Happy Yule! Winter Solstice

Welcome to the first day of the historical "New Year",

also known as...

The Winter Solstice

Flickr : new year, pagan, winter solstice, yule

My Tetris score

This is the highest level I've made it to in a long time :) http://www.freetetris.org/

Flickr : freetetris dot org, high score, highscore, online, tetris

Good Monday

Had a decent day. Got some Presents purchased, so we're all ready for the big day of Yule to open them. Plus we'll be have goodies such as cookies that day as well. Got the trash burned outside, couple loads of laundry washed, dried, and put away. Hung a fan above the break room door. Also took the full bag of aluminum to the shed and out put a new one in the barrel. That was our day. Now just waiting for the Monday night television line-up to come on (Two and a Half Men) and hoping I can get a free video and audio stream on-line of the last Monday Night Football game of the season. Almost forgot... got the Holiday Cards written and signed for family and friends to go out tomorrow! Woot!

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Flickr : Christmas Presents, Holiday Cards, MNF, Monday, Monday Night Football, Two and a Half Men, Yule, chores, laundry, trash burning

Hinder - Bliss (I Don't Wanna Know)

This is the first I've heard of them, really good! :-)

Raven pictures

Got far off pictures of them in the trees out back, so today when they were in the front yard I took the below pictures. About 15 seconds after I took the last picture they all flew away. Click 2 enlarge. = = = = = =

Flickr : front yard, raven, ravens

Festivized Buckethead pics

Got some prettier duct tape for Annebelle's bucket so she looks more festive. Plus we shortened the bucket by about an inch so that eating, drinking, and playing fetch is easier.

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Flickr : bucket, buckethead, canine, dog, photo, photography, picture, pup, puppy

Bucket-headed dog n stuff

This is Annabelle with her medicinal bucket over her head. See, when we got her about a month ago, she had been spayed just a day or two before we found her at the shelter. We've been hoping the scar on her tummy would heal by itself by now. It must really itch, because even after putting ointment on it daily and nightly, it hasn't because she licks it off almost immediately. Last night we decided that if it's ever going to heal then she needs to stop licking it, so I made the bucket in the picture for her to wear until the scar heals. She doesn't really like being a bucket head, but has adapted pretty well just since last night.

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Yesterday we got 4 of the last 5 windows sealed with clear plastic to help keep the winter air from coming in so easily. The last window is actually 2 that are side-by-side in the plant/break room on the north side of the house. We'll be putting thick/clear shower curtain plastic over those within the next day or two. Also yesterday, I put a foam-backed curtain over the bathroom window where the sun shines directly in either blinding you or trying to cook you when you're on the potty during the day. Today I put up another curtain, this time over the plant/break room metal door. Used Velcro and staples to hold it in place so that we can easily let the dog in and out. Speaking of Velcro, if we're here next year, I'm going to use it to put the heavy, clear shower curtains/winter plastic over the windows so that when winter is over we can just pull the curtains off. Then it'll be quicker and easier to winterize the windows.

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Flickr : annabelle, buckethead, canine, clear plastic, curtains, dog, shower, winterizing

Gamer fixes online game

I knew my gamer, who plays mostly online games these days was smart. He plays the Nintendo-type games online. Anyway, yesterday he was playing one and said, "There was a terrible 'lag' in the game, so I fixed it and now it's normal speed". Don't know what that means exactly, but we were impressed that he even knew how to fix an online game to play better on the PC. *proud smile* P.S. He turned 14 this year :-)

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House of Christmas Lights Complete

Okay, I am now out of lights for outside the house. This is our Holiday House Completed :)

Sorry for the blurriness, I don't know what's up with that :-(

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Flickr : 2009, Christmas, MO, Missouri, Yule, holiday, lights

Lights added 2 windows to go

Two more windows to go

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Flickr : Christmas, Yule, lights, windows, xmas

Christmas Lights

We've been here 9 years, and this is the *first* year we've put lights on the house at this time of year. How sad is that?
Anyway, no more hum bugginess for us! If we can afford it I'd like to add more.

