A little Christmas Mischief

Posted on December 10, 2014December 10, 2014 by Dusty Roads

There hasn’t been much to report. The install for my over the range micro wave was supposed to be Monday but it got trumped by an emergency out of heat call. Can’t really argue with that. Keeping warm in the Massachusetts winter is a bit more important than whether I warm my dinner in a microwave or in the oven.

The little tree is up but with minimal decorations since they don’t stay on the tree for long anyway.

Oh Oh Caught in the act!

But let’s act nonchalant about it. A little paw lick should cover it up.

Ahh more decorations. This is getting more interesting.

I think I’ll just settle in here and watch the pretty lights.

To my surprise, Rocky hasn’t shown any interest in the tree. He’s just glad to be spending warm days under the sun (lamp)

Who needs a warm beach?

It’s a Little Tree

Posted on December 6, 2014December 6, 2014 by Dusty Roads

The hectic pace continues around here. I no sooner got the boxes emptied out from the kitchen than I started filling them back up again from the china cabinet in the dining area.

No point painting the kitchen and not the adjoining wall. My neighbor has said he will help me move the cabinet which is really a side board and hutch.

Unfortunately for my clutter tolerance I’m not stopping there. I ordered an armoire to put next to the hutch. I’ll ditch the old beat up book case. This will give me a place to hang coats and jackets instead of over the back of a chair. One side of the armoire has shelves so I can put the things from the old book case in there. It’s mostly photography stuff anyway, not too many books. Maybe that will keep them from being constantly knocked to the floor by Mr. Rocky.

I’m still waiting for my electrician who is having some issues of his own. So by extension my kitchen is at a standstill. He says maybe Monday??? Fingers Crossed.

On the upside my heavy winter gear came from Cabela’s and it fits. I think. It’s been a long time since I’ve worn a snow suit so it feels really bulky. I’ll have to get used to it I guess. At least I’ll be warm and it’s camo no less! I’ll be able to get out in the snow and maybe get some really decent pictures instead of hibernating all winter. The insulated boots didn’t come. They are out of stock for the winter. Maybe I can wear extra wool socks in my hiking boots.

With the delays and all the boxes I decided this was not the year to upgrade my Christmas Tree. I pulled the small tree out last night and will dig out the ornaments today. I hung my wreathe on my door so at least that’s done.

It looks like I have a bit of a problem. I usually put the tree on the hope chest but that’s one of Buddy’s favorite places to snooze. As soon as I started messing around there he claimed it.

Taunton, MA, The Christmas City, had it’s tree lighting today at 5 pm. Of course it was raining but they went forward with the festivities anyway. I love that this city always goes all out for the holidays. I won’t try to get there today but maybe tomorrow evening I can take a break and get some photos to show you.

Thanks Buddy. I can see tonight will be a long night!

Another Box Down

Posted on December 4, 2014December 4, 2014 by Dusty Roads

Believe it or not I’m still emptying boxes and sorting what to put where in the kitchen. I emptied another box today. Only 2 more to go. Whew!

The new over the range microwave came today. Now I have another big box in my living room. Rocky did the inspection.

I hope I can get my electrician to come out this weekend. I’m not sure what to do with the old microwave. I won’t throw away a perfectly good one. Maybe I can find someone who would like it.

I ordered some “wall art” today to go on the soffit area of the kitchen. It says “Many have eaten here…few have died. ” If I get sick of it I can peel it off and put something new up there.

In other news, my sister and I are booked for the River Walk to French Quarter Amtrak vacation. It’s booked for October 2015 so we qualified for an early booking discount. The discount was $300.00 so I used $140.00 of it to upgrade from coach to “roomette”. It’s not a bedroom but it has seats that convert to beds in case we want to nap. Plus all 3 meals on the train is included.

We’ll fly into San Antonio and then have the rest of that day to explore. The next 2 days is all San Antonio which includes a tour.

On day 4 we have to catch the train at 6:30 am! We won’t get into New Orleans until 10 PM. so no sight seeing then but there should be some great scenery as the train travels from Texas to Louisiana. Day 5 & 6 we’ll be in New Orleans and we fly home on Day 7. How much we can explore will depend on what flight we get out.

