I dont like sleeping alone. When John is gone, the girl Poms get to share the bed. I do draw the line when it comes to the Rotties and our male Pom, Loki. He has a tendency to "claim" things and for him the bed is not one of those options. The Rotts are just too big, too heavy and they both snore.
One would think a Cali-King bed would be big enough to share with 2 Pomeranians. It is not. Lady always claims the little cave between John's pillows and mine and its not her face she points toward me. Bikki claims John's spot or sleeps on top of his pillows. Until Lady moves...then its a round robin. Bikki does not lie down gently..she sorta slams herself into you, then rolls onto her back. She is a big girl, as Poms go, and her "snuggling" will wake you.
If I happen to get up in the middle of the night for water or whatever, they move to opposite corners of the bed and wait patiently for my return. Then we start over.....
Lady and Bikki seem pretty well rested come morning ...wish I could say the same!
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Monday, January 14, 2013
Oh happy day!!
I am not one of those who has an easy time asking for help. Personally, I would rather chew nails than to send out an SOS. I dont know why...I never mind helping out when asked but it makes me crazy admitting there is something I cant handle.Which is not the same as saying I can handle everything that comes my way...quite the opposite. It is the admission of failure or weakness that bothers me. Or it is pride.....
What I have been blessed with, since we moved here, are friends like I have never had before. In Cindy I have a friend who listens and understands all the drama and trauma that comes with being a Mother and Grandmother. She does not judge or condemn. She will pray with me and for me and I love her for that. When I told her about the ATV breakage she told her husband, Tom. She called to tell me he was coming over (?!?) to take a look at it.
Tom took one look at it, got out the right tools ( who knew you needed a ratchet to tighten the dang thing ?) and had the shovel fixed in less than 20 minutes. John had been telling me " call Tom" and I had resolutely REFUSED. I know how busy both our friends are and the last thing I wanted to be was a pain in the posterior. I did not want to be seen as the helpless, hopeless wretch I truly am.
The Lord knows me well.....and has in His abundant Grace, gifted me with friends that are more valuable than gold. Thank you Lord, for giving me what I could never have asked for and for seeing to my needs even when I am too proud to say I need help.
I pray I am able to repay the kindness, some day in some way.
What I have been blessed with, since we moved here, are friends like I have never had before. In Cindy I have a friend who listens and understands all the drama and trauma that comes with being a Mother and Grandmother. She does not judge or condemn. She will pray with me and for me and I love her for that. When I told her about the ATV breakage she told her husband, Tom. She called to tell me he was coming over (?!?) to take a look at it.
Tom took one look at it, got out the right tools ( who knew you needed a ratchet to tighten the dang thing ?) and had the shovel fixed in less than 20 minutes. John had been telling me " call Tom" and I had resolutely REFUSED. I know how busy both our friends are and the last thing I wanted to be was a pain in the posterior. I did not want to be seen as the helpless, hopeless wretch I truly am.
The Lord knows me well.....and has in His abundant Grace, gifted me with friends that are more valuable than gold. Thank you Lord, for giving me what I could never have asked for and for seeing to my needs even when I am too proud to say I need help.
I pray I am able to repay the kindness, some day in some way.
Friday, January 11, 2013
Am I having fun yet ????
The answer to that would be a resounding NO!! John hasn't even been gone a week yet and the excitement has already started.
At about 7am this morning the snow and wind started. Wind blowing snow upside down and sideways,sounding mostly like a freight train and dying to a low growl. Snow blowing every which way except down. Drifts mounting and husband saying " dont let it get too deep before you plow".
Ok, no problem. I dress in my Michelin man snowsuit that covers me from neck to ankles. Add to that a pull on cap, scarf and gloves. Sunglasses...to protect not from the sun but from the blowing ice particles. Boots that fit Zack and two pair of socks. So far so good. *cough* Cute too.....or not.
I climb onto our trusty ( sure it is ) ATV and out into the elements I go. I get the path shoveled that I need to get out of the garage and onto the street. I go to push the last bit of snow blocking the driveway out of the way, rewind the shovel and start to back down the drive when SNAP....the cable that holds the shovel in the "up"position breaks. Its ok, thinks I to myself, I can still make it back into the garage.
