Enjoying the outdoors.

This weekend even though it was a little on the brisk side has been nice for some bird watching. Around noon I received a call from my friend wanting to know if I wanted to go to Mt. C to look for the eagles. I haven't been down there for awhile so I thought I would tag along. We arrived around 2 o'clock and the initial drive though seemed fruitless until we spotted a rather large bird just over the ridge. It was a large golden eagle soaring into the area I started snapping picture before he even got close enough to see him on the screen of the camera. I would have to say that my camera doesn't have much of a zoom but for what it is I got some decent pics.

This is a golden eagle in flight.

This is a bald eagle soaring on a windy day.

The bald eagles nest. The female is on but is down in the nest. This image was taken through a binocular.
This is what the nest looks like from the road. The nest is about the size of a mid size car.

This is the golden eagle at one of his favorite perch.

A few deer grazing off almost to the tree line.

One of the nice things that is new to the area is a viewing platform that was built for bird watching.

The view.

Neat looking tree.

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Bad weather in Mt Erie. High winds and heavy rain.

This was a picture taken with my cell phone. From reports coming in it looks like there wasn't a tornado but some severe straight line winds. Some reports stating 90 mph plus. About 30 minutes after this picture was taken I was standing at the back door of "L's" house and watching the rain when I first heard a loud "SNAP" and then a flash of lightning and the power went out for about 3 seconds. After the storm moved out we went outside and a limb in the tree just outside the door I was standing by was black and looked burnt. A little too close for comfort.

Another Weekend Post.

Today Needles and I awoke somewhat earlier than our usual weekend schedule. After lounging away most of the morning we decided we needed to go to town to pick up a few groceries and some medication since Needles is still getting over the crud. We must have needed more than what we thought or we were hungry because before we knew it our grocery cart was about 3/4 full to the top. After we hauled our items to the car we stopped at our second destination and again did a pretty good job of filling the cart. For just needing a few items we pretty much filled the trunk of the car. I guess we wont need to go grocery shopping for a week or two now. I need to do laundry next. Yuck...

Were Back.

After an all too short 3 day weekend, we are back from the promise land. After we arrived Friday we had a late supper and settled in and visited with my Mom and Dad until late in the evening. The next day my Aunt "R" came over a prepared homemade pizzas. She made 1 sausage, and 2 supreme and they were all very good. Sunday was the day of my cousins baby shower but since my Mom was down with a upper respiratory infection She thought we should stay home. My Dad and I ran the gifts over and dropped them off since I also have been suffering from a head cold. Sunday evening my Father started to get a sore throat so I think he is coming down with the crud going around. Today after we had breakfast my Mom and Dad made appointments with the doctor. After they left for their Dr. visit we decided to head back North. We arrived home shortly after 12:30pm and unloaded all of our stuff. I called my parents a short time later to see how the Dr.'s visit went. They were given meds and I hope that knocks it quick. Since then I have settled on the couch procrastinating the laundry that needs to be done so I will have something to wear for work tomorrow.

Here is a few pics from the ice storm in Kentucky that I got from my Aunts camera.

A bush in my Grandmas front yard.
The power lines that run several feet over the carport is almost touching it.

My Uncle and Aunts pop up camper has seen better days. The ice covered branches snapped off and fell into the roof punching more than a dozen holes in the top. Some were 2 inches in diameter.

A very large tree fell across the road in front of my Grandmas house. The lines you see going diagonal across the image are still down across the driveway almost a month later.

Weekend Anticipation.

We were going to go to Kentucky this evening but after a little scheduling issue that made me feel a little guilty for being gone Friday with my co workers being short handed made me delay our extended weekend plans by a day. I think they would have gotten along just fine without me. Lord knows I am not that big of a influence, but if I would have left today I would have been thinking to myself, I wonder how today went? Anyway we are leaving tomorrow after work and we will be gone until Monday. I think Needles might go to my cousins baby shower while we are down there. It was originally scheduled for next weekend but surgery plans for my Aunt "T" has bumped it up to this weekend. So I hope to enjoy the weekend as I know that even a 3 day weekend will be too short. Have a great weekend everyone.

