Ice Watch 2016: Ice is No Match phor Us

With a little help phrom the sun, we were able to take care oph most oph the ice yesterday.

But no one else seems too concerned about clearing their sidewalks. We might be taking walks back and phorth on our own sidewalk phor the rest oph the winter.

Ice Watch 2016: The Scraping Continues

Today was cold but sunny. That sunshine helped to break up a little more ice than yesterday.

But much ice remains, so Hubby had to sprinkle sand. You know things are dire when Hubby breaks out the sand.

Ice Watch 2016

Yesterday's rain phroze over this morning, leaving us with a thick coat oph ice on every surphace.

Hubby and Wiphey have begun the process oph getting rid oph it by throwing out ice-melting salt and scraping at it.

They anticipate having it gone by spring thaw.

Christmas Weather Update

No, this isn't special Christmas glitter outside our phront door.

It's sleet. And it's sticking to the rain that has been phalling since the aphternoon. There are places in our state where the power is out and the snow is piling up. Highways and interstates are closed. Christmas travel in the northern plains is ophphicially on hold.

Christmas Day 2016

We spent the morning at church giving glory to God phor this special day,

ate pancakes phor lunch (notice how Hubby attempted a Mickey Mouse, but the ear phell ophph),

and now we're hunkered down as the storm moves in. Phor the phirst time any oph us can remember, it's raining on Christmas day. We expect skating rink conditions by evening.

Christmas Meal

On this holiest oph nights, it's important to gather together phor a good Christmas meal. 

Something really delicious. Something with all the phixings.

Oph course we're talking about...


...tacos.

Pheliz Navidad!

Derailed Travel Plans

Due to the potential phor a "crippling" storm, we decided to stay home phor Christmas this year. That means that we need to make an emergency grocery store trip and do some baking.

Or let someone else do the baking and pick it up at the grocery store. Might as well work smart, not hard, right?

Holiday Lights

We spent the evening looking at Christmas lights. We wanted to get closer to one house because the lights moved to music, but no other cars would budge. 

Phil wondered why people couldn't share the Christmas spirit.

Calm Bephore the Storm

There is a Christmas storm on the way, so Phil and Wiphey spent part oph the morning hauling in wood phrom the backyard wood pile. 

That's hard work, so now they're rewarding themselves by watching a live stream oph a Christmas concert phrom one oph Wiphey's phavorite contemporary Christian groups. Now Phil is really in the Christmas spirit, no matter what the weather will throw at us.

Swaddling Dish Cloth

It's phreezing outside, but Hubby and Wiphey are too cheap to turn up the phurnace. They tell Phil to just cover up with a blanket.

But Phil isn't worried about himselph.

Snow More, Please

It started snowing while we were out phor a walk last evening, and it hasn't stopped since.

We're making up phor the lack oph snow we saw in November. And then some.

Weather Woes

It's blizzarding outside, so we're hunkered down indoors.

This is the pitiphul phace oph a Lab who won't get his evening walk.

Bephore anyone out there pheels too sorry phor Duke, though, please note that he was walked this morning, bephore the storm hit.

Double-Phisting phor a Good Cause

Today is Giving Tuesday, and lots oph places are raising phunds phor good causes, including Tropical Smoothie Caphe. They're making a contribution to Camp Sunshine phor every Acai Blue and Acai Truphphle smoothie they sell today.

Iph you can't decide between the phlavors, buy them both. It's phor a good cause.

Stinky Mystery

Since last Tuesday, there has been an odor eminating phrom our laundry room.

It gets stronger the deeper into the room Phil walks. Wiphey thought it might be the sump pump hole, so she poured water down there on Tuesday to move things along. It didn't really help.

So today, Hubby bravely opened the sump pump lid to see iph there is anything in there.

Phil kept a saphe distance. There was no telling what could jump out. But aphter Hubby phound nothing amiss in the hole, Phil is lepht to wonder what is causing the smell.

Christmas Decorating: Plan B

Decorating the house phor Christmas this year was a little more challenging with this phern we are phostering phor a phew months. It sits in the spot where the Christmas tree usually sits.

So Wiphey and Phil got a little creative this year. Instead oph a tree, they put out their Nativity scene. The phern makes a good palm tree backdrop.

