Snowbound Project: Getting Organized

One advantage to not being able to go far the last two weeks is that I have worked at getting myself organized. I felt like chaos was beginning to take over in places in my house.
One big project was to organize digital pictures. Backing them up on an external drive, doing a better job of labeling, knowing where to find them on a disk, and figuring out a better organization system was a tedious task, but I am glad I have taken it on. One hundred pictures of Kit- off to the Recycle Bin. You can guess I had way too many pictures of the lake from my deck. It was difficult, but some bouquet pictures had to go also. Perhaps I should spend another week and make collages like the one above... oh wait! I have to go back to school! I also worked on music downloads... not as tedious!!I also tackled the closets and cupboards. The nice part about reorganizing closets and cupboards is that you find things you forgot you had. Another advantage is it gives you an opportunity to check the strength of your giant garbage bags. Good night... where does the stuff come from? I am convinced now that some of the items in my closet reproduced when I wasn't looking. I was so happy to find some very cute snowman thank-yous that will come in handy this week-end!
The "Christmas stuff" also got an extreme makeover. Once I threw out the half pieces of ribbon, the faded bows, and the torn bags I had an amount I could work with. Is it too late to find after Christmas sales to restock my tubs?The recipe files also got purged. I am old-fashioned when it comes to recipes. I still use my cookbooks and recipe cards. I was at the store buying more recipe cards and a box and the clerk explained proudly how she organized all her recipes on the computer and then can just bring them up when she needs them. First of all something would surely get spilled on my laptop if I had it anywhere near my cooking counter. Also, what joy is there in knowing where the recipe is? Isn't part of the creative pleasure of cooking rifling through three cookbooks and a basket of newspaper clippings trying to find the right recipe? I do download recipes and I do have a file on the computer, but I also have my "hard copy" cookbooks, the original recipes written by my mom, notes in a cookbook from my grandmother, and personalized recipe cards from neighbors and friends.

I love recipes, but these are my rules for throwing out a recipe:
If I have had the recipe for three years and still haven't tried it, it goes.
If the recipe has at least three ingredients that I have never heard of or can't buy in my area, it goes.
If the recipe requires complicated pans, thermometers, cheesecloth, parchment paper, and three types of strainers, it goes.
If the directions are three pages long and use at least five cooking terms I have never heard of , it goes.
I said bye-bye to a pile in my collection. Believe me though , I could still do a macaroni and cheese cook off with all the versions of the recipe I still kept!I am off now to begin the home office shelves. Hopefully spring won't arrive before I finish! I'm sure you have guessed that the house pictures are not my own. I couldn't find the camera under the pile of wrapping paper tubes and old magazines! Plus, my clutter areas weren't quite as photo perfect.

Now don't get me wrong. I am not one of these perfectionists that alphabetizes her home library and organizes sticky notes by color, but sometimes it is nice to just find things again. I was ready to say good-bye to clutter, find the top of my desk again and find a place to sit!Now where did I file all those cords?

How Are the Pets Doing?

Our furry friends have adapted well to being snowbound. Annie loves the snow and will go out and run, roll, and doesn't seem to be bothered with getting cold. Can you tell what this is? We did not decide to attach cotton balls to Annie's fur. All of Annie's "feathers" turned into tiny snow balls when the cold snow and her fur collided. When she pranced in she looked like she was wearing a pom pom sweater!
Shelby is another story." Do I have to go outside?" she asks. Her breed is used to that hot Australian outback so she stays inside and lays by the fire if she has a choice.
I shared in recent post how our cats love the greenhouse. Here is another shot of Kit hiding among the Christmas cactus. Annie leaves Shelby inside and heads back out into the snow! I hope you are enjoying your New Year's Day and are warm and cozy wherever you are!

New Year's Eve Winter Road Trip

After enjoying a beautiful drive around the lake today I decided to put the photo images all together with music. Enjoy an afternoon road trip in my scenic corner of the world.

Sibling Assignment #87: A Perfect Day

I gave the assignment this week. "Describe a perfect day. " I will link my siblings' posts when they are done.

My perfect day would be a Saturday in the spring. It would be perfect to pick one of those days when the gardens are just coming alive and it is warm enough to be outside.I would start my day with enjoying the Meyers Falls Market blend coffee made by our local coffee roasters. Toast with orange marmalade would be on the side.This favorite wall hanging of mine reminds me of that need for a spot. It hangs on the door of my home office which is where I would then continue with my perfect day. The view of the front gardens is perfect as I take time to appreciate the world around me. I will light a orange ginger aromatherapy candle for energy. The rest of my morning ritual of reading my daily verses, checking news and online activity on my laptop will take place as I appreciate the sounds of Appalachian Spring by Aaron Copeland and The Four Seasons by Vivaldi. Packing up a picnic, cameras, music, and the dogs the rest of the day would be spent on a road trip with JEJ. In the spring of the year it is nice to catch the world beginning to turn green. I also love sky pictures.Upon returning home we'll grab our favorite beverages, build a fire in the gazebo and sit and enjoy the sounds of the birds and the crackling fire. To really make it a perfect day I would have stopped for a Gourmet Vegetarian pizza at Papa Murphy's so I won't have to cook dinner!

Downloading pictures will be my first task after moving back into the house. That will be the time to reflect on the peaceful day. It will be time to write my blog and check in on other blogs. Finally, it is time to grab a book on the nightstand and settle in for some reading before bed. As I lull off to sleep I count my blessings and smile remembering a perfect day.Now I am off to create another perfect day in the snow and sunshine. Happy New Year!

Photo Images of Snowbound 2008

We had a bit of a reprieve today as the wind stopped blowing and the snow let up. I kept taking pictures as we walked around our place, drove along the county road, and managed a trip "to town." There is not much else to do outside! While JEJ has been very busy removing snow from roofs, the trellis wasn't a top priority. It makes for a unique picture. At the Kettle Falls bridge Lake Roosevelt looked as gray and cold as the sky. A field along the highway shows deep snow and a house that was being built. That project may be put on hold.This is the snow pile in the parking lot at Safeway in Colville. Yes, the traffic lights are about the same height. At the Clock Square in Colville the group of statues look like they are wearing while ski masks. The rest of the square got buried under a pile of snow. The bird feeders are still wearing snow caps back at home.JEJ decided to do some finishing touches to the driveway after our friend came and plowed. More snow is predicted tomorrow. Somebody asked me if this is usual. This snow has broken all records in our area for snow in December. No, this much all at once is not normal.

A Cure for Cabin Fever: A Morning in The Greenhouse

As another four inches of snow fell today I surrounded myself with memories of summer as I deadheaded, replanted, restored, and rejuvenated the plants in the greenhouse.
Bundling up in fleece I kept warm and content with a thermos cup of coffee , soft music playing in my ears, and the smell of dirt and scented geraniums enveloping me.
Considering the cold temperatures the plants have done fairly well. A few tender plants on the floor close to a window got some frost damage, but many have continued to bloom.

The cats love to visit me in the greenhouse and while working I kept finding them peeking out from behind plants and pots.It is hard to take in how much snow has fallen. This is the doorway of the greenhouse with Annie standing on top of the snow bank. Some of this has come off the roof, but this is deep snow.
Through the greenhouse window I observed JEJ heading off with a ladder to do more snow removal on the outbuildings as Annie runs ahead. We have about three feet of snow around out place.
I marveled at the icicles through the light of the window.

As I turned this pot back from the window I was pleasantly surprised at the lovely blossoms. This healthy scented geranium will provide great starts as we begin propagating in a few weeks.