The Winter That Wouldn't Stop.

Its snowing again in this here parts. I am sooooo sick of the snow. Today we have decided to stay inside, sip coffee and do some movie watching. Max Payne is playing right now and I think we might knock out a few I have been wanting to see. Stay warm everybody.

Valentinos Day felices!

Today is Valentines Day and I have to say that I have been getting a little cabin fever with the nasty weather and not being able to be outside. I told Needles that I wanted to do something and get out of the house. We had plans with a friend but since she is feeling a bit under the weather we thought we would postpone plans for another time. We thought we would go to town and pick up a few items I missed on my grocery getting day last week. We got all the items I missed and more and since it was Valentines Day and nothings too good for my baby we ate out so she would get a break from cooking. Since Chinese was closed until 4pm and since I have been craving Taco Bell, I choose to take her to the local Mexican place. Needles had the Quesadilla Yucatan and I had the Chimichanga Monterey. They were both very good and when we left we were ready for a siesta. Nothing says I Love You like gassy Mexican food that makes you sleepy. Happy Valentines Day Needlefingers.

PS. For Valentines Day my Needles got me a pair of Sketcher shoes. We are nothing if not practical.

Quickie...

Today there was a lot of wind. I mean a lot of wind. When I pulled into our driveway after work the neighbors small metal building was in a pile in their back yard. This was the same building that was toppled over into our driveway the last wind storm. When I got in the house I called my parents to find out that they had lost power around 3pm today. Our TV antenna was turned by the wind so that we didn't get any channels so I had to get my oil wrench to turn it back. They have been doing a change over of the phone systems at my work and to say it has been a total cluster would be an understatement. Tomorrow will be the third day of the mess.

Asian Culture Night.

After work I came home just in time to retrieve a couple of packages off of the front porch and then grabbed a jacket and was whisked away to Asian Culture Night. Needles and I joined Rudy, Brando and the Funky Bunch and G and H for the Asian experience. We first sat and waited on our table companions to arrive. Once they did it wasn't too long before they opened the buffet line and guess who's table was first to be let go. Let me tell you I scrambled down the hall way like a mad man. I think I was first to load my plate and return to my seat. They served several authentic Asian dishes like Kimchee, Korean beef BBQ, fried rice, egg drop soup and for dessert green tea pound cake. It was all very good and after I scarfed it down it was time for the entertainment. The University Band played some Asian Music with gongs, drums and a flute.

Next on the agenda was a dragon dance that snaked his way around the room. Several of the Asian students attending the University had small skits telling about their culture and how things are similar but different. All of the Asian attendees stood on stage and announced their names and their country of origin. By far the most were from Hong Kong, China with several from South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam and Japan. It was very interesting and a lot of fun to experience this with my family and friends. To end the evening there was a couple that played very unusual instruments from Vietnam. The sounds they produced were unlike anything I have heard before. I can't say that it is my kind of music but it was neat to hear and see how some of instruments worked and how the sounds were made. I had a lot of fun.

Enjoy Old Suzanna Asian Style.

Silly Cat...

Here is Copper playing in a sun beam.

A Call...

Last night I got a call from my parents. They finally are able to get cell phone signal. The regular phones and electricity is still out with no real ETA except for 2 to 3 weeks. I didn't know that they were also without water for almost 3 days and had to wait a couple days before they could get out due to down trees and power lines. I am glad to hear from them and even though thinks aren't back to normal it is good that they can contact us if needed.

Pick Me Up.

If you need a little pick me up and don't mind profanity then click HERE, and if you do then F@&* You!

Snow Snow Go Away.

