20 second videos of snow falling

Got this when it first started getting heavy

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It started snowing really hard, so I thought by standing outside taking the video it would be more apparent in the video. *shrug*

A doe, a deer, la la la la

A deer out back by the burn-barrel from inside the bathroom window. So sorry if you've gotten this too many times. Just trying to spread the visual pleasure. LOL

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Round 2 of Todd vs. The Cats

You know of my attempt to keep the cats from launching litter out of their boxes.

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One cat figured she'd test that theory of mine and prove it *wrong*. *sigh*

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(click 2 enlarge)

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Today I modified the front "barrier" by making it taller. Plus I added a mat to try and lessen the tracking.

(this is full size)

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Redoing the litter box area

We're you thinking, "Haven't heard from Todd all day, wonder what he's doing"? *grin* Anyway, what I've been doing is playing Wii Sports, taking the outside Christmas lights down, burning trash, vacuuming the living room and making the cat litter box area neater, cleaner, and easier to keep clean. Click a picture to enlarge it.

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For the last few days I've been thinking about how we can keep the cats from getting so much litter on the floor every time they use them, like what you see on the right-hand side.

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While I was at it I wanted to keep so much from going behind, under the middle, and next to the boxes on both sides, like this

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What I did was build a frame to sit on top, which would seal the edges and middle, using this wood and double-sided tape. Was going to use screws, but figured the tape would be easier.

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This is before it was put on the boxes. It's upside down and those white strips are the tape

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So I vacuumed all the litter under and around the boxes so it would start clean anyway

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This is what they look like with the framing on top of them

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Round 2

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Pix fr the Jan 2010 snow

Here's a few pics so you will believe me when I say we get snow in SW/C Missouri :-)

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(clicking enlarges)

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Moon times two

Moon in the most recently received box
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(click to enlarge to 640X960)
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(pic) Annebelle's head

This is what we get to look at just about every time we go to the smoking/plant room. We can never really get away from her. lol

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(click to enlarge)

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Productive/fulfilling days

Hmm... knew I had been thinking it, thought I had told that I had been doing it, but apparently didn't say anything. Perhaps I mentioned it on Facebook or Twitter. A couple of weeks ago I decided that every day I would do *something* productive, like dishes, laundry, vacuum, trash burning, or just something creative with my time. Think that is a good way to feel like the day(s) aren't being wasted. Yesterday I got 4 loads of laundry washed, dried, folded, hung-up, and put away. A couple of days ago after our pipes (under the bath tub, we think) had been frozen and thus we had no running water for sever hours, I was thinking that the heater in the bathroom would be more efficient closer to the floor. As opposed to being on a shelf above the toilet or on the back of the toilet itself. Yesterday afternoon/evening Rain said she was thinking the same thing. We're just connected that way. *smile* Anyway, getting an extension cord, connecting the heater to it, then plugging the cord into the wall was yet another productive thing I got done yesterevening (invented word). Today it's going to be cold outside, no higher than the teens, if that, measuring in Fahrenheit. That means that I am not planning on taking the outdoor Christmas lights on the porch down. However, I can and will take the lights in the plant room window and put them in their box or boxes. Strongly considering taking a shower, even though I've done nothing to cause sweating so pretty sure I don't stink. LOL. Would be something to do though. May or may not shave too. Thinking I probably will, if for nothing else then to look "presentable" to the family members living in this house. They wouldn't tell me if I wasn't though. I know this because I went into the bathroom just prior to breakfast, after being up for a couple of hours, and looked in the mirror. What I saw were the sideburns on each side of my head pointing straight up like really tall ears, or horns. Did they tell me they/I looked ridiculous? No. I asked why not and was told, "We thought they were cute!" LOL. Sheesh. So I brushed them down and went to the kitchen table to eat, knowing that there was no more reason to stare at me. Actually, nobody was staring anyway, that I know of. LOL

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Oh yeah, wanted to mention that our puppy, Annabelle, is now house trained and has learned to 'tell' us when she needs to go outside. Also, we can trust her to not chew anything or potty anywhere while we're in bed, when left out of her crate. *smile*

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FYI: I've changed the default font on my blog-writing software (Zoundry Raven) to 'DejaVuSans 16px/pt' to see if the blog, once on-line, is easier to read for people like ne with less than perfect vision who don't wear glasses.

