I Love To Go A Gardening
Growing Our Life in Northern Michigan
The Education of a Techno-Dummy
My head is overloaded with information.
This is Day 2 of my search for an e-store site.
I almost, almost paid for an upgraded plan at Ecwid, which is the link I shared yesterday. I really like the professional look and friendly support there. However, I decided to do more research this morning to make sure I understood everything before I committed. I googled “best e-commerce sites,” and “best hosting sites,” and “reviews,” and all sorts of foreign words and incomprehensible concepts. I used chat support on a couple of sites to ask tons of questions. I let them know I was a “techno-dummy” and needed simple explanations. The support people I talked to were very patient in explaining things to me.
If I understand it, there are a range of different types of options for different types of people. Some people like to have the flexibility and control to do their own computer coding, create their own templates, provide their own security, and so forth, so everything is exactly the way they want. Those people are knowledgeable about computers–graphic designers and such. I think that the companies that hosts these sites don’t provide much support, probably because they figure people know what they are doing.
There are also people who already own their own websites but they just need a hosting site. I didn’t know what a hosting site was, but I learned that a hosting service provider is a business that provides the technologies and services needed for the website or web page to be viewed in the Internet. Websites are hosted, or stored, on special computers called servers. Most hosting companies require that you own your domain in order to host with them. I tried to move my WordPress blog to a new hosting site yesterday morning, but had problems importing my content and finally decided to remain where I am. I do really like most of WordPress’ features.
Then there are people like me, who just want to have a company that provides the website, the hosting, the security, the support, and everything else. I want the store to be easy to set up and operate, and I want it to be a good experience for my customers. I think of it as renting a store in a mall. The mall provides the store, the security, the consumer traffic, and everything else. I just have to move in, list my products, and open the door.
Some services are very expensive. I think they are for very high-volume businesses. I saw one upgraded plan that cost $299 each MONTH. My business is low-volume because I can only crochet so much in a month so I have to keep my costs as low as I can, while also having the store, the templates, the security, and the support I need. I learned that some sites appear to be low-cost, but there are hidden costs–like you have to buy plugins for functions like a shopping cart or payment and shipping methods–and those costs can add up. And some sites have very poor support services, a limited number of products you can list, or very limited storage space.
I looked at several sites–I even got an account with some of them and began to set up shop. However, when I began to look more closely at them, I felt they wouldn’t work well. For example, one site seemed really good, but it required users to set up a VERY complicated and confusing shipping matrix. In searching for help, I read that many people got discouraged by the matrix and moved on. Including me. Another site seemed really good–it was family-oriented and for handmade crafts–but it didn’t look very professional to me. I want the “mall” that my store is in to be attractive and appealing. I loved the look of Ecwid at the link I shared yesterday, and their support was awesome, but in chatting with their representative this morning, I felt their focus was more on providing hosting for people who already had their own sites. I considered just upgrading to a WordPress Business Plan, but they prohibit the use of some plugins and features. While I don’t think I would be affected by those limitations, I do want to make sure that I’m not locked in and that I have the freedom to use features that I might possibility need in the future.
So I kept looking, reading reviews and comparisons. I finally went back to the site where I had tried to unsuccessfully import my WordPress blog yesterday morning. I read that they are a really good, reliable, and affordable site. I went to their chat support and asked a representative tons and tons of questions to see if they had other options I could use, other than connecting my WordPress blog to their service. I told the guy that I no longer wanted to import my blog into them but, instead, I wanted a separate estore and I wondered if they provided a store (domain) I could occupy, and what were ALL their costs and fees so I wouldn’t be surprised, and did I have to buy the plugins to operate my business, were there any hidden costs or fees, was their set up simple and easy, and did they provide security and good support? I even asked the guy if there was anything he could tell/teach me that I was too ignorant to ask about. The guy was amazingly patient in answering my questions and finally recommended their starter plan, which looks really good to me. I only pay $6.95 if I subscribe for three years, which is very inexpensive. It goes back up to their regular price after three years, but that should give me time to build my business.
I am going to ask EJ what he thinks about it tonight when he gets home. I value his input.
I shared the link yesterday because I really thought I was going to use that place for my store. But now I’m not. Probably. I’m not going to share any more links until I know absolutely, positively, for sure, that that is where my store will be. I’m not any place until I am–until I sign the lease…er, subscription. Stay tuned….
The New Store
EJ learned that he could work overtime if he chose, and since we could use the money, he worked last Friday. Later, when I got out of bed, I looked out the window and saw the Xterra parked near the top of the driveway, and the Suburban gone. It didn’t take a detective to deduce that the Xterra had gotten stuck so EJ drove our other vehicle. He said later that as he started down the driveway, the Xterra started sliding so he steered the other way and it got stuck in the snow. I think EJ has gotten stuck more this year than any other. I haven’t gotten stuck because I don’t make the attempt to make it down the driveway in the winter. The good thing is that neither EJ nor I ever engage in any sort of angry blaming when things like this happen. We just work together to resolve the problem. I went out in the afternoon and shoveled some of the snow away from the Xterra, and then later I steered the Xterra to safety as EJ towed it out with the Suburban. Easy Peasy.
Although our driveway is a challenge in the winter, I really love our property. Our long driveway winds around and hides us from passersby. EJ says that our property is hidden like a delicious secret. And winter is very beautiful. This past week or two, the trees look like they are dusted with powered sugar. When the morning sun hits them, they radiate with a golden light. Sometimes the snow-covered trees look like glass when the sun shines through them. I also enjoy seeing the paths that the deer make in the snow, and the tracks from other animals. And, of course, the birds and deer come up to the house to eat from the feeders in the winter. We have to put the feeders away in the warmer months because they attract bears, and with no feeders out, the birds and deer tend to stay hidden in the forest. So there is a lot of magical beauty in winter.
Normally we like to rest on Saturday, but I had to deliver the remainder of the baby outfits to my biggest customer. The yellow and green dress was the last of the six outfits she ordered, and the purple dress and two sweaters was ordered by her daughter. EJ and I delivered the items to the Grandma at the hospital where she works.
After we dropped off the order, we went on to H&R Block to get our taxes prepared. Yuck. I had dreaded it all month, anxious that we would owe a lot. But, with relief, we learned that we are actually getting a refund. Whew. We were missing one form that we needed, so the tax preparer went as far as she could and then told us to schedule another appointment when we found the form. We drove home and found the form immediately. When EJ called to schedule another appointment, we were surprised to be able to get one for the same day. In fact, we had just enough time to get our coats on, jump into the Xterra, and drive back. It was really good to get that dreaded task crossed off our To-Do List.
We spent the rest of the day watching a Netflix series while I crocheted a Big Foot that my biggest customer ordered–the same one who bought all the baby outfits. The Big Foot is adorable but I don’t yet have a photo of it. My customer also wants a Yeti and a unicorn.
