gearing up for the winter olympics — snow is here

gearing up for the winter olympics — snow is here

It makes me happy to see snow falling — I love how it blankets the earth. If it’s winter, then gimme some of that clean, white and crisp stuff.

snowing on the outskirts of the ville

I love it even more now!

I’m probably more of a snow fan because I no longer have to get out and drive in it. I do worry when my family and friends have to get to work — like Ben and Perry.

Speaking of poor Perry, he worked 10 hours starting at 6:00 AM yesterday morning. His 3rd shift person called in because the roads were too bad (she lives 10 miles away) so he had to cover that. AND, he’s today’s opener. I can’t imagine working 30 hours in 2 days. 🙁

The girls love the snow, but they don’t want to stay out there.

You’d never know by their pitiful faces that they were only outside like 10 minutes tops.

Dharma loves the snow
Merida wants inside because it's snowing

It’s supposed to be sunny later today, the snow having ended with about 3 inches on the ground here.

Now you know: On the set of Jaws, Spielberg invited George Lucas to see the mechanical shark still in development. Lucas playfully stuck his head in its mouth and Spielberg clamped it shut, leaving Lucas stuck. They snuck out of the workshop thinking they broke the contraption after eventually freeing him.


what a difference one day makes — especially in Indiana

what a difference one day makes — especially in Indiana

I took a photo of the same landscape on two separate days in a row. Crazy how much the weather can change in such a short time.

foggy view over field in winter

I know Indiana isn’t the only place where you can get all 4 seasons in one week, but this state can hold its own when it comes to fickle weather conditions. It’s one weather alert after another around here. Now we’re under a dense fog advisory — difficult travel due to visibility.

She’s not sad, I promise.

I grabbed a photo of Dharma as she was laying on the wet deck… in the rain. She looks so very sad. But she wasn’t sad at all! This is her “for crying out loud would you leave me the heck alone” face:

Dharma looks so sad.

Dharma didn’t want to come inside the 73° house. She preferred to keep her heavy coat of hair outside where it was around 50° with drizzle. Merida was inside and the ole’ girl just wanted to be left alone out there where it was quiet and comfortable — comfortable to her anyway. 🙂

Now you know: In the 1950s and 60s, people could buy plastic screens to colorize their black & white TVs.


buying groceries, meal planning and stocking up

buying groceries, meal planning and stocking up

Talking to those pesky neighbors yesterday, they explained they purchased their groceries for the month. A month! I can barely go a week without NEEDING something. I have a delivery coming today from Wal-mart that was supposed to be just a few items since my freezers are full. I only spent $175 bucks. (ONLY?)

My grocery shopping is as willy nilly as Indiana weather. For example, the photo below is from yesterday — and today we have rain with a forecasted high in the 50’s.

snow yesterday, but rain today

Meal planning made simple?

Wal-mart has partnered with emeals — a subscription service that creates your shopping list after you plan your meals from recipes they provide. You can shop yourself, or your shopping list can be sent directly to your grocery store of choice. Plans start at $5 bucks/month and they claim you’ll save money.

While this might work for some, I’m not a planner when it comes to food. There are nights I don’t cook but opt for egg salad sandwiches or something similar (like last night) — and I doubt they have recipes for fried potatoes with smoked sausage thrown in (a quick and easy hot meal we like).

At least I stock up on some things!

I make sure I never run out of paper towels and toilet paper. I stock up on those items. I keep plenty of coffee, peanut butter, and dog food ahead too. My freezers are full and I have beans and rice in bulk. Other than that… it’s pay as you go.

What about you?

Do you plan meals for the week? Month? If so, do you save money that way?

Let’s face it, groceries are a chunk when it comes to regular household expenditures and that’s not likely to change any time soon. Whatever steps you implement to keep those costs lower is great — I just don’t know how that looks for me yet.

Now you know: Humans are the only animal that has a chin (some have a couple or more). As an aside — I googled this because I thought monkeys had chins — but nope — just us humans. 🙂


i can’t wait to brave the brittle cold today

i can’t wait to brave the brittle cold today

Just since I’ve been up, the temperature has gone down 5 degrees. Wind chill temps this morning on the outskirts of the Ville are sub-zero. Early flurries have stopped, and inside the barndo it’s toasty… thanks to Perry.

Perry checking the wood boiler

If I didn’t have to go with Mr. Pesky, I’d ice skate instead.

High winds got the best of the pool cover. It wasn’t even a fair fight! Even with support from wood pieces, the cover’s shameful defeat is in full display, leaving a frozen mass that could double as an ice-skating rink.

pool turned ice-skating rink

Mr. Pesky has an eye appointment today and I’ll be driving him to it. So for now, I’m savoring the last of the morning warmth with my own personal heater. 🙂

Dharma is my own personal heater.

Now you know: Minecraft became the first video game ever to reach 300 million copies sold worldwide. This equates to it having sold 47 copies per minute, every minute, since the game’s release in 2011.


navigating life’s frosty moments by embracing the cozy

navigating life’s frosty moments by embracing the cozy

No blizzard or squalls here in the Ville, just light snow and frigid wind that will freeze your face off in about 10 seconds. It’s miserable. And it’s not even pretty… nothing special.

a little snow on a deck

Embracing the cozy…

Might as well make use of the downtime to snuggle on the couch with whichever hound makes it to the coveted spot at my feet first. It happened to be Merida this time around.

Merida napping on the couch

Time stuck inside looks different for everyone. My Momma is working on a puzzle, and Perry, Ben and I are playing video games. Ben’s a dwarf miner in his game, Perry is a fabulous baseball player, and I’ve been trying my hand at horticulture — strange horticulture.

Strange horticulture characters in video game

No one around here has been playing chess – and no axes have been used. 😉

Now you know: Chess games are banned at Russian Antarctic Stations because in 1959 one researcher attacked another with an axe out of anger after losing a game.

Week #3 of “52 weeks of the hound.”

Dharma has this thing she loves — standing between the legs of anyone for butt scratches…

Dharma loves scratches