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Entry Index – 2026
January 04, 2026: Cleaning Up After Christmas, Starting A New Year, Back To School Tomorrow.
January 11, 2026: Back At School For Colleen, A January Thaw, More Cleaning Around The House.
January 18, 2026: A Long Weekend, Winter Weather, Firewood, A Fire On The Hearth.
January 25, 2026: Another Long Weekend, Snow, Moving Firewood, Preparing For A Winter Storm.
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January 04, 2026: Cleaning Up After Christmas, Starting A New Year, Back To School Tomorrow.
The holidays have come and gone and here we are barreling headlong into 2026. After a warm run of mild weather for the week of Christmas, temperatures returned to seasonal to usher in the New Year around here. Our mornings started with the mercury below the freezing mark and typically got to around the 50-degree mark in the middle of the afternoon. Some days it did not make it that high, and some days it got closer to the 60-degree mark. We have not seen a lick of snow since early December. We barely saw any rain for that matter. We did get a few light showers last Sunday and yesterday morning though. This coming week will be dry again with rain not showing up in the forecast until next weekend, but then again that may change before we get there.
Last Sunday, Colleen and I were still recuperating from our Christmas festivities. Colleen had started taking down the Christmas decorations. Unfortunately, we could not find an adequate storage unit on Saturday to store the first batch of boxes and totes, so I ended up carrying them from the back of the Trail Blazer down to the cedar room in the basement. Colleen spent a good bit of the day consolidating smaller things into storable totes and putting some organization into the cedar room. I spent the day writing, listing baseball cards for sale online, and generally making myself available anytime Colleen needed a helping hand.
Monday was laundry day, and after Colleen walked Roux and had her second cup of coffee, she headed to the laundromat. Colleen came home with wet laundry like usual and another half dozen large totes from the Dollar Store. She had been wanting a sturdier set of shelves for the kitchen, so after she got home and got the laundry drying in the basement, we headed to Lowe’s. Fortunately, the shelves were easy to put together when we got home. I went for a walk while Colleen put everything back on her new shelves. The temperature started dropping in the middle of the afternoon and dropping quickly. By the time I headed out to the front porch after dinner to have my evening cigar, the mercury had fallen below the 40-degree mark.
On Tuesday, we stayed close to home. It was a gray day. I got the fire lit when I first got up in the morning. Colleen did not take Roux for a walk. After Colleen finished her coffee, she headed into the kitchen to make a pot of hamburger and cabbage soup. Between the fire in the fireplace and Colleen cooking, it did not take the house long to warm up. I took a short nap after lunch and went for a walk when I came back downstairs. Colleen made a good old fashioned Yankee pot roast for dinner. Apart from the usual evening chores, Colleen and I spent most of the evening relaxing and enjoying the warmth of our fireplace.
Colleen woke up with a bee in her bonnet on Wednesday and after her coffee and morning chores, she headed down to the basement and started reorganizing the cedar room. The pile of empty boxes she created dwarfed any pile of empty Amazon boxes we usually have. Everything in those boxes ended up in a tote bin. Since the boxes were destined for the recycling bin, I started moving them outside, breaking them down, and putting them in the recycling bin. The deer did niot seem to mind me being out there by the bin. It did not take me long to fill the bin. We still have a pile of boxes next to the bin and another pile on the back porch. The recycling bin will not get emptied until this coming Tuesday and then I will fill it up again. Even though Wednesday was New Year’s Eve, Colleen and I did not have any plans like usual. We went to bed early and started the New Year off with a good night’s sleep.
Thursday was New Year’s Day, but it was also market day, and the market was open. Colleen’s market list was short. We got everything we needed for a good bit under our budget. We did get a few extra things that were on sale including a second ham for half price. I am glad we have two freezers in the basement, because we have two turkeys and the ham we bought made for two hams in the freezer. After lunch, Colleen finished taking down and storing all the Christmas decorations in the family room. That left us with just the Christmas tree and the outdoor decorations to pack up and put away.
Rain was in the forecast for Saturday, and Colleen’s Christmas break was winding down, so Friday morning we headed outside to take down, pack up, and put away all the outdoor Christmas decorations. We finished that before lunch and decided to take down the Christmas tree after lunch. Matching ornaments on the tree to their correct boxes is always a challenge, but we finished in the middle of the afternoon and then unceremoniously dumped the Christmas tree over the front porch rail. I still have to drag it down to the fire pit.
Yesterday was a bleak and dreary day, and we kept a low fire burning all day long. We got some rain in the morning, just enough to get the roads wet. The skies stayed cloud-filled most of the day though. I managed to take a walk in the afternoon while Colleen was making a ham dinner. To go with the ham, Colleen boiled a purple cabbage, baked some potatoes, and roasted an acorn squash. Somewhere, along the way, Colleen lost track of a potholder she was using as a spacer on the lid of her boiling pot to keep the pot from boiling over. We had a good laugh for ourselves when we found the potholder in the water with the cabbage.
Everybody slept late this morning and there is plenty of sunshine on tap for the day. Unfortunately, today is Colleen’s last day of Christmas break. I already lit the day’s fire and now, I have my morning coffee in hand. I have my usual writing and tending to the fire on the day’s agenda. Colleen wants to make and freeze some ham pot pies. Hopefully, she can finish by mid-afternoon and relax for the rest of the day. The week in front of me promises to be busy. I need to get back into a daily routine of keeping things clean around the house while Colleen is at school. The holidays were very good and filled with memories for us. Still, we will keep taking everything one day at a time. At the end of each day, we will look around and smile thankfully for everything we have, because we know that all is right on the homestead.
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January 11, 2026: Back At School For Colleen, A January Thaw, More Cleaning Around The House.
