WMDs in my home

Yep, you read that right: Weapons of Mass Destruction are right here in the walls of my own little house.
My oldest son observed that, this morning, and it made me laugh when I thought about it.
I was referring to throwing out one of those self-inking rubber name/address stamps that I found lying on the counter after one of my cleaning rampages. Not sure where I'd shaken it out of before that, but the reason it has that reputation is this:

About two years ago, my husband ordered this item, with his name and my name and our address, phone number and a website. It was part of a pyramid scheme he'd fallen into, but that is irrelevant.
The future WMD was stored in a room we didn't use very much, a guest bedroom.
We have two boys, then 2 and 5. They became fond of playing in the guest bedroom after a visit from their grandparents where the grandparents stayed while they visited.
One day I went into the guest bedroom to look for something else and generally tidy up. Jumping on a bed really can trash the look of a room!
What did I find? Not just a wrinkled and mussed bed and pillows on the floor, but our name and address stamped on every conceivable surface.
It was a decorating disaster!!!
Our names and addresses were displayed prominently on the bedsheets, the walls, pictures that hung on the wall. I saw the ink on the curtains, a box of Kleenex, the countertops and drawer fronts.
The capper for me was the carpet. The ink was immovable. Luckily the carpet is dark green. You really have to look to see the stamp.
Yes, the name and address stamp earned its reputation that day. I put it high on a shelf in the kitchen inside a cupboard. Hubby knows where it is should he ever need to use it. We still get the shipments of "juice" from said pyramid scheme, and he occasionally even sells some of it to other people.
That stamp has never seen paper that I know of. It works real well on fabric, though. If we had pets inside, I'm sure we'd know how it transfers to furry surfaces.

Snow: Bah! Humbug!

Instead of the hackneyed "Let It Snow" comments and blog titles I've seen of late, I'd like to change the tone and put forth my plea of: "make it stop!"
I want a break from this, damnit!
Doesn't the snow make the pasture and barn look almost idyllic?
Probably would have been better had I put the cart away and not left it in front of the door, but it was COLD the night before!

Most years I'd love a bit of snow in the days preceding Christmas and of course the Eve of as well as the day itself, but this year it's just getting in the way of my overall tardiness in preparation for the holiday.
It didn't help that I was away for five days on the East coast. Since I am a "shop local" enthusiast, I could not justify doing much Christmas shopping there (I think I bought one jar of pumpkin butter at the Lancaster Kitchen Kettle Village), so you see my hands were tied!
Previous to that, we were awaiting our first settlement from the crab season to really get started on the shopping, so here we go...I am behind, and need a break in the weather to get it finished up. Not much, just a day or so, please?
I thought for sure that back in PA it would be snowy and cold, but it was more like 65 degrees although the freezing rain showed up the day I was to leave, giving me fits of flight delays. I made it home, though, to arrive to frozen water pipes and haven't seen the lawn in over two weeks (which really is ok).
The roads today were a sea of brown slush, the parking lots, too. Just gross. Stores are crowded, but luckily I have not and do not shop much in the stores like Freddy's or Costco, the worst offenders. They were my last resort for a few items, but I will do without if I cannot find them in smaller stores.

In looking all over the county for toboggans and sleds, we started in Costco (because we were nearest when we had the inspiration) and learned they would be getting a shipment of them in. We left, to look first at our local stores...Purple Cow, Ace, Builder's Supply, etc. etc. and lo and behold, the last place we looked, Utzinger's Hardware had scores of them! We purchased about five and took 'em home and used 'em well.

I felt sorry for the "lucky" ones who got part of the shipment at Costco; those styrofoam things should last about two hours. Our Utzinger's-purchased toboggans were even made in the USA.

Well, I'm off to sleep, to see what tomorrow allows for finishing my holiday preparations.

Look at how much the family loves making snowmen...even my yearling, Pyro, got into the spirit (it really was the peppermint eyes and parsnip nose that held his interest in the long run, but Pyro LOVES people and all they do, even though he fails to understand the purpose of the activity).

Anyway, shoo, snow, shoo!

Perspective

Looking at the live camera on top of the Columbia River Maritime Museum from my parent's house in West Chester, PA. I can see snow on the rooftops and can hardly believe it.
We rarely get snow this time of year...here I am looking at the cold, wet miserable weather and it is cold here, too, but bright and sunny.
I feel odd about everything in between myself and home. It's been 16 years since I have been here, and though I've flown and been a few places since then, it feels both sad and liberating to be this far away.
I would love to travel more, but mostly by car, I think. Unencumbered, and with all that implies.
Monday will see my father graduating with his Master's Degree in Physical Science (the reason we are here), and Wednesday we will be winging it home.
I hope that all of you are well and your holiday preparations are going swimmingly.