I back into the garage with said shovel still in the "down" position and it pulls up part of the grate covering the drain pipe in front of the garage door. Said grate turns into an elbow macaroni and bends in half. Ok, says I to self, if its that easy to bend up, I can bend it down. Wrong. That sucker snapped like a potato chip. Still, got ATV into the garage, thinking I can fix this puppy.
Back to the broken cable. John says its just a thingy that needs unscrewing and that the cable then needs to be rethreaded . Got it unscrewed. Went to shove the cable back through the thingy and tried to rescrew it. Ha, Ha, Ha. Apparently I dont have the strength to screw it back in AND the cable is tangled and will not unwind. John says call for help. I dont like calling for help.
It is times like this I think I will just stay here in the house till John gets back in two weeks. I have coffee, cream for coffee and plenty of food...dog and human. It's that or move to the condo...which is looking more enticing by the minute. Providing I can drive the car out over the grate.
Staying put is sounding better and better.
At about 7am this morning the snow and wind started. Wind blowing snow upside down and sideways,sounding mostly like a freight train and dying to a low growl. Snow blowing every which way except down. Drifts mounting and husband saying " dont let it get too deep before you plow".
Ok, no problem. I dress in my Michelin man snowsuit that covers me from neck to ankles. Add to that a pull on cap, scarf and gloves. Sunglasses...to protect not from the sun but from the blowing ice particles. Boots that fit Zack and two pair of socks. So far so good. *cough* Cute too.....or not.
I climb onto our trusty ( sure it is ) ATV and out into the elements I go. I get the path shoveled that I need to get out of the garage and onto the street. I go to push the last bit of snow blocking the driveway out of the way, rewind the shovel and start to back down the drive when SNAP....the cable that holds the shovel in the "up"position breaks. Its ok, thinks I to myself, I can still make it back into the garage.
I back into the garage with said shovel still in the "down" position and it pulls up part of the grate covering the drain pipe in front of the garage door. Said grate turns into an elbow macaroni and bends in half. Ok, says I to self, if its that easy to bend up, I can bend it down. Wrong. That sucker snapped like a potato chip. Still, got ATV into the garage, thinking I can fix this puppy.
Back to the broken cable. John says its just a thingy that needs unscrewing and that the cable then needs to be rethreaded . Got it unscrewed. Went to shove the cable back through the thingy and tried to rescrew it. Ha, Ha, Ha. Apparently I dont have the strength to screw it back in AND the cable is tangled and will not unwind. John says call for help. I dont like calling for help.
It is times like this I think I will just stay here in the house till John gets back in two weeks. I have coffee, cream for coffee and plenty of food...dog and human. It's that or move to the condo...which is looking more enticing by the minute. Providing I can drive the car out over the grate.
Staying put is sounding better and better.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Organized ? Well, I try....
One would think that when I am the only human living in this house, that it would be spotless and well organized. It's not.
I do manage to keep the laundry washed, the dishes done and the bed made. Actually, I can gage my mood by making the bed...if I do it well, I am feelin' good. If its a half hearted job, I am probably a bit low on the energy/motivation side. If I look at the bed and know I am not going to make it, the temptation is to climb right back in and pull the covers over my head.
With 5 dogs it is just not possible climb back into bed. Come dawn, whether that be just after 4am in the summer or closer to 7am in winter, its "going outside to do our business" time. It is impossible to ignore them. The two males are the worst. Loki ( a pom with a collapsing trachea ) starts coughing and Stryker takes an interest in grooming himself in areas best left unmentioned. The sound of this alone is enough be bring me gagging off the bed at a bound.....
I am not the sort to spend my days polishing and shining and whipping my dustrag at every mote in sight. Truth be told, there are tuffs of dog hair drifting in the corners and dust on the furniture as I type. I do keep things relatively neat, relatively straight but organized I am not and its not for lack of trying, in a half-hearted but hopeless sort of way.
Every few months I have to reorganize the pantry or the shelves in the garage or my closet and I am the reason they keep getting messy. I know, in my head, that if I put that can of soup on the right shelf, with its brethren, the pantry will stay neater, longer. Doesnt mean I do it and I really don't know why.
It seems like a battle with myself that I am constantly losing. Entropy and his brother chaos are my constant companions and I dont much like them but at least they are familiar. Ah well.....I will continue to try and fight the good fight - or curl up on the couch with a good book. I am pretty sure the dust will still be there tomorrow but for now, I need to go make that bed.