Today my Rudy and Brando packed up the kids and headed South with a generator and gasoline on a rescue mission to my parents house. I wish my family would have just packed up and headed North to us but they think they will ride it out. This afternoon I walked out the back porch and noticed that we have some damage from the snow. The metal awning over the back patio is bent and bowed down. The water is dripping through the split metal covering. I had plans to redo the area in the spring so I guess this will give me a reason to really go ahead with it.

myFarm picture

This is a picture of myFarm on Facebook. Click on the picture to enlarge. It is Barack Obama with the words CHANGE and HOPE. It was inspired by this picture.

It took a little time to move well over one thousand trees to create this.

Happy Birthday Brandy...Here's a Winter Storm.

Here are a few pics I took while driving around the country after work. I couldn't resist.

Hope everyone made it home safe and sound today.

PS. Happy B'day Brando.

Here it comes!

This is a picture off the front porch of the snow coming down. It begins...

Blind Sided...

This evening I got the latest installment of SMP films on You tube. This is a video maker that I subscribed to several months ago with his most famous video Mean Little Kitty. The video is so very cute and the song that plays is very catchy and sticks with you. I watched the latest video by SMP films and found out that Sparta the kitty in the video has feline leukemia. I hope that things go well for this mean little kitty and that he has a long healthy life.

A Night Out With My Darling.

Last night Needles and I went out to celebrate our anniversary. We will be together 12 years tomorrow. After a long interesting day of work I left to meet Needles at her work. We were a bit early so we went to Big Lots to spend a couple of Needles gift cards she had been holding on to for a couple years. We picked up some exciting items with it being our anniversary and all. We got floor mats for the bathroom since we have needed some for a few months now. We also picked up a dish dryer mat. Yep some exciting stuff. To kill time we wandered around the furniture and we both plopped down in a chair and a half. It was quit comfy until time to get up. It was a bit of a struggle to get out of the thing. We arrived at the Fine Dining Friday put on by the Culinary Arts students at Needles work. We were seated at a small table tucked away in the corner which was nice for us to have a bit of privacy from the rest of the people in the room. The room was nicely lite with small shelves which reminded me of sea shells inset into the walls with white orchids in vases. Our table just large enough for 2 with a white table cloth. Silverware was in place with a large green napkin shaped like a tee pee at each setting. The centerpiece was a white vase and a single plastic rose. On our table was a Johnny cake with butter already served. I'm from the South and it looked like fritter bread to me. Our first course was New England clam chowder with a large crouton and sprinkles of shredded beacon. It was very good and the clams and potatoes were diced so there wasn't large chunks. The second course was a salad of sweet baby lettuce with carrot, sliced nuts, dried cranberries topped with a apple cider vinaigrette and sliced pear on the side. The salad had a very interesting flavor which cleansed the pallet from the chowder in preparation of the main course. We had a choice of prime rib or salmon fillet. I chose the prime rib. The steak had a bowl type pastry set atop of it with a creamy horseradish sauce. On the side was Col cannon potatoes which is mashed potatoes with steamed sweet cabbage mixed in. also on the side was steamed green beans. After the main course came the desert. It was peach/blackberry crumble Ala mode served in a ramekins. It was very good reminding me of my mothers peach and blackberry cobbler mixed together. I think we were the first ones to finish so we returned home to change into our lounge clothes and digest our wonderful meal. Thank you Needles for our anniversary dinner. It was a very nice evening out.

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My friends cat Lilly.

Funny But Naughty Commercial

This is a commercial that is hilarious. WARNING if you are not over 18 or if you don't have a since of humor NO NOT watch. You have been warned. You can't unwatch it.