Sunday we drove to Meijers because EJ needed food for his work lunches. We stopped at TSC for poultry feed. The friendly cashiers greeted us when we walked in. I told them that I had just had a dream that we went to TSC during their Chick Days–when they have all the adorable chicks and ducklings for sale in the store. The cashiers said, “It is Chick Days now!” I replied, “I know, but in my dream, I resisted the temptation to buy some. However, then I discovered that it was also Puppy Days, and EJ and I couldn’t resist adopting a puppy.” The cashier said that Pet Adoption Day will soon be here. I asked, astonished, “You mean you really have a day when puppies are brought in for adoption?” She laughed, “Yes!” I didn’t know that. EJ and I decided that we better stay away from TSC on that day. We really don’t want a second dog but, after my dream, we don’t want to be tempted.
After we got home, EJ went out to work on the Xterra while I worked on crocheting a Yeti. He came back in and said he needed a part from the auto parts store, so I lay aside my crocheting and went with him. This time we dressed Hannah Joy in her beautiful Nordic coat and took her with us. She lives to go places with us, although she also doesn’t mind staying home because we always give her a rawhide bone when we go anywhere without her. I have started singing the chorus to the silly children’s song, This Old Man to her: “With a knick knack, paddy whack, give a dog a bone, this old man came rolling home…” when I give her the bone. She carries to the couch in the living room and is unconcerned about us leaving her.
During one of our trips home from town, a bald eagle flew right in front of us and landing in a tree. It was totally awesome! Occasionally I see them circling over our enchanted forest. I’m always so thrilled to see them that I forget to get out my camera.
I decided that today would be the day that I set up a new online store. I have been researching alternatives to Etsy because I am not happy that they have added on a bunch of (hidden) fees to items that sellers list. They also bury sellers who do not offer free shipping. I don’t like being pressured. I considered selling at Amazon, Facebook, and a few other places, but they either had high charges/fees or were complicated to set up. I want something more simple for me to set up and buyers to use. I think many of the more expensive marketplaces would be ok for businesses that sell many items, but not for a small business like mine. I would prefer to have a business through this blog, but WordPress doesn’t allow business plug-ins (which allows a blog to have shopping carts and payment and shipping options, etc.) unless a person buys their Business Plan, which I can’t afford at this time. I love WordPress, but wish they had a less expensive option for people like me. Maybe someday I can afford their Business Plan, but not now.
This morning I learned that I could use WordPress through a different hosting site, which would allow me to set up a business. I explain it to myself as having a store at the same location but with a different landlord. One had good reviews and wasn’t too terribly expensive so I set up an account with them. I had chatted with their support person and asked tons of questions before I signed up. They said it would be easy to import all my WordPress posts over to their site. I could retain blog address, my theme, my formatting, and everything, they said. But apparent it is only easy if you are a techno geek and not a “techno-dummy” like me. I spent all morning chatting to the new host support staff and WordPress support staff, trying to export/import my WordPress posts over to the new site. I finally was somewhat successful–I got most of my posts imported, but all my posts after May 2018 were missing, and both support staffs said that there was nothing they could do about it. I don’t want to lose any of my posts or you, my followers, so I finally called it quits and cancelled the new Landlord. I will remain with WordPress and someday maybe I can afford their Business Plan.
I made the mistake of beginning this endeavor as soon as I got out of bed this morning. I was so busy trying to get everything to work that I didn’t take a shower or get dressed until after 1 p.m. My first meal of the day was a cup of peanuts and jelly beans after I got dressed. Then I went back to it.
After I cancelled the new Landlord, I went back to trying to find a place for a webstore. I found two possibilities. Both had good options and neither cost an arm or a leg. One was very family-oriented and was specifically for handmade craft items, which was appealing, but I didn’t think it looked as attractive as the other site. The second site had a free plan with no hidden fees, but the free plan only allowed for 10 items to be listed. EJ said to go for the upgrade. I hate to incur too many costs because my goal is to help supplement our income, not deplete it. However, EJ said that the money I made on the items I delivered this last weekend has paid for a year’s cost of the new site so I should go for it. I’ve begun developing the store and will upgrade to the better plan tomorrow. Right now my eyes are blurry from working nonstop at the computer all day.
I still have a lot of work to do at setting up the new e-store, but if you want to take a peak, you can click on this link:
Ok. It’s late and I’ve got to get to bed…..
Changes
I have been looking for an alternative to Etsy because Etsy seems to be charging a lot of fees. I’ve researched many and tried to configure a couple, but they all seem expensive or complicated.
I’ve wanted to have my store on my blog, but WordPress requires that I upgrade to their Business Plan, which is too expensive. However, this morning I learned that I can create a store on my WordPress blog by switching to a new host. I chatted with support and they said it was easy to do, and that I could keep my blog address and my appearance. It wasn’t quite that easy and I almost gave up. Chatting with both Bluehost and WordPress support, I finally managed it (I think). However, it appears that I’m going to have to reset up the blog. It might get messy. Please be patient, dear followers, and I will get it set up as soon as I can. I appreciate you all!
Dale, Hannah, Michael, and Joann
We’ve been having days of snow alternating with days of sunshine. Sometimes the temperatures warm up and cause the snow on the roof to melt and drip. Then the temps get low and re-freezes everything. I took this photo of icicles hanging from the roof like sharp fangs. Last night the temps plunged to -3(F) degrees. Brrr. It’s hard to believe that the southern parts of the USA are warming up and getting hot.
Dale, the superhero neighbor, has snowblowed our driveway four times now! EJ was home one of the times he came up the driveway, so he went out to meet him. He found out exactly where the guy lives–just down the road and around the corner. He also learned that the guy is a veteran who lived most of his life in Connecticut. Dale said that people there aren’t as friendly or helpful like they are here. (His words, not mine. I’ve never been to that state so I don’t know what the people are like there.) He has a Midwestern attitude and likes to help out folks. When he saw me struggling to snowblow our driveway a couple of weeks ago, he added us to his list of folks to help out. EJ said he had been asking God to help us with a snowblower–he never imagined that God would send a man to do it for us.
I told EJ that I wish there was a way to express our gratitude to Dale for snowblowing our driveway. Dale refuses to let us pay him but I wondered, “Maybe I could make him cookies…?” However, I never really know when Dale will show up and I don’t want cookies to go stale (or, more likely, get eaten) if there is a wait. I could buy him a box of chocolates? EJ said, “But what if he is trying to eat more healthily? What if he’s diabetic or something?” So I thought and thought and then decided that the next time I see Dale in his snowblower chugging up the driveway, I will run out and tell him that once the weather gets nicer and the chickens began laying again, I will give him free eggs whenever he needs them. Everyone could use eggs and the chickens give me an over-abundance.
Because I took the wrong yarn sample with me when we went to the craft stores on Friday, I got the wrong skein of yarn and couldn’t finish a baby dress. So we had to go back to the craft stores on Sunday. This time I made sure I had the correct yarn samples to match, and I had EJ verify that they matched before I put them into my purse. A few minutes later, I saw Hannah on our bed chewing something that I assumed was a paper towel. She loves to eat them, and because she knows she’s not supposed to, she usually takes them to our bed to secretly enjoy them. Whenever I catch her, she keeps turning her back to me and clamps shut her jaws so I can’t pry the paper towel out. Hannah Joy is a stubborn lassie, but she keeps us laughing.
