Day 151, Burr

With a dusting of snow and much cooler temps it made for an interesting day.  There was just enough snow to keep my folks car in garage and to engage my chauffeur duties. 

First appointment of the day was to take my Mom to get her hair done.  The beauty shop she goes to is in Tumalo and can best be described as the shop in Steel Magnolias.  You can tell everyone there knows everyone and they have a good time swapping stories. 

Next was picking up my Father and taking them both to the bank, two banks actually.  Then I had to take Mom back home, by which time the roads had melted enough that she could go back to town pick up my Father and go to another appointment.


After waiting more than 40 minutes at the Vets, my cats were
 not happy.


I ran back home and had to load up my two cats for their annual visit to the vet for booster shots and a check up.  I ended up waiting 40 minutes before the Doctor came in (not happy).  With bill of clean health and $189 ding to my credit card it was time to cats home.

I was now going to be late for my meeting in Bend at the Sons of Norway lodge so I made a phone call to let them know I was coming.  As it turns out I was going to be really late, as there was a huge accident on hwy 97 backing up traffic for several miles.  I did a U-turn on the hwy and headed for the Old Bend Redmond Hwy, only to find another accident (a pickup roll-over), which backed up traffic for several minutes.  By the time I got to the Lodge I was an hour and 5 minutes late.  Oh, well, I least I got there in one piece.

The drive home was fine and I went to my folks house for some of the last of the turkey leftovers.  Yum, its still good after 5 days.  I was way too full after dinner and went home to crash.  It was 17 degrees by 9pm - Its going to be a very cold night.

Day 150, Wednesday Cold and Stormy

After another night of extremely strong winds I was surprised I didn't have any damage at day light. Several times during the night I wondered  if the roof was going to stay on.  It was a pretty impressive storm front that came in.  The temperature also dropped quite a bit too and the high is expected to be around 30.


The Packard back home, it was 29 and snowing.


Today was kind of a fun day.  I fired up the old Packard and despite the 29 degree temp, I took the car out to run errands.  I drove to the store and did some Christmas sale shopping, got my hair cut, went back to the antique store and bought some old records and then I had the tires on the Packard checked at Les Schwab.   I stopped at Lowes on the way home and bought a few more Christmas sale items - I didn't want to pass up 75% off. I should now be all set for next year.

When I got home I let the chickens out to enjoy some freedom.  I kept my eye on them this time so I didn't have any run-aways.  They were very productive today and laid 5 eggs.

By 5pm the snow had started falling again, and I wouldn't be surprised if we get quite a bit more tonight. 

At 8:45pm I went to see the movie Tron in 3D.  It's hard to believe a movie is $13.25 and box of Butter Fingers is $3.75.  I'm getting old, I remember when $5 would by you the movie, popcorn a drink and you would still have money leftover.  It was still fun to see and nice to be with friends.

Day 149, Lost Chicken found



The lost chicken returns

 I woke up around 7am and I looked out the window to see that most of the snow had melted off during the night and to see my missing chicken walking along the old stone wall.  I got up and got dressed and hen was waiting at the pen door to go in with the rest of the chickens.  It was a little to tricky to keep the chickens in while getting the others in.



I had a lot of chores for the day including getting the oil changed in my truck and going to see the 1952 Spartanette at Flyte Camp.  An oil change takes about 20 minutes and it gives me the opportunity to go check out the showroom floor.  This time they had 2011 Mustang Shelby Cobra for $55K and change, as well as Ford Fiesta for $22K.  Yikes when did and economy car hit $22K?  I guess I shouldn't be surprised the little Toyota Prius hybrid is $31K.  The Mustang was beautiful I guess, but I would rather have a 67, or 68.



2011 Ford Mustang Shelby Cobra



Flyte Camp is not to far from the Ford dealership so I went there after the oil change and sticker shock.  The restoration on the Spartanette, was beautiful, with a blend of old and new.  The new lights and stainless counter in the kitchen were nice touches.  I'm just impressed with the shape.  There is something totally impressive about the length and curved ends.  The high gloss paneling gleamed and gave a warm glow to the inside.  It would be awesome to own this trailer and take it out on the road.  It's mighty tempting, but it's a bit too big from my F150 to pull. 

Justin, in his search for parts for the 52 Spartan, has found another 1950 Traveleze that will help get my trailer back on the road.  This Traveleze is all original, including windows and appliances, so we will be able to rebuild one good trailer.  I think there are 4 or five other trailers in front of me, so it won't be until Spring before he can get to my trailer.  I'm not in any rush either, winters are long around here and I wouldn't think of camping until after mid June.

Day 148, Monday and I don't have to go to work.

Mondays when I have to rush off to work the alarm clock seems so early and I always think I could sleep two more hours.  Today was the same feeling, but I didn't have to get up, it was awesome.  There was a fresh dusting so snow and it looked nice and white again.

The only thing on the agenda today was to go antique shopping with my Mom to find a narrow table for the back hall.  Redmond has a number of great antique stores and we planned to hit them all.  I picked my Mom at 10 and it took us nearly 2 hours just to go through the first store, which made it lunch time.  We decided to hit one more store and then go get a bite to eat.

