Life in the Bristolwood

Wait a minute!  The skunk referred to is a toy, not a real skunk.  It is made with a squeaker in the head and one in its tail, and no stuffing.  When picked up, the little toy looks like a skinned animal. And Murphy really likes “skunky”.

Today, Murphy and I went out to enjoy a bit of fresh air.  Murphy had a ball, fetching the skunk and then tossing it about and shaking it with wild abandon!

I don’t know who had more fun….Murphy or me.  It was so nice to just be able to play outside for a few minutes!

We took a short jaunt to Penn Yan this afternoon.  I had not been shopping at the little Mennonite store there in awhile, so I wanted to visit.

Today was such a gray and dismal sort of day, but I found some photo ops on the way back home.  Most of the photos are of the skies, as the sun tried so hard to make an appearance….

It was a nice day to get out for a bit, but with the temperature so much chillier than yesterday, it sure was nice to return home to a cozy and warm fire in the woodstove!

from parking lots!

Funny enough, these photos were indeed taken from three different parking lots. So, I guess they satisfy the poet from within!

Today, we took our neighbors to the airport up in Rochester.  We had a big green blob of rain ahead of us on the radar, so I was very thankful for my (really intelligent!) choice of footwear today!  I bought a pair of fanciful wellies at Tractor Supply a few weeks ago.  I wanted them for when I tap the trees this spring. After nearly ruining my favorite pair of boots last year, I wanted something that could be easily cleaned and rinsed off.  I love these boots!

The temperature rose up into the 50′s today.  It felt like a spring day more than winter!  Much of the snow we got is now melted and running down into streams and rivers!  Tonight, we are under two weather warnings. One for severe thunderstorms,  and the second for high winds.  I had opened my window to allow some fresh air in, but had to quickly close it when wind-driven rain began blowing in!

Here are some more shots….

Hmmm….seems to be a front moving in on this next one?

All right!  I now have a candle burning. The wind sounds like it is picking up a reat deal outside!  Computer is charged, candle lit,  Murphy snuggling up nearby. Kids safe.  Battens hatched down. 

I think we’re good!

The new little camera is still getting its menus and such worked through and out, by me.  A lot of these photos aren’t very good, but I will get the hang of it!  I think the photos are getting better and better as I use the camera,

How I wish the next two would have turned out better.  Murphy was investigating the Christmas tree and it was hysterical!  In the photos, the light he is concentrating upon is red, although it shows up orange.  However, Murphy’s bright red nostrils and mouth were not inflamed…just a reflection of said light!

The last photo was taken this evening as Mark and I sat in a parking lot at the north end of Canandaigua Lake.  Off in the distance, the lights from Bristol Mountain were reflecting off clouds and making a glow in the sky.  When I took the photo, it looked nearly black until I tweaked the colors and focus a bit!

Hope you are having a good weekend!

And when times get tough, I bake cookies!  Yup.  Instead of making dinner late this afternoon, I somehow “short-circuited” and made cookies instead.  Now, you know things have been looking a bit dismal.  Yeah.  Well, I got out the cookbook and hand mixed a batch of Spritz cookies. 

I love Spritz.  I love them with frosting lavished on them with little sprinkles.  Mmmm…..actually, I am just a cookie monster, liking most varieties!  So….I got out my handy-dandy cookie press….placed some dough inside the cylinder…..put the press together…..pulled the trigger…..POW!!!  The cookie press broke. Imploded. I had to pick tiny bits of black plastic out of the dough. 

Thinking fast on my feet, I decided to convert my pressed creations (by the way, the press broke on the very FIRST cookie!) into Thumbprint cookies.  I rolled dough into delicate tiny balls, then placed my thumb into the center.  After all the cookies were on sheets for baking, I placed a bit of blueberry jam in each center.  Oh my!  The cookies were very good.

Don’t believe me?

Ask Murphy!

He climbed up on my chair when I left the room to place the first sheet in the oven.  He decided perhaps he needed to get a little more “personal” with my goodies!

Mark was sitting there next to Murphy, giving him tiny little pieces of cookie! 

As far as the Explorer goes, Mark is waiting on calls for several options.  In the end, it is likely we won’t get much for the vehicle.  I’m okay with that….We had hoped for a nice return to help pay for the new Subaru, but…..

Ah well!

Today was a nail-biter.

We are in need of a new washing machine, but perhaps that will be put on hold for just a little while longer. Yesterday’s entry explained how the transmission fluid from the Explorer ended up in a puddle at the end of the driveway. Well, the Ford garage said that we need a (deep gasp) new transmission.  The price?  Well, without any negotiating, $3,500.00.

We just don’t have that much money. I am flabberghasted and feeling a bit on edge…..

Mark spent most of today on the phone, calling every transmission specialist he could find nearby. He spoke to the Ford garage last today and they might have a less costly solution. We will know tomorrow.  This one will be more along the lines of maybe $1,500.00?  Which we still do not have.

Argh.

while I cry my eyes out!

Yeah, I am being totally wimpy today and I just feel so overwhelmed!

I had no idea that the weather was going to take a one-eighty degree turn. While it has been so warm and unusual here lately, it very suddenly turned FRIGID.  No, not even cold. Beyond cold. Frigid!  As in, Arctic cold!  Now, I don’t mind cold weather at all, but shouldn’t the transition be a little longer than a day?

