Life in the Bristolwood

Sooo…..conversation this morning.

Me: Wow! There’s a lotta snow out there!

Mark:  Nah, the snow is drifted, but it doesn’t *look* like there is much.  Just drifts here and there.

Ah, famous last words….

What Mark did *not* see was the snow the Scottie boys and I encountered early this morning before the sun came up. We three hopped down the steps only to witness snow that far exceeded the height of a wee-legged Scottie Dog!  I tried to push the snow aside with my boots, but it was so deep and heavy,  I could barely move it!  Seeing the frustration in my companions, I more or less “forced” them under the front porch where there was little snow on the ground!

As Mark and the kids did some things they needed to do,  I took a few photos of visitors to the suet feeder out back. The birds have been visiting with greater frequency the past few days.

This little Titmouse patiently awaited his turn atop the railing…..

And look at the lovely pose he struck just for the camera!

When Mark was nearly done with his chores, I went outside and shoveled off the back deck and part of the ramp.  I convinced Ben to finish the job and we had it cleared just as Mark was ready to wheel out the door.

I teased Mark the other day that the wheelchair ramp looks like a luge course.  Now that we have shoveled, it looks even more so!

Michelle took Murphy out to the front of the garage where she was about to shovel. She set him down and he more or less paddled his way through the snow to me.  He wasn’t the least bit impressed by this massive-to-him snowfall!

Both the truck and the Explorer are relatively high vehicles with a generous ground clearance. You can see that the snow in front of the garage was pretty deep!

Michelle and I worked at shoveling out the front of the garage as well as around the perimeter of the vehicles.  We always hand shovel these areas as Mark cannot get in tight enough with the plow.

The snowstorm last night involved snow that fell very finely.  Were it not for the fierce wind, we probably would have had a much deeper snowfall.  What did fall was not like the light, fluffy snow we had previously experienced this year, but heavy, wet snow.  As Michelle and I worked,  huge snowflakes began to fall.

Before Mark could plow with the ATV, he needed a bit of help to remount the two rear tires on the ATV.  He had removed them because when we had the inspection of the truck done yesterday,  he also had those two tires reseated on the rims as they were having some trouble losing air.

When Mark pulled forward to begin pushing the snow,  I couldn’t believe the snow was almost the same height as the ATV!

That ATV is worth its weight in gold.  It did indeed push through that enormous blockade and handily removed the snow from the driveway!

I tried to take the Scotties in the house, but Angus the Brave would not budge.  He wanted to linger outside, watching Mark plow the driveway.  Poor little fellow….he looked like a frozen Teddy Bear as he observed from the porch!

Murphy, on the other hand, bounded into the house with gleeful abandon as soon as the door was opened.  And still, Angus watched over Mark….

Michelle and I continued to work our way through that nasty pile of snow in front of the garage.

Mark worked on the driveway for a good two hours.  There was so much snow; this was a snowfall more like the “old-fashioned” ones we remember.

We were all thrilled with the mechanical advantage offered by the ATV! The only assistance Mark requires is a hand changing the blade direction on the plow from time to time.

As  soon as we finished clearing out the front of the garage, Michelle went inside the house to warm up.  I stayed outside a while longer, then as Mark was finishing  up, I shoveled the close to two inches of fluffy stuff that fell as we were working outside.

Ben helped Mark get things put away and then they came into the house.  Or, so I thought.

Mark kept hollering for me to grab a camera.

I raced to see what it was causing such a ruckus, only to find the boy like this…

Yup, that is how deep the snow is behind the house.  The disgusted look is because Ben claims he hates the snow.

We got everything secured and settled in to an afternoon of watching Team USA beat Team Finland in hockey.  One more game to go and we are assured at least a silver medal! Of course, we are so excited because our favorite team (the Buffalo Sabres) is represented in the form of TeamUSA’s winning goalie, Ryan Miller! What excitement!

The snow stopped falling, for the time being, and we were treated to another beautiful Bristolwood sunset.

