2023 – Archived Blogs – All Is Right On The Homestead

The holidays have passed, school started again, and seasonable temperatures have replaced the extremes of the last few weeks. For the most part, last week’s weather was pleasant enough. We did get some rain on Wednesday and Saturday, and Colleen had to drive to school in an incredibly dense fog on Thursday morning. The temperatures started dropping back to where there usually are for this time of the year after an unusually warm New Year’s weekend. This morning we’re back down to freezing and have a fire burning in the fireplace for the first time in several days. Today’s forecast is calling for some rain in the afternoon, but it should be gone by the time we have to go to school tomorrow morning. Fortunately, temperatures are going to stay warm enough that there shouldn’t be any ice on the roads tomorrow morning.

Last Sunday was New Year’s Day which came and went with little fanfare around here. It had rained on Saturday, so Colleen and I stayed in the house and finished taking the Christmas decorations down and putting them away for another year. The last thing to come down in the house was the Christmas tree. Taking down the Christmas tree is no small task either, because each ornament goes in its own box and then everything goes into a big bin to get stored in the basement. It’s always a sad day when our Christmas tree comes down, because when we finish the house looks naked. Of course, once the tree was down, the real cleanup began. Fortunately, our tree this year was still green and quite supple so there were very few needles on the ground. The real problem is the tinsel. Before the vacuum cleaner comes out, we scour the carpet looking for every stray piece of tinsel. Tinsel will choke off a vacuum cleaner quickly.

Things had dried out enough by Monday that Colleen and I were able to get the outside Christmas decorations taken down, packed up, and stored away for another year. The first decorations to come down this year were the lights and garland on the house. They are usually the last things to come down and have stayed up until Valentine’s Day some years, much to Colleen’s chagrin. This year everything was off the house by lunchtime. After lunch, we tackled the inflatables and other decorations in the yard proper. Unlike the Christmas tree, the yard decorations come down a lot easier and more quickly than they go up. The real treat of the day though was when we found fresh Shiitake mushrooms growing on the logs we had inoculated over a year ago. We picked the mushrooms and Colleen sautéed them for dinner to go on top of our pan seared fish.

Unfortunately, Colleen had to head back to school Tuesday morning, so we got up to that annoying alarm clock. I was up to see Colleen off to school every morning for the rest of the week. The fog was dense a few of the mornings making for a challenging drive to school for Colleen, but her week passed without incident. I spent my time at home doing a little bit of schoolwork, sorting and listing baseball cards for sale on eBay, and reading. Come to think about it, Thursday was the only day I really did nothing, giving myself the day off from everything. I did have to start back to school on Friday which was a teacher workday filled with long arduous meetings. Colleen and I treated ourselves to a fine meal of Mexican takeout on Friday evening though. It seemed the best way to celebrate the start of the second half of our school year.

Yesterday was quiet and generally easy going. I spent the day taking care of baseball cards and getting class work ready for my kids on Monday. Colleen, who had slept well on Friday, was on fire yesterday. She started by making a big pot of minestrone soup for my lunches this week and then she made some spinach and artichoke dip on which we could munch. When she needed a break from the kitchen, she headed down back to change out the bedding in the hen coop. She wasn’t quite finished yet though, because then she made double batch of muffins when she got back upstairs. She got a double-wide muffin tin for Christmas which worked out quite well for her. After dinner everything slowed down though and both of us relaxed for the rest of the evening. As an added plus to the day, yesterday, our neighbor had some trees cut down and we now have a stack of hardwood sitting in our front yard that we will cut up and use for firewood next winter.

Today things should be quiet up here on our little hill. There is a fire going in the fireplace to keep the outside chill at bay. I suppose I need to do a little schoolwork for tomorrow to make sure my bases are covered. I was hoping to start cutting more firewood, but I’m not sure if i will have the time today. Even with the workday Friday, I couldn’t even begin to guess what I will be walking into tomorrow morning. On the bright side, Colleen and I do have a long weekend next weekend. No matter what the upcoming week brings our way, Colleen and I will keep taking everything one day at a time. Everything will get done or work its way out sooner or later, but in its own good time. In the evenings, we come home, enjoy our dinner, look around and smile knowing that all is right on the homestead.

Jump To Top

********************************************

January 15, 2023: School Is Back In Session And We Are Into The Heart Of Winter.

Another week has passed, Christmas and New Year’s Day are happy memories, school is back in session, and we are into the heart of our winter. The weather was seasonable last week. We did have a dandy thunderstorm move through the area on Thursday night and we lost power for a little while. The storm brought a bunch of limbs and branches to the ground, but that was the worst of it. Behind the storm was another cold from that drove the temperatures back down. This morning we’re just below freezing with a gusty wind to give the wind chill a good bite, but things will warm up as we move in into the upcoming week though. The one thing this winter hasn’t brought our way yet has been snow, but then again, we ever get much anyway. It doesn’t look like we’ll see any snow for a while either if the long range weather forecast is to be believed. Colleen and I did have a full week of school, but we also have a long weekend the weekend, so we will be able to catch our breath.

Last Sunday turned out to be a low-key day. Colleen and I had the fire going and just spent the day sewing up loose ends. I still hadn’t heard what my new classes would be on Monday so I got what I could ready and just hoped for the best on Monday morning. I did get to spend some time with my baseball cards too, packaging up for the mail the ones I had sold and listing a good many more for sale. Colleen spent some time in her workroom finishing the filing for 2022, but mostly, she just relaxed in her glider or puttered around the house taking care of the small, usual weekly housekeeping. It really didn’t get too cold during the day, but with fire burning the house stayed warm and toasty.

Our school week started kind of helter-skelter and seemed to stay that way all week. At least our morning skies were colorful. I didn’t find out what my new classes were until 10 minutes before school started on Monday. The school registrar came by to tell me they had made the changes, but I never heard word one from the administration about the changes. I spent the day flying by the seat of my pants. Tuesday, I got a little more organized, and by Wednesday I had plans in place, and my classes started to look normal again. Colleen’s week was quiet for the most part, but her school is getting ready to start their first semester final exams. Colleen did stop by the market on her way home Thursday after school. I had a couple of the usual after school meetings during the week, but on Friday I was out of there right after the last kids got dismissed. Unfortunately, on my way home Friday, the check engine light came on in my Honda and the engine started running rough. I just nursed the car home as best I could.

Yesterday was a busy day up here on our little hill. As luck would have it, I didn’t sleep well Friday night, so I was late getting started. By the time I got dressed and came downstairs, Colleen had taken care of all the morning chores and was baking bread. A buddy of mine with whom I teach showed up to help me cut and stack firewood, and we spent a good couple of hours cutting and stacking. Between the two of us, we got almost the entire pile of logs in the front yard from the trees my neighbor had cut down cut and stacked. After lunch Steven and Lily showed up. Colleen babysat Lily while Steven and I finished cutting up the wood in the front yard and the tree Steven and Alex had taken down a couple of weeks ago. The wood all still needs to be split, but we have a great start on next winter’s firewood. Steven followed me down to the shop when we finished so I could drop the Honda off to get repaired. Hopefully, it will be ready Monday afternoon.

Today should be an easy day. I don’t think either Colleen or I will be working outside, but there is plenty to do inside. We do have a long weekend with tomorrow being a federal holiday. We have our fingers crossed the shop can have the Honda repaired by tomorrow evening so Colleen won’t have to bring me to school in the morning and pick me up on Tuesday. Colleen is already in the kitchen and baking more bread this morning. It’s a good feeling to see bread rising on the fireplace hearth. I have the luxury of today and tomorrow to get my schoolwork ready. I should have plenty of time to get into my baseball cards too. The fire is keeping the house nice and warm. And like usual, Colleen and I are taking everything today, like every day, one day at a time. No matter what comes our day though, at the end of each day, we can look around and smile knowing that all is right on the homestead.

Jump To Top

********************************************

January 22, 2023: It Was A Warm Week Until Saturday, And Today Is Cold And Rainy.

Last week brought some unseasonably warm winter temperatures our way. We almost got to 70 degrees on Thursday. For most of the week, we had a good bit of sunshine, but yesterday morning the sun was still around even though the mercury was back down in the 30’s albeit. This morning we’re back down in the 30’s, but the sunshine is gone, replaced by a slow steady rain that is supposed to last well into tonight. Fortunately, while it is a cold and biting rain, it will not be getting cold enough to freeze which would make for some rough driving into school tomorrow morning. Of course, with it raining all day today, Colleen and I will be staying inside with a nice fire in the fireplace.

Last Sunday was a slow day up here on our little hill. It was chilly enough to keep a low fire burning in the fireplace. I worked on my schoolwork, I did spend a good bit of the day buried in my baseball cards. Colleen baked some Cuban bread which I have concluded goes great with everything not the least of which is a Cuban pork sandwich. Being as how we are in January and winter it the time for soups, stews and the likes, Colleen made her Yankee Pot Roast for dinner which we refer to as soft meat because the beef is so tender. Mostly though, we took it easy on the day because Monday was a holiday, and we did not have school. We are always thankful for days on which we do not have to get up to an alarm clock.

Monday turned out to be another easy day for us. I woke up to a fiery sky at dawn with the moon hanging in the tree. The temperatures started to warm up a little, starting the day at 40 degrees. Unfortunately, I underestimated how much time I would need to do my schoolwork, forgetting I was teaching two new courses this semester. I pretty much stayed on the computer right until dinner time. Colleen did do a little baking and some meal prep for the rest of the week. We got the Honda back from the shop too. It only needed new plugs and wires so that all turned out well. I had visions of having to buy a new vehicle when the Honda started acting up on Friday.

Our short school week wasn’t bad, and Tuesday through Friday passed relatively quickly and without incident. Colleen’s school was just starting their final exams for the first semester, so things were even quieter than usual for Colleen. Tuesday was laundry day, and Colleen stopped at the laundromat on her way home. She stopped at the market on her way home Thursday. I had a short meeting after school on Wednesday, but I was able to get out of school on time for the rest of the week. Mostly, I am getting home now when the setting sun is sitting on the tree tops on the ridge out back. We don’t have many breaks coming up in the next several weeks, so Colleen and I are looking forward to our spring breaks in March and April.

Yesterday was busy up here on our little hill. The warm temperatures we enjoyed during the week dropped back down to the normal winter cold. Rain was in the forecast for today, so I headed outside right after breakfast to cut, split, and stack firewood which I did until just after noon. Colleen and I filled the porch rack with firewood after lunch to keep it and us dry today. Colleen made a big pot of red beans, rice, chicken, and sausage soup, some flakey cornbread biscuits, and some of her Bonny Jam Scones on the day. For dinner she made stuffed flounder. I even managed to harvest some fresh shiitake mushrooms from our mushroom garden to go with our dinner.

It had just started raining when I got up this morning. Fortunately, it was still very light when the daylight got here too. Colleen didn’t get soaked opening the hen coop for the day. Let’s hope the girls are smart enough to stay out of the cold rain though. I guess it will be a typical Sunday around here. I have schoolwork to do and hopefully, the grade book system will be back up and running. Colleen will be in the kitchen getting things ready for the week in front of us. We, most definitely, will keep the fire going all day too. It doesn’t look like there is anything special coming our way for this week. Colleen and I will just keep taking everything one day at stone up here on our little hill though. At day’s end we’ll look around and smile thankfully for all we have and in knowing that all is right on the homestead.

Jump To Top

********************************************

January 29, 2023: A Tough Week To Close Out January, But We’re Still Standing.

Just in case anyone is counting last week marked 150 weeks since the “Great American Shutdown” that started on Friday March 13th, 2020, and Covid is still with us. Last week was a tough week up here on our hill, actually, more at school than around here. Fortunately, the weather, more or less, cooperated. Last Sunday was rainy and bleak, but the temperatures were seasonable. We got some more rain in the middle of the week, too. We did see the sun on the other days though, and yesterday was beautiful. Unfortunately, Colleen and I could not get outside to enjoy the day as we spent the day playing catch up in the house. Today, we did enjoy a very colorful sunrise, but that has now given way to some heavy cloud cover, and we are expecting more rain this evening.

With last Sunday being gray and rainy, I lit a fire in the fireplace first thing in the morning, and Colleen I went about our business inside. Colleen spent the better part of the day in the kitchen getting meals ready for the week. I spent all day in front of the computer doing schoolwork. The state’s grade book system had been down for maintenance on Saturday so even if I had gotten to my schoolwork, I wouldn’t have been able to do much of what needed to be done anyway. I ended up working well into the evening and didn’t find my way upstairs until just before 11 o’clock. It is rare that I stay up that late, and even rarer that I spend all a Sunday doing schoolwork like I did.

Getting out of bed was tough Monday morning, but Colleen and I dutifully answered the beckon call of our alarm clock. Colleen left for school in the dark of the pre-dawn hours, and I got into my car just as the sun started to peek over the eastern horizon. Fortunately, Colleen was looking at an easy week at school. Her school was in the last week of their 1st semester final exams. Colleen even got to stay home on Friday for a teacher workday. I was looking at a crazy week with several assemblies, meetings, and a visit from county personnel to check in on how things were going at my school. Unfortunately, we also had a key teacher at our school pass away over the weekend, losing their battle with cancer. Needless to say, getting through my week was a challenge.

I was one whipped puppy dog by the time school dismissed on Friday afternoon, but I scampered home because Colleen and I had plans to head to Costco before dinner. Our Costco run went well. We restocked a good many of our staples that were running low. We hadn’t been to Costco since before last Thanksgiving. Staying on budget was tough last Friday too. I don’t believe any of the so-called experts that say inflation is easing up, because it seems the price of everything, even at Costco has gone up. Anyway, we got what we needed and got home right before sunset. Colleen headed down back to lock up the hen coop for the night and I started unloading the back of the Trail Blazer. Colleen and I did treat ourselves to one of Costco’s premade dinners so at least Colleen didn’t have to cook dinner when we got home.

Yesterday was a busy day for Colleen and me. We never did get outside to enjoy the day’s sunshine. Colleen spent the better part of her day in the kitchen, while I spent the whole day in front of the computer. At least, I got to spend the morning listing baseball cards for sale on eBay. Anything baseball is my happy place. Alex stopped by the house right before lunch to drop off his tax paperwork. The boy looks good, but he is logging a lot of hours at work. After Alex left and after lunch, I dug into my schoolwork. I did take short breaks to put more wood on the fire or reload the hearth rack. When Colleen wasn’t cooking or baking, she was breaking down the bulk packages of stuff from Costco and repackaging everything into portion size packages appropriate for us. Colleen did take time to pay our monthly bills, and we even managed to pay off another one of our credit cards. We’re almost to the end of the road in eliminating all our credit card debt.

Colleen is already back in the kitchen this morning. I am getting ready to finish my schoolwork. I am hoping it will not be a late night tonight. We are expecting Steven to be moving back in with us later today. He got displaced when the house he was renting went into foreclosure. At least he has a place to land while he puts things back together, and we are more than happy to help. Colleen and I both have a full week of school coming up. Unlike the last couple of weekends, not much work got done outside up here on our little hill. All the same though, Colleen and I will just keep taking everything one day at a time. We are thankful that we can find our way home at the end of each day, look around, and smile because we know that all is right on the homestead.

Jump To Top

********************************************

February 05, 2023: Lots Of Rain And A New House Guest.

Another week has passed, and we are solidly into the middle of winter now. The weather has been mild so far this winter, well, at least around here. Last week was no different, except it was a wet and rainy week. We haven’t even had the slightest hint of snow. The temperature did drop below freezing this weekend, but the rain had already moved out of the area. The temperature is forecast to warm up again this coming week, and we may be getting close to 70 degrees in the middle of the week before the rain comes back. Yesterday, we never even reached 40 degrees, and Colleen and I kept a nice warm fire burning in the fireplace all day long.

Last Sunday turned out to be busier than Colleen and I expected. I did my usual Sunday morning writing, but after that I spent the rest of the day doing schoolwork. I guess I underestimated what I had to do, because I ended up working later than usual into the night to get everything finished. Colleen started early in the kitchen baking a large batch of strawberry muffins. She did take a break to edit our blog, but then she headed right back into the kitchen after that. By day’s end she had made a pot of ham and bean soup and a meatloaf dinner too. Colleen was upstairs in bed relaxing with her tablet long before I headed upstairs for the night.

Colleen and I had a full 5 days of school last week, but the rain dominated the entire week. The rain showed up during the night on Sunday sometime and it stuck around on and off until just before sunrise on Friday. It was a dreary week. Once the rain gave way Friday morning, the temperatures started to drop and by Saturday morning the thermometer was at 20 degrees. The school week passed easily though. The county finally got my records corrected and now I have 240 sick days, 36 annual leave days, and 6 personal leave days on the books. I’m not one for taking random days off from school, but I just may start taking a mental health day here and there as I gear up to retire in just over a year.

Colleen made her usual stop at the laundromat and the market during last week. Friday, she got home a little bit earlier than usual because she didn’t have any stops. By the time I got home, she had filled up half of the porch firewood rack. That sure made for an easy Friday evening for me, and I got to spend the evening buried in my baseball cards. We did hit a bump in the road Friday though. The driver’s side window on my 1996 Honda decided it would come down on the way home, but not go back up once I got home. I’m not real sure what happened, but since there is only the slight chance of rain to start the week and I’m not going to school on Wednesday, Colleen and I will drop the car at the shop on Tuesday evening. Hopefully, it will be fixed by Wednesday evening. I did cover the side of the car with a tarp just in case we do get a little rain today.

Yesterday was a busy day up here on our little hill. Colleen had a couple of new recipes she wanted to try, and I had grading and my grade books to get caught up for last week. The grading has been proving to be quite the challenge with two new courses added to my workload for the second half of the school year. Colleen made some new orange-cranberry muffins yesterday morning, about 3 dozen of them. Nothing like going whole hog on a new untried recipe. They turned out just fine though. Our mushroom logs are giving us plenty of shiitake mushrooms of late, so Colleen found a recipe for a mushroom pot pie. That pot pie was easily the star of the day, and after tasting the pie for dinner, we quickly agreed that the recipe needed to be added to Colleen’s Tavern Fare cookbook.

Steven and Ariel are in their last weekend of moving out of the house in which they had been living. They stopped by the house with a few things Steven wants to keep here and to drop Steven’s dog Roux off. Steven and Roux will be staying with us, and Ariel and her son Jaxson will be staying with her mom until they can find a new place. The kids still had some running around to do so they headed on their way after a bit. It seems Roux took a real liking to being around our house and quickly made herself quite at home in front of the warm fire. I must admit, Colleen and I are really enjoying having Roux around the house.

Steven and Ariel will be moving the last of their things today, and Steven will be here starting tonight. Colleen and I should have an easy day of it though. I do have a little schoolwork that needs doing, and Colleen will be getting meals ready for the week in front of us. It doesn’t look like it will be too cold this coming week, although there is more rain in the forecast. I do have Wednesday off from school though, and I will be most happy to spend the day quietly up here on our little hill. Colleen and I will keep taking everything one day at a time no matter what comes our way. In the evenings we’ll try to relax and smile as we look around knowing that all is right on the homestead.

Jump To Top

********************************************

February 12, 2023: A Day Off In The Middle Of The Week And Another Rainy Weekend.

Another week has slid by, and Colleen and I are none the worse for wear. The week started with some very nice weather, but that all changed as this weekend got closer. Today is just a miserable weather day. The temperature is just in the mid-30’s and there is a cold biting rain adding to the malaise. Fortunately, Wednesday in which I was off from school was bright, sunny, and the thermometer got up towards 70 degrees. Today’s rain didn’t get here until after dark last night, but we sure didn’t have much in the way of sunshine yesterday anyway. Still, it was better than rain. The rain should be gone by tomorrow morning and then the temperatures will start to warm up again. We’re still in the middle of February, but spring is coming, and it might very well be early around here this year.

Last Sunday was just a little bit crazy around here. Steven and Ariel had to get out of the house they were renting so it was the first weekend with Steven staying here. Ariel spent the weekend too, although she will be bunking in with her mother until the kids find a place. I spent most of the day working on schoolwork, while Colleen was in the kitchen getting meals ready for the upcoming week. Mostly though, Colleen and I tried to just get used to having people other than us in the house. A big plus to all this change is having Steven’s dog Roux around. Roux has adapted quite well to the new situation.

Colleen and I started the week out on Monday morning in our usual fashion, heading off to school. As it turns out, Steven had to leave for work at the same time I leave for school. The week turned out to be a typical school week with the exception that I took Wednesday off from school and got to watch the sun come up while I enjoyed my morning coffee. The timing of my day off worked exceptionally well for a rather mundane reason. Tuesday afternoon we had to drop the Honda off at the shop because the driver’s side window stopped working and was halfway down. The shop had no problem fixing the window, and we got the Honda back Wednesday afternoon just in time for the rain this weekend.

I spent most of Wednesday out on the front porch. Roux kept me company for most of the day, sort of. As it turns out, Roux likes laying in the sunshine, so she spent most of her time out in the driveway. By the time Colleen got home, I was caught up on my schoolwork and was working on getting more baseball cards listed for sale on eBay. Wednesday really set the tone for the rest of the week for me too. I was still rested and feeling pretty good by the time Friday afternoon got here. While Colleen was very glad I was doing better, she still had her usual after school errands stopping at the market on Thursday and the laundromat on Friday.

A little more chaos showed up Friday evening. It was Steven’s weekend to have Lily so when he rolled into the driveway after work, he had Lily in tow. Ariel and Jaxson showed up not too long after that, but Jaxson was full of youthful exuberance and didn’t want to stay very long so Ariel and Jaxson headed off to her mother’s place. Colleen who was worn out from the week headed up to the bedroom to relax with her tablet. I took care of as much grading as I could, not wanting to leave all of it until Saturday. Steven and Lily were still in the living room when I finally called it a day. I put Roux out for her last call and then I headed upstairs for the night.

I was up a good bit before everyone yesterday morning, so I got the coffee going and then forgot about it. I finally did remember, but we had strong coffee yesterday. Yesterday morning was slow it seems for everyone. Colleen eventually made it downstairs and nursed her coffee for most of the morning. I set up shop on the front porch with my computer and finished all my grading. Steven and Lily slept late, but when they came downstairs Colleen got Lily some breakfast and Steven filled up the back porch firewood rack. Around noon Steven and Lily took off to spend the day with Ariel and Jaxson. Colleen made a couple of ham pot pies in the afternoon which made for a wonderful dinner. I spent that last part of the afternoon with my baseball cards. The rain threatened all day, but mostly it was just heavy cloud cover.

It is damp and cold this morning, and the air has a nasty bite to it. Colleen is already in the kitchen making soup for the week. Steven and Lily slept late again this morning. I am getting ready to do the class work I will need for tomorrow. For the rest of the day, things will be quiet, and we’ll be keeping our fire burning. Steven will have to bring Lily back to her mother later today and when he gets back, we will shuffle the vehicles to get ready for tomorrow morning. It definitely feels like winter today up here on our little hill, but we are looking forward to it warming up during the week. Colleen and I will just keep taking everything one day at a time. In the evenings we’ll catch our breath, look around, and smile because we know that all is right on the homestead.

Jump To Top

********************************************

February 19, 2023: A Quiet Week With No Surprises Thankfully.

Well, it looks like Mother Nature pulled a fast one on us today. The forecast called for cloudy and overcast skies, but we have blue skies and plenty of sunshine right now. The weather wasn’t too bad last week. The thermometer was all over the place though. We had near record high temperatures in the middle of the week, it rained most all-day Friday, and yesterday we started the day with the mercury under the freezing line. Spring is definitely coming though. Colleen’s crocuses have bloomed and now her daffodils are blooming. The forsythia bushes out front are covered with yellow flowers too. Everything is supposed to warm up again during the coming week, but it looks like the forecast is calling for rain next weekend. That could all change though, and we’re hoping it does. I guess only time will tell.

Last Sunday was gray, rainy, and cool, so the first thing I did after I got up was to put a fire in the fireplace. The daffodils didn’t seem to mind the rain though. Lily spent the weekend with Steven so there was lots of activity in the house once the youngster got up for the day. I spent a good part of my day doing schoolwork, keeping the hearth rack full and the fire burning. Colleen made a pot of soup during the day and made a nice dinner for us later in the afternoon. Things got very quiet after Lily left though. I finally did get all my schoolwork done, Colleen spent the evening relaxing, and Steven kept the fire going while he played video games online with Louis.

Monday morning was the start of another week of school for Colleen and me. I had made arrangements to take Friday off, so my week was only going to be four days long. Valentine’s Day came and went. Colleen and I didn’t do much to celebrate the day, but Steven sent Ariel some roses. The real highlight of the week came Thursday. With the longer days and warmer weather, the girls laid their first egg of the spring. We only have to hens of laying age at the moment, but Colleen and I agreed it was time to get more birds. We’ll probably do that at the beginning of March right before I start my spring semester break from school that way I can keep tabs on them for the first three weeks they are here.

With a day off in my sights for Friday, the rest of the week seemed to move very slowly and torturously drag along. When Friday did get here, Colleen headed to school at her usual time, I pulled the blankets tightly around me, Roux jumped up in bed, curling up next to me, and there we both stayed for another two hours. Nonetheless, I was up at first light, let Roux out for the morning, and opened the hen coop before the rain started. Once the rain started, it hung around until right before Colleen stopped at the laundromat on her way home. Colleen and I both have Monday off from school, so celebrated the start of our long weekend with Mexican takeout for dinner. Steven headed off with Ariel to babysit for Ariel’s sister and spend the weekend at Ariel’s mother’s house.

After a warm week, we started yesterday morning with temperatures below 32 degrees. The first order of business yesterday morning, other than making the coffee, was to get a fire going in the fireplace. I didn’t take long for the fire to chase the morning chill from the house, but with a long weekend at hand, neither Colleen nor I were moving too quickly. I spent the morning working with my baseball cards and the afternoon grading schoolwork. Colleen did some online recipe hunting in her glider in front of the fire most of the morning, but decided she needed to breakout the vacuum cleaner and do some housework in the afternoon. Steven and Ariel spend the day running errands and doing a little house hunting without much success. Roux had the best idea of all about what to do with the day. She would find the sunniest spot in the family room and then stretch out and catch a nap.

With tomorrow off from school, there isn’t the usual urgency to get things done today. I do have to make sure there is online work for my kids since they do have school tomorrow. (A side effect of being in a year-round school.) I suppose I’ll grade what I can today and worry about my grade books tomorrow. Colleen wants to get into the kitchen today to do a little baking as well as make our usual Sunday dinner. The fire is going again today, and Roux is curled up on the loveseat by the fire. For the most part it should be an easy day. Whatever happens up here on our little hill today or tomorrow, Colleen and I will just keep taking everything one day at a time. When the evening rolls around we’ll enjoy our dinner, look around, and smile, knowing that all is right on the homestead.

Jump To Top

********************************************

February 26, 2023: Spring Is Coming, Trees Are Blooming, Time To Get Into The Gardens.

