Bundle up and enjoy it....

I'm not the only one talking about the weather. Cucoo had to bundle up to go outside, but where's the snow? That's right, some of you may recognize this as an old picture that I've used before on my blog, but I'm using it again because it gives me an excuse to talk about our weather and how cold it is here.

This morning the thermometer we have outside said it was 8 degrees whether that's right or not, it's still cold and it's still snowing. Jimmy says it's snowing because it has warmed up and I seem to have heard that before, that it has to warm up to snow. They say it won't snow when it's too cold. Who knows if it will or not? How about you Kerri & Ross or Sweet Pea, you live in the frozen tundra during the winter months? Is it ever too cold to snow? I'm thinking if it's too cold to snow then how is there snow at the North Pole or in the frozen Arctic Circle when the temps are below zero?

Although I'm getting tired of winter there is an advantage to it....I can stay on my computer longer and chat with all my friends more. I'm finding that the people who are snowed in or just staying inside because of the frigid weather are spending more time online too and I like that. It's not very much fun when you're the only person online and you're spending your time talking to yourself and leaving yourself comments just for entertainment.
And all of you are probably wondering what Jimmy does when it's cold. He reads a lot after he makes his rounds outside feeding the birds, squirrels & cats. He also watches lots of college basketball games & professional bull riding. Another thing that we seem to do more of in the winter months is cook more. It helps to warm the house and home cooking sure does smell good too....especially if I'm baking or fixing something we both really like. Today feels like a no-bake cookie kind of day as an added treat for Jimmy. I have all the ingredients for a small batch.

Whatever the weather, there is always something you can do to pass the time and make the best of it. Some of you prefer to do needed chores around the house and some of us prefer to cook...notice that none of us prefer to clean house but with a little peppy music in the background it can also be fun....for you.

Today is my second Sunday, so I already did what I was going to do today yesterday...so today I'm free to play and as Jimmy says, I play everyday. I'm retired and isn't that what retired people are supposed to do? Tomorrow will be Monday and the weather will be warmer and much, much nicer, I guarantee it. Be nice until I talk to you again and don't do anything
that I wouldn't do :)

Another gadget for your desktop

Look what you can put on your computers desk top. It's a facebook gadget, and just a couple of minutes after one of your 'friends' makes a comment, puts up a picture or a video you can see it right on your desktop without even logging on to fb no matter what you are doing on your computer. If it sounds interesting you merely click on your friends name and you can see their complete comment, picture or video or you can go onto the real fb if you like directly from here to leave them a comment. I'm looking at it right now as I type this post and I see new comments popping up with the newest comment always on the top.

It's a pretty nifty thing and it's called a Windows Sidebar. You can put whatever gadget you want to display on it. It came with world news, a picture slide show, and Las Vegas weather but I chose to have a clock showing another state's time zone, facebook, a notepad and sometimes I have the local weather at the bottom. You can also hide it if you like and bring it out with a simple click of your mouse anytime you wish. You can also move it anywhere on your desktop.

I really like it and it allows me to keep up with my fb friends even when I'm not logged into fb.

Here's what it looks like on my desktop.

Oh, that Cucoo he's always trying to read my comments. He needs a facebook page of his own and if I ever say anything crazy or off the wall on fb, you can bet your booties that it's not me, but Cucoo.

Cucoo's New Look

Cucoo has a new California "Spiky" look. He saw some guy at the pier fishing with his two young sons that had a wild colorful spike going on, and Cucoo loved it. Cucoo hasn't quite mastered spiking his hair, but I'm sure he'll get better with more practice.

A day at the beach with Cucoo

It all started while we were whale watching near Morrow Bay in the Pacific Ocean, when Jenny asked if Cucoo would pose for some pictures.


Here I am with Cucoo on the beach. Doesn't he look nice? This was Cucoo's first trip to see the Pacific Ocean and he was having the time of his life.


We couldn't of asked for a more beautiful day. Everything was perfect and the temperature was in the 70's. As I was taking pictures of Cucoo, he asked if he could have his picture taken while in the ocean so we headed toward the breakers. He stopped where the waves had wet the sand and we waited for another small wave to come in and lap Cucoo's feet, but the first wave didn't reach Cucoo. So Cucoo then stepped out a little farther and I bent down with my camera all ready for that perfect shot. Then suddenly the wave came in a little too hard and a little too fast followed by a bigger second wave and Cucoo disappeared and was swept into the ocean and out of sight.