I went into the bedroom to try to pry the paper towel from her jaws. However, instead of a paper towel, I found a piece of yarn dangling from her mouth. With effort I was able to retrieve the yarn, and discovered that it was the small ball of yarn I had just put into my purse so I could match the color at the store!!! Hannah is part pitbull. I call her my “pit-pocket” because she likes to steal Kleenex from my pockets and, if she has the opportunity, she steals stuff from my purse. A few months ago she got into my purse and ate a whole bag of cough drops!!! I have to keep my purse–and other tempting items–out of her reach, but sometimes I forget. Ugh. I imagined driving all the way into town to the craft store and not finding my yarn samples. I also imagined Hannah pooping out yellow yarn. Sometimes I feel like Steve Irwin, observing animal poo to see what she’s recently eaten.
I put the yarn sample back in my purse and put my purse out of Hannah’s reach until it was time to leave. Hannah always gets excited when she sees us preparing to leave the house because she gets a bone to chew on. If she’s busy chewing a bone, she isn’t getting into things. 🙂 Once she has her bone, she takes it to the couch and hardly notices when we leave. EJ and I made it to the craft stores with the yarn samples and I was able to match them. I had two colors of yarn that I needed. I found one at Michaels and the other at Joann Fabrics. I had a 40% off coupon at the first store and a 25% coupon at the other. Now I can finish my projects.
Later, with a deliberately dramatic sigh, I told EJ that I have a very difficult work environment. He looked over at me crocheting in my chair, wrapped in my fuzzy blanket with Hannah Joy on my lap, next to the windows with a beautiful view, watching a program on my computer and said wryly, “Yup. You sure do.”
In-between crocheting and visiting craft stores this weekend, I re-organized our spare bedroom, which is our office, library, and craft room. I put away things that had accumulated on the desk, filed papers, and straightened up the closet. In the closet, I have shelves to the left and right of the door to hold my yarn, with excess yarn in totes. I keep a limited inventory of finished products in totes on the upper shelf.
My on-line medical transcription class is nearing its end. I took my final exam this morning. I did my best and scored quite highly, but I didn’t really care about the grade as much as the information. I do not plan to go into medical transcription because I would have to become much more familiar with medical vocabulary, the human body, and diseases. I don’t really want to be immersed every day in the suffering of people. However, I printed off all the class information and filed it in case I ever decide to get into general transcription. Right now, however, I’m enjoying earning a bit of money with my crocheting.
The Hospital…and Other Yarns
We’ve actually had a couple of days of almost sunny weather! I like when the sun shines on the snow and makes it glitter. This morning the snow was so glittery that it looked as if we had mounds of magic fairy dust covering the ground in our Enchanted Forest. It clouded over this afternoon; tonight we are supposed to get another two inches of snow.
I love watching the deer in the winter. They visit our feeders several times each day. Einstein and his Mama are our most frequent visitors, but we often get 4-6 other deer stopping by. Sometimes they have a bit of a scuffle, as in this video that I took yesterday:
This morning EJ and I delivered five baby outfits to the woman who ordered them. I still have one more to make for her, and I also have to make a baby dress and two sweaters that her daughter ordered. We met at the hospital where the woman works. She opened the box and held up each dress for the other people in the waiting room to see. She told everyone that I do really good work, and she described the baby blanket I made for her last month, as well as the crocheted animals and Michigan monsters. One man asked, “How much do you charge for a Big Foot?” I told him I don’t know yet because I haven’t made one yet–I’ve been busy making baby clothes. But I told him the name of my Facebook page. As we drove away from the hospital, EJ and I decided that I should make some business cards with my websites and Facebook pages listed on them to hand out to people who show an interest.
The trip to the hospital was a real spirit booster.
If anyone would like to buy dresses like these, message me. I can make them in (almost) any color you choose.
I needed yarn for the other items I’m making so after we delivered the items, we visited Meijers, Joann Fabrics, Hobby Lobby, and Michaels. We really only needed to go to Meijers and Joann Fabrics, but a Hobby Lobby store has just opened in Traverse City, and we’ve never been to a Hobby Lobbys so we decided to stop in. I think we wandered around in the store for three days and three nights looking at all the items. Ok, maybe it was only an hour, but it felt as if we were lost in there. We didn’t buy anything, we just wanted to see what they had. I think each of the craft stores offer many similar items, but each also offer things that the other stores don’t. We didn’t buy anything. Afterwards we stopped at Michaels to get some yarn.
We were exhausted by the end of our craft stores exploration. When we finally reach home, EJ carried in the items while I took Hannah Joy outside. Then EJ made us sandwiches while I put stuff away. We work well together.
I had thought that I was quite clever and “with it” to think of bringing along a piece of yarn to match for one of the baby dresses I’m in the process of making. I need just enough more yarn to make the sleeves. We perfectly matched the yarn strand, but when we got home I discovered that I had taken along the wrong piece of yarn. So we will have to go back out on Sunday to try to find the yarn. I can’t remember which store I bought it at. The only thing I’m sure of is that I didn’t find the yarn at Hobby Lobby. I’m hoping we don’t have to stop at all of the other stores before I find what I need. It would be easier if I still had the label, but I can’t find it. Some of the labels easily fall off, even in the stores. Sigh. Well, I can work on the other outfits this weekend. And EJ and I did have fun hanging out together.
This evening I made popcorn and EJ and I watched Amazon Prime videos while Hannah Joy slept on my lap.
Fee’d
Yesterday morning when I went out to the garage to feed our outside cats, Miss Madeline Meadows came running up to me. It’s a relief to know that she is really, truly alive and well. EJ told me later that the “body” that I mistakenly thought was Madeline’s (i.e., the carpet remnant) does not count as one of her nine lives. LOL.
Yesterday was a sunshiny day, but it snowed during the night and throughout this morning so we gained some additional inches of snow. The snow has piled up around the garage door and I have to shovel the snow away from the gates going into the garden and poultry pens so I can get to the coop to care for the chickens. The raised beds in the garden are now almost hidden by the snow. I imagine the garden plants all snug in their beds, covered in blankets of snow. If it keeps snowing, the bird bath in which I put the corn for the deer will get lost.
My computer put together the following video from photos I took today.
I couldn’t clear the driveway today because EJ has not yet replaced the broken pins on the snowblower. I really didn’t want to ask him to do it last night when he was so tired from working his ten-hour shift. I was hoping the snow wouldn’t pile up so much that EJ got the Suburban stuck in the driveway when he came home from work…and then I saw the mysterious neighbor’s large tractor-snowblower blasting away the snow as it crept up the driveway.
Last time the guy snowblowed our driveway, I neglected to ask him his name because I was embarrassed. It’s not as easy to meet our neighbors as it was when we lived in town. EJ has met several of our neighbors, but I’ve only met the guy who lives across the street. When we encountered him at Costco a couple of months ago, I didn’t even recognize him because I’ve only met him up-close once. Usually we just wave to each other when he’s working in his yard when I’m getting our mail from our mailbox. Our closest neighbor, who shares our driveway, is there only a few weekends in the summer for his vacations. The neighbor on the hill across the road often goes to Florida all winter–and his driveway is also long and steep. The other neighbors all live further down the road.
