January Thaw!

Isn't this the craziest weather? Now we are having a thaw, which is a mucky mess! But it is delicious compared to single digit weather.

As predicted, I have come out of the well in good spirits. I actually got the Christmas pine planted yesterday. The ground is certainly soft enough, but there were tons of rocks in the soil. I planted it on the south side of the back yard, and I think she will be most happy there. It is on the edge of the "jungle" that I can never keep cleaned out of undergrowth. I worked really hard last winter to clean it all out, and then last summer the vines grew back in and the place looks like it did before I cleaned it out. So it has been designated as critter habitat. I did get most of all the human trash cleaned out, so now let the animals be happy and blessed.

I also got my car cleaned up really well. I went to CJE's house on Saturday. Her mother-in-law is not doing well. She lives with them, and I did not want her to be at the house alone in case of emergency. AE had to go to Little Rock for continuing ed, and would come home late on Saturday night.

Unfortunately I could not get to her house. The mud is so bad that my little car would have been swallowed alive. So she came down the hill to get me, and we went the back road to her house. That was bad, too, but not as bad as her hill.

Today I am going to go a friend's house to get horse manure. We are going to shovel it into his pickup truck, and then he will deliver it. Things can get done in a thaw, but be realistic and know that a freeze will come again a few times before Spring comes.

I am baking biscuits, and it smells so good. I love hot biscuits with honey drizzled over the buttered halves. Sometimes I eat biscuits with sorghum molasses, but right now honey will do.

My friend CF just came by for a quick cup of tea. She is visiting a friend at the hospital intensive care unit. They actually enforced the visitation rules. He had surgery yesterday, and is not tracking too well today. She wouldn't stay until the biscuits are out of the oven. Too bad-more for me.

The vet's appointment receptionist just called to remind me the "kids" have appointments to have their teeth cleaned tomorrow. That means I will be up all night tonight with them. I have to lock the cat doors to keep them inside. They have to be NPO from 8 p.m. until tomorrow. Lately with the warmer weather they have been in hunting mode. Baby killed another mole. Yeah! One less hill to mow over next summer. Noodles has been on field rats lately. And we do get an occasional bird to snack on. I always do a body count in the mornings in the usual places-by my bed, under my bed, and the hallway. Isn't that gruesome? Change the subject quick!

I spent most of the morning yesterday spinning away. I am determined to get this blue/green/turquoise yarn finished this week. I am on a mission now. CJE found a Debbie Bliss pattern that we both love. I want to make it out of my Jacob fleece that I started last year. I have two skeins finished, and knew it would be a sweater some day. I think this is it! I love the sweater. So I have got to spin the rest of this fleece. I need 1,624 yards, and I have about 647 yds now. One thousand more to go! Whew!

I also found a basic, stockinette vest that I like a lot that I think I am going to use the yarn I am now spinning. So once this sock is finished, I am going to do a swatch of that to see if I can get gauge with it.

So away we go! Hang on! I gotta go shovel some s..t. Oh-excuse me-horse manure!