MERRY CHRISTMAS

To all the folks that read our blog, we want to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a terrific year  for 2013.

The following picture is a sunrise shot that I took in 2008.  It is still a very good depiction of what our backyard looks like this year.  Glad to say we will soon be away from all this and where it is warm and sunny.

Patrick and Pat

Anderson Day

The annual Anderson get together for Christmas was held today and we had a very good crowd of 33 people.  Twelve of these were teenagers or younger including two babies.  It was a very nice group that had a good time and plenty to eat.

This first picture is part of the group watching the Viking football game before dinner.

The next two pictures are of the layout of food and the start of the crowd to fill their plates.

The next two pictures are of niece Lynda and her husband, Herb and Pat's brother, Jerry. The second one is Jerry from the front.

The next picture is an after dinner shot of niece, Deb, and her husband, Jim (a/k/a J.B.), Pat's sister, Joanne, Pat, and sister-in-law, Elva, having coffee.

It was a good day!

Patrick

Just a Day

It's hard to believe that yesterday our yard was green and the streets were dry.  Today is a different story. 

The birds were having a hard time finding food in the feeders as the feeders were full of snow.  I went out with the broom and cleaned them off but it's only been a couple hours and they're covered again.

 

I don't think we'll be using our gazebo any time soon either.

 

It's a good day to watch football.  I hope the Vikings win too!

Ish!

That's what Patrick says whenever it snows.  This is what we saw this morning out the front and back of our house.

 The birds don't mind a little snow on their roof tops.

 There were a few crab apples left on the tree.

 This is out the loft window - looks more like a cotton tree than snow.

The river is still open.

We're feeling optimistic that it will warm up enough this afternoon to melt all of this. 

 

Passing Through

We thought the migrating birds were all gone but this morning there were several different ones getting some "fuel" for their voyage.

 

 

Patrick created this feeder by adding a platform for the finches to stand on instead of balancing on the small pegs.  We didn't think it would get used until next year, but it got broken in early.

Evidently, it works for birds other than finches.

That Time of Year

It's that time of year where the birds are migrating south and stopping here along their way for something to eat.  There have been a few of the Pileated Woodpeckers lately.

But yesterday before we left for breakfast, Patrick looked out the kitchen window just to see what was happening.  He wasn't expecting to see this wild turkey.  I guess they need to eat too!

Now, we just need to keep the other birds from hitting our windows; so far no casualties.

New Normal

As we mature, the term "new normal" keeps cropping up.  I think it pertains to adapting to changes in our way of living.  That's what I have to learn now with our new flooring that was completed yesterday.  These are my new tools that I have to "adapt" to using now for cleaning: 

We were told by the flooring company that steam mops should not be used on laminate floors.  That wasn't what I wanted to hear but can understand their reasoning.  My steam mop has been retired to the basement but I can't quite give it up completely yet.

 

It's all worth whatever changes I have to go through to have the new floors done and looking like this now.

 

In place of this:

We're hoping there aren't any more unexpected surprises, we've had enough excitement for one year.  I think we've adapted to our new normal too.

Summer's Over

It wasn't the best summer we have had, but we did get in a few pontoon trips.  This past Monday we pulled the pontoon out and got it ready for winter storage.  The picture below was taken after we had it all cleaned up and ready to go to storage.

The dock guys will be coming today or tomorrow to take out the dock and boat lift.  We will be all set for winter then, but probably not ready!

Patrick

Construction Zone

About six weeks ago we noticed the hardwood floors in our kitchen were warping in front of our kitchen sink and dishwasher.  We checked the ceiling in the bedroom below the kitchen, but didn't see anything leaking.  On a Sunday night about 3 weeks ago, our dishwasher died.  

Fortunately, the service person could come out Monday morning.  When he pulled the dishwasher apart, he discovered several - really more than several - cups of water in the bottom of the dishwasher.  A hose connection came apart.  This time, it did make it to bedroom below and one of the ceiling tiles was soaked and laying on the ledge.

After a few weeks of dealing with our insurance company, picking out and arranging for new flooring to get installed, the project began on Monday.

Behind this plastic is the stairs to the loft and step to the family/living room.  We had to wade through it daily; not fun or easy.

This is the dining room after the carpeting was pulled up and new padding put down.  

 Kitchen dining area after hardwood pulled up and new padding installed.

 New floor in dining room.

 

 Entryway

The only problem the installers encountered was when they pulled up the hardwood in front of the sink and dishwasher.  The sub floor was too wet to install the new floor.  We are living under some primitive conditions for the next couple weeks; waiting for the flooring to completely dry and the installer's schedule to open up enough to come back and finish the job.

   

We are very happy with our new look and will be happier when it's all done.

Window Decorations

How do you decorate your kitchen window?  This time of year, we usually have a few of these "red balls" in our window but this year we have a few more than usual.  We've been sharing them with neighbors and friends.

Every year Patrick plants his usual garden of tomatoes, cucumbers and green peppers.  The last couple years, our spring weather has been a bit unpredictable.  After the garden was planted, we would get cool/freezing nights so we weren't sure how much of his garden survived.  The cucumbers were replanted and have taken over the entire garden spot.

What we can't figure out is why the tomato plants dry up when there are still green tomatoes on them.  They get plenty of water from our sprinkler system so water isn't the issue.  Do any of you veteran gardeners have any ideas?

Also, since Patrick isn't bending much these days from his hip surgery; he was the Planter and I have become the Picker.  We seem to get it done!

It's Been a Week

It's been a little over a week since Patrick's surgery but this morning his lawn mower was calling for him.  He assured me he was ready to do this.

 

He barely got started and our neighbor stopped over for a chat. It didn't last too long.

The mowing is done but not without a little casualty with his incision; otherwise, it went just fine.

Taking Turns

This is more of an update on our summer infirmary.  Patrick had surgery yesterday on his "new" hip that he got almost two years ago.  The ball was replaced with a larger one to lengthen his leg; the cable that was wrapped around the joint was removed; and, tendon repair.  According to the doctor, all went well.  Now, the recovery begins; he came home today.  It's my turn to change bandages now as Patrick has been my nurse for the past three weeks.

Trust me, nobody would want us to post any photos of our procedures; I can hardly look at them myself.  We're just thankful we're on the road to recovery.

On the way home from the hospital today, Patrick told me that the doctor told him they would be sending him the old ball they removed from his hip once they disinfected it.  The old ball was ceramic; the new one is metal.  I wonder what we're suppose to do with the ceramic one - hang it on our Christmas tree???

Happy 4th of July

Even though our temperature was near 100 degrees today, we managed to get a nice pontoon ride in with family.  My sister, brother-in-law and 3 of their "kids", came out for their first pontoon ride (first with us).  Usually, they only come out at Christmas time and the scenery is a bit different in December.

Jim (brother-in-law) with his daughter-in-law, Sue:

 

Brothers, Craig and Marlin:

 

The women having a nice gab session (l to r Pat, Joanne, Kaylyn and Robyn): 

 

It felt good out on the water but it felt much better getting in air conditioning.  We enjoyed a nice barbecue before everyone headed back home.  It was a great way to spend the holiday.

This was taken on a different trip, but I didn't want to leave out the "captain" of the pontoon.  He was the photographer too.