Stirred Crazy.

...Or, how to warm up on a really cold day after feeling it was tooooo cold to go out.

The wind chill was below...cold. The temps were 'fresh'. Mr. Kind Neighbor stopped by to ask if he could cut up some of the trees we had chopped down and dropped in the pasture. 
Yep, he certainly could. He was also looking to make some posts for corners of a fence he wanted to make.

I took him around to point out some trees he could take down. Locusts are very good for making corner posts once they are de-barked. We have a few younger trees that would make excellent posts without much work.

He then offered to cut up the old ash trees that fell on the east fence. Nice, I can repair the fence this spring.

He also will be cutting up the other pile for his own wood stove. There is no hurry and he can do it at any time. 

He said he'd clean things up and burn the brush pile he makes. Huh. Go figure.

He is a Forester guy. He is the person that the state and county will send out to help you manage a better forest on your land. 

Plus he knows what he is doing and as a bonus...he is a neighbor that is nice. We also offered him hunting on our land next deer season. We've watched him for two years and he is quite skilled at that too. He doesn't just wound them and have to track them for hours.

I spent most of the very cold morning, practicing and engaging in photography skills for my 365 Toy Photography Challenge. It was a good morning to try new things for me.

This is the tavern and the shop buildings from the Medieval Town Square--> the project Rich and I worked on. I've never tried a 'full' scene before. Placing the figures in the windows and in front of the building took a lot of effort and time to get them just right.

Fun though.

Then I took some interior shots. One of my favorite ones is the sleeping female warrior, Tilla.

I enjoyed trying to use the kitchen of the tavern...I mean, it looks like the cook is going to make Lobster for breakfast???

Do you know that I can do laundry and this at the same time? Well, sort of.
With laundry done, I decided to go to work outside.

It doesn't look like a huge pile, but it is two years worth of sticks and branches. After getting that started, I added logs, long branches, and walked about picking up chunks of wood. I added the other pieces a little at a time. 

I never like a huge roaring fire.

To give you an idea of how much walking I did to pick things up and drop them on the fire.... my watch thingy said it was 5 miles. Whaaaat? I do know that I was bone tired by bedtime.

I got a great workout picking up log chunks and dragging long logs though.

By morning, the center had burned through and I was able to tip the unburnt sections back onto the hot coals and finish it off.

It is pretty nice to have such a nice neighbor. We don't see him or her and the kids often, especially in the winter. But they are kind people.

And, if you are wondering, while working in the nice fresh temps --> think 15 F -- I took off my coveralls and was toasty warm. Burning and piling brush piles is one of my favorite winter activities.

I know. I am odd.

Walks

 It is finally getting cool enough for some winter gear. A hat that covers the ears and a scarf for protecting the chin and face while in the wind.

In the woods and valleys the winds rarely blow as the land is steep and heavily wooded. So even on a cold blustery day a walk in the woods can be rather pleasant.

Hobby has switched over 
to her mild winter gear!

Look!

Moss under the skiff of

snow!

However, my walks have to be planned and short so that I can be back before the other half wakes from his nap. He still needs help switching his oxygen over from the CPAP to the concentrator. Last night was the first time in over a week that he attempted it himself when getting ready for bed.

I keep close by which isn't hard as we are surrounded by a forest.

But I do need my fresh air daily no matter what the weather. 

I went without Charlie on New Year's Day for a really hard and fast hike on my neighbor's land. One I wouldn't normally take any friends on. It is rough, gnarly, and hilly. There are two valleys to negotiate through and a lot of brush with thorns. Did I mention the creek hopping? 

I went to the back valley and followed the stream that empties into Black Bottom. If you grew up in the area you call the stream Black Bottom. If you aren't local, you call it Readscreek.

This part of the valley is landlocked. There are no roads into it, no easy access except on foot which makes it really unique.

The stream develops from several large springs up the valley and used to be rather wide and fast. With all the years of drought, the stream has shrunk to a mere creek, but it is still wild and beautiful.

In the photos below, the stream used to be much wider, covering all of the flat land. After flash floods all the grasses are washed away and one can find cool rocks that are left behind as well as car, tractor parts, and tires.

Years ago this 'dragon' tree fell across the wide stream. Now just the head of the dragon is left with a little creek under it. Where the dragon head is ... was where the stream extended to.

The only place I found any tiny 'waterfalls' over rocks was towards the east end of the valley. Here, the water moved swiftly which it used to do all along this valley.

