I Love To Go A Gardening
Growing Our Life in Northern Michigan
Winter Bubbles
Happy New Year’s!
It’s hard to believe that it’s already (almost) 2018. I remember when we were kids, my siblings and I would calculate how completely ancient we would be in the year 2000. I remember all the hoopla as 2000 arrived–what with the Y2K scare and all. And now it’s already 2018 and I am 18 years past ancient. Ha ha!
EJ said our thermometer registered -3 degrees when we got up this morning. It’s so cold that the snow squeaks when we walk on it. Brrrr! But it was far better than the -20 temperatures at a nearby town. EJ says that the clouds and the fact that we live on a hill kept our temperatures from going so low. It snowed very little today so we didn’t have to snowblow the driveway. The National Weather Service is forecasting more lake effect snow and colder air later this week.
We had so much snow yesterday that our medieval castle birdhouse transformed into a onion-domed Russian winter palace. It was rather pretty.
We had heard that if you blow bubbles in low temperatures, they will freeze. So after I took care of the animals this morning, EJ and I went outside with our bubble stuff, and tried it out:
As you can see, our bubbles didn’t freeze. We will try again when we get colder temperatures. I think it would be interesting to see bubbles freeze.
A few weeks ago EJ bought a toboggan at Goodwill. It is a really nice one with cushions and everything. Late this afternoon we sledded together on it down the driveway. We were going to go down on it a second time so I could video it–I go so fast on the plastic sleds that I can’t manage to steer the sled and operate the camera at the same time. However, my hands were hurting from the cold so we went inside to warm up. After we warmed up, we went back out, but this time I sledded down on a sled and then videoed EJ sledding down on the toboggan. The toboggan goes slower than the plastic sleds.
The deer have been coming to the bird feeders almost every evening now. Of course, they come during the night as well, but I don’t see them then. I know that they’ve visited because the feeders are empty in the morning. Usually a Mama comes with her two little ones. Sometimes another adult female visits as well but usually the Mama chases her away.
Yesterday we bought snack food and today I spent several hours making homemade pizzas. I made a double batch, which resulted in one large pizza and two smaller ones. Our New Year’s Eve tradition is to stay at home and eat pizza and a variety of snack foods–chips, pretzels, Doritos, etc.–as we welcome in the new year. Sometimes we’ve had movie marathons–like watching the Lord of the Rings or Star Wars movies. At midnight we watch the ball drop and yell out the door, “Happy New Year!” JJ has a supply of fireworks which he saves from July 4th celebrations and he fires off a few. Tonight is going to be quieter: JJ had to work today from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and he is going to his girlfriend’s house afterwards to welcome in the new year with her. I’m doubt that EJ and I will stay up for the new year. It matters less and less to us as we get older. A good night’s sleep matters more. We are enjoying our quiet evening eating pizza and chips, snuggling with the animals, and reading, writing, and surfing the ‘net.
What traditions do you have?
Hannah Joy’s Enchanted Collar
We took Hannah Joy to the veterinarian yesterday afternoon. The vet checked her over, gave her a couple vaccines, and answered our questions about feeding her. This vet works closely with the county animal shelter, which is just down the street, so she was familiar with Hannah and the other two dogs who were rescued with her. She told us that we should wait for two months before we get Hannah spayed because she needs to increase her muscle mass before she undergoes anesthesia. When a dog (or a person, for that matter), is starved, her body consumes first the fat and then starts consuming muscle mass. Hannah is increasing in weight, but the vet said it will take longer to increase her muscle mass.
It was snowing very hard when I got out of bed this morning. EJ estimates that we got about a foot of new snow. I had to shovel the snow away from the gates to the poultry pens before I entered. As soon as I open the coop door in the mornings, the ducks usually go outside, heading for the little pool, which I fill before I open the doors. This morning the snow was so deep that the ducks looked as if they were swimming in the snow. It was rather humorous.
As the sun rose, it revealed a beautiful snow-covered landscape. Every now and then some of the snow would get dislodge from the trees and it would fall in an avalanche. The raised garden beds are all covered with their snowy blankets. I don’t think anything is more beautiful than a snowy landscape. I feel sorry for people who live in warmer climates and don’t get to experience the beauty of winter.
The mail lady won’t deliver our mail if there is too much snow so not long after JJ left for work, EJ and I walked down the driveway with shovels to quickly shovel out the mailbox. With his shovel slung over his shoulder, I thought EJ looked like a dwarf marching off to the gold mines.
As soon as we got back to the house, EJ got out the snowblower and began clearing the deep snow from the rest of the driveway. With his little snowblower tractor, our neighbor cleared the end of the driveway for us where the big snowplows push the snow as they plow the roads. That’s a big help. I took a turn with the snowblower after a bit, and then EJ took over from me. I was going to back out for another turn, but I couldn’t get the laundry room door open and my boots and mittens were in there. EJ got it open when he finished the snowblowing. The knob was ruined by he said that he had noticed that the door was getting wonky this morning so he would have had to replace the door knob anyway.
Hannah’s new collar arrived in the mail today. It is well-made and looks beautiful on her. The collar was made by a Etsy store called Fairy Tale Collars and it looks as if it totally belongs to a dog who lives in an Enchanted Forest. I told Hannah that it is a magical elvish collar and as long as she wears it, she will never be unloved.
EJ and I had to go to the hardware and grocery stores. We wanted to both go into the stores together and we didn’t want to leave Hannah in the cold car so we left her home alone for the first time. Hannah looked through the window forlornly when we got into the suburban without her, but she did fine at home.
As we shopped, I had an increasingly painful stomach ache. I was glad to get home. I was sick for most of the evening, but I’m feeling better now. I am assuming it was something I ate. Ugh.
JJ said he got a letter of appreciation and a plaque recognizing the good job he is doing at work. He had to work until 10 p.m. tonight. We got a lot of snow in our county, but the county where JJ works got tons. He said that they were getting four inches of snow an hour. He called when he left work and said there was about three feet of snow on his car. We are waiting for him to get home now.
Holiday Week
This week is zooming by. I wouldn’t have minded if it had slowed down a bit so we could savor EJ being home. It didn’t, and it’s already Friday.
Wednesday EJ finally got his new eye glasses. He chose bolder glasses for the first time–his glasses have color rather than just being gold wire frames. They had been ready for several weeks, but EJ had trouble getting to the eye doctor’s office to pick them up because they closed before he got out of work. With time off for the Christmas holiday, he finally was able to go get them. The journey to the eye doctor was quite an adventure. With the wind blowing the snow about, we couldn’t see very far ahead and, brrrr, it was cold! However, the snow-covered landscape was beautiful, and EJ got us safely to our destination and back home again.
Tuesday evening I realized that Hannah wanted to play. Sort of a “no-brainer” but it’s been a long time since we have had a young dog and even when he was young, Danny had always preferred to go for walks. He wasn’t a fetching sort of dog. When we threw a ball to him, he just looked at us with a “Uh….no” expression on his face. When I realized that Hannah wanted to play, I went out into the garage to find her a couple tennis balls and she happily played fetch–we would throw a ball out into the kitchen and she’d run to get it and bring it back. She gets her ball out when she wants to play and brings it to us. Hannah quickly demolished the tennis balls so after picking up EJ’s glasses on Wednesday, we stopped at the store to buy her a couple dog toys. She is mangling these too so I ordered a couple of balls on Amazon that are, supposedly, for “aggressive chewers” and are “indestructible.” We shall see.
After we got back home, I made more pot pies with the remainder of the turkey. I made the filling and the pie dough, and then Hannah Joy needed to go outside so I stopped my work to take her out. She got back into the house before I did and went after the pie dough, pulling the bowl down from the counter. We pulled her away and EJ took her into the living room so I could finish the pot pies (making new dough), but she snuck through the kitchen into the laundry room and went after the garbage, which put in there to keep it from Hannah. I probably forgot to shut the door when I realized Hannah had grabbed the pie bowl. In spite of these incidences, we do notice that she’s getting less frantic about food. She’s also gaining some weight, which is very good.
At home Hannah follows me everywhere, sits on my lap, sleeps with us, and is just soaking in all the attention she is receiving. We just love her! We have also been taking Hannah with us when we go places. At first we took her with us because we weren’t sure how she or the cats would handle being left alone together. Although Luke is still hissing, I now think Hannah would be fine left alone, but it’s just fun taking her with us. She loves looking out the window as we drive and people watching when we are parked. If we have to go into a store, one of us stays with her. She is very alert and intensely curious about everything.