Weekend

This weekend we had visitors. Cynical and Ragged came up to spend the weekend with us. Since we were having cold temps we decided to just stick around the house, eat and drink coffee all weekend. They arrived Friday afternoon around 6pm. We also had Jenny from the Blog show up to and stay with us until late into the night. It was nice to have everyone here and visiting with each other. We enjoyed Needles homemade spaghetti and meatballs with garlic bread and salad. I was very good and of course I ate too much. Saturday morning started off with bagels and cream cheese with a side of fruit. The day moved along with the ladies knitting and Cynical and I keeping watch on our crops. For lunch we enjoyed hamburgers with a side of fries, onion rings and salad. After we got our bellies full we ventured over to Rudy's place to visit and for Cynical and Ragged to meet the new member of the bunch. Moecefus the kitty. We also played with the Wii fit and did some of the balance exercises. When we returned home we had what was left of the spaghetti and watched Wanted. The movie was pretty good and very reminiscent of The Matrix. When the movie was over it was time to retire for the night. This morning we awoke to a blanket of snow covering everything and warm cinnamon rolls. Cynical was hoping to see some snow during his visit and I was glad we didn't have to disappoint him. We chatted as the snow melted and time for them to go raced all too quickly toward us. We couldn't sent our visiting travelers away with empty stomachs so homemade pizza would be something to warm them before their trip. We enjoyed the visit with Cynical and Ragged and hated to see them go. Now the house it too quiet and I have already started to dread going to work tomorrow. Hope everyone had a good weekend, I know I did.

Farewell to Fantasy Island.

Ricardo Montalban dead at 88

OR

KAHN!

RIP

Work was a bear. We got very busy around 9:30 and they kept coming until I left at 4:30pm. I was supposed to leave at 3 but I hated to leave my co worker short handed and swamped. After work I did get to stop and visit a friend. When I started home I noticed it seemed colder. When I made it home I checked the thermometer on the porch and it said 20 but I think it was colder. I check online and it says 12 degrees and from the forecast its only going to get colder folks. Thursday the temp is going to be a whopping 5. Yep 5. I guess we have had it some what mild this winter but I am tired of the cold temps and ready for spring. I think we have chances for snow tonight and tomorrow but I am not sure if we are to get any accumulation. They have been saying little to no accum. or 1 to 3 inches depending on who you check. Who knows. I guess we will see in the next several hours. Ragged and Cynical get ready for lots of coffee and warm food cuz I don' t think we are going to poke our head outside all weekend. Maybe a visit with Rudy and the funky bunch but that maybe it. This week is never ever going to end.

This ones for you Buck.

My Picture 4/4

This is a pic taken during Xmas 2008 at Needles Mom's house. The TV was showing an old Leave It To Beaver and Mel jumped up on the TV and gave Mr. Cleaver a bad comeover.

P.S. This is my 666th post.

Mucks Are Here!

As I wrote several posts ago I ordered a pair of Muck boots with my Gander Mountain gift card from Cynical. They were scheduled to arrive on Tuesday the 6th. I checked the tracking number that night when they weren't on the front porch when I got home. When I checked the website, it said that they were delivered at 5:53pm that day. I went out to check the porch and no boots. When I looked into the tracking information it said that they were delivered to Fairfield, IL. Hmm I don't live in Fairfield... Needles called UPS to find out what the deal was and yep they confirmed that the boots were misdelivered. Yesterday I checked the website and it said that the boots were a Return to Sender Pending. I thought great I am going to have to wait another week to 10 days to get my boots. It's not like I needed them right away but if I had them, that would be one less thing to worry about. Today when I got home, my boots were on the porch. I was so excited I put them on immediately and commenced farmin on my facebook...... You can't farm without boots..duh! Anyway I am glad that is all straightened out and it was somewhat painless for me...Needles was the one that called and sat on hold for several minutes and almost got into a fight with the automated phone attendant that I think needs a hearing aid.

Insurance inspires new music

If you have seen the new animated commercial with esurance.com with Cloud Cult singing Lucky Day. After doing some searching on other songs by the same artist I found this little number that I like. It is unual that I like this song because it is alittle slow and mellow for my taste but for some reason the song has an interesting sound. Enjoy.

Pretty Voice

Safe and Secure.

The holidays have come and gone and Needles and I for the first year hasn't exchanged gifts. We thought we would wait until after the holidays and maybe the stores woundn't be so crazy and their might be some good buys. Needles and I are very practical people and try not to buy nick knack and other items that would otherwise set on a shelf and gather dust. We usually buy what we need instead of what we want, with the occasional spurge on an item. This year our thoughts turned to items that we have needed for a while but just couldn't seem to follow through. Today I thought I would stop off by the store and pick up our Xmas gift to each other. And here it is.