We are told that the system that blessed us with this round of snowfall has stalled out and will now remain with us the next few days, causing flurries on and off.

Today, we traveled to Rochester.  Never mind the warnings of bad weather!

Actually, we were advised that the bad weather would probably arrive mid to late afternoon.

We arrived in Rochester to clear roads and an annoying precipitation that felt more like “rainy snow” than anything.  It was just wet and somewhat sticky.  We did our shopping and then Ben and Mark went to the Guitar Center to check out some “stuff”.  Ben got a bass guitar for his birthday, which he is doing well playing. Mark wanted to check if perhaps they might see a better model. Thus, the Scotties and I awaited in the truck about an hour and forty-five minutes while the guys played.

Mark had commented one day that Mendon Ponds Park is located closer to Henrietta than our house.  So, I asked if we could stop just for a few minutes to feed the birds on our way to pick Michelle up from school. 

 Ben and I hopped out of the truck and walked just a few yards away to an area where there were trees and some brush.  We placed a few seeds in our hands and the birds immediately appeared!

Oh, come on, can you *really* imagine a chickadee perched upon your thumb?

I didn’t bring along the Nikon today, as I was traveling lightly.  We had an early morning appointment at eight to have the truck inspected.  It turned out kind of fun as I had to “occupy” the Scotties for about half an hour while the truck was taken in the garage for inspection.  Snow was falling, but it was rather mild and calm, so we walked a good bit, then went back to the store to see how things were going.  The poor Scottie boys had frozen beards and snow all over their skirts.  How happy they must have been to return to the warm and cozy truck.  I wrapped Murphy in a blanket in the back seat and he barely moved all day, sleeping soundly! 

One of the things I noticed right away that was different about Ben feeding the birds was that most people open their hands flat, whereas Ben cupped the seeds in his hand, creating  a sense of awe…As the tiny chickadees landed in his hand, he would raise and lower his hand from time to time, and the little birds would remain perched. 

As I worked snapping photo after photo,  I suddenly distinctly felt two birds land on the knit hat I was wearing.  Ben began to giggle and then I did, too.  It was nearly impossible to continue taking photos with the two of us laughing. Then, Ben did such a funny thing.

Now, remember, a strong storm was on its way.  I know the birds and animals know when bad weather is coming.  As we were feeding chickadees and titmice,  there were cardinals around.  Many cardinals!  They will not come to hand feed, but they surely did make their presence known.  While they were extremely flighty the last time I was at the park, this time,  they seemed not to care as I took photos of them.  They seemed almost focussed on getting their fair share of food before the winds kicked up and the snow began falling heavily.

And here is my favorite photo of a cardinal taken today….

It would have been nice to have had the SLR with me instead of my little Panasonic point-and-shoot,  but I was happy to have gotten the photos I did.  The snow began to come down a bit heavier as we were there.  Ben and I scattered a considerable amount of seeds on the ground as we left.  I am sure they were put to good use by the many birds we left behind!

As we made our way to Canandaigua, the road conditions worsened.  Mark tried his brakes a couple of times and the anti-locks came on and we went much further than he expected.  Many people were driving as though there was no problem whatsoever, making Mark even more cautious!

The wind is howling now and there is snow blowing all over, although visibility remains maybe two hundred feet.  Thus far, I don’t think we have much more than maybe six inches of snow, but it is hard to tell as the winds are terrific! I am so happy we got to feed the birds today!

We were off to an early start today.  It is Ben’s birthday, but we had lots of running around to accomplish.

While Mark headed off with Michelle  to drop her off, Ben and I headed to Kost Tire where I was to get new tires, an inspection,  an oil change, and an alignment on the Explorer.  I had forgotten to mention that Mark got the window all fixed this past weekend.  He had to replace a part called the regulator.   When I saw the door hanging open and parts sitting all over the garage,  my heart nearly sank, but I have seen Mark take things apart before and I knew all would end well! And so it did!

Before leaving the house, I wanted to get a photo of the little congregation of Goldfinches outside the bedroom window….

