Keep On Rocking In The Free World

Gov't Mule - Rocking In The Free World, with the help of Josh Clark from Tea Leaf Green at Mountain Jam 2007 on June 2nd, 2007.

Happy New Year.

Glimpses of Sun

Skies have still been grey. I am rewarded with occasional glimpses of the sun but the clouds are blown back in.

Christmas Sky

Today is grey, wet, and windy. Gusts predicted to 60mph or so on the coast with steady winds in the 20's - am under a high wind warning until tomorrow. However, Christmas Day I had some sun! It was a short appearance but lovely.






After the sun poofed, the small birds came out. This guy immediately caught my eye:


Yesterday's grey sky sure was pretty - unlike today's.

Hard Candy Christmas

Dolly Parton - Hard Candy Christmas.

One of my favorite non-traditional Christmas songs of all time.

May all your Christmas dreams come true. Thank you for visiting my little place - I wish ya'll the best the season has to offer for you and yours.

Frosty The Snowman

Nope, not the Frosty The Snowman you think it is - this is from the youtube page:

Stylish 1950s UPA production design in this Christmas musical short features a rather Fred Astaire-ish Frosty and scads of Gerald McBoing Boing-style kiddies- plus a great vocal track of the seasonal pop standard. Chicago-area viewers were introduced to Frosty as he ran "over the hills of snow... jing-jing!"

This was the very first animated take on the classic holiday tune "Frosty the Snowman," pre-dating the Rankin-Bass TV special of the same name by 15 years.

Featuring a remixed version of the original song, this short aired regularly on Chicago's WGN-TV. It was broadcast on the station for many Christmases thereafter.

Santa Lost A Ho

Momma performs Santa Lost A Ho from The Fruit Cake Follies, 2006
Courtesy of Paul Rogers - The Christmas Jug Band

Merry Christmas From The Family

Robert Earl Keene - Merry Christmas From The Family

h/t DrDick at the lake

Happy Dance

Yay! My coffee pot died Sunday and it came back to life today. The dishwasher, which was also discovered dead that same morning has not resurrected - yet. It's gotten down pretty cold at nite - the lowest I recorded was 20 - and I don't know if the cold had anything to do with it but both died the morning that I first woke up to snow.

Today, the snow is melting and my coffee pot decided to make coffee. I had been heating water on the stove and, while waiting for the water to heat, was putzing around the kitchen. For shits and giggles, I pressed the start button on the coffee pot (just as I had done every day since it died) and the forking green light came on and it started making that wonderful coffee brewing sound.

Contented Sigh.

Pure bliss.

My landlord knows about the dishwasher but travel between the Portland area and here requires chains. I recommend a good towing policy also (laughing). The nightly news here has shown, every day this week, vehicles having to be pulled back onto the highways running between Portland and the North Coast after sliding off the roads. The little cottage by the creek in the redwoods did not have a dishwasher so I am well acquainted with the by hand method. I let them know there was no rush when we were emailing back and forth.

Another storm is predicted to hit tomorrow night. Weather and road conditions permitting, I may attempt to go into Tillamook tomorrow and finish my Christmas shopping, mail some things, and stock up on some perishables I'm running low on - milk, bread, eggs kinda stuff, and, of course, stop by High Tide and pick up a well deserved latte. If the roads are iffy, I'll just run into Netarts to the little grocery store there and Santa will have to wait until I can get over the hill to Tilly for presents.

Gonna call Gary the wood guy and order a cord - or maybe two if I can figure out where to store the second cord - for delivery between Christmas and New Years. I've been going through the half cord he delivered earlier this month - its been forking c-c-cold outside but very toasty inside.

The picures up top are ones taken various days this week. The night snow photo I took last nite. After we came inside, you can see where Token headed.

Run Rudolph Run

Chuck Berry - Run Rudolph Run

Still have some patches of snow on the ground and decks - and a storm coming in tomorrow. An even bigger storm is headed this way and is expected to hit Sunday.

It was 21 outside when I went to bed last nite - but we had a fine sunny day today and actually broke freezing this afternoon - a whopping 36 outside. I was toasty under my covers last night with both critters sharing body heat. I was wearing 3 pair of pj bottoms, 2 shirts and only one sweater and - socks! I can't believe I actually kept the socks on while sleeping (those who know me will be speachless by the admission that I wore socks to bed and kept them on).

Token is now an old hat at snow. Bailey is happier now that there is a path on the deck to the front door that has been cleared of the majority of snow and ice. Token is learning how to pick up speed while sliding but - when he comes back inside, he heads right to the wood stove to warm up.

A Hush Fell Over The Land

I woke up to a soft stillness and quiet that I hoped meant what I thought it did. I leaped outta bed at the unheard of hour of 0830 and looked out the window.

