Good Trip!

 It was a good trip!

We got lots of questions answered,

and I think we have a plan moving forward.....

And,

we had a FUN visit together!

It was good to see Jim!

He and Kyle got to spend some time together.

I'm looking forward to Jim & Sabrina joining us

in the great midwest...

Just finished our first new YW Presidency meeting.

And now I need to get ready to start tonight's class.

Rod and Kyle are at the farm working on the house.

Beau is in his bed next to me,

snoring his head off...

So

All is right with the world.

Springfield, MISSOURI

 We had a good, relatively uneventful drive out here.

The new car is very comfy.

But either the people out here can't drive,

or they don't care for Ford Escapes.

THREE different drivers nearly took off our

bumper as they were passing.

Practically clipped it right off....

Sheesh.

But, we got here to the Angler's Lodge across from

the Bass Pro Shops. (Same as in November...)

And five minutes after we got here...

Not bad considering he drove for 18 hours and

we both arrived at nearly the same time!

We stopped at a rest area in Kansas...

never stopped here before.

They had cool buffalo heads on the wall...

I didn't get a great picture...

There was a guy standing right there and I didn't want him to

think I was taking a picture of him... lol.

Look where we turned!!!

Once we got here, we walked up the street to a 

burger joint called Braums.

And saw some of the locals...

This morning after breakfast in the hotel lobby,

we headed to the Vital Farms meeting.

It was good! They upgraded their presentation and

I felt like we got lots of answers to questions.

But it was COOOOOOLD in there!

Then it was back to the hotel so I could teach.

The guys went across the street to Bass Pro to check out

the gun museum and then back across the street to a pool/bar

and played a couple games of pool.

Now that I'm done teaching, we are going back to Braums 

for a milk shake and then it's bed, because

we all have to head home again in the morning.

So.......

it was quick, but FUN, and we got a lot accomplished.

NITE!

Glad I'm NOT in Florida Today...

 I got a text early this morning that woke me up...

The morning instructor teaches a live class in Tampa

and then gets up Monday morning and drives to her

house which is about an hour and 45 minutes away.

So she got up and headed out from her hotel,

and as soon as she got on the highway...

UGH!

She said it was raining, but there were three major

wrecks on the highway, involving life flight helicopters.

Her GPS said she would arrive at her destination at 10:00.

We visited while she parked and crept 3/4 of a mile in 35 minutes.

But I started her class for her.

She just finally arrived at her house and logged on.

And after all that, there is only ONE student.

(A returning student who attends both of our classes...

she has to log off at 10:45 for her 4 year annual checkup.

Her breast cancer is in remission!!!!)

So....

Anyhow.

That was a fun start to our days.

I've got a 1:00 appointment with our town hairdresser

(who is the Primary Chorister)

to get a haircut.

So maybe I'll hop on later with a picture.

Or not...

we'll see.

And then tomorrow, we are off to Springfield!!!

Happy Monday Y'all!

FRIDAY!!!

 It's FRIDAY!!!!!

And I'm teaching a double.

Beth is in Tampa teaching her live class,

so I taught this morning.

And while I was doing that,

Rod drove WEST to Colby for his

6-month eye check-up.

They got WAY more snow than we did!

So good thing he drove our new little All Wheel Drive Escape.

Pretty little thing, isn't it?

And it's a good, safe, reliable vehicle that we know

will get us where we need to go,

even when it's snowy.

YEA!!!

And now I'm going to go grab some Rhodes Rolls

and put them in a pan to rise so we can have

hot rolls and a big bowl of Nancy's corn chowder

for dinner tonight when I'm done with my night class.

Have a WONDERFUL weekend!

Today is the last of the COLD for a bit here...

so we will have a nice big bowl of soup.

YUM.

THREE INCHES

 We got a total of about 3 inches of snow over 

yesterday and last night.

Before

After.

We are back to a beautiful, white, winter wonderland.

And, it's COLD.

Tonight is predicted to be near record lows.

