Up Periscope!

Is it safe to come up for air?  After living through an unrelenting 11+ days of sub-zero weather, with a snow storm, record breaking wind chills and -20 mornings thrown in for good measure, today it is 31.  You can't make this stuff up.


Last Thursday, the 2-4" of snow they predicted measured at 12"+.  Friday, the winds started and our already-low temps dipped waaaay down.  Saturday - wash, rinse, repeat.  But with more wind and lower temps.  Sunday morning dawned at -20 and I had such a bad case of cabin fever, that I scrunched out, started the car (which made some very strange noises) and let it warm up for 15 minutes before braving the elements and meeting my Breakfast Club boys at the firehouse.  They have missed me because I bring the real deal maple syrup.


I was very concerned about the ducks making it through this relentless cold - I had to go out every two hours to bring them water, as their water froze in about 30 minutes.  I was planning to move them in with the chickens - and to hell with the mess - but they would have none of that.  So we slogged on and made it through.  And let's not talk about the inside of the chicken coop - The Alps of Frozen Chicken Poop.  Can't wait for the 50 degree weather this weekend.  You all know what I'll be doing...


The dogs levitated over the frozen deck and did their business in record time.  Even PB left his fleece coat on for more than an hour.  Lovey burrowed into the blankets on the sofa and didn't move.  All I saw were a wrinkled brow and worried eyes.  Me?  I planted myself under my wool lap rug, wearing my birthday Woolrich blanket wrap (LOVE it, Sylvie!) and knitted.  I finished my earwarmer, a pair of crunchy wool mittens, and one of my socks, all while binge-watching knitting podcasts.  It was a Knit-o-Rama Extravaganza.  The only other thing I did was make soup and put fifteen layers on and then took them off, several times a day.  It was grueling.  I also went through 15# of birdseed.

Some beautiful 'crunchy' yarn I won
at Theresa's giveaway.

Monkey socks

Of course the downside of that much knitting is that I ended up signing up for two KALs (knit alongs) - one is for knitting a pair of socks a month for a year, and the other is a surprise.  Because, of course, I will have TONS of free time to knit.  TONS.  That's what our winter 'break' is all about, right?

Hitting me with the Cute Eyes

ALL the bones are his!

I realized I didn't have any shots of Lovey (of course, you couldn't see much, under all those blankets) so I will have to be a better Dog Mom and give her equal billing.  The best thing to come out of all this forced confinement?  I took some nittily bits off my List.  CM/Smoke Detector installed.  Check!  Canning/Cat room closet cleaned out and reorganized.  Check!  Shoes and books polished.  Check!  Chain stops put on my drying rack.  Check!  -- Wait.  What?  Yes, that's right.  Coming in at just under five years, I finally finished assembling my drying rack.  That is a record, even for me.