We have a brilliant blue Sunday morning, and the thermometer needle is hovering around the 50-degree mark. It is a bit warmer for a mid-January morning, but a cold front with a gusty breeze is moving into the area, and the temperatures will be dropping all day long. Tomorrow morning when the sun starts coming up, the mercury will be below the freezing mark. I guess we had our January thaw last week, not that anything was frozen. The mercury got up past the 60- degree mark most days last week and past the 70-degree mark on a couple of days. We got a little rain on Friday night and into Saturday morning, but the worst of the storms stayed west and north of us. The warm temperatures made it unnecessary to light a fire for most of the week too.
Everything started settling back into a non-holiday routine last Sunday. Everyone slept late, I lit a fire to start my day, and Colleen did not take Roux for a morning walk. Colleen spent some time in the kitchen making ham pot pie from our leftover New Year’s ham. I did my usual Sunday writing and even got to take a walk in the afternoon. The evening was quiet and relaxing. After two weeks of Christmas break though, Colleen did have to get ready to head back into school on Monday morning. She was not looking forward to getting up and driving to school though.
Colleen headed into school at her usual time Monday morning. When I got out of bed, I put a fire in the fireplace because the mercury was below the freezing mark. Our girls started laying again, and there were two eggs waiting in the nesting boxes when I opened the hen coop for the day. I spent part of the morning getting caught up with my baseball cards and then it was time to start cleaning and vacuuming. I got the family room cleaned and everything was put back together. I swept and washed the kitchen floor too but decided the other rooms could wait for another day. In between everything, I kept the fire burning and brought the last of the firewood in our fourth winter-ready rack up to the back porch rack. Colleen was a little later than usual getting home from school, so I made sure our dinner was heating up in the oven when she finally rolled down the driveway.
Tuesday morning was foggy and cool enough to light a fire to start the day, but I let it burn out by noon. The day ended up warming up to over 70 degrees. I started the day by working with my baseball cards again. I had designs on cleaning the living room, but decided the leaves needed to be blown off the backyard instead. I spent the late morning and early afternoon with the leaf blower strapped to my back. I managed to get the daily housework done before Colleen got home, too. I took a quick nap after dinner and then took a walk while I still had some daylight left.
We certainly did not need a fire Wednesday morning, so I got to take Roux for a morning walk. There were two more eggs waiting when I opened up the hen coop too. The recycle bin got emptied on Tuesday, and we still had a couple of piles of boxes that needed to be thrown away. I took me a bit of doing, but I got rid of about half of the boxes, filling up the recycle bin half up in the process. I took care of the daily housework and routine afternoon chores while Colleen stopped at the laundromat on her way home from school. I even had dinner heated up and waiting when Colleen got home.
Thursday was market day, and it was a bright and sunny day, too. I managed to get to the market a bit earlier than usual. It was a good day for sales. I exceeded our budget, but I managed to bring our groceries in at just under $0.66 on the dollar. I took a short nap after I finished putting all the groceries away and cleaned the living room when I got up. I guess I was on a roll, because I got the daily housework done before Colleen got home. Colleen took care of the afternoon chores when she got home. The rest of our evening was quiet fortunately.
Friday morning was gray, but there were two more eggs in the nesting boxes when I opened up the hen coop. There was the threat of rain in the evening, and there was still a pile of boxes on the back deck. I spent the better part of the morning getting the boxes off the deck, broken down, and into the recycle bin. I filled the bin up, too. It was still before lunchtime when I finished, so I cleaned and vacuumed the dining room. That did not take as long as I thought, so I washed and waxed the wood floor in the entryway too. Colleen stopped at the vet’s office on the way home to get Roux’s medication. It took them longer than expected, so I took care of the afternoon chores of bringing the girls their treats and feeding Roux. When Colleen got home, all she needed to do was order our takeout pizza for dinner. We spent our evening after dinner relaxing.
It rained yesterday morning. Colleen did not take Roux for a walk. Colleen and I headed out about midmorning to run our errands, a trip to TSC and Walmart. I was disappointed that neither store had their garden supplies on their shelves yet. Colleen and I treated ourselves to Hardee’s for lunch before we came home though. The rain had stopped by midmorning, and we were both surprised to see the forsythia starting to bloom when we got home. I took a short nap when we got home and then went for a short walk after I got up. Neither Colleen nor I were hungry when dinner time rolled around. We ended up snacking on whatever we could forage from the refrigerator over the course of the evening.
It was warm this morning, so Colleen took Roux for a walk. The temperature had started dropping by the time Colleen and Roux got home, and I found my way to the front porch. The temperature is going to drop all day long. The wind is supposed to really kick up today too. Colleen wants to spend some time in the kitchen today. I will take a walk, do my usual writing, and do what I can once I finish. The house should stay warm enough today without a fire, but I will definitely need to light one tomorrow morning. It looks like we are headed back down to winter temperatures in the upcoming week. Fortunately, there is no real precipitation in the forecast. Colleen and I will keep taking everything one day at a time though. At the end of each day, we will look around and smile, because we know that all is right on the homestead.
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January 18, 2026: A Long Weekend, Winter Weather, Firewood, A Fire On The Hearth.
It is an extremely damp and dreary day today. The slow steady rain that is falling is cold and biting. The temperature is dropping to boot, and we may get snow this afternoon. Mother Nature was fickle again last week. The mercury got up to the 60-degree mark at the beginning of the week and ended up falling below the 20-degree mark later in the week. We had gray skies and a little bit of rain on some days, and brilliant sunshine and blue skies on other days. We will be lucky if the thermometer needle reaches the 50-degree mark for the upcoming week. I must say though, it has been an easy winter so far. The next six weeks are always the roughest part of winter for us though. I, however, do have my fingers crossed so that I will be able to get into the gardens by late February.
Last Sunday was cool, and windy. The temperature was seasonable, but the wind chill had a bite. Colleen was up early and took Roux for a walk though. I took a walk after I finished my coffee. Surprisingly, the house held Saturday’s heat well, so we only needed a low fire. Colleen spent part of her day in the kitchen making mostly snacks for the week. I got my writing done in the middle of the afternoon and got to spend some time with my baseball cards. Colleen and I spent the evening relaxing, and in general, everything was falling back into our usual routine after our remarkably busy holiday season.
