Here Comes the Next Storm

And wouldn't you know it, we're almost out of milk.

Caught On the Wildlife Camera

Casual attire, inspired by Duck Dynasty

So no exciting creatures traveled down our driveway last night, not even the darned cat.

And Now For My Grumpy Post...

We went to the mall to exchange some clothes. Never again. I felt like I was walking through Dante's levels of Hell.

Really? People pay to have dirty looking green worn spots on their jeans?

Hmmm...dirty green smudges or ripped holes, that's a tough one.

These are the bozos that need to fade away. Their cheap Chinese made crap is everywhere. Go google what they looked like right before they signed their contract--they're a bunch of Kennedy family preppy wannabes. The whole hairy bit is all for show--just to cater to one of their demographic groups, the lover of all things redneck. Religious? Yeah, sure.

December 25

Peanut butter-carob cookies for me only!

Another one!

Hey,those aren't biscuits... that's the last 8 episodes of Breaking Bad!

Now we can see who those footprints belong to.

Whirlwind Weekend

Battleship--The Classic Naval Combat Game

Can a Friday night be more exciting? And if you turn your lights out to enjoy the tree, you must finish the game by flashlight.

Let me get this straight--it's not okay to quickly eat the remains of  a one month old Thanksgiving turkey carcass that I found in the backyard while minding my own business?

The melting snow created a misty fog as we drove to Corning

Corning Gaffer District--not sure why it's called that

A book Christmas tree

Grandma Judy's lamp on Marnell---remember how easy it was to pierce your skull on the bottom of it if you were horsing around on the gold, fuzzy chair?

68 and 78 dollars! Proof that we are not the only crazy people searching for the perfect wasp nest.

Boys Will Be Boys

Early morning nap with a sawhorse

Are those my balls?

Happy guys

We had to bust Walt out of jail before bringing him home from school

We picked Walt up on Tuesday. He was exhausted, so we didn't have the heart to tell him he had to wake up at the crack of dawn Wednesday to drive to Elmira and get the pool table we found a couple weeks ago on Craigslist. The owner was a sweet old man who wore baggy cords, the perfect "grandpa" sweater, and a little cap. He said he bought it new, about 25 years ago. I looked it up, it's from 1968. It reminds me of how we'll occasionally watch a movie and think it's fairly new, only to realize it was made in 1992.
  I won't go into details about how tough it was to get it up their basement stairs and down ours. Or how we did not all fit legally in the cargo van. But they did it. I was trying to wipe a couple spots off the felt, but Ken was in such a hurry to try it. They've been down there 2 hours now, so all is well.

It's Time

http://aattp.org/moment-sandy-hook-bill-moyers-calls-nra-video
I love Bill Moyers, make sure to watch his video at the end.
There is a group of Republicans in Congress who should be shamed all the way to Hell over this discussion.

Feet and Shopping Woes

  Went to Elmira yesterday for Christmas shopping. Why oh why do we even do that? After much misery, we ended up in downtown Corning, happily meandering through the antique shops. We had to be home by 3 to take a test drive in an unmarked, undercover police vehicle for sale, but that's another story. (We didn't buy it.)

I like the reflection on the hood

Right after we passed them, some dumbsh*t truck roared passed them and us going way too fast. Since I'm not Amish, I could secretly hope that it would spin out and crash from it's own stupidity.

I tried to time it so the buggy and caution sign were aligned

Slightly humanoid bear track--Go to sleep, goofus, it's winter!

I think these are cat tracks passing the bear's.

I stepped out last night to refill the cat food for whoever needs it. This morning-looks like the cat showed up, along with a little birdie . See how similar mine are to the bear?

The bear tracks first show up near the coal pile, then come towards the house(pretty close!) and then turn and go all the way down the drive to the ditch. I can't find them after that, so it must have crossed the road before they plowed it. At times it's stride was almost 4 feet. Maybe a teen age bear that doesn't have the common sense to know when to go to sleep.

Treasure Hunting

Cold, bored, waiting impatiently for Walt to come home. Wanted to go shopping, but I dread getting out among all the coughing, wheezing people, so we went to our favorite antique store.

California Pies--10 cent deposit

Candle holders--They may not be very old, but I love the shape. Ken picked them out.

My Career As A Lands' End Model

  There are certain people in this house who laugh at my choice of casual attire for early morning walks with the dog across the back yard, down the driveway, etc. You know who you are-- so look at this pretty young lady from the 100th Lands' End catalog I've received this week.

I really covet those socks

It's obvious she shares my sense of style. She's ready for more than a trudge across the snowy driveway-- perhaps a trip to WalMart or Aldi?

  In other news, it was 53 degrees yesterday.  Most of the snow melted. It smelled like Spring,  so I opened a few windows to let some fresh air in. G_o_a_  W_ _m_n_.

Elf on The Shelf

I suspect this is the sort of thing we would have done if we had this when Walt was little.
http://fb-troublemakers.com/inappropriate-elf-on-the-shelf-2482/

Last Day Of Vacation

Eat! You're too skinny!

Checking out his stocking

Elated to go for a car ride, sad to see his buddy get out of the car, droopy on the way home, a bit ticked off that I wouldn't let him eat the snow at the rest area.

Peacefully playng in the back yard when he heard a gun shot VERY close by. Made it to the front door before I realized he was gone.

Finding The Perfect Tree

  Wouldn't it be just perfect to hike through the snow, cut down the best tree, haul it back down the hill, and tie it to your car roof? Now I know better. It's so cold outside that I start whining even before walking out the front door. We saw a Christmas tree lot next to the hardware store today, with a sign saying they were from Marcus Farm, just down the road a few miles. That beats a Lowe's tree for sure. Local.  Freshly killed on Wednesday. Cheap.

Straight trunk?

Smaller and skinnier this year

Let's hope you don't end up like me

Day 2 of Vacation

He falls asleep every time he sits down

Guy talk

Is it time to eat yet?

Bit of sun after a day of snow

Guarding the yard against the snow plow/salter truck