Hell Froze, Thawed, And Then Froze Again

-39 this morning and all is sort of well here on Nicholsville West farm. We have survived the weekend from hell.

I had church yesterday morning and our retired minister who visited after driving 2 hours made it. Wow! What a trooper. I headed out the door leaving Hubby to work on the water pipes and pump. After church there was a potluck luncheon and then a choir practice. I had to take the Eucharist out to two shut ins and so by the time I got home it was 5 p.m. Hubby had just gotten the water back on and working. Yeah! He took the truck and headed out the door to go feed the horse and go to Pops house to fix a light problem (we are his landlord). I started getting a nice pot of chowder cooked for dinner and biscuits too. Just as I was putting the fish into the pot and Daughter #1 was mixing the biscuits.... pop.... no lights... crap!

The Daughters and I bumbled around in the dark looking for matches and candles and flashlights while my chowder sat on the stove getting cold. And it wasn't very long before we realized that my chowder wasn't going to be the only thing that was getting cold. At -35 temperatures it doesn't take long for a house to cool and with the crawl space only having just warmed up that was a real worry. I called Hubby on our cells and told him what had happened and he came home to help with the kerosene lamp and for moral support. Waaaah was what I wanted to do.... stiff upper lip.... stiff upper lip!

Hubby took the pot of chowder out on the deck and started up our kerosene stove and I watched as his hands started to swell in the cold.... this just would not do! I packed up the family and headed to the nearest restaurant for dinner and to pass the time in warmth till the power came back on. When we got home a few hours later the power was still off and the house was cold.... really cold. We sat on our new sofa with sleeping bags wrapped around us and huddled together for warmth. Brrr! I had called the "Power On" number for BC Hydro and they were predicting another hour.... by this time it was 9 p.m. and the novelty of the pioneer life was pretty much sucking.... at least it was for me. The Daughters got ready for bed and we all trundled off to sleep under a copious number of blankets.

Just as we were getting settled..... pop... on go the lights. Phew! I could breath a little easier. Only it was not very long before we had another problem.... our block heater is not working. I think we blew it last night when the breaker kept tripping in the electrical box. Argh!!!!Hubby and the Daughters are waiting as I write for a ride to school since the buses aren't running and..... well, I just want to know what else is going to happen before this blasted cold breaks. Hell, it doesn't have to be hot to be in hell.....

I Think Hell Has Finally Frozen

We're talking cold.. like real cold.... -41 degrees Celcius this morning. I dare not check the Weather Network for the forecast for wind chill.... that might scare me too much! brrrr!!!

Our big development today is that our pipes have frozen. Argh! Last night around 10 p.m. Tootsie the wonder chicken herder came in smelling like cat's pee.... this means that the ground is so frozen that the cats are now using under "My Deck" to take a whiz.... Tootsie, who is little more than a scrap cannot find a place to walk in the deep snow and has taken to using the space under "My Deck" as a bathroom too... and so he comes in smelling rather like a litter box. Since this is not pleasant it means bathing him regularly.

Me: Turn on water in shower upstairs. Slight trickle comes out. "Crap! Deaarr (calling out in a panic stricken voice) I think our pipes are frozen".

Hubby: "Crap!" (great minds think alike) "Is it frozen everywhere.....?"

Me: "Who cares about everywhere..... oh you mean in this house.... I don't know..!"

We check all other taps and there is only a slight dribble coming from the kitchen and the downstairs bathroom.

After Hubby went down into the crawl space under the house he came back quite exasperated to inform me that TC (the contractor) and TCH (the contractors helper) didn't finish insulating the addition and that the furnace vent that heated the crawl space, had been closed offduring the renovations. Argh!!! Hubby spent the next few hours crawling on his stomach in the crawl space insulating thepart of the new section of the crawl space under the addition that had not been insulated. Then he re-insulated the hatch door where the insulation had been torn off.... and then he opened the furnace vent.... and then he put in a heat lamp over the pump. With all this done we went to bed in the hopes that the pump would be thawed out in the morning since we think that the pump is the main problem.....

This Morning:

Me: Crap! Deaarrr (in a melodious voice) there's still no water.

Hubby: Crap! I'll go check the pump....

The result of which is, we are still hoping things will thaw out down there and the water will run again, now that heat is getting in there.