Interesting article

on our year-ago storm:
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf?/base/news/1228109205174760.xml&coll=7&thispage=1

What a week that was!
It's interesting to read the post-mortem, and see the damage that still persists. The little boys won't remember much of it, though Colton (our youngest) is still rather traumatized at each new loss of power and resulting dark the symptom of a generator dependent on fuel that would run out of gas now and then when we (the adults) were not paying attention, and putting the house back into pitch blackness for a few moments during that week we lived on nothing but its power. The smell of the exhaust was everywhere. I can't imagine what we would have done without it. Thankful for the Olney Store that sold gas and diesel for our genny and truck.

Still, let's hope we don't see another like it. Ever! For three days the wind blew, and sucked! Hahah.
For 7 days we lived without power, alternating dependent appliances to the little Honda to make sure we nurtured their wards through the outage. Mostly the freezer (a hundred lb. of frozen Alaskan Halibut among other things can't be left to go bad), refrigerator (so that we could have water and keep our food), computer w/satellite modem (for communicating outside the county) and tv (for something to do on long nights) and occasionally the coffee maker, although that one coffee maker strained the generator to the maximum of its capacity.

Fires and Flowers

Link to video of Roger performing in Shanghaied in Astoria's Olio Act
As so many of you must already know, we lost our friend Roger Martin on Thanksgiving night in a fire that also burned most of a block. We will not soon forget this loss, and certainly every time I attend an Astor Street Opry Company production or event, his memory will be near. Roger was a troubled man, to be sure, but why dwell on that at this point. He also gave a lot to the show he was in, and in turn to the community. The video above shows his game attitude, and his portrayal of Capt. Jack was always my favorite. As I drove past the florist where he was living/had lived and died, I noticed the stack of flowers and notes. I will add to them. I don't know that it helps in any way to do so, as in flowers for the dead, but I also want to send a message to those of us here dealing with his loss that I remember, and I remember the good things about him. I hope somewhere he can feel that. I have forgiven him for saying I'd make a good Miss Vivian. ;) Love to you, Roger, and godspeed.

Autumn moves on

and Fall is here, treading eagerly on the heels of Winter...or is that the other way around?
Either way, it's a long, dark, wet haul from here on 'til about June, maybe July.
Seriously, though, I hope for a few breaks in the weather between now and then.
I can hardly believe the week of Halloween is past with its scorched-pumpkin smells, the chill of fear a tingly, giddy bit of excitement amidst the sweet and sugary treats.
So next come the big family holidays, the long dark nights and...and...mud!
Yep. I fell down in the pasture twice, last night. Our pastures are all sloped and so with the clay-based soil they turn to the consistency of grease with just a little moisture.
I'm sure I've bitched complained about this in the past, probably even here.
The second time I fell down, I had a half-full bucket of soaked beet pulp in one hand and of course that was what cushioned my chin when I hit the ground. Uggh.
My little old mare (32 going on 33) is off her feed and seeming...well...just faded. I am worried for her. She seems healthy enough and drinking water, even showing interest in some food now and then.
My Dad's getting his Master's in December and I'll fly to West Chester to see that. Been 16 years since I've been there.
This is going to be short because the short ones need to get into bed.
We've got a new president and much of the "change" is still in OUR hands.
Happy November, Clatsop County!

Patriotic School Shopping

I finished the school shopping for my two boys the other day.
I managed about 98% Made in North America, too.
I was unable to easily find folders/pee chees and sketch books made here in the USA, but those were made in Canada, and I find that acceptable.
We had to buy an alternate brand of glue from the typical Elmer's, because good ol' Elmer's is made in China. The other brand was less expensive and also made in USA.
The only failure we had was the glue sticks. I didn't go back to change them out, but read the back (my oldest son picked these up) and these ended up being made in China.
All the Crayolas were made in USA, at least the crayons themselves. The watercolors were made in China, so I chose the "off" brand at a slightly higher price.
I'm pretty proud of that and hope that we can continue with clothing, although I have little control over what their grandparents buy for them.
Even if there aren't any school supplies that I know of made here in Astoria/Oregon, I can still buy American.