I do manage to keep the laundry washed, the dishes done and the bed made. Actually, I can gage my mood by making the bed...if I do it well, I am feelin' good. If its a half hearted job, I am probably a bit low on the energy/motivation side. If I look at the bed and know I am not going to make it, the temptation is to climb right back in and pull the covers over my head.
With 5 dogs it is just not possible climb back into bed. Come dawn, whether that be just after 4am in the summer or closer to 7am in winter, its "going outside to do our business" time. It is impossible to ignore them. The two males are the worst. Loki ( a pom with a collapsing trachea ) starts coughing and Stryker takes an interest in grooming himself in areas best left unmentioned. The sound of this alone is enough be bring me gagging off the bed at a bound.....
I am not the sort to spend my days polishing and shining and whipping my dustrag at every mote in sight. Truth be told, there are tuffs of dog hair drifting in the corners and dust on the furniture as I type. I do keep things relatively neat, relatively straight but organized I am not and its not for lack of trying, in a half-hearted but hopeless sort of way.
Every few months I have to reorganize the pantry or the shelves in the garage or my closet and I am the reason they keep getting messy. I know, in my head, that if I put that can of soup on the right shelf, with its brethren, the pantry will stay neater, longer. Doesnt mean I do it and I really don't know why.
It seems like a battle with myself that I am constantly losing. Entropy and his brother chaos are my constant companions and I dont much like them but at least they are familiar. Ah well.....I will continue to try and fight the good fight - or curl up on the couch with a good book. I am pretty sure the dust will still be there tomorrow but for now, I need to go make that bed.
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
There is cold, then there is .....
Oh my. When we moved here I thought it was cold in winter. Which, truth be told, it was. What I have discovered, moving into year 3, is that everything is relative.
The first year I kept the house hovering in the 80's and the heating bill was over a thousand buckaroos a month. That first summer never saw me unpack one tank top or pair of shorts. I could have gone the entire year ( had John not been here at least half the time ) and never shaved a leg because nobody, save the dogs, ever saw them.
By year 2 I did unpack shorts and wore tank tops, albiet under other shirts...flip flops (aka "slippas") were still under the radar.
Last summer I actually did wear both shorts and tanks when it was "broiling" here in the low to mid 80's.
What I have discovered is how tiny the comfort zone is for us humans. I have gotten ok with temps in the 30's and 40's ( not in shorts ) but when the temps plunge under freezing, into the minus zone, its not cute. Even the dogs are not ok with it. They, long of coat and warm of body, do their business and want back into the house.
I do not understand how those people of long ago lived in tents, when the wind is howling and the water freezes on contact with anything. How did they survive in animal skins with only a sputtering fire to warm them ?
I am still in awe of the birds who continue to frequent the feeder, even in the worst weather. I dont know how they manage....but I am grateful and feel blessed to have a furnace that works and a fireplace for the worst days and very glad I am not a bird.
The first year I kept the house hovering in the 80's and the heating bill was over a thousand buckaroos a month. That first summer never saw me unpack one tank top or pair of shorts. I could have gone the entire year ( had John not been here at least half the time ) and never shaved a leg because nobody, save the dogs, ever saw them.
By year 2 I did unpack shorts and wore tank tops, albiet under other shirts...flip flops (aka "slippas") were still under the radar.
Last summer I actually did wear both shorts and tanks when it was "broiling" here in the low to mid 80's.
What I have discovered is how tiny the comfort zone is for us humans. I have gotten ok with temps in the 30's and 40's ( not in shorts ) but when the temps plunge under freezing, into the minus zone, its not cute. Even the dogs are not ok with it. They, long of coat and warm of body, do their business and want back into the house.
I do not understand how those people of long ago lived in tents, when the wind is howling and the water freezes on contact with anything. How did they survive in animal skins with only a sputtering fire to warm them ?
I am still in awe of the birds who continue to frequent the feeder, even in the worst weather. I dont know how they manage....but I am grateful and feel blessed to have a furnace that works and a fireplace for the worst days and very glad I am not a bird.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Maybe now I can speak......
The last year has been a hard one. I lost my Dad and I am not the only one who has lost loved ones in this family. I have had a thousand, thousand words to speak and have been speechless. Sometimes, when the heart is wounded, only the Holy Spirit can speak for you, to the Father. Maybe to others, also.