I know all of you lady's reading this hearts just skipped a beat and I am sorry that Needles has my heart and there can be no other. She is a luck girl. Nothing says I love you like a fire proof and water proof safe. Merry Xmas Needles.

PS. The problem is we got so much crap ie. tax papers, ins. papers, birth certificates, important papers and photo Cd's to put into it we might have to get a second one.

Not A Feel-Good Movie.

I watched this movie at a friends house last night. It was very good but make sure you have a box of tissues with you. I didn't need any since I am so tough. snicker* A very touching story about a man who loses everything that has meaning in his life, has nothing to really live for and another who seems lost in his own life and with each others help one finds the strength to live while the other learns to appreciate the life he has.

VACATION...All I EVER WANTED.

I was uploading several pics from our 2008 Vacation to Springfield, Mo. and now its got me thinking. Where are we going to go this year? I am pretty much up for anything but I know the gals and I have some days that are already scheduled. I will be turkey hunting and Needles and Ragged are heading North to Green Castle. Maybe some discussion on it when Cynical and Ragged visit in a couple of weeks. Fingers crossed.

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Braden & Baylee

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Happy New Year!

Here is a picture to ring in the new year.

It is the year of the ox.

This post was from my cell phone as a test.--
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Thanks Buck For My Mucks!

I have received gift cards for Xmas for the past few years and have found out that I love them. At first I just look at the card and wonder about all the neat things I could buy with them. This year Cynical gave me a Gander Mountain gift card and I was thrill because I knew just what I was going to order. During last deer season my boots of only 3 years split and are no longer water proof so I ordered some Muck Boots for hunting with my gift card. Thanks Buck for the Mucks.

Merry Christmas Everybody!

Today I awoke at 6 am to the sound of a Christmas Miracle. It was the alarm the Needles had set to get up and put the Turducken into the oven. By a strange turn of events Needle's Mom thought she set her alarm only to sleep in until close to 7 am. When Needle's Mom "L" awoke with a start that it was to bright to be 6am, She rushed into the kitchen to find the Turducken already in the oven and cooking away nicely. I think I felt Needles crawl back into bed shortly before 7am and we snoozed away until close to 9am. We thought we would give Santa a little more time to deliver our gifts. In short we were tired and wanted to sleep in. When we got up officially we wandered into the kitchen from where the smells of goodness were emanating. In short order there was coffee brewing and baklava in hand for the morning snack. We decided to skip breakfast in order to prepare for the main feast. Before long there was mashed potatoes and green beans, homemade fudge, homemade rolls and squash pie. To drink we had Needles holiday shush drink which is prefect to go with turkey. When it was all said and done we were all bloated with food and drink and sat around the table discussing the important things in life. Also "L" got a nice Xmas surprise but I will let Needles elaborate. I hope everyone had a nice Christmas and that they got enough to eat, I know I did.

The top picture is of a fogged up window with kitty paw stretching prints I found. I thought I would write and Holiday message with them.

The second picture is the turducken fresh from the oven.

The third is of the triple bird sliced to reveal the layers. Little did we know the duck and sausage dressing was more to the posterior of the bird. I was very good and the flavor of the duck had a slight liverish almost bratwurst taste. Mmmmm.

Merry Xmas from the ghetto.

Pimpin ant Ezay!

Home Again...