Monday morning saw Colleen head into school at her regular time. I stayed in bed good while after she left. Even with a late start to the day, I managed to get a good bit of work done. After I lit the day’s fire and finished my coffee, I opened the hen coop for the day and got into cleaning mode. I washed the kitchen floor and then cleaned the downstairs bathroom and washed its floor. While everything was drying, I moved some firewood up to the back porch rack. Of course, I kept the fire stoked and kept the hearth rack filled in between everything too. Colleen got home at her regular time, and our evening was routine, thankfully.
On Tuesday, the temperature started to warm up. I was up early and got to enjoy a colorful sunrise. Even though I lit a fire after Colleen left for school, I let it burn out by noon. After I opened the hen coop and collected the day’s eggs, I moved some more firewood up to the back porch. By midmorning, the day was warming up nicely, so I pulled the leaf blower out of the basement and blew the front yard clean. Colleen got tied up at school and was late getting home. When she got home, I had already brought the girls their afternoon treats, fed Roux, and had heated up dinner. Once Colleen got settled in the house, we had dinner. I did get to go for a walk after dinner and got home just before sunset.
Wednesday was our warmest day of the week. I wanted to sleep late, but Roux woke me up and needed to go outside. Our morning sky was incredibly colorful again, but that soon disappeared and clouds turned everything bleak and gray. The forecast said we had some rain heading our way so after I opened the hen coop for the day, I brought some more firewood up to the back porch. I did not move as much as I wanted to move because with a cold front moving into the area, my back started protesting loudly. I spent most of the rest of my day in front of the fireplace working with and listing baseball cards for sale online. The big event of the day was Alex getting the keys to his new apartment. His plan was to get all his belongings moved to the new place on Saturday.
The skies were brilliant blue again on Thursday, but it was cold. It was also market day. I got the morning chores done early, got to the market early, and got home early. Colleen’s market list was short, and I brought everything we needed and wanted in for well under our weekly budget. I had all the groceries put away by 9:30. After the groceries were put away, I lit the day’s fire and then headed outside to move more firewood up to the porch rack. Colleen was a bit late getting out of school again, so I took care of the girls, collected the day’s eggs, and started heating up dinner so it would be ready when Colleen got home.
I got up Friday morning right after Colleen left for school. It was a chilly morning. Roux finally came downstairs after the sun had started coming up, and I let her go outside. After wandering around in the backyard, she decided to sit down by the pool with the sun on her face looking down into the ravine behind the house. I could not see anything, so I do not know what had her attention. Friday was an easy day for me though. I cleaned and vacuumed the living room, kept the fire burning all day, and worked with my baseball cards. Colleen and I got takeout subs for dinner. After dinner, everything was quiet and uneventful.
Yesterday was cold again. The mercury barely got over the 40-degree mark. Colleen took Roux for a predawn walk. Unfortunately, once Colleen got home, she could not get warm. I kept the fire burning hard all day. Colleen spent some time in her workroom and eventually took a nap. While she was napping, I brought the girls their afternoon treats and collected the day’s eggs. I brought some wood up to the back porch and then covered the winter-ready racks with a tarp again so the wood would stay dry when the rain started last night. We just heated up some leftovers for dinner. It was a quiet evening in front of the fireplace after that.
Colleen did not take Roux for a walk this morning because of the weather. I started the fire when I came downstairs. Colleen is feeling much better this morning. Fortunately, tomorrow is a holiday, so she does not have to go to school. I do not think we will be doing much today though. This rain is forecast to turn to snow around lunchtime. If it does, I may go for a walk in the snow. Rain or snow, the roads will be a mess tomorrow morning after everything freezes tonight. Colleen and I will keep taking everything one day at a time though. At the end of each day, we will pause to look around and smile, because we know that all is right on the homestead.
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January 25, 2026: Another Long Weekend, Snow, Moving Firewood, Preparing For A Winter Storm.
For the second weekend in a row, we were hit by a winter storm. Last Sunday was not bad and any snow that stuck to the ground was gone on Monday. This weekend, on the other hand, is a mess. We got a little bit of snow last night, followed by enough sleet to cover the ground, but that all turned into freezing rain, and now, we have a sheet of ice covering everything. The freezing rain will be here all day today too. The temperatures were cold enough last week that I needed to burn a fire every day except Thursday. The week after in front of us, however, will be brutally cold. The mercury will only climb just above the freezing mark one or two of the days next week. Our fireplace will keep warm us over the next seven or eight days though.
The lousy weather started last Saturday, and it lasted well into Sunday. Colleen did not take Roux for a walk in the morning. Monday was a holiday, so Colleen was not going to go to school, and she finally got to spend the day relaxing. Both of us spent most of the day in the living room in front of the fire. Colleen spent a little time in the kitchen, though. She made some baked apple-cinnamon oatmeal. It is a treat she really enjoys. When the snow finally started falling in the afternoon, I went for a walk. Walking during a snowstorm is one of my favorite times to go walking. Apart from the usual daily chores, that was all Colleen and I did for the day.
Monday morning the tree branches were covered with a thin coat of ice and the roads had black ice all over them. I was glad Colleen had the day off from school and did not have to drive anywhere. Roux woke me up at 5 o’clock in the morning though so I could let her go outside. I figured I should just stay up at that point and proceed in getting the day’s fire burning. I spent most of my day working with my baseball cards, and Colleen spent her day writing recipes and organizing her cookbooks. I was surprised to see a good many shiitake mushrooms in our mushroom garden, and I ended up harvesting a couple of pounds of fresh mushrooms after lunch. The rest of our day was quiet.
