Life in the Bristolwood

I really need to say that all the warm temps we experienced earlier this winter MUST have had some influence on our “systems”. Although the temperatures surpassed any previously recorded this week, the wind nearly did this dyed-in-the-wool northerner in today!

This afternoon, Ben wanted to go up to the neighbors’ to skate on their ice rink. I was thrilled, as I haven’t skated in years…about 8. I dragged out my skates…WHEN did my kids get such BIG feet…*my* skates look like they belong draped over a rearview mirror, for pity’s sake! I tried them on and they did indeed still fit. (I guess I figured if the kids’ feet had grown so much, perhaps MINE had, as well!)

Drat…as Ben and I headed out the door, I checked the front tire on my Explorer…yup, it obviously has a slow leak. Even though I am not a procrastinator, I assured Mark I would fill the tire up again as soon as I returned from skating.

We hopped into the new truck and were on our way! We got to 4-wheel it to the skating rink and that was kind of fun! Our previous pickup was not a 4X4, and we never realized just how much we were missing until we bought the new one!

Ben rang the doorbell and waited as the neighbor boy dressed to skate. As they were at the house, I parked near the rink and donned my little hockey skates. I had fun just skating around by myself for about 20 minutes, until the boys came over to the rink. Equipped with pucks and sticks, I knew my ice time had come to a close, so I removed my skates and replaced them with my boots.

I sat out on a picnic table near the ice for some time, then realized that the strong westerly wind was beginning to get to me!

I watched as the faces of the boys turned rosier and rosier, wondering how long they would continue to skate. I was almost embarrassed as I crawled back into the truck and turned it on, blasting the heater all the way! I got out to bring Ben’s hat to him, and my neighbor called out to me, telling me that I could go on home if I wanted. She or her husband would bring Ben home when they were done. I agreed this was a good idea as I have a hard time sitting still AND I was getting COLD!

I got home and told Mark I was back. I needed to fill the tire….he asked me to start the old truck just to make sure the battery was OK. Ugh…I filled the tire, fighting the bitter winds that seemed even more intense as the sun was making its way over the western mountain.

As soon as the tire was filled and the compressor put away, I went over to the truck. I opened the door…no light. NOT a good sign. I turned the key in the ignition, and nothing…nada!

I went back inside the house, relaying my findings to Mark. He thought perhaps I should charge the battery with the trickle charger. I must say that the time spent in the cold had a direct correlation to the drop in my body temp!!! I was getting so cold! I told Mark I would rather jump the truck with the Explorer, and he, being sensitive to the fact that my face was now bright cherry RED, told me that would be OK. I connected the cables and jumped the truck. Within about 30 seconds, the truck was running on its own power, and I folded the cables and put them away. I left the truck running for several minutes. By the time I was done, I was so freezing, I thought I would never warm back up again!

After about two hours in the house, I finally began to thaw out again, and now I am just thankful to feel so warm and cozy inside! In all honesty, as much as I love the winter and cold, I don’t think I could withstand those bitter winds pounding on me for very long!

I am not the only wimp! I have noticed that both dogs have begun a new “dance step”….elevating one paw at a time and hopping on the other three! Even though Scotties are hail and hardy with those thick dual layer coats, nothing can protect little paws when the temps are so frigid.

However, Angus has the right idea…..If you can’t beat ‘em, JOIN ‘em!

Do you suppose they make a wee hockey skate for a Scottie boy?

OK, when you read the title, what were you thinking?

One of the great things about homeschooling is that school can take place at any time, and anywhere. So, on a day such as this, Michelle did a little lesson in home management, whipping up some delicious Macaroni and Cheese. (of course, this was *my* idea!)

This morning, I have no idea what got into me, but I found a little package of hamburger that needed to be used…so, the wheels went into overdrive, and I decided to look on the innernet for a hamburger/ hotdog bun recipe. This of course, led to another dilemma….did I have or NOT have some yeast? Hmmmm…I trudged to the basement and nearly fell into the chest freezer, diving deeply to find…YES! a bulk package of yeast I had purchased somewhere!

I took the package upstairs and tested it in some warm water with a bit of sugar thrown in. Yes, it did activate!

I fired up the Kitchen Aid mixer, and alas, the dough was ready. I set a few feet away from the woodstove, and it rose wonderfully well! Hurrah! Punched it down, let it rise once more, shaped the buns, covered them, then set them beneath the woodstove, as the fire had died back a good deal.

