Where Am I, Who Am I, What's Happening?

Ever have one of those periods when The List is just too long, the days are too short, you go, go, go all day but feel like you never get anything done?  Yep, me too.

I had this silly idea that once the holidays were over, my long, slow winter would begin.  Not happening.

We've been fortunate enough to have our dear daughter and her fella volunteer (okay, we're paying them extremely high wages -- haha) to help us on some projects that have been in the works forever, but have just not gotten done.

They assembled this temporary car port we purchased used years ago, but never got erected.  We needed a place for my new-to-me, little runabout car to live in this winter.  (It's in pristine condition and we decided not to subject it to the damaging salt on the roads during the winter months.)  Turns out putting this thing up was not an easy task.  I think they took it nearly completely apart at least twice to sew on reinforcing strips, put in grommets for tie-downs and in other ways secure it so the wind didn't tear it to shreds.  A simple, easy project it was not.

Daughter's fella is mechanically talented (among other things) and seems we've found several jobs to keep his hands constantly "greased up."  No doubt about it, things are getting done, big time.  But this wonderful help means we have to be on top of it enough to know which projects should be tackled first, second and third plus making sure we have the needed materials, repair parts, etc. on hand so progress flows smoothly.

My freezer stash of "convenience" foods is B.A.R.E.  Oh, I still have all the raw ingredients there or on pantry shelves but I get to feeling very uneasy when I don't have any prepared soups, stews, casseroles, cooked meats, breads, etc., etc. on hand with which to whip up a tasty meal with short notice.  I still haven't made my year's supply of applesauce.  Someone needs to get an experienced cook in here with about three day's worth of time to make hay while the suns shines.  (Or meat balls when it's snowing.)

Wouldn't ya know it, I've recently come across some new-to-me blogs that look just too good not to follow.  Thus far, they're still on my "wanna do" list as I haven't found the time to start reading them regularly.

I haven't managed to get to our organic foods co-op to shop in a couple of weeks.  They're running great after-the-holidays specials on many things I want to stock up on from organically raised turkeys to oats to laundry detergent.  (Dear daughter has for the past several years been making laundry detergent for both of us, but at the present since she's taken on a third -- or is it her fourth or fifth? -- part-time job [that would be helping us] she hasn't had a spare moment to whip up a batch.)

I've taken on a commissioned project (making a crocheted rug from heavy duty rug yarn) for our daughter.  She needs it by a week from this coming Sunday as a birthday present for a good friend.  I started the foundation row (the trickiest) and got two beginning rows done last night but, just before realizing how late it was and that I really should go to bed, did a measurement check and now will have to tear it out and start over as the way it is will be too, too wide.  Just goes to prove I shouldn't wield a crochet hook and try to count at the same time after 10 o'clock in the evening.

The view of the Fowl Compound as I

approached it this morning.

We got about 3-4" of new snow overnight.  We've yet to have a really big snowfall but I guess frequent smaller amounts do add up.

You can see we don't suffer from boredom around here even in the long, slow winter months.  (Say again when they start?)