If You're Not from the Prairie...

Things that went through my mind yesterday, on the prairie, mostly, and mostly on a 4-wheeler:
*Do I have everything I need?
*How do you drink coffee and drive a 4-wheeler?
*Shift!
*How should I chronicle this on my blog?
*Lines from the book, "If You're Not from the Prairie," by Bouchard
*How many people would be familiar with that children's book?
*What IS he doing?
*Daydreaming while driving a 4-wheeler next to a fence is probably a bad idea
*"Always an adventure!"
*"If you're not from the prairie, you don't know the wind."
*Bump!
*Find a stick, find a stick, why didn't I pick up that stick 1/2 mile back?
*You want me to do what?
* Did he forget "my" 4-wheeler isn't an automatic like his?
*How do you put this thing in reverse?
*How Do You Get this thing OUT of Reverse!!
*Don't go there, you can't reverse!
*How many miles are we going to cover? (37, as it turned out!)
*Um, going up that incline at that angle was not the best choice.
*I'm glad the 4-wheeler didn't tip over on me!
*Does he really think I'm going to follow him up that hill?
*Do I really have to drive back down this hill?
*Dear God, please keep us safe, guide my hands and my mind.
*How does a coyote get mange?
*Oh great, I'm stuck!
*What does the SAHM life mean?
*Does Mary know?
* Could it be Super Aunt, Human Missile?
*Bump!
*Or maybe Super Android Humanistic Mom?
*Maybe it's backwards for Mothers Having a Syndrome.
*It's getting dark!
*Seriously, that 4-wheeler is out of gas?
*This isn't as bad as I anticipated, being pulled on a 4-wheeler by a 4-wheeler.
*What a beautiful sunset!
*It's getting dark, and cold.
*Where is the pickup?
*Brrr Bump!
*Could it be Senile And Happy Memories?
*Thank God, there's the pickup.
*What an enjoyable day.
*Except the wind.

What a great weekend! There was a lot accomplished (not the curtains), including laying around watching t.v. I'm all rejuvenated and ready for another week. Okay, so it's a short week, but jam-packed with activity at school. Since we missed school Friday, I will be rearranging lesson plans, although they should fit nicely into today! Anyway, how will you be spending Turkey Day? I've got a fairly decent recipe for leftover turkey if anyone wants it! Maybe I'll post it later this week.
Happy Monday, Happy Week, Happy Thanksgiving!
Tip of the week: Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy, and good with ketchup!

Staining shelves

Well, I went straight to work here at home. I stained one side of the shelves for our library, ate lunch while eating television, and stained the second side of the shelves. I've almost finished the laundry, and when Anne and I get finished visiting, "Hi, Anne!" will go clean the church and drop off dry cleaning. Here's part of my accomplishments:

Snow Day!

So, this morning, I took off from my driveway, down the street, and thought to myself, "Self, wouldn't it be nice to have a pickup for days like today?"

"Yes, it would." I answered myself.

And, indeed, it would. I made it over the hill out of town, pushing snow as I went, when I decided maybe I needed a plan B. So I called our school chairperson. We decided that we would wait about an hour, then I, the guinea pig, would try the roads again. So I did. I made it further the second time, but decided driving 25-30 mph was getting me somewhere very slowly, hopefully not the ditch. I pulled over when I decided I had had enough slipping and sliding, and called said board member, and we called it a snow day.

So now, what to do with a day off? Go cross country skiing? No, getting them out of the attic alone could prove as dangerous as driving to school. That will have to wait. Sit around in sweats catching up on NCIS and Jon and Kate plus 8? Good choice. Catch up on projects? I could attempt to sew those curtains, although I am by no means a seamstress, and the shelves need to be sanded and stained. Hmm. Clean house? Yuck, but somebody's got to do it, sometime. Well, time will tell. Not sure I'm ready to settle into a day of vegging in front of the t.v., but cleaning house doesn't sound that great, either. Projects, here I come! And maybe a little laundry.

Pansies and Johnnies

Can you believe it's the middle of November? Today, as I write this, we have had flurries off and on, and winter seems to be setting in (again). Will it last this time? Time will tell, I guess. On Friday, before book club, I ran out to my flower bed, and took a few snapshots of my still beautiful flowers. It's a bit shocking to me that in November, I still have actual blooms in my garden. Is it the weather, or have I truly created my own microclimate in the rock-encircled corner? Maybe a combination of both, but I'm so proud of these little faces, that I just had to share!

Threadbare Gypsy Soul

Well, here's an ode to Pat Green. Follow along if you can!
"Got myself a threadbare gypsy soul, likes to dance and drink and go wherever the wind blows..." You see, I'm itching to get away, and looking forward to a weekend away in December, even though it will involve wading through the Christmas shopping crowds. However, that's about 3 weeks away, and "I ain't goin nowhere, mama." until then. I used to have a rockin horse too, but mine would gallop to Hardee's for lunch, not Galleywinter. "If I am truly crazy, don't you know I like my life that way, if I'm really going crazy, won't you hop on board? I could use some company! Meanwhile, "the grass ain't always greener on the other side...count your blessings come as they may." So, until December, I won't "put the cart before the horse, unless he knows how to push it, of course."
Believe you me, though, I may not be able to jump the gun, but I will "jump in with both feet," come that weekend.
I will count my blessings, come as they may, since everything I said was the gosh-darn truth. "It ain't what you said, just how you said it," and I think I've taken this far enough!

No moments to spare...

But a quick post, if you stayed tuned! Winter is here. No major snow accumulation here, but it's cold! Like I said, no moments to spare, so this is super-short!

Here comes winter!

Lewistown residents are claiming they received several inches of snow after an inch of rain. Here, the clouds are settling in and hanging down. The wind has picked up. It's 36 degrees outside. There's an 80% chance of precipitation. The students are getting restless. All signs point to us getting winter weather. Stay tuned...

Turkey Shoot

On Sunday we went to the local "Turkey shoot." No, you do not shoot at turkeys, you shoot for turkeys! You see, when you win a round of the target shooting, you get a ticket for a turkey. It was a beautiful day; very little wind, no snow or rain or combination of the three, just beautiful. So that leaves some of us saying, "How much turkey, turkey soup, turkey whatever can we eat this winter?" I'm thinking I sent out the book club menu too soon! Don't worry, we'll make sure it doesn't go to waste. I hope to include pictures on the blog, so bare with me!

Just a moment

Well, our school Halloween party was loads of fun. We got together with 3 other rural schools, and I almost think the kids would be delighted to simply play with the other kids, but we threw in some games. We had an egg and spoon race on scooters, which didn't work out very logistically; I think the teachers should have eaten some sugar before we started. There was a candy corn toss; I personally believe throwing candy corn at a bucket outside is much better than eating it. We had a cake walk, skeleton scramble, and breaking of the pinata. Time went too quickly, and it was time to clean up after the potluck.
I figure we had nearly 50 trick-or-treaters last night. Most of the kids forgot the words! You know, "Trick-or-Treat!" At least they remembered "Thank you." Overall, it was a pleasant day, one of the warmest Halloween's I can remember.