I baked the buns along with Michelle’s terrific Mac and Cheese. The result was pretty cool! ALthough the buns were a bit “heavier” than the kind you buy at the grocery store, they were GOOD! Mark loves the “hard roll” buns, but these weren’t that crusty and hard. I also put a slight dab of butter on the tops so they would stay soft.

As hamburger buns, and…..

As hotdog buns.

This was a very fun experiment, and the family all agrees they love these rolls!

Yesterday afternoon, I traveled about 50 miles to get together with some of my soap making friends. This is something that we try to do from time to time. Although the temps were still barely hovering above the 0 degree mark, we had a good time, chatting about products, selling, and families. (we even talked about our dogs, too!)

The group started out planning on perhaps ten in attendence, but as the day drew near, a few were unable to attend because of illness. It is that time of year, after all. It eneded up being five soapers and two adorable little ones. We met at a Cracker Barrel and we lingered on at our table for about two and a half hours! We were able to exchange goodies if we wanted, so I came home with a stunning ornament one of the girls made, a jar of luscious sweet almond body butter, and the prettiest crystal pot pourri.

After leaving (rather reluctantly!), I had to make a couple of stops to pick up some things. Mark has been trying to put together a dust collection system for his woodworking tools, so I dropped by to pick up some things he had called in at Woodcrafts. A few days ago (last week when it was MUCH warmer!) Mark took apart an old workbench he had made probably over 20 years ago. The top on it was made from 2X6 pine boards that he had topped with a piece of masonite. The boards were quite badly warped so he ran them through his planer, then edged them with the jointer. He glued them up, sanded them, and plans to rebuild a table at a lower height. He will use it for woodworking. I wish I would have taken before and after pictures, but I forgot!

As I drove home from my little outing, the low winter sun was so very beautiful. It was pouring out that “liquid honey” glow to the landscape. Even though the heater had to run nearly full bore to keep the car warm, that sun fooled the eye, making all that it touched appear much warmer than it was. The wickedly bone-numbing winds we had for the past couple of days painted farmers’ fields with breath-taking landscapes reminescent of pictures taken in the desert of wind-driven sand. As I drove through one small town, the tallest entity appeared to be a tall pine tree. The sun hit it just right, thus “illuminating” the cones clustered near the peak. The resulting effect was glowing golden “adornments” that would rival even the most beautiful and expensive blown glass ornaments on a Christmas tree.

One of the most remarkable (at least to me) results of this cold weather is that the air appears to be so incredibly “clear”. I don’t know how to describe it, but colors appear to be more intense. You can look out over the landscape and see so clearly. It is comparable to looking through a high-powered microscope and seeing every detail so much better than with the “naked eye”. The sky was not that bright sapphire blue today…it was more of a light blue topaz, but it offered the perfect background to the “pallette du jour”.

As I pulled into the driveway, the sun was passing over the western mountain across from us, causing the reality of the bitter cold to hit home. I grabbed the booty, and made haste to the front door! For those in the deep freeze, please stay safe and warm!

Yes, it is! As much as I love the winter, this is a bit C-O-L-D! My friend Becky mentioned the birds on her blog today, and I happen to know that many of the ones in the Bristolwood are tucked safely away across the road! The fellow we bought our land from planted hundreds and hundreds of white pines back in the ’40′s when he was a Boy Scout. Those pines are now probably 40′ tall, and offer refuge for many animals here in the Bristolwood. They also create quite the noise at night when the winds whip up!

Ben and I braved the weather late this morning and went down to the small town that is about eight miles from our home. I wanted to pick up some flour to make up a pizza crust for dinner. Pizza just sounds so good in this weather!

We got down to the town and traffic was backed up….we waited about five minutes, then I turned the Explorer around, and parked on the side of the street. We began walking (against the wind!) and as we passed the big 18 wheeler that had been in front of us, we realized the holdup was a Poland Springs truck making a BOTTLED WATER delivery! Dumb little town has no parking to speak of. We walked two blocks to the grocery store and picked up our supplies. We also stopped at the new Chinese restaurant and grabbed lunch specials.