Yesterday we finally had a break from all the snow so EJ snowblowed the driveway again. I offered to take a turn, but EJ says that I have to snowblow the driveway often enough so he would do it while he’s home. We live in a snow belt area (with a lot of storms) and we also get a lot of Lake Effect snow, which is caused by the moisture from the (relatively) warm water of Lake Michigan. The warm water also helps prevent the temperatures from getting as cold as other areas. Other areas are below zero, but we are in the single digits or teens. Once Lake Michigan cools, we will get less lake effect snow and colder temps.
Last Sunday we bought a dog kennel because we had plans to go to the Star Wars movie on Christmas day and didn’t know how Hannah would react to being home alone so soon after bringing her home from the animal shelter. (We ended up not going to the movie because the weather was bad.) Although we think Hannah would be fine alone now, we don’t consider the kennel is a waste. Last night EJ and I set up the kennel in the garage and made it warm and comfy for the cats. It’s bigger than the shelter I had made from an old radio cabinet so all three outside cats can stay together in comfort. Before we had even set the kennel up, Annie was in it and when I went out to the garage later, both Annie and Josette were in it so I think they all approve.
Several days ago–maybe as early as last weekend–Madeline killed another shrew and left it on the mat near their food bowl. Every time I went into the garage, I told myself that I would get a shovel and throw the body outside. But it was very cold so I decided that I would do it the next time I was in the garage, and the next time and the next time. EJ said he told himself the same. Wednesday I finally went out to dispose of the body…and found it lying in an empty cat food can as if it had been positioned peacefully in a coffin. I led EJ into the garage to show him and even though I knew he hadn’t, I had to ask him if he put the shrew in the can. Of course he didn’t. Obviously one of the cats put it in there, although we have no idea why. JJ asked, “Why do we have such weird pets?”
I’m not sure what we are going to do this morning, but this afternoon we are taking Hannah to the vet for a checkup and shots. Oh…the last dog rescued from the same abusive home as Hannah has been adopted by a family. Yay!
Snowy Days
I hope everyone had a tremendous Christmas!
After we moved to Northern Michigan, we started a new tradition of going to the theater to watch the latest Star Wars movie on Christmas day. We were all set to do it again this year, but there was a winter storm warning out with the possibility of at least a foot of snow, blowing snow, frigid temperatures, and hazardous/impossible driving conditions. The weather in our area ended up being not that bad. We had several inches of snow, wind that swirled the snow around, cold; those north of us had it much worse. There was no way of foreseeing how bad it would be so we decided to just stay home, eat popcorn and other snacks, snuggle, and watch all three Hobbit movies. It was a good cozy day.
It was also good to stay home because we weren’t sure how Hannah Joy would handle being alone in the house with the cats, particularly with Luke who is still lurking and ambushing, and hissing and swatting Hannah. We’d like to give Hannah and the pets more time to adjust before we leave them alone.
Today was colder than yesterday with temps about 8 degrees. It was less windy than yesterday but still windy enough to blow the snow all around. EJ spent several hours snowblowing the driveway. About halfway through he took a break to eat lunch before heading out again. At the beginning of his break, I turned on my new electric kettle for some hot tea for him and began to fry him some hamburgers. I left the room for a minute and we heard a huge bang in the kitchen. We discovered that Hannah had grabbed the pan off the stove and onto the floor and was gobbling the half-cooked burger. We got her away and cleaned up the mess before she had eaten too much. I then made cooked some macaroni and mixed it in with the leftover chili to stretch it.
Poor Hannah Joy is really hungry, but because her previous owner starved her, we have to be careful not to feed her too much too soon.The animal shelter people said to only feed her about a cup of her special food four times a day or she could get bloated and die. It’s a challenge to cook or eat near her because she is prone to grab what she can. Yesterday she grabbed some of my popcorn before I could stop her. Today EJ set a bag of trash outside by the garage that had turkey bones in it and Hannah kept asking to go out and trying to pull me over to it. She didn’t stop wanting outside until she saw that we had put the bag away in the garage. In spite of her wanting more food, when I get her bowl of food and tell her to sit, she sits. In fact, after only a couple of times she didn’t even wait for me to tell her to sit–she just sits on her own. Of course, she surges forward and gulps it when I try to put the bowl on
I made her a vet appointment for Friday afternoon to get her rabies shot, etc., and I plan to talk to the vet about when we can start feeding her more. Poor girl.
It’s fun to learn Hannah Joy’s characteristics. She is very expressive about making her wants known. If I ignore her, she will get put her front legs on my chair and look at me. If I continue to ignore her, she will get onto my chair and press her forehead against mine so I can’t ignore her. I ask her if she’s trying to mind meld with me and/or communicate by telepathy. She loves to sleep on the footstool of my chair. At night she sleeps in bed with us.
I ordered Hannah a very pretty collar from Etsy. I always bought Danny a simple collar. He had so much thick fur that it was difficult to even see his collar so a pretty one would have been wasted. I’d like Hannah to have a pretty feminine collar so people look at her and see a pretty girl dog and not a scary breed. Besides, I really, really love the Nordic/Elvish look.
I also ordered a coat for Hannah. I’ve never bothered to get coats for my dogs before. When I was a child, I gave two different coats to my schnauzer-poodle mix. I can’t remember…but I think I made her one and my sister made her the second. Both times she ran off the very day we first put them on her and returned later without them. I think the coats embarrassed her. Danny’s hair was so thick that he never needed a coat to keep him warm. However, Hannah is short-haired and so starving thin–with no fat on her–that I think she could use a coat to help her keep warm if she’s out for any length of time during the cold Michigan winters. I feel bad when I take her outside in the frigid cold. I chose a blue Nordic/Elvish coat. I think blue will look awesome with Hannah’s reddish coat.
Maybe I just want to spoil Hannah Joy a little because she’s been so mistreated in her life. Or maybe I’m just so glad to have a dog again that I want to spoil her a little.
The last dog that was rescued with Hannah from the abusive owner will soon be put up for adoption. I think that he was in the worst shape of the three of them. The animal shelter said that they are working with the local veterinarian hospital to get him healthy. “He is heartworn negative, has been dewormed, has had two laser treatments on his feet and tail to get blood flowing better. He is on a special feeding regimen and pain meds as well as antibiotics. He had a check up and laser treatment today with his Doctor. She feels with the right loving home Bo can have a loving family the first of next week. He loves people, does well with other dogs and cats. He even has met horses and no problem there. He tries so hard to please! Do you know someone who would be a great family for him? He is neutered and needs an indoor life.” I don’t know how anyone can treat dogs this way. I hope this adorable little guy finds a good home soon.
The hat JJ bought for EJ arrived on Saturday. It is called a “Jayne Hat” because a character in one of our favorite TV series (called Firefly) wore it. Every time EJ wears it, we go around quoting from the series. I think EJ looks adorable in his hat.
EJ wouldn’t let me take a turn snowblowing the driveway (I suspect to give me a break) so I made a few turkey potpies this afternoon. It was difficult because I had to keep everything out of Hannah’s reach, but I managed without any mishaps. I froze two and baked one for supper. While we were eating our pot pies, four deer came to eat the seed from the birdfeeders. There was a mama with her two young-uns and another adult, which she chased off. Hannah saw them and went right up to the window and they weren’t scared of her at all. While the Mama deer was eating from the tray feeder, she pulled it and the bracket down on top of her head. It scared her and they all ran off. We will have to fasten the bracket better. Maybe EJ can do it for me with screws instead of the nails I used.
JJ had to work today. He got home about 2 p.m., changed his clothes, and then went to visit his girlfriend.
Grandma’s Feather Bed (And Darth Luke)
I hope each of you have a restful, peaceful, and delightful Christmas Day!
Last night when EJ and I got into bed, Hannah Joy jumped into bed between us. Ah, well, we let her. I’m not sure we could have prevented her, but we also let her sleep with us to keep her safe from Luke. Luke is usually the sweetest and gentlest cat, but I think he has gone over to the Dark Side. He follows Hannah and lurks in strategic places–like doorways–to hiss and swat at she when she gets close. I’m beginning to think of Luke as “Darth Luke” and I hear Darth Vader’s theme music in my head whenever I see him. The other cats and Hannah get along fine. Luke is beginning to irritate Hannah and she’s been setting him some boundaries. Hopefully they can work out a truce.