Snow! I did a little mini happy dance, put on my slippers, grabbed the camera and took these from the bay deck, through the kitchen windows, and off the kitchen deck.



















Then I went back to bed, snuggling under the covers with my critters (yes, that was Token trying to shield himself from the snow on the deck) and went back to sleep. When I woke up for realsies, most of it had melted away. There are still large patches but not even enough for a decent snowball fight.

UPDATE: 5:40pm - I just looked up and its snowing again. Small flakes softly floating down instead of the wet clumps this morning. Woohoo!!!

She Left Me For Jesus

This video (and the song) cracked me up. Hayes Carll's new video for Americana Music Association song of the year, She Left Me For Jesus.

Starting to snow :)

Holy Forking Snow

Holy forking snow! Check out my forecast. Scrolling down the forecast page ya get to the warnings, including this one:

... Arctic air over southwest Washington and northwest Oregon Sunday and next week with some snow possible at times next week...

After the strong storm from Friday and Saturday moves through... Arctic air will spill into southwest Washington and northwest Oregon Sunday... and continue over the area for at least a good part of next week. This will likely be the coldest weather in much
of southwest Washington and northwest Oregon since at least 2004.

Daytime temperatures will fall into the 20s on Sunday mainly in the north as the Arctic air spreads in. The Arctic air will likely reach the southern Willamette Valley area Sunday night and Monday. Daytime highs will then struggle to reach freezing through much of next week. Nighttime lows will drop into at least the teens... with single digits or possibly even below zero in the Cascades.

Some moisture may still be circulating around an upper low near the coast on Sunday and Monday that could produce snow over much of the area. Accumulations are uncertain at this point... but significant accumulations are possible in some areas.

The Arctic air will produce strong east winds through the Columbia River gorge and over the mountains Sunday through about Tuesday. This could drop wind chills in some areas to below zero or even around 10 below zero... especially in the Columbia River gorge and possibly in the Cascades.

There is a possibility of another system in the middle part of next week that could bring more snow to the area as the air mass over southwest Washington and northwest Oregon remains cold.

Oy - there are other warnings too - flood watch, high wind warning. My first winter storm and it looks like its gonna be cold here for more than a day or two.. I went into town today, filled up the car with gas, got tire chains, stocked up on provisions and food. Gonna bring as much wood as I can tomorrow (as well as all outdoor potted plants) before it gets really cold so I can go outside through the weekend and into the week as little as possible.

Token and Bailey's reactions are gonna be interesting. What do you mean you want me to go my business outside in that all that white stuff? Are you forking nuts?

Am all set to hunker down and stay warm.

I wonder within how many days of Christmas does the snow have to be in order for to be considerws a White Christmas?

snowflake photo from how to save a snowflake

I Iz Willun

see more puppies

Wonder who in Chicago is gonna flip on Blagojevich first?

Pink To Gold To Red

I must have taken more than 30 pictures of tonight's western sky. I won't subject ya to all of them (grinning) but these are my favorites.

I Don't Think I Like You Any More

Rodney Carrington - I Don't Think I Like You Anymore (also known as the Dear Penis song)

Red Sky At Night, Sailor Delight

Last night's sunset was spectacular with a few remaining storm clouds on the horizon. Weather dood said there is a chance of snow on the coast Friday and Saturday. Am having more wood delivered today - this time a local guy I got a recommendation about from a local store in town. He quickly volunteered that he would love to be my wood guy when I said I was new to the area and was looking for a wood guy. He said he has great wood - I'll check out the 1/2 cord he is delivering today and take it from there.

UPDATE: I have a new wood guy - Gary. Nice wood and he helped me load a bunch of it up on my deck.

Hey Baby

John "Juke" Logan - Hey Baby. From the utube page:

Juke Logan dedicated this blues classic to Buzz Gamble. Rojer Arnold Band with Marv Schmelling, Bob Garcia, Clive Wright, Jimmy Gutierrez, Dennis McDade on drums and Paul Elliott on keyboards light up Pappy and Harriet's on Buzz Gamble night.

Home Again

Carole King - Home Again.

Pulled in around 0130/0200 this morning - Token and I went right to sleep (after starting a fire and turning on the portable oil radiator) and we slept hard. Went into town today to get some wood (I gotta get a good wood man up here) and am working on my cartoon post for FireDogLake tonight.

Home again feeling right.

Rude Mood

Stevie Ray Vaughan - Rude Mood.

Not a single comment, rude or otherwise. Don't you guys know what to do when mom's on vacation and ya have the house (or blog) all to yourselves?

California Love

Tupac and Dr Dre - California Love

Headed down to CA today - should be back at the end of the week. Please feel free to leave all sorts of comments (rude and otherwise) while I am gone.