All right. No more bellyaching. 

I shoveled the ramp and knocked the four or five inches of snow off all three vehicles.  I got the Explorer all uncovered and part of the truck.  Then I went in the house to get something ready for dinner tonight. I had thawed a roast, so decided to make just the perfect meal for a bitter cold day…..Hearty Beef Stew, from my book, Slow Cooker Revolution.

Ben and I worked on finishing getting the vehicles cleared and then came inside. The temperature remained well below freezing all day.  I am housesitting so I went to check the house. I decided to take the Explorer. Ben was going with me. We stopped at the end of the driveway so I could grab our mail.  I shifted into drive to go on up the road, but the car refused to move.  Ben hopped out and told me to stop the car right away…..transmission fluid was leaking everywhere!  As we walked up the driveway, there was a streak of fluid all the way. Apparently, a piece of metal broke in the driveway and the gasket fell off.

Mark ended up calling AAA and they sent a flatbed to grab the car.  It was so cold….there is always, always a brisk breeze at the end of the driveway. The operator loaded fast and took the Explorer away. What a pain that was!

Ben and I checked the house I am housesitting and then we came home.  By this time, it was getting near dinner time. I made up a batch of dumplings and put them on top of the stew.  As it worked out, ev eryone loved the stew and it really was the perfect dish for this cold day!

I finally warmed up by taking a hot bath.  I had spent so much time outside today and I felt like I was never going to warm up again! Tomorrow, it is supposed to be warmer….I sure hope it is.  We have so many little tasks that still need attended to.  Mark and the kids just finished putting up the final boards on the new ramp yesterday. The kids were so glad they did it then, instead of today!

So, I will leave you with a couple of birdie photos I took today.

So…tomorrow will be a better day!

So much has happened since my last post here…we have covered lots of ground. We did lots of running around here and there, mainly because of Christmas shopping and visiting!  So, I won’t bother to comment on what has been, but what we are doing presently.

One project that I do want to comment on is the new ramp that Ben nearly single-handedly built behind the house!  With Mark’s help and instruction, Ben not only built a wooden ramp which is longer than the old temporary one, but he also mixed and poured twenty-two bags of cement to form a beautiful sidewalk at the end of the ramp!

I honestly think a better job could not have been done.  Ben is very shy about me sharing about this project, but to see him mix one eighty pound bag of mix after another, then pour it and begin again was incredible!  I think most men would have been slowing down after ten bags, but Ben just kept right on going!

Our weather has been very strange this winter. While the Old Farmer’s Almanac predicted a colder and snowier winter than usual, we have had precious little snow and the temperatures have been mild.  We are supposed to be getting some snow over the next few days and I will welcome it!  The warmer temperatures we have had, along with the rain, have made me feel so chilly!  Better freezing temperatures with snow than warmer temperatures with rain and drizzle!  The dampness seems to get into one’s bones!

We are missing riding the snowmobiles this year.  Last year, we were able to have had several outings by this time, but with no snow, it has been impossible.  There was some snow up on Tug Hill, but Mark read accounts where the warm temps made nasty riding conditions with puddles. Yuck!

I have been in cleaning mode the past couple of weeks, wanting to thin out stuff we don’t want/need.  It is crazy how stuff piles up on us while we aren’t paying attention!  Michelle has been feeling the need to discard old junk as well.  We need to make a trip to one of the Salvation Army Stores soon!  I think this is the closest I come to making a New Year’s resolution.  I have just become restless looking at all the stuff that has been building up over the years.  We even have things from Mark’s dad who passed away seven years ago this month!

How about you?  Have you made any resolutions?  Do you usually stick with them, or do they fall be the wayside?

Michelle and I had a little fun today, posing Murphy and taking photos of him.  Angus was always like working with a fashion model….we would pose him and he would lovingly accommodate our wishes.  Murphy, on the other hand,  likes to do things his own way.  While Angus would “sit pretty”,  resting back on his haunches if we asked, Murphy kind of lies down and looks at us (and the camera) in disgust.

Today, Murphy was rather mild-mannered, listening to our instructions, then promptly lying down on the floor as if to tell us he simply was not going to make things that dreadfully easy for us!

As you can see, Murphy is just downright cute, so how could I ever yell at him? And yes, in the end, our model was greatly rewarded with cookies!  Mmmmmm!

Murphy loves getting up before the sun.  I have finally gotten him to abandon the notion that 5 or 5:30 am is time to rise and shine;  now, we sleep in until 6 am.  Seriously, I don’t mind that at all. 

A couple of mornings ago, after eating his breakfast and going outside,  Murphy and I settled down on the couch to just relax and enjoy the pre-dawn time together.  Or, so I thought.

Murphy hopped down off the couch and began sniffing around the rug, checking to see if perhaps a tasty morsel appeared overnight.  Then, suddenly,  “CRUNCH!”

Murphy had found Mr. Fox….his toy with the empty plastic water bottle inside!  He crunched and crunched, throwing Mr. Fox into the air, then chasing after him when he landed on the floor.  Yes, it was early, and the noise is enough to raise the dead,  but Murphy was so cute!

Yup. Murphy fought the evil Mr. Fox, and he won!