And so I sit here with tea in hand watching Hubby rearrange the animals once again so that the lambs can get to shelter. He is checking them all to see if they need ice removed from their nostrils too. The alpacas have suddenly gotten a whole lot friendlier as they cozy together for warmth. I am heading off to church in a little while if the truck will start. We have a visiting clergy person and I will have to be there in plenty of time to open the doors for her, warm the place up, with a smile on my face.... more than likely it will be a frozen smile....really!

Really Artificial... What A Way To Go!

I think I might have mentioned a few weeks ago that we had a Christmas tree dilemma. Where on earth do you put a Christmas tree and make it look nice in a construction zone? I asked this very same question one night to Hubby and the Daughters. Forth came some very creative answers of which Daughter #2 made a most irregular one. Her suggestion was that we hang it from the ceiling.... we all had a good laugh at that one but on Thursday when I was shopping for a Christmas tree we saw a very interesting display. There is a nursery in the town where we went shopping and they do a lovely job at Christmas time of making the store and green houses a winter wonderland. They have artificial and real trees galore and each one is decorated in a different theme. It was a real joy to walk through that store and see the marvelous wonders of such creativity. Anything that you might need for Christmas decor was in that place. As we proceeded to walk through the store from one theme area to the next we came across an unusual display. The theme area was crystal with every kind of crystal ornament you have ever seen. The interesting thing is that the store merchandiser had turned a Christmas tree upside down and had decorated the tree so that hundreds of crystal icicles hung above your head where the branches were widest.

Daughter #2 fell in love. Now she wants us to get a Christmas tree and hang it upside down so that our ornaments can be best displayed for all to see. Thing is I'm tempted! I talked to Hubby to see what he thought and he listened to what I had to say. I would not do this for the reasons that Daughter #2 mentioned.... I actually don't believe that the ornaments are best displayed that way. But what a gift to Daughter #2.... to be validated in a way that no other parent in their right mind would ever consider.... it would make her feel like her ideas were taken seriously and I can guarantee that we would have a one of a kind tree. We don't have to do it every year but it would be kind of neat to see the faces of the guests who come to our home.

Our children mean everything to us... just like everyone else out there who have kids.
Why not make lasting memories by doing the unusual. When we go against societal standards just because of the people we love.... well, I think it makes our love that much more real.... Besides, the original idea behind Christmas trees was to bring the symbol of greenery into the house... some people didn't even use trees... just garlands made out of holly or yew.... and think of the memories of the year we put our tree upside down... hoo hoo ha ha... what memories indeed!!!

Want to know if we actually do this??? Stay tuned... pictures will be posted on Christmas Eve.

Oh Ye Gods Of Mayhem

Knock, Knock....

Me: Hello

Furniture Delivery Guy: Is this the right place to deliver the sectional couch?

Me: Yes absolutely.

The furniture is delivered and put in the living room... (more about that later). I close the door behind the delivery guys and sit on my new lovely sofa..... ahhh! How relaxing.

Knock, Knock...

Me: Hello

Furniture Delivery Guy: Ummm.... do you know anyone with a 4 x 4, we're stuck in your driveway.

Me: Hmmmm ....!

An hour later after phoning around to many people.....









the big truck unstuck the wienie truck and the wienie truck is on it's way....

The Gods of Mayhem have struck again..... but we shall persevere....

Besides the guy who was driving the big truck that did the towing was really cute.... (What! I'm allowed to look!!!)

I guess Hubby and I will have to do up a Christmas basket of jerky and beer for those responsible for the wienie truck removal from our driveway....

But, for all that, it sure is nice having a sofa.....

Unexpected Changes

I'm waiting for our new couch..... we didn't get the one we were planning on getting but we did buy a sectional. It is olive green and will look nice in the living room with the black leather recliners. I also have a coffee table bt that won't be here until after Christmas. Hubby and the Daughters and I had a long day in FSJ.... we dropped Hubby off at the building that he had to go to for his workshop and then we took off in search of the ever elusive Christmas tree. We checked out what CT had to offer and found one possible. Then we headed over to another store to see what they had and we came to the conclusion that if you want a realistic looking artificial Christmas tree then you have to pay an arm and a leg..... in the end we decided to wait till next week when the winner of the Nicholsville West tree award will go on sale.
Daughter #1 got a chance to go to the Western store to have a look at cowboy boots and other western wear and Daughter #2 and I sat and stared off into space..... we were bored while she was in her hay day. She came away with a horsey tee-shirt and a lunge line for her horse. Then we went searching for jeans and pants since both of the Daughters have out grown everything they own. We had lunch at a Chinese food place and then moved on to the book store where we all felt we could spend a fortune since both the Daughters and Hubby and myself are voracious readers. We puttered around the mall and checked out the central kiosks (I had a great conversation with a lady from Peru regarding Llama recipes, she's really interesting)... I bought some hand and foot cream that was far too expensive so that the Daughters and I could have a spa day and do our feet and hands and nails etc... All in all it was very enjoyable.

