It Sure Did Snow on Sunday!

OUR weekend started when I arrived home Friday afternoon. I think it was about 3:15 when I got there and outside it was gray, cloudy, windy and cold. Wally was off to the side of the driveway splitting logs on the log splitter. I've wanted to see how that thing works for some time now so I drove on up to the cabin to put my stuff away, use the bathroom (hey - it's an hour drive...) and season the steaks for dinner. The dogs greeted me as I pulled up and they tried to get in the car with me when I opened the door. They haven't ever tried that before so I'm guessing it's because I had the heater on and it was nice and toasty warm in the there. Maybe they felt the heat coming out the door? Even so I just wanted to gather up my stuff and get inside but they weren't having anything to do with that.

They wouldn't move until I petted both of them and promised them a dinner of steak fat over top of their dog food. Inside it was so nice I didn't want to venture back out into the cold but that was the only way I could learn about the log splitter. So I did what I had to do, grabbed a couple of beers, and took off down the driveway on the 4 wheeler. Whew-hoo was it cold on my face on that thing - the wind has a definite bite! Note to self - get a ski mask for use when riding on the 4 wheeler in cold weather!

Wally showed me how the log splitter worked and I was able to help get that one pile split up and ready to go into the truck for the trip to the barn. Let me just say that logs are much heavier than they look. I bent to pick up a piece that looked about the size of a basketball (except not round like that...) and it was all I could do to get it off the ground. My goodness - who knew? In my mind I know that it is part of a tree and everyone knows trees are heavy but it just never occurred to me that that little piece would hold so much weight. huh! I'm really going to have to get strong if I'm going to be of any help whatsoever out here in the woods.

The splitter does good work and it was probably only a half hour that we were out there and we had a pretty nice size pile of logs. They're to go in the wood-burning stoves in the barn/garage so it's warm enough to work in there during the winter. The barn is where all the mechanic-ing goes on... It's not a horse barn in case that's what you were thinking. It's all about working on cars, trucks, and anything else that has a motor. There's also all manner of painting supplies, electrical cords, drills, etc. Everything you would have in a garage except all my junk... lol!

Well we didn't feel like loading the wood and taking it down to the barn so we just left it where it was split and drove on back to the cabin. It was really looking inviting with the kitchen lights glowing and us knowing the heater was on. Kind of like how inviting it was over the summer when we had been working outside in the relentless heat all day long... and we knew the a/c was on... :)  I was really looking forward to some time at home.

I started doing some more decorating for Christmas so everything will be ready when our guests arrive. I finished the mantel but the picture came out kind of dark. I'll try to get a better one. I took a picture of the paperwhites and as you can see there is a paint stirrer in the pot with them. We put it in there because those bulbs were growing so quickly it was almost as if we could watch them! I put the stirrer in the pot on Thanksgiving Day while Jay and Teri were here. I took that picture this past Saturday. So there was that much growth in just 9 days. Amazing.

The paperwhites have bloomed and true to their reputation, they are as stinky as can be. They sure are pretty though :) so I'm glad I bought them and even more glad that Arlene (my gardening guru) advised me to bring them inside. They wouldn't have survived the temperatures yet to come over the weekend. Even knowing how bad they smell, I still had to sniff them... what's up with that? Maybe I was hoping I would have developed a fondness for them...? Who knows, it didn't matter, they still stunk. EW! 

Now, I have heard that some people like the scent of paperwhites. I've never met one of these people but the gardening websites all insist they exist. Indeed, when I asked Wally if he could smell them, guess what? Nope. He couldn't smell them and I just simply couldn't believe it. He did try again later and said he could kind of smell them and that they really didn't smell good. I guess the smell wasn't so strong as to offend his senses like it did mine LOL. 

They were so easy to grow that I think I'll double my purchases next year :) Stinky or not, they give color to the room and anything that blooms when the weather is cold, is nice to have in the house.