So I didn’t ask the mystery neighbor his name last time because I thought, ugh, wouldn’t it be embarrassing if it was a neighbor I had already met and I just didn’t recognize him? But today when I saw him coming up the driveway, I scrambled into my coat and boots and ran out to talk to him. I asked him his name and where he lived. He’d only say that his name is Dale and he lives on one of the nearest cross roads. I told him how much I appreciated him snowblowing our driveway and asked if he would accept any sort of compensation–money for gas? homemade cookies? something? But he refused. He said he just enjoys snowblowing neighbors’ driveways. Dale is my newest favorite neighbor. He makes me re-believe in the goodness of people.
Late this morning I studied the last lesson in my Medical Transcription class. Now I just have to study for and take the final exam. I have printed out all the class material in case I want to pursue transcription, but at this point I want to focus on selling my crocheted items. Even if I do go into transcription, I don’t think it will be in the medical field because there are too many medical terms to learn. Plus, I’d have to become familiar with a lot of medical problems so I could catch mistakes in dictation, and it makes me sad to read about people’s suffering. I don’t want to know that Mrs X is a mother of small children and has inoperable cancer or anything.
I spent most of my afternoon looking into alternatives to Etsy. When I first joined Etsy, I only had to pay a small fee each time I listed an item. It used to be that the full amount a customer paid for one of my items would be deposited in my account and I’d use some of it for shipping and the rest was the actual amount that my item cost–for example, the customer would pay $5 for the item plus $4.06 shipping for a total cost of $9.06. However, I’ve noticed during my last few sales that I’m only getting a portion of what the customer paid. The customer paid $9.06 but Etsy only gave me $6.49. I still had to pay $4.06 to ship the item, which means that out of the $9.06 that the customer paid, I only actually received $2.49 for the item I sold–and that doesn’t even include the cost of the initial listing fee! That barely covers the cost of the supplies I used. I learned that Etsy is now charging a lot of fees: a listing fee, a transaction fee, a shipping fee, and a fee for who knows what else. And then there’s the fee Paypal charges for each transaction. I’m don’t mind paying reasonable fees because the people running the sites aren’t operating a charity–they have to earn a living! But I’m being fee’d to death! The only way that I can afford to sell on Etsy these days is to charge a huge amount for an item to cover the cost of shipping and all the fees. I feel disgusted. I mean, I’m trying to help support my family. I can’t afford to lose money on the items I make. I feel an urge to have a Tea Party. In Boston maybe.
Etsy keeps declaring that customers will feel they are getting better value if the shipping is free, but I think they would actually be receiving a greater value if sellers didn’t have to charge so much to cover the fees. Furthermore, I don’t get many sales at Etsy because unless I offer free shipping, Etsy doesn’t promote my store, which means I get lost in the crowd and I get fewer visits and sales. I’ve been working hard and selling many items over the last few months, but almost everything I’ve sold–like 99.9% of them–has been by posting my items at the local buy/sell groups at Facebook.
So I’m searching for a new on-line marketplace to sell my items through–one with not so many fees nibbled out of me and where I can get noticed. I’ve found a few possibilities. I’m also considering advertising at Craigslist or posting signs at local store bulletin boards. Once I choose where I will sell my items, I’ll close out my Etsy store. I’ll share links to the new marketplaces here on my blog.
Do any of you sell items on-line? What site do you use to do so?
Ok. My rant is over.
The day had some major frustrations but also some tremendous blessings–such as finding Madeline alive and well and having our driveway cleared by the Mysterious Dale.
Blizzard
We sure had some crazy weather this last weekend.
Friday night it rained. I don’t know how much we actually got, but I read that we were supposed to get about a half-inch. Saturday morning it switched over to freezing rain, then to snow. In the afternoon the wind really picked up to around 35 mph with gusts over 50 mph. The strong winds blew through Saturday night and through Sunday. It was still quite windy today, but not as bad as the previous days.
The wind blew the snow into deep drifts. The freezing rain and drifted snow made travel hazardous and even impossible at times. Authorities were warning people to stay home unless it was absolutely necessary to travel. Snowplows focused on clearing only the main roads but even some major highways were shut down. The unplowed secondary roads were impassable. Many cars got stuck or were involved in accidents. This is a video that the County Road Commission shared at their Facebook page. They had to get out their big plows and graders to handle the snow:
During the weekend EJ and I sat safely in our cozy house and watched the wind sway the trees and blow the snow like ocean spray past our windows. EJ made preparations in case our power went out, but we never lost it, although many others did. The little town two miles away didn’t get power restored until this afternoon.
Before the blizzard hit, EJ had parked the suburban further down the driveway to give him a better chance of getting out for work this morning. With all the drifting snow, however, he still wasn’t sure this morning if he would be able to get out. I watched him walk down through the deep snow to the Suburban this morning. He later told me that he had plowed through the snow like the Duke boys on the old TV series, The Dukes of Hazard. He was able to get to work and home again safely.
Early this afternoon I went out to snowblow the driveway so EJ wouldn’t get stuck when he got home. EJ had said that I didn’t have to do it at all, but he instructed that if I did, only do the very bottom of the driveway so he could park the Suburban. I was a little nervous because I had noticed thick ice under the snow when I walked down to get the mail. Ever since I fell on the ice last winter and broke my wrist, I get nervous when there is ice.
I got the snowblower out of the garage and started it up, but I noticed that it wasn’t blowing the snow. Sometimes the pins holding the blades get sheared off, which means that the blades don’t spin and blow away the snow. Apparently it’s an easy fix, but I don’t know how to do it so I have to wait for EJ to replace the pins. I was sighing with a bit of frustration because if I couldn’t clear the snow, there was a good chance EJ would get stuck in the driveway when he returned home, and then we’d be out there working in the cold and dark to get the Suburban unstuck.
I turned off the snowblower and was about to push it back into the garage when…what to my wondering eyes should appear? A large tractor-snowblower coming up the driveway blasting the snow away! My jaw dropped in amazement! I had to rub my eyes with my mittened hand to make sure it wasn’t a hallucination! It wasn’t!
I waited for the guy to reach the top of the driveway and went over to talk to him. He said that last week he saw me snowblowing when he was clearing a driveway down the road, and he thought I could use some help today. I thanked him profusely. The snow was so deep–with ice underneath–and it would have been an awful ordeal to clear even a little bit. When I stepped back, the man went back to work. In no time at all he had the whole driveway cleared and then he was gone like a masked Superhero. I don’t even know his name, but I assume he was a neighbor I haven’t yet met. Later, EJ was able to make it all the way up to the house with no problems. What a blessing!
Sunday EJ and I watched a few crows swooping past the windows to land down on the other side of the driveway, just below the hill. It was amazing watching them gliding so close to the house. I like crows. Today I saw a crow sitting on a power line post with something large in his mouth. Then he swooped down to the same place he had yesterday. I looked out the window and was able to glimpse a dark spot on the snow so I figured the crows were eating an animal carcass. After the Superhero with his powerful snowblower had disappeared in a cloud of snow, I went out to see what the thing was. It was flat and had the same coloring as Miss Madeline Meadows. Concerned, I went into the garage and looked in the warm house that EJ had made for the outside cats. Only Annie was in it and I didn’t see Madeline elsewhere in the garage. I opened the small garage door that has the pet door in it. The snow had drifted deeply and there were no cat tracks in the snow. So I deduced that Madeline had been killed, and that the swooping crows I had enjoyed watching had been eating her, which is rather sad to think about. I was a bit surprised that Madeline’s body was so quickly in the state I found it: flat and stiff like an animal hide. But who knows how quickly the cold, rain, ice, snow, wind, and eating crows could destroy a body?
