ANOTHER FRIGID FRIDAY AT -12 F.

[Nasoosie]

GOOD MORNING ALL!!

A very cold morning start to the day at -12 F. here. I know that Vancouver, BC, standing at +48 (I am wondering if that's F. or C., as they are in Canada----either way, it's way above freezing!) on the day of the Opening Ceremonies, would probably do just about anything to have a few of our colder degrees! And it's raining there, to top it all off. I feel so bad for them, although the interviews with the athletes show them all to be very upbeat. After all, the conditions are the same for everybody, so they are all still performing on equal 'grounds.'

My goal for today, other than shopping for groceries, is to get my website updated! I am ashamed to see that I still haven't even added last year's photos to it yet, nor have I changed the dates and music! I promise to have at least the dates done by the time I head out this morning----barring any unforseen things to prevent that from happening.

I knew things were getting very cold again outside as my front deck snapped and boomed like guns and firecrackers all night, causing poor little Molly to burrow even further under my covers! She HATES things that sound like gunshots, which always makes me wonder what sorts of things she encountered while wandering the streets of Detroit before I rescued her. I wish she could talk!

I hope most of you have at least had your power restored. Wine and chocolate sound like good staples to have under one's roof these days! I will substitute a flavored brandy for the wine when I go shopping today, and will get a bunch of new dark chocolate bars!

I never even left the yard yesterday, due to wind and cold, and I am hoping today will be warmer so I can get out of here for a while. It was GREAT to not even have to get dressed for an entire day! Talk about a sluggard!

Off I go to read the posts and my email---oh yes! My brother said his YakTrax I clued him into worked like a charm on his steep driveway while he was snowblowing it! I don't why I didn't think of telling him about those great safety soles a long time ago, as he often has pure ice on that steep length of macadam driveway. He sent me some pics of his blizzard last night, and they got a TON of snow near the Philly area.

Glad to hear that Billy Clinton is feeling better this morning, too, after his stent placement yesterday. He and Chelsea just left the hospital, and they say he's as good as ever, albeit, with chronic atherosclerosis forever which will always bear watching. Thank heavens he went to get checked out before his doc appointment later this week. He never even needed an anesthetic (other than a local) to have the procedure done---what a long way we have come in treating clogged arteries and veins in my lifetime.

Coffee is hot, so stop by and talk to us for a bit! Happy Friday!

[Liz]

Good morning from Grovetown,GA (near Augusta), where 3-6 inches of snow are predicted for later today & tonight....yikes! I'm here staying with gds while dd & sil drive to Maryland for a friend's wedding. Praying their roads will be cleared and safe. I made them pack an emergency kit...sleeping bags, water, MREs, etc. SIL has military type suppies for that.

Meanwhile, we have our flying saucer all ready for the anticipated snow here. Trying to put a positive spin on it

Wishing all a safe day.

[Cedar518]

Good Morning!

I'm here in the high school computer lab with seven seniors and three 8th graders. Everyone is busy working on their assignments.

Sun is shining here. Temp was cool but not as cold as Soosie's. I don't think even the lake is completely frozen over here. The bays have frozen finally. And here in the eastern side of far northern NY the ground is almost bare! Go figure!

I'm still coughing with this pesky left over bronchitis. But I did get a good night's sleep last night. Thanks to Robitussin cough gels,... little red gel tabs. They work!

Ok,.. time for me to make another cruise around the room and look over shoulders. This is a good group of kids, I don't expect to find anything sinister this hour.

Have a great day everyone!

[Echo]

GOOD MORNING SISTAHS!!!

Little chilly this morning but not bad. Temps today are gonna warm up to the low 70's, I can handle that! The it's suppose to warm up into the upper 70's during the day and upper 40's at night. Oh yeah, bring it on.

Sure has gotten quiet around here. There are a lot of people who have left. I know a couple of our neighbors said that they were going to another area in AZ that they always spend a few weeks at but have no idea where the rest of them have gone. Instead of seeing RV's I can now see straight thru the three rows behing us to the fields. And I can see holes from missing RV's almost past the very first row. Shoot I don't know? Maybe some of them were on waiting lists to get into campgrounds in Q? Whatever? It's quieter here. Once nice thing is that whoever it was starting up the diesel truck before dawn and letting it idle is gone! YeeHaw, no more rumbling truck to wake me up at 4:30 or 5:30 in the morning. Ahhhhhhh Seems like one of the really barkie dogs is gone too. Gotta love it.

