Dreaming of Spring Gardening in the Middle of a Wisconsin winter part 2

[jvls1942]

sorry about the sheep. Now what ? buy a partner
for the partner? or sell it ? eat it?
today I went out and plowed the new snow. did
a pretty thorough job of it. widened the driveway
and even did the mailbox.
then I located the back blade that was completely
covered with snow. Hooked a chain onto it and
dragged it onto the driveway. Annie helped me
get it mounted. Now I think I have to get a can
of gas before it snows again.
I don't like the temperatures forecast for the
next few days.. might go below zero .
at least we will have a white Christmas.
that's all Bing Crosby's fault.

 

[Callender Girl]

Oh, Jim, you'd better hide under a chair for suggesting that Rachel ends up as dinner!! Actually, I saved her from that fate when she was a 32-pound lamb. Her mother had already been sent off to market. It's the first time I've ever bought a pet by the pound.

Rach seems a bit more calm now but still lonely. I wish she could bond with the goats, but I haven't had any success with them mixing in the past. I sure don't need to add any more critters. I don't know what I'm doing yet.

Good news on getting your snow plowed, and I'm with you on the forecast. Bah, humbug! It's only 4 degrees here, more snow is predicted, then DAYS of sub-zero and single-digit temps.

BTW, I watched Bing and company in "White Christmas" last week. The old movies are one of the highlights of the season for me. Was sad to learn that "A Charlie Brown Christmas" won't be on broadcast TV any more. It will be streamed on Apple+, but how many kids won't get to hear Schroeder play piano while Snoopy and the kids do that crazy dance?

 

[jvls1942]

Barb, sheep are herding animals. give her time and
she will bond with something..
All that I am going to do this week is plan food for
Christmas dinner. I made Annie buy pork sausage for
the stuffing.. having ham. and prime rib. County Market
has precooked prime rib. Annie bought a slab this week
and it was delicious. a bit pricey, but once a year won't
break the bank. the hams were free.
I might even bake some potato rolls.

 

[Callender Girl]

Sounds like you go all out for Christmas dinner, Jim. My sister is planning to come up next week, so we will have some semblance of a holiday meal, I'm sure but I have no idea what it will be.

Rachel is calming down some, but she's clearly still lonely. What to do, what to do? Katahdins are such beautiful sheep with their dishy faces and array of colors. I would love to find her some playmates. But I really don't need more critters to feed and care for. Which is what I usually say before I get more critters.

Looks like a week of frigid temps is on the way, including more snow. At least it was warmer (almost 20!) yesterday, and I was able to chip away enough ice to open two of the frozen run doors.

The hens in the red coop slipped out when I was trying to change out their water dish. It only took minutes for them to realize they HATE winter and returned to the coop on their own. My kind of chickens!

Got to watch "It Happened on Fifth Avenue" yesterday -- a must-see every year.

 

[jvls1942]

Barb, if you are feeding one sheep, you might as well
feed two. How's that for enabling ?
I like to cook the big meals at holidays. What else is
there to do when it is cold outside ?

 

[jvls1942]

minus 9F this morning. not expected to get
up above single digits today.
yesterday I spent 3 hours in the dentist's chair.
have a temporary crown on the tooth that I chipped
last Sunday.
our Dish tv service is out. not scheduled for
repair until Dec28th. looks like we will not get
to see the Packers play on Christmas day.
Last night we had the radio on with background music.
We actually talked to each other. It was really nice.
I think the tv will be turned off more often.

 

[Callender Girl]

Sorry to hear about the tooth and DISH. In town, I had Mediacom, and it was a nightmare. You could contact them 24/7, but it was impossible to talk to anyone in person, and outages lasted days. Much better experience with DISH, but I have been making an effort to turn off the TV more often. I have a lot of books that need to be read.

We will not get above zero until Saturday. Snow is expected to begin today with 3-6 inches that I will have to shovel, but it likely will do me little good since winds are expected to be gusty. Wind chills may hit -42 degrees.

I have an appointment in town at 1 today, which is likely the last time I will leave the property until Monday. Before 1 o'clock, I intend to grab a few groceries and drop off the Christmas presents at the YWCA.

 

[jvls1942]

today I go to the Osteopath for my head pains.
I hope she can find me some relief.
we have another stray cat in the garage. I have not
seen it, Annie said it is an orange striped one.. I guess
the word of free easy food is getting around.. lol
I hope it likes cottontails..but not as friends..
the deer are still making tracks all over the
yard at night..
stay in, stay warm...

 

[jvls1942]

my appt went very well. I got poked jabbed stretched
and massaged. really loosened up a lot of muscles.
not cured yet, but I think we are on the right track.
they do not schedule appointments for less than two weeks.
I would go every day if they allowed it.
on the clip board they asked what is my goal?
I put, zero pain..

 

[Callender Girl]

Glad to hear that you are feeling some progress! I'm always amused when asked by health care professionals about my "goals." All I want is to feel better, make the pain go away. It's not like I'm going to say, "training for the Senior Olympics."

Yesterday's errands went well. The snow -- which was briefly soft, fluffy flakes -- turned to a steady supply of tiny and dry flakes. Those are lighter to shovel, but make really high drifts.

Dogs wanted to go out this morning as soon as they woke me up (I have No Need for an alarm clock). I grabbed the shovel by the back door and prepared to clear the deck and ramp. Dinah, the smaller dog, usually doesn't wait for me to open the gate at the bottom of the ramp; she just slips between the spindles and races off.

Poor blind George waits patiently for me to open the gate. But not today! He came here quite overweight and has slowly shed a few pounds -- despite his unfillable appetite. BUT, today he proved he can wedge himself out through the spindles, too. It's a tight fit, but when a boy's gotta go, a boy's gotta go!

I will shovel what I have to today to get to the sheep and goat pens, and to the coops. Then, I will watch the wind fill in all the spaces I've just opened up. Sounds like I will do the same things tomorrow and likely Saturday.

Hope everyone is staying safe and as warm as possible!