Freshly polished and restored 52 Spartanette, on sale on eBay



Lunch was great and we hit one more antique store before calling it quits.  We had a number of pieces in mind that we wrote down the dimensions, so we wanted to go back to my house and  see if they would fit.  After all our looking we decided that we had not found the piece I need, so I'll keep looking.

Around 3pm, I placed a call to Flyte Camp Vintage Trailer Restoration, to see if I could come see his 1952 Spartanette.  I missed him, so I left a message, which was promptly returned.  I'm going to go see this trailer tomorrow and I'll be sure to bring my camera.  Justin put his Spartanette on eBay for sale and there are some great pictures - the link is below.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1952-Spartan-Spartanette-Vintage-Restored-Travel-Traile-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem2a0ce14e9dQQitemZ180604718749QQptZRVsQ5fCampers

If he can get my Traveleze to look half as nice as this Spartanette, I will be thrilled. I think you can see why it's worth the wait to have Flyte Camp work on the Traveleze.

Since I was home I let the chickens out for the after noon and they were very happy to be free.  With the pen empty it gave me the opportunity to clean it up a bit. Their pen has gotten a little muddy again, so I raked up some pine needles and covered the mud.  They laid 6 eggs today, so the production was way up.



The missing chicken

At 5:30pm it was dark and I went out to make sure the hens had gone back to the coop.  Three of them were still out in the yard, which is strange, they normally head for home when the sun goes down.  I think they are sick of the roosters picking on them and they didn't want to go back.  I picked each one up and put them back in the coop.  When I did a head count, I was short one chicken, my Buff Orpington.  I looked around the yard, but I couldn't find her.  She had been by the front door just before I went to check on them, now she was gone.  She could be roosting in one of the trees, or shrubs, or something might have gotten her.  I'll have to wait until tomorrow and see if she turns up.  I would hate to lose her, she is the one hen that lays an eggs every day without fail.

Day 147, The Day After

One of the things I usually do the day after Christmas is hit the sales on Christmas lights for the office.  We put up over 300 boxes of lights each year and if we can save 50% that is a significant savings.  I'm not one who likes to shop in crowds, but I figured I could hit WalMart and be done fairly early.  I got WalMart at 8am and the parking lot was empty, with maybe 20 cars.  I was shocked.  I also had to exchange a gift for my nephew and there were no lines at Customer Service.  The lights were a little tricky to find and I had to do a little digging for clear, green wire lights, but I was able to locate 109 boxes.  I went back to Customer Service and asked if they could call the Bend store to see if they still had any.  The Bend store did and they estimated about 150 boxes, but they would not hold them for me, so I jumped in my truck and drove to WalMart in Bend. 

As I arrived in Bend it started to snow and hard.  I got a cart and was able to find exactly 191 boxes.  I thought that it was very strange how I needed 300 boxes and that is exactly what they had left.  By the time I got back to my truck it had snowed 1 inch of new snow.





I ran several errands in Bend and did some post Christmas shopping.  Every where I went the stores were empty.  It seems no one was out shopping, so I had great selections and no hassles at any of the stores.

On my way home my father wanted me to stop of at Lowes to pick up an item he had ordered.  It took them a while to locate the item, so I went to check out their Christmas decor.  To my surprise they had another 129 boxes of lights available at 60% off, so bought them all.  I know have 429 boxes of lights for next year and I saved us a ton of money.

My friend Doug came over to exchange gifts and as it turned out we were both thinking along the same lines.  I got him a Oregon sweatshirt and he got me an Oregon cap, GO DUCKS.  We used to play "dice" with his wife Amy and I hadn't played in over a year, so Doug reminded me how it feels to loose.  It was great to see him and we plan on doing a movie sometime this week.

It started to snow again and it was a perfect night to stay home, watching a movie and enjoy the tree.

Day 146, Christmas Day

Merry Christmas!  My family is not as eager as most families, to get up and open gifts.  We usual take our time and have a late breakfast.  I didn't get up today until 8am.  Breakfast was going to be at my folks house at 9am, so I needed to get moving.  After giving some quality time to the cats and putting fresh water and feed to the chickens pen, I was on my way to breakfast. 


Dad and Mom working on the turkey, still wearing their
party-favor crowns



I arrived right at 9am and my brother and his family shortly after.  Santa had visited my parents house and there were stockings for every one.  Santa usually brings us an ornament and this year was no different.  I got an elephant on ice skates.  I think the artist must have been smoking something when they made this one, but it's funny and will find a place on my tree.

 

We had an excellent breakfast with scrambled eggs, ham, fruit and toast.  Following breakfast we opened gifts and as always, it was a lot of fun.  It was great to have two nephews there and to see their enthusiasm. I happened to get them these neat remote control Air Hog motorcycles that were a big hit.  I actually heard about them from Deliah on the radio, go figure.