Saturday evening when EJ and I took Hannah out, I noticed Hannah staring intently so I shone the flashlight and saw Madeline sitting on the rocks. She looked creepy, like a scary serial killer in the night. Today I thought sadly that I probably should have taken her to the garage then so she would have been safe. But, no, Madeline lets me give her lovings when I bring her food in the garage, but she is timid and runs away outside. She is totally an outside cat by nature and half feral. The animal shelter where we had adopted her had said that she had been returned twice because she was unhappy as a house cat. So I wouldn’t have been able to catch her even if I had tried.
When EJ got home tonight, I led him over to the body. He looked at it, poked it, and started laughing. “That’s not Madeline! That’s just an old piece of carpet from the Suburban that I used to try to get unstuck the other week.” It must have got flung into the snow when he spun the tires. “But why would crows take away pieces of old carpet?” I asked. EJ shrugged. “Who knows. Crows are intelligent so maybe they were playing with it. Or maybe using it for a nest or something.” But, whew, it wasn’t Madeline. She is a very intelligent cat and street (or forest) smart so she’s probably holed up somewhere safe. Or she is light enough that she could walk across the crusty snow to and from the garage without leaving tracks.
First and Second Saturday
I love EJ’s work schedule at this new company–four 10-hour days with a three-day weekend. I must admit, though, that it’s difficult to keep track of the days of the weekend. It’s like having two Saturdays, and I’m never quite certain if it’s first Saturday or second Saturday. I’m sure I’ll adjust over time. 🙂 I love having EJ at home for an extra day.
For the last couple of days the weather has been sunny and quite warm–nearing 40 degrees (Fahrenheit). Yesterday I opened the chickens’ little private entrance to bring some fresh air into the coop. My chickens could go outside if they wanted, although they never leave their cozy coop when there is snow on the ground. Apparently, they hate northern winters and would rather spend the season in Florida like other less hardy Michiganders.
EJ and I spent yesterday morning–our first Saturday–running a few errands in Traverse City. Mostly we just wanted to get out and enjoy the sunshine. Plus, we really enjoy hanging out together. Hannah Joy wanted to come with us, but we placated her with a rawhide bone before we left.
When we returned home, I found a message at Facebook from the woman who has ordered six crocheted baby outfits from me. She wanted me to call her back as soon as I had time. I anxiously thought, “Oh, no! She has decided she doesn’t want the outfits and is canceling her order!” But that wasn’t it at all. She told me her daughter wanted me to make three outfits for her soon-to-be-born baby–a dress and two sweaters. Her Mom sent me pictures of the items her daughter likes. I have to see if I can find patterns.
These are the baby outfits I’ve completed thus far. They all have matching booties. I try to use the colors the woman said she liked, but vary the combinations and styles. Eventually, I’ll get these dresses available at my Etsy store.
After lunch, while I sat and crocheted, EJ drove our trash to the American Waste facility. At his previous job, the company let employees bring their household garbage to their dumpster so we didn’t have to pay for waste removal. When he lost the job, we had to figure out what to do with our garbage. We didn’t want an additional bill so when we had accumulated enough bags to make it worthwhile, EJ drove to the facility to drop them off. It’s much, MUCH cheaper that way and we decided to just continue doing it from now on. If we had waste pickup, EJ would have had to put the bags in the Suburban to drive them to the bin at the bottom of the driveway; it’s not much more of a bother to actually drive it to the facility, especially since he has Fridays off.
Today–our second Saturday of the weekend–is the opposite of our first Saturday. We are expecting a storm this weekend, starting this afternoon. The National Weather Service for our area says “A strong storm system will bring rain and a messy wintry mix to the area today and tomorrow. Rain and freezing rain this evening will change over to snow Sunday. Winds will rapidly increase Sunday, with gusts of 50+ mph possible, creating near whiteout conditions and drifting snow over roadways.”
The snow won’t be as much of a problem as the ice and the high winds. Ice will make our driveway treacherous. It can also weigh down the trees, making them easier for the high wind to knock over.
This morning EJ filled up both vehicles with gas, made sure we had enough propane in case we lose power, and parked the Suburban at the bottom of the driveway so that we can get out if the driveway gets icy or the trees fall across our driveway. A chainsaw has been on our “to buy” list since we moved here, but we don’t have one yet so it would be disastrous if a tree blocks our driveway. Hopefully no trees will fall in our driveway or on our house, chicken coop, or fenced garden. Since we live in a forest, falling trees are a concern in high winds.
With our storm preparations complete, we are hunkering down in our cozy house. Hopefully we won’t lose our power–or Internet. But if we do, we will be ok.
Winter Fitness Camp
I decided that it might be a good idea to open a winter fitness camp—because we sure have gotten some workouts this last week! I could charge money and everything. 🙂
Some of you might remember that I snowblowed the driveway Wednesday morning. It was the first time I did it this year because EJ had taken over that task while he was off work. Snowblowing our long steep driveway is a REAL workout, especially after a winter snowstorm. It continued to snow all that afternoon the wind blew the snow around so by the time EJ came home, it didn’t look as if I had cleared the driveway at all.
EJ was able to drive the Xterra about two-thirds the way up the driveway before it slid off into deep snow and got stuck. No problem. He merely backed the Suburban down to the Xterra and fastened the yank-strap to it to yank it out of the snow. But the Suburban couldn’t get enough traction to pull the Xterra out of the snow or itself up the driveway. So then we had TWO vehicles stuck. The problem is not the snow. The problem is the ice under the snow. When the snow melts during a thaw and then refreezes, it makes our driveway treacherous.
EJ tried our various measures to get the vehicles unstuck, including spreading sand under the tires, or putting boards or carpet under them–anything to provide traction. Nothing worked this time. So he took a break and came in to eat supper. Afterwards, he took the snowblower down to clear the snow around the Xterra while I shoveled. He was finally able to get the Xterra pointed in the right direction so he could drive it down the driveway. He parked it there overnight and then walked down to it in the morning so he could get to work. When he arrived home yesterday, he parked it down there and walked up to the house. We left the Suburban where it was stuck at the top of the driveway. It’s been snowing so EJ was able to get enough traction to drive it up this morning and park it in its place in front of the garage.
EJ works four 10-hour shifts at work so he gets Friday, Saturday, and Sundays off. We had errands to run in Traverse City today, so we walked down the driveway to the Xterra and drove off. The wind blowing the snow across the frozen bay was beautiful.
We stopped first at the post office to pick up a package that didn’t fit in our mailbox. Then we drove to TSC for some dog food–mostly because EJ wanted more weight in the back of the Xterra to help it maneuver in the snow. We also stopped at Joann’s Fabric for some yarn, ribbon, and snaps for the baby outfits I am making for a customer, Goodwill so EJ could get some more inexpensive shirts and pants for work, and Meijers for a few groceries. By the time we got home, the snow and wind had filled in some of our driveway. EJ parked the Xterra at the bottom of the driveway again. We each carried a few bags up the driveway and then we took a sled down to put the rest of the bags on and pull up.
