slight renovations.....

Replaced the stove/range/UFO, fridge and dishwasher.  Also took out three cabinets and added two new cabinets.  oh, and added a small countertop...

ta daaa!....almost finished...

moving day

Dem Bones

While packing up my classroom this week,  Rafe found a student that had been placed in the corner then forgotten.

Lamb to go

Today the fairgrounds hosted a sheep show....and so rafee went down and brought back tasty lamb sandwiches.

Greenbrier Casino webcam

http://www.greenbriercasinocam.com/view/index.shtml

Trash bags are great

Brother can ya spare....a house?

Was I raised in a barn? no...but, my parents do live in a barn. Sort of.  Several years ago father decided to overhaul the pole barn. It was a 3-sided metal barn used to house tractors, lawnmowers, brushhogs, and groundhogs.  The overhaul turned into a 'guest' house / tractor spa with stepped out brick, keystones, kitchen (do not read 'kitchenette, it's a kitchen), 1 1/2 baths, laundry, bedroom, tile floors and palladium windows. Kind of like a condo. People in town thought he was building a church.  Slowly TVs, computers, Fax, copiers, clothes etc started to move out to the barn.  Father has an extensive pharmaceutical glassware/memorabilia "museum", so that also has a home in the 'barndo'.  And so, now my parents live in the barn.  The 'big' house is a pseudo closet for seasonal clothing and decorations.

Rafe and I are going to be hanging our hat at the big house.  We both feel that it's foolish to rent something, that would cost the same amount that we could be paying a mortgage on...but we're not sure where to live and don't want to jump into a money pit.  We are leaning towards building out own simple abode.

By the way, just in case you worry about where the brush hogs and lawnmowers sleep, there were 'mini' barns built for them....and now the "shed" is underconstruction. It will be for the Kubota and John Deere, since they were pushed out of the bardo by Dad's Honda and moco's vanno.   It is also bricked, keystoned, supersized with an automatic garage door..and will have a kitchenette, bathroom, washer/dryer and storage room.  It also has palladium windows and a chandelier.and recessed lighting.  People in town thought it was going to be an indoor pool.   All structures are connected by a corridor H worthy system of concrete driveways. No streetlamps...yet. I have great plans to hang out in the shed and do the laundry. Perhaps take a shower.  I love my treehouse and will miss it. Yes, it was tight on storage space, but then again...can you ever have enough?

send in the clowns....

Every year for Dad's birthday we go to the circus.  The Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey 3-ring circus.  Only this year...they didn't have 3 rings.   They had a "magic" theme and alot of dancing and prancing about to canned and "live" music.  There were the dancing stallions and tigers.  The elephants did an impressive job lumbering in grasping one anothers tails.   The Chinese acrobat family was wonderful [they wore 'power ranger' costumes]. The dog show was also great.   I consumed a bag of cotton candy and my sister and I each had a smore dog, then we went back to the hotel for birthday cake.  I was so sugared out I couldn't eat any and woke up the next morning with a headache.

WVU vs. Duke

Gary got his hat signed by Coach Huggins

:D :D :D :D

This snow is making me crazy.  I always prided myself as one who would revell in being snowbound for weeks and weeks and weeks.   As long as I had the basic staples.  Food, water, heat.  Toliet Paper, a good book, a warm quilt.  So far I have paced around the treehouse...shoveled snow....skidded around on my icy deck in hopes to 'de-snow' my furniture.  The inactivity is oddly disturbing.

I have always fancied myself a bit of a 3-toed tree sloth.  Able to linger listlessly with the best of them..But I can't stand it..  I was going to lounge in the 'sun bed' earlier this week, but put it off.  I just can't bear the thought of being all splayed flat on plexiglass for 20 solid minutes
.  

Last week,  I attempted a side-jujitsu style kick at some pillows I lined up on the couch.

I threw my right hip out.

I have had to put Aspercreme on it every other nite. I guess pride did come before the fall. haha.

Cripes.  How many weeks till Spring?

How cute is that Dept. .................

Could it be cabin fever? Or perhaps concern for her mother's sinusitis attack?  Recently, Ruby-Sue decided to prance 'round in one of her many princess blankies. Not sure if this is a "princess" blankie, or the Winnie the Poo blankie.

Scenes from snowbound Jadewood

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Grand Slam

?????????????????????????????????????????

I love photo booths....why do I look so amazed..and Toddy looks so snarky ??? How did my hair get so jacked up??? Why didn't mom brush my hair?

