First Snow

Today, January 12, snow covers the grass completely but not the driveway. It looks pretty but it won't last ........ this time. The birds gather around ths feeders; cardinals, chickadees, finches, nuthatches, tufted titmouse, bluejays and mourning doves pick up seeds dropped on the ground.

There are also flickers with their bright red heads.

Yesterday the visiting therapist had me outside walking on the gravel drive and a little in the yard. He said just the walk on gravel would be enough to make my knee sore and tender for the rest of the day and today. He was not kidding. I also was able to climb the entire flight of stairs to the upstairs and back down, however mostly using the good leg. Still, I am getting stronger and able to do more. It is now 4 weeks since my surgery. Although I haven't driven yet I hope to do that soon.

While outside, I got to inspect the new doors on the barn. I had them changed from rolling to swinging doors and the opening raised to accommodate the height of the RV, as that is where it will be parked at the times I am home. I am pleased with the work these guys did. No pictures, sorry, as I didn't think to take my camera outside.

I had my first "Knit Night" with two ladies coming to my house last Tuesday. I think it will be fun. We plan to meet one night a week for the winter. We each work on our own projects and just visit and have a good time. It was nice to have some company

Other than that not much is going on. Thats my up-date for now. I am trying to make my way around all your blogs and catch up on what is happening with all of you. Have a good week-end and if you are traveling please be safe.

Holidays and Rehab

Hoping you all had a wonderful Christmas! I have not been able to spend much time catching up on reading blogs. This pain med I am on either makes me so sleepy, or does not really control the pain well enough to concentrate for long. Just the way my body reacts to it. I am doing better but rehab is going to take a l-o-n-g time. Izzy is being very patient and careful around me, and comes to lay down with me when I need to use the leg exerciser for 2 hrs at a time. Could not ask for a more faithful companion! Back to the dr this Wed. to have staples removed and to see what he has to say about how I am doing.

My daughter posted to my painting blog the winners of the Christmas Give-Away. I ended up giving 3 away because, well, just because I felt like it :) I wish I could have done several more to give. Looking forward to the time when the aches and pain let up long enough to let me paint again. I could read, but I fall asleep from the meds. So I knit, and then make like a frog and "rip-it" out my mistakes from falling asleep knitting .....ah, such is life.

Meanwhile, I am thinking about having the "house" batteries removed from the rv and brought into the house until I am well enough to get back on the road. I read somewhere that a cold snap could ruin them, and I just replaced them when I was back in Pennsylvania last fall. Do any of you others do this if you will not be using your rv for the winter??

I'll be spending a quiet New Year's Eve. We used to get together at church with lots of friends, games, and good food, and wait for the New Year to begin. Haha, I will have a hard time staying awake past 9 pm this year! I will probably watch a good movie or two, and be knitting on another project. A new year is a chance for a fresh new beginning. I don't make resolutions but I do give thought and contemplate what changes I will try to implement in the coming year. Are some of you looking forward to changes, big or small? Maybe that will be the topic of my next post....

You all enjoy your celebrations, be careful, and if you do have something to drink, please don't drive.

Time for a Break

I think I am about done with my little bit of decorating. The tree is up , grapevine wreath and red ribbons and garland on the front porch, and a wreath in the carport. I think thats enough this year.

Mostly just lights, cinnamon stick bundles, clear little icicles. and a few ornaments. Those off-yellow looking things are my beeswax ornament I used to make. These angels are all I have left. Hmmmm, I'll have to remedy that next year.

I am keeping the bird-feeders filled and put out an extrs one yesterday, Now there are three seed feeders, a suet feeder and a niger seed feeder. The birds have been coming and going all day, but I have been to busy to try to take pictures. I put another painting on my other blog this morning, or was it yesterday??? I think I have time to do one more before dear daughter arrives tomorrow late afternoon, She will be here with me for my knee surgery, AND to take care of the

Christmas Give-away!

Don't forget to get entered ~here~

So I am taking 2 tylenol, find a movie, and sit n' knit.

You all have a great evening!

Art Guild Meeting and a Good-Looking Bichon!

Our art guild had their Christmas luncheon and meeting today, It was nice getting together and having some chat time with other artists . We ate at a resturaunt that served Mexican food. I enjoyed the Chimechunga meal. The secretary reported that the art auction we had last month was quite a success, inspite of the depressed economy. I will be displaying some of my paintings in the Gallery beginning in January.

I had made an appointment for Izzy at the groomers for this morning, so I dropped her off on the way to my meeting, and she was ready shortly after I returned. I was so pleased with the results!! Now this is what a Bichon is supposed to look like! It just takes alot of work to keep her looking that way. I do have to admit I have been lax in that department lately.