I had a Etsy order for a bookmark. I had one already made so I put it in an envelope and after lunch EJ drove us to the post office to mail it. We wanted to get all our errands done today so we can rest all day tomorrow. Plus, EJ said the weather is supposed to be worse tomorrow. While EJ was backing the Xterra into the driveway, it slid into the snow and got stuck again. That dratted ice!
We walked up the driveway so EJ could change into warmer clothes. The he trekked back down the driveway with a shovel. He urged me to stay in the house, but I waited a few minutes and then joined him with another shovel. We are partners, and the work is easier with two than with just one. EJ had most of the snow shoveled away from the Xterra, but I helped get the rest. We cleared just enough that he was able to drive it back and then forward and free it from the snow. He parked it there at the bottom of the driveway again and we trekked back up to the house.
As soon as we reached the house, I went out back and took care of the chickens. I didn’t want to have to go out again tonight, except to take Hannah Joy out. I had to shovel the snow away so I could open the gates.
I was totally exhausted by the time I finally sat down, and my muscles ache. I might be crippled now. We’ve had some real workouts. I think other people could benefit from these workouts too! I so totally should open a winter fitness camp!
Yesterday I saw Hannah Joy and Miss Madeline Meadows looking at each other through the window. Madeline prefers being an outside cat. but don’t worry, she has a nice warm house in the garage. She is such a good huntress that I call her our serial killer cat. I wondered if she was plotting against Hannah.
Snowed
These months that EJ has been off work, he did most of the cooking so I could crochet to fulfill orders. He also took care of snowblowing the driveway. Now that he is back at work, I have lost both my cook and my snowblower!
We’ve had quite a bit of snow since yesterday. I don’t know the official totals, but I’m guessing we got about a foot of snow. It was snowing very heavily this morning–and yet another storm is supposed to hit us on Thursday.
While I waited for my hair to dry after my shower, I ate breakfast and watched Einstein and his Mama emerge out of the forest and eat the corn I left out for them. The snow covered them in a white blanket while they ate.
After Einstein and his Mama left, I got all bundle up in my winter coat, hat, mittens, warm socks, and boots, and went out to snowblow the driveway. There was a lot of snow! The tracks that the Xterra had made when EJ left for work this morning were already mostly filled in by the time I got outside.
I usually snowblow in sections, doing the flat part at the end of the driveway and the mailbox, then moving up to do the middle part of the driveway, then doing the top part of the driveway, and finally clearing in front of the garage and our turnaround place at the top of the hill. I kept telling myself that I would take a break at the end of each section, but then I would do that section, and the next, and the next, until finally I had it all done. I actually like to get it all done at one time so I can go inside the house and stay inside the house.
It had stopped snowing while I was snowblowing, but the snow started up again while I was doing the last section. By the time I was done, I was tired and cold. When I got inside the house, I drank the rest of the coffee to help me warm up. The wind started blowing the snow into snow-nadoes and I thought, “Wow! I hope the driveway doesn’t drift over before EJ gets home from work!” When I took Hannah outside a couple of hours later, I saw that we had gotten another couple of inches of snow and the driveway didn’t really look as if it had been cleared. Oh, well, I refuse to snowblow twice in one day. I don’t have that kind of energy.
I had finished all my crocheted orders and was beginning to work on replenishing my stock. I ordered some yarn to make a new yeti/bigfoot and after that I wanted to get started on making dogs. But this morning the woman who has bought several crocheted items from me, including the baby items, asked if I’d make her a few baby outfits. Usually I don’t like making clothes, but this lady has ordered so much from me that I thought I’d give it a try. I spent a couple of hours looking for patterns. She said she liked the patterns I chose and that she would like me to make six outfits with matching booties. SIX! Her granddaughter is expected to arrive in April, so I will have a lot of work to do. I’ll have to put aside my monsters and puppies and get to work!
I’ll see ya all later….
Einstein
I’m sitting in my chair with Hannah Joy on my lap, sipping coffee while I watch the snow fall.
We had a very mild winter until mid-January, when we experienced very frigid temperatures and even colder wind chills. After the polar vortex moved on, the temperature rose into the 30s and 40s. It felt like a heat wave and I was almost too warm in my winter coat and hat. The melted snow re-froze and made our driveway icy. So did the freezing rain that poured from the sky. During similar conditions last year, I fell on our icy driveway and broke my wrist. This year I’m being very careful outside. In fact, EJ has been walking to the mailbox each day to get the mail.
A snowstorm hit late last week, with several inches of snow and high wind that caused whiteout conditions. People were warned to stay home because the roads were so hazardous. There were reports of many accidents–not just in our area, but around the state. Eric and I had no place to go so we stayed home and enjoyed watching the storm rage outside. The wind often blew the snow across the hills and swirled them into snow-nadoes. I thought that it looked like Antarctica at times. This is one video that I took last Friday of the weather outside our windows. One brave little squirrel ate from our bird feeders as the snow and wind whipped around him.
The weather today looks much like it did in the video, although as I wrote that last sentence, the wind whipped the snow even more fiercely than it during the storm in the video. I think we are expected to get even more snow during this storm than the one last week. Forecasters are saying that this is the first of three or four storms that are expected to hit the Mid-west in the next week or so.
The deer are coming by several times a day to eat from our bird feeders. We’ve had as many as eight visit at one time. Our most frequent visitors are a Mama deer and her little one. EJ teased that the little one was smaller than most and was probably “slow.” I protested that he wasn’t slow at all. In fact, he was probably super intelligent. “Didn’t people think Einstein was slow when he was a child?” I asked. “And he actually was a genius.” So now we call this littlest deer “Einstein.” We can’t really see if he is a male or female, but we refer to him as “he” anyway.
EJ says that after the rut, bucks lose their antlers. We don’t see many deer during hunting season when they’d have their antlers. In fact, we’ve actually never seen an antlered buck at our feeders until recently. EJ says the deer’s antlers were so small that they probably just hadn’t gotten knocked off yet. We called this deer “Bucky.”
Hannah Joy loves to bark at the deer when she sees them through the window. We are trying to teach her to leave them alone, but I think she enjoys it too much. I had to laugh late yesterday afternoon when I took her outside. As she bounded joyfully over to sniff tracks in the snow, I heard several soft “whoofs” as deer snorted a warning. I looked up and saw that they had been close by at the end of the house. After they snorted their warnings, they leaped off into the forest. Hannah was so busy sniffing the snow that she never even saw them. She would have been yanking her leash to run after them if she had noticed them.
It’s been really quiet at home this week…because EJ has a job. Yay!
Early last week Menards offered EJ a job. Menards is a home improvement store, similar to Lowes. It was only part-time and low pay, but they said it could work into more–and, hey, it’s a job. However, before EJ could attend the orientation last Thursday, a machine shop called him for an interview and then hired him. EJ accepted the job because the machinist position is what he has been doing all his life. It is full-time, more money and benefits, and he has a four-day work week, which means he gets three days off every week. His first day was Monday. When he got home, he got called for an interview at another company. Although he likes his current job well-enough, he is going on the interview with the other company on Friday–because, well, you never know. This last company is world-wide. The pay/benefits might be better, he might be less likely to get laid off during slow times, and it’s more technologically advanced.
