Another winter storm ............

Much of the Northeast got slammed with another big snowstorm last night. This winter has been brutal for a lot of people. We got a little snow mixed in with rain yesterday afternoon, but it was melting almost as fast as it fell. This was my front yard when I got up this morning.



You really can't see the snow. It showed up a little better in the backyard.



You can see a little dusting way back in the corner of the yard. Also you can see a little on the pool cover. How I wish it was hot enough to be in that pool with the sun shining and a gentle breeze blowing. I'd be floating around with a cool drink in my hand and some good music in the background. There would be thick, juicy steaks on the grill along with corn on the cob. Homemade ice cream would be in the freezer. Oh, excuse me, I was daydreaming ... back to winter and snow.

We have been lucky this winter compared to some of you folks. We've only had 2.5 inches of snow since the first of the year and a total of only 10.5 inches for the whole winter. We seem to live just to the south and east of most of the storms. I'm not complaining. If I see snow once during the winter that's enough for me.

Mollie Ann has completely recovered and is back to her usual pushy, demanding self. Mazie Grace is still not eating in the house, but I found the remains of two moles, a bird, and one unidentifiable creature in the yard. She has been busy hunting her own food. She has always preferred prey to manufactured food.

I've been trying to make myself get off my butt and do something. I did clean out kitchen cabinets yesterday. I should get some paperwork together for the tax returns, but I'm going to grab my Nook and my blanket and relax for the rest of the evening. There's always tomorrow .....

The winter blahs .........

I have the winter blahs. I have no energy. I think of things I need to do or want to do, but I don't seem to accomplish anything. I'm not depressed. In fact, I'm quite happy sitting under a throw reading or watching TV. It's just too cold to go outside or to go anywhere. I've even been neglectful in reading blogs.(I did try to catch up on posts tonight.) Maybe I'm hibernating.

I will be glad to see some warmer weather. I think a few warm, sunny days will energize me. This has been a long and cold winter.

Two of my babies are not feeling well. Mollie Ann has been throwing up all day. Maybe she ate something she shouldn't have. I'm keeping an eye on her. Mazie Grace seems to feel fine, but she hasn't eaten much the last few days. Do cats get the stomach flu? Maggie May is 100% as usual. She is stretched out in front of the computer monitor and her paw is resting on the keyboard as I type.

My afternoon walk ...................

We finally had a beautiful day. I just had to get out of the house this afternoon, so I grabbed my camera and took a walk. Below are some of the old barns and buildings I encountered during my walk.





This old barn is across the side road from my house. I expect to see it tumble down any day. My neighbor's horses go inside for shelter and I fear for their safety if we have a bad storm.





This old building was our barn when I was little. I can remember going in with Dad when he milked the cow. He tried to teach me how to milk, but I never was very good at it. The cow didn't like my touch, so she would get restless. I would get scared when she started moving around. I think the only thing holding the building up is the woood stacked in the side.





This is the old chicken house at my Dad's. We used to have chickens that roosted inside at night. While I was still rather young, we stopped keeping chickens and Dad turned this into his shop. We still call it the chicken house.

Much better ..............

I am feeling much better now. The pain in my back has finally eased. For those of you who were concerned I was taking too much medication, I appreciate your warnings. Several years ago my doctor prescribed two Celebrex a day. Knowing the dangers and side effects, I have been taking only one a day. During this flare up, I would take one Aleve or one Tylenol in the morning and my usual Celebrex at night. As soon as my back was feeling better, I went back to only the Celebrex. I do not like to take medicine and avoid it whenever possible. I wish I could manage with no medication for my arthritis, but that just isn't possible. It may be time to switch to another type of NSAID.

We are still having cold weather. The ice from the first of the week is sticking around in shady areas. I'm tired of winter and cold weather. At least we haven't had the amount of snow other areas of the country have gotten. I am so ready for spring. I want to get out and work in my garden and yard.

Hubby is working tonight. They keep putting him on the 11 PM to 7 AM shift. I think they prefer having a man working that time of night. He got paid for the first time today. His check was only one tenth of what he used to make, but he gets to put the whole check in his pocket to spend as he chooses.

I still haven't ordered a new computer. I did go on the HP site and customized a HP Elite 460z series computer with all the features I want. Since I did that, this computer has not shut down on me again. Of course, I'm being very gentle with it. I want to get as much use as I can out of it before it goes completely. I've backed up everything and have my laptop to use when this one dies.

Hope everyone has a nice weekend!

Snow and aches .........

We got snow again yesterday - about 2 inches. It was almost gone by yesterday afternoon, but then the temperature dropped and the wind picked up, making for a frigid night.



It has been too cold to venture outside, even for those with fur coats.



Hubby has completed his first week at his part-time job. He worked thursday, friday, and saturday nights from 11 PM to 7 AM. So far, he is satisfied with the job. He was offered another job thursday night. A local tire store went under and was bought out by another local man with money. He told Hubby he needed someone to manage it for him and offered the job to him. It would be full time and would have benefits, but Hubby doesn't want to work full time. All he wants is something to fill some free time and to make a little extra spending money.

I've been suffering with arthritis the last couple of weeks. I don't know what has caused it to act up. I usually have more trouble with it in the spring and fall as the seasons change. I take Celebrex daily and have taken it for years, but it's not doing the job. I've been taking Tylenol Arthritis and Aleve along with the Celebrex and I still hurt. It's mainly in my neck, shoulders, and back. I've tried heating pads and they don't help either. Guess I just have to tough it out until it decides to improve. I've had arthritis since I was in my early twenties, so I'm used to it.

Our weather forecast is for more snow Monday evening. I've got a big pot of soup on the stove, but I do need to go to the store for cat food. I don't want to be snowed in with three hungry cats. That could be dangerous!

Hope you are having a wonderful weekend!

Back to work ...........

Unfortunately, my self declared vacation is over. It was back to the daily grind this morning. I got out the duster, furniture polish, vacuum, and mop and tried to put the house in order. I've got the last load of clothes in the dryer and the house is presentable, so I decided to sit down and make a long overdue blog post.

Did you make any New Year's resolutions? Are you trying to exercise more or lose those extra pounds you gained over the holidays? I haven't made any resolutions. I have lots of room for improvement, but I learned years ago that I end up feeling guilty and like a failure when I break my resolutions. So rather than specific resolutions, I just vow to do better.

Hubby went back to work today, too. He got a job as part time cashier at our local FasMart - a convenience store. Since the weather has gotten cold, he has been bored with sitting around the house watching TV. This will give him something to do, get him out of the house, and give him some extra spending money. It will be different from what he was doing as an electric coop lineman. I'm anxious to see if he's going to like it.

My computer is still limping along. I got the most important information backed up to flash drives or transferred to my laptop. I will probably get a new desktop as soon as I decide what I want. I've always had a Compaq and my laptop is a HP, so I'm looking at HPs.