Rain, Well I Guess it is an Improvement

Yes, today after a week straight of snow, we are getting rain. You know what that means?! Yup, MUD! Lots of it and around here we have to take the mud seriously because of the clay. I grew up up north where it is a sandy loam mix. I had no idea what a mud room was or the need for it when I first got here. I just thought it was a cute name for a coat room. Wrong!!!
Mud room means exactly what it says. You keep a mud room so the muddy clothes and boots can come off before you get to the rest of the house that you want to save from the disgusting filth and sticking that the mud in the thumb of Michigan brings to anybody trying to transport themselves around outside on any area that is not covered in concrete. If you aren't sure what I am talking about, let me say this. In the spring time or after a heavy rain, if you walk on bare dirt, you are likely to get your shoes or boots sucked off. In addition, this stuff leaves a caking on your shoes that can be quite thick. As it dries, it comes off the shoes both in chunks and in a powder that seems to get on everything. This applies to coats, gloves and pants too. Hence mudroom.
It is going to be an interesting week for dance class and parking.
Well, time for laundry and correspondence.

SNOW!?*&% Part 2

This time we are getting the smaller amount, south of us is getting 4-6 inches. This isn't Alaska or even the Keweenaw peninsula. What is the deal? Global warming my tusche.
I have to try to run errands in this stuff, Everyone has to go to work. Going to be an interesting day.
Even the animals are begging for relief. They usually don't have that much of an opinion, but they seem to this time.
I need to get into the barn to start working on costumes, but everything is buried in the SNOW! I don't mind the cold, although it has been very unusually cold at night, I just hate this SNOW!!!!
I know I need an attitude adjustment. I'll try to be better next post.

SNOW!?*&%

Yes, it snowed again. All the progress we made last week with our warm up is now for naught. I can safely speak for all of southeast Michigan when I say we are sick of this rot! Getting around is rough. We are not set up to store lots of snow like the northern folks.
I am back in paperwork mode. Needless to say I am not a cheerful person. Please Mother Nature, give us a break anytime, pretty please.
In the meantime I am planning and plotting the springtime activities.

Babble

I am sitting at my dining room table with a bit of writer's block. I have a lot in my head but some of it is hard to articulate, some is stuff that should not be on public display and some is still unorganized clutter. I am sure all of you can relate to that.

I put up new curtains in the living room and dining room this weekend and they are snowy white. Due to our Sunday to Monday storm the ground is also snowy white. there is a lot of white to look at. Grandma K. used to yell for me to fix the white spots. That resulted in me placing a pillow over the window. I never did quite understand what her complaint was, but the pillow always settled her down. While I don't miss her unpleasant demandingness, I can laugh about that stuff now. I would say we have all healed from the ordeal pretty well. As soon as I finish up with the income taxes, their paper work and consequently their business affairs will be pretty much completed. That is an accomplishment I am happy to be done with. It was hard, definitely not in my natural element, but very worth the education. I have a saying "You can't unride A bike" and I have to say that most definitely applies in this case. I am very much looking forward to just coasting along in 2011. No big new projects for this lady this year.

All is going well for everyone here. Pretty status quo for everyone and that is a good thing. Our lives have been very blessed and it is nice to see everything come full circle.
It's funny how events or situations that seemed so complicated and painful 10 or 15 years ago have resolved themselves through tenacity, hard work and commitment and it is very nice to know the biggest worries are so tiny compared to what they once were.

For example, the boxes I diligently send to Burkina have lightened the load on the families to a point where Rakieta is actually thinking in terms of special or particular accessories for her graduation. Before it was send anything just to keep them going. Now they are more knowledgeable and quite frankly healthier physically and emotionally. They are a long way from western living, but things are a LOT easier than they once were.

That seems to describe many aspects of our life. It is a good feeling.

Have a good day all.

Crazy Full Moon?