The Christmas Table



We had dinner a 6pm and it was the full turkey, mash potatoes, stuffing, cranberries, etc, dinner - It was spectacular.  I don't know what my mom did, but the turkey was the best ever and I'm not just saying that, it was really moist. The table was stretched to it's full length and there were 9 of us for dinner.  It's always amazing the amount of time that goes into preparing Christmas dinner and how fast it take us to eat it.  After eating myself to the point of feeling like I was going to burst, I had to quit and I didn't even finish eating my pecan pie.

The night wound down and I went home around 10pm.  It was nice to be home and I tossed in A Charlie Brown Christmas to the DVD player.  It was the perfect way to end the day. 

Linus, tells Charlie Brown the meaning of Christmas.

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them,

Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Day 145, Christmas Eve

It was wonderful to not have to get up early and head to work.  I did how ever get up early and start baking pies and cleaning the  house.  I had the pies in the oven 9am and I did 4 loads of laundry before 11am.  I also was able to clean the kitchen and my office where I had been wrapping paper. I felt I had a pretty productive morning.


Chickens in the snow...they didn't know what to do.



I had a few gift deliveries that I needed to make, so pulled the truck out and loaded up a few gifts.  The temperature has warmed up quite a bit and the snow was really starting to melt.  I drove all over delievering the gifts and splashing through the slush on the road.   It made me realize that I have not wash my truck since Thanksgiving and desperately needed to wash the truck and get the magnezium chloride off my wheels before it pits the chrome.  I've never washed a truck in the snow, but I managed to get it clean.





Candle light service at Church, Christmas Eve.



With the gifts delievered I checked on the chicken.  They seemed interested in getting out so I left the door open and several flew out and landed in the snow.  They seemed to be a bit a shock and didn't move.  After about 5 minutes of them standing still, feet deep in the snow, I decided to pick them up and put them back in the pen.  There were no complaints I picked each one back up and put them in the pen.



I started to lad my truck to take the gifts and pies over to my folks house for Christmas.  We were going to have a light dinner tonight because Church was holding their service at 7pm.  We snacked  on spiral cut ham, cheese, sliced roast beef and sweets of all kinds. 



My office Christmas Card, from the
1983 movie A Christmas Story



Church service was beautiful with lots of singing of Christmas classics and then they turned out the lights and everyone lit candles and we sang Silent Night.  It was very special and I was so pleased to be there with my folks and my good friend Doug.  Doug is new to the Church and think he enjoyed the service very much.  My mother was impressed he knew all the words to the songs, before she realized all the words were projected on the wall.

 After church, we dropped off Doug and then I drove my parents home.  We thought it would be a good time for more sweets, so we broke out the cookies and egg nog.  I then put in my favorite movie "A Christmas Story" and we watched it on the big screen in my parents TV room.  My mom had never seen it all the way through, so she was excited to see it.  My favorite line in the move is "some men are Baptist, other Catholics, my father was an Oldsmobile man".  My parents had an Oldsmobile 98 when I was kid growning and I have fond memories of that car.  I keep telling my Dad I'm going to buy a 1937 Olds just like the one in the movie.

Christmas Eve in the Potting Shed.

I came home around 11pm and decided it was a good time to go out in the potting shed and light a fire in the pot belly stove.  Harris the cat decided to come along and share the moment.  With Christmas music playing, a warm fire in the stove, a soft wingbacked chair to sit in and the Christmas tree gleeming, it was a perfect way to welcome in Christmas.

Day 144, Christmas Eve, Eve.



Five Christmas Eve, Eve eggs



Thursday is our last day of work before closing the office for Christmas Eve and the week between Holidays.  We did our office gift exchange and my secret Santa gave me a vintage suitcase for the Traveleze trailer and I also got a 50's aluminum camp table that folds flat.  I was very excited with my two items and I'm looking forward to using them in the Traveleze come summer.



The flew by and I left a few a few minutes early to run to the Mt Bachalor Ski office to pick up two girtcards for my nephews Christmas gifts and then head to my workout.  For some reason the workout was particular intense and I could tell I was going to feel it in my arms shoulders tomorrow.



I got home around 6pm and went and checked on the Chickens.  They had laied 5 eggs and were particularly talkative.  I gave them fresh water and some new feed and two left over pancakes from breakfast at the office.

Christmas pumpkin pies

At 8pm I went to my friend Tracy's to exchange gifts.  She was busy cleaning her house for Christmas Eve dinner with her family. 



Back home I needed to start my pie baking and I figured I could get the two pumpkin pies baked tonight and the other three tomorrow morning.  Pies are the easiest things to make, so that's why I do them and I can feel like I have added something to the Christmas dinner.  Once the pies were in the over I was ble to kick backed and just listened to the radio and looked at the tree, all was right with the world.

Day 143, Wednesday December 22nd, 3 days to Christmas

The work week winding down, as we make preparations for being closed an entire week.  We are down to just 6 families needing to pick up their gifts from the Giving Tree, which are scheduled for Thursday morning.


Wrapping packages



Tomorrow is also the day we as a staff do our gift exchange.  We drew names 2 weeks ago and we will be sharing with each other tomorrow morning.  I know what I am getting my secret person, but have not picked it up yet.  I plan to run to the store to pick it up after work today.