TALK ABOUT PANIC!!!

We all FRANTICALLY searched the waves and then I spotted Cucoo and reached out to grab him when suddenly another wave quickly crashed in and he disappeared out of sight again. Jimmy even got his new cowboy boots soaking wet as he jumped out into the ocean searching for our precious little Cucoo. Then suddenly Gil spotted him and Cucoo was saved....what a close call.

We inspected Cucoo for any injuries, but found that other than some sand in his hair, he was fine and unhurt. His ego was a little bruised though, but I think he'll be fine.

Poor Cucoo.....

After Cucoo was safely back in our hands, Jenny broke out in laughter and I think I heard her say that he looked like a drownded rat...or was it a wet cat???

Jenny wasn't the only one laughing either. Gil was also laughing hysterically, as were the rest of us too.


Cucoo was so happy that we saved him that he took our picture, and is going to hang it on his wall. He calls us "His Hero's."

Where's the Sun?

I traveled across the United States in search of the sun. Went all the way to Seligman, Arizona and still couldn't find him. What will I tell my friend Mr. Sycamore??? but at least I have some seeds to bring him. The seeds are for a plant called the Mexican Bird of Paradise that Jo & Ron, the desert dwellers, gave my chauffeur. I found them in her pocket :)


It was very windy all of the time. It was windy riding on that red bike and it was still windy when I got off and walked around. It didn't do any good to comb my hair because I always had that wind-blown knotted hair look.


Every time a cloud appeared it got very cold and the temperature dropped twenty degrees. I stayed cold all of the time unlike my driver who always seemed to be very happy & cheerful no matter what the weather was. You would have thought the sun rose just for her, and then when a cloud appeared it was as though it was put there on purpose to shade her. Don't you just hate such happy people? I just wanted to peck her on the head every once in a while, but then she would have made me walk home.


There weren't enough covers to keep me warm at night, and I had to sleep with all of my clothes on. I had taken everyone's blankets and pilled them on MY BED, but I was forced to give them back. They made some lame excuses about needing blankets for themselves.


Finally one day I saw Mr. Sun. He peeked out from behind a cloud and I asked him why he's been MIA for so long. He said he was on vacation and had asked the clouds to cover for him.
He took me to this pretty stream that he found while on his trip and we fished for the entire day and caught rainbow trout. We don't fish with hooks...we just put some bait on our lines and the trout jump up, grab it, eat it, and ask for seconds and then swim on their merry way. That way no one gets hurt and everyone's happy.

I can't wait to get home and give Mr. Sycamore the good news about Mr. Sun....the whole yard will be SO HAPPY.

Cucoo almost made it to Las Vegas

Cucoo got as far as Boulder City, Nevada and lost his shirt while eating at a buffet gambling casino in Henderson, Nevada. He actually never made it to Las Vegas, so the saying,"What happends in Vegas stays in Vegas" doesn't apply to our poor little Cucoo.

Cucoo's vacation pictures day 2

It didn't take long for Cucoo to find some sunshine, but he's having such a good time that he is going to keep on going til he can't go any further. Today he walked among the flowers and enjoyed their beauty and even made friends with a friendly honey bee. Cucoo has always considered honey bees as a delicacy, but although he made friends with the honey bee it wouldn't come close enough for Cucoo to grab it. It must have been Cucoo's eyes, he does have that crazed look about him doesn't he?

This is Cucoo's seat...this is where he rides sometimes, or maybe I should say, used to ride, but after his nasty fall on the pavement he opted to ride in one of the saddle bags. Good thing he was wearing his Old Navy sweatshirt that protected him from road rash. Unfortunately he wasn't wearing his helmet. Look at that hair blowing in the wind!.....oh, it's not blowing, that's how it always looks.

Cucoo met two pups today...a tiny toy poodle & a little chihuahua and they were riding on separate bikes with a couple. The poodle rode in a little padded open top box on the back seat of the lady's bike and the chihuahua rode in the man's t-bag, but he had to be fastened in because he likes to jump out. The pups were on their way to a Rolling Thunder rally in Washington, D.C. in honor of the Vietnam Vets. The pups told Cucoo that they had been riding for a long time and have logged in 35,000 miles and survived two accidents. The poodle walked with a limp.

