Another Load

 Just got back from another Home Depot

run... we "think" this is the final

big purchase...

That's all the drywall for his house,

concrete board for in his shower,

flooring for his house,

and the materials needed to build a 

small shed for his water system outside.

(Since I veto-ed a new well for his site...

the quote came in at just under $20k. NOPE.)

He's headed out to the farm so he and Rod

can off-load it all and at least get the

drywall into the house, since they are

predicting rain overnight.

It's drywall, Mom. Not wet wall. 

Hahahaha.

While we were there, we found the perfect

new fridge for Jim's tiny house.

Hahaha.

That thing is TINY!

(He has a fridge he's bringing with him...)

DOGGY PATROL

Let me just start by saying we have 3 dogs.

One small.

One medium.

One LARGE.

And that creates a lot of.... well, you know.

So we need to do P Patrol daily.

Which wasn't a problem when it was

warm and sunny.

Or even chilly and sunny.

But then it got downright COLD and,

I quit going outside.

Which brings us to the greatest invention.

Kyle and I picked this thing up at Menards last month.

You squeeze the handle and the jaws open.

If you are strong (or use 2 hands)

they open up REALLY WIDE.

(Which is helpful when you have a LARGE dog...)

Anyhow.

This morning before he left for the farm,

Kyle helped me move the chicken coop a little

so the girls are on fresh ground.

And I couldn't help notice all the poop in the yard.

Ugh.

So I put on my music and my gloves,

got a 5 gallon bucket and the nifty tool.

Beau took a nap in the sunshine.

And I got to work.

Half an hour, (and REALLY sore hands) later,

the yard was all cleaned up.

I'll spare you the picture of a 3/4 full bucket.

Granted, some of it is leaves and sticks,

but 3 dogs make a lot of mess over a couple weeks.

It will be easy to keep up with it again.

I just let it slide for a bit.

But yesterday it was 62!!!!!!

And this morning it was 53 and sunny.

It's overcast now and they are predicting a

little bit of rain, 

but we are in a nice weather spell for a bit.

****************************

In other news, I talked with the builder this morning

and we got some of the optional things ironed out.

He's been out of the office for 3 weeks doing

the trade show circuit, but he's back and ready

to hit the ground running.

He will have a "bank ready proposal" by early

next week and then we can move forward!

YEA!!!

 

Lookin' Good!

 Beau and I took a quick trip out to the farm

this afternoon to check out the progress on

Kyle's house!

I love what he's done with the place! 

He put a cinderblock base and then some T-111 siding

so there's no air gap anymore around the bottom.

(Just on the one side... they are still working

underneath, trying to finish up the electric and plumbing.)

Today they were running electricity to the shed.

Which is the trench you see behind him.

He has a yellow bug light!

It really is looking good!

(Once he gets all the construction debris out of the way...)

Kitchen (from the living room)

Future washer and dryer.

(Waiting for him in storage...)

The crew hard at work.

(thinking)

Beau's favorite spot.

He loves the little window on the landing.

Looking UP from the landing into his bathroom. 

(shower)

It's coming along!

He's counting the days.

Blanket of Many Colors

After I finished Kyle's blanket for his bed,

I had a little yarn leftover.

So I made a blanket for Kyle to use while

watching tv.

It wasn't very pretty, and it turned out 

REALLY narrow and long.

He didn't love it.

He hung it over the back of his chair,

but he never used it.

Just sat there in his hoodie and froze.

Hahaha.

So... the other day I started to undo it

and crocheted a new blanket for him

using that yarn and the other leftovers

I had from other projects.

It has lots of different color combinations,

but it's wide, and its soft, and he likes it...

(and it's warm...)

Glad to have all those little bits and bobs of

extra yarn being used for something 

rather than just hanging around in a basket...

Meawhile the guys have been at the farm today.

Got the panel mostly done and everything wired in.

yesterday they got the heat pump unit installed

outside. Kyle has a picture, but forgot to send it to me.

Things are moving forward.

Next... drywall!

He said this morning he needs 95 sheets.

So Monday he'll hook up his big flat trailer

and head into Hays to Home Depot and pick it up.

And then we will learn another new skill.

 

 

Kyle's Bathroom

 Kyle has set a goal to be IN his house in 

THREE WEEKS.

(or less....)

Since the well quote came in at $20k,

we are just going to use the system we already

have and then in the spring we will run pipe

from our existing well...

But, in the spirit of moving this project

forward, Kyle worked on his bathroom today.