After Hannah settled on the bed between EJ and me, Kee-Kee walked up and settled in his normal spot above my head on my pillow. Then a cat came to lie at my feet and another one at EJ’s feet. I told EJ that I felt like “Grandma’s Feather Bed,” a cute song that John Denver sang. We aren’t grandparents and we don’t have a feather bed, but lying in a bed surrounded by multiple animals, I thought of the chorus describing all the kids and animals sleeping in one bed:
And a piggy we stole from the shed
We didn’t get much sleep but we had a lot of fun
On grandma’s feather bed.
Here is a Youtube video of John Denver singing the song:
This morning EJ and I drove to TSC to buy Hannah Joy a dog kennel. We had never thought we’d ever put a dog in a kennel. I never could see the sense of putting dogs in kennels unless there were special circumstances. It’s always seemed to much like “I will play with you when I feel like it, then put you away when I don’t.” Our dogs have always been a part of our family and included in every aspect of our lives. However, we are going to go to the theater tomorrow to see the new Star Wars movie, and we don’t know how Hannah will act by herself. And we also don’t know what Darth Luke will do to her. We aren’t really sure if we will actually put Hannah in the kennel or just shut her–or Luke–in a room. But at least we have the kennel if we decide to use it. When we are sure that all the animals get alone and do ok alone, we will use the kennel for other purposes.
Hannah Joy went with us and I waited in the surburban with her while EJ went into TSC. A TSC employee helped EJ load the kennel in the suburban. They got to talking about Hannah and the guy said he has raised pit bulls since he was a child. He said that actually “pit bull” is not a breed. It’s what people involved in dog fighting started calling the dogs who they put in a pit to fight. A “pit bull” is actually an American Bull Terrier. They are incredibly sweet and loyal family dogs. It’s a shame that people have given these dogs such a bad reputation. He thought Hannah was a mix–with maybe a bit of lab in her. He suggested we love the crap out of Hannah for the first month or so. (We don’t have to be told THAT.) Meeting this guy was a blessing.
Hannah Joy has been my shadow today, following me around everywhere. She jumps into my lap when I sit down and sleeps on me. She seems to be very intelligent and learns fast. She is curious about everything and very expressive. She barks when strangers approach, but isn’t yappy. She viciously protected me from the vacuum cleaner today (so I put her into the bedroom until I was finished. We feed her a cup of her special food every four hours. She gets excited when she sees her food and jumps and walks on her hind legs. We make her sit until we put the food bowl down on the floor. She understands the “sit” command. I noticed that whenever I said “sit,” she sat and stuck out her paw. I realized that she was “shaking hands.”
She’s an incredible dog and we are all very glad she has joined our family.
We are supposed to get hit with a snowstorm tonight and through tomorrow. Meteorologists have forecasted that we could get more than a foot of snow. I hope we will be able to get out to the movie tomorrow…
Introducing Hannah Joy
Despite my greatest efforts, I was unable to resist temptation. I gave in. I failed miserably….well, to be honest, I actually failed joyfully.
Yesterday our local animal shelter posted at Facebook that they would be open for adoptions from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday. I couldn’t help it, I asked them if they had any medium- to large-sized dogs. They personally invited me to come visit.
So we did.
This morning.
I took along a leash–you know, just in case.
The shelter had three dogs that had all been rescued from the same place. They had been abused. They had been kept chained outside all the time and were starving. The shelter was keeping one of the three before putting her up for adoption because she was so starved that they needed to get her healthier before letting her go. When we walked back to where the dogs were, a man was calling his wife to see if she was agreeable to adopting the second dog. Like us, his previous dog recently died of cancer. In fact, his dog had the same vet we took Danny to. The man also really missed having a dog.
The third dog….well, we fell in love with the third dog.
She growled at EJ when he approached her cage. The shelter woman said that it’s probable that the dog was scared of men. We weren’t sure if she would accept EJ, but the shelter woman took the dog out of her cage, and EJ sweet talked her, and it wasn’t long before she was giving him lovings. So, of course, we adopted her. Unlike many shelters we’ve looked at–with adoption fees of $150-$200–the fees at the shelter were reasonable: $45 with a refund of $25 when we get her fixed. The shelter will microchip her, but they had run out of chips so they will call us when they get more.
The dog’s face is scarred and she was starved. She is so thin that we can see her ribs. We have to give her a special nutritional dog food for a while that we can only get from the vet. The shelter called the local vet to tell him that we and the guy adopting the other dog would be there for the dog food so he wouldn’t close before we got there. Even though our dog is starving, we can only give her a cup of food several times a day because if she eats too much, she could become bloated and die. It’s very heart-wrenching because she is totally focused on food. She constantly indicates that she wants food and tries to grab some if she can. She even ate a nut shell that fell to the floor and tried eating the seed that had fallen from the bird feeders when we took her outside. Poor thing. I tell her that it won’t be long until she can have more food.
The shelter people didn’t know how she would react to cats so that was a concern, but the dog had such a gentle face that we decided to risk it. We know it can take a while to introduce new animals so when we got our dog home, we kept her on the leash until we saw that she was ok with cats. The dog didn’t lunge at the cats and they seemed quite unafraid of her. Only Luke has hissed and swatted at her, and she is so scared of him that she jumped into my lap for protection.
We told the shelter people that we always rename our new pets. They thought that was a good idea. “She’s had a really rough life,” they said, “and she needs a new name so she can put her past behind her.” After much discussion and trying a few names, we decided to call her Hannah Joy. It seems to fit her.
Hannah Joy is about two years old (the shelter thinks). She’s a pitbull. Pitbulls have a bad reputation, but I remember when I was young and everyone was scared of German Shepherds…and then Doberman’s. There’s always one breed or another that people are scared of. I don’t think any breed is naturally mean. Our Hannah Joy has a gentle face. She is very sweet and loving. She rode on my lap almost all the way home, and keeps jumping into our laps at home. She seems to be quite obedient and makes her wishes clearly known.
We already love her.
No dog can ever replace Danny. Hannah Joy is making her own place in our hearts.
Life at the Post
I took a beautiful photo of Josette sitting on the gate post in the blue-ish early morning light. I am totally in love with sweet, beautiful Josette. I am delighted at how she joins me each time I go out to care for the poultry. In the summer I use a hose to fill the water buckets and the ducks’ pool, but in the colder months I put the hose away and I fill buckets with water from the faucet outside the house and lug them to where they need to go. Josette follows me back and forth between the faucet and the coop while I fill, carry, and empty the water buckets, and then she meanders around the pen when I go into the coop to let the birds out and fill their water and food bowls. It’s nice having a companion.
Last weekend EJ and I bought a mineral salt block for the deer. I positioned it in various places in the front yard before finally deciding to place it on an overturned tub just below the living room window a few feet from the bird feeders. I didn’t want the mineral salt block anywhere that the salt could kill off plants, but I don’t mind if it kills any weeds that grow in the stones near the house.
Our sweet serial killer cat, Miss Madeline Meadows enjoys lurking near the base of the bird feeder post. Today I actually saw her climbing the post. Obviously, my Madeline-proof fencing isn’t working as well as I hoped. It didn’t help that the deer crushed the fence near the post. Still….I haven’t found any dead birds since I put up the fencing. When Madeline is not sitting at the base of the post, she has been enjoying sitting on the mineral salt block.
Madeline was sitting on her mineral salt block throne this morning when a large flock of turkeys came around the corner of the house. JJ and I watched with fascination to see what would happen next. Madeline sat on her block for quite some time while the turkeys huddled at the corner of the house. Finally Madeline sneaked off under the deck and the turkeys moved on. I’m sure their original goal was to eat the seed that had fallen from the bird feeders, but instead that calmly marched across the yard and into the forest.
An hour or so later, a deer visited the feeder. She was easily spooked by movement or noise and ran off several times before returning. She ran off when Kee-Kee jumped onto the window sill to watch her, but soon returned. However, when Timmy make a loud noise by knocking something off the end table next to me, she ran off and didn’t return. The deer often come to the house when it’s dark outside. In the mornings I always find the feeders empty so I know they’ve been there.
Of course, the wild birds also visit the feeders. They were very busy feasting today when they weren’t scared off by the cat, squirrels, turkeys, and deer. I saw a couple birds that I haven’t seen at my feeders before. I believe they are house finches, but I will double-check.
I love living in our Enchanted Forest. There is always so much to enjoy. It’s a very magical place to live.
Early this afternoon I sledded down the driveway to the mailbox. We’ve had a couple of inches of snow so while the sledding was very good, I didn’t go as scary fast as yesterday. I sledded down the driveway twice yesterday. The second time I veered off the driveway before the curve and traveled over a grassy hill and back onto the driveway. The grass didn’t even slow me down much. Yeah, it was like pod-racing. I feel very blessed to have such a tremendous private sledding hill.
