It finally rained again, which we needed. It waited until I was finished having baked goods with Martha, and chatting with Vicki and others at the bakery. Vicki rode her new horse almost to our house this morning.
Before it cooled off and got all windy, Lee and I enjoyed the porch, where all the plants are back outside.
Martha and I then went to the yearly Master Gardener plant sale. Since half the Master Gardeners are also Master Naturalists, we saw lots of people we knew and had a fun time catching up and looking at the few plants that were left. I did find a fig tree to buy, and my friend Lynn took it home with her and will bring it over here when it isn’t raining. Future visitors!
I hope this is in my future. Photo from Pexels.
The rest of the day, we stayed inside and I got all sorts of tasks completed that were perfect for a rainy day. I wrote a presentation on beavers for the next Master Naturalist meeting, catalogued the birds seen here from February, filled out my timesheet (yay, money), and did my nails. Maybe dull, but necessary. And I indulged in an old television series on the history of the first 55 years of Star Trek (it’s 60 this year).
This month the theme is green.
The animals made it through the rain, so we just relaxed after feeding them. I’ve got more relaxing ahead of me tomorrow, but maybe a bit more creativity.
Speaking of creativity, here are January and February of 2026. No orange yet!
Sometimes a lack of excitement is just fine. This rain daze was pleasant.
Where to start? First, I laughed SO hard yesterday at my dear cousin, who was kind enough to call and wish me happy birthday. The problem was that she wished me a happy 67th birthday. No, I correct, I’m 68. You can’t be, she exclaimed, because I’m older than you and will be 68 in November. No, you turned 68 last November. Now, we have known each other since infancy and can’t figure out how old we are. Finally I brought up an age calculator and asked it how old I was. It said 68. My cousin wailed that she had lost a year. That was so dang funny.
Also funny. The hopeful looks on these two faces as Dusty’s morning food was being prepared. They can’t believe he eats and they don’t (we have a new fattening up Dusty campaign and he eats feed twice a day)
Now for the weird. Kathleen spent all day today cleaning the tack room as only a Kathleen who’s feeling better can clean. When she has energy, she really has it. There’s a distinct lack of mouse and rat poop in the room now.
So cozy and tidy!
But, she discovered weird/icky things in her deep cleaning. First, Tipper has created a litter box area under a chair, sans litter box. So, suckers that we are, we’re getting the cat a litter box. And food. And water.
The tack area also sparkles. I wanted to take the ribbons down because they remind me of Tarrin, but Kathleen said I worked hard for them and should keep them out. Okay.
But what was weird was what she found under the desk. It was someone else’s poop! Our best guess is a raccoon, which it kind of resembles. But we aren’t sure. Guesses?
Maybe Vlassic? But why? He has many acres to poop in.
Another weird thing happened at work. My colleague and I were trying out all the possible voices to use in a web-based training I’m making (so they won’t have to rely on my voice after I’m gone). We found one that sounds quite real. It’s so real that I think it’s Captain Ake from Star Fleet Academy (Holly Hunter). Of course we chose her so I can chuckle as I hear Ake talking about project management software.
Pretend this is Nahla Ake, not trees.
Now for the fun part. My friend, Melanie invited me to share wine and a cheese board with her after work. We had fun picking out cheese from Wisconsin, “the cheese capital of the US.” Then we got a lesson in the use of cheese utensils from the shop owner, who plans to give classes. It all made us laugh.
The “interesting” wrapper of one cheese.
It was lots of fun sipping prosecco and munching on snacks. I learned a lot about the history of this county (in sum, everyone really IS related) and got to chat with a few other women who were there. It was a great way to end my extended birthday, and everyone else got barbecue for dinner, so they didn’t miss me at all!
I will now snuggle into my side of the bed just like my sleeping partner (Lee has Penney in his sleeping chair)
It rained a bit today, not too much, but enough to please wildflowers. I didn’t hear as many birds as usual, but there’s always tomorrow.