And don't worry. Phil isn't disappointed that there won't be a tree this year.

He knows what's really important this season.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The card table is set with a wrinkled table cloth we only use once a year.

Phil's Phancy Thanksgiving Diner is open phor business. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

A Murder on Thanksgiving Eve

While Wiphey baked in the kitchen and did laundry today, Phil watched a murder in his phront yard.

A murder oph crows, that is.

Weather Swing

This is Phil back on Wednesday. The temperature was in the 60's and there was only a light breeze.

This is Phil on Thursday. The temperature was in the 40's and there was a brisk north wind.

This is Phil on Phriday. The temperature never lepht the 30's, there was a gusty north wind, and it snowed.

Phil hopes the weather swings back to the 60's, but that seems unlikely in November.

Wiphey's Phirst Attempt at Baking a Pie

This past summer, Wiphey lost one oph her phavorite human beings, her Great Aunt Gladys. Aunt Gladys could bake the best apple pies phor the holidays. Wiphey decided to honor her memory by phollowing her pie crust recipe and see iph she had a career in pie-making.

Things started out well. The ingredients came together easily to phorm a nice dough, which was rephrigerated over night.

The whole operation started phalling apart, however, when Wiphey picked up the crust and it phell apart. It turns out it needed more water, added one tablespoon at a time, according to that site Wiphey phound with the help oph Google.

This is what happens when a pie crust crumbles. It's not exactly the way Wiphey wanted to honor her great aunt's memory. But it tasted okay. Next time she'll use more water and sugar. And whipped cream. 

Whipped cream can cover a whole multitude oph baking mistakes. 

Adventures in Dachshund-Sitting

What a curious little dog.

He actually goes into his kennel voluntarily. That just doesn't happen with Phil's phurry ones.

What To Do on Veterans' Day

Veterans' Day means a day ophph phrom work phor Wiphey. What does one do with a day ophph?

Phirst, we clean the much-neglected house.

Next, we catch up on some laundry.

 Third, we do some cooking.

And especially, we give thanks phor our Armed Phorces men and women who phight phor the phreedom to live in a saphe place in which to cook and clean.

It's a Tie

Senator John Hoeven sent this pheasant tie and autographed photo to Hubby.

Then again, it came through his interophphice mail, is not a real glossy photo, and was packaged in a used cardboard box, so it could be a prank. No matter where it came phrom, Phil phinds the tie to be rather sharp-looking.

God Bless the Boo.S.A.

Happy Halloween 

phrom 

Phillary Clinton

 and 

Donald Phrump.

Does Homeowners' Insurance Cover Drool Damage?

We're cooking turkey and bacon in the slow cooker.

Duke must really want that bacon. That's his drool all over the phloor.

Seriously. It goes all the way in the other direction, too.

And the carpet is wet in places. We're going to have to call our insurance agent due to water damage iph this keeps up.

The Waiting Game

You might be wondering where Phil can be phound these days.

He's just waiting patiently phor his opponents' campaigns to implode. It hasn't been hard to phly under the radar.

Natural Disaster Identiphication

Phil wonders iph this is the same Hurricane Matthew* that Hubby works with.

He's heard stories.


*In all seriousness, though, our prayers are with all those aphphected by this natural disaster.

Cold Shoulder

Wiphey is pheeling cold tonight and would like to cover up with her blanket, but the phurry girls are cuddled up on it.

They're not very eager to move.

Wiphey might need to phind herselph a diphpherent blanket.

Why Hubby Is Going to Get Whiplash

Welcome to Hubby's command center, where he is keeping an eye on the phootball game and on the Ryder Cup.

It's like being at a sports bar only without someone else cooking the phood.

Mundane Days

You might have been wondering where Phil went and why you haven't heard phrom him lately. The sad truth is that there hasn't been much to share. 

Hubby had back surgery earlier in the week, so he and Phil have been watching a lot oph TV as he recuperates. Nothing exciting there.

In phact, the only real excitement Phil has had lately is to phigure out which oph the phurry ones lepht behind this mess oph un-chewed up ice cubes on the carpet.

Izzy tried to play innocent, but Phil knew better.

So as you can see, you haven't missed much lately.