Interesting week. We got a little excited with a day of sunshine last weekend, thinking Spring would be popping out by this week. Mother Nature put the smackdown on that notion. We had snow. The temperatures dipped down and suddenly it was Winter again. The roads have stayed clear thankfully and we have only a little bit of the white stuff hanging on around the property now.
We got some propane added to the tank as we have had the fireplace pilot on all winter this year. Makes it easy to have a fire in the evenings and came in handy during the power outages. You can't keep it on too long when the power is out as the fan doesn't work, but it adds a smidgen of warmth even just looking at it. Otherwise, the week has gone along as most do.
I do a bit of genealogy from time to time and have lately been focused on finding some details that would take me back just a little further. I'm back to 1600 on one side and the 1500s on the other. I've discovered we have nobility on one branch and Salem witches on another. This has got to be the most social of social networking.
We went to dance class on Friday. We have only been able to attend every other week this session and that makes it doubly difficult. Just getting through the class is a challenge, but retaining any of it seems to be in a league of it's own. Saturday evening we went out to try our "skills" (a term not seriously applied here). It was somewhat frustrating to say the least. Maybe we were just tired. Who knows. But the company was nice :-)
A few tasks have been checked off the list this weekend. I got an eye exam and will sport new spectacles in a couple weeks. One pair will be just for computer work which, hopefully, will prevent some of my neck discomfort. And taxes have been done, at least as far as I will take them. I like to do a first run through just to see what to expect before handing them off to the accountant. John has had his lab work for some upcoming dental surgery next week. And he has been clearing space for the new lilac bushes as weather permits. So, March is upon us and will either make its lion or lamb-like appearance this week. Either way, it means Spring really is just around the corner. Nothing wrong with that. Meanwhile, we're set to watch the Academy Awards with some wine and snacks-passing-as-dinner. Have a good one (whatever it is)...
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
We're havin' a Weekend
It was a "John in California" week so Z-dog and I had a relatively quiet few days on the homestead. John came home Thursday night to chilly weather which had moved in earlier. He missed a vicious little storm on Monday night, bringing lots of rain and wind which, thankfully, didn't result in a power outage. We weren't so lucky yesterday when it abruptly went out about 8:30 am. The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day, but very windy all day. It didn't come back on until we were wakened in the night by the TV. In the interim, we enjoyed the sunshine at least. We spent much of the day doing things away from home anyway. I got John to come with me to the Kitsap Quilters 25th Quilt Show at the Fairgrounds. I admire these artists and what they create from fabric. And later we had dinner at an Indian restaurant we've been wanting to try. It was good food and we'll put it on the list for future visits.
Friday evening we attended a fundraiser in the form of a Mystery Dinner Theater. There were also silent and live auctions. We pronounced it one of the best and most fun things we've done since moving up here! I don't think either of us expected the level of talent these actors displayed. There were musical pieces in it as well and they could sing! The dinner courses were served between acts and the auctions were lots of fun. I actually bid during the live auction! I didn't get the item (a sort of loveseat-sized bench made from branches) but it was fun. I did get several of the silent auction pieces and perhaps my favorite of the bunch is a painting done by a 7-year old student at the school. It's an abstract painting of the mountains in rich, deep colors. Cost me $10 (I was the only bidder). We'll look for this event again next year.
Today I will have a massage. I have found a practitioner who I really like and the massage is quite helpful for my "sits at a computer all day" aches. Hopefully, the power will stay on all day and we can do those things that require electricity. Having heat in the house is very nice as well. Tomorrow is an extra day off for the holiday weekend. I have some school work to accomplish so the extra day will be appreciated. John has some lilac bushes to plant and we'll just take it as it comes after that...
Friday evening we attended a fundraiser in the form of a Mystery Dinner Theater. There were also silent and live auctions. We pronounced it one of the best and most fun things we've done since moving up here! I don't think either of us expected the level of talent these actors displayed. There were musical pieces in it as well and they could sing! The dinner courses were served between acts and the auctions were lots of fun. I actually bid during the live auction! I didn't get the item (a sort of loveseat-sized bench made from branches) but it was fun. I did get several of the silent auction pieces and perhaps my favorite of the bunch is a painting done by a 7-year old student at the school. It's an abstract painting of the mountains in rich, deep colors. Cost me $10 (I was the only bidder). We'll look for this event again next year.