Should be about -12.

But our furnace is chugging along and we are toasty warm.

Of course, although we only got about 3",

with the wind, there are some good drifts!

My little car got about a foot of snow on top!

He about got buried!

Thankfully, Rod went out there and swept it all

off before the sun melted it into nasty ice.

And then Kyle shoveled the driveway.

While Rod shoveled the back walks.

So we are good again.

Just waiting for it to melt.

Which should start happening on Saturday.

Tomorrow the high is 13.

And then 24 on Friday.

But by Saturday we are in the high 40s and

then high 50's on Sunday and

66 on Monday and Tuesday!

Then we will drop back to a more normal

40-50 with nights above freezing.

So that's good.

But for now, it's pretty.

And Then There Were Two!

 While I've been teaching, I was crocheting

myself a blanket.

It's yummy warm!

It's more a dark salmon than the picture shows.

Anyhow.

It was fun, and warm, and gave me something

to do while teaching THE. SAME. THING. for

the 4th year in a row.

(BTW this month is my 25th anniversary teaching...)

So... I'm bored.

Hahaha.

Anyhow.

I've enjoyed crocheting while I teach.

And since my office gets a little chilly, it was also

nice to have something on my lap.

But then I was done.

And I still had yarn leftover.

So last night I finished a second square basket.

This one has the extra sheets, throw and pillow for the bed.

And there's room for MORE!

WHEEEEEEEE!

Meanwhile, this morning it's chilly.

-3.

And still snowing.

We didn't get a ton of snow.

There's just over an inch out there.

And it's that dry snow.

It's supposed to stop in another hour or two.

And maybe we'll go out and shovel.

Or not.

It's going to be 27 tomorrow.

And 61 by next week.

We might just let it melt.

(We'll clean off the front porch for the

mailman though...)

But check out the nature art though!

This is the back kitchen window.

This one is the top window above my kitchen sink.

And this is the living room window by Rod.

Aren't they beautiful???

I'm ordering something similar in vinyl and

putting it on the bathroom window.

Because our bathroom window faces the street.

And... hello neighbors!!!

It's creepy.

(We have blinds, but like to let the sunshine in...)

Anyhow.

Today is another "hunker down" day.

Maybe I'll make muffins.

I have a mix with berries in it.

I like to add freeze dried cranberries in it.

Or maybe I'll bake some chocolate chip cookies.

I haven't done that in FOREVER and I have a 

package of chocolate chips in my pantry...

Or maybe I'll read a book.

Or we can play checkers.

Or nap.

Aaaaaaah, winter. The possibilities!

Still Winter

 You can't see it,

but it is snowing.

Little tiny flakes.

It started while we were on our

way home from Hays.

I got to drive my new car!!!

We went into town to pick up a

trailer hitch off the old truck.

And then to WalMart to get a couple

black towels to put on the seats.

And then Home Depot.

Because that's what we do.

This time we were getting stuff for Kyle

to do his drywall tape and mud.

And then home.

While it snowed.

It's just barely starting to stick to the grass.

Kyle sent me a video of it at the farm.

It's snowing harder up there.

But I don't know how to upload it.

Anyhow.

They are saying 1-3 inches overnight.

We'll see what we actually get.

In the meantime,

its 13 degrees outside.

It was 27 earlier.

It's going to get colder.

The polar blast is heading our way.

The HIGH for Wednesday is 1.

Hahahahahahahahahaha!

And then next week it will be 68.

Yeah.

No wonder we all have a cold.

New and Kinda New

 Here is a better picture of our

new Ford Escape.

It's a pretty icy white/blue.

It rides really comfortably.

And I really enjoyed the heated seats!

And when we got to church,

I was released as the YW 1st Counselor

and called as the YW Secretary.

A job I am MUCH better suited for.

Our new President is the current 

Stake Primary President, but she has

been a YW president in the past.

She is the wife of our Stake Pres 1st C.

She called our previous 2nd C as her 1st C.

