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So it is officially winter here. We have the gentle buzz of snowmobiles out on the river.\u00a0 The last week has been very cold and the river finally froze over solid enough for the steady stream of machines to be buzzing up and down that temporary highway.We went out to dinner this evening and then headed over to Crystal Lake to pick up more coffee.\u00a0 As we went over the bridge, we could see a parking lot of snowmobiles around Keefe\u2019s Reef.\u00a0 This is one of the many bars and restaurants that can you reach by boat or snowmobile all along the river.\u00a0 Coming back over the bridge, I noticed that the parking lot was empty, except for a few cars and trucks.<\/p>\n
I put Sascha about 8:00 this evening.\u00a0 The neighbors behind us had a fire going and were huddled around the flames.\u00a0 I could hear that unmistakable buzz of power machines over toward the river.\u00a0 There was lots of screaming, yelling, and laughter from that direction as well.\u00a0 That means a noisy evening well into the early morning hours.<\/p>\n
The only good thing is that the dam is just above us.\u00a0 That means the snowmobilers can only go down from here to get to the bars.\u00a0 I don\u2019t believe I heard of man and machine going or down the dam itself.\u00a0 But there could be a first time.<\/p>\n
We haven\u2019t had that much snow this year.\u00a0 I think we still 10 inches behind our normal for moisture.\u00a0 It\u2019s supposed to snow, drizzle, and frizzle on Sunday.\u00a0 Then it\u2019s going to warm up to the 50s by Tuesday.\u00a0 What crazy weather.\u00a0 I looked out on Saturday and saw that my patio gnome has quite a bit of snow on top of him.\u00a0 He looked frozen and cute all at the same time.<\/p>\n
Rich took Sascha out scootering this afternoon.\u00a0 The weather was perfect for a run.\u00a0 The temp was 24 and the humidity was 75%.\u00a0 They were gone for so long that I was afraid Sascha had managed to throw Rich from the scooter and was dragging it off to the great white north.\u00a0 I guess I mean Moraine State Park next to the neighborhood.\u00a0 I figure that\u2019s where the coyotes and any real wolves would be.\u00a0 We believe there is at least a couple over there.\u00a0 We\u2019ve seen some that are larger than coyotes with beautiful coats.<\/p>\n
They eventually returned to the house.\u00a0 Sascha was at a slow trot, but I think that was a smile I saw on her face.\u00a0 She just loves to run.<\/p>\n
Next Saturday, Free Spirit Siberian Husky Rescue is doing their annual chili dinner and dog sled demos in Harvard, which is north of here.\u00a0 I took her last year and she was able to harness up to a sled as one of the lead dogs and help a team pull.\u00a0 She was so happy and really looked in her element.\u00a0 I plan to take her back and let them hook her into a team again.\u00a0 I don\u2019t think she has forgotten her time on the dog sled team while she was with the rescue.\u00a0\u00a0 Pictures to follow.<\/p>\n
The guys continue to work on the insulation in the new garage.\u00a0 It\u2019s going slowly, but pretty well.\u00a0 Rick is working on it around his schedule at school and the extreme cold.\u00a0 Rich is planning to take off work on Monday to help out.\u00a0 It\u2019s supposed to be in the 40s.\u00a0 This will be one more day he can burn before he loses any more vacation time.<\/p>\n
With some luck, the insulation will get done soon.\u00a0 Rich has decided to hire out the dry wall job.\u00a0 It would go a lot faster.\u00a0 Because of the 10 foot ceiling, it would be better if a professional did this part.\u00a0 I think Rich is hoping to get the electrical in by this spring.\u00a0 One more step toward having the garage ready for some real work.<\/p>\n
I usually have my vacation plans for the year made by the first of January.\u00a0 I was running a little bit later this year.\u00a0 I got most of the plans finalized by the second week of January.\u00a0 We plan to attend the Chicago Blues Fest in June.\u00a0 I made hotel arrangements and we are staying downtown for the entire festival.\u00a0 This will allow us to go to Grant Park during the day and wonder around town to find more blues in the evening.\u00a0 We have some places that we always want to go and this will be a primary opportunity to finally do it.<\/p>\n
In July, it looks like we\u2019ll be heading to San Antonio, TX for a reunion of Rich\u2019s Air Force group.\u00a0 This will be a first time meeting, so it is a small event.\u00a0 It might grow, but it is only dinner right now.\u00a0 Rich is very excited.\u00a0 I\u2019m hoping this grows into a full reunion later on as the years go.\u00a0 I assume we\u2019ll be stepping up to help with planning and execution.\u00a0 We\u2019ll be seeing Rose while we are in town.\u00a0 Who knows, we might even see if they will let us hang out there.<\/p>\n