That photo is a funky color and that is okay because I took it well before the day had broken this morning and there was a fine snow falling.

After dropping the Explorer off for its work,  Ben and I climbed into the truck and we began making our way to Mark’s mom’s house.  We made a few stops along the way.  An interesting thing happened along the way, though….the blower fan on the truck quit working! Meaning, we spent the rest of the time in the truck freezing!  Although the temperature outside was right at the freezing mark,  it got so cold in the truck!  Time for another repair job!

We made it to “Grandma Cookie’s” house.  Yes, that is what Mark calls his mom and in so doing,  he nearly causes Angus to go ballistic!  Angus adores Grandma Cookie, after all!

While we chatted with Mark’s mom,  Ben tried to teach Murphy how to exercise on the treadmill….

Yup, as long as I held a carrot treat in front of Murphy’s nose, he would stride along on the treadmill for several steps! It was pretty funny!

Now, Scotties are known for their Braveheart disposition.  I would say on a scale of 1-10, my boys rate about 1.5 in the Braveheart category!  Particularly Angus who hightails it whenever he hears any device that makes a vibrating noise! Thus, the treadmill caused him to panic, so he jumped up on Grandma Cookie’s chair and watched a Western on television instead!

And just for Angus’s good name, he did dutifully bark those wild horses when they got out of control and began running!

Here is a natural ice sculpture outside my mother-in-law’s house…

We visited for a few hours, then it was time to go.  Back we went into the cold pickup truck.  We went to Henrietta, where Ben and Mark went into the Guitar Center to look at “stuff”.  Mark ordered Ben a bass guitar for his birthday but it will arrive tomorrow.  Bummer for Ben, but he was okay with it.  Ben has been having so much fun learning guitar and he wanted to learn bass as well so Mark figured we should let him learn as long as he is so willing.

We left and went back to Canandaigua so I could pick up the Explorer.  Mark dropped me off and he and Ben picked Michelle up at school.  I had a few minutes before meeting them at a restaurant for dinner, so I took the Explorer for a spin up the road.  Oh my! I had been driving on “slicks” so long,  I forgot that tires actually “bite” the snow!

We met up for dinner, then came home.  The fire in the woodstove had gone out and I quickly rebuilt a fire!  Now, I am finally warm for the first time today! Ah, it does feel good.  No more freezing toes!

I think Ben enjoyed his birthday and although the day was long, we had fun too!

Happy Birthday, Ben!

Yesterday’s mild, September-like temperatures were the icing on the proverbial cake as we were off to meet my parents and brother at Sprague’s Restaurant.  It was such a beautiful day!  We were meeting to celebrate Michelle’s birthday, as well as Mark’s.  (November is a very busy birthday month here, as Carly and my mom also celebrate November birthdays later in the month!)

We arrived to meet at 11:30 in the morning and the restaurant held no shortage of patrons, even at that early on a Sunday morning!  We always ask for a certain table….it is round and sits in a corner, out of the way of mainstream traffic,  so we waited.

We enjoyed visiting with my parents and seeing their brand new car! which they never told us they got! (It was purchased in late September)  Little Fritz the Dachshund was thrilled to see us and enjoyed romping about a bit on the lush green grass.

As we waited,  Randy spotted some old cars that had parked together in a row, so we went down to have a better look at them…..

Yes, I saved the best car for last….the one that really caught my eye…..

Yes, hahaha,  I really did not save the best for last….it was the last car parked in the line!  I am not sure if it caught my eye because of the bright yellow color,  or the M&M’s  decorating the sides!

One of the fun aspects of visiting at Sparague’s,  aside from their consistantly good food,  is seeing “what’s new”!  As we pulled into the new winding drivway leading to the restaurant,  we noticed an interesting addition…..

The two wooden carved horses used to greet folks as they walked up the path leading to the Sugar Maples high on a hill behind the restaurant.  Now, they are pulling a plow,  with the addition of a man guiding them!  And all this on a delightful display.  We noticed  vehicles pulling up and people getting out to take a look! 