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

My father sent me this photo of when I dressed up like a geisha.   I had just read "An Autobiography of a Geisha".   This was BEfore the "Memoiors of a Geisha" stuff became popular.  It was a wonderfully informational book about the tradition and hardship for the geisha.  I followed up that book with: Snowflower and the Secret Fan.  Thus ended my Asian inquiry.

The next year[Halloween] I was amish...complete with a bonafide amish 'simple' dress and head covering.  Of course this was after I had exhusted most of Beverly Lewis'  & Wanda Brunstetter's Amish tales. hmmmmm.

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

No school for me tomorrow.....and here is a picture of my sister with a camel.  My sister is the one wearing shorts.

Still Snowing

Smack That

---------------------------------------------------------------------

One day, earlier this week, when we actually had a regular school day, I was infomed that teachers at my school needed to arrived 10 minutes early. [We never found out why...] So, I got an early start down the road and about 4 minutes out of town I smacked into a lazy deer.

It was indeed a lazy deer, because it was basically almost off of my side of the lane, but it just wouldn't move fast. I slowed down as much as I could [it was icy] and didn't swerve into the left lane. SMACK. I clipped the side of it and that damn thing snotted all the way down the passenger side of my car...AND to boot, it smeared it's fur all up in the snot.

And so I still have deer fur/snot smear even today down the side of my wagon, much like a pseudo-appalachian racing stripe.

It's been too cold to wash the car...and you'd think a little something would slime down side and wipe off the goo....but alas...NO.

Stupid woodchuck....Snow blower relay

Technically, it's 6 weeks till Spring anyway.

ugh.

but..................I did get a snow day! We had about 5-6 inches fall last night. We were released from school about 2 hours early yesterday and it was really snowing at a good rate but still pretty fine. The sidewalk was salted when I got home but needed shoveled and salted again by the time Rafe got home.

So this morning Rafe was out early clearing out the sidewalks and snow in the parking lot. The last couple of big snows he paid a guy who was clearing out the business parking lot next to us. Today, though there was a different guy driving the truck and we weren't sure he'd take cash for an extracurricular trip.

I thought it would be exciting to skid around with the snowblower...and it was for maybe 15 minutes, then your hands start to get a bit numb from all the vibrating, and snow constantly is blowing back in your face. I made a small car path behind all of the parked vehicles so people could back their 2-wheel drive cars out and also so the mail truck could easily maneuver to the boxes. Rafe is going to clear out the other section in case we get more snow on Friday. It will be a thick glacier by then and may never melt!

Bashed

Last Summer at the Moorefield Gun Bash we gorged on country ham sandwiches...and country ham sandwiches. They did not have much to choose from to eat.....so we ate our moneys worth of country ham sandwiches. My mouth was so parched I swilled down Pepsi after Pepsi. I think we had a bag of kettle corn too, which I made the most of.

Two days later I had to go to the emergency room with Diverticulitus. [Drive-in-tukey-i-tis].

Rabbit Rabbit

So my sister and I disagree.

I remember our mama always saying "rabbit rabbit" and she says that it was "rabbit rabbit rabbit"

Here is what wikipedia says....

Rabbit rabbit white rabbit” is a common superstition, held particularly among children. The most common modern version states that a person should say “rabbit, rabbit, white rabbit” upon waking on the first day of each new month, and on doing so will receive good luck for the remainder of that month.

I am not superstitious..and pretty sure our mother isn't either. It's just a nice little tradition to try to remember each month.

January 31st

Last day of January 2010

Here are the results of the snow...these pics taken around 8ish this morn. Wow is it sunny!

Spring Snow....ok..it's still January

The hog will have to reserve his judgement...it's still only January. Robot or Real, I still maintain that the whistle pig will NOT see his shadow.

..anywho it snowed bucket loads today. Here's the proof. ugh.

Taken before noon...it was still snowing several hours later when we walked over to Foodland to get a cake. It's one of those days. It is so worth it to strap on moon boots, turtleneck, vest, coat, scarf, hat, gloves and trek to the store and get a yummy treat. It was nice to walk in the snow also..it had just began to get dark and the snow was floating around in the street lights. Nifty.

Spring Fling

Spring is around the corner...I am sure of it. The groundhog will NOT see his shadow. And so....we are planning a Memorial Day cook out to celebrate Jordan's graduation from high school.

Vegas Baby-Turkey on the Strip

"Does your family gamble alot....?"

"No, I don't think so."

hmmmmm. My family has been to Vegas several times. We like to see the various casinos, people watch and take in concerts and shows....yet on more than one occasion I would ask: "Where is mom....or Gary...." and the answer would be:

"Down in the casino."

The fountain in front of Paris

Gary, Toddy, Rafe and Jan caged

in on the top of the Eiffel Tower.