Rudolph on Injured Reserve

About 24 years ago I received a Rudolph made of wood, finely crafted by my grandfather (my dad's dad).

Rudolph's left antler was accidentally broken (the same 24 years ago... sigh), but a friend helped me repair him with some glue.

His antler had held up great over the years until last Friday night. That happened to be the night Eli and Adam were here. Eli's presence and Rudolph's antler breaking off again... well, these two events are entirely related to one another.

Lew and I just tried to repair the antler once again, but it was beyond hope. So I got out some masking tape and a bandage.

I kind of like Rudolph's new look!

But for Santa's sake, I hope we don't have a foggy Christmas Eve.

 

Blessed: The Necklace

My friend Laura recently became an Origami Owl "designer", so I had to buy a necklace of course!

The charms represent that I am blessed with my family, my friends, the joy of music, the country I live in, my kitty-cats, my husband, and Jesus!

(In case you can't figure it out, the charms match the blessings like this: house, teacup, musical note, flag, paw, red heart, and Cross, respectively.)

When showing my necklace to Laura's 7-year-old daughter, I asked her to explain why I had certain charms. My favorite was her answer for the Cross: "Because you love Jesus." (I cherish this!)

I purchased three more charms that would not fit, so I guess I will have to get another locket at some point. :)

By the way, here is what the "back" of the above necklace looks like:

(I could have the "blessed" plate facing toward the front, but the charms would cover it up. I like being able to see the word.)

Life is a gift!

 

Things I Would Like to Blog About

I got together with two out of my three fellow Batgirls tonight, so I'm posting later than usual. If I were more awake and energetic, I would attempt to write about one of the following:

Batgirl gift from Anne-Marie. I can't say what it is yet because Krista couldn't make it tonight.

Phil Robertson. The only thing I will say about this for the moment is that I support Phil.

My Origami Owl necklace. I will write about this later. Need to include a picture!

Thoughts on Knights and Knaves. This refers to an interesting discussion Lew and I had recently. I need to be very alert to give this justice, as it's kind of "deep."

So there you have it. Four "teasers" about some upcoming posts on my blog. I do hope that you'll come back to read them!

Dad 180: Fuel for Thought

(I could get used to these short Derf posts. Enjoy! ~ Tracy)

Derf Here! From the snowbound Northeast. Just finished plowing the second major snowstorm (about 2 feet total) in the last three days. I'm sick of winter and it hasn't even officially started yet. I believe we are going to break the freezing barrier in the next couple days. The break will get our temperatures above freezing for the first time in about 10 days. PLEASE SPRING, COME SOON!

Forgot to mention in last week's post the gas prices I encountered on my Illinois trip. I saw one price for $2.98 per gallon. I paid as high as $3.69 on the New York thruway. In Indiana I filled my tank for $3.09. In Eureka I paid $3.15. My advice to you: Don't buy fuel in New York!

Must mention that grandson Josh is now enrolled in a driver education course. He is now on the road for several days a week. I'm sure he will follow in the family tradition of becoming a superior driver. It seems to filter down throughout the family.... I just hurt my arm patting myself on the back.

As a result of my arm injury, I will be forced to cut this post short. Sooo....

Until next time!

Toodle Pip!

Derf!

C.O.L.D.

I did some paperwork at the church building today. The area where I was working was around 55 degrees. I tried to turn the heat up, but I wasn't there long enough to notice any effect. However, I was there long enough to turn into a popsicle.

Then I had to go outside and get into my cold car.

I knew that I would have to turn the heat up a bit upon arriving home, but I was looking forward to the warmth I already knew was present.

Except it wasn't....

It was 58 degrees in my house!

It seems that the thermostat control got turned way down. And I will tell you this: A human being did not do it.

If this happens again, we will have to do something to keep the cats away from the thermostat.

In the meantime, they are both looking pretty innocent about the whole thing.

Hermitation: the Experiment Continues

Sun came out today.

But still cold.

Slept in.  (Why not?)

Stayed inside all day.

Did accomplish some things.

Must venture out tomorrow.

Don't want to.

Hermitation rules!

Smile.

Hermitation and Faucet: The Sequels

Today is a good experiment in hermitation. The timing of our snowstorm disrupted area church gatherings today. The snow is still coming down, although very lightly.

Lew is now installing the new faucet on my side of the vanity. Some photographic evidence follows.

Our new master plumber is on the case!

Jerry and Lew: Consulting.

Kurt: Couldn't care less.