A couple of years ago we rented a house just outside of Concord, NH and in winter I had a partial view of this barn out behind my house.
I ventured out into the woods and navigated the little stream to get this shot of the red barn. It seemed like the perfect country winter photo to me.
Wood Stove Thermometer
I’m not sure I get the point of having a wood stove in the basement. It seems like the house would be nice and warm much sooner if it was upstairs.
Not that I have any choice, but it seems goofy to have to heat the basement first for little reason. I know that the heat rises and I am sure it helps, but I don’t think it would be my choice, but the living room is way too small for any size stove so it had to go in the basement.
For now, I run (okay- walk) up and down the stairs a hundred times a day to turn the dampers on my stove, play with the coals, add wood and check the temp. At least I am getting some exercise since the days are too cold for walks lately.
The cat (Richie) follows me up and down each time so I will probably trip over him at some point….
My Snow Covered Wood Pile
My outdoor woodpile is quite frozen and piled with snow (thanks to the snow sliding off the metal roof) but I managed to get some pieces and threw them in the back door to dry out.
I read one time that wood makes you warm twice – the handling- cutting, moving, stacking, lugging and then the burning.
At least I finally figured out to put the temperature guide facing the stairway so I could just glance at it from up in the kitchen… duh…I catch on eventually!
Happy New Year to all! I will be watching the Stooges marathon tonight with my son. I hope you will be doing something just as exciting. 
Taken last year, this is one of my favorite winter photos.
My son and I were at the lake and found these tracks. They are frozen prints leading across the thick ice all the way to the other side. We’d had a warm spell where everything turned slushy and apparently an animal of some kind – can anyone “read” these tracks?- had walked across in the slush and before the prints vanished, they froze.
At first I assumed it was a deer that made this trail, but since they are in a straight line, I’m not sure. I turned the photo into a postcard and as I’ve said, it’s one of my favorites.
A few years ago I started a blog at Google. I had no idea what I was doing, but managed to figure a few things out. My biggest mistake was naming my blog “Blue Hibiscus” which had nothing to do with anything. I named it after one of my (at the time) best selling items at my Narrow Road store. I didn’t understand about links, naming blogs, etc. I only understand it a little better now, but I still dislike the google blogs.
Many people who visit this blog have great google blogspot blogs, but I cringe when I have to leave a message (which I love to do) because many times I am unable to sign in or something (Kary if you are reading this I have tried numerous times to leave you a message without luck!).
One day I got so ticked off at my google blog that I just left it – with a message for my 3 followers (hahaha) to come to WordPress to continue reading if they wished.
I love WordPress. For me it is easier, nicer, better looking, more helpful, and offers more than that other place. I don’t know why I have such trouble with my google blogs when most people seem very happy- and somehow have magnaged to have great looking blogs!
I recently decided to add to my Christian blog over there, instead of starting a new one here, and so I worked on it this morning and now I am in a bad mood. All I did was add a couple of things and it was so annoying! I just can’t figure that place out.
But maybe NOW I will be able to visit my favorite google blogs and at least leave a message.
As I watched the Patriots game on Sunday, I realized that I had missed last weeks game because I was getting lost in Manchester trying to find the Animal Shelter. So I said to the kids, “Hey we have had the cats for a week now!”
And I realized that they have really adjusted well to their new home and Richie (with the white face) seems to appreciate it the most.
He is such an outgoing cat. He wants to be in the center of everything – in fact, just a minute ago he was on my computer keyboard – he just jumps up onto the table and has to be in my face!
He is much better about getting on the counter and table, since we are teaching him “No”! I don’t mind the cats on my furniture or beds, but not on the kitchen counters and table. He has strange curly hair on his neck and belly which always looks matted although we brush him. That and his odd face markings give him a wild look.
Fontana is quite the opposite. Quite skittish and wary, but still lovable. She is small with lots of pretty long fur and is not completely black. She has white markings and grayish hair underneath. She likes to hide, especially if someone new comes in the house.
But both of them love to sit on the wide ledge of the front window and watch the birds come to the little feeder. They will sit there (or sleep there) for hours and pounce at the glass.
The best thing is that they like each other and have started to “play” occasionally. Richie is around 1½ and Fontana is 2. But all the cats at that particular shelter are strays so I assume no one really knows their ages.
The Perfect Cat Bed
Fontana Playing
Log Home
My two kids and I were invited to a friends house for dinner. They don’t understand how hard it is for me to do something like that- go to a great home and spend time with a normal family – but my son likes to play with their kids and we weren’t doing much Christmas day, so we went for a nice dinner.
We had a good time, and I remembered last year when they invited us to eat when the ice storm had come through. They had a generator and a wood stove (and a man who takes good care of his family- which always amazes me) so were comfortable, and they graciously let me and my little dog spend the night in a warm house.
When I see families in their own homes it is a reminder of all I have lost, but I am getting much better which means that God is changing my heart. After all… “the Lord is my shepherd – I shall not want”. I am learning to be grateful for kind friends, and no longer jealous and sad.
I hope you had a wonderful Christmas.
Lately the kids have really been after me to get some sort of pet. We lost our little dog Rolly almost a year ago but I don’t feel ready to have another dog. It’s been nice to not be tied down with a dog and Rolly was old- 16- and very needy and tempermental.
I have never gone this long without a pet, so we talked about having a cat.
Well, it ended up being two cats and we adopted them from the “Friends of Manchester Animal Shelter”.
Richie and Fontana
My daughter went by the FMAS (shelter) and of course wanted every animal there – mostly they had cats, but she settled on “Richie” because he was so friendly. Then my son wanted one too and I thought, what’s the difference as long as they get along.
So we put Richie and Fontana (their shelter names) in a closed room together and they didn’t fight so we thought they would be fine together and it has worked out very well. They sleep together on the front window ledge, eat side by side, and have recently begun to roughhouse play together too.
Watching the Squirrels
For $75 we got two nice cats who are spayed and neutered and have had all their shots. A friend of ours recently found a stray kitten and after taking it to the vet – one cat- the cost was over $200.
So Fontana and Richie have a new home and I think they are pretty happy.
Their Favorite Spot to Rest
Each year my son loves to open the little drawers to this wooden Santa calendar. And I always have trouble finding little things to fill all 24 draws with! They are tiny and not much will fit inside so I usually put coins, chocolate bits, and other small pieces of some kind of candy in there. A couple of them will hold a note with a message like “I love You” or something. But I am always at a loss for adding items and don’t get around to finish filling it until the month is just about over!
Santa Advent Calendar
I purchased this plate and cup set many years ago at a dollar store in Florida. It’s been in use each year for leaving the cookies, carrots and milk for Santa and his hungry reindeer.
Designed by a child at some point in time, it was turned into Christmas dinnerware for “Christmas Village- Kid’s Collection” and the back of the plate reads, “this plate was designed by Jessica Smith, Grade 5, Greenbrier Intermediate, Chesapeake, VA”.
Santa's Snacks Dinnerware
It’s always difficult to visualize the outcome when buying painted or dyed yarn in varying colors and shades. I loved the colors in this wool yarn and wanted to knit another hat using one of my favorite hat patterns.
So here is the result. It took me a little over a skein and this yarn doesn’t come in matching dye lots so the colors in the second skein (shown) were a little different than the one I used for the main portion of the hat. But no one would notice.
I’ll use the rest of the skein for part of a scarf or mittens.
Knitting a Hat
