual. Then I'll begin The Bone Labyrinth....
Beatrice made herself Belgium waffles for breakfast today - glad I picked up milk on the way home from the Spaniels. Looks like I'll have a pizza while watching the Broncos and Bengals play tonight; I could prepare chicken and broccoli risotto, but I think I'll put that together tomorrow. It's 3:55 now, and the sun is going behind a cloud that's sitting on top of Mount Sanitas - it'll be behind the mountains in 8 minutes and the darkness will begin again. I don't like winter, even though I know that the natural world has to have time to prepare for Spring renewal. I want sunshine and warmth! Or the sea, at least!
Beatrice made herself Belgium waffles for breakfast today - glad I picked up milk on the way home from the Spaniels. Looks like I'll have a pizza while watching the Broncos and Bengals play tonight; I could prepare chicken and broccoli risotto, but I think I'll put that together tomorrow. It's 3:55 now, and the sun is going behind a cloud that's sitting on top of Mount Sanitas - it'll be behind the mountains in 8 minutes and the darkness will begin again. I don't like winter, even though I know that the natural world has to have time to prepare for Spring renewal. I want sunshine and warmth! Or the sea, at least!
Saturday, December 26, 2015
Quiet Two Days
Four inches of fine powdery snow fell Christmas night - major streets in Boulder are clear, but our parking lot is an ice rink. The dogs and hens on Emerald have been wonderfully cooperative, and Beatrice and I spent yesterday and today (until she went to work), watching The Croods, Centennial, and several Harry Potter movies on the television. Lovey and Nedi have been very well behaved, except when I left to care for the Emerald critters this morning, when Nedi decided I had abandoned him, and sat outside Bea's door and howled until she got up and loved him. (My cats - spoiled? Never!) Currently, Nedi is curled up asleep on my green sweater, and Lovey is curled up in the middle of the bed.
Other than going over to Emerald yesterday, everyone stayed at home for Christmas. I promised four visits each day, and I'm following that... I'll be headed over there shortly, before I pick Bea up from work. We were cloudy all yesterday, and had the snow begin to fall at 5 last night; had a few flurries this morning, but it cleared this afternoon, and we're expecting our low temperature to be -5 (F) by morning. And I'll be out on the sidewalk in front of the apartment at 5:30 in the morning, as I have clients going to Denver International Airport then... They'll pick me up, and I'll drive the car back to Boulder. Then I'll be staying at their house, with two Brittany Spaniels until the following Sunday. I must be out of my mind to agree to stand on the sidewalk at 5:30 in the morning, with the temperature at -5!
Anyway, with Bea at work, I didn't cook tonight - I ate leftovers from yesterday. Finished off the maple sausage we had for breakfast, then ate the glazed carrots and string beans with bacon.... We had a home made platter of cut apples and pears and baby carrots along with walnuts, cheese and crackers for lunch yesterday. Baked a six-and-a-half pound roasting hen for supper, with the carrots, green beans, mashed potatoes, gravy, gingerbread and pumpkin pie. This morning, we read the instructions on the new Belgium waffle maker, and we had home made waffles for breakfast... One is supposed to throw away the first waffle made, as it might have too much oil in it. The hens thought that waffle was delicious!
So Beatrice is off work on Sunday and Monday, but I'll be running back and forth between the critters at Emerald until Tuesday night, as well as staying with the Spaniels for the next 8 days - and I'll start back with daily walks of Rosie and Tess again on Monday... But that's OK - we both have plenty of books to read, and I'll be coming home twice a day to spend time with my kits... And then Beatrice gets to start her usual work week again on Tuesday. I very rarely sit still - and taking care of such a wide variety of houses and pets makes life interesting!
Other than going over to Emerald yesterday, everyone stayed at home for Christmas. I promised four visits each day, and I'm following that... I'll be headed over there shortly, before I pick Bea up from work. We were cloudy all yesterday, and had the snow begin to fall at 5 last night; had a few flurries this morning, but it cleared this afternoon, and we're expecting our low temperature to be -5 (F) by morning. And I'll be out on the sidewalk in front of the apartment at 5:30 in the morning, as I have clients going to Denver International Airport then... They'll pick me up, and I'll drive the car back to Boulder. Then I'll be staying at their house, with two Brittany Spaniels until the following Sunday. I must be out of my mind to agree to stand on the sidewalk at 5:30 in the morning, with the temperature at -5!
Anyway, with Bea at work, I didn't cook tonight - I ate leftovers from yesterday. Finished off the maple sausage we had for breakfast, then ate the glazed carrots and string beans with bacon.... We had a home made platter of cut apples and pears and baby carrots along with walnuts, cheese and crackers for lunch yesterday. Baked a six-and-a-half pound roasting hen for supper, with the carrots, green beans, mashed potatoes, gravy, gingerbread and pumpkin pie. This morning, we read the instructions on the new Belgium waffle maker, and we had home made waffles for breakfast... One is supposed to throw away the first waffle made, as it might have too much oil in it. The hens thought that waffle was delicious!
So Beatrice is off work on Sunday and Monday, but I'll be running back and forth between the critters at Emerald until Tuesday night, as well as staying with the Spaniels for the next 8 days - and I'll start back with daily walks of Rosie and Tess again on Monday... But that's OK - we both have plenty of books to read, and I'll be coming home twice a day to spend time with my kits... And then Beatrice gets to start her usual work week again on Tuesday. I very rarely sit still - and taking care of such a wide variety of houses and pets makes life interesting!