I got a package in the mail from my friend in Texas. It was small enough that it fit in the mailbox so I didn’t have to wait to retrieve it from the post office. UPS and FedEx are putting packages in our magic box at the bottom of the driveway. It’s really fun opening the box and finding a package magically inside. However, the post office doesn’t even try to enter our driveway. They just make me go to the post office to retrieve it, which is difficult because I seldom have access to a vehicle during the week with EJ and JJ at work and/or school.
I loved my gift from my friend. Her husband made an awesome pen especially for me in my favorite color. He started with just a block of plastic. I’m not sure how he did it. He is going to be selling these pens at their Etsy store when they get it set up. I also received some shells and coral that my friend had found on the shore of the Gulf of Mexico during their beach-combing adventures. We marveled at the intricate beauty of their design. Finally, I received an adorable little figurine of a black kitten with a butterfly on it’s nose. I told my friend that I will treasure these gifts like a dragon treasures his hoard of gold and jewels.
Today we bought tickets to the Star Wars movie. When we moved to Northern Michigan, we started a tradition of watching the latest Star Wars movie on Christmas Day. We go to a cute historic theater located on the shore of Grand Traverse Bay. Last Christmas the theater gave everyone free bags of popcorn. The theater has large scale murals showcasing the beautiful Lake Michigan shores on which it sits. They were designed and painted by award-winning local artists. I just read that the murals have several “easter eggs” relating to classic films and local history hidden within the murals. We will have to see if we can find them.
This afternoon JJ is meeting his new girlfriend’s family. He and the girl attended a college class together, but only just started becoming friendship at the end of the semester. They’ve talked for hours on the phone and JJ said they have a lot in common. She came to our house for JJ’s sledding party, but they haven’t actually gone on a private date yet. Her Mom wanted to make sure JJ was a decent guy–and in fact, the girl’s friend came with her to the sledding party to make sure she wasn’t alone. To help reassure the Mom, JJ offered to spend this afternoon at her house so they could meet him. JJ became rather nervous when the girl told him that her parents, brother, several friends were all going to be there to meet him. Her brother threatened to give him a hard time. Ha, ha.
I’m excited because tonight EJ will be off work until after the new year. I love having him home with me. We plan to go to Meijers when he gets home from work. He wants to get nuts and oranges and stuff like that.
I can’t seem to resist the urge to look for adoptable dogs even though I tell myself it’s too soon. I commented on a local animal shelter post at Facebook, asking if they had any medium- to large-sized dogs available for adoption. It’s the same shelter where we got Madeline. They gave me a personal invitation to visit their shelter tomorrow. I am so screwed. I’m not doing very well at resisting temptation. It might be a Jedi mind trick.
Pet Craving
Yesterday a group of JJ’s friends came over to go sledding on our driveway. There were five adults and two kids. JJ said that there would have been more but some of his friends couldn’t make it. They seemed like nice young people. I’m very glad that JJ is making some good friends here. The kids in the town we used to live in didn’t have the same interests as JJ and some of them were quite mean to him so he never really felt that he fit in. He’s really finding his place here in Northern Michigan though.
One of the friends who came sledding is a young woman who JJ is just beginning to date. She seems really nice: She has a good sense of humor, she loves Doctor Who, she loves chickens and ducks, she loves to learn. What’s not to like about her?
JJ had warned his friends that our driveway was steep so they all parked their cars at the bottom rather than attempt to make it up to the house. Still, one girl pulled into the snow and got her vehicle stuck–but fortunately the others were able to get her out. They all had fun sledding down the driveway. We had warmer temperatures for a couple of days, and then the temperature cooled a bit, so the driveway was very slick.
Early this afternoon I told JJ that I was going down to the mailbox for our mail. He decided to come along with me. I was going to walk down, but JJ insisted we sled down. I was all for it. I hadn’t gone sledding yet this year because the sleds were stored in the rafters of the garage and I just hadn’t gotten around to getting them down. But, of course, JJ got them down for his sledding party. He and I sledded down and the driveway was so icy that we went very, very fast–scary fast. I screamed all the way down and was sure I was going to die. It was awesome. I told JJ that it was like pod-racing.
We prefer to celebrate Hanukkah because it has such deep meaning for us. Hanukkah is about not letting the darkness of the world overcome our light and believers in Jesus (Yeshua in Hebrew) can celebrate Him as the Light of the World. After several years of our younger cats climbing the Christmas tree, bending it out of shape, knocking off the decorations, and killing the lights, we finally threw it out and didn’t replace it. We are content with the beautiful lights of the menorah shining in the dark.
We hadn’t really exchanged gifts since JJ was diagnosed with cancer in October 2013. Instead, we started a new tradition of going to see the latest Star Wars movie in the theater on Christmas day. But this year JJ asked if we could exchange gifts–and we thought, hey, why not, it’s fun getting a gift now and then. We kept the cost low so it wasn’t a financial burden for any of us and there was no hectic shopping. We called it our Hanukkahmas gift because we weren’t sure if it was a Hanukkah or Christmas gift. Each of us gave the other two a gift so we all got two gifts. JJ asked if we could open the gifts tonight, and we didn’t have a problem with it. It’s not like we are little kids.
EJ gave JJ a pair of nice gloves and mittens which he’s been wanting. Since he had cancer, his hands get very cold. I got JJ a key finder because he’s always misplacing his keys, phone, wallet. The key finder has four tags that he can attach on four items. The tags will beep when he presses a button on a remote so he can find them. (If he doesn’t misplace the remote….) EJ got me an electric kettle so we can have hot water for tea or cocoa without using the stove. JJ gave me an Amazon gift card, which I immediately spent–on the second and third Hobbit movies and a Michigan Rocks & Minerals book so we can learn to identify the treasures we find while out rockhounding. I love Amazon gift cards because I get the fun of choosing what to buy, then the anticipation of waiting for it to be delivered, and then the enjoyment of using the item. I bought EJ a set of books he’s been wanting. JJ got his Dad a Jayne hat from one of our favorite TV series called Firefly. EJ has wanted one for a long time and when he learned that JJ had gotten him one, he immediately quoted from the series, “A man walks down the street in that hat, people know he’s not afraid of anything.”
EJ’s gifts haven’t yet arrived in the mail, but he didn’t mind. He has something to look forward to.
Today while EJ was at work, I texted him a photo of a dog at a shelter and, with EJ’s agreement, I submitted an application to adopt him. Later when EJ found out where the dog was located, he said, “You realize that it’s a 5 hour trip to get the dog?” That’s 5 hours one way. It would take us 10 hours to drive there and back again. We decided that as awesome as the dog seemed to be, it was too far. We agreed to withdraw our application and look for a dog from a local shelter. I told EJ that I have all these beautiful dogs needing homes appearing on my Facebook newsfeed–probably because I have “liked” many Michigan animal shelter pages–and my heart melts with longing when I see them. I really miss Danny and I have a very strong, overwhelming craving for a dog. I can hardly bear it. “It’s ok if you tell me that it is too soon to get another dog,” I told EJ. “In fact, I probably really need you to slow me down and tell me no for a while because I really think it’s too soon to get another dog but I can barely resist the temptation.” EJ said to me, “You should see what I am looking at on my computer.” I walked over to his chair and looked at his computer screen. It had photos of cats needing homes. In fact, throughout the evening he had been telling me about several cats who need adopting. I have a strong craving for a dog, EJ has a strong craving for cats. We will be ok if we can tell each other “no.” Otherwise we are in trouble.
A Sweet December Weekend
Friday morning I snowblowed the driveway in hopes that the mail lady would deliver packages that were scheduled to arrive. I worked hard and did a good job. As soon as I finished, I walked down to the mailbox. The mail was already there, which means that the mail lady had arrived while I was still snowblowing. I always start at the bottom and work my way up in segments so the bottom of the driveway was completely cleared and she wouldn’t have gotten stuck–but I found a notice in the mailbox that I had packages to pick up at the post office. Ugh! It’s so difficult for me to get to the post office during the week. I have more packages arriving on Monday and Wednesday. I’m sure they won’t be delivered, but I’ve learned a few days ago that I can’t pick them up on the same day that I receive the notice because they will still be out on the route with the mail lady until it’s too late. Tuesday JJ will probably work all day, and the rest of the week we are supposed to have bad wintry storms. If the storms are too bad, I’m not sure I want to try to get out. I might have to wait until Saturday when EJ can take me. If I don’t get them by Saturday, I won’t be able to pick them up until after Christmas.
