Archive for January, 2008

January 31, 2008, Thingamajig Thursday #105

Here’s this week’s “Thingamajig” entry. Also check out the last thingamajig answer. As always, put your guess in a comment below. Hold mouse over this sentence to pop-up answer. one year ago…

January 30, 2008 – Garage Keeper

Last week’s Thingamajig Thursday was part of this piece of folk art made by our friend and art professor. The eyes are a couple of electric fence insulators and the body is a brightly colored combination of found wood.  Even though it has been outside through blizzard, cold, storm, and ice, it has maintained its ...Read more.

January 29, 2008 – 24 hours

Yesterday was sunny and 46. Laundry got out on the line. Today, well, today is a day to survive, not thrive.  The temperatures plummeted to -2, along with winds of 51 mph, combined for a day that could suck the life right out of you if you were outside for very long.  It’s hard to ...Read more.

January 28, 2008 – A Crime in Some Neighborhoods

Here’s a picture of a crime scene in some neighborhoods… OK, maybe crime is too strong a word, it’s against the rules in many suburban and urban neighborhoods. There’s even a group promoting the long-standing practice of drying clothes on a line and have started the “right to dry” and “National Hanging Out Day” (April ...Read more.

January 27, 2008 – Pearl City Invitational Debate Congress Champion

Yesterday Claire ventured to Muscatine, Iowa for the Pearl City Debate Invitational (Muscatine is called the Pearl City because there used to be button factories along the Mississippi that made buttons out of mussel shells). This is the first time Claire has finished first.  In a Congress event, the participants act as congressmen (less the ...Read more.

January 26, 2008 – Playing in the Snow

Heatwave!  Today, the temperature approached 27 degrees!  We could finally go outside without endangering life and limb. Martin and I took a walk down the road to play in the snowplow banks on the side of the road.  It was a refreshing change of pace to spend some time out in the sunshine.  Since the ...Read more.

January 25, 2008 – Big Fluffy Flakes

Today was a day of intermittent snow – the big, heavy flake variety. I got to stay home with a sick Martin today.  He had some extra TV time and watched animal life shows and played a game of dog-opoly with his Dad. one year ago…

January 24, 2008 – Thingamajig Thursday #104

Here’s this week’s “Thingamajig” entry. Also check out the last thingamajig answer. As always, put your guess in a comment below. Hold mouse over this sentence to pop-up answer. one year ago…

January 23, 2008 – It’s Cold, That Only Leaves Accounting!

The deep mid-winter is time to catch up on the pile-o-receipts from the past tax year. It’s not really too bad – I do a fairly good job of saving all pertinent materials in three-ring binders and entering sales as they happen, but the bill receipts get stuffed in a plastic pouch in the binder and ...Read more.

January 22, 2008 – One Corn Wagon Emptied

The heating season better be over half complete!  The first wagon of corn is emptied.  100 bushels gone.  We’re on schedule, since at one time, I looked up the average coldest week of winter and it was January 22 – the average low temperature bottomed out on that day and slowy started rising afterwards. There’s one ...Read more.

January 21, 2008 – Snowbanks

The last week we’ve had a number of 3-6 inch snowfalls. The script goes pretty much the same – up at 5:00 am to go to work, crash through the snow in the driveway and on the road. Upon returning home, the road is plowed and the wind has blown most of the snow off ...Read more.

January 20, 2008 – When it’s Wintertime

Yes, it’s cold.  Yes, it seems to get well below zero every day.  But at least there’s snow out there! The only thing worse than a cold, snowy, windy winter is a cold, windy winter. Having snow on the ground allows for winter sports as well. Today was a winter wonderland fest of warm food ...Read more.

January 19, 2008 – Behave or Grandma Will Take You Out!

Finally, some farming pictures – outdoor farming pictures are few and far between during cold January weeks. However, there is one beehive at high hopes that is very aggressive and gj is not willing to work with overly aggressive bees.  The solution is to go out on a cold morning and remove the bees.  She wasn’t ...Read more.

January 18, 2008 – Winter Light

Just a bit of winter light… Today’s daylight lasted 1 minute, 39 seconds longer than yesterday.  The darkness will not last! one year ago…