Life in the Bristolwood

Michelle called hysterically from upstairs the other morning. 

Mom! Come quickly! There are bugs in my bed….bedbugs!

Oh come now.  We live in a clean house and are clean people.  I calmly mounted the stairs….

Yes, I had an idea she was talking about something like this.  This was the morning we had awakened to the “big” snow.  Michelle thought the boys needed some warm shelter so she basically buried them in her bed!  Angus, ham that he is, loved the attention,  while Murphy immediately squirmed out from under the blankets.  If he could speak ,  I am sure he would have been muttering something under his breath about his “sissy-pants” brother….

Yes, as I said, Angus *is* a ham!

The photos above were meant to be included in the previous entry, but my Dell laptop keeps telling me that all my SD cards are write-protected and cannot be copied nor deleted!  I managed to get the photo of the boys with the tent when my little netbook I was using died because the battery had run too low.  I was too tired to fiddle around any more last night, so I just went to bed and then when I plugged in the netbook, just uploaded the post this morning! So, here are some photos taken the past couple of days. 

Yesterday, when I awakened, I suddenly felt this strange feeling.  As I looked outside, the trees looked as though they were closing in on me and I realize it was claustrophobia I was feeling!  Much of the snow has dropped from the trees, but they still have clumps in them that remind me of cotton!

We’ve had a lot going on the past few days with lots of shoveling involved!  I was taking photos but not even looking at them!

Angus, feeling a bit benevolent, allowed his photo to be taken with Murphy. Of course,  Angus is front and center….

During the winter months is fresh snow that has been untouched.  I love it when the sun hits it just so and makes it sparkle like a field of diamonds!

We have had some pretty wild winds here and there and the snow is now nicely “burnished” with a crusty topping!  This afternoon when I took the Scotties outside,  Angus picked up the scent of a squirrel as he walked along the driveway.  Since the Scots are on sixteen foot long flex-leads,  they can romp out fairly far.

Angus suddenly decided to hop over the snow mounded up on the side of the driveway and sniff his way to the rodent. Over he went, only to find that the weight of his body made the crusty snow on top cave and give way to the soft snow underneath.  I cannot decide if he was embarrassed at his antics or if he truly did not care,  but on he scurried, sinking all the way up to his little Scottie shoulders! What a sight!

All the while, Murphy was….well, being Murphy.  He was not the least bit aware of Angus’s behavior.  But then, suddenly he caught the scent and off he went!  As if the proverbial lightbulb went off,  Murphy realized he didn’t like the crusty snow jutting into his body, so he made a mad dash back towards the driveway,  crashing his long face as he plummeted downward! Just like a little child, he looked up at me as if to say Save me!

Ah, the life of two Scots….

I often wonder if they are as fond of the winter months as I am!

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!

This evening as Michelle and I sat talking at the table, Murphy hopped up on one of the chairs and propped his head on the table.  As we talked back and forth, Murphy would tilt his head…the result was hysterical!

It is late and I apologize for not posting an entry earlier….it was a busy day and we were out a bit.  Anyway, here is one more Murphy photo..sorry.  As I looked through my Murphy photos taken yesterday, I wasn’t sure how I missed this one.  Anyway, this depicts just the carefree little fellow he really is!

One day while shopping at Sam’s Club,  I saw a beautiful sheepskin that caught my eye.  The tag stated that the skin originated with sheep from Australia or New Zealand.  When I saw the price was about 1/3 the price it had previously been, I bought one!  They are supposed to be sheepskin rugs, but I would never put anything light colored on my floors!  No, no, no!

Thus,the  lovely sheepskin hangs on the back of a navy blue sofa in the bedroom.  As I was working in the room, I noticed Murphy was lying on the sofa.   I decided to pull the sheepskin off the back of the sofa and have Murphy sit on it.  Angus is the most terrific little “ham” when it comes to photographing him, but Murphy just doesn’t “get it”!

I tried to get the little laddie to sit nicely so I could get a lovely photo of him. Nope.  I worked with the pup for a long time and it became obvious he was not going to cooperate with me.  So…I decided to just let the little fellow do his own thing and I would follow.

After working for quite a while, Murphy just had enough!  I am not sure whether he was trying to hide from the camera or if he suddenly realized the skin was an animal skin, but….

he burrowed his face deeply under the sheepskin!

But not like you would think!