Friday after work Needles and I again made the trip South. That's twice in a month to visit with my family and have our early Christmas. I got a couple of shirts, a pair of lounging pants, gift card. money and coffee. It was a fun time and any time we can spend time around Rudy, Brando and the funky bunch is a good time. Saturday we had our Christmas which entailed eating massive amounts of good food followed by massive amounts of dessert and then on to the opening of presents. After all the presents were opened and the wrapping paper was cleaned up, my mother wanted to know if we wanted to go to M'ville and see a Christmas display at a church. We were just setting around rubbing our engorged bellies so we thought we would go. Piling into two cars and off on the 30 minute drive to the display. When we arrived to the church to our surprise...there wasn't one car in the parking lot. The display was the two weekends before and now over. If you know my Mom at all this is not the first wild goose chase she has set us on and I am sure it won't be the last. We did get to stop off at Sonic and I had a Chilled Mocha Java with a Sonic Boom and Needles the Hot Latte with a Sonic Boom. They were very good and then we were on the road back to the house. This morning we awoke to breakfast and quick visit with the family and on the road back North we went. It as usual was an all too short weekend.

Panormous Shamormous.

I was just watching the Pizza Hut commercial featuring the new Panormous pizza. The commercial showed several people passing the box from person to person with each of them taking a slice a passing it on. I think the idea is to portray a endless supply of pizza coming from this box. Hmmf. I am not impressed. This commercial reminds me of a visit to the promise land where Ragged ordered a pizza for the 3 of us that literally had to be tipped on its side to fit through the door. I think there was a furniture dolly involved but I am not sure, my memory of the whole feast is sketchy. Anyway the pizza was so huge that I ate myself into a coma...... 3 times. You may not think this possible but I think I was suffering from tomato sauce overdose and the symptoms from the cheese is a TMI. The box was used as a fort by several kids down the street until a street gang kicked them out an used it for their crib. As I think back I wish I had another big pizza to overdose on. Ahhh the memories.

PS. The picture above is of a smaller pizza that I found on the interwebs.

PS. jk Ragged the pizza was excellent and we did finish it.....eventually.

Down goes Frazier!

Today after work I thought I would stop at Casey's a full up the gas tank. The weather was nasty and the spitting rain was freezing to my windshield as quick as it was hitting it. I thought with the overhang that by the gas pumps it wouldnt be too bad. Wrong! I stepped out of the Jeep and first my foot slide under the open door and as I tried to gather myself it went from bad to worst. As I grabbed the door handle I spun around and fell with my left foot under the Jeep, my right foot in the Jeep and my left hand on the door handle and my back flat on the ground. When I hit the ground I heard a voice from one of the other vehicles filling up. It was our local sheriff asking if I am alright. I answered "yeah" as I layed there flat on my back. I layed there for about 2 seconds before I decided I needed to get up. I made sure I had both feet on solid ground and finished pumping my gas. I don't know what it is about the people around here but they usually drive like idiots on a good day. You add a little freezing rain and it's like they come out of the wood work to drive on this mess. I had one person tailgating me on my way home while another person pulled right out in front of me and then proceeded to pass the car in front of them. All I can say is if I ever see these people in the ditch...I gonna roll on by.

I'm Famous!

A website has posted my deer hunting video that I placed on youtube about 2 weeks ago. The first week it hit the 400 mark and over the last few days the video has hit the 1400 viewers mark. I was wondering why it had so many hits all of a sudden. Tonight while surfin the interwebs I got my answer. They update the video every few days but I think it was neat for them to put it on their homepage even just for a day or two. If you want to goto the website the link is http://www.prairiestateoutdoors.com/index.php.

The picture above is a screen shot of the website. To see it enlarged click on the picture. My video is on the left side of the screen about halfway down the page titled Wayne County first season deer hunting.

Merry Xmas Y'all.

We're in heat!

Or we HAVE heat rather. My friendly neighborhood heating and air guy stopped by this morning and it was a faulty door safty switch. The switch cuts power to the heater when you take the door off the blower to prevent electrical shock. When the blower would kick on the shaking of the door or the air blowing through the area would move the door and trip the switch turning the system off. Just by pass the faulty switch and we are in heat.... Uhhh yeah. The house is a warm 72 degrees and it feels like a sauna a far cry from the 58 degrees of last night. Hope everyone has a warm weekend.

It arrived yesterday.

Yesterday when I arrived home, there was a large package on the front porch. I brought it in and pondered its opening, but first a few picks.