I worked through lunch today, so I left the office at 4:15pm and drove to Bend to pick up a few items and my seret Santa gift for the office.  I also had ordered something from Amazon.com for each of the office that I need to go home and wrap.

It was great to get home and spent the evening wrapping gifts and enjoying the sounds of the season on the radio.  Delilah, was spreading her cheer and I got to admit that she tells some pretty good stories and captures the moment.

Day 142, Tuesday December 21

With the winter solstice at hand, the day should finally start to get longer and not shorter.  Tonight my parents are hosting a Solstice party with the neighbors, so it should be fun evening.

Work was pretty casual, just finished on little writing and scheduling for January and then it was off to my workout.  The roads in Bend were  very slippery and I had to drive in 4 wheel and very slow.  The workout was brutal, but very good.  I left the gym around 5:15pm and headed home only to get caught in a traffic jam that was caused by an accident.  A semi truck t-boned a white Mercedes E class in an intersections just moments before I got there.  I wasn't sure who hit who, but no one was hurt and I had a party to go to.  It took me about 20 minutes longer to get home, but I made it.

On my drive home I placed a phone call to Flyte Camp Vintage Trailer Restoration, because I had checked out his website and he is in the process of finishing up the restoration on the 1952 Spartanette. The photo's are amazing and I want to see this beauty.  Who know I might even think I have to have it (I've been bitten by the trailer bug bad).  I left a message for the owner and asked if I could come by and see this awesome trailer.

The party at my parents house was in full swing by the time I got there.  There was plenty of food and lots to drink.  The only problem with serving red wine when you have white carpet is when the two meet.  There was accident and wine went flying, but luckily with Spot shot and lots of paper towel it all came up.

1952 Spartanette Tandem, getting ready to go up for sale.



By 10pm we had the party all cleaned up and I was ready to head home and go to bed.  The full moon was spectacular on the snow.  On my way home I realized that I had just missed a call from from Flyte Camp Restorations, so called back.  I was invited to come see the trailer whenever I wanted that they are working late on it, in order to get it done and up for sale.  I definitely need to go see and he still has my trailer on his waiting list and it will probably be 2 months.  If you want to see an awesome 1952 Spartanette check out http://www.flytecamp.com/ .

When I crawled into bed I turned off the lights I couldn't believe how bright it was with the full moon and snow.  I laid there for an hour just looking out over the yard.  I  had the radio playing low; it was the season at it's finest.

Day 141, Monday 5 days to Christmas

This is going to be a short week for my office as we will be closed Christmas Eve and then the entire week between Christmas and New Years.  We are trying to get the last 50 names of the "Giving Tree" shopped for and get the gifts out the door.

After work I went to the store to do some last minute shopping and get the last few filler gifts on my list.  I'm one of those people who shops year around so by August I'm usually pretty close to done and then I can spend the last few days shopping for fun things. 

I arrived home about 7:30pm and brought my sacks of goodies into the house and put them in my office where I do my wrapping.  The chickens needed some attention so they were next on my list and took out fresh water and some rolls left over from the Son's of Norway dinner, which they loved.

Tonight is the lunar eclipse on the Winter Solstice, which hasn't happened since the 1600's, so I figured I better stay up and take a look.  I popped the movie Elf into the DVD player after I watch Castle on TV.  I figured Elf would keep me awake until the eclipse, which it did.  About 10:35pm Pacific Time I went out and looked at the moon and the eclipse had just started.  I took a picture and to my surprise I was able to get a pretty good picture.  By 11:30pm the clouds had come and I could no longer see the moon.  I checked again at midnight, but still couldn't see the moon, so I went to bed.

Day 140, Winter wonderland

Church bird house in the snow

Sunday morning was perfect with a dusting of new snow.  The house had that chilled around the edges feel, and I stayed in bed until 8am.  The cats were cozy on the foot of the bed and they had no intention of getting up and going outside.
 

The back of the house

The windmill in the snow

I  finally got up and went out and checked on the chickens and they were doing pretty well.  I really needed to clean out the coop, so I got a trash bag, and fresh newspapers.  They were very interested in what I was doing and wouldn't leave the coop.  They have been pecking at the Styrofoam insulation that line the walls and floor so much that, I just removed the last bits of it and figured if they didn't want it in there I'd take it out.  With fresh newspaper down and the nesting boxes back in place.  I put in shreds of newspaper in the boxes and the Buff Orpington jumped right in before I finished and went about her business of laying an egg.

The old farm rake.

House from the driveway

The front door and sled

The snow was so amazing, that I decided to get the camera and take some pictures.  I couldn't help but look at everything and how the snow just seems to transform things and make you look at them with fresh eyes.  There seemed to be photo opportunities everywhere.

