making things

every once in a while my sis and i carry through on our threat....(we could make that). since her daughter-in-law mowed grass for us this summer, we made her a purse. sis did most of the work. i applied the beads. the top part has dragonflies, which robin really likes. (just as i was typing this, she and her family came over and we gave her the purse and she did like it...a lot).

i also bought some christmas greenery...fake.. and candles and made a centerpiece for our table except that i can't put it on the table. dennis the cat thinks it is for his pleasure ....to pull apart. it is coal in your stocking, mr kitty kat!!!!

december fog ....and cold

last weekend was a wonderful autumn day. today winter is slamming down even though winter does not start till the 21st. it is the beginning of a freeze. down to -13* at night. so we are turning up the heat to 68* upstairs and 65* downstairs. it is usually set at 60*. if the electricity should go off. we will be warmer for a few minutes longer. i have my super down sleeping bag i can crawl into. it is for sure a 3 dog night. three cats just wont cut it. sorry cc, dennis, & sam.

taking care of chickens in winter

sis took out the large horse water tank for the winter. the chickens and ducks have two rubber tubs ....small... for the winter which are filled with fresh water every day. you can see why they have to be refilled every day....besides knocking out the frozen water and putting liquid water for them to drink....before the ducks completely muddy it all up.

what were they thinking?

would you buy a small child a t shirt like this? only in the west

little kid fun

more bonfire

the bonfire in the meadow

you need to view from the bottom up!

a small parade of lights

west river life

tonight was parade night in belle. (i will have pictures later as i have to recharge my camera battery. it died right at the end of the parade.) people line their cars on main street for the four blocks of the parade and store owners invited their family and friends to the stores for the viewing. even though the parade does not take very long, it seems to be a big even in this small town.

sis and i were invited to a family party in a barber shop on main street. there must have been 15 to 18 in the shop with everyone bringing food. so first it was chips and cider, then the parade, and finally chili and silly stories. as many times as this family gets together one would think they would run out of things to talk about; but every time there are new stories. i think my sis has not heard all of them yet either and it is her family.

so tonight it was about the very large women with public relations problems that rode a very small motorcycle that had side extensions somewhere on the bike to keep her cheeks from being burnt by the exhaust. i hope she never comes into the shop for a hair cut...no one will be able to keep a straight face.

then there was the story about my sis slugging another woman. it happened when her kids were young and another mother pushed my sis's kids out of line and put her own in line. i never expected that of my sis. but on the other hand i would not tangle with her. after all she was a principal......on a reservation.

the funniest story was about her son waxing the floor of the rec center. he had one of those electric buffers with the big round brush that goes around and can get out of control if you don't watch what you are doing. he got tired of walking it around after two circuits and went home and got a pair of roller blades and his radio and went back to work. so there he was being pulled around the gym floor on his roller blades listening to his radio as he buffed the floor.

tomorrow the family and friends are getting together at two at the big burn pile out by the chicken house. hmmmmmm. i wonder what new stories i will hear.

ps. the natives of this state divide it into two sections: east of the missouri is east river and west of the missouri is west river.

christmas rush

from thanksgiving to christmas it is an avalanche of rushing time. sis had all her shopping done before thanksgiving. i still have to paint a picture and buy something for my son. but there are all those other 'serious' things that seem to have to be done before christmas day. my sis has to bake batches of cookies (i gave it up after the kids left), make lefsa, and more cookies. then there are the open houses, the parades, and christmas programs in which grandchildren are the 'stars.'
thankfully i had my hair cut and colored before thanksgiving.

we put up our christmas tree at the beginning of the month because sis's grandson (kindergarden) wanted to help put it up. he is a good helper. he always helps us clean the chicken house and really helps. but we still have to do some outside decorating.

my sis's birthday is also in the time frame between thanksgiving and christmas. i lost her present someplace in my room, but found it the day after her birthday. on her birthday, one of her son's family gave her some joke gifts. a little teasing. i was warned ahead of time so i wouldn't be shocked to see the two pillows i just gave to robin and james coming back to my sis. sis didn't remember that i had bought them, so she thought they were really hers. she also got a lot of stuff (as a joke) that she is not supposed to eat...candy, soda, etc. her real present from them was a purse she had wanted from the shop next door to her son's workplace. she also got a book and a scented candle; all things she is glad to have and use and not dust.

at this age, i truly understand my grandmother's wish not to receive any gifts that have to be dusted. both my sis and i have collected things and decor items through the years that are now more of a burden than a pleasure. you 'can't' throw them away because they were a gift, or because you yourself paid good money for the item, or the most burdensome of all, because it is an inherited item (supposedly treasured by ancestors).

thanksgiving holiday

my sis and i spent thanksgiving day with her family and their extended family. it was quite a group. everyone from the oldest (100) to the youngest (7) was at the same table (the reg table plus kitchen table plus a folding table). when i was young.....well, the kids sat at a different table. i am sure that was to enable the adults to tell stories not meant for little ears. it was a very pleasant day. of course, ate too much. will have to make sure and walk today.

the little green couch is gone. we have a small house and so we are trying to maximize the space by the choice of our furniture. the couch only sat two people so it was replaced by two wicker chairs. the room already looks bigger. we decided we wanted to have blue as our accent color. so the green must go. green is nice, but we both like blue better.

when i was christmas shopping i saw this little lamp for half price so i picked it up. thought it went with our western cottage theme.

today we are not shopping even though it is black friday. we went wednesday. today we are cleaning the chicken house and putting up christmas decorations and my sis is babysitting her two grandchildren. i think we will get our assigned 3 tasks done today. mom (when she was older) always bragged when she got three things done in a day. i was teaching at the time so did a lot more than 3 things. so it became sort of a joke, but now as my sis and i are getting to be that old, it is not quite the joke it used to be. we, however, still easily get our 3 a day in everyday, not just once a week or once a month.

the light saga

my sis hated my experiments with the lights in the dining room. she did not like the copper/bronze faux finish or the collage on the glass. sigh...... so now we have new lights . we both like the design because it is woodsy. and it will increase the value of the house.

happy day

sis and i are going to town today. not that i have any money to spend. i am happy just because i like to go to town and window shop...see pretty things. and more importantly, the sun is out today and it is not too cold out. i was out in my fluffy robe taking pictures; brisk, but so much better than previous days. the door to the deck was not covered by blinds and the blinds were up on the front windows so you can see the sunrise through both windows of the house.