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Flickr : Christmas lights, Yule

Sunset pics of Dec 4 2009

Took these on the way home last night. Click em to biggen :-)

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Flickr : 2009, december 4, sunset picrures

Ex Chicken tractor, yard mown, new compost bin

As I told you a couple of days ago, prior to building the raised bed for Rain, I had to get a couple of Two by Fours off the ex chicken tractor. The below picture is what it now looks like completely demolished. May or may not find uses for the scrap Two by Fours, but what I don't re-use will either be burned or just tossed in the "brush" pile.

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This is just another angle of what's above :)

(clicking enlarges)

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This is one of the reason I took the chicken tractor apart today, besides giving the front and back yard the last mow of the season :)

(2 enlarge - just click it!)

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A while back I said I was going to build a compost bin. The below pics are of it and of course a cat :)

(click to enlarge a little bit)

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Flickr : bin, chicken, compost, cut, mow, tractor, yard

UPDATE: Re: Rural Centurytel/Centurylink DSL

* Just wanted to let everyone know that it *wasn't* a change in service. Rather some number at the connection box settings got changed. He put it back to the correct number and we are now about 1.2 Mbps like we were. Thanks for caring. LOL

The phone/internet repairman came to see why our DSL was slower than what we're paying for (1.5 Mbps) and said that the phone company may have done an audit and decided we're too far out for 1.5 Mbps so they changed the settings down. Huh? I told him several times that we've BEEN getting close to 1.5 for over 2 years. That it only slowed down the last week or so. Also told him that the Centurytel/link phone tech said we were set for 1.5 and should be getting a minimum of 1.1. I just don't understand why Centurylink/Centurytel would suddenly determine that we're "too far out". Makes no sense to me :-( Plus it would just be wrong to charge us for 1.5 but only set us up for 512 Kbps, don't you think?

Flickr : buffalo, centurylink, centurytel, dsl, fixed, high, high-speed, long lanea, missouri, mo, phone support, repairman, rural, speed, tech, technicianm highspeed, thank you

Rural Centurytel/Centurylink DSL

The phone/internet repairman came to see why our DSL was slower than what we're paying for (1.5 Mbps) and said that the phone company may have done an audit and decided we're too far out for 1.5 Mbps so they changed the settings down. Huh? I told him several times that we've BEEN getting close to 1.5 for over 2 years. That it only slowed down the last week or so. Also told him that the Centurytel/link phone tech said we were set for 1.5 and should be getting a minimum of 1.1. I just don't understand why Centurylink/Centurytel would suddenly determine that we're "too far out". Makes no sense to me :-( Plus it would just be wrong to charge us for 1.5 but only set us up for 512 Kbps, don't you think?

Flickr : buffalo, centurylink, centurytel, dsl, high, high-speed, long lanea, missouri, mo, phone support, repairman, rural, speed, tech, technicianm highspeed

(updated) DIY raised bed frame

Got yet another busy day under my belt. Well, suspenders. *grin* No, I'm not wearing suspenders just because we live out in the boonies on a homestead. Just get tired of a belt sometimes. Although it took me two days, off and on, the bed frame to raise the bed by 18 inches is complete. Most of that time was having to take 2 by 4s off the ex chicken tractor. It's been vacant for a couple of years now, so I figured that the 2 by fours should have some purpose. This whole "make the bed higher" idea of how to do it came to me one day this week when I was looking out the window and seen the big round pole in the yard that got partially knocked over by our hay baler guy when he backed his baler into it. That was just one of the two in the front yard, so I cut each of them into 3 18 inch tall round things, connected them in a square with 2 by fours and screws, and put the bed frame, box spring, and mattress on it. Voila! A raised bed like Rain has wanted, like, forever! Going to be weird getting in and out of bed now that when sitting on said bed our feet don't reach the floor. She really would've liked it even taller so that you needed a few steps to get up to it, but our bedroom just isn't big enough. Ah well, it's going to be different anyway. *smile*

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Plus I got the CenturyLink people called. They're going to send a DSL repairman out on Monday to make it so our connection speed is closer to 1.5 mbps, as opposed to 608 kbps or less that it's been for a few days now :-(