Well, after a sunny and mostly warm week, Mother Nature has given up a damp gray weekend. We had an on and off rain going all day yesterday, and this morning everything is still wet. We did have to put a fire on the fireplace last Sunday to chase the chill out of the house, but by mid-week the thermometer was over 70 degrees. From the looks of things, we’ll be heading back into the 70’s by midweek coming. The warm weather and a little bit of rain we’ve had is bringing flowers to the trees. Our red bud tree has started to bloom, Colleen’s flowering pear tree is covered with flower buds, and the trees by my school are adorned in white flowers already. Spring looks to be early this year around here. I’m glad my 3-week spring break is coming up soon because our gardens really need some attention.

Last Sunday turned out to be a slow and easy day with little urgency. Colleen and I both had Monday off from school so finding motivation on Sunday was a challenge. Still, we managed to get a few things accomplished. Colleen did a little baking and even made Arroz Con Pollo for dinner. I took care of my schoolwork. Steven and Ariel stopped by for a short visit around dinner time. Ariel and Jaxson ended up leaving right before sunset though. Steven and Ariel are still in the hunt for a new home. I got a feeling it may take them a while especially with the economy the way it is. The cost of home ownership has risen sharply over the last year. Between increased taxes and increased insurance rates, Colleen and I are paying about 40 percent more a month for our home.

Monday was a beautiful day, but turned out to be a little busier than either Colleen or I expected. We slept late and never even heard Steven leave for work. Colleen spent a good part of the day in the kitchen preparing meals for the rest of the week. I underestimated how much schoolwork I still had to do, so I was on the computer most of the day. A busy day at home is still better than a long drawn out day at school. I eventually got most of the work done I needed to have done, but I’m still playing catch up. I must admit my dedication to school took a real hit when the administration decided to change up my classes to start the second half of the school year.

Not much came of things during the rest of the week. Tuesday through Friday were rather run of the mill school days. Colleen stopped at the market on her way home after school on Thursday afternoon, and she stopped at the laundromat on Friday after school. I got home at my usual time every day and after dinner buried myself in my schoolwork. I even did some grading on Friday after dinner. On the bright side of things, the girls have started leaving eggs in the nesting boxes regularly now, so we are getting a half dozen fresh eggs in a week now from the two hens still young enough to lay eggs. I’m looking forward to adding some more birds to our flock in a couple of weeks.

Yesterday turned out to be a low-key day up here on the hill. I think Roux had the right idea though because she pretty much laid around all day. I spent the morning with my baseball cards, listing more for sale and packaging up the ones I had sold. After lunch I put the baseball games on the TV and did my schoolwork. Surprisingly, I got the lion’s share of my grading done. Colleen pulled her macrame stuff out after lunch. She’s determined to get good at it. Yesterday she made a plant holder which turned out nicely. When we had a break in the rain, I collected a bunch of fresh shiitake mushrooms from our logs. Colleen sautéed them up and they were quite tasty on our hamburgers with Swiss cheese for dinner last night.

Things are slow again this morning. It sure doesn’t look like we’ll see any sunshine though. I have a bunch of schoolwork to do still, but I will be off from school this coming Wednesday. Colleen is hoping to find some more time for her macrame, but there are things she needs to get ready for the upcoming week. The world is still crazy, and, sadly, I don’t often find good news when I check. Colleen and I will just keep taking things one day at a time and keep to ourselves up here on our little hill. At least in the evenings we can shut the world out of our lives, look around and smile because we know that all is right on the homestead.

Jump To Top

********************************************

March 05, 2023: A Crazy Week With Two Of The Kids Back In The House.

I’m getting off to late start today. Not often I sleep until 9 o’clock in the morning, but I did today. I walked outside with my cup of coffee to a beautiful Sunday morning. The sun is shining, the skies are blue, and the thermometer is heading to 65 degrees. Looking back on the week, I’d have to say the whole week was nice even with the rain we got on Thursday and Friday. By Friday afternoon though, everything had cleared, and we were getting ready for an awesome weekend. The week was even better since I was off from school on Wednesday. It looks like the week in front of us will start off warm but cool off some by week’s ends with the chance of more rain on Friday and maybe Saturday. I don’t mind though because 3-week end of quarter break starts when I leave school on Friday afternoon.

Last Sunday was pretty run of the mill around here. The skies were gray, but the rain had moved east, so the day was dry. Colleen experimented in the kitchen with a new muffin recipe and did some cooking for the week. I did my usual Sunday morning writing and then dug into my schoolwork. Somewhere along the way I ate something that didn’t agree with me, so my stomach decided to not play nice. Fortunately, it wasn’t too bad. The best I can figure is that I ate some corn chowder that may have been in the refrigerator a day or two longer than it should have been.

The weather only got better on Monday and Tuesday, but both days were school days. My stomach was still misbehaving on Monday morning, but not bad enough to keep me home. By Monday evening, I was feeling fine. Both days passed uneventfully at school for both Colleen and me. The big excitement happened Tuesday night when Steven went to get Louis from base and brought him home. Louis is in the process of mustering out of the army, but they won’t let him go until he uses up his leave time. I think Louis doesn’t need to report back to base until this week, so he has been staying with us.

Colleen headed to school Wednesday morning, but not me. I stayed in bed longer than usual, took care of a few odds and ends after I got up, and then I headed to the river to go fishing. I can’t remember the last time I went fishing, but it sure was relaxing. The fish were biting too. I didn’t catch anything big enough to keep, but the small ones kept it interesting. Colleen had a crazy day at school, but still got home at her usual time. I spent the late afternoon and a better part of the evening doing schoolwork ready for the rest of the week. I did learn one thing from all the time we spent at home due to Covid, wellness Wednesdays are really a wonderful thing.

Thursday and Friday were wet with Thursday being the worst of the two days. Colleen had a tough drive to school on Thursday morning in the dark, fog, and pouring rain. Fortunately, she made it to school both mornings without incident. I got lucky and got a break in the rain both mornings, so I didn’t get soaked when I opened up the hen coop. Colleen stopped at the market on her way home Thursday afternoon. Our grocery bill has been slowly creeping up and last week it popped at twice what we had been spending less than a year ago. Everything in the news seems to be pointing to even more inflation headed our way too.

Steven got to have Lily this weekend so when he got home Friday evening Lily was with him. When she got out the truck she ran right up, gave me a great big hug, and then headed inside to look for Grammy. Lily is growing up so fast! For the most part, Colleen and I spent our Friday evening taking care of our usual chores. When we headed upstairs for the night, Steven, Louis, and Lily were still all hanging around in the living room. I’m not sure what time the kids went to bed, but I’m sure I was already sound asleep because I never heard them come upstairs. Naturally, the living room looked like the kids had been there when we got up on Saturday morning.

Yesterday couldn’t have been a prettier day, but Colleen and I had all kinds of work that needed to be done. Unfortunately, none it was in the gardens. Colleen made enough food to get us through the week, while I did my usual schoolwork. Steven and Lily took off mid-morning to spend the day with Ariel and Jaxson. I did get to watch the baseball game while I worked on the front porch though. After I finished my schoolwork, I listed more baseball cards fire sale. With all the kids out and about, Colleen and I enjoyed a quiet and peaceful dinner. The kids eventually made it home later in the evening.

By the time I got up this morning, Colleen had muffins getting ready to go into the oven. I just got my coffee and headed out to the front porch. Colleen does have some cooking lined up for today, and I definitely need to finish my schoolwork. This week, however, is my last week of school before my spring break and Colleen and I both have Tuesday off from school. I am very hopeful that the week will pass quickly and easily. No matter what happens though, Colleen and I will just keep taking everything one day at a time. At the end of each day, we’ll look around and smile because we know that all is right on the homestead.

Jump To Top

********************************************

March 12, 2023: Spring Is 8 Days Away, And It’s Snowing This Morning?

Colleen and I woke up to falling snow this morning. Granted, spring is still 8 days away, and we hadn’t seen any snow yet this winter, but snow in March is unusual in Central North Carolina to say the least. I’m sure the snow won’t last, but we do have some cooler temperatures forecast to start our week. It’s all good though because we’ll be knocking at 70 degrees later in the week. There isn’t any rain in the forecast, so my first week of break should be a good one. We did have a little bit of rain last Friday, but mostly we had a nice week. Tuesday, when Colleen and I were both home from school was especially nice, and we had plenty of sunshine all day long.

I slept a good bit later than usual last Sunday morning so everything I needed to do was running behind. Steven had Lily last weekend too, so there was just a bit more activity around the house than usual. Lily had a grand time though and spent a good bit of time with Grammy. Lily especially likes going to see the chickens. Unfortunately, the girls didn’t leave us an egg last Sunday. I guess things finally got on track for the day though because by the time the evening showed up, Colleen and I had everything done we needed to do to start our week.

Monday was a regular school day, and Colleen and I stayed home on Tuesday. It was a wonderful to be off from school too. Colleen and I had our work around the house done by noon, and we took the afternoon off. It was so nice outside that we opened the house to air everything out. We piddled around the house some during the afternoon. I even streamed a baseball game on my computer. Roux had the best idea of how to spend the day though. She would find the sunniest spot she could, and then she just laid there soaking up the sun, moving only when her sunshine moved.

Wednesday through Friday were just normal school days. Colleen would leave for school before sunrise and I would wait for daylight to open up the hen coop. Colleen stopped at the market on her way home Thursday after school and on Friday she stopped at the laundromat. Things got a little chaotic at my school on Friday because it was the last day of our third quarter, and everyone was itching to head out to start their 3-week break. After the kids got dismissed on Friday afternoon, the teachers wasted no time heading out the front door of the school. I think the building even had a sigh of relief when the kids left.

Friday evening Steven, Ariel, Lily, and Jaxson showed up at the house. Jaxson’s birthday was earlier in the month and Lily’s birthday was this weekend, so we had a little party for the kids. They had a great time opening presents and running around. Roux hid out on the porch for a little while. Ariel and Jaxson left after a while, and Colleen and I headed upstairs to bed, but Steven stayed up to put together a battery powered ATV for Lily to find yesterday morning when she woke up. I’m not sure what time Steven ended up getting to bed.

Colleen and I were up before everyone yesterday, and we came downstairs to find a big pink ATV sitting in the middle of the living room. After breakfast Lily and Steven were outside and Lily was having a marvelous time driving around the cul-de-sac. Steven eventually had to go to work so play time had to end. Of course, by that time though, Lily had run the battery down. The rest of the day was quiet and uneventful for Colleen and me. Neither of us did very much and I even cooked dinner since I was on break and didn’t have any schoolwork to do.

Colleen and I were expecting rain today, so the snow caught us by surprise. I lit a fire in the fireplace before I headed out to the porch to do my usual Sunday writing. It should be a quiet day up here on our little hill. Colleen doesn’t have a whole lot that needs doing to get ready for the upcoming week. Since I can’t work outside today, I’ll spend the day cleaning up and organizing baseball cards which is on my “To-Do” list anyway. The gardens and firewood are the big outside jobs in my list for the coming week. Colleen and I will just keep taking things one day at a time though. At day’s end, we’ll enjoy our dinner, look around and smile thankfully because we know that all is right on the homestead.

Jump To Top

********************************************

March 19, 2023: The Last Week Of Winter And My First Week Of Break.

We just finished my first week of intersession break, and Mother Nature threw a little bit of everything at us last week. Colleen and I woke up to falling snow last Sunday morning. It was the first and the only snow we saw all winter long. We got a light covering of the white stuff, but the snow changed to rain by midday and by dinner time there wasn’t a trace of snow to be seen. It didn’t rain on Monday, but it was cloudy, and everything was soaked. The sun came out on Tuesday and stuck around until Thursday, but temperatures started warming up a bit despite a good stiff breeze during that time. The clouds came back on Friday. We had a few sprinklings of rain during the day, but we got a good soaking Friday night. Yesterday the sunshine came out and the temperatures started dropping again. The thermometer dipped below freezing this morning and will likely do the same on Monday and Tuesday, but there is the promise of sunshine all week and we should be starting to warm up come Wednesday.

With snow falling last Sunday, Colleen and I had no intentions of heading outside for anything other than to get more firewood from our firewood racks. We kept a fire going all day which made the house warm and toasty. I stuck my nose into my baseball cards for most of the day while Colleen did a little bit of cooking. It was a quiet day though. James called to tell me he had gotten 17 chickens and a goat. He and Donna are very excited about adding animals to their little homestead. I’m not too sure what the two of them will be doing with that many chickens, but they will figure it out and I am excited for them.

Monday everything was still soaked, the temperature was right at freezing to start the day, there was a stiff wind blowing, Colleen headed to school in the morning, and I hid in the house all day. I spent the day cleaning up around the house, but mostly I took it easy on the first Monday of my break. Colleen had an uneventful day at school but did get stuck behind an accident on her way home, so she was late. Dinner was peaceful and we both got to kick back a little in the evening and enjoy a colorful sky. I guess as far as Mondays go, the day turned out well.

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday Colleen headed into school at her usual time in the mornings. I opened the hen coop and enjoyed my morning coffee as I planned my activities for each day. There really wasn’t much planning on my part though. There was plenty of sunshine all three days and there was plenty of firewood that needed to be split and stacked. Tuesday, I stacked all the split firewood I had piled up a while back. I pretty much filled one of our hold racks too. Wednesday and Thursday I was down back swinging an 8-pound maul breaking up the stack of cut rounds into halves or quarters. I got through almost all the wood, but there is still more to go, and there is still a tree on the ground that needs to be cut up. Colleen did stop at the market on her way home Thursday. It is amazing to me how the price of groceries keeps going up.

The skies were red Friday morning, but the day ended up being cloudy and gray. There was rain in the forecast although most of it was forecast for the late afternoon and at night. I decided to take the day off, so I spent the day buried in my baseball cards. Colleen stopped at the laundromat on her way home from school. Since it was Friday, we did treat ourselves to some takeout for dinner. We agreed on pizza, and even tried a new place for the takeout. The pizza we got was fabulous and Colleen and I each ate a bit more than we usually do at dinner. I believe we could have knocked off the whole 18-inch pie if we had wanted, but we would have been hurting after dinner. Steven didn’t come home Friday after work. He let me know he would be spending the weekend with Ariel though.

It was a little cooler yesterday morning when Colleen and I got up, but the skies were blue and there was plenty of sunshine. We took care of our morning chores and decided we needed to run to Walmart and Tractor Supply Company for a few supplies. We also hoped we might get a few chicks to increase the size of our flock, but TSC only had ducklings yesterday. Our list of needed supplies wasn’t very long, but somehow, we managed to fill up the back of the Trail Blazer. We got home about noon unloaded our booty and got everything into the house. Colleen spent her afternoon sorting through everything we bought and putting things away. I headed down to the wood pile and ended up splitting more firewood. By the time dinner rolled around Colleen and I were both worn out. Fortunately, after dinner was quiet enough. Colleen locked the hen coop up right before sunset and headed upstairs to relax. I enjoyed a cigar out on the back porch, and when I finished, I let Roux out for her last call of the night and headed upstairs myself.

I’m still on break for another two weeks, so I have nothing pressing today. Colleen got up this morning had her coffee and not long after that started boiling the corned beef for our dinner today. As much as we love our corned beef and cabbage dinners, we are both really looking forward to making Ruben sandwiches with the leftover corned beef. Colleen has school again next week. I’m looking forward to warmer temperatures so I can start working in the gardens. Tomorrow is the first day of spring, and it’s time to cleanup outside up here on our little hill too. Colleen and I will just keep taking everything one day at a time. No matter what any day brings our way, in the evenings, we will catch our breath, look around, and smile because we know that all is right on the homestead.

Jump To Top

********************************************

March 26, 2023: Spring Is Here And I’m Still On Break!

And another week has passed. Spring arrived on Monday, but you couldn’t really tell, because the temperatures started the day around 25 degrees. The week did warm up though, and by Friday, we were enjoying plenty of sunshine and warm, 85-degree temperatures. The only rain we got, other than a light sprinkle on Wednesday, came yesterday morning. It didn’t rain very hard. In fact, it was a very nice spring rain and was just perfect to water our newly planted gardens. To make it even better, it was gone by noon, and we were treated to a lovely Saturday afternoon. This coming week won’t be quite as warm, but it still be quite pleasant. The only forecast rain, right now, is for tonight and into tomorrow morning. With any luck, I’ll be able to get one more fishing trip worked into my last week of break.

Last Sunday was a quiet day up here on our little hill. Colleen spent part of the day in the kitchen, experimenting with new recipes. In particular, she whipped up a flan that wasn’t for dessert. It was sort of like a quiche, but with a whole lot more veggies and only about half as many eggs. She also made a big batch of her cinnamon rolls. Our big Sunday meal was a traditional boiled corned beef and cabbage dinner. I spent the day with my baseball cards which is always relaxing for me. We just relaxed during the evening. Even though I was still on break, Colleen had to go to school in the morning.

Colleen left for school in the predawn dark every day during the week, like she does every school day. Roux and I stayed in bed most days until right before sunrise. Colleen’s week was quiet and uneventful, seeming to drag on at times. I picked my way through my “To-Do” list all week. Monday, I decided to stay inside and start tackling my grade books which need to be finished for last quarter by the 31st. I only got one class done on Monday, but I only really worked on it during the morning. In the afternoon I listed more baseball cards for sale and streamed a spring training baseball game. Monday Colleen made Reuben sandwiches with some of the leftover corned beef.

We had a beautiful sunrise Tuesday morning which I thoroughly enjoyed while I had my coffee. I spent more time with my grade books and got a couple more sewed up for the quarter. It was slow going and it did wear on my eyes for some reason. By the time Colleen got home, I had put my computer away for the day, but at dinner Colleen said I had the start of black circles under my eyes which is a good sign I spent too much time in the computer. After dinner everything was quiet and I wanted to list more baseball cards for sale, but I just didn’t have it in me. When I finally did head upstairs which was early, I feel asleep quickly, well before Colleen turned off her light.

Wednesday I slept a little later than usual. We had a sprinkle or two of rain during the day, but not enough to get anything wet. I did spend part of the day working on schoolwork and finished another class’s grade book. I didn’t push it though. After dinner, I headed outside and weeded three of our raised bed gardens. The gardens should get a lot more sunshine this year because we lost a couple of big oak trees that tended to shade the gardens. The trees came down in last year’s storms and are in the process of being turned into next winter’s firewood.

Thursday rolled around and I did a little more with my grade books, but only until lunch when I headed out to the gardens and cultivated the soil. Unfortunately, because they are raised beds, it must be done by hand, so it takes a bit of time. Of course, I did spend more time than I would have liked pulling out the acorns that squirrels had buried in the fall and had started to grow this spring. Colleen stopped at the market on her way home and since she didn’t feel like cooking, she picked up one of those pre-made street taco kits for dinner. Street tacos and a cold beer were perfect after spending the afternoon in the gardens.

Friday turned out to be absolutely beautiful and after I took care of the morning chores, I headed down to the river to do a little fishing. The fish were biting, but I didn’t catch anything of legal size so everything I caught went back into the river. By noon I was getting hungry, and it was getting hot, so I headed home. After lunch I was back out in the gardens, this time to plant. By dinner time, I had planted onions, beets, radishes, and snap peas. It was my turn to cook dinner Friday evening, so I grilled some lamb chops, a baked potato, and some squash. It was Steven’s weekend to have Lily so when he got home, he had our little darling in tow. Lily ran up to give me a great big hug and before I knew it she was out driving her little battery powered ATV around the cul de sac.

There was rain in the forecast for yesterday, so I was back at my grade books. I only have one left to go now. Steven and Lily hung around for part of the morning. Colleen fixed some pancakes for Lily who is a pancake junkie. The kids left mid-morning to head to Ariel’s place and a birthday party in the afternoon. I gave up on my schoolwork right before dinner. Colleen made some stuffed flounder for dinner. We both probably ate too much because we sure didn’t feel like doing anything after dinner. After a rainy morning though, the afternoon cleared up and we had a beautiful evening. I couldn’t help notice though, that spring is really here because the trees are starting to get real leaves not just buds.

There’s a little bit of on and off cloud cover this morning, but the rain isn’t supposed to get here until the wee hours of tomorrow morning. We might get a sprinkle or two during the day. I don’t mind the rain so much this time of year since I don’t have to water the gardens. Today is a baseball day for me though. I need to package up some cards I sold, I want to list some more cards, and this evening is my fantasy league baseball draft. Colleen will be spending some time in the kitchen, but all in all, it should be a slow and easy day. I’m still on my spring break and Colleen’s spring break starts when she leaves a school Thursday afternoon. We just keep taking everything one day at a time though. When the evenings roll around, we’ll relax, look around and smile, because we know that all is right on the homestead.

Jump To Top

********************************************

April 02, 2023: My Spring Break Is Over, And Colleen’s Is Just Starting.

It’s a bright and sunny Sunday morning for my last day of spring break. Spring is definitely here though. We had a few chilly, 40-degree, mornings last week, and we had some rain here and there. The rain never lasted very long, or it showed up at night, so most of the afternoons were quite pleasant. We even got up into the 70’s a couple of times. The coming week will start off nicely, but as of right now there is rain in the forecast for the whole Easter weekend. Of course, as with any weather forecast, everything is subject to change, probably four or five times, before we get to next weekend.

Last Sunday was a quiet day up here on the hill. Colleen did what she needed to do to get herself ready for her upcoming week at school which would only be four days long for her. I spent the morning with my baseball cards and the afternoon getting ready for my fantasy baseball draft that evening. I hadn’t played fantasy baseball in a good many years, but I was sure looking forward it. I even set up a little station with three computers so I could check on different players and keep track of things during the draft. Colleen made dinner early so I would be free when the draft started. The whole draft lasted just under three hours, but it sure didn’t seem that long.

Monday morning was wet, but the rain had passed by the time Colleen headed to school. Roux and I stayed in bed when Colleen left, and we ended up doing it every morning for the rest of the week when Colleen would leave for school in the morning. Colleen’s week was quiet and uneventful, and she went about her usual routine of stopping at the laundromat and going to the market on her way home after school. Since Colleen didn’t have school on Friday, everyone slept late in the morning. Colleen started her Spring break on Friday, and tomorrow morning I’ll head back to school while she stays at home.

Everything was soaked Monday morning, so I really didn’t feel like getting out into the yard to do any work. Instead, I set up my computer on the front porch and dug into getting my grade books finished for last quarter. I worked on my schoolwork until dinner time. On Tuesday morning, I picked up where I left off on Monday afternoon, and I had everything done by lunchtime. I spent the afternoon down at the wood pile splitting the last of the wood into quarter rounds. I’m glad that’s finished now too. I didn’t get to moving any of the wood up by the log splitter though, but that is the next part of getting firewood ready for next winter. I do have the long Easter weekend coming up so maybe I’ll start moving firewood then.

Wednesday I spent working with baseball cards and cleaning up the house in preparation for opening day of baseball season on Thursday. A buddy of mine and I planned on spending Thursday afternoon watching baseball. Colleen had gotten a bunch of snacks ready for us that even included a package of Crackerjacks for each of us. It’s been a long time since I’ve had the time to enjoy opening day of the Major League Baseball season, but my friend and I had a great time. The last time I had that much fun on opening day was in 1994 when I was at The Ballpark in Arlington. It was the first and only time I’ve every been to opening day in person.

Friday morning Colleen started her spring break, and neither of us was moving very quickly in the morning. With my spring break winding down and Colleen’s just starting, we really didn’t get much done on the day. Colleen paid our end of month bills, and I listed a bunch of baseball cards on eBay for sale. We did have some errands to run, but we scratched that idea, pushing it off until yesterday. We did have to leave the house to pick up our pizza for dinner, but that was the extent of any motivation we had for the day. The rain showed up around sunset and we even had the rumbling of thunder to go with the rain right after sunset.

The rain was still hanging around yesterday morning. Colleen and I eventually managed to find the energy to run our errands. Colleen got a new tablet because hers is 10 years old and starting to die. We got to the garden center too. Colleen got a couple of big pots of strawberry plants, and I got some small pots of Swiss chard for our gardens. The whole trip didn’t take us very long and we were home by noon, and the day had started to clear up. I spent the afternoon, which turned out quite well, getting schoolwork ready for tomorrow and listening to a baseball game. I was lucky in that I got most of my schoolwork done which doesn’t leave me much to finish today.

Colleen and I woke up to a bright and sunny morning today. Colleen was already working in the kitchen when I came downstairs to get my coffee. Rather than get in her way, I just headed out to the porch to do my usual Sunday morning writing. I do have a little schoolwork to finish today, but it shouldn’t take me very long. I’m even hoping to find some time to list some more baseball cards for sale later today too. I have a short week at school this week, and next weekend, I have a long Easter weekend break. I suppose June and the end of the school year will be here before we know it. Colleen and I will just keep taking everything one day at a up here on our little hill. Our evenings will be quiet, hopefully, we’ll relax when we can, look around, and smile thankfully knowing that all is right on the homestead.

Jump To Top

********************************************

April 09, 2023: A Family Gathering And They All Were Here, Even The Dogs.

The rain has finally stopped after two very wet days. I guess Mother Nature was making us pay our dues for what otherwise had been a very lovely week. Colleen was on spring break all week and I took Wednesday and Thursday off to go with my long Easter weekend. The temperatures were very pleasant even reaching over 80 degrees a couple of days this past week, but yesterday was and this morning is on the chilly side. This morning the thermometer is only at 40 degrees. The days will start to warm up though and we are expecting plenty of sunshine and 70-degree temperature before we get too far into the coming week. Colleen heads back to school tomorrow, but I have the day off, so I am hopeful everything starts to dry out today. I won’t have another day off now until a week from this coming Friday.

Last Sunday was a quiet day around here. Colleen spent a good part of her day in the kitchen experimenting with a new recipe. I hunkered down and did a good bit of schoolwork. I had the usual schoolwork I needed to get ready for Monday, but I also started putting together the work for my kids that they would need to do while I was not in school on Wednesday and Thursday. Fortunately, the day was warm enough that I got to work outside on the front porch, and the work went easily as I listened to the baseball game on my phone.

Monday and Tuesday were regular school days for me. With all the kids expected to be here for Easter, Colleen took care of the usual weekly tasks of going to both the laundromat and the market. Colleen was in the right place at the right time with her visit to the market too. They were getting ready to cart about 30 potted oxalis plants off to the dumpster. Instead, all the plants ended up in the back of the Trail Blazer for the grand total price of $0. When I got home from school, dinner would be ready and after dinner I did my schoolwork out on the porch. The days had warmed up quite a bit so even after dinner the temperatures were over 70 degrees.

Wednesday morning was warm, but Colleen and I knew the rain was headed our way, so we got outside and planted her oxalis cache out by her garden for ground cover on a patch where Colleen hadn’t been able to get anything to grow for the last few years. She put the pots where she wanted the plants, and I took a pickax to the hard packed clay and rocks. It took us all morning and into the early afternoon, but we got all the plants into the ground. Colleen even over-seeded all the ground between the plants with clover. Not much else got done on the day as we were both a bit worn out after digging and planting all morning.

It didn’t take Colleen long to find her way into the kitchen on Thursday to start baking for out gathering of the clan on Saturday. By the end of the day Colleen had baked a cherry pie, two loaves of cinnamon swirl bread, a king cake, and a large batch of kindred milk rolls. I spent the morning packaging up baseball cards for the mail and then listing a good many more for sale on eBay. After lunch I was out in the garden planting Swiss chard. It was another busy day for us, and then as the afternoon wore on, clouds started to fill the skies, the thunder started rumbling, and just after dinner, the rain started falling albeit lightly.