Sunday we stopped at Goodwill for the first time in months so EJ could buy some clothes for work. Employees at the company he is now working at don’t wear uniforms and he wanted decent clothes to work in. I found a Michigan lighthouse to add to our collection. The replicas can be quite expensive, but we are able to buy them for a couple of dollars when we find them at Goodwill. We only buy Michigan lighthouses. I told EJ the lighthouse was a gift to celebrate him going back to work. It is a replica of the White Shoals Lighthouse, which is the lighthouse in the true story we had read recently read about. In 1929, Lewis Sweet became trapped on an ice floe in Lake Michigan when a blizzard hit while he was ice fishing. He eventually found refuge in the White Shoals Lighthouse. He spent several days recovering at the lighthouse and then made a trek to the mainland where he was found at the edge of a small town. The townspeople shoveled out a path through the snow and then took him by dogsled to the hospital at Petoskey about 30 miles away. He ended up losing all his toes to frostbite and pieces of most of his fingers. It’s an amazing story of courage and endurance that I will think about whenever I see our replica.
With EJ working again, the house seems very quiet. I really enjoyed having my hubby around all day. ❤ But I am continuing to crochet. Over the last few days, I have delivered items to three customers. One guy was a repeat customer who was picking up a Michigan Troll that his wife had ordered. He thought my items were adorable and said that I should sell them through local stores. He said his wife tells everyone about how cute my creations are. That made me feel good. 🙂 I’m hoping to “grow” my business to help us financially.
Freezing Ordeal
It is so f-f-f-freezing cold here this week!
As I begin this post (at 7:30 am, sipping a cup of hot coffee), it is 1 (f) degrees. the windchill makes it feel much colder. When I took Hannah Joy outside this morning, the cold sliced right through me. Hannah wasted no time in finishing her business and then she ran, ran, as fast as she could to the front porch, dragging me behind her in complete agreement. After I got her harness off, I went back out into the morning darkness to fill up the feeders for the birds and deer.
Yesterday morning EJ drove to the gas station to get gas in the Xterra and also to mail a package to one of my Etsy customers. On the way up the driveway, the Xterra slipped off into the deeper snow and got stuck. EJ had an appointment in Traverse City so while he worked at getting the Xterra unstuck, I cleared the two-feet of snow off the Suburban just in case he needed to drive it. Good thing he did because he couldn’t get the Xterra unstuck in time. He had to drive the Suburban with its broken heater. He was about frozen when he finally got home.
As soon as EJ left for TC, I took a shovel down to continue digging out the Xterra. Ideally, we would have worked on getting the Xterra unstuck when EJ returned home–before more snow and wind filled in what we had dug out. However, with the dangerous temps and wind chills, we may let it sit until it warms up a bit this weekend. When we took Hannah out yesterday, she saw the Xterra in the driveway and barked at it as if it were a stranger’s car parked there. “It’s OURS, you goofy dog,” we tell her.
Yesterday when I opened the coop door after caring for the chickens, the wind was blowing the snow around so much that I couldn’t see. It was a complete whiteout. I shouted, “Whoa!” and waited until the gust blew past and the snow settled down before I ran for the house.
While we were out working on the vehicles, Hannah Joy got into a few things. She ate something that didn’t agree with her–maybe the roll of toilet paper I found ripped to bits on the bed? Or one of the other items she grabbed off the counter and took to the bed? Whatever it was, it made her sick and she vomited several times while EJ was gone. She perked back up after she got the whatever-it-was-that-she-ate out of her tummy.
White Shoal Lighthouse is located near the Straits of Mackinac. For the last week or so, on the actual dates the events occurred 90 years ago, their Facebook page has been sharing the story of Lewis Sweet who was ice fishing along Lake Michigan with two friends when he got stuck on an ice floe during a blizzard. He survived about 16 hours before the ice floated close enough for him to make it to White Shoal Lighthouse. It’s an amazing story of endurance and courage, and well worth the read. (Here is the link to Day One of the story. Scroll up their page to continue reading). I think about how cold it is here this week and wonder how he could have ever survived out on Lake Michigan.
I’ve been busy, busy, busy crocheting. I have been working on a baby blanket for a customer and last night got two orders for Michigan Trolls. Yoopers (residents of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula) call those of us who live south of the Mackinac Bridge “trolls” because we live “under the bridge.” One woman wants a troll for her 80-year-old Yooper uncle who calls her his favorite troll. I love when people share personal details about who they are giving my items to. 🙂
Well…time to get started on my day!
Winter Storm Warning
Winter took her time getting here, but she arrived in a nasty mood.
We received about 8 additional inches of snow on Saturday. We didn’t get much more snow on our hill on Sunday, but we heard of whiteout conditions, hazardous driving, multi-car accidents, and road closures in other nearby areas. We were content to stay home. I worked on a baby blanket I am making for a woman. I’m almost halfway done; I think it’s turning out to be very pretty. Meanwhile EJ snowblowed the driveway in preparation for more snow coming our way. It’s better to clear off 8 inches than to wait until it stops snowing and have to snowblow through 12 or 15 inches.
For the past couple of days, we’ve heard reports of a Winter Storm heading our way. It was difficult to figure out exactly how much snow we were expected to get. Different weather sources seemed to give different forecasted snow amounts. I’m not sure if we are expecting 3-6 inches of snow, 4-6 inches, 6-8 inches, 7-9 inches, 8-10 inches, or even more.
The Winter Storm was supposed to begin about 1 am on Monday morning–that’s today–but when I got out of bed and looked out the window, I didn’t see any additional snow at all. However, when we took Hannah out it was snowing. It was still dark. I pointed my flashlight toward the sky and admired the glittery flakes dancing like fairy dust in the beam of light.
In addition to snow, we’ve had brutal cold–and we are expecting gusty wind, whiteout conditions, and wind chills of -30 (F) or more with this storm. I’m glad the actual temperature is not so low, but low wind chills are still dangerous. When I went out to refill the bird feeders for the wild birds and sprinkle corn for the deer in the bird bath and on the big rocks. It didn’t take long for my fingers to start to hurt from the cold.
Later in the morning, I could see the snow falling. The snowflakes are small, but it is snowing heavily.
EJ laughed at me last night when he saw me read the list of school closings at a news page at Facebook. We reminisced over memories of school closings when we were children. EJ said that he and his siblings breathlessly listened to the local radio station, which played excruciatingly boring music, hoping to hear that their schools were closed. My siblings and I would dial a phone number to hear a list of school closings. Every other child in the area was also calling the same number so we kept getting “busy signals.” We’d hang up and dial again and again and again until finally we got through. We’d dance for joy when we heard that our schools were closed. We’d groan in anguish if they weren’t. Even though school closings don’t affect us at all any more, we never have gotten over the feeling of excited anticipation we had at the approach of a snow storm when we were children.
We have errands to run today: I need to get to the post office to mail an Etsy Store order to an out-of-state customer, and we need to meet a local customer at the Sheriff’s Department in the next town over to deliver her two Goblins. We also need to buy Hannah Joy’s dog license in the same town. If the roads are hazardous, however, we might postpone those trips for another day. I’d rather be safe than sorry. EJ says that we can make it with no problem….