Colleen headed back into school Tuesday morning. After I got up, got a fire burning, and finished my coffee, I headed outside to start refilling the porch firewood rack. The long-range weather forecast said there was a winter storm headed out way that could drop as much as 20 inches of snow on us. I was excited! I did package up some baseball cards for the day’s mail, and I listed a few more cards for sale too. Since it was final exam week at Colleen’s school, she got home a little earlier than usual. Still, I had the daily chores done before she got home.
Wednesday morning Colleen headed off to school like usual. The day started like most and with the first light of day, Roux and I were down back opening up the hen coop. Actually, Roux just laid down in the leaves and watched the deer move along the wood line while I took care of the girls. The rest of my day until Colleen got home was spent getting ready for the weekend winter storm. I waited for my walk until Colleen got home from school. I never wander too far from the house while there is a fire burning in the fireplace. Colleen and I put our heads together after dinner to come up with a market list for our weekly supplies and a few things we would need to hunker down for the impending winter storm.
I got up shortly after Colleen left for school on Thursday. I wanted to get to the market early because people go crazy around here whenever the words snow or ice are in the forecast. I’m glad I did go early too because some of the shelves were almost bare. In the case of bottled water, there was not a drop to be had. When I got home, I ordered a Brita water filter. Our tap water is extremely hard and just does not taste right. Right around lunch time, I helped a neighbor split some firewood so they could burn it in their fireplace should we lose power with the impending storm. Colleen had plans to stop at the laundromat on her way home, so after I finished the daily chores, I brought the girls their afternoon treats, collected the day’s eggs, and started heating our dinner.
By Friday, the winter storm forecast had changed significantly. There was no longer any snow. The precipitation would be sleet to start and then primarily freezing rain. I spent the day shuttling firewood up to the back porch rack and making various other preparations for the storm. A lot of freezing rain around here means loss of electricity, and the whole area becomes paralyzed until the ice melts. The forecast was predicting more than a half inch of ice. I finished filling the back porch firewood rack. The Brita water filter got delivered in the morning, so I spent a good part of the afternoon filling gallon water jugs. Colleen and I got pizza for dinner. After dinner, we started figuring out what we still had to do to get ready for the storm. Fortunately, we realized there wasn’t much left to do. By the end of the day, we had ten gallons of filtered water in jugs too.
Colleen and I got up yesterday morning with just a few things to do before the start of the storm last night. We made sure the hen coop was secure and not drafty. Chickens can handle cold weather as long as they are not in a draft. Colleen spent the better part of the day in the kitchen. She made some gumbo, gumbo cookies, shrimp and salmon pasta, and some Greek stuffed peppers. She wanted to make sure we had plenty of food we could just warm up if we lost power. I kept the fire burning and foraged around the basement for a few things that would be useful if we lost power. I pulled out extra sleeping bags, a propane camp stove, 1-pound bottles of propane for the stove, and a composting toilet. By the time Colleen and I closed up shop last night, the precipitation had not started falling.
This morning Colleen and I woke up to everything covered with a thin layer of sleet and we still had electricity. It looks like the freezing rain will come in two waves today. The first wave will be from 9 this morning until noon. The second wave will be from 5 until 8 this evening. Our objective for today is to keep the house warm. That will probably be our objective for the rest of the week if the current forecast holds. Colleen does not have school tomorrow. I suspect she may get a couple more days off after that too. Colleen and I keep taking everything one day at a time though. When the sun starts going down, we will look around and smile, because we know that all is right on the homestead.
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February 01, 2026: Colleen Gets A Week Off From School, A Real Snow Storm, Temperatures Stay Mostly Below Freezing.
For the second weekend in a row, Mother Nature hammered us with a winter storm. Last weekend, freezing rain and ice covered everything. This weekend, it snowed. We only got 3 inches, but some places got nearly a foot of the white stuff. We had plenty of sunshine between the two storms, but it was cold all week. A good bit of the ice from last weekend’s storm still had not melted as of yesterday. We may see the mercury get above the freezing mark tomorrow or Tuesday, but we are still a good 10 degrees below our usual seasonal temperatures for the end of January. I am hoping that dang Pennsylvania gopher does not see his shadow tomorrow.
Colleen and I woke up to a cold and icy Sunday morning. Everything was covered with a good half inch or more of ice, and the second round of freezing rain showed up in the late afternoon. Fortunately, we did not lose power. Once the freezing rain stopped, the cold Arctic air started to roll in on us and push the mercury even further down into the thermometer. I got the fire going as soon as I came downstairs in the morning. I kept piling the wood on the fire all day long too. I do not remember how many trips I made to the wood pile, but I definitely put a dent in the pile.
The thermometer started Monday morning with its needle right on the freezing mark. Unfortunately, that was the high temperature for the day. The sun was out for most of the day, but the wind was gusty, driving the wind chill well below freezing. Colleen had a teacher’s workday, so she did not go into school. She figured baking would help put some heat into the house, so she made a marbled pound cake. I tended to the fire all day long except when I took a walk. The roads were a mess, and nothing was going up or down our hill. By mid-afternoon, Colleen’s school district designated Tuesday as a remote learning day, so Colleen would get to stay home again.
The temperature was well below freezing, and the roads were not any better Tuesday morning. We had sunshine again all day, and the ice on the roads started to melt some. It was still slick going though, and a FedEx truck spun out and ended up blocking the road about halfway down the hill. They had to get a tow truck to straighten it. FedEx never made up the hill. Colleen started to feel a bit under the weather, so she relaxed as best as she could all day. I did manage to take a walk, but I spent most of my day tending to the fire. It was late Tuesday afternoon when Colleen’s school district made Wednesday a remote day too.
Wednesday started out cold again, but we managed to see the mercury climb over the freezing mark. I lit the fire as soon as I came downstairs in the morning. The roads were still a mess, and a couple of cars got sideways on the hill. Our hill is one of the very last roads the DOT cleans when there is bad weather, so a group of our neighbors got on the hill and shoveled as much ice off the road as they could. Between their efforts and the sunshine, the hill was marginally passable by mid-afternoon. I kept the fire going all day and when I could, moved firewood from our winter-ready racks to the back porch. At that point in the week, the weather forecast started warning us about an impending winter storm for the weekend in front of us. Colleen’s head cold was not improving, so she put in for a sick day on Thursday after her district announced a two-hour delay to the start of school.
