Saw the doctor yesterday

Yesterday I had a check up at the doctor's office. I have the ultimate in doctors- he LISTENS to me and responds accordingly.
My labs were pretty good, I've lost 12#, and my lungs didn't have any crackles or wheezes (YAY!!!!!!). I got my scripts for various meds I needed.
I've been whining for several months about my right ankle feeling broken. I had an Xray done a couple weeks ago and yesterday I told him about the pain and we read the Xray report together- NO fracture. However, I do have a moderate amount of osteoarthritis in that joint that is giving me fits. I knew something was wrong. So I have a special splint on it's way to wear for a few months till the ankle settles down.
Another of my complaints was this rash I've had for weeks. It's on both my arms, and only on the tops of them. I thought it could be eczema, but he said no, it was a photo reaction to sunlight caused by one of my meds. Oh, yeah.. I'm supposed to stay out of direct sunlight.. but I never had a beautiful deck before and I LOVE sitting out on it. Okay, he says, sunscreen on the arms every time I go outside and suggested a long sleeved shirt to cover them also. Ugh.. 94* and I will be wearing a long sleeved shirt. It could be a lot worse.

I filled 9 gallons of water in jugs this morning and proceeded to water my tiny postage stamp garden. The tomatoes are looking very healthy- all 7 of them. The most of them have blossoms- I got a late start planting. My climbing beans are going up the trellis and onto the deck rails. The flower bed off the deck is coming along fine... I discovered 2 potato plants growing in there too.
It's starting to warm up here- 86* at the airport and it's almost noon.
Gotta pick up scripts today and get Wendell a pair of special sun glasses..

This looks just like the cat who has taken up residence here. It's a friendly cat.. hungry and purrs like a mack truck. I've been giving it leftovers and soup away from the house, but it finds it's way to the deck and demands attention till I get the shovel out to move snow/ice from the deck.
I suppose he / she needs a name.. any suggestions?

Today would have been office day for me.. I'm really glad I talked to the office manager yesterday and she said they could cover me.. so I'm at home and thinking I may want to get groceries.
Dave came yesterday and plowed us out again.. it really needed it badly. It looks/feels like it may be melting a bit. The temperature is 34*. AMEN.

snow.. so what else is new?

Wow! Did we get more snow or what?! I just have trouble imagining how it must have been for our ancestors with winters like this. I would imagine only the really strong would survive.
We are snowed in again. The front deck has snow blocking the door now. Cant get the door open at all. The back deck is cleared for the moment, as I keep going out and shoveling it. There is about 6-7" of new snow on the railings.. and elsewhere. The car is at the end of the driveway and I would suppose if they ever did send a plow, we're plowed in too. Ugh.
Tomorrow we need to try to get plowed out. First I need to assess whether I can move the car at all without shoveling it. That's a bit out of my league.
Perhaps we can get John to use the snowblower. Trouble is, this present storm is predicted to last until Thursday morning.. just in time for another office day- which, incidently, I didn't get to go this morning.
None of our back roads were plowed and when I got to Rt8, it wasn't any better than the backroads, and traffic was horrific.. I made it to Country Kitchen before I turned back and went home. The thought of going down McBride and than Armco hills was more than my soul could handle. I start to shake and then the knots come in the stomach.. I had to go back home and call the office manager to tell her I couldn't make it .. I just hope they are as understanding as they seem on the phone. I really need to retire completely.. this is just so stressful in the winter. I came home and slept for about 3 hours- I needed it.
We are now at the point where we could use some milk and bread and maybe some eggs - and a few other items too. A small grocery trip needs to be made to replenish our winter stock, though I'm sure we could last quite a while with what we have. I think next trip I may get yeast and more flour and then I can make bread or rolls if we need.

weather.. and thoughts

It would appear that we have about 3" of new snow out there.. ugh. Tomorrow is office day and I'll have to leave early to walk up to the end of the driveway to get to the car.. then start it and clean it off. I just hope and pray the road crew doesn't plow me in.. I'd be sunk.
I can do little bits of shoveling, but heavy stuff is out of my league.
If we get the 7" as they say we may, I really have no clue how we will get out or in. I complain a lot.. I know.. I live in WPA.. where it snows. Just wish it wasn't quite so much.
Heading for bed.

post valentine day

Valentine Day is gone.. I think I agree with my cousin Annsley.. it's not a really worthwhile holiday and I would rather be loved all year long, not just on one day. I love the surprises of the day.. just surprise me next month too.. with a hug and a paper heart... eh?

Snow is coming.. 4-7" now.. by tomorrow. I wonder if I'll get to the office again this week.. I've never had this problem of drifting and so much snow our little Honda feels bogged. Yet.. I'll take her to the top of the hill today as soon as she thaws out on her own.. and tomorrow hope to walk the driveway to get to the office.. I need a winter replacement.

