On Thursday this week it was nearly 70 degrees F. All of the piles of ice and snow had melted, even the driveway glacier was gone. We had mud and muck everywhere. The Spring birds were twittering in the trees. There was the smell of manure from farm up the street as the farmer spread it on his fields. Not always a pleasant smell, but we are far enough away that we just get a scent of it when the wind changes. I haven't heard the peeper frogs in the pond yet, All this activity are signs that Spring is just around the corner. Until yesterday.

We had a freakin' Nor'easter slam into our area starting early yesterday morning. The snow started here around 5:00am. I had taken the day off because I had to drive to NH to pick up Ryan at college for Spring break. It wasn't snowing beyond our little town, the storm was more to the east. I had a dry and quiet ride once I got to Glastonbury. Our usual route to the college is up Rte 2 in CT to Hartford and then get on Interstate 91 north. That takes us across the width of Massachusetts and up Vermont. Just before White River Junction, we cross the CT river into NH. The rest of the trip, about 40 miles is mostly back roads. On the trip home, it started snowing between exit 6 and 7 of the highway in VT. That meant we had to travel all of MA and CT in the bad weather. I picked up Ryan and his mountain of laundry up around 11:30 and we started the trek home. We made a quick stop for lunch in Lebanon NH, then continued the trip. We saw 10 accidents and/or cars off the road in MA. Another 6 accidents in CT.

When we got to Hartford, the precipitation was so heavy that we could not see the buildings in the city from the highway. Anyone from this area knows that the highway is a mere block away from the buildings downtown. It was a white-out condition. Around Hartford the snow changed into sleet. We didn't arrive home until almost 6:00pm. Subtracting the time for lunch, it was about a 5 and half hour trip home after a 4 hour trip up there. Do I have to tell you how tired I was last night? I did all of the driving. Steve had to stay home as it was Friday and he was working. I could have had Ryan drive, but I didn't think that would be less stressful for me than doing the actual driving myself. My hands last evening were in a stiff and curled state from holding the steering wheel of the car for that many hours (I have Carpal Tunnel and permanent nerve damage in both of them). No knitting or spinning was possible. I took 3 Ibuprofen at bedtime and they are better this morning.

Steve was just out shoveling a little bit. He gets extremely winded, but the doctor told him to exercise a little. He shovels about 20 feet than stops. He's resting on the couch now.

Ryan is asleep and I imagine he will be for a few more hours. At my insistence last night, he did not go over to see Rianne. She only lives a few miles from us, but the roads were very bad and at that time, the were going to get worse as the evening progressed. She had a fit with him on the phone and is very angry. She is young and does not always think logically. Ryan told me he doesn't care if she is angry, he agreed that it was too dangerous to venture out on the roads. She has to look at the big picture and stop being so selfish. He has grown up so much since he has been away at school. She seems to still be stuck in a high school frame of mind. Sometimes I wonder if they will stay together as they mature at different rates.

Today our plans are to shovel out and I want to do some cleaning. Now that the buns are out in the shed, I can get to my desk again but I can't see the top of it and I need to clear it off. I made of crock pot of chili yesterday but we didn't eat it as we were too tired last night. We'll have that for lunch or dinner and I plan on making some cookies. It's a good day to stay inside with my family. Stay safe.

March 11, 2007

Can I hear a WOO HOO? I had my annual mammogram this week and I'm cancer free for another year! WOO HOO! I really thought this would be the year that the cancer returned. My oncologist told me to expect it to return. But I've dodged the bullet another year! I've been so tired lately. I was out of work last Thursday and Friday with some kind of flu. On Thursday, I slept 20 hours! I still don't feel up to snuff yet. I've got to back in the swing of things. I have too much to do and no time or energy to do it.

Steve seems to be getting stronger every day. He has gained weight, but so far it's not an excessive amount. He is actually enjoying food now. Something that he hasn't done for a long time. He has more energy than I do! Before, he would be the one wanting to nap all of the time.


The weather this week is supposed to be Spring like. Do you know what that means? The bunnies go out to the barn! Use your imagination to think of how stinky a tiny Cape Cod style house can get with 2 humans, 1 dog, 7 cats and 5 bunnies living it. Not pretty, is it? We have to clean out their cages later this morning before hauling them back out there. It's pouring out right not. Most of the snow is gone however the glacier in the driveway between the house and the barn was still there about an hour ago.

I invested in magnetic curtain rods and some eyelet lace curtains (Everyday Martha) at Kmart this week for the windows in doors of the barn. I had some tie dyed fabric on them before. Trust me, the curtains are much nicer. Now the barn does not look like a meth lab from the street. I had visions of walking out there at 5:00am some morning to feed the buns, bowl of kale and carrots in my hands, only to be confronted by a SWAT team. The newspaper delivery man always slows his car down when he drives by and I'm out there in the dark early morning hours. I'm sure rumors abound in the neighborhood about what is possibly going on in that little blue barn in the dark. We never did get that heater installed for the bunnies. We still plan on it, but the hill on the back of the barn has to thaw out so they can stand on it to get a vent cut in the wall.

The warmer temperatures are great for melting the snow and ice however it means another problem. It is the start of MUD season. MUD season does not affect city people. Our area is zoned as Rural Residential. There is a farm at one end of the street and another on the next street over. We have a state owned wetlands area at the other end of our street. But that end of the street is the one we use most frequently as it is the closest to our house. There are no side streets off of our street. It's just a straight shot of just about 1.5 miles. There are only 2 ways to get out of our street. The further end by the farm or the closer one in the wetlands. Problem is that the closer end is not paved. It is dirt. Or more precisely MUD at this time of year.

We have a flock of bluebirds living nearby. I haven't seen their nest, but 5 or 6 of them will swoop to the feeders at a time. Steve was feeding them mealworms for protein. I saw Robins in January this year. Temperatures later this week should be up near 70 degrees F! Crazy New England weather.

Feb 17, 2007

Steve stayed home to recuperate from the hospital stay. He saw the surgeon yesterday and was given the ok to return to work. He had 1 stitch in the incision of the chest tube that was bothering him. The doctor snipped it and it feels better. His color is still good. He seems to have more energy. And he is warmer now that his blood has more oxygen in it. And he has gained 11 pounds since his lowest weight in the hospital. He really needed to get some weight on his bones. He was down to 144 pounds while in the bed at the hospital. I think that's how much I weighed in high school! His blood sugar is still higher than normal, but he checks it diligently 3 times a day.

Today he wants to go shopping. He is in desperate need of shoes. The man has ONE pair of shoes that he wears daily. He has no sneakers but he does have an expensive pair of shoes that he wears with his ONE suit to weddings and funerals. The one pair of shoes he wears them to work and basically any time he goes outside. Needless to say, they now leak. I feel like Imelda Marcos with the pairs of shoes that I have compared to him.

He also wants to take Little Miss with us today. That's his pet name for Rianne. There is a large Goodwill store up in Norwich near the shoe store. She wants to buy some inexpensive skirts or dresses for church. I also told her that if she feels ambitious, I would help her to sew a simple skirt.
After shopping, he wants to get lunch.

He's always hungry now that he has stopped smoking. He can finally taste food. He's funny with Little Miss. I think she fills the void in him for his daughter. Rianne was over last week and she brought him a present. She had painted a little birdhouse for him to hang outside. Feeding and watching the birds is his other hobby besides playing on the PC. Anyway, she told him that he should try to grow a beard. And guess what? He is sporting a sparse, but still filling in, goatee. Anything that she wants, he will do. She doesn't know it, but she has him wrapped around her little finger.

I have to get moving and start the weekend chores. Stay safe.