My parents property across the street

My neighbors home and barn

My street

At 2pm I had to leave to pick up my friend Tracy, then my folks and head to the Son's of Norway Lodge in Bend.  Tonight is the third and final night of their Christmas dinner and I said I would bring the crew to put the event on.  We arrived at 3:15pm and immediately began boiling potatoes, carrots and baking the hams.  The snow was coming down pretty good, so we wondered if it would have an impact on the 85 dinner reservations.  By 5:30pm we were completely ready and by 6pm the guests started to arrive.  The evening turned out great and everyone had a good time.  My parents, Tracy and left the Lodge at 10:30pm.


After I dropped off Tracy and my folks, the nearly full moon on the snow was so beautiful I had to grab my camera again and this time take a few videos.  It was amazing, especially the potting shed in the snow.  I have a radio in the shed and Christmas music was playing.  I couldn't help but feel the spirit of the season.

Day 139, Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

I woke up to 7.5" of snow this morning, what a treat.  When I went to bed last night it was snowing pretty good, so I had hoped it would keep snowing and it obviously did.


The chickens were cozy in their coop and pen.

I slept in until 7:45am and I was eager to get going and check out the snow by 8am.  I grabbed my camera and took several snow shots around the yard.  I also walked to the end of the driveway to check out the house from the road.  There is such an amazing quietness about snow that just makes you take in the beauty.

After checking on he chickens I got in my truck and headed to town to get gas and then to go out to my parents house to pick up my father.  He wanted to run to Lowe's and he needed my truck.  It was interesting to drive in 7+ inches of snow and four wheel drive was the only way to get around and up hills.


I think these cows have already jumped over the moon.

Tonight is the Christmas dinner at the Son's of Norway Lodge and I was taking my parents and their friends to the lodge in Bend.  I picked them up at 5 and the moon was already up, it was beautiful.  The snow was so beautiful and it made the evening all that more memorable.  The dinner was a typical Norwegian dinner with ham, potatoes, cooked carrots and red cabbage, followed by rice pudding.  The highlight of the night was the kids performing the Santa Lucia precession.  I am sure for the kids participating in the precession will create memories that will last forever.

It has been a very special day full of the magic of the season.

Day 138, Friday and time for a party

Today my office host its annual coffee event where everyone brings a white elephant gift and we all exchange and take turns sharing what we received.  We had 114 members in attendance and everyone had a great time.  We sang three Christmas songs after open our gifts and had many laughs.  It was a fun morning.





Getting ready for the party.



Back at the office I checked in with emails and answered a few phone calls, but then I got ready to go home and put the final preperations together for the party. 



The estimated attendance for the party is around 100 and I still had lots to do.  Extending the dining table, getting out the cups, wine glasses, napkins, candles, and preparing the food were just a few of the things I need to accomplish.  My folks were going to come by after 12pm to help and their assistance is always welcomed.  My mother had also baked over 7 kinds of cookies and she was going to bring them over.  I love my MOM!





Outside I needed to string Christmas lights along the pathway from the back pasture, through the yard and to the back door.  I also need to line the driveway past the barn, so people can find the parking in back pasture.  My father swept the remaining snow off the gravel path from the back porch all the way through the yard and past the Traveleze parked behind the barn.

New York City at Christmas

The Chickens were not happy about me not letting them out, but I wanted them all inside when the guest start arriving at 5pm. I did give them fresh water and lots more scratch and oats.  They had laid another 5 eggs today.

The first guest arrived at 4:50pm just as I was finishing slicing up the pork loin.  All I had to do was light the candles and I was set.

Mean while, while I'm working on getting ready for the party, my friends Robin and Brad, Dr. Nick and Ann are in NYC.  Robin sent me 2 picture, and I must admit I thonght it look like a heck of a lot of fun.  New York City is one amazing city and I haven't been back, since my Eastern Airline days in the late 80's.  They 9:15pm dinner reservation under the Brooklyn Bridge and they were enjoying the city all dressed up for the holidays.



The New York City icon Macy's

The party was in full swing in not time and the food, wine and laughter flowed continuously.  Several guest brought their children and I had gifts for all of the kids.  I remember being a child and my parents friends having something for me under the tree and I never forgot it.  I want to create the same memories for my friends children, so there are always a few extra, hot wheels and stuffed animals, under the tree.

The party ended around 10pm, as the invite said and my parents who served wine and drinks all night stayed to help me clean up.  The mess is always amazing, but we had it cleaned up in a hour, the dishwasher running, the sterling washed, wine glasses carefully dried and another great party was put to bed. 

My father had parked out in the back pasture and we started his car remotely and let it run before he went to get it.  We had a lot load up, and it was 25 and snowing, so the remote was very handy.

As I started to turn off the lights, the soft snow was putting a hush on the busy day.  It was beautiful and so tranquil, its no wonder why December and winter are my favorite time of year.

Day 137, Leadership and Pies

I was up at 6:40am and out the door at 7:10am, to run a few errand before I had to be at the College for our Leadership Class.  I usually pick up a few breakfast snacks, fruit, donuts, coffee creamer, ice, soda's etc and when I ran in past the deli I realized I never ordered my meat and cheese tray and vegi tray for my party tomorrow.  I quickly ran over to the counter and placed my order and I was out of the store in no time.