Friday morning was dank and rainy, but everything was definitely turning green. Colleen spent her day in the kitchen doing as much as she could to get ready for Saturday’s feast. Despite the rain, it was still warm enough for me to set my computer up on the front porch. I spent the day doing schoolwork so I would have that much less to do this weekend. The rain was steady all day, but it really started coming down after sunset. We did get a short break right before sunset, so Colleen was able to lock up the hen coop for the night without getting soaked and I even managed to convince Roux to go outside to take care of her business. If it’s raining, Roux will usually walk out to the back porch and then turn around and head right back into the house.

Colleen and I were up early Saturday morning. Colleen headed straight for kitchen and I started cleaning the house and vacuuming. The kids started rolling in around 9:30 and by the time we sat down to eat there were 13 of us around the table and 5 dogs underfoot. Yesterday was really special because it isn’t often that all of the kids make it in for a sit-down dinner. After dinner everyone sat and visited for a while. Even Colleen put off cleaning up so she could visit with everyone. Sadly, like all such gatherings, the kids started to peel off and head on their way. By 4 o’clock the house was quiet and empty again save for Roux, Colleen, and me. By 6:30 the cleanup was done, and Colleen and I settled in to relax for the rest of the evening after a wonderful day.

The sun is back this morning and despite it being a bit chilly it is a bright and beautiful day. Colleen will head to the kitchen later to get things ready for the upcoming week. I will do schoolwork on the front porch while I listen to some baseball. Colleen heads back to school tomorrow, but I have the day off. I suppose the rest of April and May will pass quickly as we look forward to our summer break that starts the second week of June. Colleen and I will just keep taking everything one day at a time up here on our little hill. At day’s end, we still look around and smile because we know that all is right on the homestead.

Jump To Top

********************************************

April 16, 2023: A Quiet Week With Spring Finally Settling In On Our Little Hill.

Another week is in the books, and it is definitely spring around here. We started last week with lows just under 40 degrees and by yesterday the daytime highs were over 80. We got some rain during the week too. Most of it was short lived, but Friday’s storms got pretty intense with thunder, lightning, and heavy downpours. It was enough to cause some flooding in the lowlands. Friday’s rain was gone by yesterday morning leaving us with well-watered gardens and gray, overcast skies to start our day. The sun burnt the clouds off by noon though, and the afternoon ended up being warm and sunny. Between the rain and warmer temperatures, the trees exploded with green and now the first canopy is getting quite full. There isn’t much rain in this coming week’s forecast, and Colleen and I are looking forward to a warm and sunny week.

Last Sunday was Easter Sunday, and it was a quiet day around here especially after our gathering of the clan on Saturday. Colleen found some time to make a pot of pea soup with the leftover ham bone from Saturday’s feast. With Colleen headed back to school on Monday, she did spend a good bit of the afternoon getting things ready for the week in front of us. Even though I didn’t have school on Monday, I spent the better part of the day updating my grade books and listened to baseball on my phone. Everything was still drying out from the rain we had to start the weekend. I didn’t get a chance to get out in the yards though despite the afternoon turning out to be glorious.

Colleen and I woke up to a clear Monday Morning with a bright moon hanging in the trees. After Colleen left for school on Monday, I finished my coffee, took Roux for a walk, but then I had to tackle the one thing I dislike the most every single year. I had to sit down and do our taxes. I did get the taxes mostly done by lunch. I still need Colleen to fish out some records from her files. I even got Alex’s taxes done for him. After lunch, I was out on the porch with my computer doing schoolwork for the week. It was a very pretty evening, and I suppose I could have finished up our taxes, but I decided the stress of doing taxes shouldn’t ruin a beautiful evening. Colleen and I just took care of the usual evening chores and made sure everything was ready to go for Tuesday morning.

Tuesday through Friday were just regular school days for Colleen and me. They weren’t particularly difficult, but we both had gotten comfortable with our time off for spring and Easter break. Colleen stop at the laundromat and the market during the week. I had my usual after school meetings. By Friday after lunch, we were watching the clock at school. We decided that takeout pizza was about all the energy we had for dinner once we got home. Even driving down the road to get the pizza seemed like a monumental effort on our part. It was worth it though because the pizza and cold beer at home was just what the doctor ordered.

Everything outside was still soaked yesterday morning from Friday’s rain. I spent the morning putting the finishing touches on our taxes and getting everything paid or put into the mail. I let Alex know his taxes were done so he had to stop by the house at some point to sign everything. I packaged up a bunch of baseball cards for yesterday’s mail and listed a bunch more online for sale. After lunch I moved the computer out to the front porch and spent the afternoon updating grade books. I got four of my six grade books done by dinner time. Colleen did some baking early in the day, and she spent a good bit of her time cleaning up and reorganizing one of the bedrooms so she would have a space in which she could hide and work when she wanted.

It looks like we are in for a mix of clouds and sunshine today. Hopefully, any rain showers that pop up will miss us. Alex is supposed to come by today so we can finalize his taxes. I have more schoolwork to do and with any luck can find time for our gardens. Colleen will be headed into the kitchen to get everything ready for our meals this week. Colleen says there are only 34 more days until our summer break. Colleen and I will keep taking everything one day at a time though, and the time should pass quickly enough up here on our little hill. We’ll find our way home every day, sit down to a quiet dinner, relax the best we can, look around and smile, because we know that all is right on the homestead.

Jump To Top

********************************************

April 23, 2023: It Was A Short Week, But April Is Almost Done, Already?

And so, another week has passed. Spring has definitely wrapped its arms around us. We had lovely weather for most of the week. Thursday and Friday temperatures got into the 80’s. We had plenty of sunshine for most of the week too. We did get wet yesterday when the rain moved into the area about mid-morning. It lasted most of the day, but for the last hour or so before sunset we had blue skies overhead. Everything is green now, and the tree canopy is luscious and full. This morning everything has a fresh feel to it after yesterday’s rain although everything is still wet. The temperature did cool off some and while we won’t see the 80’s again for the coming week, we will get to between 65 and 70 degrees which is just fine. There is more rain forecast for later in the week though.

Last Sunday was a slow day around here. The day started off on the gray side, but by evening, we had clear skies and a beautiful sunset. I finished up the last of our taxes, and Alex stopped by the house to sign his. I do our taxes and his. Alex broke even this year, but Colleen and I had to shell out a big chunk of money. It is what it is I suppose. Honestly, I’d rather owe the government, getting a free 90-day loan from them, rather than getting a refund thereby letting the government use my money free of charge. Colleen prepped a few meals for the week in the afternoon and I got ready for school on Monday. Colleen and I were only looking at a 4-day school week too, because we both had Friday off. There are only 7 weeks left in this school year.

Monday morning Colleen and I were up at our usual time for school, and we repeated the whole ordeal right through Thursday morning. I think Roux had the right idea though, because she was curled up on the bed when I went upstairs to get ready for school after Colleen had left and I had opened the hen coop. Colleen’s school week was quiet and uneventful. She made her usual stops at the laundromat and the market during the week. My week was kind of wacky because my school was giving mandatory county tests. My class scheduled flip-flopped all week, I sat in the cafeteria babysitting kids that weren’t testing one day, and I administered a test on another day. By the time Thursday afternoon rolled around I was done for the week.

Friday turned out to be a perfect day to be at home. Colleen and I enjoyed our morning coffee and were outside in the yards cleaning up by the middle of the morning. Colleen cleaned out a couple of gardens and the raked the front yard after I blew off all the leaves and cut the grass. The leaves had matted down in some spots, so blowing them was a bit problematic. The lawnmower was acting wonky too, but I nursed through cutting the front yard, the side yard, and some of the backyard. By dinner time the front yard was clean again, well as clean our yard can get anyway, and Colleen and I were worn out. The takeout pizza and beer we had for dinner tasted just that much better after our day in the yards.

The rain came yesterday, but not until mid-morning so Colleen had a chance to walk Roux. Colleen spent the better part of the rest of her day in the kitchen and did she ever get some stuff baked. By dinner time she had made a torte, a double batch of berry muffins, and prepped a bunch of burritos for a meal later in the week. She didn’t stop after dinner either when she made a bunch of mini rhubarb pies which happen to be one of my favorites. I spent the better part of the day on the computer. I got all my grading done and all but two of my grade books caught up to date for the week. I only have two more to finish today. The rain was gone before sunset and we got to see blue skies as the sun set last night.

Today I’ll finish up my grade books and get my online work ready for my kids at school tomorrow. Colleen wants to get out into her gardens again today, but everything is still wet from yesterday so she’s hoping things dry out by this afternoon. Fortunately, I won’t be going into school tomorrow which worked out well since the Trail Blazer is in the shop at the moment. We have plenty of sunshine this morning and it is starting to warm up, so I guess we’ll just have to wait and see where today takes us. I was just looking at the calendar and was a little surprised to see we are heading into the last week of April already. No matter though, Colleen and I will keep taking everything one day at a time. We find our way back home, up here on our little hill, at the end of each day. We do our best to relax and catch our breath, and we will look around and smile because we know that all is right on the homestead.

Jump To Top

********************************************

April 30, 2023: So Long April, It’s Time For Things To Warm Up And Flowers To Bloom!

Another week has passed, we have another rainy weekend, it’s the end of another month, everything is green now, and Colleen and I are counting the days until our summer break. It was a typical April week of weather around here. The mornings were chilly, but things warmed up in the afternoons. The temperatures started in the 40’s and got to around 70 each day. There was plenty of sunshine except on Wednesday and this weekend starting Friday night. The rain kept our gardens well-watered, but it did keep Colleen and me from getting out into the yard yesterday. There is little to no chance we’ll get out into the yards today too between the weather and everything we need to do to get ready for the week in front of us.

Last Sunday was quiet up here on the hill. It was just Colleen and me because all the kids were out and about doing their own thing. I spent most of the day out on the front porch doing my usual schoolwork and Colleen spent a good bit of the day in the kitchen. It didn’t seem like too busy of a day, but between the two of us we managed to get a good bit done. The day warmed up nicely too and we were able to open the house for most of the day. When the day was done, Colleen and I were both tired when we headed upstairs for the night.

Colleen headed to school Monday morning, but I stayed home. It worked out well for us because the Trail Blazer was in the shop, and Colleen ended up driving the Honda to school. I got to spend a little time out in the gardens and was pleasantly surprised to find small pears on our pear tree when I checked it. The squirrels had done a number on our raised bed gardens, so I planted some more peas and radishes. The Swiss chard I planted is really starting to take off, so it looks like we’ll be harvesting the outer leaves soon. We’ve never had much luck growing spinach, but we can grow Swiss chard and it is a great substitute for spinach in Colleen’s recipes, and it’s very tasty too.

We got the Trail Blazer back on Monday afternoon letting Colleen drive it to school for the rest of the week. I was back to driving the Honda. Thursday was dreary to start the day, but the afternoon turned out to be lovely. Colleen and I both had easy weeks at school. As this school year starts to wind down though, things will start getting a bit crazy between final exams, AP tests, proms, and graduation activities. I did have a few meetings after school last week, so I was late getting home a few days. Colleen had her usual stops at the laundromat and market during the week, but that was about as exciting as things got.

Friday was payday for both Colleen and me, so we headed down to Costco when I got home from school. Our freezers were getting low on meat and fish, so it was time to restock. Even at Costco, food prices are continuing to climb and, of course, we spent more than we had budgeted. Still, I suspect prices will keep going up as we head into worse economic times this year. I guess it is better to pay the price now and not have to pay more down the road. By the time we got home, the sun had burned off the afternoon clouds and we had a lovely late afternoon and early evening with blue skies even though we knew the rain would be back later in the weekend.

Yesterday we had more errands to run. Right after our coffee and a little breakfast we headed out to Tractor Supply Company and Walmart. We didn’t finish running around until just before lunch, and we decided to treat ourselves to lunch at Hardee’s. After we got home and got everything into the house, we just picked up our usual weekend activities. The day was sunny and warm, but everything was still wet from Friday night’s rain, so we didn’t get out in the yards. Colleen put everything away and then headed into the kitchen. I headed out to the porch with my computer to do my schoolwork. We took a break for dinner, but after dinner we got back to what we had been doing. By 8 o’clock we were both wiped, and when Colleen headed upstairs to relax, I grabbed a cigar to enjoy out on the front porch before I headed upstairs for the night.

The rain came back early this morning and is supposed to stick around all day. Fortunately, the rain is on and off and not steady. I’ll bring the computer out to the porch soon to do my schoolwork. Colleen may get to take Roux for a walk before she heads into the kitchen. Both of us will be heading into school tomorrow though. We’re not sure if we’ll see any of the kids today, so it looks like it will be quiet. Hopefully, the rain will be gone by dinner time too. Colleen and I are really looking forward to our summer break in about six weeks, so we can just spend time up here on our little hill. We’ll just keep taking everything one day at a time. At day’s end, we’ll find our way back home, relax when we can, look around, and smile because we know that all is right on the homestead.

Jump To Top

********************************************

May 07, 2023: It Was A Busy Week, But We Have A Sunny Weekend, Finally!

Holy Cow! After nine consecutive weekends of rain, we have a sunny weekend to enjoy. Of course, there is rain in the forecast, but not until after dark today. The last week was on the cool side, but certainly within the realm of seasonable. Last Sunday was gray and rainy which gave us a bit of a damp start to the week. It seemed the clouds were stubborn and hung around until the middle of the week too. There originally had been rain in the forecast for this weekend, but it was gone by Thursday when the sun came out again, and it’s been gradually warming up since then. We might even see 80 degrees today. Colleen is planning on getting out in the front yard to plant begonias today. I, unfortunately, will probably spend most of my day in front of the computer on the porch doing schoolwork for the upcoming week.

With rain falling last Sunday, Colleen and I went about getting ready for the school week in front of us. Colleen did some baking and cooking. I wrote in the morning and spent all afternoon doing schoolwork. I was fortunate in that I managed to get a good bit of the work done on Saturday, so I was able to finish what I needed to do before dinner. We didn’t see Steven all weekend, unfortunately. He and Ariel were running the roads. The rain eventually gave way after dinner, and Colleen and I were even treated to a cameo appearance of the sun, and we managed to relax a bit in the evening.

Monday and Tuesday were just regular school days and with gray skies overhead, motivation was difficult for us to find, but we got to school in plenty of time, both days. It was quite an accomplishment for me on Tuesday, especially, because I surely didn’t want to crawl out from under the covers. Even Roux didn’t want to get out of bed. Colleen finally had her fill of fighting her old iPad and she started to set up her new iPad that has been sitting around for a couple of weeks now. Colleen and technology do not get along at all, so this was a major undertaking for her. I answered whatever questions she asked me, but mostly I cut her a wide path.

I was off from school on Wednesday. It’s not like I don’t do schoolwork either just because I wasn’t at school. I spent a good part of the day grading and getting things ready for the rest of the week, but all of that work is much easier to do on the front porch with a cup of hot coffee and without constant interruptions. My day started with opening the hen coop like usual, albeit later than usual, and I took Roux for a walk before I started working. I got through with my schoolwork early enough to list more baseball cards for sale on eBay. Colleen got home at her usual time, took care of dinner, and spent the better part of her evening trying to finish her iPad setup. It was mostly working, but there were still a few apps she needed to get.

Thursday morning it was back to school for both of us. Colleen stopped at the market on her way home from school, but still got home before me. I took Roux for a walk when I got home, ate dinner which Colleen had ready, and then spent the evening on the porch doing schoolwork. Friday after school Colleen and I treated ourselves to some Mexican takeout to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. We hadn’t had Mexican takeout in a while, so it was a real treat for us. It was Steven’s weekend to have Lily and they showed up after in the early evening. There was still plenty of daylight left so after the kids ate dinner, Colleen brought out the bubble machine we had gotten at Costco. Lily had a blast with the bubbles.

Yesterday ended up being quite the day around here. I had a bunch of schoolwork to do, but Colleen cleaned the hen coop and replaced the bedding, did some back porch gardening, and even managed to get some baking done. Alex showed up around noon, and Steven and Alex went to cutting firewood for us. The boys cut up the big oak tree that uprooted and fell last summer, and then took down two more dead trees on the perimeter of the property. They cut up one of those dead trees and moved most of the cut wood up to where I could quarter so it could be brought up the hill to the log splitter. The second tree they feel is still in one piece on the ground. Now, I need to find the time to split and stack firewood, but it looks like we are in good shape for firewood this winter.

It’s a beautiful Sunday morning. Colleen’s field of clover and oxalis is blooming, and she is planning on spending the morning planting her begonias before she finds her way into the kitchen after that. Pork pot roast is on the menu for later today, but most of the cooking and meal prep will be for the upcoming week. I have all my usual schoolwork today. Hopefully I can have it done by the time the evening rolls around. Luckily school is winding down with final exams starting right before Memorial Day. Needless to say, Colleen and I are looking forward to our summer break, up here on our little hill. We’ll just keep taking everything one day at a time though. At the end of every day, we’ll take pause to look around and smile too, because we know that all is right on the homestead.

Jump To Top

********************************************

May 14, 2023: More Rain On The Weekend, But The Week Was Beautiful!

Wouldn’t you know it, here we are enjoying another weekend, and it rained again last night. I think that makes it 9 out of the last 10 weekends that we have had rain. Fortunately, the rain started after sunset yesterday and was gone before sunrise this morning. Everything is still soaked this morning, but the sun is shining now, and the birds are singing. Today is supposed to warm up to 80 degrees and with everything still wet, it’s a sure bet things will get steamy. The weather last week, on the whole, turned out to be quite nice. We saw some occasional clouds, a smattering of rain one evening, and the temperatures were just perfect for early May. There is some rain in the forecast for the middle of the week in front of us, but it doesn’t look too bad.

Last Sunday was just a wonderful day. The weather was perfect and Lily was here all day running around, having a grand time for herself. I did my usual writing but spent the better part of my day doing schoolwork. Colleen took advantage of the lovely morning to get outside and plant three flats of begonias in her various gardens. Lily made sure she got outside with Colleen to help with the gardening. That really didn’t last long before Lily was driving her pink ATV around the yard and cul de sac. Colleen made an awesome pork pot roast for Sunday dinner when she was done in the gardens. I’m not sure if Lily has ever had a pork pot roast dinner before, but she enjoyed it too.

Monday morning was the start of another school week for Colleen and me. School is winding down, summer break is coming, and we are struggling to get up in the mornings now. Colleen got to school Monday morning in a minor panic, she couldn’t find her phone. The login for the school’s email system requires she enter a code they text to her phone as an extra measure of security. I think that is about the only thing for which Colleen uses her phone. She finally found the phone Tuesday afternoon under the bed on the spare bedroom. We have no idea how it got there. Other than the missing phone, Colleen had a typical week, stopping at the laundromat on Tuesday and the market on Thursday.

My week passed relatively easily, and I had Thursday off from school. I did take day off from school, but I did spend most of Thursday morning doing schoolwork. It was a good day to be at home though. There was plenty of sunshine and it was more than warm enough to work out on the porch. I even felt ambitious after I got up and took Roux for a walk around the neighborhood. Roux loves her walks, but when we got back home, she promptly headed out to the back porch and laid out on the sun. Even when Roux is in the house, she will find the spot where the sun is shining through the window and lay down there. I did get to check the gardens in the afternoon, and we have Swiss chard and radishes ready to be picked.

Friday, it was back to school for me, but Colleen and I had decided Thursday night that Friday’s dinner would be pizza. I got home from school just long enough to drop off my school things and Colleen, Roux, and I headed down the road in the Trail Blazer to pick up our dinner. Steven got home a little earlier than usual and still had energy to burn so he cleaned up around the winter ready firewood racks and moved all last winter’s wood in the last rack up to the first rack. With the warmer temperatures the snakes are starting to come out and, sure enough, didn’t Steven come across two copperheads. We ended up catching them in a bucket and relocating them out to the back woods.

It was supposed to rain yesterday so Colleen and I decided to change our plans and work around the house. The morning was gray, and the rain stayed away during the daylight hours though. I worked with my baseball cards to start the day and then planted myself in front of the computer to do schoolwork. Colleen put Roux out on the porch with me and went to cleaning the house. I do not think Roux minded too much not being around the vacuum cleaner. I was able to get all but the grades for one class done before dinner. Colleen made a couple of her quesadilla pies for dinner and after dinner I finished the last of my grading in short order. After Colleen cleaned the kitchen, she spent the rest of the evening relaxing. I guess we were both tired yesterday evening, because even I didn’t stay out on the porch too long after dark. The rain didn’t start until after I was in bed.

It looks like today will be a regular kind of Sunday around here even though it is Mother’s Day today. The kids started checking in yesterday and I suppose they will keep checking in throughout today too. Colleen will be in the kitchen today and I will be getting ready for school. I will be heading out to the garden later though to get our first picking of the year. Today promises to be a very nice day, up here on our little hill. Even with school winding down, Colleen and I will just keep taking everything one day at a time. We’ll find our way home every day and, in the evenings, we’ll look around and smile knowing that all is right on the homestead.

Jump To Top

********************************************

May 21, 2023: A Day Off, The School Year Is Coming To A Close, And It’s Time To Work With The Firewood Again.

The skies are gray this morning and we were supposed to get some rain last night, but I’m not sure we did. The sun is trying to burn off the morning clouds and by this afternoon we should see some sunshine. We didn’t get much rain this week. It rained Thursday night, the gardens got well-watered, and by Friday morning the rain was tapering off and the sun was coming up on the eastern horizon. The temperatures were well behaved all week too. Daytime highs stayed between 75 and 80 degrees, but as we make our way through May, we are expecting things to start warming up soon. Yesterday was just beautiful, we opened the house, and I spent most of the day outside. Today, with our gray morning skies, it looks like I will spend the day getting my schoolwork squared away for the upcoming week and Colleen will finish her meal prep.

Last Sunday Colleen and I spent a quiet Mother’s Day up here on our hill. It had rained last Saturday night so everything was soaked when we got up in the morning. Colleen spent some time in the kitchen, and I finished up my schoolwork. We had plenty of sunshine by midafternoon, but we never did get a chance to get outside and work in the yards. I guess the rest is what we needed the most. I did get into the gardens though and got out first pickings if the season, gathering a good bit of Swiss chard and plenty of radishes. Hopefully, next weekend I can plant the warm weather veggies.

Colleen had a full week of school last week, but I had made plans to take Friday off. Taking a day off is my way of saying I stayed at home and got caught up on everything from chores to schoolwork. Colleen stopped at the market on her way home Thursday, like usual. Surprisingly, it was a very light grocery week, and our budget didn’t get messed up. My week passed quietly at school. We’re getting to the end of the school year, and I’m giving the kids their last round of tests before final exams start and getting them to get caught up on any missing work. Unfortunately, too many kids are missing a good deal of work and won’t fare well this school year. I think back to when I was in high school and not turning in my work was just not accepted at my house, and my parents stayed on top of it. It was something I carried over to raising our kids too, but I sure can’t figure out what the deal is with kids today.

After Colleen left for school on Friday morning, I sat out on the front porch and watched the last of Thursday night’s rain end. Everything was quite wet, so I decided to spend the day doing schoolwork. The warm temperatures and rain have Colleen’s clover patch thriving though. I’m glad I did my schoolwork too because senior grades closed on Friday, and I forgot I had some online training that needed to be done. The training was arduous, rather long, drawn out, and from my point of view, totally unnecessary. It was the same training teachers get every year at this time to get prepared to administer the state’s end of year final exams. Colleen and I did treat ourselves to some takeout for dinner Friday evening, but after that we didn’t do much, opting to spend the night relaxing.

Yesterday Colleen and I kicked everything into high gear, stayed busy, and got a good bit of work done. While Colleen spent the better part of the day in the kitchen, I headed outside. I started draining the pool, cleaned up around the log splitter, and knocked down the weeds around the garden and the west side of the house with the weed eater. After lunch I spent the afternoon moving firewood. I moved all the quartered firewood I had piled up on the ground up the hill because our holding racks down back are full. There is still plenty of firewood to move and still more to cut, to be hauled out of the woods, and quartered. None of that will happen until I split the wood I moved and stack it in the winter ready racks. After dinner, with rain in the forecast, Colleen seeded our terraces with clover since she had such good luck with the patch by the driveway.

Steven and Lily spent Saturday with Ariel and Jaxson. They got in late last night and are still in bed this morning. Colleen has some prep work to do in the kitchen today, and with the gray skies overhead, I will try and see if I can finish up my schoolwork even though I took tomorrow off from school. The sun is supposed to start peeking through the morning clouds around lunchtime. With any luck Colleen and I will be finished with our work by then. Whatever happens though, we’ll take today like every other day, one thing at a time. This evening we’ll look around up here on our little hill and smile like usual because we know that all is right on the homestead.

Jump To Top

********************************************

May 28, 2023: More Rain, The End Of May, And The End Of The School Year Coming Quickly.

Isn’t this just something. It’s another dank and dreary Sunday. I think we have had rain at some point or another for the last 12 out of 13 weekends, and hurricane season is just getting ready to start this coming week. At least our gardens don’t mind, but I still need to find time to plant the warm weather stuff like beans and okra. The snap peas and onions are doing just fine, the radishes are done, and it looks like we will have a bumper harvest of Swiss chard this year. Unfortunately, we still have three of our raised bed gardens that are currently unplanted, and I need to get into the compost bin which is quite full right now. I had been hoping to take advantage of this long Memorial Day weekend to work outside, but it looks like the rain will be sticking around until Tuesday. At least the school year is ending, but we will be staying busy over this year’s summer break trying to play catch up.

We had a busy weekend up here on our hill last week, but on Sunday we took time to enjoy Lily staying with us. Lily just loves coming for a visit and an overnight stay. Colleen fixed her a little breakfast buffet which was perfect to charge her batteries for the day. I did my usual writing and some schoolwork, but I made sure I had plenty of time to spend with Lily. Since Steven had to bring Lily back to her mother around 5 o’clock that afternoon, Colleen made an early dinner of pork pot roast, and we had a lovely family meal. The house was very quiet after Lily left, and I suppose I could have done more work, but I didn’t. I had Monday off from school and I planned on finishing up everything I would need at school then.

Colleen left for school at her usual time on Monday morning. I opened the hen coop for the day, sat down to enjoy a leisurely cup of hot coffee, and then took Roux for a morning walk before I started my schoolwork. I don’t think Roux would have let me start my schoolwork until her walk anyway. I stayed on the schoolwork most of the day too, and I had everything finished by the time Colleen got home from school. After dinner there were the usual evening chores to be done, but mostly it was a quiet and relaxing evening as we got ready for school on Tuesday morning.

Tuesday through Thursday were regular school days for me, and the weather was most cooperative. Friday my school started its final exam cycle. Colleen had her usual quiet week at school and her final exam cycle starts later this coming week. Friday was a bit of a squirrelly day at school for both Colleen and me. Colleen walked into school to find that the annual senior prank had left a major mess in the school. As my school got ready to start its final exams, someone pulled a fire alarm. Colleen and I were very glad to get home Friday afternoon and start our long holiday weekend which we did in style with a delicious pizza. Even Roux got a piece of the pizza crust. After dinner I headed out to the gardens to do some weeding and collect our first picking of snap peas which Colleen will use for our dinner tomorrow.