Was warned by one of the county employees who do gate duty to take extra precautions with Shade as the Owls here have mated and that they will be doing extra hunting now. Shade is of a size to make a good meal for the Owls. The nest is up by the horse shoe pit but haven't checked out. Was told they have nested in the same tree for about 12yrs. Must be good sized birds tho? The sure are loud enough and you hear them day and night. So while out with her so that she can do her business I will be keeping one eye on the sky and watching closely. Hate to say it but wish I had my .22 or a good sling shot. No Owl would be flying away with my baby!!!!

Coffee is hot, ready and still have some to share if anyone is interested! Grab your cup, pour ya some, sit a spell and visit. Hope to goodness ya'll getting the new snow storm are being careful? Ya had better take it easy! Have a fantastic day.

Love to all

[BarbaraRose]

Wow, I can't believe they're getting snow down in the very southern states today! What a strange winter this has been! Our winter has been relatively "normal" by comparison.

I'm not going into work (office job) until 1 pm today. Hopefully, I will have some work to do to keep me busy for awhile, or my next paycheck is going to be awfully small! I might have to start looking for a different job that is full-time during the days.

I have been working on Mocha's matted fur. She has some major matts on her back. I read that if you rub baby powder into the fur, the matts loosen up and come out better, so I tried that last night and it seems to work. I got some of the smaller ones out before she tried to bite me! I will work on them a little bit at a time. Hopefully, I won't have to resort to cutting any of the bigger ones out. Once I get them all out, I will keep her brushed good so they don't come back.
And Moxy, who blew his coat last week, is growing back all white fur! When he was a baby, he was a dark sable with white feet and a white blaze stripe on his head. He has been getting lighter and lighter in color since then. Looks like he will be all white now once his new coat comes in. Ferrets born with white feet tend to eventually get mostly or all white later in life. Ferrets with dark feet never change their coat color.

Well, my tummy is growling, so I better go find something to eat! I hope you all have a great Friday and don't get too buried in snow !

[OutandAbout]

Good afternoon ladies. The weather here is pretty much the same, 40's during the day and 20's at night. Not too bad as long as the wind is light.

Heard on CNN that there is some snow in all 50 states today. This is the first time ever that has happened. Cool huh?

Not much happening here, going to do chores today so I can enjoy the olympics over the weekend. Take care all, especially those in the south with the storm that is upon you. Linda

[BirdbyBird]

Izzy and I are here in Indianapolis. We didn't get any points but part of the peanut gallery reported back to me that she moved very well and appeared to be a happy girl out there. That was a relief since she had been tucking her tail and looked spooky at all the sights and sounds walking around the large loud building. I keep thinking that she is side winding a little but apparently not today. I need to do a better job on her coat. In stripping the undercoat out I have also stripped/cut more of the top coat than I should have..... Live and learn.

The drive from the motel to the fairground is about 10 miles. It was beautiful this morning. The temps had gone down to 4 degrees and the moisture in the air from yesterday had all turned into beautiful frost covered trees and buildings. Since it hadn't rained the frost/ice was not thick but covered everything and the rising sun was barely visible through winter fog!

Tomorrow is another day.....Izzy is tired of all the different environments and the fact that my friend that is sharing the room with me has two male intact English Cockers that keep coming over to her crate to tell her how wonderful they think she is. :=) For now we have the room to ourselves and she is sacked out sleeping soundly. What a good girl!

[Echo]

Izzy and I are here in Indianapolis.

Tomorrow is another day.....Izzy is tired of all the different environments and the fact that my friend that is sharing the room with me has two male intact English Cockers that keep coming over to her crate to tell her how wonderful they think she is. :=) For now we have the room to ourselves and she is sacked out sleeping soundly. What a good girl!

It tough being a young beautiful single female!!! Them dagnabbit guys are always sniffing around where they have no business!

[Birdie]

Hey Echo - with the owls mated up, don't let Shade run in the field. That will make her an easy target. Make sure she has a lead attached to your hand at all times. Rabbits and cats are the owl's favorite food. They may not know that Shade is a dog seeing as the size is appropriate for a nice owl meal. This is actually mating and nesting time for most of the south half raptors, so any of those guys are fast stoopers when they see food on the foot. Be safe.

[Echo]

Yep, yep, yep!! Any time I have Shade out in the open I keep a good eye on the sky for predators. Don't want my baby to be getting any wings by proxy and flying off any where, for nothing. No way, no how!