The time passed pleasantly enough, because neighbor Vicki invited me to have lunch at the restaurant that replaced my old favorite, the Dutchtowne Deli. Neither of us do a lot of socializing without an agenda, so this was daring for us. And we had a good time eating huge Dutch babies with strawberry/rhubarb filling. It was just about the most delicious food I ever ate.
I had already taken a bite
Then we went to the bakery and got more baked goods (for later). I think my friends and family keep that place in business. My son had already been by.
Next we went to the ZX Made in Texas shop and browsed. There I was delighted to find a can that once held Granger pipe tobacco. It reminded me so much of my dad, who always smoked a pipe with that tobacco. I got it and put it next to Dad’s bronze baseball glove and his baby picture.
I never found his pipe smoke to smell bad.
After all that the rain was starting in earnest, so we headed home, checked out Vicki’s new horse, Malone, got my mail, and still didn’t get drenched. Not bad.
He has a better disposition than certain gray horses who live at my house.
The rest of the wet day was pleasant, especially since Kathleen came back for a while bearing Valentines gifts. It’s always good to have someone to talk to!
Alfred covered me with wet dog smell when it started thundering. Poor guy.
And you know it’s a rainy day because I watched two movies, which means I wasn’t outside all day! Both Song Sung Blue and How to Train Your Dragon were good. I really enjoyed the Neil Diamond songs and sweet characters in the first one.
One of my online friends passed away today after a miserable struggle with cancer. I keep thinking about her husband and kids. They were so good to her. Hug a loved one!
I said yesterday that the light was coming, and I really felt it today, and not just because we’re halfway between the winter solstice and spring equinox! Not that I’m complaining that the sun is setting later, because I enjoyed the sunset and full moon tonight.
Still daylight at 5:30 pm.
I just feel lighter and a little more positive after a few small pieces of good news, and I enjoyed good conversations with friends again. I need to keep this friendliness streak going! It’s hard when most of your friends trend towards the hermit lifestyle just like we do.
Take my word for it; that’s the moon.
Our friends Martha and Mike, who often invite themselves to Sunday dinner, struggle like Lee and I do to make the effort, but we all praise Martha for making the rest of us spend time together. At least we admit our struggles to each other. You feel lots less alone when you figure out we all have challenges to push through.
Red hat. It fits. It’s warm. I’m trendy.
All in all I enjoyed my day of finishing my red solidarity hat, donning my Imbolc t-shirt, and gazing at the candles on my Brigid altar.
I was even able to spend a little time birding once it warmed up a little, since it was sunny and calm. A Belted Kingfisher flew right over my head! Now it has to warm up enough for me to sit out and see the Bald Eagle that’s hanging out here.
St Brigid likes birds.
I can’t miss the turkeys though. Darryl Junior really wants to fly, and his legs pound the dirt like a herd of elephants as he runs and flaps his wings. Good exercise, I guess! Both the birds and horses seem glad for the slight warming trend. Tomorrow should be practically balmy, at least in the 60s.
And here’s January 2026 in its cooler glory.
Enough rambling for one day. I’m all rested and ready to tackle another work week.
Here’s my funky candle collection on the hearth. At least I decorated for a holiday!
One of the benefits of everyone being home all day waiting for bad weather (it only just now got sleety here) is that there’s lots of time to talk. Or text. Or message. I did those things most of the day. It brought a lot of comfort to me. Yes, I’m chatty Susie.
Rain did fill the back pond, and raised the front one, but I was too cold to take a picture.
Thanks to pretty much my entire family, my old friends, my current friends, and my “daughter” for being there for me today.
Today’s rock was for snow.
If the weather is still bad where you are tomorrow, take a break from your cocooning activity and text, call, message, or write a letter, depending on your generational preference. Heck, I got stationery in the mail today (from a friend in Canada!) so I should write some letters, too!
Lee and Carlton cocooning.