The skies were gray and threatening Saturday morning when Colleen and I got up, but the rain hadn’t started so she opened the hen coop. I had absolutely no schoolwork that needed doing. Colleen took Roux out for a morning walk while I enjoyed some hot coffee and pondered what I would do in the day. I ended up spending most of the day working with and listing baseball cards for sale. Colleen made a shrimp and orzo pasta salad that will go with our stuffed flounder dinner today. I did take a nap yesterday afternoon since there wasn’t a whole lot else to do. All this rain certainly has everything green around here too. For years, Colleen has been trying to get anything to grow on the top section of our yard with no success. This year she tried clover, and her clover patch is doing very well. It’s the first time, in a good many years, that section of the yard is not just a big dirt spot.

I was up before Colleen this morning, so I got the coffee going. It sure looks like we’ll be stuck in the house again all day long too. If there is a long enough break in the rain, Colleen will open the hen coop and take Roux for a walk. I’m afraid that will be the extent of our outdoor activity though. I really did hope to get out into the gardens this weekend too. I don’t have any schoolwork other than finalizing my grade books for the year, so other than that we’ll have to see how the day goes. Colleen and I do have tomorrow off for Memorial Day fortunately. No matter what happens we’ll just keep taking everything one day at a time though. In the evenings, we’ll look around and smile because we know that all is right on the homestead.

Jump To Top

********************************************

June 04, 2023: Summer Is Coming, School Ends This Week, And The Pool Is Just About Ready For Our Summer Break.

We are solidly into June now, the school year ends this week, but this morning it sure doesn’t feel like June. Oh, it’s 60 degrees this morning, but the skies are gray and there is a chill in the air. Yesterday, we flirted with 90 degrees and had plenty of sunshine. Today we’ll be lucky to see 75 degrees on the thermometer. Last weekend was our long Memorial Day weekend, we got a good bit of rain over most of the weekend. The rest of the week ended up being very nice with ample sunshine and high temperatures around 80 degrees. The days should warm up some this week, but Colleen and I are getting ready for the summer heat which will here soon.

Last Sunday and Monday Colleen and I were stuck in the house thanks to the weather. We did get a good many breaks in the rain, so Roux went for a walk in the mornings with Colleen, and a walk in the afternoons with me. All the rain and the warmer temperatures have the backyard looking like a hayfield so getting it cut will be one of my first chores on summer break. We did see some sun though as Monday afternoon waned. I didn’t have much schoolwork to do over the weekend and apart from a few rogue late assignments being turned into me and final exam grades, I’m ready to close my grade books for this year. Colleen puttered around the house and prepped some meals for the week. Once we finish school though, both of us will have our weekends back all week long.

It was a quiet week at school for both Colleen and me. The kids were all in the midst of their final exams and if they didn’t have an exam on a given day, they didn’t come to school. Wednesday was a particularly tough day for me though. Several teachers weren’t available, and the school had to do some teacher assignment shuffling. I ended up in the cafeteria babysitting kids from 9 o’clock in the morning until school let out at 3:30. Colleen stopped at the market on her way home Thursday and at the laundromat on Friday. The highlight of our week was Colleen’s clover. Last Sunday, towards the end of the day and when we had a break in the rain, Colleen spread a bunch of clover seed on our barren terraces. By Friday afternoon the clover had sprouted and there was quite a bit of green growing in the clay between the old railroad ties.

This past weekend was Steven’s weekend to have Lily. I was out walking Roux when he got here, but when I came into the house, I got a great big hug from my young granddaughter. Colleen had gotten a sand and water play table for Lily on Amazon and Steven was busy putting it together. It wasn’t long before the table was assembled, outside, and Colleen and Lily were playing at the table. After a little while, Lily got hungry for dinner, so Colleen made her a grilled cheese sandwich with some watermelon on the side. Lily, as usual, was all bouncy and bubbly and everyone had a wonderful evening. I even found some time to enjoy watching a baseball game on my computer.

Yesterday was a busy day up here on our little hill. After our morning coffee, a little breakfast, and Roux’s morning walk, it was time to clean out the pool and get it ready for this summer. Colleen and I got the leaves and other debris out of the bottom of the pool, Steven and I cleaned the walls with a power washer and a can of Scrubbing Bubbles, and then Colleen mopped up the bottom of the pool before we started filling it. Colleen found some time in betwixt and between everything to make some potato salad, Steven cleaned up the pool patio area, I listed a bunch more baseball cards for sale, and then grilled hamburgers and hotdogs for dinner. I took Roux for her evening walk after dinner, but mostly everyone just spent the time relaxing, except for Lily who ended up in the pool with two feet of water in it. She had herself a dandy time under Steven’s watchful eye.

I don’t think anybody will be doing too much outside today other than the usual chores. I do need to get some peas and chard from the garden, but that won’t be until a bit later. Colleen will be in the kitchen today getting ready for the week in front of us. Steven and Lily are still sleeping, but Lily must go back to her mother later this afternoon. What I don’t have to do today is schoolwork. This week should pass quickly and for all practical purposes school ends on Friday, save for a couple of workdays a week from tomorrow and Tuesday. After that, Colleen and I will start playing catch up on the work that needs doing up here on our little hill. We’ll keep taking everything one day at a time. In the evenings we’ll take stock of our days, look around, and smile knowing that all is right on the homestead.

Jump To Top

********************************************

June 11, 2023: Summer Isn’t Quite Here Yet, But Our Summer Break Is.

School is done save a for a couple of workdays to start this coming week, but Colleen and I are already in full swing for our summer break. Things are starting to warm up around here too. We haven’t hit 90 degrees yet this year, but we’re pretty much staying in the mid-80’s during the days. We did get a little bit of rain in the middle of last week. It wasn’t a great deal of rain, but it was more than enough to water the gardens. There hasn’t even been a hint of rain so far this weekend, but we might see some tonight and into tomorrow morning. I guess now that Colleen and I are on summer break, rain on the weekends is less of an issue, but with a warm and sunny weekend this weekend, Colleen and I hit the ground running yesterday to start our summer break.

Last Sunday was very quiet up here on the hill. Steven and Lily slept late so Colleen and I enjoyed the morning with our coffee. It was the first weekend in a very long time when neither of us had any schoolwork to do. We got to enjoy having Steven and Lily around the house without having a lot of other things that needed to get done. I did get to spend some time in our gardens and brought Colleen a whole lot of fresh chard and some fresh snap peas. I also got to list more baseball cards for sale on eBay. Colleen made some chicken fried steak for dinner. Sadly, Steven did have to take Lily back to her mother at the end of the day. Lily will be back next weekend though.

Colleen and I had a very quiet week at school. The kids were finishing up their final exams and their last day of school was Friday. Colleen did find time after school to get to the laundromat and stop at the market, but both stops seemed less daunting knowing we were coming up on our summer break. With no schoolwork to be done in the evenings, I had plenty of time to take Roux for her evening walks. I did tend to walk around the house, over the course of the week, trying to figure out exactly what we needed to do around here to get caught up. We got the pool ready for the summer last weekend, but there is still all kinds of work we need to do. The backyard looked like a hayfield and there is a whole lot of firewood to be cut, split, and stacked. Even the gardens have been somewhat neglected this year so far. It was an especially busy year at school for some reason, more so than in past years.

My school let out early on Friday, and I got home before Colleen which is rare. We decided to celebrate the end of the school year with pizza for dinner and that was about all we did on Friday evening. Colleen did putter around the house some, and I sat out on the porch with a cigar after dinner, enjoying some baseball streaming on my computer and a lovely sunset. We really couldn’t have had a better start to our summer break. We knew it would be warm and sunny all weekend, so we made some tentative plans on what we needed to do in the morning. Unfortunately, that meant, we would have to start our Saturday with a trip to Walmart so we could get setup for the next couple of weeks.

Yesterday started early for us. Colleen was up before me and had made the coffee, opened the hen coop, and watered the gardens before I ever got downstairs. After a little breakfast, we were on our way to Walmart. We walked out of there with three full buggies that included groceries, dog treats, garden supplies, and even a case of beer that will most likely last me all summer long. We stopped at Hardee’s for lunch and made it home right before 1 o’clock. After I unloaded everything from the Trail Blazer, I changed the filter cartridge for the pool and added this week’s chemicals. Next on my list was cutting the backyard grass and weeds. That took me until almost 7 o’clock in the evening. Colleen spent her afternoon and evening putting everything we got from Walmart away.

This morning Colleen and I will take it easy, but this afternoon will be busy again. Colleen will water the gardens this morning and take Roux for a walk. After lunch we’ll both be outside again. I need to get the weed eater out and finish the backyard, and then hopefully get into our gardens. Colleen wants to clean up her pool patio and get out into her flower gardens today too. Summer is always busy up here on our little hill, but we wouldn’t have it any other way. We will just keep taking everything one day at a time though. At the end of each day, we’ll catch our breath, relax, look around, and smile because we know that all is right on the homestead.

Jump To Top

********************************************

June 18, 2023: Our Summer Break Is Off To A Flying Start!

It is another pleasant Sunday, and it’s Father’s Day. I guess that means I get to take it easy today. The summer heat is slowly creeping in on us, and we had our first 90-degree day of the year on Friday. We may even get to 90 degrees again today. It was a dry week with only a sprinkle of rain here and there, but not enough to get anything wet. We did hear the rumble of thunder a couple of times, but it seems the accompanying storms stayed well to the south of us. We do have rain in the forecast starting tomorrow evening and if the long-range forecast is to be believed, the rain will last for the next 14 days. I guess Mother Nature doesn’t want me to spend too much time outside while I’m on my summer break.

Last Sunday was a quiet day up here on our little hill. Colleen cleaned up around the pool and the pool patio while I worked in the gardens. I finally got our bush beans and okra planted. It was warm enough to get into the pool, but the 72-degree water was chilly, and it took a few minutes for us adjust to the temperature. Usually by this time of June, the water is a good bit warmer. Steven had gone fishing in the afternoon and came home with a bucket full of fish. He cleaned them up and then the fish went into the freezer with an eye towards a fish fry later this summer. Not much else came of the day.

The last day of school for the kids was the Friday before last, but I still had to go to school on Monday and Tuesday for a couple of teacher workdays. I had everything done to wrap up my school year, so I just cleaned my classroom and hung around school. Sadly, I also had to say goodbye to several teachers who will not be returning in the fall. Tuesday afternoon we had a faculty banquet, and I received an award for the teacher “Most Likely to Leave a Faculty Meeting”. Once I got the award, I didn’t want to disappoint anyone, so I left to start my summer vacation. Because I teach at a year-round school, I’ll be heading back to school on July 11th, but it will be my last year teaching because I am planning on retiring at the end of the school year. Colleen spent Monday and Tuesday working in her gardens.

Wednesday was my first real day of summer vacation. Colleen started hers on Monday. I spent the better part of the day splitting the firewood I had hauled up the hill from the seasoning racks two weekends ago. When I started splitting the wood, Colleen headed out to the front yard and started raking and cleaning everything up. Once she finished, she started stacking the firewood I had split to that point. Splitting and stacking took us into the early afternoon, but when we were done, we had split and stacked a cord of firewood ready for the winter. It didn’t take much to convince us to head to the pool once we finished, and yes, the water was still chilly.

Thursday morning, I headed back outside and started hauling the un-split firewood in our seasoning rack up the hill to the log splitter. That took me well into the afternoon and my phone said I had walked two miles in the process of going up and down the hill. I got all the wood moved though. Colleen stayed inside most of the day cleaning. After not having a lot of time with school, it was a thorough cleaning too. Mid-afternoon found us both in the pool again. With very little energy left after our day of work, we quickly decided to order takeout pizza for dinner. It sure didn’t take me long to figure out that my abbreviated summer break is going to be busy, but I decided Thursday evening that I needed to take a day off on Friday.

Colleen headed down to the laundromat first thing Friday morning while I enjoyed my coffee on the back porch. I did finally get moving and started cleaning up the dining room which is where I have all my baseball cards and such spread out so I can sell them on eBay. I did get a bunch more cards listed during the day too. Colleen got some cooking done in the afternoon, but it was mostly a quiet day. Steven got home Friday evening with Lily in tow. It was his weekend to have her. Lily was a little quiet at first, but it didn’t take her long to come to life and convince Steven to let her play in the pool. My little granddaughter just loves water.

Yesterday, I was back at the log splitter. After Colleen baked a batch of applesauce muffins first thing in the morning, she was right there stacking the wood as I split it. She did an awesome job of keeping up with the splitter too. We finished in the early afternoon, and when we were done, we had filled two and a half more winter ready racks. We did check the gardens before we headed to the pool and were pleasantly surprised to find that we had cucumbers on our volunteer vine. Steven had some running around to do with Lily during the day, but when he got home, he carried enough un-split rounds up the hill to the log splitter so Colleen and I can fill the last winter ready rack. We’re planning on doing that tomorrow. Steven took Lily fishing in the early evening while Colleen and I just relaxed.

Today should be a slow day for us up here on our little hill. We have got a beautiful start to our day. I suspect I will get back into my baseball cards and hopefully, stream some baseball on my computer this afternoon. I do want to get out into the gardens too. Colleen will likely putter around the house, cleaning and maybe cooking. We’ll enjoy our time with Steven and Lily who must go back to her mother this evening. I do have a busy start to the week coming up with a checkup on Tuesday and a colonoscopy on Wednesday, so I suspect not much will get done around the house on those two days. Still, there is no place Colleen and I would rather spend our summer break other than staying close to home. We’ll just keep taking everything one day at a time. In the evenings, we’ll celebrate our accomplishments on the day, look around, and smile because we know that all is right on the homestead.

Jump To Top

********************************************

June 25, 2023: Lots Of Rain, But Christmas Is Just Six Months Away.

We have another warm and sunny weekend on our hands. That makes it two weekends in a row now. Not only has almost every other weekend brought us rain, but we are coming out of a week’s worth of rain too. Everything is still wet even after a sunny day yesterday. On the bright side, our gardens are well watered. To go along with our sunshine today, the temperatures are going to feel like summer with a possible high afternoon temperature of 90 degrees. Colleen already had the house open this morning, and the fans are going to keep the air moving in the house. With any luck, I might even be able to go fishing with Steven later today.

Last Sunday was quiet up here on our little hill. Colleen started the day by working in her gardens. Steven had Lily for the weekend, so when they got up Lily headed outside to help Colleen in the gardens. Steven moved some more un-split wood up by the log splitter while Lily was helping Grammy. Steven and Lily headed over to a friend’s house shortly after lunch. Steven’s friend has kids Lily’s age, so she didn’t get stuck just hanging with the old folks all day. I spent some time in the gardens too, but overall, Colleen and I tried to take it easy for the day. Roux did get her daily walks and was even treated to a freeze pop after her afternoon walk.

The rain wasn’t going to show up until later Monday afternoon, so after Roux got her morning walk, Colleen and I were outside splitting and stacking firewood. We got all the wood that Steven had brought up the hill split, stacked it all, and very neatly filled our sixth rack of firewood for the winter. There is still a good bit of wood that is unsplit on the ground, and once we finish filling that last rack, the rest of the wood will be stacked in the seasoning racks for the winter after next. I’m not sure if I will do that or get the boys up to the house to do it for us. The first wave of rain showed up later in the afternoon, there was a break right after dinner, so Roux got her evening walk, and then it rained on and off all night long.

It wasn’t raining Tuesday morning, but the weather did knock down a few dead limbs overnight. The morning skies were filled with dark gray, ominous looking clouds though, but Colleen got to walk Roux. I headed to the doctor’s office for a checkup. My checkup was fine. I lost a few more pounds, and my blood pressure is doing well too. The real heavy rain started shortly after I got home, and the skies sure did open up all at once. Fortunately, the downpour didn’t last too long, and we got back into the cycle of on again, off again rain for the rest of the day. The real issue with Tuesday though was I couldn’t eat anything since I had a colonoscopy scheduled for Wednesday.

Wednesday morning showed up with its gray skies again. Colleen and I headed off to the clinic. One of the nurses at the clinic found out I taught at The School for Creative Studies from which her son had graduated, and she couldn’t say enough wonderful things about the school. My colonoscopy went fine, and the doctor didn’t find anything, figuratively or literally. Colleen drove me home, and the first thing I did when we got home was head to the kitchen to make some omelets. After more than 24 hours without food, I was hungry! The rest of our day was quiet and uneventful. I did get to take Roux for her afternoon walk when we had another break in the rain.

Thursday was yet another dreary day. Colleen headed down to the laundromat and market first thing in the morning, and since we had a break in the rain, I took Roux for her morning walk. It was another quiet day up here on the hill. I did get a call from Steven later in the afternoon and his truck was giving him problems, so I picked him up from work. Unfortunately, the part he needs to repair isn’t readily available, so it’s a waiting game now for the part to get delivered. I’ll be giving him a ride to and from work until the part gets here. Fortunately, Steven works at an automotive mechanic’s shop, so once the part gets here, the truck is where it needs to be to get fixed quickly.

Friday morning was still gray and wet. After I got home from dropping Steven at work, Colleen and I brought the Honda down to our mechanic for some routine maintenance and a big preventative maintenance job I had been putting off. It’s going to be expensive, but the Honda is paid for, and I need it to run well for at least another year until I retire next June. Not much else happened the rest of the day. We got some rain and Roux got her walks when we had a break in the rain. We did get a little sunshine on towards early evening though. At least I got to watch some baseball on my computer after dinner.

It certainly was a treat to see the sun in the morning sky yesterday. Everything was still soaked, but by the afternoon, things had dried out enough to be able to get out in the yard in the afternoon. Colleen spent most of the day in the house though. I really didn’t do a whole lot outside either, but Steven and I were able to round up enough earthworms from under the wet leaves to put us in good stead to go fishing today. Steven was getting a little antsy being home bound without his truck, so he took off in the middle of the afternoon with a friend. He didn’t get back until well after Colleen and I had gone to bed.

With a warm, sunny day in front of us, Colleen is looking forward to getting out into her gardens again today and setting up her solar power garden lights. Steven and I have plans to go fishing later today, and I promised Colleen I would grill dinner tonight. Apart from the rain, our summer break has been very good so far this year. Colleen and I aren’t in too much of a hurry to get things done although our “To-Do” list is rather long. We just keep taking everything one day at a time, confident everything will get done in due time. At day’s end, we will look around and smile though because we know that all is right on the homestead.

Jump To Top

********************************************

July 02, 2023: The July Heat Is Here And The Pool Is Our Escape From The Heat.

Another week of summer break has passed, and the heat of summer has finally arrived here in central North Carolina. Instead of starting our mornings at 60 degrees, we are now starting our days at 70 degrees, and where we had midday temperatures in the mid-80’s, we are now looking at the mid-90’s with heat indices over 100 degrees. The fires in Canada brought us a few hazy days during the week, but this morning the sun is shining, and the skies are blue. The rain has been limited to evening thunderstorms this week which are typical around here. Colleen and I took advantage of the summer weather all week and stayed busy, getting a goodly number of various jobs accomplished.

Colleen and I had an easy go of it last Sunday. Colleen did some housework and prepared a few meals for the week. Steven and I went fishing right after lunch. I’m glad I found a tree so I could sit in the shade on the side of the pond. We ended up with a bucket full of nice sized brim which I cleaned when I got home. Once the fish were cleaned and in the freezer, I fired up the grill to cook dinner. It’s not too tough to throw some potatoes and corn on the grill to roast and then grill up a couple of small steaks. The rest of our evening was quiet and uneventful and as the sun set I found myself out on the front porch watching Colleen’s solar powered garden lights come to life.

Monday started out just fine but turned into an adventure around dinner time. Colleen did a little baking and I tended to our gardens during the day. The part for Steven’s truck still hadn’t arrived so I was giving him a ride to and from work. The shop finished working on the Honda, so I picked it up and dropped the Trail Blazer off. When I went to get Steven, the Honda started squalling, so we made a mad dash back to the shop, getting there right before it closed. I left the Honda there again and came home in the Trail Blazer. At that point, I had no idea what was wrong with the Honda, but I sure was glad I was able to get it back to the shop.

Colleen decided to give the house a good cleaning on Tuesday. The vacuum cleaner came out early and the bathrooms got a good scrubbing. The part for Steven’s truck got delivered and at lunch he borrowed a car to come home and get the part. I think the boy was getting cabin fever without his truck. The shop fixed the Honda, and we got it back in the afternoon. A tensioner they had replaced failed. Fortunately, there was no damage done. The rest of our day was quiet, and I got to spend some time organizing and listing more baseball cards for sale on eBay. I did get to enjoy a lovely sunset on the front porch with a cigar. Steven took advantage of having his truck fixed and didn’t get home until late in the evening, having spent it hanging out with some friends.

Wednesday morning was hazier than usual, but I went for a long walk to start my day, and when I got back I started hauling firewood up the hill to the log splitter. Once I had the wood we needed by the splitter, I fired it up and started splitting. Colleen stacked the wood as I split it and by midday we had the last of our winter-ready racks filled. It’s been a long time since we’ve had those racks filled and ready by the end of June, but we are done and that is one big project off our “To-Do” list. Needless to say, right after lunch, Colleen and I headed into the pool to cook off.

Colleen hit the ground running Thursday morning, going to the laundromat and market after she took Roux for her morning walk. I took it easy on the day doing various odds and ends around the house. I did get to spend some more time with my baseball cards and watching a little baseball that I streamed on my computer. Colleen was planning on making dinner, but I suggested we get some subs for dinner instead for which she was most thankful. The highlight of Colleen’s day was her clover patch though. The clover is starting to get red flowers all through it which makes Colleen very happy.

Friday morning was hazy again, and I really wasn’t sure what I was going to do on the day until I got an SOS text from a buddy of mine who was having car troubles. I headed out about mid-morning to see what I could do to help him. Fortunately, we got everything resolved and I was home by lunchtime. I did have a chuckle for myself when I got to his house though. There in the middle of his living room was a coffee table covered with his baseball cards. Colleen and I decided to make a Costco run in the middle of the afternoon. We didn’t need a lot, but we did need ribs to smoke for our 4th of July gathering of the clan and we always like to check to see what little things they might have for Lily. The rest of our day was quiet and uneventful.

Everyone was up early yesterday. I went for a long walk to start my day. I found an interesting old unpaved road that led into the wood at the end of one of the streets in the neighborhood. Maybe someday I will go exploring. When I got back from my walk, Colleen and I headed down to the Lowe’s Garden Center. Colleen got her usual plethora of flowers, and I got some herbs to plant in our gardens. In a most unusual fashion, everything got planted right after we got home. It took us well into the middle of the afternoon, and the midday heat finally chased into the swimming pool to cool off. Steven showed up in the early evening with Lily who will spend the long holiday weekend with us, and yes, we did get fireworks too when we went to Costco. We used to have them every year along with a big BBQ, but it’s been almost 10 years now since we’ve done that.

Colleen and I aren’t moving too quickly this morning. Colleen will do a little around the house and then make our Sunday meal. I have some baseball cards to package up for tomorrow’s mail. The temperature is supposed to get into the mid-90’s today with a heat index over 100 degrees, so it’s a sure bet everyone will be in the pool later today. I only have another week of summer break left before I head back to school, year-round school, but come this time next year, I will be retired. Colleen is on a traditional calendar and won’t go back to school until the end of August. We’ll just keep taking everything one day at a time though. We’ll finish up each day, looking around and smiling because we know that all is right on the homestead.

Jump To Top

********************************************

July 09, 2023: Fireworks, My Last Week Of Summer Break, And An Aneurysm, Geez!

And that is that, last week was my last week of summer break and I will be heading back to school on Tuesday. Fortunately, I will be retiring after this school year. The weather turned out to be typical July summer weather all last week. The days were warm, we even got to 90 degrees on a couple of them, and in the evening we had the occasional pop-up summer thunderstorm. The sun is shining this morning, but the forecast is calling for afternoon storms. Colleen and I did hit a bump in the road last week though. After a CT scan in the middle of the week, I found out that my lungs are clean, but I have an aneurysm on my aorta. Colleen has shut me down from any stressful physical activity until I see the vascular specialist. Maybe, it’s a good thing I start back to school on Tuesday.

Last Sunday was the start of the 4th of July long weekend so nobody was in any particular rush to do anything on the day. Colleen took Roux for her usual morning walk, and I sat on the porch and wrote to start our day. Steven had Lily for the long weekend, and by mid-afternoon, Colleen, Lily, and I were in the swimming pool to stay cool. Colleen made a lovely pork chop dinner later in the day. After dinner I took Roux for her evening walk, and apart from our usual evening chores our evening slipped by peacefully. Lily even convinced Steven to let her get back into the pool.

We celebrated the 4th of July on Monday because Steven had to bring Lily back to her mother on Tuesday evening. It was mostly a quiet day though. Colleen made a potato salad, and I grilled brats for the occasion. As the day waned and it started to get dark, the fireworks came out. We used to have fireworks every 4th of July when the boys were younger, but we stopped that a good many years ago. The fireworks we had were basically fountains that sputtered and popped while they spewed various colors into the air. Lily thought they were loud at first, but after 10 minutes she hardly noticed. Roux was totally unfazed by the fireworks and hung out on the back deck watching the show.

I’m not sure if Lily slept poorly or what, but she sure was in a snit on Tuesday and didn’t want to have anything to do with anyone. Tuesday, Colleen headed out to rake along the property line and clean up around the pool patio before she got into the pool to cool off. I watched the deer wander through the backyard and then saw a big rat snake catch and eat a chipmunk. I thought it was cool. Colleen thought it was gross. Mostly it was a quiet day. Roux got her morning and evening walks, and right after dinner, Steven took Lily back to her mother. Steven ended up staying out with friends after that to celebrate the 4th of July. Colleen and I went to bed early.

Wednesday was an interesting day that seemed to turn out quite well. The day started like most others, let the chickens out, walk Roux, and have some coffee. Alex showed up at the house right before lunch in his company truck with a load of awesome red oak logs. The logs are six to eight feet long and just under two feet in diameter. All that wood has to be cut and split and set to season for the winter of 24-25. I had my CT scan which went great, and I was home well before dinner. At dinner, I told Colleen if everything was good I would get an email and if there was a problem, I would get a phone call. I got an email right after dinner saying there was no sign of lung cancer.

Thursday morning, I got a phone call from the doctor. My lungs were indeed fine, but they found an aneurysm on my aorta, and he told me I would need to see a specialist. Well, I sure wasn’t expecting that. Colleen had gone to do the laundry and the market run and when she came back, I was on the phone scheduling my appointment with a vascular specialist. Right then and there, Colleen told me that the red oak in the front yard was off limits for me. The day warmed up a good bit, Roux camped out in front of a fan, and I worked with baseball cards. I have close to 400 listed for sale now.

Friday was our day to get ready for Saturday’s family get together at Al and Alysia’s place. Smoking three racks of ribs was my job for the day. I needed to carry a bag of charcoal down back to the smoker, but I had to reassure Colleen the 18 pounds did not constitute a stressful activity. Once I got the charcoal going and the ribs in the smoker, I threw some apple wood chips onto the charcoal to give the smoke a nice flavor. Colleen spent a good bit of the day making Syllabub which is a light whipped cream treat with berries in it. Colleen made a couple of her quesadilla pies for dinner and after that we let the evening quietly slide by us.

