Is It Almost Over?

 This last week of February probably has many asking the question...Is this horrid winter almost over? The weather has been a bit harsh, especially if you live in Texas and other southern parts that aren't used to cold and snow. Power outages and food and water shortages are not only frustrating and irritating, they are down right dangerous. So prayers for those effected by all that mess and hopefully things will be back to normal soon.  In our neck of the woods it seems we are in for a little warm up. Temps in the high 30's and even some 40's have us very happy.  Throw  in a bit of sun and man I'm over the moon!  This final week of February was always my favorite as a child.  I will call this week my birthday week! Yes, let's celebrate shall we?  Actually I won't be home for most of it. I wish I could say I was traveling to some exotic, sunny beach area but alas, no.  I'm heading off the Chicago on Wednesday to help my sister for a few days.  She's having a little surgical procedure and I'm going to take her and bring her home on Thursday and also help with her new pup...Hope.  Yes, Hope is now in her furever home along with Bella who resides at my nephew's home.  Bill drove out last Friday and picked up both dogs and then turned around and drove right back to Chicago.  I was able to go with him and his 2 daughters to pick them up and also see little Autumn who will be coming to our home on March 1st. (unless I change my mind about doing this puppy thing!) Yes, I'm a little apprehensive about bringing in a puppy with poor old Arnie.  Time will tell! Of course I'll blog about anything on that front next week. So Sunday on my b-day I will be driving back home. Jack is staying here to take care of Arnie and the house.  He's back to work almost at his regular hours!  I know he's happy to be getting back to his old normal!  So to end this post I'll just give a look see at the icicles that will soon be melting away:

Brrrr...now that's a big momma right here! It goes from the house to the top of the garage!

But no fear...as you can see there are signs of melting everywhere!  

Snowy Video Today

 Good snowy morning! I took a video today which is not something I do often since it doesn't work with my blog book, but it's fun every once in a bit to be real.  So here's my quick hello and I hope you're day is going well:

Bye-Bye!

Love Is In The Air

 Do you do up Valentine's Day big?  Is it just a way for Hallmark to sell cards? I guess I feel that any day that celebrates LOVE is a good day.

Perhaps flowers are involved in your V-Day celebration....

Candy in a pretty box your cup of joy?

Maybe a plant that says Spring is not far off after all! 

How about a cozy dinner for two with a glass of bubby? Even if the bubby is sparkling cider. Even if the dinner isn't steak and lobster but stuffed peppers.  If it's spent with someone you love it's a win-win no matter the menu!

How about a decadent chocolate fudge cake sprinkled with chocolate dipped strawberries and hearts? Yep, any day that celebrates LOVE can't be all bad.  Happy Valentine's Day!

The Lazy, Hazy Days Of Winter

 Friends and relatives often ask me how I like being retired.  Well, it's OK...it's different...it's been a good thing with Jack's surgeries and being able to spend time with my sister.  I would love to say I've done a ton of home projects but really this winter I've been feeling lazy. I'm used to a schedule jammed packed with work and home and "adventures" as Jack and I call them.  I will say that I haven't been bored and I seem to find the day gets filled quickly! With Covid the photography classes I thought I would enjoy haven't happened and I was going to work PRN at the hospital but they have been slow and the budget won't allow any hires at this time.  So I'm doing what the day lends itself too...keeping warm, shopping, snow shoveling, mini adventures, and still taking pics.  Here's a few of my lazy, hazy, winter doings:

I enjoy baking and making bread is pretty fun and satisfying.

Those lovely, puffy, yeasty delights go from this to this to:

Pretty as a picture! Now, I don't want you to think we sit around and eat all this every day! Jack isn't a huge bread eater.  I would love to be and could be but that wouldn't be too healthy.  So we enjoy a bit and then I love making some "YaYa deliveries"  to friends and family.