Knowing we have people who care for us will help us get through these trying times. No one can take away our love in our hearts.
The first wave of the long-awaited bad weather has arrived at last. So far we have had enough rain to at least make a dent in the dryness. Heck, this morning the mist was so heavy that the screened porch had water dripping down the screens. Here’s where we were earlier today.
5:13 pm
That’s all rain. I guess tomorrow or later tonight the snow comes. Or not. Who knows? In any case we parked the motorhome in front of the garage, so it will be out of the north wind. And the generator is working!
Red is bad. Freezing rain or sleet. Yuck!
If you don’t get a blog for a couple of days understand I’m just conserving energy. We and our animals will be fine. I’ll keep knitting my red hat and temperature blanket.
Some ribbing. I remember how to knit.
Stay safe everyone! Except certain people who escaped to the beach (and you know who you are). Nah, I want everyone safe. And warm.
No kidding, today started out like nothing was going to go right. My first sight, when I went out to check the exciting .04” of rain we got, was an unpleasant unalive mammal. An hour or so later I stepped in gross septic water because it was draining near the chicken pens.
They do have a new entrance ramp, though.
Next I sprayed cold water all over myself trying to fix the automatic waterer without turning off the water. Bright. I did fix it, and my offspring the handyman built a temporary brace to stop big, clumsy Darryl Junior from stomping on the water hose and loosening the connection. Yay.
There is now another piece of concrete and some wood where my foot is here, to stabilize the hose. Yes that’s my wet shoe. And the other thing is what I put their grit in, and it’s a pig (someone always asks).
Then I dropped stuff and nearly failed in putting mice traps in the tack room (sorry, don’t want to die of hanta virus). I got stuff all over me.
At least I had a good interlude when my Precious Stepsister called and she listened to my anxiety stuff. That’s because I gave her a rock.
Not the rock I gave her, but my message to you!
And finally, I sat down to enjoy Facebook at lunch only to discover this article, detailing how the homophobia in Texas is so bad that a children’s book author whose in-laws I’ve known for decades can be prevented from talking about his charming nonfiction books (I’ve read many of them) in elementary schools because there is one sentence in one book that acknowledges LGBTQIA+ people exist. How low can this place go? Rhetorical question.
Read all about Chris Barton and consider buying a young friend (or yourself) one of his books. As a matter of fact, I bought a copy of every book he’s written for children and sent them to my unofficial granddaughter.
And our US Senator has once again left the state when bad weather is coming. Coincidence, I’m sure.
I was pretty mad at the world much of the day, especially when the dogs found something I won’t mention and brought it into the house to fight over. While Penney tried to kill Carlton (she kept going when he stopped at Lee’s command, so Carlton lost), Harvey ate the contested item. All I can say is I’m glad I was feeding horses then. It sounded pretty yucky.
You can sorta see a scrape under his chin, but his leg is worse; he’s favoring it (but it’s not broken).
After all those small things built up, I was about to go crawl under the covers, but then I had a second good phone call of the day that cheered me up about possible not horrible developments in my life!
And we had a Screech Owl today. Yay!
See, there’s always good among the nauseating events. You just have to be patient and not spend all day hiding under the covers.
It was darned cold and windy this morning as I headed over to my friend’s house to show some of our Master Naturalist friends the beaver dams and ponds I visited earlier this month.
At least it was sunny! Ponds are among the trees in the distance.
I recovered from being lost and going down the wrong road, and everything went fine. I remembered all my beaver facts and just started spitting them out authoritatively. I think I even taught people some things they didn’t know!
Ruby howled her approval.
I had a good time looking at the area again and seeing changes. There were trees with new evidence of bark chewing, which made me happy.
Click to see these larger
We saw the beaver trails, an entrance they use for one pond, and some tracks. I think people enjoyed themselves. I sure did!