Today I will have a massage. I have found a practitioner who I really like and the massage is quite helpful for my "sits at a computer all day" aches. Hopefully, the power will stay on all day and we can do those things that require electricity. Having heat in the house is very nice as well. Tomorrow is an extra day off for the holiday weekend. I have some school work to accomplish so the extra day will be appreciated. John has some lilac bushes to plant and we'll just take it as it comes after that...
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Who's in Charge Here???
It's the middle of February! It's like that feeling one gets while driving the same route each day and suddenly you realize that last few miles have gone unnoticed. How did I get here? It's actually not quite like that as each day I know exactly where I am. But sometimes when I pause to consider where that is in relation to the rest of the world construct, the calendar part surprises me. And here we are...
Yesterday, we did those things that must be done but cannot get done during the working week. I'm coming to the conclusion that housekeeping is incompatible with a 40-hour work week. Really. And it's not that we're generally messy people because we're not. But there's a fair amount of general "keeping the place in a hygienic state" tasks that have to get done on a somewhat regular basis and they get done on the "weekend" (the time not spent at work). And they get done at the expense of something else that might otherwise be done during that time; maybe immersing myself in a quilting project or a watercolor or a good book, Even just deciding spontaneously to drive 4 hours to see something remarkable and then spend 4 hours driving back. So, we will have to find a way to deal with that and I'm considering using some of that 40-hour paycheck to hire a house cleaning service. Because, more and more, I want to spend those not-at-work hours not working.
Zoe may be getting up there in years, but she is still the protector of the property. John discovered a dead rodent in the yard yesterday. We still don't really know what it is, but it was about 9+ inches long, quite thick in body, with a long tail and a stubby face, gray fur and white belly. At least that's how he describes it. I haven't actually seen it and I am thankful for that.
John planted one of the new fruit trees yesterday before the rain came in and put a halt to his farming activities. The other one will likely go in today. And we got two new lilac bushes. These are much larger starts than our first attempts and will hopefully survive. I just love the fragrance of lilacs. Springtime is at the door and pounding to be let in. It's reassuring to see the swollen buds on the foliage everywhere. The bulbs are pushing up and will burst into bloom certainly by month's end at this rate. Soon we will not be able to see the neighbor's house through the woods and, likewise, our house will be obscured from easy view. It's like getting a big hug from Mother Nature.
I am a week behind and a project pending in my homework so that will have to get some attention today. John will be off to California in the morning and we'll mark off the days on the calendar. Another week begins...
Yesterday, we did those things that must be done but cannot get done during the working week. I'm coming to the conclusion that housekeeping is incompatible with a 40-hour work week. Really. And it's not that we're generally messy people because we're not. But there's a fair amount of general "keeping the place in a hygienic state" tasks that have to get done on a somewhat regular basis and they get done on the "weekend" (the time not spent at work). And they get done at the expense of something else that might otherwise be done during that time; maybe immersing myself in a quilting project or a watercolor or a good book, Even just deciding spontaneously to drive 4 hours to see something remarkable and then spend 4 hours driving back. So, we will have to find a way to deal with that and I'm considering using some of that 40-hour paycheck to hire a house cleaning service. Because, more and more, I want to spend those not-at-work hours not working.
Zoe may be getting up there in years, but she is still the protector of the property. John discovered a dead rodent in the yard yesterday. We still don't really know what it is, but it was about 9+ inches long, quite thick in body, with a long tail and a stubby face, gray fur and white belly. At least that's how he describes it. I haven't actually seen it and I am thankful for that.