Friday afternoon we had very heavy lake effect snow. The snow was so heavy that I couldn’t see much past the big rocks in our yard. It was very beautiful.
When EJ arrived home later that evening, he was surprised to hear that I had snowblowed the driveway at all. The heavy snow had erased all my efforts. This weekend was milder with no additional snow. I love the snow, and I don’t mind snowblowing, but it is hard work and it is nice to have a break now and then for a day or two.
While it was snowing, I made two batches of hard candy–Cinnamon and butterscotch.
Although we prefer to have quiet, restful Saturdays, we had to go to the post office to pick up packages and send a couple. Since we were out and about, we went on to McG’s farm store to buy some straw for the coop and some dry cat food for the cats. Seven cats go through food much more quickly than five did.
The deer are now coming regularly to eat the seed from the bird feeders. I absolutely love watching the deer, but I tried not to encourage them because EJ says they can spread disease by getting together at feeders. I put the bird feeders up close to the house in order to discourage them, but it obviously didn’t work. I LOVE watching the birds at the feeders and I don’t know how to discourage the deer and enjoy the birds at the same time. Well, I suppose I could just move and spook the deer, but instead I’m so enchanted when they come close that I stay very still so I don’t scare them. I can’t help it. So I’ve kind of given up. Since the deer are also eating the bird seed, we bought more at McG’s. McG’s have their own mix which has no waste “filler” seed and which is much cheaper than seed at other places. We were able to get two 40 pound bags for only about $7 a bag. We also bought a mineral block, which EJ said is healthy for the deer. A McG’s employee loaded our suburban with our purchases.
On the way home we stopped at Goodwill because we love thrift-shopping. Then we picked up a few things at the grocery store. Once we got home, we rested the remainder of the day and we lit the Hanukkah candles in the evening.
Today was busy. I cleaned the house, did some laundry, and then I made more hard candy–this time with EJ’s help. We made rootbeer, watermelon, and another batch of cinnamon, which is my favorite. My Mom always used two drams of Lorann oils to give candy a strong flavor and I’ve continued the tradition. Anything less than two bottles seems too weak to me. My Mom also always filled a bowl with snow to quickly cool the pan of candy in, and I do that too. I had to laugh years ago when my sister said that she couldn’t make hard candy that year because we didn’t have any snow. I informed her that candy can be made without snow. The snow is just a convenient way to cool the hot candy so it begins to harden enough that we can pour it out on the cutting board.
EJ and I have a lot of fun making candy together. We used to make candy together every year and gave some to friends, but it’s been a few years since we have made any. It was good to make some this year. EJ and I work well together. I measure the ingredients and get the candy cooking and EJ adds the coloring and flavor. EJ really enjoys color and is good at using several tubes of food coloring to get the color he wants. I tend to just squirt food coloring from one tube into the candy and get on to the next step. I pour the hot candy into the pan, set the pan on the bowl of snow to cool, and pour it onto the wooden cutting board and EJ cuts the candy into squares and coats them with powdered sugar. While he’s doing that, I wash the dishes and begin another batch of candy.
This evening EJ and I went to Meijers because EJ wanted to get some auto supplies. He plans to do some maintenance on the vehicles on the days he has off between Christmas and New Years. We bought some peanuts so we can make peanut brittle. I also bought another pair of boots. I have old boots that I use when I do my chores. They get covered with mud, straw, and duck/chicken poop. I have tall warm boots that I use when I snowblow the driveway or go out walking in the snow. I will also wear them if I ever go ice-fishing with EJ. Those boots are very, very warm–so warm that they make my feet hot and sweaty if I wear them when I go to stores or anything. I told EJ that I needed boots that didn’t smell of poultry, didn’t make my feet hot and sweaty, and looked relatively good if I wore them in public. I found some today that were on sale and didn’t cost much at all. Yay me!
Just before we left for Meijers, I saw a deer in the forest making her way toward our bird feeders. She vanished when we went out to the suburban, but I’m sure she was at the feeders while we were gone. The deer have crushed a section of the chicken wire I put up around the deck to discourage Miss Madeline Meadows, our serial killer cat, from lurking near the bird feeder. Most of the fencing is still in place to prevent a complete ambush, but we saw Miss Madeline Meadows lurking by the post just before we left. I think she smelled the approaching deer because she slunk away. It seems that everyone loves my bird feeders.
Winter Magic
Yesterday JJ chauffeured me around to complete various errands. It was snowing quite hard and the roads were snow-covered and slippery at times. Our first stop was to the hospital in a nearby town to pick up my new eye glasses. I think it’s cool and very convenient that my eye doctor is located within the hospital. So is my primary care physician, which means that if I ever need medical tests, I can get them done in one place. This is different from downstate, where my doctor, various lab tests, and every other medical specialty were all in different places and several miles apart. Anyway….it’s nice to have new glasses that don’t have any scratches on them.
After we picked up my glasses, we went to the post office in the small town nearest us. The post office was closed for lunch so we went to the grocery store, which has a gas station. While JJ got gas in the Buggy, I went into the store and bought supplies for holiday treats. Then we drove back to the post office where I sent a couple of things and also got the package they were holding for me.
This morning’s sunrise was magical. The sky was a pale pink that darkened into orange as the sun rose. Snow fell softly, making me feel as if I was in a snow globe. The trees were all covered with snow and sometimes the sun touched them with light. It was breathtaking. While I drank my morning coffee, I enjoyed watching the birds visit the feeder. I love all the birds that come to the feeder, but it’s a special thrill to see the pileated woodpeckers because they are so huge. We have several in the area and they are frequent visitors, often staying for 30 minutes or more eating the suet. Later in the afternoon I saw a couple of turkeys cross the driveway and wander into the forest. Our Enchanted Forest was especially beautiful today.
After JJ left for school this morning, I prepared myself to go out and snowblow the driveway. The temperatures fell to 10 degrees overnight but had risen to 17 degrees by the time I went outside. Last time I snowblowed the driveway I got very cold so this time in addition to my coat and hat, I pulled my jeans over some sweatpants to keep my legs warm, I wore my heavy carhart socks and warm boots, and I wore two gloves on each hand, one inside the other. Except for my hands aching a little when I first went outside, I remained very warm. The Enchanted Forest was so beautiful this morning that I didn’t mind snowblowing–but I never mind snowblowing.
I was almost finished clearing the driveway when I noticed the snowblower blades weren’t spinning. Sometimes the blades pick up rocks in the driveway and it ruins the pins so they have to be replaced. I’m hoping that’s the problem because it is easy to fix. We could have at least 6 inches of snow by the end of Friday so I need the snowblower!
After I finished snowblowing, I sat down in my chair for a little bit to rest and get warm. Then I went into the kitchen and made a traditional holiday treat that I grew up with, which we have always called “Nuttily Noodilies.” The recipe is very simple and very yummy:
12 oz bag chocolate chips
12 oz bag butterscotch chips
6 oz Chow Mein noodles
Peanuts or cashews
Melt the chocolate and butterscotch chips together in a double boiler. Mix in chow mein noodles and nuts. Spoon onto waxed paper. Cool until hardened. Enjoy!
I made a double batch so we have some to share with others. I also made homemade pizza for supper. This weekend I hope to make some hard candy.
Several times this afternoon deer came up to the house to eat from bird feeders. At one point there was quite a group here, but one deer chased off some of the others before I could count them. They had a bit of a fight. My chair is next to the living room window, but I was working in the kitchen almost every time they arrived so I had to be very sneaky to get in a position where I could take photos and videos of them. I was able to get take several videos of them, although I missed capturing the fight.
In this next video, the deer came right up to the window. She saw me sitting in my chair and took a closer look. I thought she was pretty funny.
There is so much to enjoy during the winter months.
Bubbles in the Winter – And Other Stuff
Tuesday morning after EJ had left for work, after I had eaten breakfast, and after I had showered and my wet hair had dried, I put on my coat, hat, boots, and mittens and bravely went out to snowblow the driveway. It required courage to snowblow the driveway because it was a frigid 14 degrees and blustery with a windchill of -2. The cold made my face, fingers, and legs ache. When I finally finished–it took me probably one-and-a-half hours– and came back inside to warm up, my legs were bright red with cold. EJ said he is going to get me some Carhart pants to keep me warm. I think that getting Carharts means that I will have become an authentic, true-blue country person.
While I was snowblowing, I heard the trees squeaking and creaking as they swayed in the wind. All the trees looked as if they were holding snowballs, and every now and then they would sway and toss them at each other in a shower of snow.