Spring is on it's way.. my stomach tells me so. Spring and fall, I have that GI thing .. and last night it was sooooo present. It means we are on our way.! Saturday when we went to the grocery store, they had hyacinths blooming and the scent was more than magnificent! If I could have afforded the extra $7.99 for one little pot, I would have bought 6 of them to remind me of spring..
Alas.. I'll have to wait for the real ones and the crocus in a few weeks.. just a few more weeks.. I can do this... I can hold out a little longer...
I think I can...... I think I can....

I think I better get lunch and get the little marshmallow out of the driveway and up on the hill ...

Come on spring!!!

This is how I feel this morning.. hmmmm

I have been looking at the car and thinking 'I don't think my body will be able to clean it off this morning.. perhaps this afternoon... aacckk! There is more snow being predicted for Monday.. haven't heard any estimates yet.

Doesn't matter.. I'm hoping the sun will shine again today and melt the snow from my little gray popsicle in the driveway.

Spring Spring

It's a wonderful thing

Think of all

the flowers it brings

Sunshine and flowers

No winter jacket

Just 4 more weeks

I think I can hack it.

Even MORE snow?

Just when it seems as though we couldn't possibly get any more snow- after all, we DID get our quota in the past 2 weeks, didn't we?- more snow is falling.. and our little Civic is covered and looks like a big marshmallow in the driveway.
Longing for spring here. Really longing..
Longing to be able to walk without tripping on rocks under snow, slipping on ice, or trudging through 24" of the stuff. I have been thinking it might be a good idea to move the car.. all day I have thought that might be a good idea.. but I didn't.
Amanda called earlier this afternoon and we went to JoAnn Fabric. I bought us each a tree skirt to make- and then fabric to make pillow cases for the Americana guest room as well as for our bed. Those old cases just don't make it. So, I ended up with some really beautiful patriotic stars and stripes for the guest room, and some really pretty springy looking fabric for our bedroom..
Then I sat down tonight to figure out how to put my new sewing machine together. Filling the bobbin was a piece o cake.. but figuring out HOW to put it in it's place was another story. I felt like I was reading Greek as I tried to follow the step by step directions.. and finally ended up following the picture directions for those of us challenged by the Singer "Simple" machine. I did get all the pieces back together again, but it took over an hour to do so.. my hands don't work well.. I guess I say that a lot, but it's true. I'm so clumsy. Think threading a needle with garden gloves on both hands... eh?
I did finally get it going, and it sews beautifully, but the self threading needle is gonna take me some time and practice.
I moved on to making Asher's first Christmas fleece blanket and realized that I need to lay this thing out and put it together before I put the satin binding on it. It's really cute, and I'll post pictures when I get it done.
Hopefully by next Christmas.. I'm making it big enough for a bigger child.. just in case, ya know?
Taxes are now done. I sent the federal ones today- not without difficulty.
In our move, I lost our stapler- I looked in every box I could think of... and decided since I was going out with Amanda, we could stop at the Dollar General and I'd buy a new one. I found a little wee one for a dollar and the staples came with it. So I stapled my 1099's to the pages when we got back to the car, and tried to seal the envelope.. Aw.. rats! The goo wouldn't stick on the back. I needed tape. So we went into Friedmans.. and I bought 2 cans of black olives and a bunch of bananas.. looked for some Sugar Free chocolates for Wendell for Valentine Day, and checked out.. without the tape , of course. AAACCKKK! No problem, our next stop was JoAnn Fabric and they would have tape. Yes, they did and after Amanda got the thing going, I carefully placed the tape on the back of the envelope, but not where it needed to be... oh.. for evermore.
We finally got it done and mailed. I'm so thankful and glad. I went back home and put the PA and local taxes together and ready to send after next pay day. We only owe a couple dollars to each, but they insist on us paying our fair share.. so we will. And, oh, yes.. I was back home approximately 3.25 minutes when the old stapler appeared..
It's been a long day here.. I'm weary and tired and want to be in church tomorrow, but looking at the car, I'm just not so sure I'm up to cleaning it off and fighting the driveway again.
Happy Valentine Day everyone!

14* Wednesday afternoon

Boy.. it's still coming down.. we've had about 6+" now.. but our friends in MD have had it so much worse.
Negley's delivered our water today- amazing. The delivery man says the roads are a disaster and NOT to attempt going out unless there is an emergency. He says even Rt 8 is a mess. That's okay. We are snug here and not planning any outings for the moment.
Hot home made soup and grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch.. mmmmm

This computer crashed some time last night. I had a rough time this morning getting it to heal itself, but it did. I am in awe of this fact. I guess I should be thinking about a new computer along the way.. maybe this spring?
I wouldn't lose any files as I have Carbonite and it restores everything to new again on a crash. I don't even have to request it.. it does it automatically. Well worth the money and I highly recommend it!