Thursday was market day. Before I ever thought about heading to the market, I checked the condition of our hill. It was passable, and I felt I could get down and back up the hill safely. Colleen was still battling her head cold, so she stayed home, tending to the fire while I went to the market. Just like the week before, a forecasted snowstorm prompted people to empty the bottled water aisle. The egg cooler was empty, too. Fortunately, neither item was on Colleen’s market list. I did our usual weekly shopping and came straight home. I got up our hill without an issue. After lunch, I went back to moving firewood up to the back porch. By late afternoon, Colleen’s school district had made the call for another two-hour delayed start on Friday. Colleen’s head cold had not improved, so she put in for a sick day on Friday too.
I got up at my regular time on Friday getting the day’s fire lit and taking care of Roux. Colleen slept very late and did not come downstairs until mid-morning. Once she was up and moving around, I headed outside to move the last of our split firewood to the back porch. I am afraid I will have to split some more firewood to get us through February. Colleen made some hermit bars while I was outside. We will snack on the hermit bars during the week. That evening, we treated ourselves to Chinese takeout for dinner. The forecast called for the snow to start in the middle of the night with predicted accumulations of three to six inches. We had no plans on going out Friday evening, so Colleen paid the end of the month’s bills after dinner. We went to bed Saturday night not knowing what to expect from the winter storm though.
Yesterday morning, Colleen and I woke up to sporadic flurries and that was it. It was cold though. I got the fire lit as soon as I came downstairs. I went for a walk a bit later in the morning. By noon the snow started falling. It seems we were in a pocket of dry air between the two low pressure systems bringing us the snow, which is why the snow held off so long. The two systems did eventually come together, and it snowed all afternoon and into the last night. Colleen was feeling well enough to do some cooking for the week in front of us. She boiled a head of cabbage, fried some pierogis, made a meatloaf, and a batch of mashed potatoes. I made sure the fire was burning hard all day.
Colleen and I woke up this morning to sunshine and about three inches of snow. The temperature is not supposed to get above freezing for a day or two. I suspect the snow will stick around. With bitter cold temperatures tomorrow morning, I think Colleen will be staying home. Maybe she will head back to school on Tuesday. I will keep the fire burning again today, and I might get outside to clean the snow off the porch stairs, front and back. Up until the middle of January, this winter had been mild. I guess Mother Nature saved everything to throw at us over the last couple of weeks. Colleen and I will keep taking everything one day at a time though. Snow or no snow, in the evenings, we will look around and smile, because we know that all is right on the homestead.
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February 08, 2026: Back To School For Colleen, Frigid Arctic Temperatures, Running Low On Firewood.
It is another frigid Sunday up here on the hill. The mercury is well below freezing, but then it has lived there most of the last week. We got our snow last weekend, finally. We might have gotten 3 inches or so. We got a steady stream of Arctic cold air to go with it. It is a week later, and while the roads are clear now, there are still patches of snow on the ground. This coming week, the warmer temperatures should take care of that though. The temperature is forecast to warm up with the thermometer needle probably reaching the 60-degree mark. I certainly hope it stays warm, because I am aiming to get into our gardens by the end of the month.
Colleen and I woke up to a white winter wonderland last Sunday, but it was bitter cold. The first thing I did was put a fire in the fireplace, and I kept it burning hard all day long. The snow, fortunately, was light and fluffy because of the cold temperatures. This is not usually the case when we get snow around here. I had no trouble cleaning off the porch stairs with a broom or pushing the snow out of the way to make a path to the Trailblazer and the mailbox. If it had been our typical wet, heavy snow, I would not even have tried moving it. The snow was so light, in fact, several neighbors cleared it off the main road on our hill. Our hill is always one of the last roads the DOT cleans after a snowstorm. We usually have to wait for it to melt.
Monday turned out to be another snow day for Colleen, so she got to stay home for the 10th day in a row. Colleen, who was just getting over a head cold, took advantage of the situation and slept considerably later than usual. Colleen decided it was a good day for some homemade soup and made a pot of her spicy chicken soup after she finished her morning coffee. I spent most of my day tending to the fire and shuttling wood from the back porch to the hearth rack. I did get to take a walk in the middle of the afternoon though. Right after dinner, we found out that Colleen’s school district made Tuesday a remote learning day, so Colleen would get to stay home again.
Colleen slept late again Tuesday morning. I had the fire burning and most of the morning chores done before Colleen ever came downstairs. We had a little bit of a warmup in the temperatures for the day. The thermometer needle got over the freezing mark. Anticipating Colleen would be heading to school on Wednesday morning, I walked all the way down our hill right to the main road. Apart from a few icy spots here and there, the hill was easily passable. I spent most of my day keeping the fire burning while Colleen went about getting ready to head back to school on Wednesday.
Colleen headed into school at her usual time on Wednesday morning even though her school was on a 2-hour delayed start schedule. Colleen is technically an hourly employee, and she did not want to have to make up her hours later in the week. Fortunately, she had no trouble getting to school. The house was not as cold as I had expected it to be in the morning, so I did not light a fire until lunchtime. As cold as the temperatures had been, we were running low in split firewood anyway. I spent the better part of my day cleaning up around the house. The family room got a good vacuuming, the entryway got swept, and I even repaired an antique rocking chair in the family room.
Thursday came with another 2-hour delayed start for Colleen’s school. She headed in at her usual time though to get her hours. I did not light a fire because Thursday was market day. Colleen’s list was short, but the shelves at the market were thin. The weather had kept the trucks from making their usual deliveries. I had no trouble getting everything on Colleen’s list though. I even came in on budget and only spent $0.70 on the dollar for what I bought. After I got home and had everything put away, I took a break on the back porch in the sun and watched the deer grazing in the backyard. I worked with my baseball cards after lunch and made sure the fire had chased the day’s chill out of the house before Colleen got home.