Then we headed off to the furniture stores to have a look.... just a look.... you see Hubby and I had made up our minds about what we were going to do in the living room.... we had decided that getting furniture from a place where you can't see what you are buying was stupid. We have done that before and ordered from a catalogue and been very disappointed. This time we were going to do it once again and take another chance that is until.... DA, DA, DA, DA, (drum roll) I checked out this olive coloured dandy that was on sale too.... how great is that. I am waiting for the delivery guys as I write so I can't keep writing for long since they might want to call me for directions and my phone line will be busy. There have been other developments too but I'll write about those later..... maybe I'll be able to post a few pictures too.

Ambitions

Ambitious is what I was yesterday. It of course did nlt happen quite the way I expected. I finished the mirror but didn't get it up on the wall since the wall need a couple of coats of clear coat... that got done. The doors to the vanity got their second coat of paint and I even got the hinges on them and now the cabinet looks slightly more finished. I got a plan for the living room finally after waffling on the couch situation for the last two weeks. We decided the red couch would clash with the red floor and that the sectional would really reduce the room we had. So we picked out a blue couch instead that could do double duty as a bed when company comes. Meanwhile the shelves that I thought were for the Christmas village don't fit so I've decided to have one more look in the shed and if I can't find them I will do something else.

Today is my shopping day with Daughter #1. I'm looking forward to it. We have begun a new tradition... well that was an oxymoron..... we started the tradition about three years ago when they outgrew toys for their birthdays. I take them out of school for a day of shopping and we have lunch and do a real mom and daughter thing. It is usually a lot of fun and they get to miss a day of school .... we are leaving in about 15 minutes (so I had better finish this quick). While shopping today I am going to buy our artificial tree....

When Hubby and I moved to this log house we decided that would only use freshly cut trees and take the girls to go and cut it.... it means leaving the tree till the last minute... Last year was the ultimate fiasco.... I swore I would never go kill a live tree again. I swore I would buy an artificial tree and that would be that. So yesterday I did some internet shopping and found a tree that will suit our need. Small house = small tree.... or least a skinny tree and that is hard to find. So I am scouting for an artificial tree. I think I found the right one. Tomorrow will be the tree decorating..... which will be the only thing that looks sensible in the living room.... hardy har har....

Ok Hubby is out of the shower and I have to dry my hair yet... I'm off... wish me luck.

A Day To Do

Yesterday was "a day to do'. I caught up on a bunch of work!!! Even I'm surprised on that since my tendency is to procrastinate when eternity in Christmas hell is all that I face. I painted the trim around the medicine cabinet/mirror that will grace the wall of the downstairs bath room. It should be ready to go up on the wall this evening with some help from Hubby. Imagine that! I also painted one coat of paint on the inside of the doors that belong on the vanity for the downstairs bathroom. Imagine that! After all was said and done, I carded a bunch of rolags for the jacket commission and by midnight last night I had all of them spun. I got about a quarter of a spool finished. Imagine that! I also managed to fix the garland on the railing going upstairs. Imagine that!

Having said that Christmas hell looms. The living room looks like a bomb hit because there is a bunch of newspaper on the floor where I was painting yesterday not to mention a pile of wool droppings by your friendly neighbourhood wild cardeer (get it card-deer carder... ok so my humour sucks this morning!... ). Today I'm hoping to finish the second coat required on the back of the doors for the vanity, clean up my bedroom and bring downstairs the antique settee which dwells in my bedroom under a pile of clean laundry that perpetually lives there... (I'm taking away the settee so that Hubby and I are forced to put away our clothes all the time rather than dump it on the settee). I also want to finish putting up the Christmas lights outside. I started this job the other day but ran into problems with extension cords that wouldn't work.... so now Hubby has purchased a few new ones. That will be the decoration of the day I think. Meanwhile Hubby has found the shelves for the Christmas village and if I get really ambitious I might even put that up.

So with all of that on my plate today I am heading off to get to work.... I'll see what I can do with pictures tomorrow.