Cucoo wanted his picture taken in front of this fine piece of sculpture that he found in his suite in Fort Smith, Arkansas tonight. Yes, Cucoo stayed in a fine suite with three rooms in addition to the bathroom (only because it was the last ground floor room left and it cost the same as a regular room.)

Cucoo wanted to report that his chauffeur caught poison ivy from HERE yesterday after an unscheduled stop, and is very itchy tonight.

Cucoo's going on vacation...

Cucoo's tired of the rain here in Kentucky and has decided to take a little trip to find out where the sunshine went. First he takes one last trip around the yard to make sure that everything is fine and that the flowers are happy.
*

Cucoo is all packed and ready for his bike trip and his journey out West where he suspects he might be able to find Mr. Sun. He plans on bringing Mr. Sun back here to Kentucky with him when he returns, but before he goes he has to say goodbye to one of his good friends The Garden Snail, who is going to miss Cucoo very much while he's away.
*

Cucoo puts on his helmet and is just about ready to leave when he remembers that he hasn't said goodby to Mr. Sycamore. Mr. Sycamore tells Cucoo to be careful and to have a safe journey and if he sees any little acorns to pick one or two up for him because he'd really like to have some company out in the yard to talk too besides that old broken down Mr. Ash Tree. Cucoo doesn't make any promises but tells him that he'll do his best to find him some seedlings and may even surprise him with a big seed from the giant redwood forest that he's heard so much about. That way he'll have a BIG friend.
*

Cucoo makes one last round through the yard before he gets on his bike to leave. The Spiderwort flowers surround Cucoo and give him a BIG HUG and wish him well on his big journey to find Mr. Sun. Although the flowers love the rain, they'd also like to have Mr. Sun's company too.
"Goodbye Cucoo," they all shout, "Have a safe trip."

THE END....
or is this the beginning?

You're missing out on all the fun....

There are still a few hold-outs who haven't joined facebook yet. You know who you are and you're missing out on lots of picture sharing and good conversation.

Because there are so many miles between us, it's become a very nice way to keep in touch with extended family and with friends and still feel like you are a part of their lives.

Dennis & I, and our children & grandchildren, would also like to see your pictures.

Double click on the picture to read it better.

The weather report

"You stupid bird!
Why are you dressed like that?

"It's still a little chilly out here."

*

The snow is still falling

How nice to wake up to a world covered in snow...at least here it's covered in snow and everything looks so fresh & white. Of course it's not so good for those early sprouts that had already started peeking up through the ground because we did have a day that was in the 70's sometime this week, followed by mild temps where I went outside in just a t-shirt and jeans...of course I didn't stay out all day dressed like that. I would have had to at least put on a light jacket or some long sleeves.

Last night it sleeted like I've never seen it sleet before. It lasted for hours hitting our windows and a couple of times the oddest thing happened....We heard thunder and saw lightning flashing across the night sky. Our cat Jybow of course ran for cover....and I do mean literally she ran and got under the covers of our bed. She's afraid of loud noises and Jimmy had to go in there and turn off our electric blanket so the cat wouldn't get over-heated while she was hiding.
Ah...beautiful snow! And this time I do hope we get what is forecasted for our area. We've missed all the storms this year and I think it's our turn to get some snow. My brother over on the other side of the state gets all the snow all the time. They get deep snows over there when they get snow and it's just not fair.

You can see (picture above) that one little bird was ready for the snow. Cucoo has had his warm sweatshirt and muffler on for a couple of days in anticipation of this snow. Every time the weatherman even mentioned the possibility of snow, Cucoo would run and get all dressed up in his winter attire. All that purple hair keeps his head warm, so there's no need for a hat.
Jimmy went out first thing this morning, and chopped a hole in the ice so that the critters outside would have water to drink.
He then went and got some ears of corn to take back to the creek for the squirrels. See the corn in his hand? He's trying to get into this little shed to get some black walnuts to put in a tray for the squirrels too, but he had a hard time getting that lock open...it was frozen and he had to light a newspaper on fire to thaw it out.
While Jimmy was feeding the squirrels the birds waited for their food perched in the trees & bushes. They emptied their feeders last night and what was left was frozen solid by this morning. He had to clean & scrape out the frozen seeds before he could give them fresh food.
See those long things hanging by the feeders to the right? Those are called socks and they're filled with thistle seed for the small yellow finches. You can see them better in the pictures below. It rained all day yesterday and by this morning they were frozen solid so we had to bring them inside to thaw them out.