Beaver trailPond entranceIntrepid visitors
After we were done, we ate at one of our local Mexican restaurants. I enjoyed a delicious cup of Mexican hot chocolate in a beautiful mug. It got me thinking about how much there is to treasure about Mexican culture, so on my way home I got a few yummy Mexican baked goods. Mmmm.
It was pretty nasty outside so I didn’t do birding and I just took care of birds and equines quickly. I’m glad they all have good shelter now (I saw evidence the turkeys used their hut last night).
Cold-looking sky
Mostly I watched football, read, and crafted today. Here’s what my tan themed temperature block for January looks like so far. I like it.
I’m getting some criticism for sharing thoughts more directly on Facebook, but that’s fine. Feel free to fire me from your life if my truth bothers you! it’s becoming more important to speak out and be brave.
Today had its ups and downs, but in the interest of time I’ll just share ups. You’re welcome.
Look!
The turkeys are happy to share that their hit is finished. According to my son, they were VERY helpful while he was moving it into place and getting it painted. They really wanted to help him paint and kept trying to grab the brushes.
We’re not shy. We also appreciate our water dish being put on a level surface!
I love how well the hut matches the henhouse, tack room, and horse pens. It’s so classic barn red. And it has a nice metal roof with few sharp edges to give me tetanus.
Off the ground for drainageRoof. It slants two inches to drain rain out of the yard. We put shavings in it.
I hope the dang turkeys use it. This evening I went out to check on them and the only occupants I saw were the chickens in their area and this guy in the backup coop. He is not a turkey.
You interrupted my rummaging through chicken feed!
Oh well. It isn’t going to hurt anyone. The turkeys would peck it to death first.
Other good stuff? Lee and I did a non-hermit thing and went to a friend’s house for dinner. We had a wonderful time in an old farmhouse laughing and telling stories with our friend and the other guest. He was also a hermit. We had a lot in common. This is the kind of thing we should do more often. It’s great to meet smart, funny, like-minded folks out here.
This painting was on the wall. It’s by a friend I miss very much.
When I got home I had a long phone call with my former professor, Doc Shenkman, who just happens to have spent many years training law enforcement officers in ethics and acting within the law. As you can imagine, he had interesting things to say. He’d called so I could cheer him up, but I don’t think the stories I shared from my friends in Minneapolis did that. But, it’s good to hear the perspective of someone trained in law enforcement on recent events.
And as always, we both noted that there are many agents acting as they should, doing a hard and unpopular job. I just want us all safe, treated with respect, and able to express ourselves without fear.
Rock for today.
I hope I didn’t veer too far off the cheerful, but all the conversations today (family, work, friends, and new friends) made me feel less alone and a wee bit more hopeful.
Darryl Jr and Connie Gobbler are going to be happier this chilly weekend, because they are getting their very own Turkey Hut! It’s a custom-crafted abode made of the finest leftovers from construction projects.
Today’s progress
The space is designed to be big enough for the turkeys to enter and exit but small enough to keep them warm. It will be placed against the henhouse wall once completed. The opening faces south, away from the cold north winds.
It seems pretty big.
Lee wants it to look good, so it will have siding, a metal roof (it slants to the rear so rain will drain, and spiffy paint matching the barns here. I enjoyed hanging out with my son on my lunch break, getting supplies and treats from the bakery. Having some family fun helps remind me of the good in the world.
Today’s rock
And this rock symbolizes how today felt to me. I’m deeply grateful to friends who have been incredibly supportive and kind for the past few days. I’m much more emotionally stable just knowing that I have real friends, including those from all over the political and spiritual spectrum, and from both inside and outside the US. And heck, my family have also been so good to me today—I feel a little more inclined to look forward to fun someday. I even had a great talk with a coworker about potential future plans after we finished writing some complex stuff.
Rainbow from earlier in the week, compliments of neighbor Vicki.
So yeah, it’s not the most peaceful time to be alive, but I’ve not been abandoned by all my communities, and I know I’ve led as good a life as I could. No one can take that away!
The Hermits' Rest 