I lost my Dad in 2012. As an only child, whose Mother and Grands have passed, this had been more than difficult. It has been unspeakable. See above.
It has also been a time of the Lord's gifts.....of Jacob ( our first Wyman male, thank you Lord ), of Ezra (thank you again Lord for blessing his mother with health after several frightening days of fever in the hospital) , of Joseph ( after terrifying days of pneumonia and lung leasions in the NICU )...... of SIL Joseph coming home from Afganistan and SIL Thomas from the Phil. We do pray, Lord, that they may be absolved, both in their waking and sleeping, and find peace.
Also in this year, I have read the worst book I have ever read, been blessed with good books, have a son who reads and can forward titles and authors and understands what I do not ( hellooooooo.....serious SCI/FI vs the light stuff ....) Wish I could just watch the TEE/VEE butt I cannot. I do NOT want, ever, any kind of "digital" reader. Just send me a book, TYVM.
I do promise to try and articulate what I am thinking and feeling....
Wish me luck,
Janna
I lost my Dad in 2012. As an only child, whose Mother and Grands have passed, this had been more than difficult. It has been unspeakable. See above.
It has also been a time of the Lord's gifts.....of Jacob ( our first Wyman male, thank you Lord ), of Ezra (thank you again Lord for blessing his mother with health after several frightening days of fever in the hospital) , of Joseph ( after terrifying days of pneumonia and lung leasions in the NICU )...... of SIL Joseph coming home from Afganistan and SIL Thomas from the Phil. We do pray, Lord, that they may be absolved, both in their waking and sleeping, and find peace.
Also in this year, I have read the worst book I have ever read, been blessed with good books, have a son who reads and can forward titles and authors and understands what I do not ( hellooooooo.....serious SCI/FI vs the light stuff ....) Wish I could just watch the TEE/VEE butt I cannot. I do NOT want, ever, any kind of "digital" reader. Just send me a book, TYVM.
I do promise to try and articulate what I am thinking and feeling....
Wish me luck,
Janna
Friday, September 21, 2012
Fall....is falling all around
This truly is my favorite time of the year. The evenings are cool ( low 40's ) and the days are comfortable. The leaves have only just begun their long slow slide into gold. Odd how only a few leaves on each tree have decided to make the change while their neighbor trees have not. I do wonder what sends the clue that fall is falling when the trees are only feet apart.
The hummingbirds have gone and the chickadees are back, as are the Stellar's Jays and the Magpies ( love them best...amazing tails!!). The chipmunks are stealing birdseed like mad and are willing to risk death-by-Pom to get them. Our fierce hunter, Bikki, has two "kills" this week...a bird and a chipmunk. She is willing to sit for hours, motionless until the strike. Amazing since she is the most overweight and least likely hunter in the gang. For the record, the Rotties are willing and able to chase but sloooooow. They do bark a mean game though...
It has taken two years to ( sorta, kinda ) acclimate but at least this year I actually busted out the shorts and am wearing them still , albeit with a sweatshirt. After the visit to Hawaii I am THRILLED with this weather and these temps....I had forgotten ( how???) that August in the Aloha state is miserable. Hot, muggy, rainy then steamy. Ackkkkk.
Am I ready for snow ? Not exactly but I won't complain when it comes....unless it stays till April again!!
The hummingbirds have gone and the chickadees are back, as are the Stellar's Jays and the Magpies ( love them best...amazing tails!!). The chipmunks are stealing birdseed like mad and are willing to risk death-by-Pom to get them. Our fierce hunter, Bikki, has two "kills" this week...a bird and a chipmunk. She is willing to sit for hours, motionless until the strike. Amazing since she is the most overweight and least likely hunter in the gang. For the record, the Rotties are willing and able to chase but sloooooow. They do bark a mean game though...
It has taken two years to ( sorta, kinda ) acclimate but at least this year I actually busted out the shorts and am wearing them still , albeit with a sweatshirt. After the visit to Hawaii I am THRILLED with this weather and these temps....I had forgotten ( how???) that August in the Aloha state is miserable. Hot, muggy, rainy then steamy. Ackkkkk.
Am I ready for snow ? Not exactly but I won't complain when it comes....unless it stays till April again!!
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