Jimmy swept off the porches and all the walk-ways but they're covered with snow again. It's snowing the biggest, prettiest flakes you could ever imagine.
These last two pictures were taken this week. I was trying to see how close I could get to the birds before they would fly away. I'm now satisfied that I will be able to get some close-up pictures soon by just sitting on a picnic table close by the feeders. The birds are getting used to us and not all of them see us as harmful. My problem is when I sit close by, so do the cats. The cats demand that all my attention be focused on them and as they move around they scare the birds off.
I got so excited about the snow that I forgot to drink my coffee this morning. Jimmy just handed me my cold up of coffee and asked me why I didn't drink it and was there something wrong with it this morning? I told him that his coffee was fine and that I just forgot all about it when I saw the snow. He's now fixing us some sausage & eggs for breakfast while I write this post. He's so sweet. :)

I'm still in my PJ's and when I saw the snow, I slipped on my coat, grabbed my camera, put on some slip on shoes and went outside. I'm sure nobody noticed because nowadays you can't tell if those are pajamas or pants people are wearing. hehehe. Once while Jimmy & I were shopping I called attention to a young lady that was wearing pants that were identical to my pajamas. We could see no difference whatsoever. They were even made of the same material and just looked like leisurely pants.

I hope that you are enjoying your exciting new day as I am.

A day to myself

Today I get a day to be by myself....
Well, almost by myself if you count being in the company of the cats and my favorite little bird, Cucoo.

Jimmy is off to spend some time with his sister Addie Mae who is in the hospital in Winchester. She fell and broke her hip in two places about two weeks ago and it wasn't discovered that the hip was broken until she repeatedly kept telling her doctor that something was wrong, and that she was NOT getting better after two weeks. The two breaks did not show up on two previous x-rays and finally they did some kind of dye test and confirmed that indeed something was terribly wrong. So today she is scheduled to have a partial hip replacement and I can't be there because I'm not feeling well. I'm sneezing constantly and blowing my nose, have a slight headache, sore throat and well, just all that yucky stuff.
I was also supposed to spend the afternoon and evening with Megan, meeting her new beau. We were supposed to go out to eat and then to a movie together along with Sharon and maybe Zac if he could make it. Now all that's canceled too, but not just because I'm not feeling well, but because of the weather....rain changing to ice and then maybe some snow as the day progresses. It's been pouring rain all morning and the cats have only gone out briefly to take care of business and then have come right back into the house.
I'm working on a doll blanket for myself with left over yarn. Cucoo & Jybow are checking it out and making some suggestions of where it should go. Jybow thinks it ought to go in her bed and Cucoo doesn't care where I put it...he's got his muffler and that's all he cares about...that and his birdseed.
The cats have also been quite helpful today. They've been busy dusting the tables for me except for Daisy, who refuses to help out and has just turned her back on any suggestions of work. That's okay, because she usually does the dusting all by herself on most other days anyway.

Rainy days are the appointed days for cleaning house around here, but Jimmy's gone, and I don't want to leave him out of all the fun, so I'm just going to busy myself with doing things that I like to do....and that certainly is not doing housework.

I just noticed how quiet it is around here. It's so quiet in the house that I can hear the birds chirping outside my window. The cats must be asleep, because I don't hear them chasing each other around the house playing their little cat games of hide n seek, and let me pounce on you. How peaceful it is without the background sound of the TV which is usually on when Jimmy is home. If I don't get up from here and quit blogging I'm going to put myself to sleep.

It's too bad that everyone in this world can't live in peace & harmony and get along. The only time I think that everyone is getting along is when I don't watch or hear the news.

Sadly we say goodbye, by gladly rejoice in what's to come

We had a little snow on Wednesday and by the time I went outside to take pictures it was melting away. Boohoo
The lilies were sprouting early, but now have brown tips & edges due to the snow that covered them. This has been an unusually mild winter without many really cold days and not much snow either. And, when we do get a little bit of snow, it promptly melts away. We've had so much rain that the ground feels squishy under our feet. You just can't imagine what a delight it was to wake up and see the sun shining so brightly this morning. We've had nothing buy gray gloomy skies lately.