I was hoping that snowblowing the driveway would entice the mail lady into entering the driveway far enough to put my packages in the Magic Box. I also kept walking down the driveway in hopes that I would encounter her delivering my mail and maybe take my packages directly from her. However, I couldn’t stay out very long, and I missed her delivering the mail, and despite my snowblowing efforts, she did not put my packages in our magic box. Rats! JJ doesn’t have school today so he’s going to take me to the post office to pick up and send packages. I just got a voice message from my eye doctor that my new glasses are in and I’m hoping to convince JJ to drive me there too. I could drive myself, but I really hate driving down and up the driveway. Besides, I have gone with him on his errands simply because he has wanted company so I’m hoping he will return the favor.
I did laundry after I had recovered from snowblowing the driveway. As I was getting the laundry detergent from the shelf, I happened to notice a couple of bottles of bubble solution. We had bought them a couple of years ago because we had heard that bubbles will freeze in frigid temperatures. We wanted to try it but kept forgetting. I took the bubble solution outside yesterday and blew some bubbles, but I was disappointed that they floated away and I didn’t see them freezing. Maybe it wasn’t cold enough to freeze bubbles or maybe I needed to blow them onto a surface instead of into the air? I will try it again.
I’ve heard from others on Facebook that their ducks and chickens prefer being out in the cold and snowy weather. Mine must be wimps because they stay in their coop. I didn’t even open the chickens’ door yesterday because they haven’t been outside for days so I figured they certainly wouldn’t want to go out in the frigid cold and windy weather. I did open the ducks’ door, but the only time I saw them outside was when I went out to check on them–and they walked out of the coop very reluctantly.
Last night was the first night of Hanukkah. For supper I made country fried steak, green beans, and latkes with homemade applesauce. After JJ got home from work, we lit the candles.
We are not Jewish, but I actually enjoy celebrating Hanukkah as a believer in the Messiah. To be honest, with all the hectic and exhausting rush of Christmas decorating, shopping, baking, card sending, parties, secret santas, stressful family, trying to keep the cats out of the Christmas tree, and everything, I had trouble finding the Messiah in it all. The simple message of Jesus (Yeshua in Hebrew) as the Light of the World, and letting our lights shine in a darkening world is much more meaningful to me.
Of course, I don’t go around growling, “Bah Humbug.” If someone wishes me a “Merry Christmas,” “Happy Hanukkah” or “Happy Holidays!” I wish them the same back. I have many friends who are Jewish believers in the Messiah who celebrate Hanukkah but not Christmas. In fact, many of them (including me) believe that Yeshua (Jesus) was probably born during one of the Biblical Feasts–such as Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles) or Passover–and not on December 25. Some think that Yeshua was conceived in December, which would put his birth at Sukkot.
I think the Bible doesn’t clearly say when Yeshua/Jesus was born. There may be a good reason for this. The Biblical writers might have considered the day of his birth to be less important than the day of his death. In Ecclesiastes 7:1, King Solomon wrote: “A good name is better than good oil, and the day of death [is better] than the day of one’s birth.” I’ve read that the Jews believe that the real cause for joy and celebration is at the end of one’s life, when he has made it through life doing good deeds and changing the lives of those around him for the better, and is being buried with a “good name” and a legacy that can never be taken away from him. When the child is born, however, his very future and the path he will take in life is not yet known – and this should be cause for concern and worry for those around him. Yeshua/Jesus was a Jew, as were the Biblical writers, so they may likely have had this same belief.
My point is that many people who deeply love the Messiah do not celebrate His birth at Christmas. Some don’t believe in Jesus at all. Christmas is a Christian holiday. Pressuring those who don’t believe in Jesus/Yeshua to say “Merry Christmas” when they don’t believe in Christ is just as silly to me as pressuring Christians not to say “Merry Christmas” when they do. It would be like pressuring me to celebrate a Buddhist, Hindu, or Muslim holiday when I am not a follower of those religions. I think that there are more important things to worry about instead of getting uptight about the way others greet you during the holidays. How about each person simply gives the greeting they want while graciously allowing others the same freedom? For goodness’ sakes, say “Merry Christmas,” “Happy Holidays,” “Happy Hanukkah,” or nothing at all if you want and stop worrying about what others say. I believe that the Bible is true, and I believe that Yeshua/Jesus is the Messiah and the Light of the World, and I believe in taking a stand but not about minor things like holiday greetings.
Oops. I got kind of sidetracked…
EJ, JJ, and I have changed our traditions a bit. We celebrate Hanukkah but do not focus on gifts. This year JJ has asked if we could exchange gifts so for his sake we will. However, we are each only giving one gift to each other and keeping the dollar amount small. Since we moved to Northern Michigan, we usually go to the theater on Christmas day to watch the latest Star Wars movie. I love quiet, meaningful, non-hectic celebrations.
Drinking Coffee On A Snowy Morning
I’m sitting in my chair sipping my coffee as I watch the birds at the feeder.
I love watching the birds at the feeder in the winter. I don’t put the feeders out in warmer months because they can attract bears so I wait until the weather turns cold and the bears hibernate. When the feeders are out we get chickadees, goldfinches, tufted titmouses (titmice?) and blue jays visiting. Because we live in a forest, we also have many woodpeckers: downy woodpeckers, hairy woodpeckers, red-bellied woodpeckers, and pileated woodpeckers. The pileated woodpeckers are huge–about the size of a crow. They do a lot of damage to the trees, but I still love to see them. The first time I saw the damage from a pileated woodpecker’s shredding of a fallen tree, I thought a bear had ripped it apart. With all the woodpeckers in our forest, it’s a wonder we have any trees standing, but I still love to see them all.
Besides birds, we also get wild turkeys and deer at our feeders. I haven’t seen any turkeys for several weeks–maybe not since early November. I’ve seen a few deer, but this year the feeders are on the post up close to our house and I think the deer are nervous about coming so close. They get spooked if we move.
It’s been snowing today. We’ve had snow almost every day since last week so I think that winter has finally settled in to stay. We are supposed to get several inches of snow over the next couple of days–maybe as much as a foot. The US National Weather Service is also warning of frigid temperatures and blustery winds beginning tonight. EJ and I love the snow, but I’m always glad when my guys are safe and snug at home. On JJ’s way home from work on Saturday night, he says he spun around twice on slippery roads–I mean, he once made two complete revolutions before coming to a stop.
It’s my self-appointed task to snowblow the driveway. I say it’s “self-appointed” because EJ would help me–or even do it for me–but I hate to leave it for him to do in the dark after a long tiring day at work so I try to clear the driveway during the day. I clear it so my guys won’t get stuck in the snow and so the USPS, UPS, and FEDEX delivery people won’t refuse to deliver packages. Snowblowing the driveway is not a terrible chore. I get tired and sweaty and rubbery legs, but I just think of it as an intense exercise workout. I did have a bit of a problem when I cleared the driveway on Friday. Halfway up I slipped and the snowblower fell back on top of me. I got it back up and continued snowblowing, but then I fell again with the snowblower on top of me. I imagined slipping under the blower and getting my legs chewed up and lying there bleeding until one of my guys came home to help me (if they didn’t accidentally run over me because they didn’t see me) and I decided it would be best to quit for the day. I fell once or twice again until I got the snowblower to level-ish ground at the top of the hill. Later I told EJ, “You might have noticed that the bottom of the driveway was cleared and the top of the driveway was cleared, but not the middle. This is what happened….” This is the first time since we’ve moved here that I’ve fallen when snowblowing so I don’t expect it to happen very often. Because frequently falling would totally suck.
Although I love the snow, winter, driving up and down our steep driveway in winter makes me nervous. I think I wouldn’t be so nervous if I had more experience, but JJ has driven the Buggy (our Xterra) to school and work since we moved north, so I don’t often have the use of it. I had packages to mail at the post office–one for my friend and one for a Etsy customer who ordered a pair of beautiful dragon gloves. JJ got home from school early Friday afternoon so I went out before he got out of the Buggy and pleaded, “Would you please, please, please please, oh, please drive me to the post office? Please, please, please, I’m begging you, please, please, please.” He did, although he laughs at me, especially when I grab the safety handle above the door as we drive down and up the driveway. This is a video I took last year of JJ driving me up the driveway: Dashing Up The Driveway. You can see how scary it is–but even though it’s scary, I’d rather have JJ or EJ driving up the driveway in the winter than me. Anyway, I did get my packages mailed on Friday and I arrived safely home.