And her 2nd C was in the presidency jsut

before us.

(This calling is a revolving door!)

Anyhow.

I think it will be a good presidency.

And they are ok with me not attending any

of the youth activities (Wed night) or camp.

(I can't go all the way out of town and then have

to come right back to teach...)

I'm looking forward to being the support though.

So that's all the news that's fit to print/

Happy Valentines Day!

 Happy belated Valentines!

Yesterday I ended up teaching a double.

Beth is in Lake Tahoe and was having

trouble flying out.

So I covered her morning class.

And then taught the evening as well.

Meanwhile, Rod drove to Salina

(2 hours east) to pick up the septic

tank and pipes for Kyle's house.

And Kyle did more drywall.

His kitchen is coming together!

This morning we got up "early" (for us) and

headed into Hays to St. Joseph's Catholic School.

There we volunteered to put together 111 boxes

of groceries for the patrons who come by to

pick up food from their food pantry.

It was really fun!

(Cold though, it's in the basement and the

heat doesn't work well down there...)

And then we headed into town to WalMart,

but on the way we decided to stop at the

local Ford dealership to see what they had

on their lot.

And the next thing we knew, we had traded

the Ranger for a brand new 2025 Escape!

It is All Wheel Drive (important for our

dirt road to the farm), is a pretty

"Arctic White", kind of a silver/blue/white.

Has a very roomy backseat.

AND a TRUNK!!!!!

It was FREEZING cold  the wind was really

whipping and it felt like it was going

to take the skin right off your face!

So I took a picture from our table at Wendy's.

(We skipped breakfast this morning and 

by the time we did the food bank,

bought a new car, and did the grocery

shopping at WalMart, we were STARVED!)

Anyhow.

I'm happy with it.

It has all the things I wanted and nothing

that I didn't want.

Cloth seats instead of leather.

(I'm not a fan of leather seats... COLD

in the winter, and HOT in the summer.)

Blind spot, a really nice back-up camera,

and most important, 

the headrest doesn't bump my ponytail.

Hahahahaha.

So.

That's the news!

And tomorow, after church,

I'll have MORE news.

Quick Update

 Kyle sent me an updated picture

of how his bedroom is coming along...

He's nearly finished hanging the drywall!

He's going to put a faux beam across the ceiling.

And there will be a ceiling fan with lights hanging there.

His TV is going in the triangle above the window.

And here is a RARE picture of the man himself!!!

We are all so excited for him to get finished.

(There's still lots to do... but it's getting closer!)

Glad We Are Home

 We got about 2.5 to 3 inches of snow overnight.

It's beautiful. 

And there is almost no wind,

so even though its only 11 out there,

it's not THAT cold.

I bundled up in my pretty tweed wool coat,

my pretty colorful scarf,

a neck gator (lined with "fur")

and a hat.

Oh, and my lined boots and gloves.

I swept off the truck and did 2 passes 

down the driveway and the front porch.

Only my fingers were chilly from holding

the metal shovel.

(Why don't they make them with wood 

handles anymore???)

Anyhow,

it was chilly, but I was toasty warm.

And now all the sidewalks, driveway

and vehicles are cleaned off.

The snowploughs have been by

several times already.

And most of the neighbors are out

doing their snow removal too.

(or their kids are...)

So all is well here in our white world.

GOOD NEWS!

 Good news.....

the meeting in Springfield was rescheduled.

I got an email while I was teaching.

So as soon as I read it,

I called Jim, who was just getting

ready to call me to tell me he was all

packed up and heading out the door.

So, perfect timing.

We will be heading over there on the 26th instead.

And the 10 day forecast says it will be 55.

MUCH BETTER!!!

Especially since it is currently 

TWELVE degrees out there

and light snow is already falling.

Looks like a "hunker down" kind of day.

Getting Ready

Hey, welcome to WINTER!

Looks like we might get some snow,

tomorrow and Wednesday.

And then again on the weekend.

