Moonlight Sonata

Laid back kinda days - it has not been stormy - just overcast or fogged in. No moonlight tonight with all the fog but yet - the brightness of the not quite full moon glows through the fog. The fog sat between the spit and the peaceful retreat on the bay for most of the afternoon. Late in the afternoon, the fog started to roll in and I could no longer see the far point across the cove, making trees appear ghostly - everything seemed to be shades of black and white and gray.

I forgot to mention that while I was shopping with Jen, my landlord was putting in a new dishwasher - I finally have enough of a load to run it and it is a lot quieter than the one that died. I've been figuring out all the where of what I got shopping - filling the cannisters, hanging the pots and pans on the rack, figuring where to put the turbo charged kitchen garbage can. Have stored all my bakeware and my silverware is now in the expandable separator.

I've been watching a lot of cooking shows on The Food Network. After not having the desire to really cook for several years, I gotta prime my pump so to speak - the youngest daughter is moving to Oregon in early February and will be staying with me while she hunts for a job and housing. I've not had anyone to cook for since 2003.

Moonlight Sonata - composed by Ludwig van Beethoven.

Return of the Sun

Everything is drying out today. Other than losing power for about 3 hours during the worst of the storm Wed nite, I was fine. Hell, with no power, I was fine - I fired up the ipod, lit a buncha candles and settled in with a roaring fire, good tunes, and water heating on the wood stove for a cup of french-pressed coffee until the power came back on.

Gary, my wood guy, brought me some wood before the storm hit and will be bringing the rest this weekend. He is such a nice guy - brought it right upstairs and stacked it next to the stove and then was on his way to a thingie at one of the kids' school.

Monday I went shopping with Jen in Beaverton. I now have a fairly well equipped kitchen. Fork - no more excuses for not buying what I need to bake and cook as I should instead of going for the easy meal (laughing). Had a great time shopping with Jen, who knew exactly where to go for what I needed. I swear, she was born knowing how to shop.

Pictures of Friday's sunset taken during about a 30 minute period.

Pachelbel's Rant

I posted Pachelbel's Canon In D tonight at the lake and this video was left in the comments. From the utube:

A comedian rants about how much it sucks to play Pachelbel's Canon in D on a cello. Recorded live at Penn State, this piece by comedian/musician Rob Paravonian has been a favorite on the Dr. Demento Show.

Cracked me up. Enjoy.

From The Deck

Had a dusting of snow last night and some of it hung around all day. Has been chilly here but nothing like the 20 we got down to last month. The top of Cape Lookout wore its white cloak all day.



Twas cloudy at sunset



but I was able to capture some of the eye candy



and then the light of a crab boat out on the other side of the spit. I see these lights bobbing in the ocean many nights - checking their crab pots.



(its that tiny speck of light).

See The Question Mark?

Can ya see the question mark in the clouds the setting sun revealed? More pictures here.

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!!!