The restaurant also has a new planter which uses the same stone as that on the base of the horse display. The planter is huge,  housing several bushes,  a small fountain,  and this adorable topiary bear!

We went inside and ate and afterwards, we lingered on and on outside in the parking lot.  The warmth of this November Indian Summer day was so conducive to lingering…..we noticed there were many people also talking and walking about outside.  It was one of those days that sends a twinge of sadness as the darkness closes in and one realizes the day really is coming to a close!

We did promise to try to make it to my parents’ home for Thanksgiving and that is something to look forward to in just a couple of weeks. That took a little of the edge off he bite of ending the “perfect day”!

Before driving home,  we rode to Cuba Lake, a few miles away.  The truck was needing a fillup and Mark thought we might find cheaper gasoline at an Indian owned  station located on a nearby reservation.  Sure enough, the price was about $.17 less per gallon,  *and* there was an attendant to do the filling!

As we passed the lake, we noticed the water level was way down.  We figured they must take it down for the winter months ahead.  This tiny lake,  by the way,  is manmade.

As you can see, the water was startlingly calm!

We arrived back home early in the evening.  Uncle Randy brought Benjamin two Lego kits to put together.  One is a fire station that is so cute!  The other is an adorable little toy shop with a Christmas theme.  I had seen that one in a Lego catalogue and thought about getting it.  I nearly fainted when Randy gave it to Ben!  (Shortlyafter arriving home at about 7,  Ben began working on the Christmas kit,  finishing it up at about 10:15!)

I am so glad yesterday was such a relaxing day, as today was wildly the opposite!  Our camper needed to be winterized,  we still need to get a “pillow” (inflatable) in the pool to finish its winterzation,  and we had firewood that needed to be stacked. 

After doing a load of laundry this morning,   I planted about 20 various flower bulbs.  Then I stacked firewood.  After that,  I climbed up on the railing of the pool and proceded to remove about 300 gallons of water and leaves….bucket by bucket!  We didn’t get the pillow inserted under the winter pool cover,  but we did winterize the camper and I am so happy to have that done.  Most all of our fall tasks are now complete……let the hibernation begin soon!

On Monday evening,  some of the kids’ friends came over to the house to help place the hot tub onto our little utility wagon.  (this wagon could be seen in several winter photos taken from the bedroom)

Today,  I mixed up some “deck brightener”  and began brushing it on to the sides of the hot tub.  That tub had been recoated with a protective waterproofing once before,  but I had only lightly sanded the tub before applying.  I did that a few years ago and as it sat upon the deck,  it became blackened and just downright disgusting looking!

The “brightener” we bought said to apply the cleaner, then scrub with a brush.  As I slowly worked my way around the tub,  applying the cleaner,  Ben used some elbow grease to scrub off the ugly black stains.  As we worked,  it sprinkled a couple times, but no serious rain today.

The photo above was taken after I had rinsed the entire tub with a garden hose.   As you might surmise, the darkened areas of the tub were where the stains were the worst,  thus scrubbing opened up the pores of the wood, making more water soak in! When I looked in the garage tonight, where we rolled the whole kit and kaboodle back in,  the tub was almost completely dry and it looks so clean!  I am so thrilled that that awful looking tub came so clean….it really does look like new! 

Tomorrow,  I will lightly sand the cedar and then give it a coat or so of waterproofing protection.  Working with the tub so high in the air makes this task easy and nearly enjoyable!  The best part is that with Ben halping me,  we had that tub all scrubbed and clean within two hours!  Yay!!!

Ben has been getting interested in doing some running,  so this means *I* get to do some walking!  Yay!

I have quite a history of walking.  When I was in high school,  I often skipped taking the city bus (before the days of school buses ) and walked the two miles home.  I would walk with my parents after dinner and walk just about anywhere I could with anyone who would go along with me!

In my twenties,  we moved to the country, and I soon found a friend who also liked to walk.  So, three times a week, we would walk twelve miles, taking about three hours to do so.   We had so much fun walking along the country roads!