Colleen headed into school at her regular time on Friday, and it was her school’s first full day of classes in two weeks. I did not light a fire in the morning because I knew I would be working outside until at least noon. I let the day warm up some before I headed out to the log splitter. I spent most of my morning filling up two wheelbarrows with freshly split firewood. Fortunately, we still have quite a bit of unsplit seasoned oak on the ground. After lunch, I got all the wood I split up to the back porch and into the rack. Colleen got home at her regular time. Unfortunately, when I started the Trailblazer up to get our Friday takeout dinner, the check engine light came on. Colleen drove the Trailblazer to the shop, and I followed her in the Honda. We got our dinner after we left the Trailblazer at the shop. The shop will not be able to work in the Trailblazer until Monday, so Colleen will be stuck driving the Honda to school.
Yesterday morning was too cold for Colleen to take Roux for a walk. I got up and put a fire in the fireplace. Colleen finished her morning coffee and headed into the kitchen. Before long, she had a big pot of ham and pea soup simmering on the stove. We had that for lunch. In the afternoon Colleen baked a cinnamon apple cake on which we can snack in the upcoming week. By the evening, Colleen was feeling achy, and she figured it was the start of a minor kidney infection which she is prone to getting.
Colleen woke up this morning not feeling any better and decided she had better stick to water and cranberry juice instead of her usual coffee. Colleen will be in the kitchen today for a bit. I will do my usual writing and go for a walk after lunch, most likely. Of course, we will have a fire burning in the fireplace all day today, and it looks like we will have plenty of sunshine today as well. Luckily, it looks like things will start warming up on Tuesday. Colleen and I will keep taking everything one day at a time though. At the end of each day, we’ll pause to look around and smile knowing that all is right on the homestead.
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February 15, 2026: Warmer Temperatures, Vehicle Troubles, James Moves Back Into The House, Colleen Visits The Doctor.
The Arctic cold is finally done, and we are headed into spring about a month away. It is not supposed to be very warm today, and we are expecting rain, but 45 degrees is a far cry better than 25 degrees. Last Sunday, the thermometer needle never got above the 35-degree mark. As the week moved forward, the days started warming up, which was nice. We had lots of sunshine, too. By Thursday, the mercury had no trouble finding its way above the 60-degree mark. We even had a couple of days where we did not need to burn a fire and got to open the doors and windows in the afternoons. I am hoping the trend of warming temperatures continues, so I can get into the gardens by the end of the month.
The first thing I did last Sunday after coming downstairs was to light the day’s fire. Roux did not seem to mind just laying in the sun though. Colleen came downstairs feeling like she had the start of a kidney infection. That really was not great considering she had just gotten over a head cold the week before last. Still, Colleen was feeling well enough to spend some time in the kitchen and make beef tips in a wine sauce. I did my usual writing and took a walk in the afternoon. James showed up after dinner. Life has thrown James a few curve balls of late, and he needs a place to regroup. All I can say about that is that there is no place like home.
On Monday, Colleen headed to school driving the Honda, because the Trailblazer was in the shop. I knew it was Monday as soon as I saw the chicken pen when I went down back to open the hen coop for the day. The frame and the netting on the back side of the pen needed to be repaired. That took me a while, and I just could not feel my hands and fingers when I was finished. I had asked the shop to look at the way the front tires on the Trailblazer were wearing. Fortunately, they caught a problem with the suspension before the suspension failed. Unfortunately, it was an expensive repair, but the repairs were done by the end of the day, and we had the Trailblazer back home by dinner time.
Tuesday morning started like most weekdays. Colleen headed into school, then I let Roux go outside, and I lit the day’s fire. I took Roux to the vet midmorning to have some blood drawn. James showed up in a borrowed car before noon because his truck died shortly after he stopped by the house on Sunday evening. James brought the last of his things into the house. He got a phone call around noon, so I cleaned the kitchen floor and washed the day’s dishes. After lunch, he brought the car back. I followed him to give him a ride home. We made it home just 10 minutes before Colleen. Colleen did not have time to empty and clean the guest room, so James slept on the sofa in the family room Tuesday night. It was an all-around crazy day, but the crocuses by the side of the end of the driveway had started to bloom.
Colleen headed to school at her usual time Wednesday morning. James was already up and drinking coffee when I came downstairs. James and I headed to the front porch and talked a good bit as a few light rain showers passed through the area. When the sun came out, we moved to the back deck. After a quick lunch, James headed into the backyard and started splitting the cut rounds of oak in the middle of the backyard. He moved the quartered pieces up to the log splitter too. I cleaned the living room which needed cleaning desperately after the steady hard burning in the fireplace for the previous two weeks. After Colleen got home, James and I went for a walk before dinner. After dinner, Colleen started cleaning out the guest room so James could at least sleep in a bed on Wednesday night.
Thursday was market day. Colleen went to school. After I opened the hen coop for the day, James and I headed to the market. My slow, systematic approach to shopping got James as antsy as a long tail cat at a rocking chair convention. He will learn and get better though. After we got home and put the groceries away, I fired up the hydraulic log splitter and split the big pieces James had brought up the hill on Wednesday. James stacked the wood on the back porch as fast as I could split it. Colleen and James finished cleaning out the guest room and James started getting settled in the guest room.
Colleen stayed home from school on Friday so she could go see the doctor. Her kidney infection just was not getting any better. When Colleen got home, she was carrying a prescription for her kidney infection. Colleen took it easy for the rest of the day. James set himself up on the back deck to carve and whittle wood and watch the deer. I dug up an old set of carving tools and sharpening stones. James went to town with that. I got to take a good three-mile walk in the afternoon. We had homemade tempura shrimp street tacos for dinner instead of takeout. Colleen figured takeout would not be good for her kidneys. Fortunately, we had a quiet evening.
