Wood Pile

Whilst that Scholarly Son was home for the holidays, he Helped The Old Fuzz out on the wood pile.This is all that is left of those trees we cut the other day.
Young Daughter also helped out with this, and moved a bunch of it around to the wood pile on the other side of the trailer, where it's closer to the wood stove.
This cleared out the yard some in preparation for our Christmas guests.
They arrived before all the snow was gone, so I guess one could say we had a Kinda White Christmas.

Winter Home

Our Winter Home in the Woods.

A White Pre-Christmas

We have had a pretty good Christmas, but have been kinda busy.You may remember as The Fuzz and His Sweetie were bringing home their Christmas Tree, it was beginning to snow. Well, we actually got some, and in the morning The Fuzz got out with his camera and enjoyed himself here in the woods.Here's a look at where one of our trails crosses the creek.A look up the creek.Another foot bridge near the trailer.One of the cats getting a drink.
(This is only about 30ft from the door)Another look at the creek. This is actually where two of them join, but it's kinda hard to see in the pix.And lastly, a look out the "driveway" toward the "road".

And amazingly, there was still some of this around for Christmas Day.

Christmas Tree '09

We do insist on having a "real" Christmas Tree. We haven't quite sunk to the plastic level yet. But we did economize a little and got one from the Food Lion instead of the high-dollar Christmas-Tree-Guys. We had left it at the old house, in some water, until it was time to put it up.
The Fuzz used to be old school about this, and insist on waiting 'till Christmas Eve. But they finally wore him down, and it goes up a few days early.
The Fuzz and His Sweetie were headed out to the new place in the woods with it stuffed in the trunk, when the blizzard hit. Here you can see it waiting out in the snow while the higher priority firewood was being brought inside. It finally got it's turn, and then we went though the straightening up process as the ice melted off onto The Fuzz and the floor.
All the decorating would have to wait 'till the next day though.
The next day, after running around in the snow for a bit, The fuzz got around to stringing some lights on it. And then everyone got in on the job and hung the ornaments. We did downsize a bit this year, moving a smaller tree into a smaller place. And so we also did a bit of culling out the various decorations, for the tree and the rest of it too. But there is still plenty of stuff left.
And here's a look* at this year's Christmas Tree.




*As usual "click" on any pix for a better look!

Snow

We are happy to say that The Fuzz and His Sweetie made it home to the woods just before the worst of the snow hit. It started just as they left town and got heavier along the way. Right as they hit the dirt road in, it cut loose. First it was nice big flakes. Then the wind began to pick up as well. It was a "Dark and Stormy Night" as snoopy used to say.
By morning the snow and wind had stopped, and the sun was even trying to break though. The Fuzz couldn't resist and stomped around with his camera and boots for a bit. He promises he'll try and get some more pix up soon. But sorry, no time now.

An Afternoon's Work

We had been having a good bit of rain lately. But it finally stopped and it seemed like a good time to take care of some things outside. These 2 trees were a little too close to the trailer, and we were planning to set something smaller there. It didn't seem to be a real complicated affair, but The Fuzz does not like to take chances in situations like this. So he tied 100' of stout rope to the tree, and the other end to a come-along and another tree.
Here you can see him using this framing square in the notch* in an attempt to "aim" at the little box (x). He was taking these precautions in the hope of not dropping the thing on top of the trailer. It kinda looks like we got old Gandalf here to help out, but you can't believe everything you see.
Well, whoever that guy was, he got busy with the chainsaw and soon the tree was notched and ready to go down. Before the final cut, we took up some tension on the line, just to make sure things got started in the right direction. And then, down she goes.
I'm sorry to report that The Fuzz missed that target by a couple of feet. But since it also missed everything else, we can consider it a relative success.
This whole process was repeated with the 2nd tree with equal success.
Here you can see both trees together. You might notice the ground crew in the background.
All that remained now was cutting them up and cleaning up the mess.

And here's some of that firewood waiting to be split.

*A Kinda Fuzzy Techno-Tip!

