On this last day of January we were given a little more blast of Winter with some snow that quietly came in after midnight.  We woke to a few inches on the ground that brought some brightness to the cloudy day and the birds hungry to the feeder.  After a bit of a lull it started up again and we had snow falling all afternoon.  Since it's Sunday and we had no place to go and not expecting any visitors it was quiet, lovely day to stay in, stay warm and enjoy the scenery out the window.  However, I did feel the need to get my outdoor duds on and tromp around the Pines with my camera.

The welcome stone as you enter our driveway.  The little spot behind it is a quiet place to enjoy in any weather.

I peeked around the fence to see how my animal neighbors were doing.  The chickens had already visited and scratched around the snow in the back yard.  I almost forgot my walking stick!

All was quiet and all the alpacas and Temp the horse were snug in the barn. Not long after this shot I heard the kiddos who live here sounding like they were sledding or just outdoors enjoying the snowfall. Their laughter is good medicine!

I tromped around to the back and had to snap a pic of my neighbor's barn on the other side of us.  I shouldn't covet my neighbors goods but I do love this barn! 

Last weekend my son Jack was over splitting wood and mentioned he really should get this trailer up and running. He got a super deal on it but really has no place for it at his home.  I lovingly call it my yard ornament and have taken many pics of it in all weather!  Good deal or not, it should be used or maybe he should just sell it for a good deal! Ha!

On a cold, snowy day a pot of bubbly chicken and dumplings hits the spot and warms the body and soul!

Throw in a homemade from scratch chocolate layer cake and it's a  homerun! I haven't tasted it yet so maybe it could be a "foul ball"!  Anyway, the house is warm as the wood furnace hums on, and darkness has settled in on this final day of the month.  As a side note, many have asked about my blog book and where I got it printed.  If you look on my blog page in the left hand corner you'll see the "Cutestblogontheblock" sign.  It's where I get my background pics.  They will make a blog book for you.  Just follow their directions and you can also eliminate any posts you don't want printed. Sharebook used to do some books also but I'm not sure if they still do. You can always just google blog books and I bet a million sites will show up.  I've just had good luck with cutest blog on the block site. Hope that helps. I'll say bye bye with my final photo that I played around with photo shopping.

A glowing scene of our homestead here at the Pines.  Good bye January.  You gave us a few surprises and I'm hoping that's the end of that nonsense for the year.....Hello February....a blank slate.  Night all!

A Few Surprises

 January in our neck of the woods can mean cold and snow.  However, looking back at old posts I'm a bit surprised to see that it's been more mild in this month than February. This month has been similar. Although a bit cold here and there.  We burn wood for heat and with Jack recouping I've taken a more active role with the wood burner and wood gathering.  I've learned more about how to keep it warm in the house than I ever wanted to know.  I found out quickly that it's easy to get burned if you don't watch out.

That will leave a mark...and that's no surprise! Yes I use long gloves but sometimes things just happen!

Anyway, Jack is doing better each day and is able to help more with the wood.  We do have a new furnace but wood is a good heat source when it's really cold out.  Our boys have been great with helping keep the wood split and ready for us.  Very grateful for that!  On a better note,  I was pleasantly surprised this week with the arrival of my blog book!

 It's always fun to get my blog in print and see it in a pretty book.  I use my blog as my journal and this year I put a dedication in it to my Mom.  I've given her books over the years and she always enjoyed getting them and reading about my life.  She didn't use the computer so this was a fun surprise for her.  I miss her and will miss sending out a copy her way. Hopefully she's seeing my life antics from the comfort of heaven!  A big surprise this past week was my sister making a quick trip here with her son, Bill.  He came to pick up Jordan's truck that they bought from him for their business.  He was originally going to drive from Chicago, get the truck, and drive back in the same day. But he surprised his Mom by telling her he would take her with after her dialysis treatment on Thursday and then they would stay over night and go home Friday morning.  We had a quick but fun visit.  I called my friend Kim who has Midge's puppy, Hope, and asked if we could come by and see her.  We did and it was so fun to see all the pups and Midge could hold little Hope and start to bond with her.  Then my nephew fell in love with one and he's getting Hope's sister and his family named this little girl Bella!

She looks a lot like her sister Hope but Bella has some white on her chest.  While we were there I noticed a tiny pup..the runt of the litter I guess , and my sister thinks we should get her. 

Her color is totally different than any of the other 14 from the litter.  She's red in color and pretty small. I'm just not sure if Arnold would like another dog in the house and I'm not sure I want to take on a pup. But the jury is still out so that means it could end up as a surprise in our house. My sister even thought of a good name for her.  Since her color is so red and fall is my favorite time of year.....Autumn would be a perfect name for this little gal.  Hmmm....still thinking!  So my nephew loaded up the truck:

Then we all sat down and had a nice dinner and fun conversation.  Well Midge and I had lots of talking to do! Bill headed up to bed and Jack retreated to the living room to let us yak the night away.  

It was a fun surprise and even if it was only for one night we had a good time.  Not sure if she'll make it out again for a bit and I'll probably take the pups to them at the end of February so we made the most of the time we had.  It's good to get surprises as long as they make you smile.  We've had a few in the last couple of months that haven't been so fun so you appreciate those small moments.  I hope everyone has a good week filled with good surprises.