Yesterday was a bit chaotic. Colleen was up early so she could take Roux for a walk. After some coffee, James and I headed out to meet up with Alex so we could get Alex’s car towed up to the shop. I will not know until Monday if the car is worth repairing. Alex has decided it was time to buy a new vehicle. We will do that this coming Wednesday. Alex emptied all of his belongings from the car and piled them up in the back of the Trailblazer. After lunch, Colleen and I went and got some tote bins into which we could put everything. It looks like I will have to do that today in the rain. Nobody did much of anything for the rest of the day. Colleen made burgers for dinner though which were quite good.
This morning is dreary. Colleen took Roux for a short walk this morning. They came home when it started to sprinkle on them. I started a fire already to help dry out the air in the house. The steady rain is not supposed to start until noon, so if I want to take a walk, I will need to do it in a little while. James will be heading out to go to breakfast with Donna a little later too. Colleen wants to spend some time in the kitchen today. James will crave wood later. I will do my usual writing and hopefully work on my baseball cards along with tending to the fire all day. Things will settle down around here before long, I am sure. Colleen and I will keep taking everything one day at a time. James will learn to do that, too. In the evenings, we will pause, look around, and smile, because we know that all is right on the homestead.
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February 22, 2026: Headed For One Last Blast Of Cold Air, A Dead Car, Alex Gets A New Car, A Rainy Weekend.
It is chilly, wet, and in general, just dreary this morning. In fact, this morning is the first morning that I had to light a fire since last Sunday. For the most part, Mother Nature was well behaved all week. We had plenty of sunshine and even a couple of days where the mercury climbed to the 70-degree mark or above. We got some rain yesterday morning, but we did see a little bit of the sun during the afternoon. Colleen and I woke up to rain this morning. The rain should be gone by this evening. Unfortunately, the thermometer needle is starting to fall, and the mercury will be below freezing for the first few days of the coming week.
There was a bite in the air last Sunday morning, so I lit a fire. It did not take the fire long to chase the morning chill from the house. Colleen spent part of the morning in the kitchen making mini blueberry pies and mini rhubarb pies. James went to breakfast with Donna. I tended to the fire and did my usual Sunday writing. In the afternoon, Colleen made a Country Fried Steak dinner with all the fixings. James, finally, had settled into staying here and found some time to relax by playing video games. I spent my afternoon trying to relax. Since Colleen had to go to school on Monday, we called it an early evening. James stayed up for a while after Colleen and I headed upstairs.
Colleen headed to school at her usual time Monday morning, but it proved to be a crazy day, because the teacher with whom she works was out sick. James got up late, so I had a very quiet morning, and we had plenty of sunshine. James wanted to do his laundry, and I offered to run him down to the laundromat. He ended up getting ahold of a friend and going over there to do his laundry and hang out. He left before lunch and did not get home until after dark. Colleen got home at her usual time. After dinner, Alex and I made plans for me to take him vehicle shopping on Wednesday. This was going to be a big deal for Alex, because it would be the first time he had to go through the process of getting a car loan.
After Colleen left for school on Tuesday, James and I had our morning coffee, and I took James to an early morning appointment he had. I dropped him off and then headed to Lowe’s. I got a few things for the gardens including seed potatoes, a blue hosta crown, and replacement parts for the guts of the downstairs toilet. I got James after he finished, around 11 o’clock. After we had a quick lunch, I took a nap. I got up in time to get the daily housework done before Colleen got home though. Colleen stopped at the laundromat on her way home which gave me a bit more time. After dinner, I filled three tote bins with all of Alex’s things we had taken out of the Caliber and had been sitting in the back of the Trailblazer. Right before dinner, the shop called to let us know the Caliber would need a new engine.
I headed out to get Alex not long after daylight. Alex lives about an hour south of us now. Alex had done his homework though and after I picked him up and we got to CarMax, he knew exactly what he wanted. He took a test drive and then the paperwork started. Alex navigated everything exceptionally well, and by 1 o’clock, Alex was headed home in a 2021 Ford Ranger XLT. I headed home too feeling just as proud as I could be of my youngest son. I only got home about 10 minutes before Colleen, so I did not get a chance to do the daily housework.
Thursday was market day like always. James and I headed to the market midmorning. James and I brought the market run in on budget, but it was a lousy day for sales. After lunch, James headed out back to bust up the bigger oak rounds, so he could move the pieces up by the log splitter. I went to the bank to get some paperwork notarized. We opted not to repair the Caliber and just donate it to charity. I did have time to take care of the daily housework when I got home. The rest of the day was uneventful, and James and I even took a walk after dinner.
Friday morning turned out to be a little crazy. James and I headed down to the shop to finish getting all of Alex’s belongings out of the Caliber and to get the license plate. After that we headed home and waited for the towing company to call me. I needed to be there when they got the Caliber to give them the title and the key. The tow truck showed up at the shop at 11 o’clock, and James and I were home by 11:30. Donna picked James up in the middle of the afternoon. Donna’s mother had an old car that James could use. They were going to head to Donna’s mother’s house on Saturday. I watched the first baseball game of spring training in the afternoon. Colleen and I got some fried fish for dinner.
Yesterday, I spent the day doing as little as possible, and that is not something I do often. Colleen took Roux for a walk and got caught in a sprinkle of rain coming back up the hill. She baked a rhubarb coffee cake later in the morning and then made a couple of quesadilla pies to feed us during the week. I watched another spring training baseball game after lunch. Colleen made Cuban sandwiches for dinner. After dinner, she made some rhubarb pie filling. I enjoyed a cigar on the front porch. James was able to get Donna’s mother’s old care running, but I do not know when he will be headed back this way. Colleen and I called it an early night last night to get some extra rest.