Steven got in very late Friday night or early Saturday morning sometime. It took me a good 30 minutes to wake him up and get him moving so we could head to Al and Alysia’s place. We finally did hit the road and we even took Roux with us. The gathering was small, but everyone had a wonderful time and ate their fill. Roux especially had a great time sniffing all around the house. She even found one of the kids’ cats hiding under the sofa. Roux just wanted to play with the cat, but the cat wanted nothing to do with Roux. Al eventually got the cat from under the sofa and put it upstairs in a closed room. Unfortunately, the good times ended too quickly, and we got back home in the early evening.

This morning Colleen and I were greeted with plenty of lovely sunshine. There are storms on the way though. Colleen has already taken Roux for her morning walk, and I’ll try to get a good long walk in for myself before the weather changes. As it is my last weekend before I start back to school, it will be quiet. Colleen will start getting things ready for my lunches and I will spend time with my baseball cards and probably watching baseball on my computer. It certainly has been a quick summer for me. Colleen doesn’t go back to school until late August. Colleen and I will keep taking everything one day at a time though. At the end of each day, we’ll look around and smile because we know that all is right on the homestead.

Jump To Top

********************************************

July 16, 2023: Back To School, More Summer Heat, And More Summer Storms.

My week of teacher workdays is done, and the kids start back tomorrow. It was a typical mid-July week around here. We had heat during the day and storms at night. We even lost power for a little while one night. Of course, with everything being wet from the storms at night, the days were uncomfortably humid. On the bright side the gardens stayed well-watered. The week in front of us will be about the same, but the temperatures will be getting warmer. It looks like we’ll be in the 90’s all week long, and of course, there will be storms in the evenings more than likely. Honestly, I don’t really mind the summer heat. I spend enough time outside to have gotten acclimated to it, and while the air conditioning at school does feel good at first, it tends to bother me if I’m in it too long.

Last Sunday everything was quiet up here on our little hill. Since the doctors found the aneurysm on my aorta, Colleen has forbade me from partaking in any strenuous physical activity until I see the vascular specialist in a few weeks. I guess she wants to keep me around for a while. She will let me go for walks, and while the morning was still cool and before we had the threat of afternoon thunderstorms, I went for a two-mile walk. After lunch the skies got unusually dark as the thunderstorms moved into the area. It was so dark that the garden lights started to come to life. Colleen spent the better part of the day in the kitchen baking. I was heading back to school on Tuesday, and we needed fodder for my lunches. I spent a good bit of the day doing schoolwork on my computer, but the relative inactivity was not something to which I am accustomed, and it has started to get on my nerves.

Monday was my last day of summer break. I went walking in the morning again, did more schoolwork when I got back home, but mostly I just laid low under Colleen’s watchful eye. I did take care of the pool though, changing the filter cartridge and adding the week’s chemicals to the water. Colleen was back in the kitchen. She found a new recipe for empanadas that she wanted to try. I guess they came out okay, but we both agreed the recipe needed more work. The day ended quietly as we had a lovely sunset to enjoy before we closed up shop.

Tuesday through Friday morning I’d have my morning coffee on the front porch and then headed off to school. Teacher workdays, where I must be at school, are my least favorite days of the school year. This year was no different even though this will be my last year of teaching. When there weren’t useless meetings scheduled, we had open house. There sure wasn’t a whole lot of time to get any work done. Colleen doesn’t have to go back to school until the end of August. She spent the week working out in the yard in the mornings, cooling off in the pool in the afternoons, and generally keeping things in order around here. Thursday was errand day for her, and she ended up going to the laundromat, the market, the pharmacy, and the gas station to fill up the tank in the Trail Blazer.

Our volunteer cucumber vine has been cranking out cucumbers this summer, and on Friday, Colleen decided there were too many in the vegetable drawer, so she canned four pints of dill pickles. I knew she had been in the kitchen most of the day when I got home, so I suggested we get pizza for dinner. It was a great treat for us, especially after Colleen’s day in the kitchen and my week at school. It also was Steven’s weekend to get Lily, and he came rolling down the driveway in the early evening with our darling little granddaughter in tow. I took Roux for her evening walk like I do every day, but that was the extent of my doing anything in the way of physical activity.

I was up first yesterday morning, got the coffee going, and then headed out to the front porch to enjoy the start of a new day. Colleen took Roux for her morning walk, and when she got back, I headed out for another two-mile walk. Shortly after I got back, Alex pulled up to the house. He and Steven spent all morning doing the yard work around here and then in the afternoon, they cut all the red oak in the front yard, and then split about half of it. I spent a good part of my afternoon taking apart Lily’s bubble machine and rebuilding it so it would work properly again. Colleen was back in the kitchen baking for most of the day.

It looks like today will be just another typical mid-July summer day around here. Colleen will be heading out shortly to walk Roux, and I will take a long walk before it gets too hot. I suppose I will spend most of my day on the computer, and Colleen plans on working in the kitchen again today. Lily will be running around all day playing until Steven has to bring her back to her mother later this evening. I’m ready to go for the first day of school tomorrow, but I suspect it will be chaotic at best. Colleen and I will just keep taking everything one day at a time. We always look forward to our evenings though. We can relax, look around and smile because we know that all is right on the homestead.

Jump To Top

********************************************

July 23, 2023: The Dog Days Of Summer, Hurricanes In The Atlantic, And A Chaotic Start To The School Year.

The first week of school has come and gone, and I have survived the disorganization and chaos. Last week’s weather turned out to be good. We had a bit of a cool down to start the week, but later in the week we flirted with 90 degrees again. It rained a couple of nights when we had thunderstorms blow through the area, and we even lost power one night, but it didn’t last long, and the clocks were all blinking in the morning. We did have a couple of hazy days thrown into the mix too, thanks to the wildfires in Canada. This morning we have plenty of sunshine, blue skies, and the temperature is under 80 degrees. That is all likely to change later this afternoon and into this evening with the forecast of thunderstorms headed our way. Fortunately, the storms will be gone by morning as I head to school.

Colleen and I woke up to a hazy sunrise last Sunday. The day, however, was a low-key day around here. Lily slept late, Roux got her morning walk, I took a two-mile walk and then did my usual writing. Colleen and I had our blog posted by noon. After lunch I was in front of my computer getting everything ready for the first day of school on Monday. Colleen spent a good bit of the afternoon in the kitchen getting things ready for my school lunches. She even made shrimp scampi for dinner. Steven brought Lily back to her mother and then he disappeared for most of the rest of the evening. Colleen closed up the hen coop for the night prior to sunset, and I took Roux for her evening walk before we called it a day.

Monday morning, I woke up with my alarm, got my coffee, sat on the front porch for a while, then headed off to school. I did exactly the same thing every morning for the rest of the week too. I guess it was too early for Roux who got into the habit of just staying on the bed upstairs until I left for school. The first week of school was tumultuous. Kids’ schedules were a mess, teaching positions were vacant, the kids didn’t have computers, and a myriad of other things just weren’t happening. It was easily the toughest first week of school I’ve had in over 20 years of teaching. Even starting school online with Covid went smoother than last week did. At least I was able to get things rolling well in my classes even though I did a lot of extra work to make sure kids without computers had paper copies of everything.

Colleen spent last week holding down the fort while I was at school. Colleen took Roux for her morning walks every day. Monday she spent cleaning up the house after Lily being here all weekend. Little 5-year-olds can be like a little tornado. Tuesday Colleen got lost in a book, and I’m glad she more or less took the day off. Colleen got to spend time working outside on Wednesday. Thursday she had her annual doctor’s appointment for a checkup. The doctor talked her into getting the vaccine for shingles which took her out of commission Friday and part of yesterday. Colleen did get the market run and a run to the laundromat out of way before she came home on Thursday. Colleen even took a 2-hour nap on Friday which she never usually does. As she wasn’t feeling 100 percent when I got home from school, we elected to get Mexican takeout for dinner Friday evening.

Yesterday Colleen still wasn’t feeling 100 percent and she still has me shut down because of my aneurysm, but Steven was up early and headed out front to split and stack firewood. Steven got to have Lily for the day yesterday, so when she got up and after her breakfast, Steven quit the firewood and they headed off for some father-daughter time. Alex showed up not long after Steven left, and he picked up where Steven had left off with the firewood. The pile in the front yard is considerably smaller today. I did schoolwork for a better part of the day, and Colleen found time to get into the kitchen to make a super frittata with fresh veggies from our garden.

We should have plenty of sunshine for most of today. Colleen is feeling herself again so she will head into the kitchen. I will go for a walk, do my usual writing, and finish up my schoolwork for tomorrow. I may be able to get out into the gardens a little while later in the afternoon as well. The temperatures are supposed to heat up for the coming week, and there isn’t much in the way of storms forecast, but it is mid-July and pop thunderstorms come with this time of year. Colleen is still on her summer break, but I’ll be headed into school again tomorrow morning. All the same, we’ll just keep taking everything one day at a time up here on our little hill. In the evenings, we relax when we can, look around and smile because we know that all is right on the homestead.

Jump To Top

********************************************

July 30, 2023: The End Of July, The Hottest Week Of The Year So Far, But The Week Ahead Looks Cooler.

I guess with two weeks of school done, I can say we are rolling along with the new school year even though we are in the middle of summer. Last week turned out to be one heck of a hot week too. I dare say, it may have been the hottest week of the year so far. We had several days where the temperatures climbed well into the 90’s, and a couple of days where the heat index pushed through 100 degrees. There wasn’t much rain to be had either. We have a beautiful morning today and the days for the coming week look to be a bit cooler with forecast high temperatures only in the mid-80’s. Even with last week’s heat, it wasn’t out of the ordinary for Central North Carolina, and actually, this coming week can be considered about normal for this time of year.

Last Sunday turned out to be a quiet day. We took Roux for her daily walks, and I got a two-mile morning walk in as well. Colleen did some baking in the afternoon, and I did my schoolwork. I’m still having to convert online work to paper because all the kids at school don’t have their computers yet. While most of the day was beautiful outside, clouds did start to roll in around sunset, and we got what turned out to be our only real rain for the week after sunset. The rain was gone by Monday morning.

My school week started out a little crazy with more schedule changes for the kids. Of course, I was still fighting the battle to put computers in my kids’ hands all week long. I’ll head into school tomorrow with still about a half dozen or so kids without computers. Being as it was the second week of school, the teachers got hit with the usual barrage of meetings. I suppose that will continue this week too. I did figure out, I needed to be at school about 30 minutes early so I could beat the lines at the copy machines. It’s not like I get paid for it, but it is one less headache. My teaching day ends at 1:15. I have my planning period at the end of the day, so it isn’t too bad, but I do have to stick around until 3:45 to make sure the kids get in their buses. At least I got to enjoy the evenings once I got home.

Colleen, who is up to see me off every morning, had somewhat of a busy week up here on the hill. Every day she starts with walking Roux and then watering the gardens if needed. Last week it was most definitely needed. Monday was cleaning and laundry day. Tuesday Colleen tried to stay cool, working outside in the shade cleaning up the pool patio area with Roux’s help. Wednesday, Colleen had a mammogram first thing in the morning. The images came back just fine, so she is good until her next one comes due. Colleen did get lost on her way home though and the trip took her a little longer than anticipated. Thankfully, the Trail Blazer has AC. Thursday was market run day. Friday morning Colleen headed down to the Home Depot garden center to get garden soil, mulch, and ground cover. Once she got home, spent most of the morning and into the afternoon trying to reclaim various bare spots in the yard.

Colleen did eventually find her way into the pool on Friday afternoon, but I knew she wouldn’t want to cook dinner, so I suggested we order pizza. That was exactly the right thing for Friday evening. When I got home from school, Colleen ordered the pizza online and then she, Roux, and I jumped into the Trail Blazer to pick up our dinner. Everything was quiet after dinner. I like to take Roux for her evening walk around 7 o’clock. Most of the walk is in shadows by then. Friday evening, the thermometer was still sitting at 90 degrees even though the sun had fallen below the treetops. I waited another 45 minutes which helped a little, but we didn’t get home from our walk until right at sunset. Colleen was already upstairs when we got back.

Yesterday started in a bit of a flurry. Steven was up and outside moving firewood to start the day. He got all the split wood moved to the seasoning racks too. I got frustrated watching it because I couldn’t help so I took a two-mile walk. Colleen took Roux for her morning walk and realized she was still wiped out from working in the heat on Friday. I spent the late morning and all afternoon getting my schoolwork done so I didn’t have anything to do today. Colleen managed to find enough energy to clean the bathrooms and then make two quiches with the fresh veggies from our gardens. I waited until later in the evening to walk Roux again and when we got home, Colleen had already closed up the hen coop and headed upstairs for the night again.

It isn’t quite so hot this morning, there is a light breeze blowing, and we have lovely blue skies with wispy clouds. Colleen will walk Roux and water the gardens. I will take a two-mile walk, list some baseball cards for sale online, and then watch baseball with a friend of mine later this afternoon. I guess this is as close to taking a day off as I get. I am taking this coming Wednesday off from school, but I suspect I’ll be doing some schoolwork at home during the day anyway. Colleen is still on her summer break until the end of August, but she does want to do some housework today and get our end of the month bills paid. Friday was my payday. Colleen and I will just keep taking everything one day at a time even though I am counting down the days until July 1st, 2024. No matter what this crazy world throws at us, at the end of the day we just look around up here on our little hill and smile because we know that all is right on the homestead.

Jump To Top

********************************************

August 06, 2023: It’s August, Summer Is Rolling Along, And We Got A Short Break From The Heat

We’re another week deeper into August, and surprisingly, last week was mild. I guess Mother Nature was teasing us. The temperatures bounced up against 90 degrees to start the week, but the thermometer fought to push through 80 degrees for the last half of the week. August is August though, and today and through the start of the coming week, the heat will be back. To go along with the 90-something degree temperatures, there are storms in the forecast as well. We did get some rain last Thursday for a better part of the day, but while it wasn’t a heavy rain, it did water the gardens, and by dinner time the sun was out again. As an added treat, we had a full super-moon early in the week. The next full moon will be on August 30th, making it a Blue Moon. I think it will be another super-moon too.

Last Sunday, apart from being a gorgeous day, was kind of a special day for me. Along with my usual Sunday morning writing and my now usual 2-mile morning walk, a buddy of mine showed up in the afternoon so we could watch a baseball game. His favorite team was playing my favorite team, which doesn’t happen often, so we made an afternoon of it. Colleen made a good many treats and snacks to go along with our brats, and it was a grand time even though my team lost. After Colleen was sure we were all taken care of, she headed out to the pool patio to read and enjoy her quiet time.

Monday morning, it was back to school for me. Colleen took Roux for her morning walk and got home just before there was a pop-up summer rain shower. It didn’t last long, but it was long enough to give the gardens a good watering. The lower gardens are really doing well this year. We’re getting cucumbers regularly from our volunteer vine, the Swiss chard is flourishing, we’ve got more Shishito peppers than we’ve ever had before, the green beans are providing us with the occasional meal, and the okra is getting ready to flower.

Tuesday morning rolled around, and I was not looking forward to going to school. Tuesday evening was “Meet the Teacher” night. I spent 12 hours at school, getting there at 7:30 in the morning and not leaving until 7:30 in the evening. The turnout was light, and I only had one parent stop in my classroom. I hustled my tail home afterwards, getting home before sunset, so I could take Roux out for her evening walk. Colleen must have been in a washing mood on the day because after she walked Roux in the morning, she headed down to the laundromat. While the clothes were drying in the basement, Colleen proceeded to give Roux a bath. I don’t think Roux was too keen on that idea, but she is looking just fine now.

I was off from school on Wednesday. I took a nice two-mile walk to start the day, and once I got back, I was in the garden for a little bit picking green beans and cucumbers. My day wasn’t totally devoid of schoolwork though. I did grade papers and got everything ready for classes on Thursday. I even joined an online meeting in the middle of the afternoon. Meetings are so much less stressful for me when I am sitting on my front porch. For some reason, Colleen wasn’t feeling great on the day. She took things slow and even got a nap in the middle of the afternoon which is out of character for her. We did have colorful evening skies as clouds and forecast rain for Thursday start to fill the sky.

It was back to school on Thursday for me and after two and half weeks all my kids finally got their computers. There was a soft rain for most of the day, but the sun was shining by the time I got home. I found it funny that the administration started making noise about me not being at school on Wednesday. I have over 300 days of accrued leave of one type or another, and I followed their rules to the letter for not being at school. I have half a mind to get a letter from my doctor telling them I need an extended absence to deal with my aneurysm. That would force them to find a long-term substitute teacher, and trying to find those is like trying to find hen’s teeth. Colleen started feeling better on the day. She did do our weekly market run but was still moving slowly.

Friday was an easy day. Colleen was feeling well enough to do some cleaning around the house. My day went well at school. The kids having their computers makes a huge difference. I knew Colleen wouldn’t feel like cooking dinner, so we got Chinese takeout which we both really like. It was a quiet evening too. I took Roux out for her evening walk and then she hung out on the porch for a while with me, Colleen closed the hen coop for the night right before sunset, and we both called it an early evening. Fortunately, it was still cool enough to make for a good night of sleep.

Yesterday started off cool, but things started warming up quickly. I took my morning walk and after that headed to the gardens and picked four more cucumbers. Colleen found her way into the kitchen to do some baking and get things ready for my school lunches. I spent the better part of the morning and all afternoon doing my schoolwork, and I got everything done and ready for Monday. I did fire up the grill for dinner and Colleen and I treated ourselves to lamb chops and lobster tails.

It is just beautiful this morning and Colleen and I should have an easy day. Roux will get her morning and evening walks, and I will go for my morning tour of our little hill. My schoolwork is done for tomorrow, so after I take care of the weekly pool maintenance, I will lose myself in baseball and baseball cards later today. Colleen is planning on having meatloaf for dinner, I will check the gardens for more fresh green beans too. Despite the daily chaos at school, I’ve hit my stride thankfully. Colleen and I will keep taking everything up here on our little hill one day at a time. As the sun starts to sink in the west at the end of each day, we can look around and smile knowing that all is right on the homestead.

Jump To Top

********************************************

August 13, 2023: Halfway Through August, The Heat Is Back, And Our Wallet Is Thin As It Always Is This Time Of The Year

Another week of August 2023 is in the books, and Colleen is looking at her last week of summer break before she heads back to school. We have an absolutely beautiful morning on our hands today. Last Sunday was a little cloudy, and by the early evening, we had ourselves a good, hard rain falling. The storms came back Monday evening too. Most of the week was typically August summer weather around here, heat and humidity and some occasional rain in the evenings or at night. The daytime high temperatures started bouncing around 90 degrees again. Today we’re looking at the thermometer getting to 95 degrees or higher. Our gardens haven’t seemed to mind the rain and the warm temperatures. Things won’t really start cooling off around here until the early part of September though, and that’s when the Atlantic hurricane season kicks it into high gear usually.

Last Sunday was quiet up here on the hill. I had gotten all my schoolwork done on Saturday, so I had, more or less, a free day. I did my usual writing after I took a good long morning walk. Colleen put together a wonder Sunday meatloaf dinner along with fresh green beans from our garden. I took Roux for her evening walk a little earlier than usual, and I’m glad I did because the thunder started rumbling on our way back home. About 30 minutes after we got home the skies opened up on us. There was a good bit of wind with the storm too. Fortunately, we only lost some tree limbs, but there were trees that came down in the area, and lots of folks lost power.

I headed back to school on Monday morning, but it was only a 4-day school week for me because I took Friday off. At this point, taking days off is a matter of me staying alive. I need to make sure I get enough rest and staying up late to stay ahead of my schoolwork is no longer an option. Friday was an early release day for the kids anyway which meant meetings for teachers all afternoon once the kids were dismissed, and meetings at school are stressful at best. I guess it really wasn’t a day off for me because I spent part of the day doing schoolwork anyway. I did start my Friday with a nice long walk though. At the far end of my usual circuit, I came across the company for which Alex works doing some tree work for one of the houses in the neighborhood. I was surprised when I saw Alex on the crew doing the job. We both stopped and chatted for a minute, but he had to get back to work, so I headed on my way to finish my walk.

Colleen had a much more interesting week than I did. Tuesday morning, she found a rather large branch had fallen in the backyard, missing everything, fortunately. Colleen knew I would move the branch when I got home and as she has forbidden me for doing anything that is physically exerting, she dragged the branch down to the would line and then cleaned up around the pool patio. Wednesday was laundry day and Colleen decided everything would get hung out on the line. Thursday was her usual run to the market. It seems groceries prices are still going up, because Colleen overshot our budget, but it needed to be done. My darling wife also dropped a small cinder block on her toe while tending to the chickens Thursday afternoon. She was lucky though, apart from being sore for the next day, nothing was broken and there wasn’t even any bruising.

Our weekend started on Friday and apart from Colleen’s usual housework and my schoolwork, it was a relaxing day. I did start putting the paperwork together for my retirement next summer too. At the end of the day, we treated ourselves to takeout from Cracker Barrel for dinner. We did manage to get out into the garden to pick some fresh vegetables and herbs for Colleen’s weekend cooking. The gardens are doing much better than usual this year too. We got cucumbers, green onions, shishito pepper, green beans, Swiss chard, and oregano. We’re very excited though because there are okra pods on our plants now.

Yesterday got a little hot and sticky. The evening was lovely though. Colleen cleaned up around the pool and pool patio again. I got the pool filter cartridge changed and the chemicals added to the pool. Colleen was in the pool shortly after lunch. I spent most of the day on my computer doing schoolwork. I did find the time to list some more baseball cards for sale online. I think that is one of the things I am most looking forward to doing more regularly once I retire, well, that and maybe a little more gardening and fishing. Colleen spent most of her afternoon relaxing, especially since she will be back in school a week from Monday.

Steven and Lily were supposed to be here this weekend, but they are spending the weekend with friends that have kids Lily’s age. Can’t say as I blame them either, it’s just Colleen and me here, and while visiting with grandparents is quite nice, there isn’t a whole lot we can do with our little sweetheart. Colleen is making a pork pot roast for our Sunday dinner. I have a little more schoolwork to finish for tomorrow. When the alarm goes off tomorrow morning, we will start the show all over again up here on our little hill. Colleen and I are in no particular rush for anything, and we’ll keep taking everything one day at a time. In the evenings, we’ll catch our breaths, look around and smile because we know that all is right on the homestead.

Jump To Top

********************************************

August 20, 2023: We Had A Wild Storm Last Week, The Days Are Heating Up Again, And Colleen Goes Back To School Next Week.

I guess our summer break is officially over now. I’ve been in school since mid-July and Colleen starts back tomorrow. Just to make things interesting last week, the weather was all over the map. We had scorching hot days, a wild storm, and some cooler, more comfortable days. The week in front of us will be starting off hot again. Things will cool off later in the week, but as of right now, the only rain in the forecast is for next weekend. That does not mean however that we won’t see a rogue thunderstorm during the evening at some point during the week. With Colleen headed back to school, that also means we’ll need to change up our morning routines. I’ll take care of the chickens in the mornings now, and poor Roux will not be getting her usual morning walks.

Last Sunday was the start of a little bit of a hot and steamy couple of days up here on our little hill. All the same, it was a quiet and peaceful day. I slept late and Colleen was headed out the front door taking Roux for her walk right when I came downstairs. I had done my schoolwork on Saturday, so I really didn’t have much I needed to do on the day. Colleen spent part of her day in the kitchen making a marbled pound cake and then a pork pot roast for our Sunday dinner. The pot roast turned out especially well since a good many of the herbs and vegetables in it were fresh from our garden. We didn’t see Steven all day though, he was helping Ariel move.

Monday and Tuesday were just regular school days for me with an overabundance of meetings. Just like usual, not much really came out of the meetings. Despite the steamy start to the week, Colleen found herself outside moving un-split firewood Monday morning. She moved as much as she could, ended up getting hot, sweaty, and dirty, knocked back some Gatorade, and then headed into the pool to cool off. In the afternoon, she managed to find her way into the kitchen and baked a fresh batch of biscuits. Tuesday was laundry day, and after her visit to the laundromat and then getting the wet clothes into the basement dryer, Colleen spent the better part of the rest of the day cleaning up around the house.

Tuesday night one heck of a storm blew through the area. We didn’t get hit badly, mostly just some heavy rain and gusty wind. Ten miles south of us, in the bottom half of the county, things were quite different. Trees blew over or snapped in half, power lines came down, and many roads became impassable. It was bad enough that the county called off school on Wednesday and Thursday for the kids and made them teacher workdays. I guess the safety concerns for the kids didn’t apply to teachers, but I took two days of sick leave anyway, so I didn’t go into school. Colleen and I just hung around the house with Colleen venturing out only on Thursday to do the market run.

Steven came rolling down the driveway Thursday evening after work. He was full of energy and without missing a beat he grabbed his chainsaw and started sharpening the saw. I figured he was getting ready for the weekend, but I was wrong. He headed out to the front yard and started cutting up and splitting the pieces of wood too big to move uncut. After that, he pulled out the lawnmower and cut the yards. Normally, this is all stuff I would do, but Colleen still has me on lockdown because of the aneurysm on my aorta. I can’t wait to get to the right doctor and get something definitive on what I can and can’t do or what needs to be done to get me back to where I can do what I want and need to do.

Friday was just another school day. It passed quietly and quickly. A lot of kids didn’t show up thereby creating a 5-day weekend for themselves. I also didn’t have any meetings during the day. Colleen puttered around the house all day and even took a nap in the afternoon. I got tied up in the traffic caused by an accident on my way home from school so I was a little bit late. Colleen and I treated ourselves to takeout pizza for dinner and then spent the rest of the evening relaxing. Even Roux got a treat Friday evening.

Yesterday was the perfect day to do nothing. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be either Colleen’s or mine make up. Our morning started off much like usual. Colleen took Roux for a walk and when they got back, I headed out for a walk. Colleen was in the garden getting fresh veggies and herbs for her weekend cooking when I got home. Colleen spent the rest of the morning and well into the afternoon baking bread and pound cake. I did my schoolwork, getting just about all of it done before dinner. The day took a bit of a twist at about 8:30 in the evening. We lost our water to the house. I knew right away what had happened too. The dead head right after where our water supply tees off the main line had blown out again. Colleen called the water company and I suspect someone will be out here to fix it first thing this morning.

Colleen and I are looking forward to a quiet Sunday. Colleen will take Roux for a walk, and I will take my long walk after that. Colleen will spend a good bit of her day in the kitchen. I will finish my schoolwork for tomorrow and then get as ready as I can for the school week. The alarm clock gets turned back on tonight and will start screaming at 4:30 tomorrow morning. It’s all good though because I’m down to 10 months until I retire. Colleen and I will just keep taking everything one day at a time up here on our little hill. We’ll find our way home in the afternoons, leave the world outside our front door, look around and smile, because we know that all is right on the homestead.

Jump To Top

********************************************

August 27, 2023: Teacher Workdays Are Tough, Mother nature Toasted Our Brains, And There Is A Hurricane Brewing.