Next errand was to the post office to mail a package off to my friends Brad and Robin in Oklahoma, I only had 10 minutes to get this done and to my surprise I was there and back in no time and made to the campus with a minute to spare (now that was fast).


Pumpkin pies right out of the oven.



The leadership program ran smoothly and the class rated the program very high.  I'm always pleased when all the speakers hit their mark and the class flows perfectly.  Leadership days always fly by and before I knew it the day was over.  I had a few errands to run on the way home from work so I could bake some pies and few other things.

Tonight I was going to bake 2 pumpkin pies and 2 pecan pies.  I have a secret recipe for pumpkin pies, that makes a killer pie.  I just use the recipe on the Libby Pumpkin Pie can, but instead of 2 cans of evaporated milk I put in one can and one can of sweet and condensed.  It's the best pumpkin pie ever!  The pecan pie recipe I use is my grandmother's and it is pretty amazing.  It's the best pecan pie recipe ever and the best part is it is so easy.  3 large eggs, well beaten, 1/4 cup melted butter (add to eggs slowly), 1 cup light or dark Karo Syrup, 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla, pour into unbaked pie shell and place pecans on top, bake at 350 for 1 hour.  I like to bake it until the center starts to rise up a bit, sometimes a little over an hour.

Day 136, Wednesday - Over the hump day.

Wednesday is always a good day, when you stop to think the work week is half over and the weekend is drawing near. 


The gift wrapping has begun.



Today flew by, as I was busy working on a Leadership program for Thursday, which I facilitate.  I always like to reconfirm everything with all the speakers, so there are no surprises and the day will flow smoothly.  I was able to run home for a late lunch and I thought it would be a good opportunity to let the chickens out as the weather was pretty nice. They have been very good birds and they are laying about 5 eggs every day.  The two male roosters are being roosters and are chasing the hens all over the pen and yard.  I don't need roosters and I'm sure the hens would be much happier if they were gone so I placed an add for "Two free Roosters" and hopefully I can get rid of them.

Before I knew it the day was over and I was on my way home.  I had a ton of Christmas wrapping to get done and more cleaning up for my party on Friday night.  I love the hustle of the season and all the little things that need to be done.  It makes the season fly and I enjoy every late night moment.

I crawled into bed at 12:01am, with almost all my gift wrapping done and the house almost ready for company.

Day 135, One busy Day

Today I had a meeting at the bank at 10am, a Board meeting at Noon, a conference call at 3pm and gym appointment in Bend at 4:30pm.  I needed to run by Costco on my way home to pick up some wine for the party and then home to unload everything and then out to my parents to have dinner.  I needed to drop off a big pot I had borrowed and take some butter out to my mom.  It's always a pleasure to spend to time with them and I treasure every moment.

While I was in the gym it had started snow, and the drive home was in a near blizzard in a few spots.  The snow was back and it was beautiful!

Tonight I needed to wrap more packages and get them ready for shipping in tomorrows mail.

Day 134, Monday

The weather was freakishly warm and you couldn't help but think we were heading into spring.  The forecast however was for more snow by Tuesday and for the rest of week, so I wasn't too concerned.

The work day was busy and on my lunch break I came home, let the chickens out and needed to make a run to the dump.  I still had the wire cages from the new maple trees that I got in August and in my garage was an old green chair that my cat Harris has shredded.  The chickens were happy to be out and I quickly made myself a pj sandwich, tossed the chair and wire cages in the truck and headed to the dump.

The wire cages went in the recycling pile and the once great chair that graced my living room, sadly was tossed in a dumpster.

Tonight it was more preparation for the party and then off to bed. 

During the night we had an extremely strong storm blow in and the temperature dropped dramatically.   The high winds had the  house in roar and I heard several things blowing over and around in the yard.

Day 133, 19 weeks with the Traveleze



The church youth group put a program following the story
of a Charlie Brown's Christmas and it was excellent.



Sunday started off really warm and got into the high 50's and it almost felt like spring.  I had a lot on agenda to get accomplished today so I was up an at-em early.

Church was at 11am and today was the youth program, so I wasn't sure how it was going to go.  Sometimes I'm not the best youth programs, but was up for it.  I texted my friend Doug and he was willing to go so I said I would pick him up. 

The youth this year were putting on "A Charlie Brown's Christmas" and to my surprise it was excellent.  The kids hit every little phrase and nuance.  The sets were great and they stayed true to program.  It was awesome.



The Traveleze with a Leg Lamp gleaming in the window.

 Back at home I needed to clean out the garage for my party.  It was a mess of Christmas light boxes and lights.  I need to have it cleaned because a number of people sneak through the garage at my party and some will want to see the cars.  It was an embarrassment, so it had to be a priority.  After a few hours it looked very presentable.

The Christmas tree in the potting shed

Next I needed to clean up in the back yard, as most of my guest will park in the back pasture and walk past the barn and the Traveleze.  I thought if people are walking past the trailer I should have some Christmas lights in the trailer.  I did a quick stringing of lights and put a "Leg Lamp" for the movie A Christmas Story.  It looked great and as my guest passed by there would be sure to get a kick out it.