I was tired from not sleeping (now waking up at quarter to 3 in the darn morning... ugh!) so I didn't feel like going anywhere and Wally was fine with that. We had ribeyes thawed out and they were already seasoned so I made some pea salad (recipe compliments of Sheila Crites, thank you very much) and some sweet corn to go with them. Pea salad may not be on your list of sides to make for dinner but truly it should be. It's so easy to make and seems almost like a comfort food in its simplicity. Of course, coming from a huge pea fan, there's almost nothing better... if you're not a fan, I guess I can understand why you wouldn't make this. I am always amazed that there are actually people out there who don't eat peas... What do you eat in your pea salad?? lol!! ha ha ha

The horses, roosters, dogs and humans were all generously fed and the animals were all tucked in for the night so we called it a night too. Upstairs, that big bed was warm and inviting and I couldn't wait to get in it. The cabin was quieted and dark and even the roosters had stopped their nighttime crowing (yes, it's morning, noon and night for them). We were asleep in no time...

I'm trying to stay up later in the hope that I will sleep later. That sounds good in theory, right? Well, just try to convince my body to believe it, would ya? Three am rolled around and I was wide awake. I just laid there watching tv until Wally woke up. We caught the first newscast of the day so we would know what to expect weather-wise and we were downstairs before the sun came up over the front yard.

I had taken out some of the venison sausage that Wally and Darryl had ground up (from the deer meat Kurt gave us Thanksgiving Day) and it was ready to fry for breakfast. Venison sausage coupled with scrambled eggs and warm, buttered, whole wheat toast - now that's a farmhouse breakfast to behold. We have plenty more so I'll be sure to make it for you when you come visit.

Now that my house was full of breakfast smells (instead of the stinky paperwhites) I could get to work on the decorations. I've been through many, many boxes and there are still more to come. At some point in my Christmas decoration collecting, I must have known I would someday be decorating a place the size of this one. It's no use trying to scale back now...there are just so many pretty places to set things! I'm in search of two specific items that I'm sure must be still in the trailer... my little candy dish called, "Chilly Treats" and my family of deer (mom, dad and baby) that are wood carvings and critical to my woodland trees scene that I put together with pine cones and tea lights. Wally is no doubt wondering when it will all come to an end. Personally, so am I... LOL! I haven't seen some of this stuff in years and it just never ends...

Aw well, we all have to have something that we thoroughly enjoy and get the most delightful pleasure from... my thing is Christmas ornaments and decorations. The tree appears to be full of ornaments but from where I sit, I can see at least 10 branches that are bare - that won't last long. I haven't even hung the little, tiny ornaments that are saved for the very tippy top branches and the kids ornaments are set aside for them to hang when they get here (December 23rd... counting down...). Plenty still to be done.

There's a wreath on the door and glittery snowflakes hanging from the kitchen and spare bedroom windows. There are cowboy boot - shaped stockings beside the fireplace and a snowman candle holder in the bathroom. There are only a few window ledges that haven't got something Christmassy on them... and the piano has the frosted glass snowmen that Chrystal has ever so thoughtfully given me through the years. I bought three more strands of lights that I hope to hang under the bridge with some garland and inside the kitchen window so you see them when you drive up. Just in case you think that's all, I have some candy canes that stick in the ground and they will be up at the flag pole where my fall decorations used to be :)

I like to think that Christmas has come to the cabin. I don't know that it's ever been decorated before but it sure is decorated this year... just like I had pictured when I first decided to move here. Now - I have to find a place for all the boxes again... lol

I changed the quilt on my bed to one that Bud and Tammy gave me. It's king size, hand-stitched and very warm. I made up the bed in the loft for Neccy and Jack and decorated the head board with a little white Christmas basket and berry and cedar sprays across the top - you just have to see it to believe it. I can't imagine anyone walking by that bed and not being tempted to climb up on it. There's even a stool underneath it so you can reach :) ha ha ha - it is kind of high up. Watch your head on the side by the wall... the cabin has a dutch barn roof and it slopes downward on that side. I've bonked my head 3 or 4 times just moving things around... lol! It gets me every time :)