(Rod spent the day at Home Depot getting the

[hopefully] last stuff needed for the wiring.)

We bought some butcher block counter tops for the kitchen

and bathroom so today he put some milk paint on it

and installed the sink. (Probably just "dry fit"...)

I think it looks really good!

He's got almost all the insulation in. 

(And he said it makes a WORLD of difference...)

So once they do the final wiring (the A/C unit and the

ceiling fans I think are all that is left?)

then they can do the drywall and floors.

So...

it's coming along!

I'm excited for him to be done.

(Although I don't really want him to move... lol.)

Polar Vortex

 That's all anybody is talking about these days.

It's 

C O L D!!!

Which means we are staying indoors most of the time.

Although, yesterday we did drive into town for Church.

And THIS happened in our Ford Ranger!

(Time to SELL IT!)

hahahaha

(We are planning to get rid of it before April this year...)

Anyhow.

It's chilly outside.

But nice and toasty warm inside.

Especially since we all got new thermals.

So we are "fluffy", but comfy.

(I took this picture of my thermometer before I

turned up the furnace for the day. I usually set it

on about 72, that seems to be a comfortable setting.)

As long as we keep the humidifier running,

we are doing well inside.

And the chickens don't seem to care either way.

The dogs.... Luna (Rottweiler) LOVES the cold.

Bandit (Blue Heeler) isn't as happy, but she's ok.

Yesterday we had leftover beef stroganoff for lunch

and I made a YUMMY beef Arm Roast for dinner.

Just put it in the crockpot with some beef stock and

seasonings - on high for about 2.5 hours and then low 

until we were ready to eat. It was moist and delicious.

Also made some mashed potatoes, gravy (with the stock)

broccoli and green salad. It was tasty.

Today Kyle and I need to head into Hays for some

stuff he needs for his house.

And then I'm teaching this evening.

The weather is supposed to start warming up again

tomorrow, so today is the COLDEST so far and

should be back into the 40's soon.

Can't wait to watch the inauguration! 

Spending Money

 Yup, still spending money.

But getting GOOD STUFF!!!

This morning FedEx showed up (one day early) with

a bunch of boxes!

Kyle's new A/C unit.

Yeah, the "6" fell off our house number.
We are planning to repaint this spring so we'll replace it then.

All the connections stuff...

And the two indoor units. One for each floor of his house.

He's going to be toasty warm in the winter and comfty

chilly in the summer.

YEA!

And then we headed downtown to our meat market

and picked up 190 pounds of BEEF!

(1/4 steer...)

All packaged and labeled. We are having sirloin

steaks for dinner tonight!

YEA!!!!!!

Beautiful Day!!!

 Today was a GLORIOUS day!

It was 50 degrees!

Hays still has LOTS of snow...

(this is the pile from where the cleared the

UPS parking lot... I needed to return something today...)

Hays got way more snow than we did.

Our yards are almost totally clear, there are

still piles at the base of the driveway,

but for the most part it's just grass.

And tomorrow is going to be 54.

And then another ARCTIC BLAST.

(High Sunday is... 16?) 

Hahahahaha.

Anyhow.

It was a lovely day.

Rod and I drove into Hays to get some nails

and lights from Home Depot and then some

fresh produce from WalMart.

I didn't even have to wear my coat!

***************************************************

Yesterday Rod and I drove to Wichita!

It was clear when we left WaKeeney.

And then it got cloudy and THEN it was FOGGY!

Like SUPER Foggy. But it didn't last long...

The rest of the drive was nice and clear.

It was only 18 degrees... but it was pretty!

We got to Wichita about an hour early, so we

walked across the street to a little cafe and

had a turkey and swiss biscuit.

Then we wandered over to the office.

Where there were 3 security guards and 2

people in the office and NOBODY for them

to work with... so Rod stayed out and chatted

with the security guards while I went in.

They told him all about the signs out by the street.

I guess this is where Wyatt Earp used to live!

The building was over 120 years old.

It was a cool, old brick building.

Anyhow.

The receptionist lady was BORED (she was reading a book...)

so we chatted for a bit about being Canadian

and why I should really consider getting my American

citizenship before I get old and senile and forget where I

put my green card...  (hahaha, I didn't tell her...)

And then the guy came out and took my picture

and fingerprinted me and 5 minutes later I was DONE!

Like really??????

We drove for 6 hours.

But it's DONE.