I also worked a little on the potting shed so if anyone wants to take a look it would be looking great.  The potting shed is probably one of my favorite places at my house during the holidays.  There is a simplistic charm about it that just makes you feel good.

It was a very productive day and the chickens had enjoyed being free range birds for the day.  They laid 5 eggs 3 days in a row. 

Day 132, A weeked to get things cleaned up.

I love Saturdays, I think I have said that number of times before and this Saturday was no different.  I did my usual lay in bed until 7:30am and then it was time for laundry and working on cleaning up the pre-Christmas mess. 


Tree up, working on the Lionel Polar Express
train around the bottom.


I needed to run to the post office and mail a few packages out to the Midwest and East Coast.  Once the packages were mailed I needed to do a Costco run and buy a few things for my part that will be next Friday on the 17th.  I had planed on Costco being crazy with people, but it wasn't I was shocked.

Saturday is also the day I clean out the chicken coop and make sure they are all cared for.  I also wanted to get some of the wood chips from the aspens I had removed and layer the floor of the pen with wood chips so the chickens would be out of the dirt and mud.  It has been raining a lot and the roof only keeps the wind and some rain out, but the rain does get in and the chickens were walking in mud.  It was huge improvement and when the chickens come back in this evening they will appreciate the new improved conditions.

The weather has warmed up a lot since last weeks snow and the forecast was for several days of temps in the 50's.

It was an excellent day and Christmas is in full swing.

Day 131, Friday

Another work week is coming to an end, and the excitement of the weekend was already in full gear.

I went home for lunch around 1pm and as I drove down the driveway, a large winter-hawk flew out of the tree and across the field.  I though this was probably a good indication that I should keep the chickens in the coop and not let them out today.  I went to check on the chickens and the had flipped their water bucket over so they were a bit thirsty.  I replaced the water and they tried very hard to get around me and out to freedom.  With the hawk so close I thought I should keep them, even though the hawk has never bothered them before.

My Friday night was going to be kicked back, I was exhausted and the thought of just taking it easy sounded perfect.  It's kind of scary, but the older I get the thought of being in bed by 10pm on a Friday night sounds like really good night.

Day 130, Thursday

The weather has really warmed up and the snow is pretty much gone except in the shadows.  The chickens are enjoying the warmer temps and egg production reached 5 eggs today.  It's a huge improvement over weeks passed.  I was able to let them out at 1:30pm for the rest of the day and would lock them back in safe and sound when I got home from work at 8pm.

We had a Business Hop, where 30 local businesses were able to showcase their products and services to the community.  It wasn't the largest of turnouts, but everyone had a good time.  It did, however, make for a long day.

My plan for tonight was to get started on my Christmas cards and I was able to get the "L"s or about 40 cards.  I was exhausted by 10:30pm and I went to bed.

Day 129, Wednesday and warmer



The driveway is starting to melt as the temperature hits 36.

Today started off warmer than it has been in days, with the temp in the mid 30's.  The snow was starting to melt out of the trees and the driveway was not as frozen solid as it has been.

The work day was pretty typical and nothing too exciting.  I took a late lunch at 1:30pm and came home for lunch and I let the chickens out.  They were not to sure at first, but quickly decided that it was ok to venture out and soon they were running all around the yard.  The snow had really started melt, so much of the yard was exposed and they quickly went about rooting bugs and things to eat.

At 6 o'clock tonight my friends Bruce and Mary Ann were coming over to help finish decorating the tree and to help put up the Lionel Polar Express Train.  First we had to have some pizza that I picked up at Papa Murphy's.  We were all hungry and the pizza was consumed pretty quickly.  It was great to be with friends and work on the tree.

Day 128, Tuesday



Back to 4 eggs a day



My trainer moved my workout days to Tuesday and Thursdays, so I was in for a workout.  I left Redmond and the temp was 26 at 4pm.  By the time I got to Bend the temperature was 35, 9 degrees warmer.  The workout started with running for 4 minutes at 6.5 mph and then pull-ups and push ups.  It was a killer upper body workout.

After the workout I had to run to Costco to pick up some items for my mom and then I joined them for dinner.  Oven roasted chicken and potatoes, yum, one of my favorites.

I got home around 8:30pm and I went checked on the chickens.  They had laid 4 eggs today and them seem to eating again, so I think the light in coop has really helped them get used to winter.  It was still 26 degrees but the warm weather should be coming back in soon.

Day 127, Nothing new with the Traveleze

If I don't get something going with the Traveleze, I'm going to have to change the name of this blog.  It's become more of "what's going on in my life" instead of working on the trailer.   I have not heard a word from Justin and think I might give him a call this week to see what his thoughts are.  He might be thinking after the first of the year, or later and I would just like to know.  I would also like to know what the bids might be, so I can determine what I should I do.

It was a typical day at work and I left a little early to go shopping with my friend Tracy at Costco.  We are both planning for parties and we wanted to get a little of shopping done.  Tracy's work party is the 9th and my party is the 17th.  The roads started getting a little  icy, so it was an interesting slow drive there and back.