Wednesday almost 3am

I have made the last sweep of the deck tonite. I'm heading for bed. There is about 3" out there at the present- that's new snow of today. It's a might breezy and I suspect that will cause some drifting of all of the snow we have had to date.

Tuesday 11:45pm

It's nearly midnight.. we have had about 1/2" snow so far.. and a long break of about 2 hours.. now it's coming down harder. We shall see in the morning. For now, I'll be up and making sure the snow doesn't get too deep on the back deck.

2:45pm Tuesday

Weather.. what else? It is 2:45pm Tuesday, Feb 9, 2010.. there is a light dusting of snow on the deck.. it's been a fine snow coming down for an hour or so with flurries prior to that..
I cleaned off the deck a few moments ago for just a fine coating. Paul and P3 were here and opened the deck steps a bit more for us. I took the car to the top of the driveway in anticipation of being snowed in once again.. this is getting old.
Life has served us lemons...let us make lemonade. I'm gonna sit back and watch the snow accumulate.. I have stopped at the grocery store and bought enough provisions for another week of this.. and more.
I'm smiling, though longing for spring.
Wondering how my west coast family is handling all the rain?

15* morning

The chickens actually haven't been outside the coop since last Friday's storm. This bewildered hen was the last to go inside that day.
Hey.. it's cold outside, but chickens generate a ton of heat.. that coop is probably 70* inside.

It is an office day today.. I'm up and ready for my shower.. just finishing a cup of coffee.. gotta have that to get the blood moving in the morning.
It is a chilly morning but no wind.

Today we get another storm coming through- the beginning should be around 10am and the warnings go to Wednesday at 7pm. Once the initial storm passes through, the warnings say the wind is gonna pick up and drift the snow it just dropped. For evermore.
I've been praying.. thanking God for preserving us through this blizzard, providing us electrical power, having enough supplies to last us for a week.. and praying the next storm might fizzle.. but especially that the power would stay on throughout. It's supposed to be a wintry mix.. I don't like to hear that.. that means sleet/ice/snow.. bad combo. If all comes to pass, I'll be not at the office Thursday since we will need plowed out again. Boy! Was that nice to have the driveway opened up. We haven't even gone anywhere since then, but at least we CAN if we need to.. which I do this morning. Not looking forward much to the drive in, but will be happy to see my patients .. Pray for us that they have no 'events'.. and my skills will be the best.
On to the day...

22* and falling

It's chilly outside, but the wind is calm, so it doesn't seem as cold as it could.
Tomorrow is office day.. and also the day of another huge storm coming.. and the weather service is predicting 6-10".
No comment. We shall endure.

7*

7* this morning. Brrrrrrr.... cold! There is a fine snow falling at the moment.. it's sticking.. ugh. Not looking forward to the middle of the week when we get hit again. I'm praying that this storm is a dud.
On a more positive note- the trees are looking velvety with all the frost on the branches. Very pretty
Monday morning and my coffee is just right. Let us hope the day goes as well as the coffee.. :)

Am having a problem with strange people trying to make strange comments on my blog.. I moderate comments so they will never be posted, but they do annoy me.

21* and falling

How wonderful it is to have our driveway plowed out.. Many thanks to David and his wonderful tractor.. :) We are truly thankful.

Looking down the steps off the deck.. I got to the bottom and realized there was about 2" of a wall of snow ... so I kept on shoveling small amounts.. and opened up a small passageway to the driveway.

Horrific icicles on our house.. The snow is up to the top of the skirting on the trailer.. but we are so comfy.

Well...... the news says we are in for another dose of this on Wednesday, but they are calling for only 6".. Piece o' cake!!!
I'm really very tired of winter now... could we please start spring?

1* above Zero

This picture was taken at 4pm the day of the blizzard. I had taken the car to the end of the driveway in anticipation of exactly what we got.

It is the Sabbath. Church was canceled due to weather/snow/more snow/and the inability of some of us to get out of our driveways.. :(

Yesterday I worked hard shoveling 6 scoops at a time from the deck/steps. I am moving slowly, but progressing at a snail pace. I have now cleared the snow from the deck to about 95% and the steps down to the first one but not to ground level yet. It's rather awesome to see 2' of snow as a wall in front of me.. I would imagine it would be up to the top of my thighs in that I'm only 5'2".. I'll find out today when I go for that last step and then begin making a track to the driveway.