(And now I have to be the squeaky wheel and email

the immigration people every week until they 

confirm that they changed my name to Buffaloe.

My card says Buffaloe, but my file says Stoddard...

Sheesh.)

Anyhow.

On the way home we stopped in Salina at Menards

and got some more stuff for Kyle's house

and I had a zoom training meeting, so I listened to that

while Rod picked up what we needed and then we went

to a burger joint that looks exactly like In-N-Out but

was the BEST burger!!!!!

And then on home.

(We didn't miss the turn-off this time... lol.)

So.

That's ALL DONE.

(Well, except for changing my name and getting the

actual card, but hey... baby steps...)

So, all in all, a good day!

Full moon at the farm on Monday night.

Phone Tag and Travel

 I've been playing TAG with the Vital Farms

rep's assistant for a week or so.

Today I got a message that she is out of the

office for another week...

(It's trade show season...)

But.

I DID manage to speak with a rep from

our builders!!!

We should get a written proposal we can

take to our bank by early next week.

So, YEA!!!!!

And tomorrow, Rod and I are going to head to

Salina to Menards to buy some building stuff,

and then on down south to Wichita so I

can do my 3:00 appointment for biometrics.

And then I got an email from my boss that we

have a zoom meeting at 5:00.

So, I'll probably have Rod drive for the first

bit so I can do the zoom.

Then we will stop for dinner in Salina and

I'll drive the last leg.

(I'm a TERRIBLE passenger!!!)

Also, speaking of being a passenger... I got

tagged (Friday night) to be a chaperone for

the youth temple trip in Kansas City, MO

on Saturday morning.

It was a nice drive over (I crocheted another

basket - for me this time...) and an excellent

baptism / confirmation session for the youth.

We stopped in Salina for a burger and then

back home again.

I left the house about 5:30 Saturday morning

and got home about 6:00 pm that night.

The roads were nice and clear.

There was a LOT of snow in the fields and

on the sides of the roads, but the highways were good.

There were a bunch of abandoned, wrecked cars

along the sides though.

I've never seen people just leave their cars on the

side of the highway before.

They were crashed, some on their sides on upside down...

Glad we didn't try to drive LAST weekend.

There was about a quarter inch of ice on all the roads

and NOBODY was supposed to be out there.

Anyhow.

The roads are clear today and it should be a good drive.

My World

 I spend lots of time in the kitchen.

Today I pressure cooked some navy beans

that Kyle and I grew in our Florida garden

back in 2021!!

I've been "waiting" to use them until...

I don't know...

So today I decided to cook them up.

And then I made a pot of ham and bean soup.

It was pretty yummy!

I'm loving "soup season"!

And my "office".

*****************************

This afternoon we FINALLY got the title

for the Ford Ranger, Rod ran to the court house

and got it notarized, then went next door to the

police department. They sent an officer out to the

house to inspect and make sure all the numbers

matched, and then another trip to the court

house to get a paper tag.

And now I can drive the truck!!!!

I'm so excited!

I'm thinking a trip to Hays is in order!

Ice is SO PRETTY!

 Ok, it's also slippery and dangerous...

but yesterday Kyle and I braved the road

and drove down to Malay's (grocery store)

and while there we picked up a bag

of de-icer stuff. (basically salt...)

In the meantime, there is ice built up

on all the branches on the tree outside

my front window.

But also, we keep a humidifier running

in the living room because it's DRY here.

So some of my windows are covered

in condensation most of the time.

But then overnight it freezes into 

the most amazing designs.

Of course, today it's currently 35.

So nothing is frozen.

And that's nice too.

The weather is slowly warming up

and the snow is getting slushy, which means

it will probably be gone in a few days.

(Except, of course, where the sun NEVER

hits it, like along the side of the garage.)

I'm doing fine.

I sit in my chair and read, crochet, or watch YouTube

most of the time anyway, so I'm not even noticing

anything different.

But the GUYS are going NUTS!

Hahahaha.

Kyle just headed into Hays to Home Depot

to get the wire so he can move on to the 

next step in getting his house done.

Rod has been working with Ford Credit

and the court house trying to get a copy

of the title for our Ranger (still financed)

so we can get it inspected by the Sheriff

(make sure it's not stolen since it's from

out-of-state) and then the county can issue

a paper tag.

It's been sitting in the driveway since before

Christmas with NO TAG because Florida made

us mail them all back.

We have tags for everything else,

but I miss the truck!

(It will be nice to have it for the drive to

church on Sunday and a trip to Wichita on Tuesday.)