Flickr : 2 X 4, DIY, bed, do it yourself, frame, two by fours

DIY raised bed frame

Got yet another busy day under my belt. Well, suspenders. *grin* No, I'm not wearing suspenders just because we live out in the boonies on a homestead. Just get tired of a belt sometimes. Although it took me two days, off and on, the bed frame to raise the bed by 18 inches is complete. Most of that time was having to take 2 by 4s off the ex chicken tractor. It's been vacant for a couple of years now, so I figured that the 2 by fours should have some purpose. This whole "make the bed higher" idea of how to do it came to me one day this week when I was looking out the window and seen the big round pole in the yard that got partially knocked over by our hay bailer when I backed his bailer into it. That was just one of the two in the front yard, so I cut each of them into 3 18 inch tall round things, connected them in a square with 2 by fours and screws, and put the bed frame, box spring, and mattress on it. Voila! A raised bed like Rain has wanted, like, forever! Going to be weird getting in and out of bed now that when sitting on said bed our feet don't reach the floor. She really would've liked it even taller so that you needed a few steps to get up to it, but our bedroom just isn't big enough. Ah well, it's going to be different anyway. *smile*

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Plus I got the CenturyLink people called. They're going to send a DSL repairman out on Monday to make it so our connection speed is 1.5 mbps, as opposed to 608 kbps that it's been for a few days now :-(

Flickr : 2 X 4, DIY, bed, do it yourself, frame, two by fours

My latest projects pics, Long Lane

I took these pics on the way to Lebanon.

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When we were headed out but still close to home, I saw a "hole" in the clouds. This is my attempt to capture it.

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This is State Hwy FF after we leave "our" road

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This is the town we technically live in, we're just 5 miles away from it. Don't blink!

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Just put this up yesterday to keep the puppy away from the cat's litter boxes.

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The other side of the litter box room gate. Had to use two pieces of scrap wood, combine them so the gate would be wide enough.

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This is the outside yard gate. Took me a week to get it all set up because I was trying to put a doorknob setup where that leash is attached in the middle. Didn't workout for me.

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This is the doorknob system I tried unsuccessfully to install

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There ya go. Kept me busy and out of trouble :-)

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Flickr : DIY, Lebanon, Long Lane, MO, Missouri, clouds, gates, homade, photos, pictures, sky, yards

Deer video and pictures

These two are *always* together when we see them, sometimes in the front yard, sometimes in the pasture. We call them our "Twin Deer". We went out to sit on the porch looking out to the back yard and they were just calmly munching on some grass. Stayed there the whole time we were out there smoking our cigarettes (almost 10 minutes). They didn't run off until our cat came bouncing out of the woods through the grass. Yet they stayed while the dog on the leash my DW was holding onto ran back and forth on the leash. Watch on YouTube?

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Some pictures I took as well :)

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This was the dog on the leash that they just ignored.

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Flickr : back yard, backyard, deer, twins, wildlife

My new haircut

Flickr : college, cosmetology, daughter, haircut

Our new dog: Annabelle

This is the newest addition to our family: Annabelle. Ain't she cute? She's 10 months old.

Flickr : canine, canines, dog, dogs, puppies, puppy

Sunset pictures

On the way home last evening the sky was, in my opinion just gorgeous, and these are the pictures of that trip home.

Flickr Tags: sunset,evening

Garden and the kitty cats (pics included)

Didn’t take me all day this time, just all afternoon, and boy am I beat. Me does believe that I am finished with “the garden” clean-up. Everything’s put in it’s place and the place is presentable (mostly from passersby), but still.

 

This is what it looked like before I got totally into it

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This is the final look

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The fencing stored in the wood shed

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Tire planters put in the other shed with older tires that were planters

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This wood was a smallish weed snuffing attempt that really didn’t work vey well. Eventually I’ll most likely build a compost bin… later!

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Because our DD is so damn considerate and wouldn’t believe in putting the cats off of her chair, she let them be and used the end-table to do her computer work. LOL.

Flickr Tags: garden cleaniup,debris storage,cat convenience

Garden no more

Took me all day, but it is done and what was the garden can now be completely reabsorbed by the earth. WOOT!

Before

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During

After!

Flickr Tags: garden pictures,ex-garden,yard work,completed