Where Have All The Bloggers Gone?

Have you been wondering, too, or is it just I who am fretting? Not fretting fretting, mind you. It's probably cyclical. Nothing to worry about... 
Thought you'd find this photo amusing. It's a photo of my father opening a birthday gift from me. Is he thrilled or what?

~a picture really is worth a thousand words~

Could it be the juvenile bag? Couldn't be that he does not think a bottle of body wash is such a great gift. He sure is a young looking 87. Note the living room where he used to hang out all day. As of Saturday, he and all the household are using the new living room.

Saturday found the grandsons out behind the house sliding...sledding...what do you call it?

This photo is two weeks old taken after the major snowstorms. Saturday's photo would not have been so pristine and there's been a whole lot of snow melt. Just ask my basement. The grandsons had a lot of fun and got nice and wet.

Their after sledding snack was chocolate cream pie made by John's sisters. They insisted that the boys have a piece so they'd know the kind of special dessert John would have had as a boy. This chocolate pudding is made from scratch and has such wonderful flavor and texture. As you can see, Sam gave it a thumb's up. Jakob gave it two thumbs up, but I missed the photo.

Here he is in the new living room with his helper Gabby. She's so cute and he really likes her. ***I'll be popping in a fresh photo or two this evening now that this room has been set up with living room furniture. And that will be the end of the blue room story until the new furniture arrives. 

 Thank you for your visit today... Have a good week!

*** Gosh I hope that no one was waiting for this pic. I was mistaken about the room being all set up. In fact, it was a lot like being in a movie theater today with the the comfy seats all in a row before the screen. My sister sighed heavily when I mentioned this. She's a busy gal and she's taking good care of her father and she doesn't have no stinkin' time to play house settin' up no room. That said, she does have a new piece of furniture coming tomorrow.

This was my mother's secretary. Formerly it lived in her bedroom and was filled with sewing supplies. I believe that my sister will use it in the traditional way for paying bills and correspondence.
 

Waiting for the Furniture

After over two weeks, I finally made it back to be with my father for the day yesterday. Good thing that I had thought ahead and taken his birthday gifts early because he celebrated another year in between. Storms! They cause problems. 
You know what a trip to my sister's means: Pictures showing the progress on "the room."

That blue is growing on me and the floors are just gorgeous.

Many of my sister's plants are happily relocated. Now, when there are enough funds for furniture, perhaps my father will be happily relocated as well. He is looking forward to it!

Here he is just waiting for the furniture. He asked to be taken out there so he could see everything and so he could watch Grand Central Bird Station just beyond those windows.

 

Fishy Hodge Podge

1. Have you ever been fishing?

yes

 Did you catch a fish? 

no

If so did you keep it or throw it back? 

If I had caught a fish, I would have kept it. 

If you haven't been fishing is that something you'd like to try?

Since I did not catch a fish either time, I have never wished to fish again. Perhaps I gave up too quickly. 

Fish out of water, big fish in a small pond, living in a fishbowl, packed in like sardines, this is a fine kettle of fish, plenty of fish in the sea, or cut bait...which fishy phrase most recently applies to some area of your life?

this is a fine kettle of fish 

2. What's something you're always fishing for in your purse, wallet, desk, or kitchen junk drawer?

keys

3. Your favorite fish tale or movie?

John 21 when Jesus prepared the fish and bread for His disciples to eat. What a meal that must have been! 

4. Are you sunrise, daylight, twilight or night? Explain why you chose your answer.

My brain is not bending this way this morning...that must mean that I am a foggy morning before the sun burns off the confusion, but knowing that a better day is coming.

5. What's the oldest piece of clothing you own and still wear?

My "good" winter coat is 24 years old! Yes, I still wear it from time to time.

6. We've got one more month of (officially) winter here in the Northern hemisphere. Are you feeling the need for a getaway? What's been the best and worst part of your winter so far?

Since I must travel the old-fashioned way, I'll just stay home. The worst part about this winter of my discontent has been the isolation caused by high walls of snow and ice dams both literal and metaphorical. The best part is hope for a brighter future. After a winter in the northern hemisphere, everything will be looking up soon.

 7.  The Wednesday Hodgepodge lands on National Margarita Day...will you be celebrating? Frozen or on the rocks? Are you a Jimmy Buffet fan? If so, what's your favorite JB tune?

No, I do not drink anything stronger than a virgin daiquiri because I like drinks to taste sweet like soda. Might just as well stick with soda for a special beverage since that is the case. Jimmy Buffet... wouldn't describe myself as a fan, though his music is catchy enough. 

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

My fondest wish is that everyone would calm down and allow the Holy Spirit to do His work.

I have so much chaos in my life, it's become normal. You become used to it. You have to just relax, calm down, take a deep breath and try to see how you can make things work rather than complain about how they're wrong. ~Tom Welling

Yup, I'll be taking Tom's advice to heart...

Alas, I have no time to participate in the Hodge Podge today, but I hope that you do! Give it a try. It's fun and the work has been done for you!