Unfortunately, we are supposed to be driving

to Springfield, MO tomorrow.

Looks like it will hold off until late Tuesday night.

And then be yucky on Wednesday.

But the hotel and meeting venue are within a few

miles of each other, so hopefully it will be ok.

And then it should be ok for traveling home on Thursday.

It looks like heavy rain on Tuesday for Jim coming

up from Florida... but hopefully the sleet will

hold off until he is already there.

It's an 18 hour drive.

I suggested he leave today and get most of

the driving done and get to Springfield earlier on Tues.

But I don't know what his schedule looks like

or if that's even an option.

But he'll make the wisest choice.

Anyhow.

We are looking forward to MOVING FORWARD and

getting this done!

Yesterday Kyle and I went to the property and

measured and marked where the barn needs to go.

Ignore the extra yellow star. (The one that says 99)

It's a HUGE chunk of the property, but most of it

is just fenced off pasture for the chickens.

The blue thing in the middle is the barn.

It's big.

But not as big as the entire thing.

And we still have about 90 acres left to use for

cattle, pigs, etc.

Anyhow.

It's down in the valley, which isn't ideal,

but it's the only place it will fit.

And I like that it's kind of "out of sight".

Not that anybody drives down our road...

but you know.

It just means Kyle will need to do quite a bit of

dirt work to fit it in there and not have 

rain run-off be a problem.

But if anybody can do it, he can!

However, its perfectly situated for the well!

(Just worked out that way...)

The well is the little white spot next to the "N"

next to the top right yellow star.

So the barn is on the existing "road" from the well.

So more dirt work for the barn, but almost no

dirt work for the road. And it's relatively close

to the existing power pole, so not tooooo much $

to bring power up to the well and barn.

So...

I just finished teaching the morning class.

Now I'm running to Hays to get food for Rod

for this week while he's alone.

And snacks for us on the road.

And then back to teach tonight's class.

Have a fun Monday!

New Basket

 I'm still having fun crocheting baskets.

This time I made a square one to

put my summer wardrobe in.

It was all piled up on the shelf in our closet,

and it was a mess...

So I made a basket!

I don't have a huge wardrobe...

shorts and t-shirts don't take up much room.

I'll need another one when I swap out and put

my winter stuff away. I have lots of sweatshirts.

And they take up a LOT of space.

But for now, I'm pleased!

Feeling Better...ish

 I've been taking oil of oregano

and drinking mullien tea.

Kyle got me a nifty little tea strainer thingie

that fits in my little pint mason jar.

It really helps with any chest congestion.

Yesterday it was COLD and windy.

So we all stayed in all day.

It was nice to have a relaxing day together.

This morning it was still chilly, but Rod headed

back out to Kyle's to work on wiring

and Kyle and I headed into Hays to get his

ceiling fans and light bulbs.

On our way, we stopped at the local greenhouse.

They didn't have any lemon balm plants,

(we started some seeds, but they won't be

ready for weeks and weeks...).

They had a nice little nursery of trees though.

Apparently it was much colder in Hays last night.

Everything is covered in frost.

Isn't it pretty?

We also did a group chat to try to pick a farm name.

What do you guys think?

We liked Happy Valley Farms

(we are located in Happy Township and our

property has a nice valley...  plus... Happy Valley! 

But there's already one in Kansas.)

So then we kind of all liked 

Happy Harvest Farms.

Jim was playing around with a logo generator.

We all liked this one...

Anyhow.

I gotta go start my zoom.

Sorry Guys, I'm Sick

 It's no biggie.

Just a cold.

But my nose is running CONSTANTLY.

And when it's not...

I'm sneezing.

Which makes doing...

well, anything, a real joy.

I'm going to have to buy stock in Kleenex.

And I heard this morning that zoom did an update

and it's full of bugs.

So I'm super looking forward to teaching tonight.

I'm heading back to the lazyboy for a nap.

Hope your Monday is going better!

I'll be better and back to blogging again soon.