We are comfortable. We have been blessed with electricity that has not failed us to this point. There were over 120,000 out of power in our area.
God has taken care of us from day 1.
We turned the thermostat down to 60* last night and most of the day yesterday. It's chilly, but we have warm clothes and blankets. We are new to heating with gas, and since this isn't quite the usual type winter we have, we aren't sure how long we have on those 2 big tanks. When I checked yesterday morning, we had 55%. So we will conserve a bit. This morning we have turned the heat up to 65* and once our blood gets moving, we'll turn it back to 60*. I do pray that this will be the last 'big' snowfall of the season. Right now, we would be hard pressed to have our tanks refilled with gas with no open drive. Oh, and the Water man is to come Wednesday.. hmmmm. I pray we'll be plowed out before that.. but if not, we still have plenty of bottled water.

Coffee is good this morning.. it helps to warm us up. It is 1* this morning in Butler.. usually it is more extreme here in Penn Twp.. No matter, it's frosty out there.
Pray for a day of global warming here..

The snow is melting ever so slowly- the sun is out, but it's only 26*. I can see the icicle outside my office dripping.. very slowly, but dripping. The deck is nearly (about 75%) cleared again. There is ice on it and tonite we expect about 7* which will insure that there will be ice in the morning. I suppose there is nothing wrong with that as we aren't going ANYWHERE this weekend, and likely this week!
I'm praying for a plow to appear on the horizon.. that would be awesome.
Really awesome.. so many of our neighbors seem to be immobile..
Charlie appeared around 1pm.. he's tried 3 times to get here and finally was plowed out and then walked in through the Z's yard to the chickens.. They all greeted him when he opened the door to the coop.. I hadn't heard a peep (pardon the pun) out of them all day- usually they cluck and squawk continuously.. but when Charlie arrived it sounded chaotic.. like all of them complaining at him at one time... "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL DAY???!!!"
It was good he was able to come finally, as I am only on the 3rd step off the deck at this point. I only shovel 6 scoops at a session. I am concerned that I will get my back flaring again, and I just can't do that.. so 6 scoops seems easy enough.

Weather addendum

I should add that we are safe and snug.. have plenty of provisions and comfortable. Praying the power will stay on . Remembering last fall and winter when it went out at least 5 times.. and we had to rely on the barbecue grill for a cup of tea or instant coffee. We can't reach the grill now.. but we have a gas range (planned that way) and running water, heat, and the necessities .. Praise the Lord for providing for us.
and Thank you Lord, the snow has finally stopped as of this hour. Amen.

Blizzard-*Growing* concern

I started out with measuring the snowfall on the deck railing.. we had a "GROWING" concern that this would be a record snowfall.

So, lame as it is.. here is our 'growing' offering for the week...

Join us at Rebecca's blog for Foto Friday!

Wow. This has been one long ride on the snow. I don't think we have had a snowfall like that (and it's still falling) in many many years. You really can't tell in these pictures just how much there is. When I went to bed this morning at 3am, there was in excess of 24".. Then I got up at 8am to find 5 more inches on the deck. Awesome!
Uh... chickens are snowed in too- not sure how we'll get to them..Or how to get the door open if we do.


This is the side railing of the deck.. Wendell's liquid oxygen tank to the left with a huge cone on top.. And then the snow piled up like a giant loaf of bread. Not sure why it didn't just blow off as it came down.



Here is our steps- What can I say? It's almost a straight and level shot to the drive. The steps got covered and filled in around 1am when it came down harder. I stayed up and hourly went out to shovel the back deck in case we would need assistance.. lame. Even if we could get out on the deck, that would be it..

Our area is in a state of emergency as is most of the area around us and south of us.

The snow is up to the top of the skirting here... and piled atop our little home. Last night when I had the light on the doorway looked sugar coated as it glistened..

Items for prayer:

1. Pray our neighbors will be able to get out and then perhaps assist us with our driveway.

2. Pray we stay healthy

3. Pray the power doesn't fail us.

4. Give thanks for keeping us safe

Weather, what else?

This morning we are waiting with baited breath.. well, not exactly baited breath.. though we did have fish last night for supper.. Nevertheless, the weatherman in Pittsburgh says we shall have 8" of snow by tomorrow.. but the national weather service says elsewise.. they are saying 12-16" by tomorrow.. so we shall watch and move the car when the real snow starts.
Noon.. nothing
1pm.. flurries
and so on...

We are prepared to be snowed in.. we have food and if the power goes out, we'll make tea/coffee/hot cocoa and soup on the gas range. AMEN We have enough blankets to keep us snug as a bug in a rug.. And the neighbors have a new barbecue grill... nice one, too.
Uh oh.. coming down a bit harder.. I may have to move the car sooner than I anticipated..