Home Again With Hope

 It's been a week since Jack made the ER visit that landed him hospitalized once again.  On my last post we were going to surgery and hoping for a good scenario.  He did have lots of adhesions that caused a blockage in the small bowel. It wasn't just a band that needed snipped,  it was a whole belly full that took 3 hours to clean up. It's something that just happens as some folks heal.  We probably would never win a lottery but when it comes to the weird and unexplained we soar!  However, the surgeon was able to do this and not take any more bowel out which was the real concern. That could lead to a lifetime of challenges. They started out doing it with the laparoscope but Dr. M decided to make sure they were getting it all cleaned up and freeing the bowel so she opened.  Being at my previous workplace where everyone knows us was a comfort. I was allowed in the hospital and the staff came out and gave updates and even brought out photos of what they found. I'll spare you seeing those! I was so thankful for the good care Jack received and yesterday he came home.  He's pretty sore having his belly opened again is such a small time frame. He was just getting back to normal with work and every day things but he'll get there again. I'm just grateful for all the prayers and good thoughts again! Thanks everyone! Now on to healing, probably holding my breath every time he looks at me sideways!  In other news we did get a little snow last night which makes everything look bright and winter like.

This early morning shot suggests we might even get some sunshine today. Yesterday was sunny and that just lifts the spirits up.  Today we will again watch history being made as Washington gives another try at getting the country up and running with a new President.  Many are not happy but it is what it is and we as citizens in this great country need to be the best we can be in our communities and our homes and try and make good changes where needed.  I want to be part of the solution, not the problem.  This pandemic is still raging and with more vaccines being given perhaps that will help.  Like the change in leadership today, many are not happy...However here you have the choice to say yay or nay.  Me? I'm already on the list to get it sometime after February 8th.  So as this day unfolds I go back to my word for the year...HOPE.  Hope that there won't be any trouble with the inauguration today.  Hope we can come together as a nation and move in positive directions.  Hope that the pandemic will start to slow and the vaccines will be the solution.  Hope Jack continues to heal and get back to his real "normal"! To give a face to hope I'll share this photo:

This little lady is my sister's new dog.  My friends' dog had 14 puppies and Midge got this one and named her......HOPE! Hope was born in December so she won't be ready to go to her forever home until February and since she's here in Ashland my sister won't get to see her for a while.  I'll go out and play with her in a few weeks and give Midge more photos and videos.  My sister has been living alone since Mom passed away and dealing with her health issues hasn't been easy.  She has been wanting a dog and I promised that if anything happened to her I would take Hope.  However, her kids live near her and her one daughter and family live in the same neighborhood.  Her grandkiddos are as excited as she is to get Hope home. They will be a big help with the puppy.  So with that cute little face I'll say bye for today and  HOPEfully, it will be better days as the year marches on.

Same $#!+ Different Day

 Jack is back in the hospital.  He formed adhesions from his surgery and that caused a bowel obstruction.   We are in the hospital in Ashland... thankfully. It's where I worked so we know everyone. That's comforting but it's still stressful not really knowing how this will shake out. They were hoping it would clear up on it's own but that wasn't happening. Next best scenario is it's just a band of tissue that they can cut and free it up with no loss of bowel and doing it as a laparoscopy.  So prayers please and good thoughts welcome.  

Is It A Bird? Or A Plane? Nope, Just Blue Skies!

 We had lovely blue skies today...the sun was even visible!

Blue skies above the pines.  The temps were mild in the 30's.  Phil did come over and split wood. Jack and I did lend a hand.

Our son Phil loading the gator with wood to split.  He's been such a wonderful help to us these past months while Jack recoups.  Jack and I helped stack and run the splitter while Phil did the heavy lifting. It was so nice out that he didn't even need a coat and worked up a sweat in the 37de heat! Just being outdoors was a pleasure today.

Our neighbor's chickens enjoyed the sunshine too. They visit daily and enjoy the various selections of bugs...like ticks...eat up guys and gals!

Wait! One thing is not like the others...but do they care? Do they fight with him? Do they get upset over his different color? Hair style? Big ears? Nope. We could learn a few things here folks. Just sayin'. Plus Jack concluded that that's where we get Cadbury eggs. Hmmm.

Here's a pic of my attempt at homemade bagels. They are good! I'm going to make cinnamon raison next.  Just my way of bringing joy to the world...and it keeps me off the streets.

So as the sunsets slowly in west here at Whispering Pines I do hope next week is calmer in our country. I don't post political stuff but it's not because I have my head in the sand or don't care.  It's because I choose to keep my blog full of peace...quiet...and of course....HOPE.  Night all!

Week #1

 We're almost one week in on this new year. I thought I'd better blog something but really don't have a ton to write about.  I did get all the holiday decor down and put away and that always makes me think of projects we need to get done this year.  With Jack feeling better each day we'll soon be able to start to get a grip on those.  I have the itch to paint some walls.  I just have to decide on colors.  I don't want to change things a ton, just give things some brightening up.  Our snow has melted again and we did get some flakes yesterday but the worst thing is the grey skies!  Cloudy every day.  When it snows at least it brightens the outside a bit! I think we're suppose to have sun on Saturday and our son Phil is planning on coming out to help split wood again.  Just to be in the sun will have me helping! I finally got to my doctor for my usual checkup.  I have some projects to do there too! I went yesterday and had some x-rays and an ultrasound of my abdomen just to check on my aorta since my sister had an aortic aneurysm...my brother has one too...my doctor thought it would be good to see if I had one. Thankfully all is good! It's easy to put aside or "forget" to take care of ourselves.  Usually things end up more of a problem when we do that.  I ordered my blog book yesterday. Getting 2020 into print so it's not ever forgotten...even though it was rotten! I shouldn't be so harsh.  We did  have some good things happen and many blessings also. I need to remember to be grateful for all things..even trials that can teach us so much.  So that's all I've got. I read yesterday that the world is spinning a little faster.  I can agree with that so let's all hold on for the ride! Here's a little sign I bought a few years ago:

  Blessings for sure.