I turned and climbed the steep deer trail out of the bottom and headed up the old logging trail to the ridge. Half way up the trail there is a rock shelter that forms an ice cave each year from the seepage of water and the runoff of melt water.

This year has been so dry and so has the winter so the seepage is limited and with the warmer than normal temperatures, the ice is not forming rapidly.

Below is what it looks like in a good year. This isn't the best shot I have of it, but I generally hike to this spot throughout winter to watch the ice grow.

and another shot from 
a very good year !

Our walk on the 2nd was much shorter and nearer the house. I had Charlie along and he and I followed deer trails.

We were mostly going for the exercise and the fresh air. We wound up exploring a run off ditch that had some interesting tree formations and roots. These things never cease to amaze me.

When there is a large snow melt or a heavy rain, these dry runs become flooded with rushing water. It washes rocks, soil, and other debris down the narrow run creating a unique area to explore when it is dry.

Otherwise? 

Not much going on here.

What should I search for in January? Odd trees maybe? I need a project!

Stir Crazy

More stupid stuff ... well because... I'm still going
Stir Crazy...

I got these mini-robots as a gift in the mail. They are cake toppers and only about an inch tall. They actually are about Lego minifigure size. When I opened the package I just had to set them down on the gravel road and take their photo...

Invasion of the MiniBots!

Sort of cute and ugly at the same 
time.

I imagine that they must have come to me because they found a way to escape a future world and wanted some peace and serenity...

See how my mind works? Why would these minibots or robots come?

Where did they leave from? A future? Another world?

Here the mini-bots decide to
jump into a Time Machine and
get transported to
somewhere else...

For anyone wondering how this was done, I set these 1 inch robots on a reflective surface on my laptop and brought up an AI generated scene I created and snapped the shot. I did this on the kitchen table with no special lighting other than what came through the windows. 

Similar to this set up I did earlier this year:

Maybe they'll find Squatch and the Brothers Odd, maybe they'll find a peaceful home in the forest. Who knows? 

Maybe I'll get out for a walk and get a break too!

This morning we are getting freezing thick fog. That should make for some incredible scenes outside on the plants, trees, and anything else frost can cling to.

It is so hard for a wander-er like myself to be stuck inside!!!!

Happy Almost New Year's Eve.

Be Chilled My Heart

I don't do Valentine's Day. But that is okay, I don't have a grudge against it, I just don't buy into it anymore.

So everyone loves to talk about weather. -15F translates into -26C? I never understood why we don't all use the same measurements. But that is for another day.
I know others are much colder. And I looked at the forecast for us. -17 tonight and Monday? Oh bother.

I measured the temp in the shed yesterday, because it actually felt a bit colder. It wasn't but it was out of the sun so that made it feel so much colder inside.

This is how the girls spend their afternoons. I get obsessed by worrying if they are warm enough. 
Everyone gets about twice the amount of hay during this cold spell. And thankfully, no one is showing signs of cold. 

When I had a place in the flat lands of Kenosha, I had to have a run in for my horses. There was no place for the equine to get out of the wind. 

I am literally going stir crazy inside. It is too dangerous to go hiking even if I get out of the winds. I'm wearing a mask, over the glasses goggles, and a fur lined hat. The secret of keeping warm hands?

My Grandmother's hand made knit mittens with a pair of little knit gloves underneath.

Grandma's Secret Weapon
Knit Mittens

I tried the insulated gloves that are called HotShots and every other high tech glove. Nothing. works like mittens. I've even been able to open gates with them on. If I have to put a halter on someone, I do have to pull the mitten off.

Watering has become a nightmare. The hoses work well and drain from the top of the hill at the outside hydrant. In the past, when we had these cold temps, Rich would help me drain hoses after disconnecting them. With subzero temps and one person, the draining doesn't work as well.

[Yes, one time the outdoor hydrant froze up. That was once in 30+ years. A year when we had no ground cover but subzero temps for an extended period of time.]

Mittens crossed that I don't have to fill the tank until Monday afternoon? With a high of 3 degrees, I may be able to get 'er done. 

Oh and for the curious. The mailman DID show up! His huge Jeep with knobby snow/mud tires could handle just about anything thrown at him. So now that he knows where the house is, I wonder if he'll make deliveries next time. 

I spoke with him this summer at the post office and he told me he couldn't find our house. True Story.

So for those who celebrate, Happy Valentine's Day.

For me? Just a daily outdoor chore challenge and then a day of walking about this tiny cottage waiting for a chance to get out and hike.

Stir Crazy.