And on a sadder note...Although the day looks gorgeous and the skies are a beautiful shade of blue, it's never a good day for a funeral, but sadly Jimmy's step-daughter from his first marriage and his children's sister Chris died on Wednesday and will be buried today. She was a beautiful girl and lovely woman filled with kindness & love for everyone. She was a constant in everyone's lives and she'll be missed very much by all who knew & loved her.
Along with sad news comes good news and the announcement of yet another baby due next September. That makes two more great-grandchildren arriving, one in July and another in September which gives us a lot to look forward to. I've already crocheted two baby blankets for the July baby and I made them bigger because in July the baby won't be needing the blankets because it's much to hot then, but by October when the weather cools they'll come in handy. Now I need to get started on finding some nice soft pretty yarn for the September baby. Jimmy just can't believe the explosion of babies that are occurring just when he thought almost everyone was now grown up. hehehe. I had to remind him that this is what happens when they grow up, but he just didn't expect this to happen so fast and in such great numbers.

I've been keeping myself busy using up some left-over skeins of yarn to make mufflers to wrap around our neck & ears on cold days. I mostly have baby colors, so I don't have much of a choice to work with. I didn't know what else to do with the yarn. Anyone have any ideas? I thought about making a multicolored granny squared throw, but the yarn is of different thicknesses...some is bulky and some is thin, so I don't think that would work out but I may be wrong. And of course, Cucoo had to have a muffler too. He said he needed one to keep his neck and beak warm on his wintry morning walks....and sometimes morning runs when the cats get after him.

This muffler is made from the leftover yarn of one of the baby blankets that I crocheted for my granddaughter Megan.


This muffler is pretty, but it was one of my BIG mistakes. The yarn was supposed to be the same as the one in the previous picture, but you can clearly see that they aren't. They had the same color name, but I failed to look at the Dye Lot Numbers to make sure they were the same. I wanted to make another baby blanket, but each remaining skein had a different dye lot number.

Mufflers

Now wouldn't it be nice if I could make matching hats & gloves? Dream on because that'll never happen. Remember? I can only make rectangles & squares.

This n That

I was thinking of down-sizing my desk with the new smaller sized computer desk that is just sitting and taking up space in one of our other bedrooms....but if I trade out my existing desk with a smaller one, I definitely won't have any room to work. Not with Jybow around...she likes to spread out. I've been wanting to clear out my whole office and start over, but right now just before Christmas is not the time to get into such a project. I need new carpet and I've spotted a beautiful wooden daybed while out Christmas shopping that Motherkitty would love to sleep in when she visits. And YES, dear brother, I know that I need to get a much thicker, better mattress for the futon in your room too. I tried laying in there myself and it's not comfortable at all. Did I hear you say that you'd like a computer in there too, along with a BIG widescreen tv?
While cleaning I gathered up these little cars that Dylan overlooked when he was here last. I found them strung all over the house and Dylan probably hasn't even missed them. Dylan must travel with at least 50 of these little cars. It used to be that he never went anywhere without his guitars, but now it's these little cars, so you can guess what we bought him for Christmas.
These were my little helpers as I cleaned and put up my Christmas decorations this week. Cucoo wrapped all the Christmas presents, so if they aren't wrapped just right or even mis-labled you can blame him. The stick moose, with the big teeth, entertained us by singing a Christmas song while we worked and of course Cucoo refused to wrap any gifts unless he could wear his Santa coat. He's also insisting on handing out the Christmas gifts on Christmas day, but
I think he's much too thin to pass for Santa...What do you think?

I need a hug...

Tap...Tap...Tap
"Anybody home?"

"YIPES!!!
You sure are in a BAD mood today Callie.
You don't need to bite my head off!"

"Jybow....I need a hug.
Callie nearly bit my head off,
for no reason."

"Pay attention to me!
Can't you stop bird watching for just a minute
and give me a hug."

"That's better, but you don't seem very sincere."

"Okay....stop with the slobbering all over me."

"OUCH!
Let go...that tickles."

"You're bending my neck..."

"That's much better.
I love you too Jybow."

"Callie...You really gave me quite a scare.
Aren't you sorry?"

Callie says, "I'm really sorry that I gave you such a scare Cucoo,
but you shouldn't have startled me by pecking me on the head
with that big sharp beak of yours."