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Daily writing no more, Wii sports, electric vs. wood heating

I remember what seems like eons ago writing an entire page of a blog post every day. I called them "rambles" because they were generally not about any one thing in particular, just whatever came to mind. Then came this feeling of just not thinking that people *really* were all that interested in what I had to say, especially from someone who lives on 10 acres in "the boonies" (i.e. very rural) of South-Central Missouri. It isn't like there is a plethora of exciting happenings around here. Most days we, the family, just hang out in the house playing on our individual computers. Every so often we'll all decide to play a game of Wii Bowling as a family. That hasn't happened for over a month (at least) now because the Wii system isn't new anymore. Although the kids and I had a good time playing each other games of tennis and baseball last evening. Oddly enough it occurred to us that since we have two controllers we could play each other in Wii Sports. That was why we got the second controller a couple of months ago after all. What can we say, we're easily distracted. LOL. In case you're wondering, my 14 year old son kicked my ass several times in Wii Tennis. *sigh* Then he and I played a game of Wii Baseball that surprisingly *I* won. Then I played my 17 year old daughter a game of Wii Baseball and she totally obliterated me 6 to 0. LOL. Ah, if only I could be that "athlete" I was back in my teens and early twenties, but alas I haven't been able to find the fountain of youth. LOL.

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Something weird has come to pass this winter, after 8 years of primarily heating with wood. When we were doing that we thought is was too chilly in the house unless it was *over* 70 (F), usually around 75. But two winters ago, midway through, we decided to give electric only a whirl as the way to heat, the living room specifically. We have been using thermostatted, electric space heaters in the bath and bed rooms since we couldn't comfortably leave the doors open in those rooms because of the cats. See, a couple/few? years ago we had upward of 20 cats before deciding that was too many, and a couple of those cats which are no longer living with us, were males who sprayed things indoors to mark their territory. *sigh* Plus we also used to have a *female* cat who sprayed, mostly outside, but we didn't trust her. Any hoots, when we had way too many of those feline creatures we couldn't watch them all 24-7 and really didn't like the smell of cat urine in rooms they frequented, nor the feeling of being covered with cat hair after a shower because they'd lay on the towels on the towel rack in the bathroom, we began closing ALL the doors. That meant that the heat from the living room's heater couldn't get into said rooms. We've had all the doors closed for several years now. Although we're now down to only 3 cats and a small dog, we just still don't trust them not to climb on, spray on, or chew on stuff in those rooms. All that babble simply to say that since we've gone to ONLY electric heat, which keeps the living room and kitchen close to 70 (F) the majority of the time, we've acclimated to the heat being right at or just a smidge under or over 70 (+/- 3-4 degrees) and generally don't need to put more layers of clothes on to get warm like we (mostly me, what can I say. lol) did when using wood heat only. I just find it interesting that there have been times this winter in particular that the living room morning temp. has been *below* 70 and we've not been "freezing". LOL.

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Flickr : blogging, electric, heating, wii sports, wood, writing

Have water, but for how long?

We have achieved WATER! Sighing Woot!

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But it may happen again. Note to self, leave water trickling before bed tonight.

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Flickr : buffalo, extreme cold, freeze, frozen pipes, mo

Holiday-cookie Tins on The Wall

The cookies in these tins were part of our "stocking stuffer" goodies this passed holiday. Couldn't think of where to put them until the other night. Thinking on the kitchen wall as decorations was a better place than on the desk taking up computer desk space :-)

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Flickr : holiday cookies, kitchen, tins, wall

Highest Tetris Score in long time

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Flickr : 1-6-2010, all time best, high, level 13, score, tetris