Sleigh Ride

This is the story of a sleigh ride idea that became a sleigh ride reality—eventually!
*** My grandsons have birthdays so soon after Christmas that it has always been a challenge to give them birthday gifts. For a number of years, John and I talked about this conundrum and, in recent years, we began to wonder about purchasing an experience. Others in the family had been successful going that route...skiing lessons, karate lessons, baseball camp, etc. Anyway, I learned that a local farm gave sleigh rides and that the cost was within the budget and so we were ready to give them this birthday gift in 2016. I was not sure that it would be appreciated because, as boys, they prefer speed and they have a Papa who loves to take them for snowmobile rides...vroom, vroom. For that reason, my daughter suggested that it would not be a great idea. We shelved it.
*** This year, I found myself thinking about sleigh rides yet again. Perhaps it would be a thing that I could give that would also have John's touch on it since he had been involved with former discussions and had been quite sure that the boys would like it...anyway, he would have when he was a kid.
***
I talked it over with my daughter-in-law and she thought it sounded great. When my blogging buddy Michele sent me the lovely sleigh wicker basket, I thought I had a sign from Heaven itself. ☺ 
***
The birthday party arrived and I fairly skipped my way over there. Alas, there was no enthusiasm for the gift. Zero. There may have been some tears shed. Mine. Oh dear. One of the last things I heard about it was my daughter-in-law Michelle saying with steely determination, "They are going on that sleigh ride."
***

Well she was right!

*A Link to a Bangor Daily News article about the sleigh ride farm*

*These beautiful horses are Canadians (name of breed)*

 ~grandsons with their cousin, parents, and aunt and uncle~

 ~the warming hut~

 ~the trail~

 ~heading back~

I have been told that Jakob leaned over to his mother and said, "This was a lot more fun than I thought it would be."
And this nonni said, "phew!"



Postscript: Yes, I was invited on this sleigh ride, but I declined. I just wasn't sure that it would be that much fun. 

Disgruntled and Discouraged

Ever had a day, week, month or year that you'd like to forget? I am in the middle of mine. This means that I'm putting myself in the corner until I can get a grip. Perhaps it'll be July before I see you again. ☺

~Swamped~ Comments closed... you know, until I am human again.

Valentine's Day 2017

Wishing you a special day where you know that you know that you know that you are loved.
♥♥♥

Comments are closed today...too busy with blizzard clean-up to visit! ☺

His Name is Bill...

You may know him as Mr. Sweet.  BJ at Sweet Nothings knows him as her dear husband of nearly 57 years! BJ has called in prayer warriors and given very specific (and powerful) directions. I hope that if you don't already visit BJ you will today and most especially if you pray.
*An Update*
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This week I was reading my favorite blogs, what else is new? I ran into a fabulous teaching at Barbara's My Journal Reflections at The Brown Bungalow where she so cogently expressed her heart concerning what The Lord has been teaching her in a time of testing. I know that you'll be blessed. I have also added that post to Inspirational Posts in my sidebar.
💕💕💕
Lastly, as you know, I have been spending time on a weekly basis with my father who loves the old programs. I watch Bonanza episodes, Matlock episodes, Little House on the Prairie, The Waltons...on and on to include old episodes of Mayberry. That's why I was charmed and blessed by this post called Seven Things I Learned from Andy Griffith.
It's a hunker down weekend in Maine with more snow today and a new blizzard tomorrow and Monday. Enough already!
You take care...

My World This Week

A nice Valentine collage may make up for the mess I am about to show you. And why even bother with my own images when PicMonkey has so many lovely ones from which to choose?

~PicMonkey Collage~

Most days I sit around looking out the windows. Just call me Mrs. Kravitz. This huge maple tree was taken down way last summer. A portion of it fell down in a storm the week that John was in the hospital last May.  It has taken a long time to chop it up and haul it off. This was the last bit. I was thinking of it as lawn art and am a little sad to see it go.

I have tried to keep the deck cleared, but the last ice storm nearly did us all in. I still have a lot of ice on the deck.

The good news is that the stairs are clear.

~Bootprint Angel~

~Shovel Ready~

↑This is my spot for dumping extra snow. There are precious few places left. Underneath this snow is my set of whimsical stairs that John made me.

↑If all else fails, I can push the snow all the way into the ravine.

~The bear is buried.~

↑Snow does cover a lot of unsightly messes. This falling down fence is not mine. I would really like it gone and I won't replace it as my neighbor did. You can see the difference between the ancient fence and the new fence.

It is true that I have become a bit ding-toed walking on all this ice. I have heard that one should walk like a pigeon, but then my brother-in-law told me I should walk like a duck. Is he teasing me? Either way, I am wearing my cleats a lot.

↑There's a whole lot of ice chopping going on. 

The good news about all the ice is that, when it is time to paint this spring, there'll not need to be a lot of scraping.

~Back to looking out windows...~

Another day, another storm, another lovely morning in Maine, she said wryly. Very.

Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!

P.S. Nearly the end of today's storm and just the beginning of clean-up. We have many storms coming...Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday... Yikes! 😖

Whose Kitchen?

First things first, thank you for joining me for my little quiz. Some of you did very well indeed, especially since I was a kinda unfair. Anyway, I had fun.  Every single kitchen was correctly determined, just not all on the same comment. ツ

~Marilla Smokes?~

Fun and interesting little behind the scenes video.

1. Sorry about showing you the Green Gables pantry (good eye, Mrs. T!) on yesterday's post instead of the kitchen. Further, I am not sure that the pantry was ever shown in the 1980s series so that really was unfair. 

↑2. A number of you recognized the Downton Abbey Kitchen.

↑3. The kitchen from A Christmas Story reminds me of my maternal grandmother's kitchen. Anyway, this is not taken from the same perspective, but check the chairs and table.

↑4. The shiplap gave it away!

↑5. And, lastly, the Waltons' Kitchen. My dad and I enjoy watching that show in the afternoons when I am there. I don't get that station at my home. This kitchen reminds me of my father's childhood home...the stove is in the right place, the sink, the table, too. 

Again, thanks for playing along. Have a great weekend!

P.S. Go, Patriots!