Sunday morning, February 21, 2010

Hi, Everyone,
Thanks for stopping by!

Hubby and I have been really busy dealing with all the snow and challenges regarding it. Over 20 inches have fallen and more on the way. It has been so cold, but these last couple days have been a little warmer. That is a blessing, but also melting is occurring and that may not prove to be good as we have already experienced the effects of it.

As of yesterday, the spouting on the front of the house came off. It was very heavily laden with ice buildup and was close to a foot thick at the end of the roof and over the spouting. Just couldn't do anything about it. Hubby did go up on Sat. morning and cleaned off the deep snow on the roof, but later in the afternoon we heard a crash around 1:30 p.m. and discovered the spouting broke away from the house on the left side and landed in the planters below. Thank goodness when it fell it did not take a window out or puncture the siding! We are grateful for that not happening. Then while we were out assessing the damage, the spouting on the right side came down too. I heard it creaking, then it came down also. Now with freezing rain, rain, and snow mixture coming tomorrow, hubby is going down to Lowe's this morning and get spouting and fascia (plating behind spouting) which came off too on both sides. I'll be shoveling out the deep snow in the planter and trying to assess what shrubs, azaleas etc. might have made it through the ordeal. I know some of them didn't, especially the huge Azalea at the corner of the house on the driveway side. When hubby pulled out the spouting with chains and the tractor, the spouting snapped off the big Azalea in the corner. Just about made me sick to watch it happen. It took 13 years to grow and was one of the prettiest out front. I'll get over it. Just makes me sad we lost it and others on the other side of the front porch in the planter. Most of the Rhododendron is gone, snapped off from the ice and the spouting dropping on it and when hubby pulled out the ice-laden spouting with the chains and tractor I watched it snap off more. Some of the ice chunks left behind must weigh 50 pounds each! Bummer!
While hubby is getting spouting and fascia to replace today, I'll be digging out the deep snow in the planters and tossing it in the piles out front from the roof.

Ont the bright side, Callie-Kitty is so much fun. She went through her surgeries well. (I removed her stitches while she was napping.) She and Tigger-Digger play all the time. They chase each other from one end of the house to the other and interact constantly when they aren't napping. All that activity wears them out and they must have their "nap time." Callie is losing her baby teeth and growing so fast. She sleeps all night until around 4 a.m. and then it is time to get up and give the kitties their teaspoon of baby food. Hubby usually does this during the week as he gets up each morning at 4 a.m. I usually do too.

This area now has four school snow days to make up. They used up the five they were allotted, and now it looks like the make up days will be Easter break, and possibly a Sat. and into June and it is only the middle of February! If we have more "weather days" to come, it will be interesting to see how far into the summer they have to go to make up the days. Sheesh.

I sure am looking forward to warmer weather and book signings wherever I can get them. My author friend, Joyce Bishop Morris and I have some planned throughout the summer and fall at various craft shows.

I've started to clean out closets, drawers, and cupboards to get rid of stuff that I just don't use anymore or am tired of dusting! I'm going to put most of it in the rummage sale for the CCAPL which will be held Memorial weekend on the Sat. before. We have numerous fund-raising events scheduled for the year and hopefully we will generate more interest in our growing organization and get the animal shelter build for our area as soon as we raise the money to build it! I've been working on numerous grants and they sure take up hours of time and are very detailed.

Well that is about it for this posting folks. Thanks so much for stopping by and visiting. Tell others so they know about my books and hopefully educated someone dealing with violence and abuse against them.

Take care, stay safe, and hopefully spring will come soon!
Becky :)

Thurs. February 11, 2010

Hi, folks,
Well, it has been quite an experience here the last six days. Our power went out at 6:55 p.m. last Friday and didn't come back on until Monday at 5 p.m. Needless to say hubby and I had fun melting snow for water on the gas grill, keeping warm with the kerosone heater in the livingroom/dining room area, and trying to keep warm. It did stay a balmy 62 degrees those four days, so we were lucky. Also, we purchased a large generator last summer,and it sure came in handy to charge the refrigerator and the freezer downstairs. After getting 16 inches of snow from Friday night to Saturday, I sure have a lot of beautiful pictures of it.

Callie-kitty is doing well now. Hubby is going to help me take out her stitches today, after he gets done plowing snow again that fell two days ago. He hasn't had school since last Friday. He is getting a lot of reading done.

I was almost having "Internet withdrawal" for those days, but I'm okay now! Sheesh.

Until next time,
Stay safe and warm. I think spring is around the corner, it is just a long block!
Becky :)