Our Icescape.

I haven’t even left the house. Don ventured out yesterday, but he had to plot how he was going to reach our cars. You have to walk through the snow (which is coated in ice) and stay away from the areas of the driveway that were “cleared” because all of that quickly turned to ice. Don wanted to see if he could move his car and he did, but I could barely watch. My car is still sitting there, though Don started it and let it run for a while.

Along with all the ice, we had very high winds for 3 days. So many people around here are iced in. And there’s a shortage of salt. It’s sort of a nightmare. We won’d see any difference until Saturday when the temperatures will finally be above freezing. Next week will be better.

I have officially had it with winter. No more, thank you very much.

Thank you for all of the lovely comments on MHC’s 17th anniversary. In the midst of all of the ice and wind, it was so heartening to read them all. I don’t mind saying that I teared up more than once. You are all so dear to me. Thank you.

I took this the other day because it’s one of my favorite views:

I love the fireplace and the paintings and the mini-Roseville pottery. There’s another miniaturist out there who makes his own version of Roseville pottery, but his have a glossy glaze, which is not found on real Roseville. So I stick to these. I ordered another one for the Beacon Hill and I’ll order some more when I can afford them.

The Beacon Hill. I’m still not sure about things. It’s so large, it takes up so much space, and I am reminded that renovating a dollhouse is expensive. Wallpaper, wood, flooring, paint, furniture. Even when I buy inexpensive furniture, the cost quickly adds up. Should I sell it and go with something smaller? If I tried to do that, would anyone buy it? Times are hard economically. Would I regret selling it?

This is the ongoing monologue in my head these days.

Meanwhile, I filmed a little tour of Dove Cottage for my YouTube channel. I film it first, then I add music and my voiceover. But the challenge is trying to get everything I want to say into the time allotted. Adding the music helps mask the street noise, as well. Hope you like it. (You’ll see my aging hands a couple of times.)

Just visit YouTube and search for: claudiathechroniccollector

Dove Cottage

This little channel is just a way to share my collections and creations and have them safely stored someplace other than the blog.

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

Slow going. It’s challenging puzzle, but you all know that I like challenging puzzles. The design at the bottom is the hem of the Geisha’s kimono.

Gosh, this weather forecast is a bit scary. 4 – 6 inches of snow – starting today around noon – and then ice. And this morning we got a high wind warning from the National Weather Service. Our area could get gusts up to 40 mph, and the higher elevations, even worse. Icy trees and high winds are not a good combination. Advice from the NWS: charge our phones and any chargers, as well. Crap.

Don is going to get some salt this morning and a some canned goods.

I’m praying that we don’t lose power, that everyone around here has power. Most of us get our water from wells, and well pumps are powered by electricity, not to mention our oil burners. With temperatures in the 20s, none of us can afford to lose heat. And before you ask, no we don’t have a generator. We can’t afford one.

So, send the Hudson Valley some positive energy, okay? This could be very messy. I’m hoping that we have more snow than predicted, which would mean less ice.

Anyway, that’s all I can think about right now.

Thank goodness we have a gas stove!

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.

This is the lazy way of taking a photo: grab the phone and, without getting out of your chair, turn to the right and click.

I like it.

I’m feeling better today. There’s still some residual congestion, but then again, I’m always congested. It was a sinus thing and dear husband took care of me. All is well now.

Happy Valentine’s Day. I’m the only one in this house who remembered it this morning. But we don’t make a big deal of it anyway. And to be fair, we were barely awake when I said it. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

(With this newer laptop, I can now add little emojis, but I’m not a huge fan, so I rarely do it.)

Well, more snow is coming tomorrow, along with ice and sleet. That’s the way it is lately. Snow, then ice. Heavens, I am sick of winter. Please fast forward to spring. Don and I have started these little monologues in which we imagine sitting on the porch looking at the green leaves on the trees and all the flowers in bloom. With the bleakness of the landscape and our country, we desperately need these little visualizations. Oh, I cannot wait to be outside clearing out the garden beds, planting seeds, and fixing up the porch.

I know, I know. It will be quite a while until that happens.

I’ve started another puzzle. This one is beautiful. It’s a Japanese print of a Geisha. I’ve managed to find all the edge pieces, so that part of it is done. I will post it when I’ve completed it.

I’m reading  I Hear the Sirens in the Street  by Adrian McKinty, the second book in his ‘Troubles” series. I’m also reading a book I’ve had on the shelf for several years about the famous Chelsea Hotel in NYC, a place that has always fascinated me. It’s titled  The Dream Palace. But I admit that it’s been hard to concentrate on reading lately. Still, I’m plugging away.

More tomorrow.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.