In a previous post I mentioned that I didn’t see any singles rates. Well I asked and was told there aren’t any. If you are single and want to go on the trip you pay double! I’ve heard of singles penalties but I thought paying double was a thing of the past. Guess I was wrong. Now I’m really glad my sister agreed to come along. I’ll have good company and a fun traveling companion and it saves me $$$.

Almost Done

Posted on December 3, 2014December 3, 2014 by Dusty Roads

I’m just waiting for the microwave range hood to arrive and get installed and the kitchen will be done. Well at least the parts that the contractors are doing. As soon as that’s installed I’ll post the pictures of the “finished product”. There are still some small sections that need to be painted but I’m going to take care of those myself. In my spare time.

Shush Mouse! I WILL get it done!

I keep thinking about a Christmas Tree. With all the kitchen work I still have boxes around and there’s so little time. For years I didn’t bother with one but for some reason I really want to put one up in the window this year. I don’t mean my little 3 ft tree, more like a 6 ft tree. Of course it will be artificial. I don’t want my cats trying to eat the needles on a real tree and I don’t want to spend all winter picking needles out of the carpet. So I guess I’ll be tree shopping this weekend.

I had to share this picture with you. My Bud-man looked so peaceful and cute stretched out on my bed. He takes it over for himself. I make the bed every morning but by night time it’s always messed up again as Buddy crawls under the covers throughout the day. At least I caught this one when he was on top of the covers and not just a lump.

Rocky has always been a drooler. I was told by my vet that it was a sign of how contented he was with me. A very wet compliment. But Buddy hasn’t ever shown any inclination to drool. He’s more likely to bite you but about 4 am yesterday morning I was awakened by something warm and wet near my ear. As I reached up to wipe it away I realized it wasn’t just near my ear, it was in my hair to the point that my head was quite wet. Who was the drooling culprit? Buddy! He was purring up a storm and snuggled as tight to my head as he could get.

Needless to say I washed my hair when I got up but I couldn’t help feeling that maybe this was a breakthrough. Buddy is a good kitty but he has his difficult moments and I’ve really been trying to build a bond. I hope the drooling was a good sign.

What about a Rail Vacation?

Posted on November 29, 2014November 29, 2014 by Dusty Roads

I’m just sitting here while the tile guy grouts the tiles. He has his radio on for music to work by. Good station. Music to sing along to 🙂 (Maggie May, City of New Orleans, etc. I never was any good with titles of songs)

The problem is I can’t get anything done with him in the kitchen. I can’t finish unpacking boxes so I can’t clean because the boxes are everywhere . The cats are enjoying them..the boxes that is.

I’d be embarrassed to take a nap so I am playing on the computer.

I have many , many errands to run but doesn’t look like he’s going to be done anytime soon. I guess I’ll be really busy tomorrow.

Having spare time online can be very expensive. I ordered some heavy winter clothes online. I hope they fit. I am justifying the purchase because I really need some warm outdoor clothes. I want to be warm if I go out looking for wildlife to photograph. A good example are the snowy owls of Duxbury Beach.

I’ve gone over there a couple of times only to be beat back by the cold wind off the ocean. Every winter the snowies migrate down from the Arctic. Some are just passing through but some stick around. The Snowies that detour to Logan Airport are trapped and released on Duxbury beach so usually it’s a good spot to find them. Most of my photographer friends have had success getting shots but I always let the cold get to me. Maybe now I’ll be able to stay warm long enough to get my shot.

Having just spent way too much money I moved on to other internet searches. When my AAA magazine arrived there was an article about Amtrak Vacations. Using the article as my guide I found the website and the brochure. Some of the trips sound like cruises on land! And they are priced accordingly still the idea intrigues me. Have any of you been on an Amtrak Vacation?

I found one that was pretty reasonably priced and had departure dates that would work with my schedule. Called “Riverwalk to the French Quarter”. 7 days for about $1200.00 per person. It starts in San Antonio where you tour the Alamo and get to visit the River walk. Then you board the train for the trip to New Orleans. So now I just have to be sure I have someone to share the trip with. I didn’t see any single rates.

We’ll see if my sister is willing to give it a try.