Here she is wanting to go out and play with her friend, Tabby cat. Doesn't she look beautiful??

They put a Christmas-y kerchief on her neck.


Now she wants to play!

She says, "Look Mom, they forgot to paint my toenails!"

I also made my way to the Hobby Lobby in the next town and picked up more little canvases for my Christmas-y paintings. They were having a 50% off sale on picture frames so I ended up also bringing 4 of those home for the paintings I will be displaying in the gallery next month; and yes, I went by the sock yarn isle. I just can't seem to keep from going through there............. and buying some. After all, its so handy to the art supplies isle........... and I no telling when I'll be able to get back down there, right??
Now I just need to give the furniture a good vaccuming, get some groceries in, and do more painting. Don't forget to check my Sunny's Studio blog to get in on the give-away!!

A Painting Challenge for Me and a Gift for One of YOU!

I started a new simple series of small paintings called "Christmas Scents, Scenes and Sounds" Don't know how many I'll get done before next Tuesday, but I am challenging myself. There are 2 posted now and hope to get several more added. Check it out if you have time and want to see them. I will be giving one away for Christmas.

The plan is to draw a name from all the comments posted o the Christmas paintings on my Sunny's Studio Blog, or (click on the painter girl on the side-bar) and if you comment more than once your name will go in as many times as you comment. The drawing will be on Dec 15th. My daughter will be here to do the drawing. She will notify the winner and you can send your address to my email. She will get it mailed out to you. This helps me as well as gifting someone, because it gives me a reason to paint.

So keep checking... this should be fun!

I had some Visitors Today..... and Oil n' Lube

Going out to check on the level of propane in the bulk tank of my house today, these turkeys caught my eye when I walked out onto the back deck. I quickly turned and went back inside for my camera. Some had their feathers fanned out ...

until I got close enough to get a good picture. They were on the other side of the ravine past the barn.

One of the toms was acting like he was trying to keep 2 hens from the rest of the group. I love seeing these big birds. Mostly they are in flocks of 12 - 25 and I have seen as many as 50. How do I know? Cuz I started counting them once and got as high as 25, and was only half way through before they ran off.

They quietly but quickly made their way to the middle field. I have wanted to go for one more 4-wheeler ride before having knee surgery, but the steady rain we have been getting has prevented me. I am just not into muddin'.

I followed the fence row around toward the propane tank and took a couple other pictures. This is where the creek runs only part of the year, actually mostly a run-off from the near neighbor's pond. You can see the white foam from the rapidly running water way down in the woods.

This photo is from directly down over the ravine on the west side of the house. I used to go down there, and hope to be able to do that again one day.

Now this is what I call "pretty" weeds, or "ornamental" grass. I'll use that in a painting some day.

Well, I am about ready to submit my self to the pain and torture. I think I have everything taken care of that needs be. Got the final done on the RV yesterday; that being an oil change and lube. At first they forgot to do the lube. The bill they handed me only stated oil change, so I asked them about it. They said they had forgotten because all newer vehicles now come with gease fittings all sealed and if a part goes bad it just gets replaced (well near as I can remember thats what they said ) So they took it back through again and didnt charge me anything more.

So, yes, I am about ready... oh, wait.....

Izzy is asking me if she needs a haircut first..... and a bath wouldn't hurt either....

Ya Think????

Just Checking In ... Winterizing the RV

....... so I know I will be here in KY till late February at least. I called our local RV place and they could not get my RV in to winterize it soon enough as they are backed up.

Soooo.... I made a call to another RV owner and got out my care manual, and started to dig through the info. Then a call to the previous owner, and they were as helpful as they could be, but had fogotten how they did some of the maintenance. I had to go over one small section at a time and then go out to the RV (it was cold and a light rain falling which made it not very pleasant outside) to see what it was talking about. Some of the diagrams were like puzzles, and I had to really study to see what it was talking about. To make a long story short I did finally get everything drained and the recommended RV antifreeze put in.

Next is getting it for an oil change and lube job, which I will not be doing myself. But I did do what I could and feel pretty good about that.

Now I am trying to finish up my ridding out project in the house, take some time to paint, and get my Christmas tree up before the ominous 13th! However, having these things out of the way, I will be free to put my concentration into working through KRS and the following therapy, which I have been told is a bear. I am determined I can do it! After all ...... I have a goal ahead of me . Getting back out in my RV with Izzy and back to painting form the scenes I see along the way!