August is coming to a close quickly, and Mother Nature made sure we didn’t forget it was still summer last week. The week was hot and steamy by all measures. Even when the temperatures struggled to get into the 90’s the humidity was tough. When we did get into the 90’s the humidity pushed the heat indices up to 100 degrees. There wasn’t any rain to speak of during the week with the exception of early this morning, and while today will be cooler than it has been, the humidity is over 85 percent. Right now we have clouds and some patches of blue overhead, but we are expecting more rain later this afternoon. In fact, there is rain in the forecast right through this coming Friday. I suspect the rain later in the week will be tied to Idalia which seems to be getting ready to turn into a hurricane.

Last Sunday up here on the hill was quiet for the most part. The water company got up here first thing in the morning and capped off the line blowout, so we got our water back in the house. The day, for the most part, was quiet though, which Colleen and I prefer. I did my usual Sunday writing and took my morning walk. Colleen and I picked a bunch of fresh herbs and veggies from our gardens. I didn’t have much schoolwork to do so that worked out well for me. Colleen spent the better part of the day getting ready for the week in front of us because Sunday was her last day of summer break. She even canned four pints of dill pickles with the cucumbers from our garden.

Last week was a full-blown school week for both Colleen and me. I did have Tuesday and Wednesday off for a doctor’s appointment and a teacher workday though. There’s not much I can say about the doctor’s appointment. The vascular specialist cannot do much for the aneurysm on my ascending aorta. I have now been referred to a cardio-thoracic specialist. That means more lab work and more doctor visits. About the only thing about my life right now, on which everyone can agree, is that I should not be putting any stress on my system, physical or otherwise. Colleen has been watching me like a hawk too, so basically I do schoolwork, light cleaning around the house, or sell baseball cards online. I do get to go for walks, so I took Roux for her morning walks on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Colleen headed back to school for a week’s worth of teacher workdays. Tuesday she needed to leave early so she could have some blood work done. Her doctor seemed a bit concerned about her results from earlier in the summer, but fortunately, everything came back just fine this time. Wednesday she stopped at the laundromat and on Thursday she stopped at the market. Friday evening, we both celebrated with takeout pizza for dinner. I guess Roux had to make the biggest adjustment to Colleen going back to school though. Roux doesn’t get her morning walks any more unless someone stays home. Since I was home Tuesday and Wednesday, Roux got her morning walks, but on the other days she is very glad to see Colleen come rolling down the driveway in the afternoons.

Yesterday was quiet, but the heat and the humidity made for a tough day. The air was dead all day long without even the hint of a breeze. The temperature hit 95 degrees in the middle of the afternoon, and the heat index got to 100 degrees. I did go for my long morning walk and came home dripping wet, but I spent the better part of my day in front of a fan doing schoolwork. Sadly, on my walk, I also realized the leaves on the tree weren’t quite as bright green as they usually are and some leaves are already changing color. Colleen and I did get out into the gardens and got some fresh produce. The breaded and air fried okra was especially good with the Cuban sandwiches we had for dinner.

We had a dandy storm blow through very early this morning. The storm woke Colleen up, but I slept right through it. Everything is wet this morning, but it isn’t raining and probably won’t until later this afternoon. Colleen should be able to walk Roux, I should be able to take my long walk. I have some schoolwork to finish, and Colleen will be preparing meals for the week and getting things ready for our school lunches. It should be a quiet day up here on our little hill today. Even with a full week of school in front of us, we keep taking everything one day at a time. We’ll find our way home after school, relax as best we can, look around and smile because we know that all is right on the homestead.

Jump To Top

********************************************

September 03, 2023: It’s Labor Day Weekend, Idalia Has Come And Gone, And Fall Is Right Around The Corner Now.

We are one week into September now, it is Labor Day weekend, fall will be here soon, and the Atlantic hurricane season is shifting into high gear. Idalia cut a path through the southeast last Tuesday and Wednesday. While she ravaged north Florida and flooded parts of Georgia, South Carolina, and the coast of North Carolina, we only had rain on Wednesday night, and by Thursday we had blue skies and cool temperatures. The cool temperatures were short lived though because we got into the upper 80’s yesterday. We’re headed into the low 90’s today, and tomorrow we’ll be looking at 95 degrees only to get warmer after that.

It was gray and cloudy last Sunday morning with the threat of rain in the morning. It never did rain. Colleen took Roux for her morning walk, and I did my usual Sunday morning writing and took a long walk before lunch. The day, on the whole, passed quietly as Colleen and I spent the afternoon getting ready for the upcoming week of school. Steven, who had been gone for most of the weekend, got home a little after dinner time and spent the evening splitting the firewood in the front yard and moving it down to by the seasoning rack. The seasoning rack is full, so the rest of the wood is just in a pile on the ground. By the time Steven finished, all the red oak was gone from the front yard.

Monday through Wednesday were quiet days at school for Colleen and me. Colleen had the usual chaos associated with the first week of school, and I had my usual barrage of pointless meetings during the week. Idalia made land fall in Florida on Wednesday morning, and opting to err on the side of caution, Colleen and I lowered the canopy on the porch patio, and Colleen brought all her potted plants in from the back porch. Idalia’s path had bent further south, and we suspected we would only get some of the fringe rainstorms. Colleen and I were both treated to a day off on Thursday when on Wednesday night school was canceled for Thursday.

Colleen and I woke up Thursday morning to blue skies and high, white, and wispy clouds. It was a beautiful morning. Colleen took Roux for a walk, I took a long morning walk, and then we took care of a few of our planned weekend chores. I finished what little schoolwork I had that needed to be done for Friday. Colleen changed the bedding in the hen coop. Nothing about Thursday was done in a rush though, and I even got to take a nap. We did get out into the gardens in the afternoon and picked a bunch of okra and shishito red peppers. Our green beans and cucumbers are about played out or the season now.

Friday, we were back to school knowing we only had one day of school before our long Labor Day weekend. Yesterday morning was cool and very pleasant, and I noticed that some leaves were starting to change color. It was errands day though, and right after Colleen walked Roux, we headed down the road to Tractor Supply Company and Walmart. Surprisingly, there were very few cars on the road and few people in the stores. We did need chicken feed and scratch which comes in 50 pounds sacks, and while Colleen didn’t give me too much flack about lifting 50 pounds, they look on her face made it clear she was not happy with me. After we were finished in the stores, we treated ourselves to lunch at Hardee’s.

I spent yesterday afternoon getting my grades and grade books up to date for the week. Colleen put all the stuff we brought home away, except for the sacks of feed and scratch which are sitting next to the sofa in the family room. I suspect they will stay there until we can dump them into the tin feed cans in the basement because Colleen is worried about the mice getting into the feed if we put it in basement. Maybe we’ll get to that today or tomorrow. We didn’t do much else yesterday knowing we had an extra day to get things done today.

Colleen and I woke up to a beautiful morning today. Colleen will take Roux for her walk and then I will take a long walk. Walking is about the only exercise Colleen will let me do with this aneurysm on my aorta. Fortunately, I will see the cardio-thoracic specialist a week from tomorrow. My last day of school before retiring is now about 9 months away, and yes, I am counting it down. I’ll get some schoolwork done today, get out in the gardens and start planting for the fall, and find time to list more baseball cards for sale on eBay. Colleen will be in the kitchen for a bit today making Mexican stuffed peppers which are much better than the Americanized version. We’ll keep taking everything one day at a time though. We always find our way home in the afternoon, look around, and smile because we know that all is right on the homestead.

Jump To Top

********************************************

September 10, 2023: Labor Day, Record Heat, And A Wet Weekend To Cool Things Off.

What a week for weather we’ve had. Colleen and I woke up to gray skies this morning, but the heat wave of last week has been broken. Last week started off nice enough, but then we had four days of record heat with heat indices well over 100 degrees. Thankfully, we had Monday off for Labor Day, and I took Friday off from school to celebrate our 23^rd wedding anniversary. Everything started to cool off on Friday evening and then the rain came. It rained on and off all day yesterday, and it looks like it will do the same today. Yesterday, the temperature never got over 75 degrees, and today, we might only get to 80 degrees. Hopefully, there will be enough breaks in today’s rain so we can walk Roux, and I can go on my long morning walk. The week in front of us promises to be cooler than last week with temperatures staying in the 80’s. Fall is only a couple of weeks away now, and we are definitely looking forward to the cooler temperatures that come with the season.

Last Sunday was a quiet day up here on our little hill. Since we didn’t have school on Monday, everything was easy and un-rushed. Colleen had time to get into the kitchen and make some awesome Mexican stuffed peppers. She got the recipe from watching Daisy Martinez a good many years ago, and since there is some work involved in putting them together, Colleen doesn’t make them often, but when she does, they are a real treat. I spent the day doing a little bit of schoolwork, working with my baseball cards, and starting to plant a fall garden. I planted some thyme and rosemary plants we had gotten from a garden center to go along with the sage and oregano in the herb garden we are trying to start. I seeded some radishes in another raised bed garden too.

Monday everything started to really warm up. I got to take my morning walk but had to change out of my wet clothes once I got home. I sweated through everything. Colleen spent some time in the kitchen getting our meals ready for the week. I finished off the schoolwork I needed for Tuesday, managed to find time for a nap, and did some more planting for the fall. I planted snap peas and beets. Beets are kind of hit or miss in our gardens, but if they work out, fresh beets are one of our favorites. Colleen and I also picked a good bit of okra and peppers later in the afternoon. Colleen ended up freezing four quart bags of okra for frying and soup along with three bags of red shishito peppers to use in her cooking.

Tuesday through Thursday were regular school days for us. That might have been a good thing given how hot the temperatures were. Colleen did stop at the laundromat on Wednesday and the market on Thursday. I would get home in the afternoon, we would eat dinner, and then I would sit out on the front porch to do my schoolwork. I tried to wait as long as I could in the evenings before I took Roux for her walk, but at best the temperatures only got down to 90 degrees. Even at night, Colleen and I slept with the fans blowing on us. We don’t have air conditioning and rely on fans to keep things cool in the summer. The deer didn’t seem to mind the heat and wandered through the yard as they wanted.

Friday morning, Colleen headed off to school and I stayed in bed for another two hours. Since I was home, I took Roux for her morning walk. It was a compromise between her usual walk and my long morning walk. I wore poor Roux out, but she hung with me like a trooper. I spent the better part of the rest of the day taking care of odds and ends around the house and even went into the garden to get more okra and peppers. I do believe that okra will grow overnight! As Friday was Colleen’s and my 23rd anniversary, I told her I would grill up a special dinner Friday evening. When Colleen got home, I fired up the grill, let the coals get hot, grill baked a potato, grill roasted some asparagus, and then grilled a couple of small ribeye steaks and lobster tails. Just to make it all that much more of a celebration, we even opened a bottle of wine to go with dinner.

Yesterday, the hot temperatures broke, and Colleen and I woke up to a cool gray morning. Colleen walked Roux, and I took my morning walk before the rain finally started. Roux decided is was a good day to sleep when she got back from her morning walk and promptly found the unmade bed. I wasn’t home very long from my walk either before the rumbling skies opened up. Colleen went about cleaning the house, and I did schoolwork while it rained. We got a break in the rain around lunchtime, but it was pouring again by the middle of the afternoon. The rain let up right after dinner, and after a little bit I was able to take Roux for her evening walk. It may have been a wet day yesterday, but the cooler temperatures sure did feel good.

Colleen will try to get Roux out for her walk this morning before the rain starts. I’m afraid my walk will have to wait until after the rain finishes. I do have a little bit of schoolwork to do today but not terribly much. Colleen wants to do a little baking and she’s planning on a fish fry with fried okra for our Sunday meal. We’ll spend the rest of today trying to relax because tomorrow I finally get to see the cardio-thoracic specialist about the aneurysm on my aorta. I’m not worried, but all this waiting has been driving me nuts. Colleen and I will just keep taking everything one day at a time up here on our little hill. In the afternoons we’ll find our way home, have a quiet dinner, look around, and smile thankfully because we know that all is right on the homestead.

Jump To Top

********************************************

September 17, 2023: Doctor’s Appointments, Cooler Temperatures, And The Close Of Summer.

After just a beautiful week of lovely weather, we have cloudy skies this morning and the threat of rain this afternoon. We don’t mind the rain so much because our gardens could use a good watering right now anyway. It was a busy week for Colleen and me, and it started out hot. Fortunately, as we slid toward this weekend, the temperatures started to cool off, and we even started yesterday morning below 60 degrees. We may a have few more warm days ahead of us, but I think we may be done with the hot and sticky days of summer. Fall starts next weekend, and it looks like we are in for a run of daytime highs in the 70’s or 80’s. Unfortunately, we are also at the height of the Atlantic hurricane season, so we will be watching out for any possible storms headed our way.

Last Sunday was pleasant enough, we did have rain in the morning, but the day didn’t get too hot. It was mostly a day of trying to get our work done and relaxing because I had my appointment with the cardio-thoracic specialist on Monday. I got to take my long walk after the rain stopped before I sat down in front of the computer to get my schoolwork done. Even though I wasn’t going to be in class on Monday, I still wanted to have all the work for my kids online. Colleen spent a little time in the kitchen, and we had a fish fry for our Sunday dinner. It was the fish the boys and I had caught this summer and fresh air fried okra from our garden.

Monday was an anxious day for everyone expect Roux. I went out for my long morning walk and then Colleen and I got ready for my doctor’s appointment. We left right about lunchtime and spent the entire afternoon in the clinic wing of the hospital. I had to have an echocardiogram before I got to see the doctor. I guess the news I got wasn’t good, but it really wasn’t bad either. My aneurysm is on the ascending part of my aorta, its size is about halfway between normal and critical, and it’s got my heart valve stretched a little so there is some very mild leakage. Right now, the risk of operating is much greater than just monitoring the aneurysm. That just means, I keep bringing down my weight, BP, and cholesterol, and no strenuously physical activity while avoiding as much daily stress as possible then I get everything checked again in a year. If the aneurysm gets to the critical size, the only option I will have is full blown, crack the chest, open heart surgery. I suppose it could be worse. Overall, though, I’m feeling quite well, better than I have in a very long time.

Tuesday was Colleen’s turn to visit the doctor. I headed back into school. Colleen had a couple of moles that concerned her, so she wanted to get them checked. Her day turned out much better than mine did on Monday. The moles proved to be nothing more than moles, and there was no sign of skin cancer whatsoever. The roughest part of Colleen’s day was getting lost on the way to the clinic. Fortunately, she got there right on time, and everything went smoothly from there forward. She even stopped at the laundromat on her way home and got the week’s laundry done. My day at school went well and when I got home Colleen and Roux were relaxing in front of the fan in the living room because the day had heated up to 90 degrees.

Colleen and I both headed off to school Wednesday morning and our school day went well. Colleen stayed busy at school trying to get caught up after being absent for two days. Unfortunately, Wednesday evening I found that my very dear cousin Sue had passed away. That made for a rough evening and the realization that my generation in the family had reached that point in our lives. Between my mother and my father, there were nine cousins in my generation. My two sisters and I are right in the middle of the group.

Thursday and Friday passed uneventfully, thankfully. School passed quickly for Colleen and me. I picked up a pizza on the way home. Colleen and I enjoyed a quiet evening too. I did get all of my grading done for school Friday evening on the front porch. Roux got her evening walk, but not much else got done as Colleen and I just tried to catch our breath after a crazy week. Hopefully, this coming week will be calm as I head into the start of my fall semester break next Friday.

Yesterday turned out to be a great day with perfect late summer weather. A buddy of mine and I headed out to a baseball card show in the morning. Steven and Alex showed up at the house after I left and cut and hauled more firewood up to the seasoning rack. They left before I got home after lunch, but there is still a good deal more wood to be moved. Colleen made a couple of potato pies for the week too. After I got home and had a little lunch I was able to get all my grade books caught up for last week. After dinner, Colleen and I spent the rest of the evening relaxing.

It looks like the rain will get here shortly after lunch. That will give Colleen plenty of time this morning to walk Roux and me plenty of time to go for a walk. I do have some schoolwork that needs doing this afternoon, but that’s all that really needs to get done. Colleen wants to can some tomatoes a neighbor gave us and she will get stuff ready for our lunches for the week in front of us. She won’t have to do that next weekend because at that point I will be on break and staying home where I can fend for myself. We made it through a tough week up here on our little hill last week, but we’ll just keep taking everything one day at a time. No matter what life throws at us, we can always just look around and smile because we know that all is right on the homestead.

Jump To Top

********************************************

September 24, 2023: The First Weekend Of Fall, Tropical Storm Ophelia, And The Start Of My 3-Week Fall Semester Break.

Fall is officially here, and we had tropical storm Ophelia to usher the season in yesterday. For the most part, we had a very pleasant week of weather otherwise. We did get some rain last Sunday afternoon, but it didn’t last too long, and there were breaks in the rain throughout the day and into the evening. The rest of the week we enjoyed cool mornings and warm afternoons. The clouds from Ophelia started moving into the area on Thursday afternoon, we saw very little sun on Friday, and the first band of rain showed up after dark on Friday evening. Yesterday, the rain gave us a break until about mid-morning, but after that the rain was steady until about 6:30, and that was the last of Ophelia we saw as she headed up the east coast. This morning everything was still wet, but the sun was shining through the trees when Colleen and I stuck our heads outside to get our first look at the new day.

It was quiet up here on our little hill last Sunday. Colleen took Roux for her morning walk, and I got to take my long morning walk before the rain got here for the afternoon. We did get out to the gardens before the rain too and picked a bag full of okra and red shishito peppers. I didn’t have much schoolwork that needed doing because the week in front of me was the last week of school before my 3-week semester break. Colleen went about her usual weekly meal preparations so she wouldn’t have to cook during the week. For dinner, she made some salmon on a bed of pasta with a light cream sauce and oven roasted veggies to go with everything.

Monday started out like most school days around here. The sky was sure pretty to start the day. Colleen headed off to school and I waited for some daylight before I took care of the morning chores and then headed to school. The day was easy except the Trail Blazer started misbehaving on Colleen’s way home. It didn’t seem like anything very major at the time, so we didn’t think too much more about it. We had leftovers for dinner and enjoyed a quiet evening. I did a little bit of schoolwork, took Roux for her evening walk, and then Colleen and I called it an early day and headed upstairs for the night.

Tuesday morning started out just fine, but 15 minutes after Colleen pulled out of the driveway, she was backing back into the driveway. All the lights on her dashboard had gone out, and the headlights were dim. We had to make some quick adjustments to our day and had to go with Plan B. Colleen called into school and took the day off while I headed into school. Anything I was going to do to the Trail Blazer was going to have to wait until I got home. I left school early and made plans to take Wednesday off from school. I did stop on the way home to fill the gas tank and check the oil in the Honda. When I got home, Colleen and I decided the best course of action was to get the Trail Blazer towed to the shop, so I called AAA to get the Trail Blazer towed and then called the shop to let them know it was headed their way.

Wednesday morning Colleen headed to school in the Honda, and I stayed home. After I took care of the morning chores and took Roux for her morning walk, I did what little schoolwork I needed to do and had the rest of the day to myself, and it was a beautiful day. The shop called me mid-morning to let me know that they replaced the alternator, and everything was done and ready to go. Colleen stopped at the laundromat on her way home, so she was just a little later than usual. When Colleen got home she started drying our clothes and then we headed out to get the Trail Blazer. As Colleen was late and we had everything happening at once she got home, dinner was chili cheese dogs and fries which happens to be one of my favorite quick meals. The evening was uneventful and cool, and Roux and I enjoyed our evening walk.

Thursday and Friday passed without issue. My school days were very easy as I slid into the start of my fall semester break. Colleen stopped at the market on her way home from school on Thursday. Friday I picked up a pizza for dinner on my way home. The cloud cover really started to build overhead late Friday afternoon, but I was able to take Roux for her evening walk and pick another bag full of okra and peppers when we got back before the rain started right after dark. Shortly after midnight, we lost the power. I guess a tree took out some power lines somewhere around here.

Yesterday, the electricity was back on when Colleen and I got up. There was a break in the rain, so Colleen took Roux for her morning walk. When the rain started again, it lasted most of the day, finally clearing out around 6:30 in the evening. I spent all day buried in baseball cards. Colleen had her “To-Do” list knocked out before lunch, so it was an easy day for her too. Colleen made a lovely dinner of stuffed flounder, oven roasted butternut squash, and asparagus. I headed out for a walk about 6:45 without Roux and didn’t get back until almost dark. Colleen got a bit concerned as the daylight stared to fade and was waiting on the front porch for me when I got home.

It sure looks like we are going to have a pretty Sunday. The temperature may not even reach 80 degrees today. Roux will get her morning and evening walks and I will take my long morning walk. Colleen is planning on making a paella for our Sunday meal. The best part of today though is that I don’t have to think about going to school tomorrow morning. I suppose I’ll be spending more time with my baseball cards. Colleen does though, but I will stay busy taking care of things around the house. Colleen and I will keep taking everything one day at a time. At the end of each day, we can catch our breath, look around, and smile because we know that all is right on the homestead.

Jump To Top

********************************************

October 01, 2023: Fall Settles In, The Carpets Are Getting Cleaned, And We’ve Started Our Christmas Shopping.

Last weekend we welcomed the first day of fall. This weekend we are welcoming the first day of October. I’ve been on break for the last week and apart from cloudy mornings, the weather has been quite nice. The closest thing we got to rain was a mist on Wednesday morning. The roads barely got wet. The temperatures never really got above 80 degrees for the week, which was great. Right now, we have plenty of sunshine, a light breeze, and the thermometer is between 65 and 70 degrees. Colleen will take Roux for her morning walk a little later and then I will go for my long morning walk. I’m on break again next week, so it doesn’t look like there will be much urgency to anything today.

Last Sunday was about as relaxing as things get around here. It was the first weekend of my semester break and the first weekend of fall. Apart from the cooler temperatures, you can’t tell it’s the start of fall. The leaves are basically all still green and we’re still pulling fresh veggies from our gardens. We’re getting plenty of okra and peppers which will be great for soups and stews in the coming months. Colleen made one of her versions of paella for dinner. It turned out great and we feasted well. Colleen did a little bit of meal prep for the week on the day, but mostly we just relaxed.

Colleen was up and out the door at her usual time on Monday. I slept a bit later, walked Roux once we got up, and then started my annual steam cleaning of the rugs for the holidays. I managed to get the family room almost completely done and left the carpet to dry. With the carpet done, I started working on fixing the bottom of the fireplace. Once I had the fireplace cleaned and washed out, I let it sit to dry as well. Steven swung by the house Monday evening and cut the grass for me. I’m still on restricted activity because of my heart, and Colleen says that cutting the grass is much too strenuous for me. It probably isn’t, but if I did do it, she would probably kill me so I could lose either way.

Colleen had the same routine Tuesday morning, but when I got back from walking Roux, I got right to the fireplace. I laid down a good coat of refractory mortar of the entire bottom filling in all the cracks and pit marks. With mortar in place, I put a layer of 1.25-inch refractory brick down. I’m not sure how long it needs to dry, but I don’t anticipate putting a fire in the fireplace until late October or early November anyway. I couldn’t do anything with the carpet in the family room because it was still damp. I did manage to get out into the gardens and pick a bag full of okra and peppers.

Wednesday morning, I wasn’t feeling the least bit motivated. I suppose the gray skies had a good bit to do with that. The temperature never got to 70 degrees either which didn’t help the family room carpet to finish drying. I did take care of a few minor repair jobs around the house. Colleen had all the ambition on the day though, and after she got home and made dinner, she cut up and froze all the okra and peppers I had picked from our garden, and she made a pot of spicy chicken soup so I would have lunches for the rest of the week. There is nothing better than homemade soup for lunch on a fall day or winter day. Once I start back to school, there will even be a small thermos of soup in my lunches.

The cool temperatures and gray skies didn’t help the family room carpet dry, and it was still just a touch damp on Thursday. I think once I retire, the carpet will go in favor of hard wood floors with area rugs on top of them. Roux spent the day curled up on the loveseat after a longer than usual morning walk. I worked with my baseball cards and listed a bunch more for sale online until Colleen got home. Colleen did stop at the market on her way home Thursday afternoon. Colleen gave me the evil eye when I helped carry the groceries into the house. She thought that carrying a case of bottled water was over the weight limit I should be lifting.

Friday, I finally got to start putting the family room back together. I still had a few spots of carpet to clean, but all I did was vacuum everything. Friday was payday and Colleen and I had plans to go to Costco when she got home. She wasn’t home long before we headed down the road. Our list wasn’t very long, but Costco had their Christmas stuff out. We ended up filling our cart with the things we needed, a couple of new Christmas decorations, and a good many presents. Fortunately, they also had pre-made meals available and we got the gyros because Colleen did not want to cook dinner after we got home.

Yesterday after my morning walk, I finally got to finish the last of the carpet in the family room. I’ll move the furniture back into the room today. Louis found his way up to the house yesterday too. He split and moved all the firewood that Steven and Alex had cut up two weekends ago. Steven showed up about the time Louis had finished and like usual, my kids reverted to teenagers cutting up and laughing while both were here. Louis lives just under two hours away and we do not get to see him often enough, so it was good to have him around for the afternoon. I guess it was right around sunset when both boys headed on their way.

We have a beautiful sunny morning for a change today. After Colleen walks the dog, she has a mind to make a pot of gumbo to feed me this week. I will take my morning walk, then finish up the family room, and hopefully get started in the living room. I do have to check on whether I have jury duty tomorrow, so my Monday is still up in the air. Fortunately, I am still on break, so jury duty is no big deal if I do have to go to the courthouse. Colleen has school tomorrow. Colleen and I will keep taking everything one day at a time up here on our little hill. When our days end, we always find our way home, look around, and smile though, because we know that all is right on the homestead.

Jump To Top

********************************************

October 08, 2023: Another Week Of Break, Still Cleaing The Carpets, And A Fire In The Fireplace.

Another week of my break has passed, and I have one more week of break in front of me. It really has been a wonderful week too. We haven’t seen more than a smattering of rain all week, although we did see plenty of morning clouds and fog. The last vestiges of summer heat seemed to have just barely stuck around as a good many days pushed the needle in the thermometer to 80 degrees. Fall decided to flex a little muscle this weekend though, and we started today at 40 degrees and probably will not get to 70 degrees later this afternoon. The leaves on the trees are still mostly green, but some of the trees are ever so slowly starting with their fall colors. It was cool enough when I came downstairs this morning for me to put a fire in the fireplace to chase the morning chill from the first floor.

Last Sunday turned out to be a quiet day. Roux got her morning and evening walks. With me being on break, there certainly was not any urgency to anything I needed to do. I finally got the family room put back together and started moving the furniture around in the living room so I could clean that carpet. After a good vacuuming, I decided to leave the steam cleaning until Monday. Colleen started her day by making a big pot of gumbo while I was out walking in the morning, and then she made Cuban sandwiches for us later in the day. I found some time to spend with my baseball cards later in the day but didn’t accomplish much more. Colleen found plenty of time to relax in her glider with her iPad.

The rest of our week seemed almost routine. Colleen would leave for school before the sun came up. Roux and I would roll out of bed when the spirit moved us. I would take care of the morning chores at first light, and then Roux and I would go for a morning walk. After we got back, I ate a little breakfast and then it was on to the day’s tasks. Roux would sleep most all day. Colleen would get home in the afternoons, bring the girls their treats, make our dinner, clean the kitchen, and make her lunch for the next day at school before settling down for the evening. Around sunset she would close the hen coop for the night. I would take Roux for her evening walks and hang around on the front porch until just after dark.