Speaking of trips.

I'm "hoping" to hear from the lady at Vital Farms

to verify there is a new farmer meeting on the 

15th. If there is, we will drive to Wichita on Tuesday for

my biometrics and then on to Springfield for

the meeting on Wednesday.

We will stay there overnight so we aren't rushed

to speak with the vendors and company reps.

And then drive back home on Thursday.

Hopefully the weather will allow for Jim to

join us! (He plans to drive up, but there is a

storm brewing between here and there...)

Anyhow.

I'll keep you posted on that as we get closer.

(Emily, my company contact, is at a trade show

until Friday, so I'm kind of in a holding pattern...)

The story of my life.

Kyle's House Update

 Kyle drove out to the farm yesterday.

He was glad to see his house still standing.

I love the way it looks with the siding all done.

It's the perfect color.

Remind you of anything?

Glad we don't currently have any cows.

Their water trough is a little frozen.

Ok, a LOT frozen!

Kyle said at least 4 inches thick...

I'm sure the "neighbors" aren't thrilled though.

We have a nice herd that hangs out in the area.

(obviously this was before the snow...)

A lot bigger than our little Florida deer.

They were like large dogs... 

Speaking of dogs... Luna really does love the snow.

We got a good amount of snow in our "hole".

He is really looking forward to moving out there.

It's so peaceful.

The water well driller (on vacation in Aruba this week...) 

plans to come out next week and take a look so we 

can get "on the schedule" and get him some water.

Now that he has electricity... that's the "next big thing".

Then we can finish the plumbing and get the insulation

and drywall in and then it's just paint, floors, and furniture!

(Ok, there are probably more steps, but whatever.)

Meanwhile, we are planning to take a trip down the hill

2 blocks to the little town grocery store.

Although we have a good pantry, we are running

low on perishables like milk and eggs.

Can't wait until we can just go out to the barn

for both of those!

Mr Snow Shovel

This morning Rod bundled up and headed out.

We got a good little bit of snow.

Hard to tell how many inches because of the wind.

There were some nice drifts...

but also you can see the grass.

It took him 2 pairs of gloves...

but he got it all done!

Thankful for the YakTrax (coil things

you strap to the bottoms of your boots

to give you a little grip on the ice...)

Those really helped since our driveway is

fairly sloped and there is still a good layer of ice

on EVERYTHING.

Including the branches on the trees...

It sure is beautiful though!

The town came through with 3 ploughs running together

and got all the streets cleared.

There has been a bit of slow, careful traffic

out this this morning.

It was ZERO when we woke up this morning

and has just hit 21 in the backyard.

The high for today is supposed to be mid-20's.

We'll see.

But the sun is shining and some of the ice

is even melting (on the sidewalks...)

Luna continues to be thrilled with the snow.

Beau ... less so.

Although he does still go outside.

And we don't have to DRAG him anymore.

He doesn't stay out long.

Long enough to do his business and check on

the chickens (and sometimes wander around

the yard a little looking things over...)

but then it's back to the safety and warmth of 

a chair in the living room.

Preferably Rod's since it's in the sunshine 

in the mornings.

(And he's a push-over and doesn't kick him out... lol.) 

(Kyle got the Trooper [4-wheel drive] running just now

and is going to brave the roads and check out his house...)

Fingers crossed!

The highway will be clear, but it is doubtful they

have done anything with the farm road...

Meanwhile, I'm working through the Taste of Home

list of 34 easy (beginner) soups.

Today's lunch is creamy chicken noodle.

I didn't have any cream of chicken soup,

so I used a can of cream of mushroom instead.

Hopefully its yummy.

The refried bean soup last night was TASTY!

WooHoo SNOW!

 It's still snowing.

Little, tiny flakes.

Real dry snow.

The kind that crunches under your boots.

Kyle has been staying on top of keeping the walks

and driveway shoveled.

It's a whopping 15.6 degrees outside.

But there is a little sun peaking out

between the clouds.

We might take a dog for a walk in a bit.

(Only Luna. She LOVES the snow! Beau has

to be dragged outside.... and then comes 

blasting back in like somebody shot him

out of a cannon!)

This morning we watched "Teaching With Power"

(a YouTube channel for seminary teachers

doing the Come Follow Me curriculum but we

enjoy it for personal study).

This afternoon we are watching a movie and

getting ready to make a pot of Refried Bean Soup.

Thankful for a well stocked pantry.

And a work-horse furnace.