It was supposed to snow Saturday but we never saw it happen. It looked like it was going to, according to Wally, and it felt like it was cold enough too but I guess conditions just weren't quite right. Still it was cold enough for jackets and the heater. We had to stop at Food Lion and we had already decided to get a gate opener so we bundled up, packed the cooler and headed over to Fairview to make our purchases. Food Lion was a quick trip and luckily we had just missed the Christmas parade. I would have loved to have seen the parade but I forgot all about it. Since we missed it anyway, it was a good thing we didn't get to Fairview any earlier than we did. We would have been stuck in the parade traffic. On to the Tractor Supply where they had one gate opener on sale and as it turned out, it was the one we wanted. We had looked at them before but didn't buy one.

While we were there Wally showed me where the gloves were. They have lots of gloves to choose from at Tractor Supply - who knew? lol So he picked out a few for me to try on but alas, with my freakishly small hands, they were all way too big and even drooped off the ends of my fingers. Finally, he handed me a pair that were made of goatskin and which were reasonably priced. I tried them on and guess what? They fit like a glove!! ha ha ha ha ha oh that's so funny - sorry, I couldn't resist!

We had our gate opener and I had my gloves - it was a good day. On the way home, we stopped at Fred's so I could pick up a couple toys for the Toys For Tots drive at work and some candy for my candy dish at work. In no time we were back on the road and bound for the cabin. While I had a signal on my phone, I called Rebecca and wished her a happy 20th birthday. She and Jarrett and Kain were all watching the Harry Potter marathon. For her present, I asked Neccy to pick up a Wolfgang Puck skillet like the one she got me a few years back. Thankfully, they had one more left at Ross when Neccy stopped by there. Rebecca can now do some cooking for us when she comes up... lol!! I'm sure she went out later but I don't need to know the details of that...

We were going to do chicken wings again but decided to use chicken legs instead. We bought some wing sauce that was so hot we had to dilute it with some Trappey's Bull hot sauce and I made ranch dip for the celery. I don't care much for ranch but these legs were so spicy, anything cool and creamy was nice to put the fire out. lol

I did some more decorating... lol, it really never ends, while we watched "The New Adventures of Old Christine" and a couple other shows before calling it a night. The dogs were already in their doghouse with the straw strewn about the floor, their two blankets spread out and their warming light hanging above. They looked so cuddly warm. They must have been exactly that too because they weren't about to come out even for food. The roosters were flying up into their tree beds and the horses had left for the bottom pasture. The temperature was steadily dropping and went from the fifty-something down to twenty-something overnight. Brrrrrr

I got out of bed Sunday morning just knowing the ground would be covered with snow. I was a little disappointed to find that it mustn't have been my day - it wasn't snowing at all and there was no snow on the ground either. :( :( :(  I crossed the bridge to the loft and found my Christmas candles, I grabbed a snowman sweatshirt and we went downstairs for breakfast.

While we didn't see any snow, we did see that the horses had come back up and they were awaiting our arrival to feed them. The dogs were still encased in their log cabin dog house and the roosters were already down from the trees and wandering over towards the water bucket. No one gets fed until we get fed so off to the kitchen I go. This morning we were having pan fried venison tenderloin medallions with golden mushroom gravy, whole wheat pancakes with honey and/or blueberry syrup and naval orange slices fairly bursting with summer sweetness. Talk about full bellies! Whew! We had to go feed the animals just to work off some of the breakfast. It was nourishing, filling and mostly healthy - the little bit of olive oil used to fry the tenderloins and the real butter on the pancakes did add some fat but not that much. And it's the good kind of fat :)