Monday was living room carpet day in the morning and writing letters of recommendation for one of my kids in the afternoon. Tuesday I was still waiting for the living room carpet to dry, so I spent the day with my baseball cards. Wednesday started out rough for Colleen who had to drive part of the way to school in a dense fog that reduced visibility to about ten yards. I cleaned up around the house and got the back porch ready to fill the porch rack with firewood. Steven came over Wednesday evening and carried the wood up the porch stairs while I stacked it into the rack. Thursday I delivered the letters of recommendation and in the afternoon put the living room back together since the carpet had dried, it was market day too, so Colleen stopped on her way home from school. Friday, Colleen and I treated ourselves to takeout dinner from a new restaurant.

Yesterday we had a little rain in the morning, but a perfectly wonderful afternoon. The first sprinkles caught Colleen and Roux coming home from their morning walk. I waited until after the rain to take my walk. I was surprised to see some of the azaleas blooming by the mailbox. I’m up to three and a quarter miles of walking now when I don’t take Roux with me. Colleen took down the summer screens and checked the curtains for stink bugs in the morning, because it’s that time of the year again. She cleaned and put away the floor fans in the afternoon. I started cleaning the dining room which means organizing baseball cards and getting them out of the way. I guess I will tackle the dining room carpet next week when Colleen is at school.

It was cool enough this morning for me to start a fire in the fireplace when I got up. Colleen will take Roux for her walk in a little while and then I will go for my walk. Colleen is staying home tomorrow because she has a teacher workday. Today, she is planning on bringing all her plants from outside and putting them in the greenhouses on the second-floor porch. As for myself, I’d like to make more headway in cleaning up the dining room. I’m not really sure what else will get done today, but Colleen and I are taking things one day at a time anyway. At the end of each day, we’ll look around and smile because we know that all is right on the homestead.

Jump To Top

********************************************

October 15, 2023: My Last Week Of Break, Still More Cleaning The Carpets, And It Feels Like Fall.

Another week has passed and with it my semester break has ended. Now, I will count the days until my Christmas break begins. The weather, on the whole, was quite pleasant last week save for yesterday. Last weekend the temperature cooled off to 40 degrees, and I put a fire in the fireplace to chase the morning chill. Monday there was a bit of a morning chill too, but after that the morning temperatures stayed above 50 degrees. For the most part the days got up to 75 degrees or so, and I would open the house to let in the fresh air. Yesterday, the morning was wet, gray, and dreary, and that didn’t change all day long. The rain started sometime in the dark of the early morning and didn’t let up until the middle of the afternoon. Today started gray with a stiff breeze, but we are expecting the sun to make an appearance sometime before the noon hour.

Last Sunday was quiet up here on our little hill. The fire in the fireplace chased the morning chill and made the house quite comfortable. Colleen walked Roux in the morning, and I walked Roux in the evening. I started getting caught up on my schoolwork in earnest, but certainly didn’t kill myself with yet another week of break in front of me. As it was Sunday, Colleen made a pork pot roast for our Sunday dinner. It turned out quite well and was the perfect meal for the chilly day. We did keep the fire burning most of the day, but it was a low burn.

Last Monday, apart from me staying home on my break, Colleen had a teacher workday, so she stayed home as well. It was Columbus Day. It’s not that we celebrate many holidays other than Easter, July 4th, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, but any reason for a day off from school is always most welcome. Colleen and I brought the Honda to the shop for an oil change and general maintenance. Colleen made some strawberry pound cake, a big pot of minestrone soup, and a lovely dinner of baked flounder. But that was, more or less, the extent of our activities for the day. After dinner we took care of our usual chores and Colleen got her things ready for school on Tuesday.

Tuesday morning showed up right on schedule and after Colleen had gone to school and I had taken care of the morning chores, I vacuumed and steam cleaned the open part of the dining room carpet. I enjoyed a steaming mug full of minestrone soup for lunch. I spent my afternoon doing a little more schoolwork and working with my baseball cards. When Colleen got home, we headed to the shop to get the Honda and leave the Trail Blazer because I had noticed something was leaking in the driveway. Dinner was leftovers, and it wasn’t long after dinner when I had taken Roux for a walk and our evening chores had been done that we called it a day.

Wednesday and Thursday passed without much fanfare as I waited for the dining room carpet to dry. Colleen went to school, and I puttered around the house cleaning where I could, did some schoolwork, and worked with my baseball cards. I did notice that the leaves were starting to change color more than they had. Wednesday afternoon we got the Trail Blazer back. Thursday Colleen stopped at the market on her way home, and that evening after dinner we moved the dining room table to the other side of the dining room so I could clean the last part of the carpet on Friday morning. Another week of my break would have been nice to which to look forward, but I suppose June will come soon enough and my retirement will be one long break.

Friday was the 13th. It’s not that we are superstitious to any great degree, but as teachers we see lots of weird things on a Friday the 13th or when there is a full moon. Colleen’s day at school went just fine even though the teacher with whom she works had unexpectedly called in sick. Colleen got home at her usual time. We wanted takeout pizza for dinner, so after the pizza was ordered online, Colleen, Roux, and I hopped into the Trail Blazer and headed the road to get it. Everything seemed fine until the second or third corner. We turned that corner, and the power steering was gone. We got the pizza, headed back home, left the pizza and Roux at home, and then brought the Trail Blazer back to the shop. Fortunately, we had no plans to go anywhere for weekend, and Steven will be able to give me a ride to school on Monday so Colleen can take the Honda to school again.

Yesterday morning we woke up to gray skies and a steady rain. It rained all morning and into the early afternoon. There was a mist hanging in the trees too. Colleen tried to get Roux to go out when the rain had lightened up a bit, but Roux wanted no part of it and ran from the back porch to the cover of the front porch. I finally did get to take Roux for a walk in the middle of the afternoon after the rain had stopped. Colleen made a hearty beef and vegetable soup for our dinner. I finished up all my schoolwork for Monday save a couple of letters of recommendation. Our evening was quiet.

This morning we woke to gray skies, a good breeze, and chilly temperatures, but not so cold as to warrant a fire. Once the sun came up in earnest, the skies turned blue with white fluffy clouds. Colleen will take Roux for her morning walk in a bit, I will take a long walk for myself, Colleen will likely find herself in the kitchen today, and I will finish the letters of recommendation. Beyond that, we have not considered. There are plenty of days off between now and Christmas break for Colleen, and I will take days off as I want, having plenty of banked leave time. Colleen and I will just keep taking everything one day at a time. We will find our way home, up here on our little hill, each day, look around, and smile thankfully, knowing that all is right on the homestead.

Jump To Top

********************************************

October 22, 2023: Back To School, Leaves Are Falling, Time For More Christmas Shopping.

The first week of the second quarter of the school year is behind me now. Fall has definitely taken hold with more leaves turning and falling to the ground, and morning temperatures are in the 30’s and 40’s. We’ve had a run of cool mornings over the last week, but the days were up into the upper 60’s. We enjoyed a good many blue skies last week, but there were some clouds. We even had some rain and a little bit of thunder on Friday. Yesterday was and today is shaping up to be just perfect fall days. We’re expecting things to cool off a little more during the week in front of us, but there is nary the hint of rain in the forecast. Of course, that doesn’t mean much for the latter part of the week as the weather very often has a mind of its own and can change it on a dime.

Last Sunday Colleen and I got back into our routine of getting ready for a new week of school. After our morning walks, some coffee and a little breakfast, Colleen headed into the kitchen to prepare meals for the week. I did my usual writing and then got on my computer to make sure everything was ready for another week of school. Not having to worry about school things on Sundays is one thing to which I am truly looking forward when I retire. Colleen ended up making some pumpkin muffins, buttermilk biscuits, a shepherd’s pie, and some kielbasa and rice to hold us through the week. Roux made herself confortable on the loveseat for most of the day. Fortunately, the evening was quiet, and we did find some time to relax.

Monday morning started off a little differently than usual. Since the Trail Blazer was in the shop, Colleen took the Honda to school, and Steven gave me a ride to school on his way to work. The school day was a little squirrelly, but nothing that couldn’t be handled. Colleen picked me up after school, then we picked up the Trail Blazer. Fortunately, we haven’t had a problem with it since then. The evening was typically routine. Colleen cleaned the kitchen and locked up the hen coop for the night. I took Roux for a walk and then made sure my schoolwork was ready for Tuesday. I did go for a short walk after dark to admire some of the neighbor’s liy up Halloween decorations.

The rest of the school week passed as most do. Colleen left for school before sunrise every day. She stopped at the laundromat on Tuesday and at the market Thursday. It seemed like I had a meeting every day at school last week, but only had to stay late on Wednesday. My drive to and from school on Friday was strange. I get hung up in the traffic behind a couple of accidents, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. I don’t know if anyone got hurt, but the cars looked rough, and any accident in 2-lane backroads always creates a mess for traffic. In both cases, I did manage to sneak by things with only a minimal delay. That was especially good on my way home because I had a hot pizza for dinner in the passenger seat. After dinner, I got to take Roux for a walk when we had a break in the rain and a misty fog was starting to settle on the ground.

Colleen took Roux for her morning walk right after sunrise yesterday and when they got back I headed out for a three-and-a-half-mile walk. I really like that time to myself because it helps me clear my head. Somehow, during the week, I managed to get all my grading done so I didn’t have any of that to do yesterday. What I did get done was all my schoolwork for Monday, so I don’t have any of it to do today. I would have gotten my grade books done too except the grade book system was down for maintenance. Colleen decided to take a break from the kitchen and spent her day adjusting one of Roux’s coats and wrapping Christmas presents. It seems that Roux, like Buttercup before her, is quite fond of jackets and coats. We got a good start on Christmas again this year, but I’m not sure if we’ll be done for Thanksgiving.

Dawn keeps getting later and later with each passing day. The coffee is made, and Colleen is waiting for some daylight so she can walk Roux and then open the hen coop. I will head out for my walk later. Colleen definitely has to get into the kitchen today to get ready for the upcoming week. Depending how the day goes, I might grill dinner this afternoon. I suppose I should check to see if the grade book system is back up yet, and I do want to list some more baseball cards online for sale. It looks like the day will be quiet up here on our little hill for the most part though. Whatever the new week brings our way, Colleen and I will take everything one day at a time, like always. The evenings will find us back home where we will look around and smile thankfully, knowing that all is right on the homestead.

Jump To Top

********************************************

October 29, 2023: A Week Of Indian Summer, Colors In The Trees, And Leaves On the Ground.

And so, another week has passed. Mother Nature has gifted us with lovely spell of Indian summer for this last weekend of October. Actually, the past week, on the whole, has been tame. Fall is definitely here though. The leaves have really started to get their autumn colors, and more and more are falling to the ground every day. The lovely week we had last week is not without its price though. This coming Tuesday, some rain will lead a cold front into the area, and we could very well see our first frost of the season on Wednesday morning. Fortunately, there isn’t any snow or ice in the forecast which if it was, would be quite problematic with so many leaves still on the trees. Once the few days of colder temperatures pass, everything looks like it will get back to the seasonal norm.

Last Sunday was a quiet day up here on our little hill. Colleen took Roux for her morning walk and I took a 3-mile walk to start my day, as we do most weekend days. The sun was just coming up and shone through the trees when I headed out. Colleen spent a better part of her day in the kitchen getting meals ready for the week. I finished off what little schoolwork I had left. I grilled salmon for dinner, so Colleen didn’t need to cook anymore after she had finished her weekly preparations. The evening was quiet too, and walking Roux was about the only thing I did of any consequence after dinner. After more than 22 years of teaching high school, I’ve finally reached the point where I am not buried in schoolwork on weekends anymore. I’m hoping it will be an easy slide into retirement this coming June.

The week was pleasant enough and rather uneventful at school for both Colleen and me, although I did take Friday off to get a few things done at home. Colleen had her usual stops on her way home in the afternoons. Although on Monday, she did stop at the dentist’s office to let them know we would be helping Alex pay for his much-needed dental work since he doesn’t have dental insurance. Apart from that, there were the usual stops at the pharmacy, the gas station, the market on Thursday, and finally the laundromat on Friday. My week was loaded with meetings as usual. Wednesday was Club Day at my school, but I couldn’t spend time with the kids because of a meeting. The county made Friday a Wellness Day for the kids, not so much for the teachers and staff. That basically meant no academic activities and the teachers had to babysit. I’m glad I took the day off especially since we had near a full moon on Thursday night.

Colleen left for school at her usual time on Friday and I slept late. Once I got up though, I was going until Colleen got home. I took Roux for a walk to start my day. Roux is handling 2 miles quite well now. When we got back, I tried to clean up a few stains in our carpets that hadn’t come out when I cleaned the carpets on my break. I only had limited success, so I guess the stains will stay for now. I swept and washed the kitchen floor as that is one chore Colleen hates the most. Of course, Roux had to lay down on the cool wet rug right after I cleaned it. While everything was drying I got my grading caught up for school, and then even listed more baseball cards for sale online. When Colleen got home, she started drying the wet laundry, and we went and got Chinese takeout for dinner.

Yesterday couldn’t have been any prettier of a day. After Colleen walked Roux, and I took my walk, more than 3 miles, I got my grade books caught up for the week when I got back. Colleen had started pulling and putting her summer solar garden decorations away for the winter and I helped her. After lunch I got most all my schoolwork ready for Monday. I do have a little bit left to do today. Colleen made a big pot of ham and bean soup. After dinner she made some applesauce muffins, and I did some more schoolwork before taking Roux for her evening walk. Since the temperature was still above 70 degrees after sunset, I sat on the porch and enjoyed a cigar while Colleen relaxed in bed watching some shows on her iPad.

Colleen and I were up before the dawn this morning. I got the coffee perking as soon as I came downstairs, and here I sit on the front porch. Colleen will take Roux for a walk with the day’s first light, and thereafter I will take a long walk. Roux is already to go though. Colleen has a little bit more work to do to get ready for the week in front of us, and she has decided we will have meatloaf for our Sunday dinner. I will do my usual Sunday writing, finish the last of my schoolwork, and hopefully list more baseball cards for sale online. My school will start another round of county mandated testing this week at school, so who knows how things will play out. We are getting ready for a cold snap up here on our little hill too. Colleen and I will keep taking everything one day at a time though. Whatever comes our way, we’ll find our way home every day, look around and smile because we know that all is right on the homestead.

Jump To Top

********************************************

November 05, 2023: Freezing Temperatures, Lots Of Leaves On The Ground, And Christmas Decorations Going Up.

And another week has passed and with it the month of October is now a memory as well. We are solidly on foot in the month of November. The temperatures are noticeably cooler. In fact, we even had a couple of days when the morning temperatures dropped below freezing. There wasn’t any rain or snow, but we did get some early morning fog that made for tricky driving for Colleen. The temperatures did warm up for this weekend with the mercury touching 70 degrees yesterday, and it may be a little bit warmer today. By mid-week we could get close to 80 degrees, but I expect the temperatures will drop again shortly thereafter. It doesn’t look like there is any rain in the forecast for the coming week either.

Colleen and I both had a full five days of school last week. Colleen did have a teacher workday on Wednesday. Unfortunately, she had to go to school though. My week of school ended being the proverbial upset apple cart with several days of mandated testing. I also had a meeting of some sort just about every day. Sadly, another teacher resigned from my school last week too. The biggest challenge I had all week was getting the hen coop open in the mornings and still making it to school on time. That always happens this time of year with the sun not coming up until after 7:30 in the morning and me having to be at school by 8 o’clock. Colleen had her usual stops after school during the week, at the gas station, the market, and the laundromat, all on different days. The afternoon buses at my school were running late the last few days last week, so I was late getting home. I did stop to get our pizza Friday on the way home though.

Yesterday turned out to be just a beautiful day. Colleen took Roux for a walk first thing in the morning. It was still cool, so Roux wore a coat. I headed out for a good long walk when Colleen and Roux got back home. Colleen decided to start decorating for Christmas yesterday while I was out walking. When I got back I started my schoolwork hoping to get it done before today. I got most of it done, but not all. By the time dinner rolled around, Colleen had the ceramic Santa and reindeer up on the high ledge in the stairwell, my mother’s crèche up on top of the hutch, and a few other things set up. Alex stopped by the house right before noon and visited for a while.

Alex’s car has been having electrical issues for a while now, and he’s had his fill of them. Since the car is in my name, he left it here at the house, gave me the key, and told me to do what I would with it. The company for whom Alex works will let him borrow a company truck while he looks for a new ride. I gave Alex a ride to his shop after lunch, so he could pick up a truck. When I got home, I got ahold of Steven and explained the situation. Steven has been looking for a vehicle that gets better gas mileage than his truck, so I told him he could take Alex’s car and see if he could get it right since Steven works at an automotive garage. If worse comes to worse, I guess I’ll just sell Alex’s car as a project car to someone else.

Today promises to be every bit as nice as yesterday. Colleen and I only have three days of school this week, so Colleen won’t be doing as much meal prep work as usual today for the upcoming week. I don’t have much schoolwork to finish or get ready for the week either. Alex said he would swing by the house today to blow the leaves off the yards. I was planning on doing it on my off days this coming week, but if Alex takes care of it, that will free up more time for me. With Thanksgiving fast approaching, Colleen and I want to start getting everything ready for the family gathering. Whatever does come our way, Colleen and I will just keep taking everything one day at a time. We will have to adjust our schedules a bit because of the time change this weekend though. Still, at the end of each day, we’ll find our way home, look around, and smile thankfully, knowing that all is right on the homestead.

Jump To Top

********************************************

November 12, 2023:A Bit Of A Warm Up, A Short Week At School, And Colleen’s Birthday.

Here we are in the middle of November. Another week has passed, temperatures are cooling off, the leaves are no longer green, and gray skies are showing up more frequently. We haven’t had much rain of late, and I think the area is starting to edge toward a mild drought. The western part of the state is in worse shape than we are, and there are fires burning in the mountains. Colleen and I have a full week of school in front of us, Thanksgiving is the week after that, and we only have school on Monday and Tuesday that week. I suspect the temperatures will stay cool, and I’m hoping that the rain does find us before too long, but hopefully Thanksgiving Day will be dry at least.

Last Sunday turned out to be a mild enough day. Colleen and I were up before dawn. Colleen took Roux for a walk with first light, and I took a good long walk when they got back. Alex showed up right before noon with an industrial sized leaf blower and blew all the leaves of the front and backyards. It didn’t take him very long either. He’ll need to do it again as the leaves have really started to drop now. He stayed and visited a little while before he had to head on his way. Colleen tried a new fish casserole recipe for dinner that turned out fantastic. We spent the better part of the rest of our day getting ready for school.

It was a strange week at school last week. Colleen and I got up at our usual time and after she would leave for school, I would have my coffee outside and wait for the light of day. I got a real treat one morning when I had a cresent moon and Venus lighting up the dark sky. Colleen and I had Tuesday and Friday off. Monday afternoon we dropped the Trail Blazer off at the shop for the mechanics to see if it was still leaking. I thought I found another spot on the driveway. The guys couldn’t get to the Trail Blazer until Wednesday, so Colleen took the Honda to school on Wednesday morning and Steven gave me a ride to school. Colleen and I picked up the Trail Blazer after school on Wednesday. The Trail Blazer was fine, so we didn’t need to have anything else done to it. Just to confuse things more during the week, my school found itself in another round of mandated county tests. I do what I need to do to help the school get through the testing, but I am also one of the most vocal opponents to all this testing.

Friday morning was gray, Colleen and I didn’t have school, and we wanted to run a few errands. We headed down the road about mid-morning. We headed to TSC and Walmart to get some Christmas shopping done. For lunch, we treated ourselves to Hardee’s. We ended up getting home just before noon. After we got everything into the house and our Christmas spreadsheet updated, I tackled a little bit of schoolwork. Colleen’s birthday was Saturday, so we got takeout from Cracker Barrel for dinner Friday evening. All in all, it turned out to be a very good day even if we didn’t see any sunshine.

Yesterday was my darling wife’s birthday. Louis was the first one to get a hold of her to wish her a happy birthday. I went for my morning walk and when I came back, Colleen was on the phone with Alysia. I bet they talked for a good hour and a half. I set my computer up on the front porch and spent most of the morning and part of the afternoon finishing all my schoolwork for this weekend. Steven and Alex showed up right around noon time. They wished Colleen a happy birthday and then headed out to the fire pit to burn the various yard debris that had collected in a pile by the fire pit. Colleen made a Ruben casserole that came out great and tasted every bit of a regular Ruben sandwich. That was the second new recipe of the weekend to make it into Colleen’s cookbook. James showed up while I was walking Roux after dinner to wish Colleen a happy birthday. He visited for a bit and then left right at sunset.

Even with the green mostly gone from the trees and with all the comings and goings yesterday, Colleen had a wonderful birthday. Fortunately, the evening was quiet. There wasn’t much clean up after dinner in the kitchen, and Colleen made some muffins for our lunches this coming week. Oddly enough, despite it being Saturday, the 3-day weekend seemed to have mixed us up, and we spent most of the day thinking it was Sunday until we called it a day and realized we didn’t have to set the alarm clock for this morning. Even with the slight confusion, Friday and Saturday had both been wonderful days.

Colleen and I were up before dawn again today. I got a fire going in the fireplace and we both enjoyed a cup of coffee. Colleen was going to take Roux for a walk with the first sign of daylight. I’ll go for a long walk when they get back. Colleen is planning on spending some time in the kitchen today. I will most likely putter around the house as my schoolwork is done. I suppose I’ll do some online Christmas shopping too. Colleen and I will head to school tomorrow with a full week in front of us. I need to take Thursday off though. We’ll just keep taking everything one day at a time even with the holidays fast approaching. At the day’s end, we’ll catch our breath, look around and smile, because we know that all is right on the homestead.

Jump To Top

********************************************

November 19, 2023: Frosty Temperatures Outside, A Fire In The Fire Place, And the Wonderful Smells Of Colleen’s Holiday Cooking.

Another week has passed, and now we are looking at celebrating Thanksgiving. As November weather goes, it was a mild and dry week. The days got into the 70’s, there was plenty of sunshine, and nary a lick of rain. It isn’t exactly typical November weather, and in fact, we are in the midst of a drought around here. The local agencies have even issued a burn ban for the area. It should all be good for Thanksgiving though, as we are expecting a good soaking rain to come this Tuesday and Wednesday. A cold front pushed through the area last night, and for the rest of the week, it looks like our temperatures will be more seasonable. This morning I even put a fire in the fireplace to chase off the morning chill.

Last Sunday started like most Sundays do up here on our little hill. With the first light of day, Colleen took Roux for her morning walk. I went out for a long walk when they got back. Colleen spent a good bit of the rest of the day in the kitchen. She made a big pot of Bolognese soup and then a large chicken pot pie. I made sure my schoolwork was done and ready to go for Monday and got to spend some time with my baseball cards. I’m looking forward to making that a more full-time venture once I retire. The evening was quiet though. Colleen closed the hen coop and cleaned the kitchen while I took Roux for her evening walk.

Monday morning, Colleen and I were both up at our usual time looking at a full week of school. I didn’t exactly have a full week of school since I had scheduled to take Thursday off. Colleen would leave for school before sunup, and I’d wait for daylight before letting the chickens out for the day and heading to school. The week passed, more or less, uneventfully. I was swamped with too many meetings at school during the week, which has become the rule rather than the exception. Colleen stopped at the laundromat one day on her way home and at the market Thursday on her way home. Wednesday I ended up getting considerably home later than usual because of an after-school faculty meeting. I swear some people are trying to reinvent the wheel. The meeting wasn’t very productive. Friday, we both got home at our regular time and knowing this weekend would be busy, Colleen and I did as little as possible.

My day off Thursday was interesting, and it was a beautiful day not to go to school. I stayed home so I could attend a 2-hour webinar about retiring and setting up health care insurance under the state employee’s retirement package. With 20 plus years of state employment as a teacher, the deal is sweet and after hearing all the nightmares from others about social security and Medicare, it looks like I have a very easy road in front of me. I may not have made a great deal of money as a teacher, but the retirement package is great. The highlight of Colleen’s Thursday was when she got home, and I was still in the webinar so I couldn’t help her carry the groceries into the house, and she didn’t have to worry about me carrying anything too heavy and straining my heart.

Yesterday was by far the busiest Saturday we’ve had in a while. Colleen took Roux for a walk first thing in the morning and I headed out when they got back with a walk of my own. After a little breakfast, everything cranked up. Roux ran upstais and hid until Colleen threw her off the bed so it could be made. Colleen started making French meat pies for the holidays while I was out walking. I packed up some baseball cards for the day’s mail and then finished my grading and got my grade books caught up for the week when I got back home. After lunch Colleen made a couple of batches of dinner rolls for Thanksgiving and I started cleaning the house. It didn’t take me too long to cut up and get rid of the pile of Amazon shipping boxes, after which I vacuumed and then steam cleaned the carpet on the stairs and landings to the second floor. Colleen wasn’t quite done in the kitchen when the dinner rolls came out of the oven, she dove right into making her holiday fruitcakes. I took Roux for a walk after dinner and finished cleaning the carpets then. By the time all was said and done, the sun had set, and we were worn out.

Today will, most likely, start like yesterday once the sun comes up. I have put a fire in the fireplace because the temperature has fallen to near freezing outside. There will be more cleaning and cooking for us again today. Fortunately, Colleen and I only have school on Monday and Tuesday this week, but we will still be busy at home getting ready for Thursday. We are expecting 14 people around the table for Thanksgiving, and Friday is Christmas Tree Day at our house. Despite all the activity, Colleen and I will keep taking everything one day at a time. No matter how tired we may be at the end of a day, we’ll still look around and smile because we know that all is right on the homestead.

Jump To Top

********************************************

November 26, 2023: Just 2 Days Of School, Lots Of Getting Ready, And A Houseful For Thanksgiving.

What a week it has been! Thanksgiving has come and gone, and now it’s time to get ready for Christmas in earnest. The weather has finally turned decidedly fall. Most of the leaves have fallen from the trees, the temperatures have turned colder, and when we are home, we have a fire in the fireplace to chase the chill from the house. We got our first rain in a while last Tuesday and Wednesday. There has been lots of sunshine since then and it’s likely to stay that way until next weekend. I’m hopeful the forecast will change by then though because we still need to get the outside Christmas decorations put up in the front yard. Today we have mostly cloudy skies, 40-degree temperatures, and a light breeze to make feel even cooler.

Colleen and I started last Sunday like most Sundays. She took Roux for a walk and then I went for a long walk. While I was out walking, Colleen started cleaning in preparation for Thanksgiving and our expected houseful of guests. Colleen quite literally pulled the kitchen apart to clean and it took her right to lunch after which she cleaned the downstairs bathroom. When I got home, I had a little breakfast and then settled in to do my usual writing. Once Colleen had her fill of cleaning and was satisfied that all was in proper order, she started making eggnog. I got in front of my computer and finished the schoolwork I would need for Monday and Tuesday, which were our only two days of school last week.