In September, I\u2019ve rented a cabin in the Gatlinburg area.\u00a0 We plan to go driving through the Smoky Mountains and do some hiking.\u00a0 We\u2019d like to put our feet on some part of the Appalachian Trail.\u00a0 We used to go camping at Pigeon Forge when I was a kid, so I\u2019ve been in the park several times already.\u00a0 I have some places I would like to go back and visit again.\u00a0 The last time I was there in the 1980s, it was crazy.\u00a0 I\u2019m hoping we can avoid most of that.\u00a0 We also have some friends in the area and plan to catch up with them for dinner one night.<\/p>\n
The cabin I found has a view of the mountains.\u00a0 I\u2019m hoping it is on the sunset side, but I think it is the sunrise side from the pictures I saw.\u00a0 There is a hot tub on the porch, big screen TV, and lots of windows all around.\u00a0 I really had to look around to a cabin that fit everything I wanted.\u00a0 Now if it just isn\u2019t in the thick of things in Gatlinburg.\u00a0 Picture to follow in September.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, I decided to finally wear that leftover kilt hanging in the back of the closet.\u00a0 Rick gave up the Stuart tartan that he had started out with.\u00a0 I had gotten him a Campbell tartan a couple of years ago.\u00a0 I figured since he really enjoyed wearing a kilt, he should at least wear one that represented the Scottish side of his family.\u00a0 My mom\u2019s family is Ervin.\u00a0 They are part of the Irwin clan for Southwest Scotland.\u00a0 The area is subject to the Campbell clan.\u00a0 There is an Irwin tartan from the 1800s, but the Campbell tartan has more history and is less expensive to buy.<\/p>\n
I was really surprised at how comfortable the kilt was to wear.\u00a0 It stayed in place and fit very nicely.\u00a0 I really enjoyed wearing it.\u00a0 A few people were brave enough to ask about it and if it was significant.\u00a0 I know, I was showing off when I could explain the tartan and what it meant.\u00a0 It was fun.\u00a0 Wonder why I didn\u2019t do it sooner?<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, the new stove was delivered.\u00a0 Hurray!\u00a0 The delivery guys were very quick and efficient.\u00a0 They had the old one out and the new one and ready to go in 15 minutes.\u00a0 I was impressed.\u00a0 That night, I cooked dinner on it.\u00a0 Wow!\u00a0 Was the old stove that bad or is the new one that good?\u00a0 Dinner cooked in no time at all.\u00a0 Cooking is really about planning and getting things done at the same time.\u00a0 The new stove cooks so much faster and better.\u00a0 I almost couldn\u2019t keep up!<\/p>\n
On Saturday, I baked cookies in the convection oven.\u00a0 I had heard that it was so much easier to do.\u00a0 And it was.\u00a0 They baked so evenly and were just the right amount of brown on the top and bottom.\u00a0 Now I want to back more cookies!\u00a0 I did peanut butter, because this is Rich\u2019s favorite.\u00a0 On Sunday, I plan to bake white chocolate Macadamine cookies for Rick and me.\u00a0 Can\u2019t wait.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s Sunday already.\u00a0 I\u2019m not ready to start thinking about work again.\u00a0 However, Indiana was playing basketball today.\u00a0 I was a little afraid to watch.\u00a0 Louisville fell to Georgetown yesterday.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t know if I could take the heartache of a loss.\u00a0 They did manage to win, but they definitely don\u2019t look like a team that could win March Madness.\u00a0 I\u2019m watching the various games to get a feel for who has the best potential.\u00a0 March will be here before you know it.<\/p>\n
Today, Rich cooked a pork roast in the new oven.\u00a0 We\u2019ve quickly discovered that we are going to have to plan around things getting done much faster.\u00a0 The roast came out to perfection!\u00a0 Hard to believe that convection would make such a difference.\u00a0 Now what else can I find to cook in their as a test? That would mean we need to eat it though.\u00a0 Oh well, the hardships that we have to suffer in life.<\/p>\n
Rick worked out in the garage today.\u00a0 He was able to complete the ceiling.\u00a0 That was the hard one because of the angles and reaching over your head.\u00a0 Tomorrow, Rich and Rick will start on the walls.\u00a0 Maybe they can get done in the next couple of weeks.\u00a0 There\u2019s a lot of area to cover on just the walls.<\/p>\n
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