Feeling just a tad bit smug with myself......

Why, because I have moved one rung up the ladder from being the total city idiot who lives around here.  Our new neighbour lady now has the bottom rung, as it turns out she is a city girl who has moved to the country.  Mind you I could be in for a bit of a competition, as she at least owns a horse and has two dogs.

Bumped into her while I was walking Molly yesterday and she was walking her two and just happened to mention about our resident coyote that is still wandering around.  She wasn't awfully thrilled about hearing him, and decided to walk back to the house rather than walk via the field.  As I pointed out to her, she had no need to worry with her two dogs, one is a boxer and the other is a black Bull Terrier, so they would over power a coyote.  Happened to see our coyote friend a bit later on by the way, he's now looking scruffy.

One good thing did come out of our meeting, Molly although interested at first with her dogs lost interest fast, as Molly's nose took her in other directions.  So I know she'll be fine with another dog being around.

The cluster flies are overtaking the house again.  I did however book the guy to come and point outside of the house for next month, so that should help in the Fall.  I also have a guy coming by to give me a quote on re-shingling the garage roof and I have been calling around to see how much chain link fencing is per linear foot.  From what I can gather $11.50 is the normal around here?  I don't have much in the way of knowledge of this product, but would like to have an area fenced so we could let Molly out off leash.  I was thinking four feet high would be fine?  If anyone has more experience in this any advise would be welcome.

Oh and by the way, Molly is in a state of confusion at the moment, as I walked her three times yesterday........she has never been walked as much since my brother was here!!!

Finally this photo was taken Sunday evening, we are very fortunate to see such beautiful sunsets:

A bit of this and a bit of that......

As I was reading Kim's blog yesterday, she was worried that the property around her is going to be sold and developed on, taking away her no neighbour living in the country feel.  It made me reflect on where we live.  We have five acres and our neighbour owns 39 acres, all around us.  Imagine a "C" shape, we are the hole in the "C".  Luckily though for us, our township only allows 2 severances per original homestead/farm of 100 acres.  In our case those severances have already been done.  We are the original homestead, the neighbours above us have the 39 acres, and behind us is another property with the rest of the acreage.  So there can be no more dividing of the land.  Also the land directly behind us is so hilly that it's not much use for anything other than pasture.  If anyone wants to put animals in there, they are going to have to re fence the whole property which I actually don't have a problem with.  Also I have no problem living next to a field full of animals.  So I think I can safely say we shouldn't be getting any more neighbours of the human kind any time soon!!

My poor old swiffer gave up the ghost the other day.  I have had it since they first came out, so it has earned its keep!!

 The new one looks all very fancy dancy, and is actually a bit longer, as although I am only 5' 5" the old one was a bit short.

 We went to dd's on Saturday afternoon and we took them, including ds out for supper to Mr. Greek.  It was good and it had been a while since we had, had Greek food.

I made dd a birthday cake.  However mine isn't as fancy as when she decorates cakes.  Mine was a packet brownie mix, with store bought frosting to go on the top.  Her "pet" name is Cons, that isn't her real name.

I had bought her a cake pan the same as the one I had baked the brownies in, so I took the cake down in the tin, and brought hers home.

Managed to get some more jobs done in the garden, including planting some more spring bulbs.  Fingers crossed the squirrels and the mice don't eat them all!!

I thought this was quite amusing and an award......

only because I live in an old farmhouse and this makes sense.

First let me say this was first written in the December 2009 issue of Harrowsmith Country Life magazine which I subscribe too and is a super magazine, especially for the Canadians out there, as it is a Canadian magazine.

Anyhow to get on with the article.

SPEND ONE WINTER IN A DRAFTY OLD FARMHOUSE AND YOU WILL QUICKLY REALIZE WHY:

• hooked mats were scattered over wooden floors (so bare feet need never touch the cold wood on the way to the bathroom.) We also have mats scattered over the bathroom floor as it is slate tile and it is freezing cold!! Why they didn't put underfloor heating in the bathroom when they renovated the bathroom is beyond me.......oh wait ....just as well they didn't as they would have screwed that up as well, like everything else they did!!
• every room had a door (so that you could contain heat to a single room or close off rooms that weren't in use.) Actually this applies to old homes in Britain as well, as they have doors to every room, whereas in Canada houses are more open plan especially downstairs. We do have doors on the bedrooms and the bathrooms for privacy.
• footstools were invented (to raise feet off the floor - sounds trivial, but it made a difference)
• wing chairs were the easy chair of choice (their solid arms and backs were effective in keeping drafts at bay) Pleased to say where we sit in the family room we don't have that problem, as we have replaced all the windows and patio door. Not to say there aren't any drafts, its just that we can't see daylight anymore through the door frame, like we did when we moved in!!
• bedsteads were enclosed by curtains (to conserve body heat)
• why kids slept three and four to a bed (again, body heat)
• folks wore nightcaps to bed (to keep their heads warm) Mental note to myself get dh a nightcap as he's always cold!!
• hot stovepipes meandered across upstairs bedrooms instead of being safely confined within a chimney. We have evidence of that in our house, as we have a hole in the kitchen ceiling that goes through to the landing floor, which is where a pipe went. We are putting a fan in the hole to blow hot air from downstairs to the upstairs for that same reason. There are decorative iron grills on the hole.
• no one slept naked. I can see me wearing my "winter nightie" for the first time in years (hot flashes and all that) when the weather does get cold!!

I got an award from Daily Decadent or it could be a Meme, not sure? Anyhow I have to think of six things to tell you about myself, that you don't know about me. This is going to be hard, as you know everything about me..........so I'm going to have to think hard.

1. When I was taking my "O" levels, I had an abscess in my tooth, so had to have the tooth extracted. It was the same day as I had to take my "O" Level maths exam. Anyhow, they let me take it when I got back from the dentist in a room by myself. And yes I did manage to pass it!!

2. I will not watch any scary shows or movies, as I can't sleep.

3. In the same theme, I can have a full blown conversation with you either on the phone or in person, when I am fast asleep. The latest episode was a couple of weeks ago with dh, and I generally have no recollection what so ever the next morning of the conversation.

4. I love milk chocolate, I love white chocolate, but cannot tolerate dark chocolate AT ALL, it gives me migraines; and I am really picky with what brands I eat, as I am used to British chocolate, and US/Canadian chocolate, is not the same!!

5. I really enjoy listening to music, and was even humming along to the tunes in the grocery store the other day. However I am tone deaf and couldn't carry a tune if my life depended on it!! I would LOVE to have a go on a karaoke machine, but would never use it if anyone was around.

6. I don't drink alcohol as it makes me fall asleep. I used to drink, and due to an unfortunate "incident" (drunk as a skunk!! though in my defence I mixed my drinks and that's what did it) in my younger days, I would never ever have a cherry in a drink.....I used to love "Cherry B, and BabyCham."

Then Finally:

Six Truths of Life

1. You cannot touch all of your top teeth with your tongue.

2.. All idiots, while reading the First Truth, will try it.

3. And they will discover that the First Truth is a lie.

4. You’re smiling now because you’re one of those idiots.

5. You soon will forward this to another idiot.

6. And there will still be a stupid smile on your face while you’re doing it.

I do not apologize about this and I do not feel sorry about sending it to you.I’m an idiot too and I just needed company!!! Thank you Tracey for this!!!