When we got home, I called my neighbor, as her son and Ben had planned to play together this afternoon. Her husband made a really cool ice rink behind their house, complete with a hydrant to flood the area! I thought perhaps because the weather was bad the boys might not be able to skate this afternoon. But, Kate said I could bring Ben up earlier than planned as the kids had no school today. Ben bundled up in snowpants and his Carhart and was so excited to try out his new skates we got yesterday.

The pizza crust is currently in the bread machine, finishing up. I dragged the bread machine out on Saturday to make some rolls for dinner. Everyone was so thrilled with the rolls, I decided I need to use the machine again. It has been collecting dust for the past couple of years! So next shopping trip means I will have to pick up some good grains. I love breads with lots of texture like the one that Arby’s uses for their Market Fresh sandwiches!

For those experiencing the deep-freeze, hold on! It can’t last too long…

I had decided to take a look at Picassa, but never really “played” with it before. This morning, I selected one of the photos I took the other night, and opted for the “I’m Feeling Lucky” button. This is what I got!

 

This is so much better than the original picture and it has an almost oil painting look to it!

Because Picassa is also a Goggle entity, you can simply select your picture, and then hit the “Blog This” button and TA DA! You are able to blog from Picassa. This is so cool! I also love the Picassa look and indexing for my pictures. There is a lot of latitude for keeping track of them, etc. although I have never had much of an opportunity to fiddle around there.

The Bristolwood is frighteningly CHILLY for those who don’t like winter! It has climbed up to -1 degree right now, and I am not complaining! Yesterday, it was 4 degrees when I ventured out at 5:30 AM. I played in “managing” three vehicles in the snow and getting paths, sidewalks and the porches cleared. I originally went out without my gloves, but needed to grab them after about an hour out there! I had to finally come back in at 10:30 after I got my gloves all wet, swiping the drippy, melty snow off the windows of the Explorer!

Even though it is cold, it is startlingly beautiful out there! So, if you don’t have the heart to get out in the cold, please DO enjoy at least looking at it through the windows!

under the cabinet!

The night before last, Carly called with a bit of urgency in her voice….

Carly and her husband bought a cute city house that needs a lot of TLC a few years ago. The house has some nice features, but it has been a source of frustration for Carly as well. Right after they bought the house, many shingles went flying off in a windstorm and they had to submit an insurance claim for a new roof. There was also a BIG plumbing issue in the bath upstairs that ended not only with a mess in the bathroom, but also the ceiling of the living room falling down!

Carly has sworn that if they move from THIS house, she will have Mark personally inspect any house they might choose next time! She hopes that his eye would catch any BIG jobs that she and her husband might have overlooked!

Back to situation at hand….The kitchen of this house has a little part that “jogs out” from the back of the house. UNfotunately, this is where the plumbing for the kitchen sink is housed. Being an OLD house, the insulation in this particular area was, shall we say, skimpy? Carly has had problems with her hot water pipe being frozen twice in the past week or two. So, she called because, she needed Ben!

Carly has pipe heaters on both of the kitchen pipes, as this has been a problem since purchasing the house. The hot water heater apparently quit working. This normally would not have been a problem, but they had the furnace replaced a couple of years ago, and the cold air plenum now runs in front of the outlet where Carly plugs the heaters in! The ONLY access to this area is…to remove a panel (that Ben and Carly put up) on the bottom of the area that jogs out!

We arrived at Carly’s with a tarp (so they wouldn’t have to lie in the snow on their backs!) and a few tools. Within about an hour, Carly and Ben had the job finished. It was a bit of a bone-chilling job, but they were able to work quickly, as they have removed and replaced this panel a couple of times.

Michelle took the pictures. You can see that there isn’t a whole lot of space under this “nook” where they were working!

The GREAT news is that within minutes, the heater had warmed the pipe to the point that the hot water was running! Carly’s daughter, Sarah, came out to announce that the water was moving freely! Hurrah!!!

Carly called later in the day and told me that she was so chilled from this little “exercise” that she went inside, donned her jammies and hid in bed till she warmed back up again!

We stopped at Roadhouse Grill on our way home and grabbed sandwiches. The bummer was that the food was good and plentiful, but it was so COLD in the restaurant, we were unable to even remove our coats! Yikes!

The weatherman is predicting a cold snap with highs only of about 10 or 15 degrees into next week. I am SO glad we were able to get that plumbing problem resolved now instead of when the temps dropped. At least it was in the 20′s as they worked yesterday!