One More Thing, Gone

Back at the old place we didn't have a lot of those modern conveniences like here. Our shower facilities were outdoors. This did limit their usefulness to relatively warm weather. For the rest of the year it was the old tin tub. The entrance to the shower can be seen on the right.
Well, there was not much use for this any more, and it seemed that the materials (tin & treated lumber) could be put to better use as roofing for a porch at the new place.
This outdoor shower was not without it's charm. Here you can see a bit of the interior with the bench for sitting, for what ever reason one might wish to sit. Many summer evenings The Fuzz and His Sweetie would shower there by candle light. It was one of life's little pleasures. But of course now it was time to move on.
And so, the other day, The Fuzz loaded up a few appropriate tools and headed over to the house bent on destruction. He hoped, by the use of hammers and pry bars, to dismantle it with a minimum of damage, and bring the lumber and tin out to the woods to be reused on the porch roof.Here is a look at things with the tin gone. Really, it went pretty well. And here is a look at everything loaded up for the trip to the woods.

Happy Hanukkah

The Fuzz sends Happy Hanukkah greetings to everyone.

Latest Flooring Project

It may seem that all The Fuzz does these days is chase kitty cats and write questionable poetry. But we want to assure you that when he is not stuffing himself with turkey and other yummy things, he is in fact, a hard hard worker.
This is a shot of the floor at the kitchen/washroom door. (This is our main entrance.) One reason we got this trailer so reasonably is that it needed a bit of work.
You will note at A & B the water damage to the floor. In fact this whole area is pretty bad. The 1/4" plywood (C) is all that keeps one from stepping though the floor when one steps in.
The Fuzz had been putting this off for a while, but it wasn't going to get any better.
He had dealt with a similar, less extensive, situation already, now it was time to face this one. 1st was the removal of the rotten plywood. This also involved trying to dig out what was under the walls with a chisel. Then he added some more support. (at red arrows) Next, he cut some new plywood to fit. It was a bit "snug", but The Fuzz and His Sweetie got it in place with the aid of a rather large hammer. And here below is a *shot of the finished floor.*Note- For a closer look at any of the pix, simply click on it.

New Cat Poetry Contributions

This fella, who totters on the edge of feline sanity, lives back at the old place. He and most of his direct blood kin are really on the edge. We realized that he wouldn't survive re-location with what little mind he has intact, so he remains back there. We make almost daily trips to town for work, schoolin' and what not, so he gets fed on a fairly regular basis.So whilst we are on the subject of our feline Friends, it seems appropriate to revive our popular Cat Poetry feature. This, especially, since some recent posts have inspired contributions from some of The Fuzz's many loyal readers.

And so, here we go.....

When I ponder beasts feline
I sometimes pause to write a line
And ofttimes strive the lines to rhyme

And though the day I maybe pause
And think about those deadly claws
That grace those little kitty paws

The end of many a bird has come
As kitty strives to fill the tum
And so I think this rhyme is done.

And from that Lazy Iguana ....

Orange cat on the bricks
Missing his dinner and snacks,
Happy now your home.

And......

Kitty sneaking through the woods,
Might even be some in your neighborhood.
They will take a squat,
In your flower pot;
And you will never even know they were there.

And from Woodie......

cats are sneaky.
cat are mean.
cats blend in
with any scene.

So folks, if you have any for us, feel free to contribute! And you can see some of the old stuff by clicking on the label "Cat Poetry Collection" below.

Exciting Kitty Cat Pix

Amazing how they blend in with their surroundings.

At The Tooth Dentist

Yes, it was an exciting day at the Tooth Dentist for The Fuzz. Here is an artist's rendition of him, bleeding in the dentist chair. It must be said that the artist was not actually present in the treatment room, so this rendition is somewhat a product of the imagination in the waiting room. But be assured, The Fuzz was not enjoying himself.
The tooth in question was successfully surgically removed, or as they say, "extracted". This was a rather traumatic experience for The Old Fuzz, but necessary under the circumstances, and he reports that he is feeling much better today.
And check back later for another exciting Kitty Cat Pix.