More recently, about five years ago (perhaps I shouldn’t admit this!)  I got mad at Mark one day while we were in Canandaigua.  I became so upset,  I slipped away from the truck and began walking home, steaming all the way!  The catch was,  as I walked along,  one of the straps on my Dr. Marten’s shoes broke, making it nearly impossible to walk.  Feeling so aggrevated,  I continued on, until a blister began to appear on my heel. 

Did I mention that there was a winter storm warning issued on this day?  Yes, the snow had begun to fall and more than one person stopped and wanted to know if they might give me a ride home?  As the blister began to become more painful,  humility finally forced me to eat humble pie and call Mark.

Mark and the kids were so relieved to see me, they all began saying sweet and kind things to me.  I discovered that I had traveled half the way home by foot….eight of the sixteen miles!  In the snow! With a broken shoe! (it had been beautiful when we went to church in the morning, so I didn’t wear boots!)

I’ve not lost my cool since then, but as Ben works on running around a track located just a short distance from our house,  I have been enjoying walking about two miles each day.  It has been so nice, as I really missed walking.  (we live on a very steep hill and walking on our road is tough on the knees…..it s also very rural)  Walking is so relaxing and it is so low-impact!  I have noticed some benefits, too, as I just feel better.

I took the above photo this morning after my walk.  There was a huge wild rose bush growing alongside a pine tree and the pink color of the flowers was so intense! The bumble bee was just a little added bonus! (taken with the little Panasonic)

The kids are having their friends over late this afternoon for some fun in the pool (probably hot tub as well) and dinner.  Michelle had thought about hotdogs for dinner, but  we talked about it and decided upon grilled chicken,  potato salad,  rolls, and chocolate cake for dessert.

No problem with the potato salad.  I prepared it before eight this morning and it has been in the refrigerator since.  I baked a chocolate cake from scratch.  This one is a killer!!! I really am not fond of chocolate, but this cake is more like a moist, chewy, delicious chocolate brownie with lots of walnuts in it!  The only problem was,  I didn’t have any shortening to grease my bundt pan.  I thought perhaps a little oil with a light coating of flour might work, but I thought wrong.  The “top” of the cake still remains in the pan. ARGH!!! It’s okay….I am sure the kids won’t mind.

So…..

That leaves the chicken.  I got the chicken out to thaw.  I put just a bit of teriyaki sauce on it, because that seems to give it a good flavor.  Then, I got out my Kickin’ Chicken grinder bottle by Weber.  My family adores this seasoning. We all know that freshly-ground spices always tase better, no?

I had a ten-pound bag of chicken to season.  Have you *any* idea how PAINFUL it becomes to one’s wrists to repeat a grinding action over….and over…..and over again?  So, I am sitting on the couch now, complaining because “this is just taking far too long”!

Enter Ben.

Ben takes said bottle of seasoning and reassures me he will grind up as much as I need.  While he is swinging.  Reluctantly, I hand over the bottle, aware he really has helped me with this task previously. Ben walks to his room, then comes back through the living room with a smile on his face and a roll of duck tape in his hand. 

“I’ll be back”! 

Several minutes later, the door bursts open and in comes Ben, grinning ear to ear! I look and see Mark’s unmistakable green cordless drill in Ben’s hot little (well, not so little) hands.

Remember, Mark went to college for Mechanical Engineering!  When I saw this, my mind flashed the thought that this must have been the kind of thing my mother-in-law dealt with when Mark was a lad! Ben placed the grinder directly above the bowl the chicken was in, revved the motor, and….

Within seconds, the chicken was coated in the delightful seasoning.  Not sure how Mark might take this, I took the “modified” drill to him and I suddenly recognized the SAME silly grin Ben had on his face just a while before!  Thus, Michelle took her turn with the contraption.   And, Mark took his turn, calling out all sorts of wild claims about this new invention.  He sounded *just like* Billy Mays!  It was so funny, I nearly fell down laughing!