John planted one of the new fruit trees yesterday before the rain came in and put a halt to his farming activities. The other one will likely go in today. And we got two new lilac bushes. These are much larger starts than our first attempts and will hopefully survive. I just love the fragrance of lilacs. Springtime is at the door and pounding to be let in. It's reassuring to see the swollen buds on the foliage everywhere. The bulbs are pushing up and will burst into bloom certainly by month's end at this rate. Soon we will not be able to see the neighbor's house through the woods and, likewise, our house will be obscured from easy view. It's like getting a big hug from Mother Nature.
I am a week behind and a project pending in my homework so that will have to get some attention today. John will be off to California in the morning and we'll mark off the days on the calendar. Another week begins...
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Say Goodbye to January...
Hard to write about living in the Pacific Northwest when I have been absent the area most of last week. I left last Tuesday for a conference in Miami, Florida. It's about as far away from Poulsbo as can be found in the U.S. and I say that on many levels. I love to travel and I enjoy experiencing new cultures and places. And as the actual logistics of getting there go, I have to appreciate that I had good flights with no delays. But Miami is a long way away! I had to connect in Chicago on my way out, so I had two long flights. My day started at 3:30am so I could catch the 5am transport to the airport (I could not do that to John....a 3 hour round trip to the airport at 0'dark thirty is no fun). Then waiting and flying and sitting (lots of sitting) all day until I finally arrived in my hotel room at 9:30pm Miami time (6:30 to me). Then it was reading until I could reasonably go to sleep in order to be down at the conference for a 7:30am start (4:30 to my little brain). Why anyone thinks that attending a conference is laden with "fun", some kind of boondoggle away from work, is beyond me. Maybe they haven't had the pleasure of attending one. I find them interesting, sometimes uplifting, and always worthwhile, but rarely have I ever had "fun" as the main feature. If I am attending with a work associate, there's usually a dinner somewhere and, depending on the associate, it can be relaxed (which translates to some amount of "fun") or it can be one of those socially stifled occasions where you are making nice with a "work associate". I traveled on my own this time, so aside from the actual event that started early and finished at 5 or 5:30, I enjoyed my own company. Fortunately, I enjoy that company. I flew back on Saturday, once again starting my day at 5am Miami time. It was a direct flight home (6+ hours) where John did in fact pick me up from the airport. We enjoyed lunch at Dave's Diner near the airport and then back to the absolute peace and beauty of the place we live. It might take us an hour and a half to get there from the airport, but it's worlds away from the city.
John and I didn't have much time to catch up as he left Sunday midday for a conference in Las Vegas and then on to the Bay Area per our usual routine. He'll return tomorrow evening. While he was in LV, he had a chance to visit with son Gareth which made the trip much more enjoyable. It's that face-to-face time that we have precious little of these days. Meanwhile, it's turned sunny here but quite chilly (the 20's overnight). I can't complain about that given the state the rest of the country is in at the moment. Spring isn't far off up here as we notice the trees have buds waiting to open. And the light is coming earlier and staying later day by day. I don't even need to leave the gate lights on for my post-work arrival now.
John will be home tomorrow and we'll have time to settle in and enjoy the routines that make up our days. Saturday is the monthly Farm Breakfast. And Sunday we will watch my Packers (yes, with my Cheese head hat on for that added support) win the Super Bowl! Welcome February....
John and I didn't have much time to catch up as he left Sunday midday for a conference in Las Vegas and then on to the Bay Area per our usual routine. He'll return tomorrow evening. While he was in LV, he had a chance to visit with son Gareth which made the trip much more enjoyable. It's that face-to-face time that we have precious little of these days. Meanwhile, it's turned sunny here but quite chilly (the 20's overnight). I can't complain about that given the state the rest of the country is in at the moment. Spring isn't far off up here as we notice the trees have buds waiting to open. And the light is coming earlier and staying later day by day. I don't even need to leave the gate lights on for my post-work arrival now.
John will be home tomorrow and we'll have time to settle in and enjoy the routines that make up our days. Saturday is the monthly Farm Breakfast. And Sunday we will watch my Packers (yes, with my Cheese head hat on for that added support) win the Super Bowl! Welcome February....
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