Colleen and I woke up to gray skies and rain this morning. Colleen did not take Roux for a walk. I lit the day’s fire when I got downstairs. The fire has just about chased the chill from the first floor. Colleen will be in the kitchen again today. She wants to make some mini rhubarb pies. She wants to make a Yankee pot roast for our Sunday meal too. I will tend to the fire and keep the hearth rack filled. Hopefully, I can watch another baseball game this afternoon. We are not sure if James will be back home today, so we will play that by ear. The week in front of us will be starting off cold, but it looks like the back half of the week will warm up enough for me to get into the gardens for the first time this year. Colleen and I will keep taking everything one day at a time. When the sun starts to set, we will look around and smile, because we know that all is right on the homestead.
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March 01, 2026: Lots of Rain, Some Warmer Temperatures, James Got A Car, Time To Get Into The Gardens
It finally feels like spring is on its way. The last half of January and the first half of February were tough around here. Last week was wet, but the temperatures started creeping up. Last Sunday, between the rain and the clouds, the mercury never got over the 45-degree mark. When the rain moved out, the wind kicked up, and the wind chill was down in the 20s. The mercury never got above the 45-degree mark on Monday or Tuesday either. By Wednesday, we were looking at the thermometer needle playing with the 60-degree mark albeit with cloudy skies. The rain was back on Thursday, having started in the wee hours of the morning. Friday was cloudy so not much dried out. Yesterday started off gray, but we had plenty of sunshine after lunch, and the mercury was back over the 60-degree mark. We expect lots of sunshine today and will likely see the thermometer needle slide past the 70-degree mark. For the week in front of us, Monday and Tuesday will be chilly, but the back half of the week will warm up nicely.
Last Sunday was a pretty typical weekend around here. It was cool enough that I lit a fire to start our day. The rain kept us inside though. Colleen spent a good bit of her day in the kitchen making mini rhubarb pies, a rhubarb coffee cake, and a Yankee pot roast for our Sunday meal. I did my usual Sunday writing, listed baseball cards for sale online, and watched some spring training baseball on my computer. It was the first weekend of the preseason. James spent the weekend visiting friends and spent the night at their place.
Colleen headed into school at her usual time on Monday. Roux wanted to get up and go outside so I did not get to sleep late. Roux likes to go out and just lay down in the leaves for some reason. I did put a fire in the fireplace when we came downstairs though. I spent the morning doing housework. I swept and washed the kitchen floor and swept the entryway. I got the baseball cards that needed to go into the day’s mail packaged up too. In the afternoon, I listened to the baseball game and got the routine housework done between innings of the game. James got home right after dinner. He found himself a car to use too. We made plans to bring the car to the shop on Tuesday morning so they could check it out.
After Colleen left for school Tuesday, James and I waited until the shop was open so we could drop his car off. When we got home, I lit a fire to chase the chill out of the house. James headed outside to split more of the large rounds and get the pieces up to the log splitter. He cleaned up the yard a bit, too. I listed more baseball cards for sale, watched the ballgame in the afternoon, and did the housework between innings and before Colleen got home from school. Right around dinner time, the shop called to let James know his car was ready, so we went and got it. Unfortunately, Roux slammed her hip into a tree while chasing a squirrel when Colleen closed up the hen coop. That evening she needed lots of help moving around.
Wednesday morning James had some errands he wanted to run and left not long after he got up. I helped Roux get down into the yard, but she was still hobbling. She is a fighter though and the only other time I had to help her was when she wanted to get up in her loveseat. The rest of the day was uneventful. I watched a ballgame and did my daily housework. James and I went for a walk after dinner. I guess James was tired though, because he headed upstairs and fell asleep shortly after we got home. The evening passed quietly for Colleen and me.
It was raining Thursday morning, but I still headed down the road for our weekly market run. There were a good many sales at the market and I did not bring in the market run anywhere near our budget. I, however, only spent $0.72 on the dollar. I was home and had everything put away in plenty of time to watch the afternoon’s ballgame and do the daily housework. James spent the afternoon carving wood. Colleen was having a rough week at school, so we had grilled ham and cheese sandwiches for dinner. I guess the weather had taken a toll on everyone Thursday because James, Colleen, and I all called it an early evening.
It was still raining on Friday morning and we had some fog to start the day. When we got a break in the rain, I opened the hen coop and coaxed Roux out into the yard. Roux was still hobbling around, but she stayed outside and wandered around for about 30 minutes. I spent the morning cleaning and vacuuming the family room. After lunch, I watched another ballgame and took care of the daily housework. Colleen ordered pizza for our Friday night’s takeout dinner. We had to upsize our usual order with James being here. Now, we get an extra-large pizza instead of just a large pizza. As it turned out, that was the perfect size to feed the three of us.
Yesterday started out gray. James headed out to get a haircut and do laundry. Colleen and I left shortly after that to run our errands. We needed to get chicken feed, chicken scratch, and pine shavings for the hen coop. We stopped at Walmart too. Colleen got a bunch of flower crowns, bulbs, and seeds for her gardens. We restocked Roux’s snack bar too. Dog treats are not cheap these days either. We treated ourselves to lunch at Hardee’s before we came home. The sun came out in the afternoon, so I got one raised bed garden prepped and ready for planting while I was listening to the ballgame. James spent the day and evening at a friend’s house. I took a short walk after dinner, but both Colleen and I called it an early night though.
Colleen and I were greeted with lovely sunshine this morning. Roux is still hobbling, so Colleen did not take her for a walk. Colleen will spend a good part of the day in the kitchen getting meals ready for the upcoming week. I want to plant our potatoes today, do my usual Sunday writing, and hopefully catch this afternoon’s ballgame. We expect James to be home for dinner. The weather promises to be beautiful and warm enough for us to open the house today. Tomorrow and Tuesday, we will get another blast of Arctic air. Colleen and I will keep taking everything one day at a time. In the evenings, we will pause to look around and smile, because we know that all is right on the homestead.