As I was cleaning the kitchen, Wally came in and told me to look at his truck. Ah!!! It was my day after all - it had begun to snow!!! It was coming down pretty good for a while there so I went outside (ffffrrrreeezing) and took some pictures. I'll send them to my phone tonight so you can see them. For the first time ever, my little car got snowed on! lol I was pretty darn excited and couldn't keep my eyes from looking outside the window. As I stood there watching the fluffy, white, flakes silently floating to the ground, I saw that there were 5 deer (all females) standing over behind the dog house nibbling what grass they could find in the yard. There was one that looked to be very young and she was the bravest of them all. She stood right there in the driveway without a care in the world. I called Wally to come see them and as we watched, they were spooked by a gunshot and took off running and leaping for the cover of the trees in the holler. There would be no hunting for me this snowy, December Sunday. The deer were as jittery as the horses only they had better reason to be.

The horses are so jittery these days we can barely get Smokey to come into the feeding pen. One little sound sends him running wildly through the woods. There must be lots of hunters down near the bottom pasture for him to be so spooked all the time. Even Rebel, with his wonderfully, kind demeanor was on edge like I've never seen him. He comes up to let you pet him but backs off as soon as anything moves - your hands, the dogs, the roosters, even the leaves blowing around.

We finally got Smokey to come into the pen to eat but he wasn't happy about it. He snorted and stomped and threw his head back over and over... finally he settled down enough to eat but even then he was ready to dart. I petted his neck, now full with his winter coat, and rubbed his nose to warm it up. He tolerated me I suppose is the best way to put it. When I turned to walk away, he ran out of the pen again. Since he saw that I was really leaving, he waited a few minutes and then came back in to finish the bucket of sweet feed. I wish the hunters would just go away and leave the horses alone...I may be one myself but that remains to be seen since I haven't actually shot anything yet...

Sunday, Wally worked on the gate opener, getting done with what he could do while inside the cabin. I worked on the laundry and together we watched Speed channel, football and the weather updates. It continued to snow on and off all day and the sky was both blue and gray. As grateful as I was for my clothesline during the summer, I was that grateful again for my drying in winter. It warmed the room and the clothes were soft and full of static as I folded them. I know all about fabric softener and dryer sheets but I don't like either one. I'd rather deal with the static. It wasn't so bad except for the white clothes. Those socks were all diligently clinging tightly to my tablecloth! LOL it looked like a sock hangar :) just pick a pair!

Not quite finished with my appetite for venison, I put together Lizzard's Amazing Meatloaf with 1/2 ground chuck and 1/2 ground venison (instead of the pork). If at all possible, the meatloaf was even more amazing than before! It held together very well and stayed juicy and moist inside even after we cut into it. While the meatloaf cooked for dinner, I began the process of making my beef, barley and vegetable soup. This time I added some cabbage - had it in the refrigerator so what the heck?

The cabbage had a decidedly different cast on the flavor of the broth but it was most definitely a hit. I sampled it while it cooked and brought a bowl of it for lunch today. The meat seemed fatty when I was cutting it up so I removed most of that. It simmered in that big red pot for over an hour and was so tender you could cut it with a fork - perfectly hot and steamy, perfectly full of vegetables and a perfectly beefy broth all combined to make another successful pot of soup! Wish you were here to enjoy a bowl with me :)

No deer lost their life on account of me, rather my yard was a safe haven instead. No belly went unfed on account of me, rather we were all sufficiently fed and our bodies were busy absorbing all the nutrients from the meats and vegetables we had consumed. No snowflake was left unappreciated as I was sure to say thanks for such a beautiful sight. So while our weekend was mostly uneventful by Florida standards, for us it was a source of contentment and peacefulness. We can only hope to have more of the same :)

"Many people think that if they were only in some other place, or had some other job, they would be happy. Well, that is doubtful. So get as much happiness out of what you are doing as you can and don't put off being happy until some future date." – Dale Carnegie