01/01/2011

We had a record low of 4 degrees at 7 am. Don't know what the low had been earlier. Cold enough that the cold water to they washing machine in the garage was froze for a bit until I could thaw it by turning the dryer on for an hour.
Then about noon we went out and did a lot of cussing to get super big chunks of ice out of the horses water buckets so we could give them some fresh water. Buckets are 25 gallon each with most of a bucket of water frozen solid. We have 5 gallon heated buckets for when it is cold and even they froze over about an inch last night. Coldest I can ever remember it being here, and I think news said it was a record low for New Years day.
Only supposed to get down to about 14 tonight. That will be 10 degrees higher than last night.

Tumbleweeds?

On the national news this morning the newsperson was talking about 40 mph winds blowing tumbleweeds across the freeways in Los Angeles, CA. Why is it that if it happens in New York, Florida, or LA it makes the news but weather most other places never does. We have winds like that with tumbleweeds blowing across the roads frequently but no one mentions it on a national news. We are having a blizzard in the 4 Corners area of New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Colorada and it is right now hitting Albquerque and Rio Rancho but national news could care less.
The wind is blowing the snow sideways, and that wind has a heck of a bite to it even though it is still about 28 degrees. We got all the horses fed, and since it's trash day the trash is out before it hit, but I caught a glemse of one of the neighbors trash blowing down the street cause they can't put the lid down on their trash can. So I guess the rest of us will have to pick it up and put it in our trash cans for next week when we can get out to get it.
For now I am staying in the house. Finally convinced the dogs they really didn't want to stay out in that stuff. Had to dry them off when they came in. They fuss over who is going to get dried first. Both of them really like it when I take an old towel and rub it over them. They will carry their towel around on their back for a while afterward. Ziva wasn't sure about it when i first did it to her but soon she was loving it.
I hope the horses are staying in their shelters.

!!! MERRY CHRISTMAS !!!

• Wishing Everyone All
• over the World a
• Merry Christmas
• and
• Peace to All

We Pay Fireman to What?

Today while in the store I got to see what the fireman of our community are really like. I got in line behind a group of fireman. (mind you each time I go to the store regardless of what time of day it is the fire truck, rescue squad, or several cop cars are sitting outside the door) I stood there and stood there waiting and waiting while four fireman took there good ole' time buying their one or two snacks with credit cards that would not work in the machine, making the cashier have to punch in the numbers while they laughed and gossiped. (do these men not carry a couple of dollars in cash on them?) After about 15 minutes of this one of them turned to me and said he was sorry to take so long and grinned. I couldn't help but say I was about to pass out from having to stand so long in an overheated store,(walking through a store and standing in line waiting seems to make my back, legs, knees, and feet hurt worse than about anything I have to do) and that my frozen foods were melting. This caused them to laugh and snicker. They didn't care at all that they were holding up a handicapped woman using a cane besides frustrating the cashier worse and worse. They were acting like a group of disrespectful teenagers.
These firefighters want my respect for what they do but won't give me any. Do they really think that I can expect them to help me if my house should catch on fire or if I have a serious medical problem or accident.
Do we really pay men to act this way while they are on duty in a public place?
WHY?????

After the Snow

We got about 8 inches of snow from that storm. It sure was needed. The ground is still wet and muddy. For once I would rather put up with the mud for a while instead of that awful blowing sand we usually have. It is wet enough I won't have to water anything for a while except the critters. It is cool enough in the day time I can actually get out and do something like playing with the horses for a while instead of trying to pass out from the heat. And yet it hasn't been freezing at night since we had the snow. A bit unusual. But I'm not complaining about it. The days have been a bit cloudy instead of our normal bright sun which can be a little depressing but is so rare here that I can take it for a while.

SNOW!

We may not have snow for Christmas but we have snow now a week before Christmas. Started as rain early, early this morning changed to snow about noon and have about an inch in some places now. Hard to keep a 7 month old pup cooped up when she wants to get out and play in that white stuff that she has never seen before. She seems to really like it and has learned to let me dry her off when she comes in. Had to let her out to play as I couldn't seem to play her down here in the house. She won't learn to play fetch with a ball for some reason.
So good to see the rain and snow as there was a forest fire down by Reserve and some grass fires somewhere else. I was so very very dry and had fire warning everywhere.

Just One Clerk?

I sent off 4 small packages of Christmas presents today. And I swear I'll never do it again. It isn't the having to buy the present it's the having to wrap it, then find a box the right size to mail it in. And worst off all is the trip to the Post Office. I can't understand why the PO is always wanting to raise the rates they charge for mailing packages and letters. I just spent $45 to mail those 4 small packages. Thats about $11 each. That does include the minimum $50 insurance. I found out last year if you don't have insurance on a package the PO laughs at you and says 'tough luck' if the package doesn't make it where it was going. It was my fault for not putting insurance on it, not theirs for making sure it got there even though I payed them to do so. Not only do I have to pay them and buy the insurance to make sure they get it to it's destination I had to stand in line for an hour while 1, I said one, clerk worked the line. I felt sorry for the guy but why can't the post office hire a few more people to wait on all their customers that want to mail all those packages that won't all get where they are going. Just one clerk! All of us in line kept saying the same thing Just one clerk! Where does all that money go that we pay to have those packages and letters delivered.

Face Forward and Fall

I fell again today. Got up about 6:30 and put dogs out. Tuffee didn't want to come in which is usually. But I don't think she should be out when it is only 25 degrees because she is used to being in the house at night. But she has always been bad about not coming in when I want her to, only when she wants to. I stepped out onto the concrete slab that is our front porch and when I did my knee did it's thing, what ever that might be. Doctors can't tell me what causes my knee to feel like it is trying to dislocate but doens't quite go all the way to be a full dislocation. I call it locking up as that is what it does. My knee joint slips just enough that I can't unbend my knee so down I go. I have been doing this for years but no one other than my hubby has ever seen be do it so most doctors don't even beleive me. I did have a full dislocation about 25 years ago and then again about 15 years ago. Now it trys to do the locking up several times a week. Most of the time it happens when I am sitting down or even laying down but sometimes when I am walking and then I fall. And it is usally faceforward. This time I scrapped and brused my knees, palms of my hands and my chin. Is anyone else having this problem? I would sure like to know.

again

Have been trying to download photos on here again and nothing will do it. Sorry, I wish I could. Some are being downloaded on my facebook site if anyone is interested.

Black Friday

I can't beleive that anyone would go to the trouble to get up at horrid hours in the middle of the night to go to a store just so they might save a few dollars on something that they thing someone else might want for Christmas. Why can't everyone go back to the old way of giving things for Christmas. Give from the heart not from the pocket book. Give because you want to not because it is expected. and only give to those that are close to you. Not to each and every person you think you might have known at some time.