The kids wanted to go shopping today, so after helping Mark in the garage this morning, we got some blankets, activities, and the Scotties, and headed northward to Victor. The kids agreed to meet some of their friends,  so they told us to pick them up in about four hours. 

Mark drove around the parking lot looking for the “perfect” spot….The winds howled today and our moerate temperatures dropped to nearly startlingly cold.  We won’t discuss wind chill because I am sure it was mighty cold out there!  Mark wondered how we would survive in the truck,  but I told him not to fear. After all, we packed some blankets! He did find the perfect spot, too.  In a parking lot that isn’t really used much, there was a mountain of snow at the edge of a steep grade.  With the pile in front of us and the hill protecting us on two sides, we were parked in a small cove!

Mark sat in the front seat with Angus and I hopped into the back to keep Murphy company.  I had brought along my little netbook and some knitting, so I was all set to get comfortable!  The Scotties each had his own little bed so we were all getting settled in quite comfortably, thank you!

Of course, Angus had to check out the scenery before he could relax…

The snow fell continuously the entire time we were waiting, but the winds quickly dispersed it before it could light! At times, the snow was literally coming down horizontally…

And we remained safe, warm and dry in our cozy space.

I got out the netbook and played awhile, visiting Scotland….(hi Bill!)

And Syracuse….(hi Terri!)

And I visited some more blogs. 

Mark put a movie on his laptop and we watched that.   We really do live at an incredible time, technologically.

The time seemed to fly by as we enjoyed our little living room on wheels.  Soon, I could see the security lights shining in through the ice-frosted windows.

I did go into BJ’s for a little while to pick up a few items and I also got Mark a Subway sub for dinner.  How thoughtful of Subway to make it so convenient to grab something to eat!

The clock soon said seven and we were off to the mall to pick up the shoppers.

The drive home was hairy at times with blowing, drifting snow all over the road.  As Mark put the truck into four-wheel drive,  Michelle and I marvelled at the sound of snow crunching under the tires as we made our way home.  We have not heard that sound in a long time!

 All in all,  I think Mark and the Scotties would agree….what a lovely little diversion this was!

Wouldn’t it be nice to curl up into a ball on a soft little bed and sleep the day away?  No bills to worry you. No appointments to keep….Your only concern is when the next round of kibble will hit the bowl!  Ah, the life of a dog!

Today’s weather was miserable.  No, it wasn’t a blizzard or even a snowstorm. Instead, we were pelted by hours and hours of rain.  Yes, I can hear my Scottish readers chuckling.  Chuckle if you must,  but this is the northeastern part of the US, where we have traditionally enjoyed winter sports and fun *with* snow!  Rain?  Ugh!

I shan’t persue the murmurings caused by this ugly weather, as it is no use to grumble.  I will tell you, however,  I have not acquired a wet suit for my camera, so there was no opportunity for photos today.  It really was *that* wet,  so much so that I would not remove my camera from its cozy little nest in the camera bag!

And so….I will share two photos I took yesterday. (I have already shown these on Facebook)

Yesterday, as we did the gift unwrapping around the Christmas tree, the two Scotties were roused to come join us.  Now, these Scotties are as different as night and day.  Angus is just downright intense, while Murphy….well, he is just happy to “be”! I must make note here,  though, perhaps some of Angus’s anxious behavior can be attributed directly to Mark.  After all, every year, the Scotties get a little something. And, every year,  Mark teases Angus to rip the paper from the package!

Mark wanted to have Angus open a box of “cookies” I bought for the boys, but I pleaded with him to wait until we were nearly done.  Mark decided to wait.  But did Angus “get it”?  Well…..

Angus randomly sat upright, begging as we opened presents!  He figured if he looked really cute, someone would take pity on his soul and open up the treats and pass them out.  Yes, he figured correctly, as Mark just had to open the box so Angus and Murphy could have some goodies.  And yes, Angus performs, and Murphy reaps the bennies!!!

After all, Murphy just wants to look cute so everyone will give *him* some goodies!

But our little Angus turned seven years old today!

Unfortunately, I had a splitting headache all day long; I suppose the change in weather might account for that. I did not get a photo of the “birthday boy”,  but I did catch Murphy…..

Yes, he is wearing Michelle’s hat….not sure *who* spends more time wearing it….Michelle or Murphy.

Yes, the wee laddie was embarrassed!!!

Happy Birthday Angus!!!! Tomorrow, YOUR photo!!!