Well, we survived the storm ok last night. Our little piece of heaven got about 6 inches of snow I think.
But, the road is plowed already and actually we can survive with the driveway as is if necessary. So on the scale of megastorms, this is not one. However, Jeni said the roads were so bad this morning she would have turned around but there was no place to turn around. I would guess the people on dirt roads will be stuck for for a while.
I gave my post title it's name for 2 reasons: the first being we had a really neat moon on Saturday night. It was huge, full and had a reddish glow. I guess it is called a supermoon. The second reason is that in typical fashion the moon is bringing out the crazies. Yippee skippee. I have enough excitement in my life. I do not need all the drama that seems to erupt periodically from unstable or even normally stable people. And it always seems to happen when the moon is full.
So the next several days probably will be very active.
Good thing I have nerves of steel.

Well, I guess I stand corrected. In looking for a picture of the moon to post, I see that we are actually a little past the full moon. Either way, intensity is in the air.
I always thought it would be neat to study the moon phases. I just never had the time. Thank God for Google.
Well, I am off to call Rakieta and make dinner for Matt.

Cold, Warm, Hurricane Winds. It's Michigan!

Good morning everyone!
Well, since last Sunday we have gone from below normal temperatures (aka deep freeze) to the 50's, lost all our snow, enjoyed sunshine and spring weather, had 40 mile an hour sustained winds which wreaked havoc and destruction all over the yard....again, and now this morning we are at freezing temps again. They are threatening a nasty storm Sunday and Monday again. 7 inches worth. Go figure.
This weekend I am being blessed with a LOT of alone time. At first I wasn't too crazy about the idea. But now I think I will really enjoy it. I don't have to share anything for 24 hours. I can live with that. Of course it means all the chores are my responsibility but I can work with that.
I am not someone who needs a lot of solitude, so I will get my little sabbatical and then I will be very ready for all the noise and sharing that will ensue beginning tomorrow morning.
Well I am off to begin my "me-cation".
Talk to you soon.

Thawing Out Finally!

Well, it hovered at 32* almost all night. This week will be in the high 30's-40's. So our deep freeze is over. Thank God. It was getting to a point where everyone was ready to lose it.
Unfortunately I either got a bug...or...I didn't win the war on the Burkina Faso bacteria that I thought I did.
Even during cold weather, the temps in Burkina are like a Midwest summer which is hot a lot of the time. Hot enough to have bacterias just breeding up a storm. Even my very descriptive stories couldn't get most Americans to understand what I mean by Burkina being a bacteria breeding ground. Their culture is very communal and they do not understand sanitation so basic things that even the most lazy westerners take for granted are not a part of their mindset yet.
Anyway, I was doing ok after getting back but then the deep freeze of this week combined with me having a little too wet of hair even though I was in hats (Yes, that is correct. plural) just sent me over into "feeling like crap" mode again.
I am still not sure if it is a virus or the bacteria mess but at this point I just don't dare to chance it anymore. So I am loading up on the full arsenal of herbs and I finally broke out the antibiotic.
I am feeling better but not so remarkably so that I wouldn't rule out one of the plethora of flu bugs torturing the thumb of Michigan this season.
Either way, I am just grateful that we will be solidly back on the brown earth matter in a few days. Snow was meant to fall and melt a few days later. Not stay on for the season and continue to accumulate. One of the reasons I left northern Michigan was I do not enjoy lots of snow.
So enjoy your mild weather everyone! Now let's hope we aren't breaking out the canoes in a few days.

Procrastination Sunday

I have a lot to do today, including making Lasagna for Matt. However, I sit here surfing. Not so aimlessly........I read a bunch on the liturgical/missal changes to the western Catholic church and looked up my favorite tree nursery's website. But the reality is I am no where near as efficient as I should be. I think I have spring/cabin fever.
So......I will post some aimless musings and then I need to get my butt off here and get busy with paperwork so that tomorrow I can hit the ground running.
1. Sacred Heart in Imlay City seems to be coming along very nicely. We even had coffee and donuts this morning. It was a rough one, but it is a good start for a parish that was virtually lifeless 6 months ago.
2. I am not a big snow fan so anytime now......we can get on with with the arrival of spring.
3. My ear is officially healed and I was able to do it anti biotic free. An important detail if I am to go over there yearly or so for the rest of my life.


Looks like the rest of the household plans to spend their Sunday afternoon napping so at least I will have peace and quiet and no one asking for me to do something. Maybe I will get my paperwork and other jobs done after all.