Buttsa's Getting Big

Winter Cabin

It's the end of February, and already days are starting to stay light longer. We decided to take a drive up north to check on things, and was it cold!

We started a fire in the fireplace as soon as we got there, and I was glad that I had brought some slippers to wear. It takes a couple of hours for the house to warm up, even though we do keep the thermostat set at 50 degrees while we're not there to prevent the pipes from freezing.

In the evening, we watched Shawshank Redemption on DVD using the new (for us) TV that Jake had gifted us with. His apartment complex had recently replaced all of the TVs in the building, and told people they could do what they wanted with the old ones. It worked well, and I think the sound componant of it must be better than the one we have at home as I didn't have much difficulty hearing, even with the volume turned way down. It even looks pretty good sitting on the funky wooden TV stand we picked up at Goodwill! Of course, we had popcorn and a glass of wine while we watched the movie.

The next day was still cold, but we bundled up and went for a walk anyway, and the sun was so bright and beautiful. Jake drove up for the weekend just as we were about to take off, and so we stayed awhile longer to chat with him.

It makes me feel good that the kids are starting to take an interest in going up there more often.

Anniversary

As we grow older and wiser, our celebrations seem to get more comfortable and less complicated, and that's not a bad thing. Spending time doing normal things, and being together with family feels good. And if I also get the chance to prepare a meal for others to eat, even better. I think that's one way I honor the people I love. This year marked 40 years since Bruce and I first met, and of course we celebrated our 34th wedding anniversary on Valentine's Day. Jake and Brianna came over on Saturday for chicken, cheesecake, and wine and we were able to sit in front of the fire and talk. I made bacon and eggs for breakfast, and a T-bone steak dinner for Bruce on Sunday, and we even had a little date at Menards, where we bought some jelly! Bruce gave me a carved wooden plaque of all my favorite symbols ... heart, flower, peace sign, and smiley face ... our neighbor, Cappy, made it, which is even better. He also gave me an orchid, and heart shaped box of candy. My gift to him was a sock monkey basket full of goodies that he likes to eat, which I guess seems a little lame now compared to the stuff he gave me, but I meant well!

A Cold Minnesota Winter

It's been bitter cold around here this week, and I really haven't been going anywhere except over to Mom's. I'm thankful to have a garage to park the little blue bug in, and even in these frigid temps, she starts right up. The sun has been bright, I'm thankful for that, too, but even walking out to get the mail can feel a little bit like Siberia with the arctic wind blowing. The cats find warm spots to nap in ... on the carpet in the sun, or as for Punk, curled up in front of a heat vent. I walk around the house, trying to get some movement in, which seems lame but I guess any kind of movement is better than none. I think about the birds and animals outside, trying to stay warm. Tristin keeps wanting to go out on the porch, but I've only let him do that a couple of times, and then stood right by the sliding door the whole time he was out. I also think about all the homeless people, and wonder if there are enough emergency shelter beds for them. You don't really hear about people freezing to death that often, but I'm sure some do. This is one of those times that it's good to think about all that I have, and be grateful for ... a warm house, hot water, enough food to eat. It's easy to forget that there are so many others in the world that are lacking.