One More Week to Vegas!

Ran a few errands this morning. I bought a couple of 2GB SD cards for our cameras - should have enough now to take as many pictures as we want. Also stopped at the beer store - got to have plenty of beer for Super Bowl Sunday. We'll be cheering for the Steelers.

Another Day of Snow!

Smoky wore himself out this morning trying to walk on top of snow banks. He finally came in, tore up the house and is now sleeping on the back of the couch. He sinks so far into the cushion, if you didn't know he was there, you'd miss him.

Dentist Today . . .

To fix the tooth I broke last week on Wasabi peas. Again, the dentist tried to talk me into a crown. Nope! Not going to do that!!! We also ran a few errands around town - at Wal-Mart, we bought some food items to enjoy during Super Bowl Sunday. I'm looking forward to the game and to also catch some of the awesome commercials that are shown - my favorite has always been the Bud commercials with those Clydesdale horses.

More Snow!

We have a storm warning for today, but we should only get a few inches.

Researching . . .

With three trips coming up - one in February, New Hampshire in March, and our Texas trip in April - there's a lot to plan for. And I like to be informed - no surprises for me. Unfortunately, I don't think I will be dragging my laptop with me when we fly to Las Vegas, so I will be somewhat in the dark unless I do a lot of printing at home. I'm pretty much leaving that job up to Bruce. That trip is only days off - we're so excited! Check out where we'll be staying - Stratosphere Casino and Hotel! If all goes according to plan, we'll have this Chevy Aveo as our little rental car - isn't it cute? After driving/riding in a truck for some many years, it's going to be a hoot!

Grocery Shopping Again!!!

Seems Monday rolls around too soon. We did our shopping, loaded the groceries into the back of the truck then turned the key in the ignition. Truck wouldn't start. After a few frantic calls and not reaching anyone, the motor finally kicked over. We quickly headed home before anything else happened!

A Day of Planning!

Been researching things to do when in Las Vegas. So much to do and see!

Back in the Deep Freeze!

Minus ten this morning. We need a vacation. Wait, Bruce has just booked plans for a trip to Vegas in February. We'll be gone for a week - Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon, here we come!

What's Up Today?

Bruce made a run to the beer store - can't get any more exciting than that! Have I mentioned my favorite beer to buy when in the States? It's Blue Moon - we first sampled it in a Nashville restaurant, recommended by the waiter. It is brewed in Canada by Molson. But you can't buy it in Canada. A beer you can buy in Canada and is exactly the same is Rickard's White.

Talking about alcohol, I've uploaded some pictures of our visit to the Jack Daniel's Distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee. We're in that group picture - can you find us?

What to Write?

I don't have a thing. Pretty quiet around here today.

My Love Affair is Over!

With Wasabi peas that is. Last night, I broke a tooth. As much as I love eating them, that will have to stop. So sad! I have a dentist appointment next week to have the tooth fixed.

Yesterday, I watched most of the Inauguration Day - finally turning the TV off while the parade was still going. It looked like most of the people there also decided to call it a day. The sun had gone down and I imagine the temperature began to drop. I did tune in later for one of the balls - saw the new President and his wife make an entrance. Did you like her gown?

Inauguration Day!

I'll be watching the festivities, so don't plan on posting much!

No Sun Today!

And it's snowing. Another day that Bruce has to clean the driveway.

This morning, we watched 'the little vandals' waiting for the school bus. We're pretty sure they are the ones who knocked our Forest Faces out of the trees. Anyway - they were beating on each other. Kids will be kids? Yeah, right!!!

Also, this is the second winter our neighbor is neglecting her dog. The dog is outside ALL the time without any shelter other than the back deck. And when it thaws and there are puddles and mud under there - that's all he has. What a sad looking dog.

Overcast Day!

We headed to Canadian Tire this morning to buy a battery booster for the next time the truck refuses to start. It's not a nice day, cold and damp. After shopping, I was glad to get back home and into a warm house. Not much happening - just changed the look in the guest room. Always fun to rearrange things - guess that's a woman thing.

A Day Out

Just after I opened a can of Italian wedding soup for lunch, Bruce came into the kitchen and asked if I wanted to go out for lunch. Of course! We got ready to jump into the truck, however the truck wouldn't start in spite of the fact that Bruce put in a new battery about three weeks ago. A rescue truck from CAA came an hour later - that's when we changed our lunch plans to an early dinner. We drove to the next town and stopped at Eastside Mario's - one of our favorites places to eat. But our luck didn't stop there - we ordered pasta with sausage and peppers - the waitress came with penne and blush sauce. Huh? We informed her of her mistake and she quickly came back with the right meals. Yum!















































On the way back home, we took the river road - saw a bunch of fishing shacks on the Ottawa River and a train going 'somewhere.'

Refilled US Phone . . .