Here's drop off package to my BFF Donna who's at home alone for now while her hubby is recouping in a rehab facility.  Some banana bread along with the homemade loaf and some homemade honey butter to add to a warm piece of toast.  Growing up I remember Mom buying honey butter and putting that on her homemade bread all warm from the oven...good memories!  I decided I could make my own and the taste is pretty close to my memories.  A small project that needed attention was my microwave. 

Have you ever ventured into the interior of your microwave?  I hadn't either and probably never would have if the darn lightbulb hadn't burned out.  I put up with a dark microwave until I went on You Tube and found out how to change it.  How many people does it take to change a lightbulb?  Well, I started the project..Jack joined in to give some good advice and help lift... and the folks at 3 different stores who couldn't get the right lightbulb also joined in.  Good old Amazon Prime came to the rescue with the correct bulb...actually I got two in the package..and delivered in 2 days.

It works! Let there be light!  So that's been the last few days of fun and adventure. I'll throw this last pic in of poor Arnie. Yes, more surgery for the little dude.  He had a growth on his front paw and a few other growths that needed attention along with teeth cleaning and extraction. It's hard being an older dog!

The cone is ridiculous but necessary. When he had his back leg fixed in the Fall he couldn't reach it to bother it.  But he can easily reach his front paw and I feel bad he has to wear this contraption for a few weeks. We do take it off here and there so he can eat. He had it on last night when he went out for his final "to be sure" potty run.  When he put his head down he ended up scooping a bunch of snow in it! I did laugh but took it off before he went to bed.  He's a trouper and hopefully won't need any more surgery! So as the snow continues to fall off and on, and the cold continues to chill, I'll just continue to try and enjoy these lazy, hazy days of Winter and look for some more projects to actually get done!

Brrrr...

    One week in  February done!  I really don't want to wish my life away or have it go any faster than it already does, but this short month is Winter on steroids!   The cold air has arrived and the woodstove hums along to keep us toasty. For that I'm thankful!  The other thing that makes me smile are the days we've had that lets the sun shine down.  I enjoy just sitting outside with my face to the sun and feeling it's rays.  It gives me hope that Spring will arrive no matter what that rodent in PA had to say about it!  Looking back at this week it was filled with the usual and the sad.  Yesterday my son Jackie and I went to a celebration of life for a dear childhood friend of his who passed away.  My son and Tim were good buddies from 5th grade on.  They played basketball together in high school and each spent time at each other's homes.  Tim was tall. In sixth grade he was already 6ft.  I remember my Mom visiting when Tim and Jack came home from school and Mom looking surprised at Tim and wondered if they were the same age! Jackie isn't a super small guy...he's about 5'll...with his basketball shoes on the stats would have him taller! That always made me laugh. As tall as Tim was his heart was just as big.  He and Jackie coached basketball for their kids and they kept in touch by email after Tim moved to Michigan.  It was a shock to hear that he had passed but the fact that he had committed suicide really wrenched our hearts.  You always wonder if there would have been something that we could have done.  Tim and his parents had had a falling out some years ago and I felt really bad to know that that hadn't been resolved.  So hug those close to you. Check up on people and if you notice something not quite right, maybe there could be something you could do.  However, we don't always know what goes on behind closed doors, in folks minds, or hearts.  Yesterday Tim's Mom wanted us to tell her funny stories we remembered about him.  Jackie had a few that made us laugh. I even joked that maybe I should go to the other side of the room so he could tell some stories that I didn't know had happened!  RIP Tim...you are missed by those that knew and loved you.  So as February moves on I'll just post a few pics of our days this week..

I can't take a photo of the cold but here's a shot of the snow from this past week.  I guess you could imagine the cold from a pic but with the lovely sunshine I'll just focus on the snow!

Dinner today consisted of some cornbread.

The cornbread was a good compliment to the ham, green beans and potato dish I threw together. A warm dish on a cold day!

Let's end it sweetly with a peach and berry cobbler made in a cast iron skillet..warm with the addition of some vanilla icecream perhaps?   Now on to week #2..not that I'm counting or anything.