Tonight I had nothing planned and without having to read the evening was mine to do anything I wanted.

Day 126, Sunday and I finish "Reading the Bible in 90 Days"



Home on the range with snow.

 I woke up to one of those truly spectacular snowfalls, with huge flakes drifting fromt he sky.  It was so beautiful and cold, that I just pulled the covers up a little higher.  This was the perfect time to read the last 6 pages of the Bible and I will have completed the Bible and not in 90 days but in 84.  It was a very nice accomplishment to finish reading the Bible, from cover to cover.

Church is at 11 and I am sure they will be talking about finishing reading the Bible, so I wanted to be there for sure.  The church is all decked out for the holidays and the choir is awesome when they sing the Christmas classics.  The service was very good and singing excellent.  You can't help but feel the spirit of the season after hearing Hark the Harold Angels Sing by a choir.

The rest of the day was spent watching movies, working on the tree and checking on the chickens.  I was able to watch, Home Alone, Holiday Inn and The Last Holiday.  What a great way to enjoy a snowy day.  As for the chickens they didn't want out in the snow and stayed in the pen.  Egg production was 5 eggs for the day, so the light definitely made a huge difference.

As the sun started to go down, I took a nice walk and enjoyed the snow and frosty air.  It had been an excellent weekend and now it was time for a new week.

Day 125, Time to get a tree



New snow



It snowed during the night and I woke up to 2" of snowing covering the yard.  It was snowing lightly and it the temperature was 25.  Today I needed to get a tree and my friend Tracy was going to go with me to cut trees, her, my folks, and 2 for me.  I put a tree in the house, and one in the potting shed (not sure why, but it looks cool).

Tracy and agreed to go at 11am and when I picked her up it  hadn't warmed up at all.  We thought we would run by the tree lot and see if they had anything that might work and save the time and from freezing in the woods.  The tree lot is run by Steve, who I order the tree from the city and he knows I like a big tall thin tree.  Steve had two that were perfect for my folks and myself, and Tracy found a full perfect tree herself too.  Steve even had a small tree that would be perfect for the shed.  In a matter of 20 minutes we had the picked out the trees and were heading home and we didn't freeze.


Deer by the pond



The first stop was Tracy's house to put her tree up.  Her tree was small and easy to put up so it took no time at all to get up.  We then went to my house to drop my trees off and then on to my folks to get their tree up.  It was also time for the civil war game between Oregon and Oregon State, so we caugh part of the game, had a bite to eat and got their lights put on their tree.  Now all they needed to do was decorate and Tracy and went to my house to get my tree up and then to put up lights outside on the big spruce and to set up the lighted reindeer.

Tracy and went to check on the chickens and they wanted nothing to do with snow and they stayed put in the pen.  I collected 2 eggs so my total for the day was 4.  The light in the coop has definately increased egg production.



Potting shed with tree.


After we got my lights up it was starting to get dark and it was time to take my frozen friend Tracy home.  She was frozen from head to toe and couldn't figure out how I wasn't cold too.  I told her she was a disgrace to her Norwegian heritage.

With Tracy warm at home I went home and put the tree up in the potting shed.  It's a tiny tree, so it never takes long and there is not much to it, keeping with the simplistic rustic enviornment.

Once done with the shed I went out to my folks to check on their lights in the yard, to see if my work was satisfactory.  The lights looked great!  We went out to dinner down at the lodge and Eagle Crest was a winter wonderland with lights everywhere.  It is a magical spot during the holidays.

Day 124, Friday Tree Auction

Another wonderful Friday and it was going to be a busy day.  At work we had our Coffee Clatter, I needed to get my parents lights up, the Hospice Tree Auction was 5pm and I needed to pick up my parents at the airport at 11pm.

The Coffee Clatter was great, with 108 people in attendance.  It's always a great way to end the week and kick off the weekend.

I took 3 hours off work and left at 2pm to go put the last few lights at my parent  house before they got home for the holidays.  It only took about 1 hours to get three trees wrapped in lights and luckily it was a nice afternoon, but cold.  After I got the trees done, I needed to run to the bank and it would give me a chace to attend a ribbon cutting of one of members.

The Hospice Tree Aucation opened it doors for viewing at 5pm and I figured I would leave here at 5pm and get there about 5:45pm.  The auctioning of the trees started at 7:30pm and was one of 3 bid runners, who got the signitures from the winning bidder.  My cactus was towards the end at 8:30pm my cactus was auctioned and went for $400.  I was very happy for the high bid and the winner was the Ford dealership.

My folks plane was going to be an hour late, so had time to run home after the auction and read a few pages of the bible.  I'm down to the home stretch.  I want to be done by Sunday, four days ahead of schedule.  My parents called when their planed landed and I jumped in the truck to get them.  By the time they collected their lugage I was there waiting for them.  It was nice to have them home for the holidays.

It had also started snow and the streets were just beginning to get covered.  I was hoping it would snow all night and I would wake up to a 1' of snow.