Monday and Tuesday were uneventful school days. Colleen stopped at the laundromat Monday on her way home from school, and that evening finished the eggnog she started on Sunday. Clouds started to fill the skies Monday evening and the rain started falling right after dark. Colleen got a little break in the rain before driving to school Tuesday morning when the rain turned into just a mist. Tuesday was just a gray, dreary fall day and the rain just got heavier as the day wore on. The worst of the storms came through on Tuesday night. A couple of neighbors had trees come down just barely missing their houses. We ended up with only small branches and such strewn about the yard.

Colleen and I both slept a little later than usual on Wednesday morning. It was a busy day though. The rain was still falling when we rolled out of bed, so Roux didn’t get her morning walk. Colleen spent her day preparing things ahead of time for our Thanksgiving feast. I cleaned the house and kept the fire going all day. The front porch got cleaned, the rugs all got a good vacuuming, and I cleared out all my baseball cards and related things from our dining room table. The rain did finally break around noon, and we got some sunshine in the afternoon, so I took Roux for a long walk since she hadn’t gone for a walk in two days. Colleen and I called it an early day though because we knew Thanksgiving was going to be wild at our house.

Colleen and I were up before dawn on Thanksgiving. Colleen took Roux for her morning walk at first light and when she got back it was time to cook some turkey. Colleen stuffed the one for the oven and I got the smoker ready for the second turkey. By 9 o’clock, both turkeys were cooking. Colleen was planning to have everything on the table by 1 o’clock, but Alex showed up early so he could blow the leaves off the yard. Over the next two hours the rest of the kids showed up. When everything was ready to eat there were thirteen people gathered around our tables. The feast was awesome! I’m sure it wasn’t lavish by some standards, but for us, it couldn’t have been better. Everyone ate their fill and then some. After dinner everyone hung around for a while and visited. When everyone did have to leave, Colleen made sure they all had a healthy to-go platter full of Thanksgiving leftovers.

Colleen and I both slept well Thursday night and got up Friday morning, ready for another busy day. Friday morning, Colleen and I had a few errands to run, not the least of which was to get our Christmas tree. We did stop at the market for a few things that we needed for our school lunches this coming week too. We were home before noon, grabbed a quick lunch, and then cleaned, rearranged the living room, and set up the Christmas tree. We let the tree stand so the branches could fall out a bit before I put all of the lights on it, and then, once the lights were in place, Colleen and I hung the cranberry bead garland. We both needed a break at that point, so I took Roux for a walk. When we got home, Colleen and I quickly decided we would get pizza for dinner. We were still worn out from Thanksgiving Day. I did stay out on the porch with a cigar Friday evening until after dark.

Yesterday, neither Colleen nor I left the house save to walk Roux. We decorated the tree yesterday morning which took us most of the morning. I finished off the tree by hanging all the tinsel on it while Colleen put up more decorations around the house. We needed to change gears after lunch having become somewhat decorated out for the day. Colleen stripped any meat left on our Thanksgiving turkeys and boiled down the oven roasted turkey to make a stock for her turkey soup. I listed about 50 more baseball cards for sale online after which I took Roux for a walk. Colleen heated up some leftovers for dinner and after dinner, we finally took a little time to catch our breath.

It’s a cold, gray Sunday morning. Colleen will walk Roux and I will take a nice long walk when they return. Colleen will spend a good bit of today in the kitchen making pot pie and finishing her turkey soup. I will keep the fire burning and do the schoolwork I need for tomorrow. Fortunately, I start a 3-week Christmas break on the 15th. Colleen has school until the 20th, and then she must return to school right after the new year starts. Our Christmas shopping is mostly done already, but there is still plenty that needs doing around the house between now and the 25th. Colleen and I will keep taking things one day at a time though. Every evening, especially at this time of year, we can look around up here on our little hill and smile because we know that all is right on the homestead.

Jump To Top

********************************************

December 03, 2023: Christmas Decorations, A Hard Freeze, And An Unexpected Day Off From School.

Mother Nature took us for a wild ride with the temperatures over the last week. Right after Thanksgiving, the temperatures got cold enough where Colleen and I wanted to keep the fire going in the fireplace. By Tuesday the morning temperatures had fallen to near freezing and on Wednesday the mercury dropped below 20 degrees. Thursday things started to warm up a bit and by yesterday afternoon the thermometer needle was sitting at 65 degrees. Today we may hit 70 degrees. There wasn’t sign one of any precipitation all week until Friday night. Yesterday we had rain on and off all day. Things are wet this morning, and we may see a shower or two right around sunrise, but we shouldn’t see any rain for the rest of the day after that. We’re looking forward to some decent and consistent weather for the better part of the upcoming week, but as of right now, there is more rain in the forecast for next Sunday.

Last Sunday Colleen and I were still recovering from our very busy Thanksgiving holiday. The day wasn’t exactly all rest and relaxation though, well except for maybe Roux. Colleen spent a good bit of the day in the kitchen. There was turkey soup simmering on the stove, a turkey pot pie baking in the oven, and Rachel sandwiches with smoked turkey made for an awesome dinner. In between all of that, Colleen got everything ready for our lunches during the week. I spent the day staying out of Colleen’s way, keeping the fire going and doing schoolwork for the week. By the time the evening rolled around, we were both tired and worn out from our holiday break and needed to go back to school to get some rest.

The week started out rather mundanely considering we were on the heels of a full moon. Slowly but surely, Colleen and I got back into our usual school routine. The days started getting colder though, and then on Wednesday, the boiler at my school died. The school dismissed early on Wednesday and the county made Thursday a remote learning day for the kids. The teachers got saddled with a teacher workday, but we didn’t have to go to our school. The county made another facility available for the staff. I suspected the day would be chaos, so I took a sick day on Thursday and stayed home. As it turned out, the assigned facility didn’t have heat either, and everyone had to change gears to go somewhere else at the last minute.

Even though I stayed home Thursday, it wasn’t really like a day off, but it was far better than going into school for a teacher workday. I had put all the day’s assignments for my kids online like usual, but I also let the kids know I would be available online as well. I spent a good three hours in a virtual classroom with some kids, finally getting a break right before lunch. I did have an online meeting in the middle of the afternoon, so in between lunch and the start of my meeting, I started filling our porch firewood rack. My meeting was virtual and after it finished, I finished filling the firewood rack. Colleen stopped at the market on her way home Thursday, and as I had finished with the firewood, I was waiting on the front porch when she got home.

Friday passed uneventfully, even though the clouds started moving in early in the morning. Colleen had no problems getting to and from school and had an easy day. I spent the day in a full sprint. I have my three classes all before lunch and my planning period after lunch. I did have lunch duty on Friday though, so I ate lunch on the fly. During my planning period I helped a bunch of kids from another math class who are getting ready to take their state mandated end of course test. After that, I still had bus duty before I got to come home. I had just enough time when I got home to take Roux for a walk before the rain started.

As is always the case with the weekends leading up to Christmas, yesterday was busy. After Colleen walked Roux in the morning, I went for a long walk. We both managed to get our walks without the rain falling on us. Fifteen minutes after I got home it started raining. When I got home, Colleen had already dragged the pieces and parts of her living room Christmas village up from the basement and was starting to set it up. That took her all day right up until dinner time. I sat on the front porch with my computer, getting my grade books caught up for the week, getting all my class work ready for tomorrow, and I even found time to list 40 baseball cards for sale online. We finally relaxed after dinner yesterday evening.

This morning, the rain has stopped and the trees are now all but bare. Colleen and I will get ready for the upcoming school week. Colleen will be in the kitchen for part of the day, and maybe she will have time to decorate some more. I will try to get the outside lights and garland put up on the front porch, and I might even list some more baseball cards for sale. I only have 9 more days of school before my break starts. Colleen has 13 days. By Christmas Day, our house will be a winter wonderland. Colleen and I will keep taking everything one day at a time though. We really do have a great deal for which to be thankful again this year, but we celebrate every day when look around and smile knowing that all is right on the homestead.

Jump To Top

********************************************

December 10, 2023: More Christmas Decorations, A Long Week At School, Unseasonably Warm Temperatures.

Five years ago, we were looking at 6 to 8 inches of snow on the ground. Yesterday, it was sunny and 70 degrees outside. I guess we never can really tell what Mother Nature will do in this part of December. The weather has been tame all week. We got below freezing one morning in the middle of the week, and most days warmed up to at least 60 degrees. There really wasn’t any rain of which to speak. It looks like we’ll get our rain today though, and quite possibly a good bit of it. After today’s storms, next week promises to be colder than last week, but there isn’t any more rain in the forecast until next Sunday. We’re still 15 days out from Christmas, so there is no telling what the weather will bring on Christmas Day, but I always hope for a White Christmas.

Last Sunday turned out a little bit strange in that I woke up at 2:30 in the morning and couldn’t get back to sleep. By 5:30 I was dressed and downstairs, the coffee was made, and I was sitting on the front porch. Colleen got up a little before daybreak, and with the first light of day, she took Roux for a walk. I headed out for a long morning walk once they got home. Colleen did a little more decorating in the morning and then spent the afternoon getting meals ready for the week. I finished up my schoolwork, listed more baseball cards for sale, took a nap, and walked Roux in the late afternoon. After dinner, both Colleen and I were worn out, and fortunately, I got a decent night’s sleep to start my school week.

The school week was relatively uneventful. Colleen was on her way to school before sunup every day. I waited for dawn, so I had some daylight when I opened the hen coop. My week at school was one long mad dash. My usual planning period after lunch got swallowed up every day with tutoring kids in Math 1 because their final exam was Friday. On Friday, I had to administer a state mandated final exam to a roomful of kids. The exam ideally should take about two hours. For some reason, this group of kids took every minute of four hours which is the maximum time allowed. Needless to say, I didn’t do much at school on Friday.

Friday evening Colleen and I finally had a chance to catch our breath, and we enjoyed takeout pizza for dinner. Colleen spent part of the evening wrapping Christmas presents. I, on the other hand, did nothing more than sit on the front porch and smoke a cigar. I start my Christmas break this coming Friday, but my classes still have their final exams coming up. Colleen’s Christmas break doesn’t start until a week from this coming Thursday which gives me almost a whole week to get into trouble by being home all by myself. Fortunately, my break is three weeks long, so I won’t have to think about school for a while.

Yesterday Colleen and I had originally wanted to get the outside decorations for Christmas put up. After Colleen walked Roux, and I took a lovely 3.25 walk, we got started. The first things to go up were the garland and lights around the front window. I was up and down the extension ladder while Colleen made sure the ladder didn’t fall over since we live in the side of a hill. Colleen was starting to get overwhelmed thinking about everything she felt needed to be done. I knew she wouldn’t have been much help putting the yard decorations up at that point, so I chased her inside to wrap Christmas presents while I started in the front yard. After a good three hours of dragging stuff out of the basement and setting it up, my back started to protest, so I had to give up my task. At least, I got a good start to the project, and hopefully, it will get finished this coming weekend. Colleen managed to get her Dickens village set up in the family room after dinner, so that is one more thing off the list.

It’s gray this morning and we’re expecting rain today, and by the look of things, a good bit of rain too. The deer don’t seem to mind though. Colleen and I will try to get our morning walks before the rain starts, but we will spend most of the day indoors or on the front porch. I have a little schoolwork to finish up today and Colleen will prepare some meals for the upcoming week. We’re really hoping the week passes quickly and quietly. With more and more decorations going up, we’ve bumped ourselves down to ElfCon 4 in anticipation of Santa’s visit in 15 days. I guess Colleen and I have one last, big push to get us into Christmas Day now. We’ll keep taking everything one day at a time though. Every day, when all is said and done, we look around and smile thankfully knowing that all is right on the homestead.

Jump To Top

********************************************

December 17, 2023: Still More Christmas Decorations, I Am On Break, And Another Dreary Sunday Too.

We’re one week closer to Christmas, and it is a rainy dank Sunday again. On the whole, last week turned out to be very nice. The mornings’ temperatures got down below freezing, but the mercury climbed up into the 50’s and 60’s to go along with ample sunshine. The weather couldn’t have cooperated with my school schedule any better. My last day of school before Christmas break was Thursday, and Friday and Saturday were perfect for working outside, and that’s exactly what I did to finish off my week. After today’s rain finishes early tomorrow morning, everything starts getting cold again, and since I am home, I will be putting a fire in the fireplace to start my days.

The weather was a mess last Sunday just like today, but it wasn’t raining quite as hard. Mother Nature gave us just enough of a break in the morning, so Colleen got to take Roux for her walk, and I managed to go for about a 2-mile walk only getting wet over the last 200 hundred yards before I got back to the house. The rain kept everything low key all day. Colleen spent some time in the kitchen, and she managed to do a bit more decorating. I finished up the last of the schoolwork I needed to close out the semester.

The rain finally ended sometime during the night and the sun came up Monday morning. Colleen left for school before sunrise every morning, and I waited for daylight, took care of the morning chores and then headed into school. Colleen had her usual week at school. My week was squirrelly at best. There were final exams for my classes mixed with various meetings and other activities. Since Thursday was my last day of school, I stopped and got some takeout for dinner. After dinner Colleen got everything ready she needed for school on Friday. I did nothing.

I was up shortly after Colleen left for school on Friday morning. I had my coffee, took Roux for a long walk, and then I spent the rest of the morning blowing leaves off the backyard. I finished the backyard right before lunch, and after lunch, I started putting up garland and hanging lights on the front porch. Colleen stopped at the market on her way home, so she was late getting home. I had finished doing everything I could before she got home, and I was waiting on the front porch when she came rolling down the driveway. We had leftovers for dinner, and then spent the rest of our evening trying to catch our proverbial breath.

Yesterday was busy. In the morning I finished hanging lights on the front porch and in the afternoon I put some more Christmas decorations on the front yard. Colleen spent a better part of the day in the kitchen making scones and her cinnamon swirl bread. Alex drove an hour and a half to get Louis and his things to bring him home. Louis will be staying with us until he can get his feet back on the ground. I’m looking forward to him being around especially with the holiday especially with me being on a 3-week break.

The rain was spotty at best this morning, and Colleen got to take Roux for a walk before the rain really started to come down. The rain had already started beating up our lawn decorations once it started too. Colleen and I had some coffee and then got ready to head out for our annual trip to the mall. We aren’t expecting to run into any crowds at the mall fortunately, and we will treat ourselves to lunch. Colleen has three days of school to start this week, but then she is on her Christmas break. It looks like apart from wrapping a few last gifts and Colleen making whatever Christmas brunch preparations she can, we are set for Christmas Day. Colleen and I will just keep taking everything one day at a time. At each day’s end, we’ll look around and smile because we know that all is right on the homestead.

Jump To Top

********************************************

December 24, 2023: It’s Christmas Eve, There’s No Snow, And Santa is Due At Midnight!

Today is Christmas Eve. We have a bright sunny morning with the mercury headed up to 60 degrees or higher later today. We had been hoping for a White Christmas, but obviously, that won’t be the case yet again this year. I’m not complaining though, especially after the rain we’ve had for the past couple of Sundays. We’re due for another round of rain though. It’s supposed to get here sometime tomorrow night and give us a good soaking all Tuesday and into Wednesday. On the bright side, there is no place Colleen and I must be until after the new year. Once the rain passes us by, things will get cold again and it will definitely feel like winter.

Last Sunday was rainy, dank, and dreary. It was also the day that Colleen and I set aside on which we make our annual visit to the mall. It’s the only time we go to the mall. Since our Christmas shopping was done, the trip was to look at the decorations which seem to be less and less opulent every year, and to treat ourselves to lunch. Last year the mall opened at 7 o’clock the weekend before Christmas, so we figured getting there a little after 9:30 would be a good thing to beat the crowds. This year the mall didn’t open until 10 o’clock, and whether due to the rain or the increase of online shopping, there was no crowd of which to speak while we were there. Colleen and I walked the mall, looked around, had our lunch, and we were home by 1 o’clock.

Monday morning rolled around, the alarm clock went off, and Colleen headed into school. I got up too, and with the first light of day, I opened the hen coop for the day and then took Roux for a good morning walk. This scene repeated itself right through Wednesday which was Colleen’s last day of school before her Christmas break. Colleen stopped at the laundromat on her way home Monday, but that was the only errand she had to run after school for the week. I spent my days keeping the fire going in the fireplace to keep the house warm and sorting and organizing baseball cards so I could clear off the kitchen table by Christmas morning.

Thursday morning was my turn to leave the house. I had an early doctor’s appointment for my semi-annual checkup. The checkup went well, and I had a full battery of blood tests too. All my blood tests came back looking great. Unfortunately, even though my LDL cholesterol is well within the normal range, the doctor wants to knock my cholesterol down to the bottom of the range because of my aneurysm, so the doctor changed out one of my medications. Colleen needed a few things from the market, so I stopped there on my way home. The market was packed when I got there. I stopped at the gas station to get lottery tickets for all the Christmas stockings too. I noticed the gas station, which is just a mile down the road, was looking for help, so I told Louis when I got home. Steven gave him a ride down there and when they came back, Louis had an interview lined up for Friday morning.

Friday was an interesting day. Louis got up later than he had wanted and was scrambling around to get ready for his interview. I gave him a ride there, and he was 5 minutes early, fortunately. I waited for him, and when he got back into the Trail Blazer, he had a job and will start on three 26th. After lunch, Colleen and I headed to Costco to get the fixings for her charcuterie tray for her Christmas brunch buffet. I can’t remember the last time I saw so many people in Costco, but Costco had every single register open and we had no problems getting in or out. I’m pretty sure that was the last little bit of running around we needed to do for Christmas.

Yesterday, Colleen started cooking for our Christmas brunch buffet. She made a double batch of buttermilk biscuits, pre-baked the pie crusts for her quiches, and made a pot of her spicy chicken soup to feed anyone who shows up today. I started cleaning the house. I had just finished in the living room when Alex showed up with his full battery of tree-gear. The big white oak by the pool had really started to uproot after our last rainstorm. Alex said it needed to come down before it fell. He spent all afternoon taking the tree down piece by piece. I spent all afternoon watching my youngest son climb around with a chainsaw in a very tall tree. It was a bit unnerving, but it’s what Alex does for a living, and he’s very good at it.

Today Colleen and I will make our last big push to get ready for tomorrow, Christmas Day. Colleen will be in the kitchen most of the day, and I will finish cleaning the house. The backyard is still a mess and I’m hoping Steven can come over today to start cutting things up, but there’s no great rush for that. Colleen and I do have next week off too. Today the house needs to be made ready for tomorrow morning because once again we are expecting a house full of family and friends. Unfortunately, we won’t see the grandkids tomorrow. They can’t come over until Tuesday. Colleen and I will keep taking everything one day at a time. The next few days may be busy, but at the end of each day we’ll look around and smile knowing that all is right on the homestead. Merry Christmas everyone!

Jump To Top

********************************************

December 31, 2023: A House Full For Christmas, Cold Temperatures Came Back, And It’s New Year’s Eve!

Another week, another month, and another year comes to a close today. I’m not sure if I’m glad to see 2023 go, or excited for 2024 arrive. I suppose some of both. Everything slowed down some after Christmas around here last week. The weather decided to get back to seasonable conditions. Christmas Day was a bit warmer than usual, it rained all day Tuesday, and then everything cooled back down. For most of the week we had plenty of sunshine, some days the thermometer struggled to get to 50 degrees, and after Tuesday, the mornings greeted us with temperatures below freezing. We didn’t see any snow, and there sure isn’t any in the forecast. We did, however, keep a fire burning in the fireplace all week long. Colleen still has a few days left of her Christmas break, but she will head back to school on Wednesday. I still have a full week left to my Christmas break.

Last Sunday was a busy day up here on our little hill as we got ready for Christmas. Colleen spent a good bit of the day in the kitchen getting things ready for her Christmas brunch buffet. Louis was already here, but Steven, James, and Donna showed up to spend Christmas Eve at the house. Steven spent most of the afternoon cutting up limbs and small branches so the kids would have ample wood to burn in the fire pit after dark. I did some cleaning and vacuuming to get things ready for our guests on Christmas Day. When Colleen and I finally did make it to bed, the boys were all down by the fire pit where they had a very nice fire burning.

Christmas Day got here right on schedule, and Santa made sure everybody had something under the tree and in their stocking. Colleen and I were the first ones up. I took Roux for her walk and Colleen went back into the kitchen. In the past, it has been presents first and then the buffet, but the kids that weren’t here didn’t start rolling in until later in the morning, so the buffet got put out first. Those of us that were here started eating, and as everyone else arrived, they filled their plates. When everyone was here and fed, there were eleven of us, it was time for presents. There were plenty of surprises, lots of smiles and laughs, and a goodly amount of torn Christmas paper strewn about when all was said and done. As the afternoon wore on and everyone had to leave, Colleen made sure everyone left with a plate or two of buffet leftovers. I think Alex had three plates when he left.

Tuesday morning, we picked up right where we left off on Christmas Day. The grandkids couldn’t be with us on Christmas Day, so we’d had Second Christmas with the grandkids on Tuesday. I had gotten up early to take Louis to his first day of work at his new job and then started a nice fire in the fireplace to chase the damp air out of the house. Steven and Ariel showed up around 10 o’clock with Lily and Jaxon. The kids were all excited to have a second Christmas. Colleen made sure all her villages were lit so the kids could check them out. When it came time to open the presents, there were lots of joyous squeals and laughter. Everyone left right before lunch, and Colleen and I just sat back and finally relaxed as best we could.

I took Louis to work again Wednesday morning, but Colleen and I were both worn out from the holiday festivities. Colleen tried to start putting decorations away and made little headway, but she was in bed by 6 o’clock that evening. I know I was worthless, so I did nothing on the day. Thursday ended up being a day when Colleen and I both did as little as possible to recharge our batteries. Colleen even slept until 9:30, came downstairs to get a cup of coffee, and then headed back upstairs until noon. Steven and Lily popped by the house in the afternoon. Steven and Louis refilled the back porch firewood rack. Colleen made a Yankee pot roast for dinner which everyone, even Lily, enjoyed.

Friday morning, I took Louis to work again, and he opened the store. He said the owner said he had done quite well too. Colleen made some French meat pies in the morning and some fish cakes for lunch but spent the better part of her day packing up her villages and storing them in the basement. I got to take a long walk in the morning, kept the fire going all day, and worked with baseball cards most of the day. By the time the evening rolled around, Colleen’s living room Christmas village and her Dickens Christmas were all neatly packed away and stored in the basement. Louis went live stream again Friday night, had computer issues, but got everything worked out eventually.

Colleen tackled the rest of the various Christmas decorations around the house Saturday morning. I went for a walk Saturday morning, but the real fun didn’t start until after lunch when Colleen and I headed outside to take down the Christmas yard decorations. It took us a couple of hours, but everything is packed and stored in the basement. Truth be told, our yard looks naked and barren now. The yard will stay that way for a couple of months until it’s time to plant our gardens again. The lights are still up in the house and porch, but those will come down soon.

There is frost on everything this morning as there should be at this time of the year. Today the Christmas tree will come down. Colleen and I will pick over the tree, putting all the ornaments in their appropriate boxes. We have 25-plus years of saved Christmas ornaments, each one with a story or two behind it. Hopefully, I can find some time to take a little bit longer walk with Roux this afternoon. Colleen will cook a 12-pound ham and all the tasty sides that go with it for dinner. I’m not sure what Louis will do. Colleen and I will not be staying up until midnight to welcome in the new year. We rarely do. When the clock strikes 12 tonight we will be sound asleep. Tomorrow starts a new year, and Colleen and I will keep taking everything one day at a time. No matter what 2024 brings our way though, we will look around and smile thankfully because we know that all is right on the homestead.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Jump To Top

********************************************

Scroll Down To Leave A Comment

17 Replies to “2023 – Archived Blogs”

Eliza Anderson says:

January 8, 2023 at 1:47 pm

Glad you had a pleasant a Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s season. I missed reading a few of your blog adventures due to the scrambles through my own! (A trip out of state and all that entails, packing, travel details to and from etc. and relatives etc. A fun, successful, overly busy time) Thankful I will be able to catch up on your adventures through your blog. I love reading of you homesteading adventures as they do take my mind away from the frantic and frustrating “events” of our current times. I am a retired teacher (art) and relate to the frustrations of
“in-school” life. I miss parts of it .. but not enough to go back! Life has enough other challenges to keep me busy!
Thank you for your most interesting writings of life’s observations and sanity maintained. They help me maintain my own balance too. Happy New Year! Carry on!
1. Pops says:
  
  January 8, 2023 at 2:16 pm
  
  Thanks,
  
  I think I write as much to keep my sanity in these time as anything else. I am so glad you find some grounding in them too. Have a great New Year!
  
  Dennis
  1. Kevin says:
    
    September 10, 2023 at 6:52 pm
    
    Good luck with the doctor appointment tomorrow.
    1. Pops says:
      
      September 10, 2023 at 8:56 pm
      
      Thanks! Hope you had a great day….
2. Kevin says:
  
  December 17, 2023 at 6:26 pm
  
  Merry Christmas to you and your family. I always look forward to reading your blog.
Nadine Froderman says:

March 27, 2023 at 7:48 pm

In the river, is that a log or a big snapping turtle?
Wish we had some of those acorns. There is only one oak tree here and I love them.
Our high today was 26. Trade you!!!!!
1. Pops says:
  
  April 2, 2023 at 12:59 pm
  
  That’s just a tree in river… I’ll let you keep the 20’s … Hope you have a great day.
Monique Eleonora Lacroix says:

April 16, 2023 at 2:57 pm

I love your blog and your daily musings, thanks so much!!
1. Pops says:
  
  April 16, 2023 at 3:27 pm
  
  Thank you… It’s how I keep my sanity in this crazy world.
  1. Monique Eleonora Lacroix says:
    
    April 24, 2023 at 9:03 am
    
    They help me keep my sanity and keep me grounded.
Monique Lacroix says:

May 8, 2023 at 10:24 am

The oxalis and clover patch look great, Colleen. I am glad you finally had a weekend with sunshine and at the right time too, with Lilly being able to enjoy the outdoors!
Thanks again for all your musings, here as well as on f b. They are the first things I read in the morning when I get on my device. Just to start the day off right.
1. Pops says:
  
  May 14, 2023 at 11:43 am
  
  Thanks… Definitely looking for to our time on summer break so we can spend more time around here.
Kevin says:

July 9, 2023 at 7:52 pm

I certainly enjoy reading your blog and hope the news about the aneurism turns out for the best for you. Also, congratulations on your pending retirement. A year will pass quickly.
1. Pops says:
  
  July 16, 2023 at 11:29 am
  
  Thanks… taking it easy for now… definitely looking forward to my retirement too… Have a great day!
Monique Lacroix says:

August 13, 2023 at 5:30 pm

Are you taking another day off this coming week, just to keep your sanity?
Joe Gentz says:

October 30, 2023 at 4:53 am

When you started walking, how far were you going? I see you are up to 3 miles now, can you tell a difference in your strength?

Enjoy your writings!
R/
Joe G
1. Pops says:
  
  November 5, 2023 at 10:34 am
  
  I started by walking the dog about 3/4 of a mile. after a few weeks of that, I started venturinmg out on my own and just walking the streets around here. It’s up and down hills so it’s a good walk for me. Yes, I definitely can tell the difference though, especially going up the hills as I no longer get winded.
  
  Have a great day!

Comments are closed.