After removing the plastic wrap it found a large block of dry ice. Of course soon after I put a small chunk of the ice into some water in the bathroom sink and watched the fog roll. Back to the package. Inside the styro foam container was a box.

Once I removed the box the contents of the package was confirmed.

At last my 15 pounds of pig, chicken, duck and last but not least turkey goodness. I can't wait until Xmas to enjoy my Southern delicacy. I hope it is everything I have built it up to be in my mind. Float this puppy in some of Linda's dressing and I am sure it will be amazing. Mmmmmmmm.

On another note. This morning when I woke up I noticed it was unusually cold in the house. I didn't think too much of it until I looked at the thermostat. 63 degrees holy ice cycles its cold. I messed with the thermostat a bit but eventually had to go to work. When I got home this evening I noticed the temp was a balmy 58 degrees and I decided to keep my coat on. I again messed around and reset and checked to see if the pilot was still lite. Unfortunately it is more than I can figure out. I will need to call my friendly heater repairman. With electric heaters we are able to make it a little warmer but it is still a bit chilly up in her. Have a nice weekend everyone. Mine is starting out smashingly.

Pick up the Soap Rod.

Back Home

We arrived home around 3pm or so yesterday. We had a good time but even a 4 day weekend is too short. While we were in KY we did a little shopping and I ate like a pig. My mother thought we didn't have enough desserts so she made 3 while we were there. Chocolate no bake cookie, German Chocolate cake and scalloped pineapple. All were very good and I limited myself to only a dozen or so no bakes. It was hard but I do have a small amount of will power. We are now home and have all too easily slipped back into our usual mundane lives. Of the last several weekends we have been gone or busy for most of them. I think we have earned a bit of a rest.

This morning we awoke to a nice glazing of ice over everything. The morning started off with a friend calling and telling me that his car was off in the ditch. Also that his wife had slipped and fell in the driveway going out to her car. I told Needles to stay home a couple hours before heading to work to let the sun melt the ice. I unfortunately had to go into the mess. It was hard even walking out the garage and the roads were slick until I got about a mile from the house. Then it was 35mph all the way to work. When I arrived at work I pulled into the parking lot just in time to see a mini van bounce off another car in the parking lot. I slowly drove down the lot and thought I had better park away from the accident only to apply the brake and slide sideways down the parking lot in the direction of the van. I did come to a stop several feet from the van and I was lined up perfectly for the parking space in front of me so I put forward about 15 feet and say that was good enough. I had to walk in the grass up to my work because the blacktop was like an ice rink. By noon the temps had gotten above 40 so the ice was gone for the drive home. I hope we don't have any more of that. I can handle the snow but I hate the ice.

PS. On the way to work I saw an ambulance in the ditch. Also we had our fair share of injuries in the ER from the ice. Two fractured knees and a fractured hip on the day. I am sure we will have a few more trickle in over the next few days. Be careful out there boys and girls.

Gone for another weekend.

We are going South for the weekend. We will be leaving tomorrow after work and return Sunday. We are going down to see my parents but wouldn't mind a visit from some family in O'town if they can find the time. You know who you are. If you can't, I understand but it would be nice. Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Relaxing weekend.

This weekend has been uneventful. We have been inside ever since Friday evening after work. I did do a little laundry this weekend but other than that all I have accomplished was setting on the couch and napping. Needles has been busy cooking most of the weekend. Saturday we had homemade Chinese for lunch and beef stew for supper. Today we had soup beans and fritter cornbread. Mmmmm. It has been a nice weekend other than it wasn't long enough. Wednesday after work Needles and I are heading South to my parents to visit the weekend. Since I killed out first season we will be spending the four days in Kentucky. The weather isn't looking that great but if we can just have cold without rain or snow. On the Xmas front we have maybe 40% of the shopping done. We are usually done by now with just a few odds and ends to finish up but this year has sneaked up on us. I think the consensus this year is to not put up a tree again this year. I am some what disappointed to not put up a tree but I am sure the day after Xmas I will be glad we didn't. Anyway that is what is going on in this neck of the woods.