Michigan Winter
We’ve had a very mild winter this year with relatively warm temperatures and not much snow. Winter finally arrived this week with about a foot of snow. EJ snowblowed the driveway on Thursday but by the next morning the driveway was snowed in again. Snowblowing our long steep driveway is exhausting and I’ve offered to take a turn, but EJ insists on doing it so I can keep crocheting.
The deer have been coming up to eat the bird seed from the feeders. I enjoy watching them, but if Hannah Joy sees them, she barks at them with her tail wagging and scares them away. I leave corn for the deer in the bird bath near the big rocks. Last summer I accidentally bought whole kernel corn instead of crushed corn for the chickens so I saved the whole kernel corn for the deer. I think it’s funny when the deer look through the window at us to make sure we aren’t a threat.
We also have much colder temperatures dipping down to the single digits and below. I think the wind chill in the next day or two is forecasted to be -30 (F) degrees. The propane truck arrived on Thursday to refilled our tank so we will not run out during these cold days and nights.
When we take Hannah Joy outside, she quickly finishes “her business” and then plows through the snow up to the front door wanting to be let into the warm house where she cuddles in our laps. Hannah has a beautiful Nordic coat but we are outside so briefly that I don’t put it on her. She did wear it when we took her to the vet for her vaccinations earlier this week. Everyone who saw her thought she looked beautiful in her coat. The vet also trimmed her nails–because a girl’s got to look her best!
I’ve just finished making two cute goblins for a local customer. I’ve arranged to deliver it to her on Monday at the Sheriff’s Department parking lot. Today I will begin making the baby blanket and cocoon she ordered. EJ and I drove to Michael’s on Thursday to buy the yarn for the baby items. I think we found some very pretty yarn in the colors she had asked for. Michael’s was having “Buy 2 and Get One Free” sales on yarn so I was able to get several skeins free.
I had been working on a collection of Michigan Monsters and Legends. So far I have made a Torch Lake Monster and a Dogman. I began work on a Michigan Troll but I set it aside when I got the order for the goblins. After I finished the goblins, I quickly finished up the troll. The design is by Sharon Ojala and I think it is very cute. For those who may not know much about Michigan, our state has two peninsulas which are connected by the beautiful Mackinac Bridge. People who live in the Upper Peninsula are called “Yoopers” (UPers). They call those of us who live in the Lower Peninsula “Trolls” because we live south of the Mackinac Bridge–i.e. “under the bridge.” Unlike internet trolls, Michigan Trolls are generally friendly. The Trolls will join the others at my Etsy store soon.
Small Joys
I have had a few very difficult days lately when I have felt a great deal of anxiety and depression about our uncertain future. Some days I feel as if I can’t breathe as I worry about our dwindling savings, about what we will do if EJ is unable to work, and about how I can make money to help. I feel exhausted by the constant struggles of life and battered by cruel people. I had hoped that by this time in our lives, we would be able to rest a little more. People tell me that everything will work out but this is not a mere story in a book and we can’t jump to the back to see what’s going to happen. This is our story, our lives, and I don’t know if there is going to be a happy ending.
But there are still things to be thankful for and to enjoy. For example, I am thankful that my friend bought me a book of crocheted monsters in early November and then asked me to make some for her to buy as gifts. That was the beginning: I have worked steadily since mid-November. I made 19 items before Christmas and so far this year I’ve made 9 items. Yesterday I delivered a Torch Lake Monster, a dragon, and a goblin to a local woman. By the time I got home, she had ordered two more goblins as well as a baby blanket and a baby “cocoon,” which is a snuggly blanket to wrap a newborn baby in. I don’t usually make blankets but I’m willing to make custom orders for people who are willing to buy them. Although I don’t make clothes because I hate worrying about sizing.
In addition to my other projects, I have been working at finding and adapting patterns that I can use to make legendary Michigan monsters–such as the Torch Lake Monster, the Dogman, a Michigan troll, and a Sasquatch. I’ve made the first two and I’m working on the next two.
One person sent me a photo of her dog and asked if I’d make a crocheted dog that resembled him. I did and she really liked it. After that, my dear friend bought me a book of crocheted dog patterns. She has the gift of giving me practical gifts that are a real help and encouragement. I’m really looking forward to making the dogs, but so far I’ve been busy with fulfilling the other orders. I’m going to make a Hannah Joy dog and offer to make crocheted dogs for people to resemble their own dogs.
I started my on-line medical transcription class last Wednesday. We had to introduce ourselves at the on-line class forum and most of the other students seem to already have experience in the medical field so they are familiar with the medical terms. That’s a bit intimidating. But I did get 100% on my first quiz. So I am persevering.
Last night there was a lunar eclipse. The night was clear so EJ and I went out to watch it. Actually, we took many brief trips outside to view it because it was a cold -5 degrees. (The temps dipped down to -9 overnight.) But the eclipse was awesome and we were glad we stayed up for it.
Hannah Joy lives up to her name. She is a sweetheart and an absolute joy to us. She is very hyper-aware of everything that happens in or around the house. She acts as if she is responsible for everything. She checks out every strange noise, she alerts us when wildlife is in the yard or a vehicle pulls into the driveway, and she referees any fights the cats have with each other.
Hannah loves to sleep on our laps. Whenever EJ and I hug or kiss each other, she runs to join us with a bark to get a hug too. Hannah even turns down the blankets on the bed if I don’t do it first. If she thinks I’m staying up too late, she grumbles until I go to bed and then she curls up next to me. Hannah is so observant that she noticed that I pulled our cat, Timmy, from under the bed every night and put him outside of the bedroom so he wouldn’t wake me in the night. One night, all on her own, she crawled under the bed to chase Timmy out for me. She’s amazing.
Hannah loves to celebrate Shabbat. She joins us when the candles are lit. I now give her water in her own decorative glass to drink when EJ and I drink the wine, and I give her a special dog treat when we eat the bread. During the Havdalah ceremony at the end of Shabbat, there is a time when we admire our hands that can do work in the light of a special woven candle. Hannah always stands up at the counter so we can tell her how wonderful her paws are too.
I have taught Hannah Joy to sit whenever we enter the house so I can remove her harness. Then I give her a command in Hebrew to release her and she comes running. I’ve started listing a bunch of random words to see if I can trick her–sort of like the children’s game “Simon Says.” If Hannah comes at the wrong word, I correct her and make her sit until the right command is called. In this way, she learns to ignore all words except the proper command. Hannah is so smart that she seldom makes the same mistake twice. She is amazing. This is a short video of us playing the game:
Hannah also has a game she plays with us. She brings her ball to us and drops it in our lap, then she sits down and waits for us to throw it to her. If we ignore her, she starts to grumble. I think she likes to trick us. Sometimes Hannah begins to grumble and we ask, “What’s wrong, Hannah? What do you want?” She stares at us in expectation and then we discover that she had dropped her ball in our laps without us realizing it. Hannah has three balls that look exactly alike. Sometimes one will roll out of reach under the coffee table. We point to another identical one nearby, but she only wants the one that she wants and will complain until we get THAT one for her.
Hannah really is our Joy.
I Love To Go A Gardening 