A  while later,  I got my computer and went to my Twitter account.  I noticed Billy Mays’s name come up.  How funny! It was then that I read of his untimely death and felt so bad.  When I told Mark and Ben, they both looked as though they had lost a dear friend….they said watching his show was one of their highlights! 

Rest in peace, Billy Mays!

For my dreadful headache!

At about five o’clock yesterday afternoon, I began to feel hungry.  Rightfully so, as I had not eaten all day, save a sliver of Michelle’s terrific cake.  At the same time, I also decided enough was enough with the lingering headache, so I was going to take some Ibuprophen. 

Ben has culinary skills that rival those of top chefs, I am so convinced! He has come up with the perfect omelette of spinach and feta cheese that would make any restaurant proud to serve!  I ate my omelette, along with a slice of whole wheat toast….it was so fantastic!

The Buffalo Sabres played last night against the New York Strangers  Rangers, and Buffalo was doing a terrific job! We were winning, when in the third period, one of their finest players slewfooted our goalie.  Our goalie, Ryan Miller,  has been showing up everywhere in ads and such, as he is such a terrific player.  There was no reason for this player to have taken Ryan out of the game. (slewfooting is when a player comes from the rear and rams his knee into the knee of the player in front, taking him down and possibly causing some serious damage)  Scott Gomez said he couldn’t stop in time, but everyone who has viewed the replays believes it was an intentional move on Gomez’s part.  Playoffs are important and Buffalo is struggling to move up in the standings, hoping to make it to the playoffs.  I was too tired to watch the game last night, but listened via radio.  When Mark showed me the play later, I felt sick to my stomach….

I went to bed feeling somewhat better, but still not “well”.  This morning, though, ahhhhh! What relief to have that headache gone!

Jeanne over at BermudaBluez wondered on one comment she left if perhaps Spring *is* coming.  This got me a tad bit curious, so I went out to the garden beds to see if there were any signs of life. What I found was quite amazing to me!

The Columbines seem to always be ready and willing for the snow to disappear so they can shoot up!

A little surprise that caught me off guard was the Daffodils peeking up from under the leaf litter!

And the biggest surprise of all was the greenery on my Mum!  This plant put on such a spectacular show this past Fall.  What a terrific addition to the garden!

Today was Ben’s birthday. He decided not to have a birthday party, but rather, a gathering of his friends.  He invited eleven kids and they all came! Carly also came with her three kids, so at one point,  there were nineteen people here!  What a riot!  I think everyone enjoyed themselves and Mark enjoyed playing Foosball with the kids.  We had Tacos for dinner and it was just a lot of fun having everyone here.

Carly pointed out one pair of rather unique shoes….

Yup, the kids’ friend, Sage, wears his intense green Reeboks with bookworms on them! They are quite appropriate, actually, as Sage is in his second or third year of college at the ripe old age of sixteen!

A most busy and entertaining day. One of the highlights was when the Hardy twins were getting ready to leave. Before departing, they went to Ben and sang their version of “Happy Birthday” in two-part harmony. Fabulous!  It really was a great day, full of fun and lots of good memories!

Umm…one thing…I think we will just ignore the weather report calling for rain, freezing rain, and snow….The flowers cannot lie, after all, can they?

Hmm…I removed the Panasonic camera card and inserted it into the card reader on my computer, and lookie what came up!

Well, okay, so I knew they were there, but….I didn’t take ‘em!

Ben started yelling this afternoon while Mark and I were busy.  He kept shouting there were deer in the yard! That isn’t *all* that unusual, except I haven’t seen much of them since hunting season.  Seems they soon figure out the danger of being tracked and avoid human contact as much as possible!

Ben got my little Panasonic camera and started photographing the deer so I could see them later!

Deer can be such a pain in the garden or even carrying the dreadful Lyme Disease but they are so beautiful.

Big kudos to Ben. He got some nice photos! His birthday is coming up in less than a month….perhaps we had better start looking for a camera for the lad!