A Day of Dread

Foggy Morning

Thanksgiving morning started with a bit of fog.We were headed off to Thanksgiving Dinner later in the day at the home of the Local Daughter and that Culinary Son-in-Law. But in the meantime, there were a few things to take care of at home. The Fuzz's Sweetie was fixing up some dressing to go with the turkey, and some veggies for a salad.
When we arrived, we were greeted with these munchie nuggets.
There were lots of yummy sausage balls and what seems to be some sort of American Sushi.There didn't seem to be any of that seaweed or raw fish but they were tasty.
There was also a curious device with a red knob on top. When one mashed that little red knob, one was rewarded with a shot of mezcal (but no worm) in one of the little tiny glasses. This became a popular feature.
We could post a pix of the turkey here, but most folks already know what that looks like anyway, so just use your imagination.
We were joined by the in-law folks, and had a great dinner. It must be confessed that we ended up spending the night there, as it didn't seem wise to try and drive home at the time.
Well, that's it for our Thanksgiving Day with The Fuzz and all the rest. Tomorrow, it's the
Dentist!

So let's hope for the best.

Welcoming Committee

These guys are always glad to see us when we come home from a trip. It would be nice to think they missed us, but it's probably their dinner they missed.
Their Dining Room is on top of this stack of bricks to be safe from their Canine Competitors. That Long Little Doggy is excessively fond of Kittie Krunchies, and pretty good at getting to them.
We have a lot to be thankful for this year including our new home in the woods. Today, we plan to visit the Local Daughter and that Culinary Son-in-Law for a Thanksgiving feast. It should be great.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Rigged Up

Another Pre-Thanksgiving Pix.
From our visit to that Schoolteacher Daughter.

Super Boots

Encountered on our recent Pre-Thanksgiving trip.

Givin' Up

It has been said that "When you are beat, meet defeat". Well, that seems to be the situation here with The Fuzz and his little truck. This has gone on far too long. Indicators point to at least 2 possible causes for this frustrating case of equipment failure, And neither can be verified for certain. Both are expensive to replace. And both have been replaced in the past. Considering the age of the truck, and the improbability of success, The Fuzz refuses to continue this pointless pursuit. He confesses that he is not happy about this, but we have been managing to get by with out the sorry little thing anyway.
We have this little automobile, it is capable of pulling our little trailer, and as The Fuzz would say, "It don't use much gas". When it's not raining, The Fuzz rides the motorcycle in to work. If it is, we can all ride together in the car. And so, life goes on.
The Fuzz had toyed with the idea of pulling the engine, and replacing it with some simple, non-computerized sort of engine, like we used to have back in the days. But it seems that the legalities involved in this would send him to jail. He does not like jail. But we should look at all this as another oportunity to simplify, I suppose. And that can be a good thing.

And Another One

From the Renaissance Festival

Even More Renaissance Stuff

We promised a look at some of those Renaissance Characters running loose out there. You don't meet a fellow like this very often on the outside, but here you will.

This whole Renaissance Affair is a lot more fun if one dresses appropriately. If one were to dress like this on the street, one might get locked up, especially if armed. But here you can carry your broadsword all you want. This is the home of broadswords & beer. They do insist on tying a piece of ribbon around it, but so what.
This guy does seem to be a hit with the ladies though.

We did watch a couple of the acts. But for the most part, we didn't do much, but walk around and look. Even if you can't buy, you can get ideas on how to make your own cool stuff.

So here's one more of those Renaissance Characters for you.

More Renaissance Stuff

When we go to the Renaissance Festival, we always make a point of watching the birdies. And by the time we got to the birdies, The Fuzz had retrieved his camera from the trunk of the car.

The food in there is a bit pricey for a varlet like The Fuzz, so we usually slip off with our cooler into the woods for our own medieval meal. This time we remembered the camera. It's hard to get real close to these birds for a pix, and they don't always hold still. But here's a couple of pictures with that zoomed in effect. 1st, of course is this owl. Here's the lady upstairs with her falcon. He looks a little like a bug with his eyes covered like that. But she took that stuff off, and let him fly. If you look quick you might see him here.They had the falcon trying to snatch a lure being whirled around on a cord. I guess he finally got it, but The Fuzz couldn't get the pix. Next time we'll get a look at a couple of the strange characters running loose out there.

Morning Pix

A shot of the sunrise though the trees

Most of the leaves have fallen now, and the days are cooler. Today it's rainy again. On these cold, damp nights the fire feels good. Tomorrow is a day off work for The Fuzz in honor of Veteran's Day.

Flag pix courtesy of "Karen's Whismy"