Added air time to my US prepaid phone - gives me another 90 days. The phone doesn't work in Canada, so the next time we cross the border , I'd better call all my friends - right now I have over $140 in air time.

We have a planned vacation in New Hampshire during the first part of March. Unfortunately, there aren't any ATT towers there, so the prepaid phone doesn't work because the company doesn't allow roaming. Wish the company would put up a tower in the North Conway area. Wishful thinking, I guess!!! If you cross the state line into Maine, you get a signal. Almost as if someone was watching you!

And yes, it was another 20F below morning!!!

Another Day in the Deep Freeze!

This morning - 20F below zero. When I opened the door to coax Smoky out, you could see the frigid air rolling in. Did he venture out - no way!

Saskatchewan Screamer?

This morning when I woke up, I rolled over and looked at the window thermometer - it was 15F below (considering the windchill, 37F below)! Smoky jumped on the bed wanting out, so I crawled out of my 'warm spot' and headed to the back door. I let him out - then checked on him in about 30 seconds - he quickly fell back into the house. Hasn't cried since to go out.

Florida is looking pretty good right now!



Pictures taken at Tarpon Springs.

Guess What?

It's snowing again and we had to go out - dentist appointment to replace a filling. UGH! Thank goodness it was painless. From there, we did a little shopping - but it's a cold damp day - better to stay inside where it is warm.

No One Around . . .

We went grocery shopping this morning - store was deserted. Must be the cold weather we're having. Since nothing is going on, I thought I'd upload some pictures of a favorite spot - Sauble Beach which on Lake Huron, just west of Owen Sound,Ontario. Bruce is originally from the Georgian Bay area and his brother now owns a cottage there. When I first saw the lake, I thought I was somewhere in the Caribbean - water is aqua in color - beautiful.







A favorite past time is watching the sunset over the water.

My Gripe for the Day!!!!!

We live on a corner lot and at the front of the house are two very tall evergreen trees. When we first moved in, Bruce put Forest Faces on them. Over the years, small kids have thrown rocks or snowballs at them trying to knock them down. But this morning when I went into the kitchen, there were about three pieces of these faces on the counter - Bruce had picked them out of the snow bank along the street. Also at the bottom of these trees were 'large' footprints, a soda can and a long stick. Small kid didn't do this!! Why are people so destructive - don't they have any respect for other people's property? Conclusion, faces will not be put back up in the spring.

Almost My Backyard!

Quabbin Reservoir is located a few miles from my hometown and as kids, my dad would frequently head that way for a Sunday drive. Most of all, I remember climbing to the top of the tower and looking out over the valley. If you want more info on Quabbin, just Google it - there's a lot more to read about its history.

If you know the history, you are aware that four towns (Dana, Enfield, Greenwich and Prescott) were flooded to make way for the reservoir. Cemeteries were dug up and graves relocated to a new resting place across the road - easy to find if you are looking for it.

I love stories about haunted places and years ago, I stumbled across this story - Asa Snow was a resident of Dana, one of Quabbin's flooded towns. Another web site about Asa is
Massachusetts Area Ghost Investigators Coalition. I don't know if it adds any additional information, but check it out.

What's Going On?

Bruce took his camera this morning when he headed out for his walk. Seems there has been another fire in our neighborhood - this time a house.

He also crossed the railroad track that goes through the middle of town. It's a few streets away from where we live. It's a bright sunny day, but oh so cold - 3F degrees.

Snow Removal Done!

Bruce said there was about a 10 inch snow fall yesterday. I didn't bother taking pictures - same old stuff.

Oh No! More Snow!!!

Added Minutes . .

This morning, I had to add minutes to my Petro-Can prepaid phone. It's the best deal going in Canada. I added $20 and bought 180 days of air time. I'm good until July.

Uneventful Day!

Just grocery shopping and a haircut for me which was long overdue.

House Work . . .

Yesterday, I picked up the bed skirts that I had ordered from Sears - plan for today was to put them on. After stripping the bed and looking at my new purchases, I realized one was the wrong color - I had ordered two chocolate brown bed skirts - in my hand - a white queen and a brown full. OK - I'm not doing this again (pull bed apart) so I used the white one. I didn't feel that well, so Bruce helped me. I guess Smoky decided he was going to do the same - we both laughed when we saw where he was curled up.

First Snow Fall of the Year!

We had several inches of snow overnight, so Bruce was at it again. I vacuumed the living room - fake trees shed almost as much as the real deal. And I finally updated all the computers with the anti-virus software for 2009.

On January 1, there was a major fire in town just at the end of our old street - we didn't hear a thing. This building was a large 115,000 square foot structure that contained six businesses. The building was fully engulfed when police arrived. It is believed the fire damage will be over 10 million dollars.


















And what is going on in our neighbor's backyard?