Late Winter Projects

I have been working on a few projects this past week.  I finally took the Titanic downstairs so that I could use the card table to put puzzles together as I usually do during the winter.  I started with one that I got from my mother, and I remember seeing in our home when I was growing up.  It was tricky as the picture on the box was only part of the entire puzzle and many of the tiny corners have disappeared over the past 50 years.  I believe it was manufactured in the 70's based on the colors and pattern, see what I mean?

I also made 60 biodegradable pots out of newspaper and planted them with seeds last weekend.  I already have some little seedlings that have come up!

I spent several hours this week taking apart that sad, sad rag rug that I made a couple of years ago, and then several hours today sewing it again.  It's better, but not perfect.

JP and I found a bunch of these Christmas Milanos on clearance for $1 each at WalMart in January.  I like to use them instead of ladyfingers in my Tiramisu, which I made this weekend (so yummy!)

I'm ready to take a little break to watch a movie with JP.  Hope your late winter is similarly productive!

No Longer Sparking Joy

There comes a time every February when I can just NOT TAKE any more cold, grey, dark days.  I would gladly pack up (or not, I'm tired of all this STUFF) and head to sunnier climes, or even a condo in town. It is just so hard and unrewarding to live on a farm in the winter:  there is a lot of work to keep it going (tend the fire, keep water and animals unfrozen, shovel and plow snow and some special people get to haul all the water they use a couple of times/week) and very little to make it seem worthwhile (1 or 2 eggs/day, water and heat in the house, the ability to LEAVE said farm if wanted.)  So when the time comes that it no longer sparks joy, what to do?  Get rid of it, right?

This is the state of our yard after driving the 
truck and trailer full of water through to fill 
the cistern day (after day after day after...)

Well, it's not quite that easy to unload a farm, particularly when the driveway and environs are so muddy that it's difficult to even get up here on the hill.

It's much easier to wait for a sunny day (we have had an hour or two here and there recently) which can effectively recharge my batteries and tolerance for mud.

I did notice that - right on time - my lenten roses are blooming, which is a teeny little nod towards spring being on its way.  It helps.

Do you like my new ring, by the way?  JP and I got new rings for Christmas - this is from the LOTR collection from Enso, the "Shire Leaf."

I hope there is more sunshine headed our way this weekend, as my winter stamina is just about at rock bottom.

Nine Lives

Back in 2010, a friend gave us 2 kittens, who came to be known as Bert and Ernie.

Bert disappeared long ago, but Ernie has been with us for the past 13 years until yesterday when the last of his 9 lives came to an end.

He was such a funny cat!  He loved lying on the woodpile in the sunshine.

He preferred to drink out of buckets, or with both front paws IN the water bowl.

He had a foot fettish, and if you let him near your bare pigs, he would be sure to bite them.

He was a good hunter, and frequently left "gifts" on our doorstep.  After he arrived, we did not have to worry about mice in the house any longer, even though he lived outside on the veranda.

His first buddy was Bert, but his longest friendship was with Lizzie.

Towards the end, he became very ill, but he would still purr, rub fur all over us, and drool.

I prefer to remember him like this: