This Year's Puzzle

There are no corner pieces in this one, which made it all the harder. It took several days here and ther and it was a good distraction.

POWER IS RESTORED

Monday night we returned home to a cold, dark road, driveway and house.  I went in the house, lit some candles and went to see if I could bring any coals to life in the woodstove.  Bob called loudly from outside, for me to come quickly.  Three repair trucks had followed us in and were quickly doing their job. Bob was so excited, he waded through the snow and ice to the road to tell them thank you.  These crews, with many coming as far away as Colorado, had been working round the clock.

At 10:30 PM the lights turned on, the furnace began to hum, and hot water was soon to follow.  For us it was over.  The next two nights brought heavy winds and rains and many endured yet more power failure.  Today is Saturday and I still think it is a miracle to find hot water at the tap, take a shower, wash clothes and run the dishwasher.  Say nothing to using a computer, TV and charging a cell phone.   I hope the repair crews are taking a nap.

Saturday, Day 3 With No Power At Our House

The entry to our driveway.

I didn't stay out long.

How thankful we are for the wood stove, the wood supply and the wood carrier.  We did keep ourselves and others warm.

 The front gardens.  The beautiful birch trees are so bent and broken.

ICE!  The real culprit.

We could hear loud cracking, crashing, and popping sounds.  We did NOT walk under the trees.

14 Inches And Still Snowing

The garden has gone under cover.  The snow continues to come down and we continue to stay by the warm fire.

Come to the Manger

 Cherishing Baby Jesus

"Grandma.........."  I'm listening this time.

Christmas Eve with a 2 Year Old

She would not leave the Baby Jesus alone.  She just wanted to hold him in her arms and rock-a-by-baby.

A gingerbread boy cookie, a new flannel nightie, and one little girl is all ready for Christmas Eve.

My Brooke

All of our grandchildren have a huge place in my heart, and Brooke is no exception.  She made extraordinary efforts on Christmas Day that are worth remembering for a long time to come. 

What We Do In Our Spare Time

 To the joy of a little boy, Ben arrived home from North Dakota.  It was a 3 AM arrival so when the kids woke in the morning, there he was. 

 Hi Daddy! was all he could say.....over and over.

Offical welcome home portrait.  Typical Quinn.

GIVE ME YOUR CHILD FOR A DAY...........

 My tape measure became Quinn's "tape thingy", and I promise I didn't influence that.

And she knew exactly what to do with it.  I will have her sewing yet.

Bob was trying to fix the toilet and had never had so much help in doing so.

While Ben & JoLin were in Idaho on a fact finding trip for four days, these two kids found great comfort in clinging to each other without any encouragement from us.  They can torment each other if the mood strikes, but there were some pretty sweet moments this time.



Vintage Apron

And so yet another generation dons a "Minnie Apron".  Mother made this one sometime in the '70s after they came to Washington.  The edging is done with one of the decorative stitches on her newer sewing machine. 
When Grace made the pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, the apron seemed most appropriate.  When growing up, aprons were an essential item in our wardrobe to save our clothes from dirt and soil.  It made for less laundry which was only done once a week.  I know, it is only an apron.  But it makes a Great-Grandma seem real to my grandchildren who never saw her, yet they know her.

On Being Eight

A Thanksgiving pose.

What a happy day this was when Grandpa got to baptize our granddaughter.

Ben's Update

The prairie looks a little lonesome today.  Did Wyoming ever look this desolate?   North Dakota at minus 2 degrees this morning.  I get cold just thinking about it.  Ben should be returning in two weeks. 

Tell City 1940 Chairs

Close to 20 years ago, I acquired a set of well used dinning chairs, 6 side chairs and two end chairs with arms.  I loved everything about them except the nasty seat covering and the grim and dings in the wood.  Especially did I love the rose carving at the top back.  I did cover the seats with new fabric and scrubbed the grim with a rag loaded with ivory soap.  And every year since then, I have wanted to refinish the wood.  I even went to a local restorer to see what it would cost.  It was something like $150 for a side chair and $200 for an arm chair.  Needless to say I went no farther.

Until now.......

Well worn arms.

Legs were chipped and banged.

With some encouragement from Steve and Mary Lynn, I began undressing the wood, using a gel stripper.  My work station was the patio with lots of ventilation.  It didn't take long to understand the professional's prices, especially when it came to cleaning the carving.    I did the 6 side chairs first (it took almost 2 months) and thought I would save the 2 arm chairs for spring.  But knowing how I function, I knew it was either now or never.  I had come too far.  I must finish it now!

New seat covering

Perfect corners

 An idea of 20 years ago, became a pleasant reality.

Buzzzzzzzzz

By mid September I could not work in the front yard.  Every trip across the lawn would bring a swooping attack of stinging critters with a buzzing sound.  We looked everywhere for the source and could not find anything.  We even wondered if they were nested in the ground and sprayed every hole that we could find.  Following repeated counsel to "look up", Bob discovered the nest in this maple tree.

What beautiful handiwork.

When Bob bravely climbed the ladder in the dark of night and sprayed the nest, he hurridly jabbed a plug in the hole to keep them inside long enough to expire.  These are wicked looking bees ?  wasps?

This nest/bee hotel had at least 5 floors.  We threw the whole thing into the flames of our first outdoor burning. 

North Dakota

Benjamin left home on Tuesday for a railroad project in North Dakota.  Today they arrived in Minot.  (my not)  The grain storage looks familiar. But the tracks are going down to get the abundant oil transported. 

This should be a great experience for him.  I love looking at the big blue sky.

School Desks from Eastside School

In 1969 when our parents departed from Wyoming they brought with them these two school desks from Mother's classroom at Eastside.  Our boys used them and then Joleen and Shannon held long school sessions seated there.

Later, Ben used them during grade school.  Then various grandkids thought the desks were just right to conduct their business and the desks moved from house to house.  Maybe that is why they look a little battered.

The desks  just found a new home with these two kids.  The stools were something that Bob created.  They are almost as old as the ownership of the desks.  Lots of kids, both in the classroom and in various family homes, have spent hours at these desks learning to write, draw and coloring with wonderful crayons.  Forgot to mention learning to cut paper into a zillion pieces with scissors

Made in the USA

 Recently, Bob had to replace this part on his Chev pickup.  Yes, the original part was made right here at home.

However, check out the replacement part.....classic evidence of "jobs shipped out of our country.  And so it has gone.

A Young Man and His Tractor--1941

Driving the gray Fordson is Mark Petersen, Robert's older brother.  The family farm was in Ferron, Utah.  Using this tractor instead of work horses was a huge advancement in farm work.  Mark was born in 1921.   His life was cut short 20 years later by this very tractor when it flipped over as it was driven on a slant in a silage pit.  It was a tragedy that the family felt ever afterward.
In honor of Mark, our Benjamin's middle name is that of his unmet uncle, Mark. 

So What's the Big Deal

Any guesses as to why Joel wanted "G.G." to get down?

Nap Time

 On a hot summer afternoon, this little boy would not take a nap.  But later he came and flung across my lap and promptly fell asleep.  Because he was so warm, I slipped out from under him and he assumed this position.  For ventilation?

Much later we could not wake him.  Even his sister could not get his attention.  This must be a hard way to sleep.