We had a quiet weekend. Saturday we rested while I crocheted. Although it’s too soon, I also looked for dogs at various on-line animal shelters. I saw a group of adorable puppies at one shelter, but I was cozy at home and didn’t feel motivated to make the more than hour drive there. I have always thought that I would love to have a Bernese Mountain Dog because I think they are gorgeous! But I just read that they only live an average of about 7 or 8 years, and I think that is too, too short of a time to spend with a dog. I miss having a dog but I don’t know how to choose the next one. I miss Danny. I feel his presence by his absence–no filling his food dish, no taking him outside, no vacuuming up clumps of his hair from the carpet. 😥
Saturday evening, one of JJ’s friends/previous co-workers from the local grocery store stopped by with her parents and children and delivered some Christmas cookies. I thought that was very sweet. We had often seen the young woman at the store, of course, but this was the first time we had met her parents or children. They seem like nice folks. I hope to make my family’s traditional treats for them next weekend.
Sunday I did chores while EJ worked on his own projects. JJ came home from work in the evening with tales of apprehending a shoplifter and banning her from the mall. Security guards can’t actually arrest anyone, but they do hold them until the police get there.
Ugh. I stopped writing this post long enough to walk to the mailbox. I found a note in our mailbox informing me that I have to pick up a package at the post office. This is a difficulty for me since EJ and JJ have our vehicles during the week and they usually don’t get home until after the post office closes. Since I don’t have a vehicle, I have to wait until they are free during the day. JJ’s schedule is more flexible than EJ’s, but I have to work around his school and work schedules. JJ doesn’t get home from school today until later, tomorrow he works all day, and the earliest he is free is Wednesday. Since the post office will try three times to deliver a package and then return it to sender, I am writing a note for them which I will leave in the mailbox. I totally understand that no delivery person–not post office, UPS, or FEDEX–wants to risk driving up our long steep driveway in the winter and I have tried to let them all know that they can put packages in the big green wooden box at the bottom of the driveway. I will remind the post office of this in my note. I did move the box a bit closer to the end of the driveway today. We are trying to make it easily accessible to delivery people but also keep the box out of view of passersby on the road–because we have read that thieves like to steal packages, especially at this time of year. I also try to keep our driveway clear of snow…there was only an inch or two of new snow this morning, so the mail lady shouldn’t have had a problem pulling into the driveway to put items in the box today.
This frustrating transportation problem is why we have told JJ that he needs to buy a vehicle of his own by mid-June–or by the time he moves into his own apartment, whichever comes first. Well, actually JJ is hoping to buy the Buggy that he always drives, which wouldn’t solve my transportation problem but would help his. EJ is hoping to fix up his old pick up truck–and then I will use the Suburban when I need it. I can’t drive the pick up because I’ve never learned to drive a stick-shift.
I just wrote that I haven’t seen wild turkeys in quite a while, and then I glanced out of the window and saw a huge flock in the yard. You can’t see all of them in the video, and I wasn’t able to get a complete count of them, but I think there must have been about 50 of them. The turkeys like to eat the seeds that the other birds drop from the feeders. Some of them were beginning to walk away as I filmed this video (second of two). I liked how they waded through the snow.
Winter Has Arrived!
I think winter has finally come to stay. We had 4-6 inches of snow over night. It snowed all day today and I think more snow is on the way.
With all the snow, I decided I ought to snowblow the driveway this morning. It’s easier to snowblow a few inches rather than a foot or more. This was the first time we have had to snowblow the driveway since last winter so I wasn’t sure that I would be able to get the snowblower started, but I managed it. Our driveway is very long–EJ says about 600 feet–so it’s a major endeavor to clear it. I usually clear the driveway in sections, beginning at the bottom of the driveway first and working my way back up to the house, section by section. It feels easier to do it that way than to keep going all the way down and all the way up the driveway multiple times.
Snowblowing the driveway is such physical work that it wasn’t long before I was wringing wet with sweat. I ended up taking off my coat and hat and hanging them on a t-post about halfway down the driveway. When I finished the driveway, I had to walk down to get my coat and hat from the post. I had seen our letter carrier deliver our mail while I was snowblowing so after I put on my coat and hat, I just kept walking down to the mailbox. I was so tired that my legs felt rubbery and I staggered as I went up the driveway.
Among other mail, we received a sympathy card from the veterinary hospital. The vet had written a personal note and all the staff had signed it. I was very touched by the card, especially since the evening Danny was put to sleep was the first and only time we had gone to this vet. I cried when I read it.
Included with the card was an insert saying that in May the veterinary hospital “will hold it’s annual Lost But Not Forgotten Pet Memorial service. You will receive a formal invitation as the date approaches. We invite you to submit a photo of your beloved pet as well as a special story. We will include that in our Photo Remembrance book that we put together each year in order to remember those pets that were so dear to our hearts. We are here for you during this time of loss.” I really like this veterinary hospital.
This morning a pileated woodpecker visited our suet feeder. They are the biggest of the woodpeckers. They are amazing birds and I’m always thrilled when I see them.
I have found 3 or 4 dead birds that our sweet feline serial killer, Miss Madeline Meadow has killed. One was a downy woodpecker and the others were chickadees. So yesterday I put chicken fencing around the deck where the bird feeders are. It’s only two feet high, but I’m hoping Madeline won’t feel any inclination to jump over it. At the very least, I’m hoping that jumping over the fence will announce her presence and slow her down so the birds have a chance to escape. We shall see how it goes. I love the birds and don’t want to lose the pleasure of watching them, but neither do I want to lure birds to their deaths.
Meanwhile, Josette is a real sweetheart. She always accompanies me when I care for the ducks. She even braved the snow to join me today. I took this video of her:
The chickens tend to stay in the coop when the weather is bad. I think the ducks stay in their coop until they hear me coming. Then they all come waddling out to greet me. I love the photo of one of the ducks that I shared at the top of this post. I think it looks magical.
JJ has decided to look for a different security job because of the behavior of the new guy, who was hired in with higher rank than JJ so he’s technically one of JJ’s supervisors. A news article from 2009 reported that this guy was “charged with first-degree criminal sexual conduct after an alleged assault on a male victim in his home. The victim didn’t show up to the preliminary examination, so the charge was dismissed but the charge could be reissued if the alleged victim cooperates.” There are many reasons victims decide not to seek justice–many times they cannot endure the trauma of a trial. Also although the charge was from 2009, sexual predators rarely (if ever) change their ways. JJ really enjoyed the security guard work and he was very good at it. In fact, a couple of days ago he heard two of his immediate superiors discussing that he was excellent at his job and “took to it like a duck to water.” However, because of the seriousness of the charge and the guy’s inappropriate behavior towards him, JJ doesn’t feel comfortable working with him and he does not feel that this guy should be working in a security job in which he is responsible for public safety. Although JJ’s co-workers supported him, the director decided not to fire the guy. It’s not a good situation (I am not sharing many details) so JJ is looking for a different security job. JJ really stands firm when it comes to things like this. I’m proud of him for putting the safety of others above his job.
Murdick’s and the Mall
December 1 (Friday) was EJ and my 27th anniversary. We were going to celebrate our anniversary on Saturday and I was going to plan something awesomely fun because there have been many years when we weren’t able to do much to celebrate. A time or two we celebrated in a very special way, some times we at least went out to a restaurant, but many years EJ had to work long hours every day for months so that he was not able to get away. He now gets weekends off so I was determined that we were going to do something special.
But then Danny died.
We didn’t really feel much like celebrating, so we decided to have a quiet weekend at home. And that’s ok. We actually enjoy quiet weekends at home. And we’ve had lots of fun weekends taking turns celebrating our “extra birthdays” so we didn’t mind staying home.
We are mostly doing ok about Danny. Sometimes I think that, wow, as much as I loved him, I’m not really grieving for him all that much because although I think about him all the time, and I get choked up when I talk about him, I’m not crying my eyes out. I did most of my crying the day we took him to the veterinary hospital. I recognize, though, that grief affects people in different ways. I feel an underlying sadness, and although I am not crying, I can feel the grief affect me physically. I feel sad and stressed, my stomach is in knots, and I’m not sleeping very well.
I really miss having a dog–both the companionship and protection–and I don’t want to wait too long to get another. I don’t plan to wait a year, or six months. Maybe a month or two. But I don’t know how to choose a new dog. Before Danny, we had Jake. We got him when a group of neighbor kids came to our house trying to find the owner of a stray dog they had found. I told them that if they couldn’t find his owner, I would take him. A couple of hours later they brought him back to me. Neighbor kids always brought us homeless animals–mostly kittens. Now that we live high on a hill on five acres instead of in town, we don’t have neighbor kids bringing us homeless pets. And, of course, Danny found and chose me at the pet supply store. So I’m not sure how to find our next dog. I’ve looked at animal shelters on-line, but I haven’t seen a dog that I felt a connection with. But, then, we really aren’t ready for another one yet.
JJ has had an interesting situation at work. I don’t think I should go into too much detail so I will just say that his company recently hired a guy who, on his first day, made remarks and behaved in ways that really made JJ uncomfortable. JJ googled him and found a news report that indicated that the guy was a serious sexual predator. JJ said that he had never really felt that the articles I shared about abuse was relevant to him–until now. Because of the articles I’ve shared, he recognized that this guy was trying to victim-groom him. This is why I share things about abuse–to not only help victims understand what is happening to them, but also to educate others so they can recognize red flags and won’t become victims. It is important to learn to recognize abusive behavior and teach them to your kids.
Even though JJ wasn’t sure if he would lose his job, he reported the guy to his superiors because he believes that such a man should definitely not be working as a security guard. I mean, women are always told that if they feel uncomfortable at a mall, they should ask a security guard to walk them to their car. Having a predatory security guard is like asking a fox to guard a chicken coop. JJ believes that he has a duty to help keep others safe. He had the day off today so he went to work and wrote out an official statement, which will be handed over to his company’s Human Resource and legal departments. Apparently, others have been creeped out by this guy as well and most of his superiors are standing with JJ. I’m really proud of JJ for caring more about protecting the vulnerable than keeping his job. I think he will make a fine police officer.
I rode to the mall with JJ and sat in the Buggy to wait for him. I didn’t sleep much last night and was very tired, so I told JJ to try not to take too long–I mean, I have no problem with him taking as long as he needed to do his business, but I told him not to engage in long chats with his co-workers, or go to a restaurant, or go shopping, or anything like that. I had left my phone home to charge because the battery was low so I couldn’t contact him and I had never been to that mall before so I didn’t know my way around. I told him that if he took too long, I just might start wandering around the parking lot acting weird, and when the security guards came out to investigate, I would tell them that JJ was my son and I needed them to take me to him. LOL. He didn’t think that was a good idea. He said the guards would mace me first and ask questions later, but I think he was just trying to scare me so I wouldn’t be tempted to act weird. It took JJ quite awhile to write out his statement and I had to go into the mall to find a bathroom. I get lost very easily so before I left the Buggy, I wrote a note for JJ in case he returned before I did: “I went to find a bathroom. I’m probably lost.” I did actually find a bathroom AND I was able to find my way back to the Buggy. I forgot to remove the note when I returned and JJ laughed at it when he found it.
I wanted to buy some authentic Northern Michigan fudge for a friend of mine who lives in a different state. Northern Michigan is famous for its fudge and tourists come to Northern Michigan–especially Mackinac Island–in order to buy it. For that reason, tourists in Northern Michigan are nicknamed “Fudgies.” JJ and I stopped at Doug Murdick’s, which is an authentic Northern Michigan fudge shop, to buy the fudge. Murdick’s cooks their fudge in large copper kettles, which is then poured out on beautiful marble tables and cooled. Fudgies can watch the fudge being made. You can read about Murdick’s at their website and see photos. We bought some fudge for my friend and some for us.
On our way home, we stopped at Culvers because JJ hadn’t eaten anything all day and was hungry.
The weather has turned cold and VERY windy, with winds of 25-35 mph and gusts up to 40 mph. The wind shook the Buggy as I waited for JJ at the mall and the seagulls flying overhead looked as if they were struggling a bit. The wind blew some papers from my purse as we walked back to the car after leaving Murdicks, and it ripped more papers from my purse as we left Culvers. I don’t deliberately litter, but since the papers were gone before I could even hope to retrieve them, and I don’t know if they were important, I’m sort of hoping they ended up soggied and unreadable in the bay. The wind also broke some of the snow fence lining our driveway. We are expecting at least 6 inches of snow through Thursday.
Dog-Gone Memories
Today we are grieving Danny. His loss has left a painful hole in our hearts. We are flooded with memories:
Every now and then when JJ was younger, he and I used to stop at a store in a nearby town called Soldan’s. It primarily sold pet supplies, not animals, but it did sell a few lizards, frogs, and even ferrets. JJ and I used to enjoy looking at them. One day, EJ had a few things to buy at a store–probably a hardware store. JJ and I decided that while EJ went there, we would go into Soldans, which was located a few doors away, to look at the animals. We didn’t know that occasionally the local animal shelter had an Adoption Day at the store and that this was one such day. I was stooping down to look at the ferrents when a little black head suddenly pushed into my lap. I gave the dog lots of lovings until the volunteer walking him through the store pulled him away. As long as I was in the store, the dog kept finding me and insisting on pulling his volunteer over to me. It was remarkable. When EJ finished his shopping and joined us, he saw the dog constantly finding me so he decided that the dog and I were meant to be together. So the next day he and JJ snuck off and adopted Danny for me.
From the moment we first met in Soldans, Danny has always been completely devoted to me. I have loved and bonded with dogs through my life–I’ve rarely been without a dog–but none has been so devotedly intertwined with me as Danny. Danny was so devoted that when he first joined our family, he wouldn’t let any of the other pets near me. I think he kind of made the end of our other dog’s life rather miserable. Jake loved me too, but Danny wouldn’t let him near me. He would growl if Jake got too close. Danny learned to accept the cats in our lives, but we never tried to get another dog after Jake because we believed that having to share me would break Danny’s heart. Every now and then through the years, we would see a photo of an adorable dog needing a home, our hearts would melt, but we would say, “Nope. We can’t adopt another dog. It would break Danny’s heart.” A few months ago, EJ’s current boss had to get rid of his awesome dog that he couldn’t keep. He offered to give it to us. EJ told him, “Nope. We can’t adopt another dog. It would break Danny’s heart.”
Throughout his years with us, Danny was never far from my side. He followed me from room to room and slept near our bed. A few years ago I had a problem with Plantar fasciitis, a condition that causes pain on the bottom of the heel. It occurs when the band of tissue that supports the arch of your foot becomes inflamed. It was too painful to take Danny for his walks, so I asked JJ to take him. JJ would return home a few minutes after leaving, exclaiming, “Mom, something is wrong with Danny! We get a little ways down the street and then he pulls me back home!” Although Danny absolutely loved his daily walks, he didn’t want to go unless I went with him. Danny also wouldn’t tell EJ or JJ if he needed to go outside. He always waited patiently until I was free to take him outside.
Danny loved people, especially children. When we went on walks through our town downstate, he always stopped so they could fuss over him. He didn’t see many people on our five acres here in the north, but he loved to run up and greet the UPS or FedEx delivery men.
We always called Danny “our introverted dog” because he was so quiet and sweet. He almost never barked. He was mostly obedient, but he had an independent stubborness in him. If he didn’t want to do something, he would stand his ground with a smile on his face as if to say, “I’m sorry, but I can’t do what you want.”
These memories and others are flooding us today.
I think the hardest times are the forgettable moments–the moments when we forget that Danny is gone. Usually Danny sleeps next to the bed so when I get…got…out of bed, I had to be careful that I didn’t step on him or trip over him. I started to get carefully out of bed this morning…because I forgot Danny wasn’t there. I almost asked Danny if he needed to go out this morning, and then remembered that he wasn’t there. The empty moments are difficult too. Last night I put away Danny’s food dish because I didn’t want it to be a reminder that Danny is gone. But not seeing it there is just as difficult. I put the portions of the cats special treat of canned food on the floor this morning because Danny isn’t there to gobble it up. EJ is struggling with these things too.
We’ve always said that we wouldn’t get another dog while Danny is alive because it would break his heart. But now that Danny is gone and we could get another dog, it’s our hearts that are broken. I was thinking that I didn’t know if I could handle loving and losing another dog. Then I got to thinking about a Doctor Who episode in which a mother during World War 2 received a telegram that her husband’s plane had been shot down. Here is the scene:
This scene came to mind because I told EJ last night that I can’t imagine ever not having a dog around, but the pain of losing a beloved dog is almost unbearable. So what’s the point of loving a dog again if we are just going to be heartbroken later? The answer is that although you know you will be sad later, you still enjoy loving your dog now (or anyone). I think it would be an empty, barren life if a person refuses love and happiness now because they will be sad later.
Eventually, after we have grieved, we will get another dog–because life without a dog is empty.
