Sudokuaholics Anonymous 11

''If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.''

- Dalai Lama

Well done, Heidi! A BOPP and a TOPP, and both quite true!

CynB, how discouraging to face hard borders again, and most likely because a few people think they are better than everyone else and don't need to abide by the rules. I hope your new neighbor will be able to visit her father in Belgium or find a way for him to join her and her husband in Australia sometime in the coming year! SO MANY people will have their plans crushed because of the actions of a relatively few people.

CynB and Heidi, our postal service here (and apparently in much of the world) leaves much to be desired. I guess we should be thankful that it used to be so much better and more reliable!

Thinking of Everyone and sending much love, , healing energy, positive thoughts, {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, and prayers! Take care, Everyone!

My 'Junk Mail' arrives every week, on time, without fail...

I picked up my Christmas present to myself today. It's a large wagon/dump cart I can use for carrying buckets of feed or cleaning out horse stalls. It's the nicest, sturdiest one I've seen. And it's easier on my back than using a wheel barrow. It can even be towed behind a 4 wheeler.

Sounds like a good piece of kit, Heidi.

DOrA, sometimes the junk mail we get surprises us, sometimes it's more interesting than finding nothing, and sometimes it's just reassuring that some mail is still being delivered.

Heidi, what a terrific idea for a gift to yourself. After all, who knows you better and knows exactly what you need? It sounds like a very thoughtful gift!

My question to everyone, does anyone else buy a Christmas present for yourself? It seems like a very good idea. You'll be sure to receive something you want, need, and can use!

Christmas is sneaking up on us. We had another day of 2 appointments. I'm really getting tired of the time commitment and amount of driving I need to do. I think the worst is driving between appointments and trying to predict the amount of time necessary - or a quick return home between appointments, if there's enough time. Today we got home around 4 PM - and had our lunch - after which I needed to do a grocery run.

Thinking of Everyone and hoping all of you are ready and looking forward to your Christmas/holiday activities (even if it's just a walk along the edge of your property with the good company of your hound.

Sending positive thoughts, healing energy, prayers, {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, and ! Take care and stay well!

And here we are Christmas Eve down under and I'm as ready as I'll ever be. Gifts wrapped, shopping done. Have a few dishes to make for tomorrow's Christmas at my daughter's. Good news is that our over 30c temps of the past week have reduced to mid 20c's. Much easier to handle.
Great BOPP and TOPP Heidi! That Margaret Thatcher was a formidable woman. I don't know whether anyone saw 'The Crown' on Netflix, about the Queen's reign but in the most recent series (4) deals in part with the Thatcher years. She was played extremely well by Gillian Anderson of XFiles fame. Great seried whether you're a royalist or not.

I doubt that I will get here tomorrow morning so I want to wish you all the best Christmas you can possibly have in these hard times. For those of you who are alone whether by choice or circumstance, raise a glass and drink to better times ahead and I will do the same from here. Cheers!

The temperature right now (~ 8 PM) is 55˚F / 12.8˚C. And falling. By the time I get up in the morning it will be below freezing.... and will stay there for a few days. Meanwhile, we're supposed to get snow for Christmas Eve and Christmas.



I'm so glad I put a couple of rolls of hay out for the cows this afternoon.

Tomorrow afternoon I'll be delivering the few Christmas presents that have arrived on time to friends. If I'm lucky, a few might arrive in tomorrow's mail. I can then quickly wrap them.

One of the ordered presents DID arrive today. It's already wrapped and ready to be delivered.

Presents delivered. My last delivery was to my good friend Anita. I did not see her. She and her whole family were off at the hospital being tested for the Covid-19 virus. As soon as I got home, I got a text from her. They all have the virus! What a lousy Christmas present.

Got ANOTHER 'possum in the trap in the alpaca pen!!! A big female this time.
#17 for 2020.

Actually, that's #17 since just the middle of July.

Even though it will be just me and the hound for Christmas, tomorrow, I made the traditional family desert. And I have the brine ready for the turkey breast. The turkey will go on the 'Weber', tomorrow. I've never tried brining before. I hope it's worth the effort...
Merry Christmas and best wishes for a bright(er) New Year.

Wow, Heidi. Sounds like a county wide eradication program you have going with the 'possums. Sadly, it's necessary for self-preservation.

I'd like to wish everyone the very best possible Christmas, no matter how many are in attendance! May the coming year bring better news, fewer worries, outstanding health, freedom from Covid-19 and any other pandemic-causing viruses, and good news of all sorts! Merry Christmas to Everyone! If you don't receive the gift you were hoping for, get it for yourself and enjoy it; you deserve it! Enjoy whatever safe contact is possible, even if it's 'only' a 4-legged family member, and know that there are fellow Sudokuaholics around the world thinking of you and sending good wishes!

Sending healing energy, prayers, positive thoughts, {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, , and some good old-fashioned Christmas spirit! Take care and enjoy! Merry Christmas and the happiest of holidays!

Woke up this morning to a dusting of snow. Everything is white.... barely.

to everyone!!!

I hope you all had a great Christmas. Sounds like some might have had a white Christmas.
That's something I'll never see now. I always wanted to see a white Christmas but now it will possibly be a few years nefore international travel will be safe and I'm 73 soon, getting too old to travel. I'm slower on my feet and in my reactions. I'll only get worse. I have never wanted to limit myself but sometimes you just have to accept that those limitations are here to stay.
So I'll just be 'dreamining of a white Christmas' in the future. It would probably be too cold for this tropical girl anyway.

My hubby listened to my hints and got me a melody chiming clock. For a long time I have had a Grandfather Clock, but I loved this melodic wall-hanging one. As well as the regular Westminster chime, it has 4 Christmas and 7 classical tunes (Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Pachilbel and others). The volume can be adjusted. I love it and it sounds so sweet.

Christmas is over.
Time for a New Year avatar.

My first post today - that should be 'dreaming' not dreamining! Doh!

Kept busy today doing some household repairs. Nothing exciting. The bitter cold of yesterday (High of 17˚F/ -8.3˚C) yesterday, with high winds and flurries is over.
It actually got a little above freezing today!

Hi, Everyone! Well, Christmas has been here and gone already. We did a Zoom call with children & grandchildren. We also got to see the 'granddogs.' Two of the 3 in Massachusetts are still puppies (8 months or younger) & aren't allowed in the Family Room. The other Massachusetts dog is about 8 years old, as is the Illinois dog, so they aren't room-restricted. I still need to write and address Christmas cards & wrap gifts for the Illinois family.

I'm about to fall asleep, so will send all the good thoughts and wish all of you a good night!

Heidi, Is this one of your neighbors?

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9090179/Kentucky-man-manages-quickly-clear-dr iveway-flamethrower.html

You will have to remove the space in 'dr iveway'...

Funny. He's about 4 hour's drive east of me. They got a LOT more snow than we did.

Haha! He was having a good time doing that!
I imagine it would be quicker than the conventional way to clear a driveway.

I once bought a propane flame thrower specifically for melting ice on sidewalks and burning weeds in the same walkways in summer. I think it scared my cowardly ex-IH, because he disappeared it.

Spent another day doing simple chores and repairs. Nothing spectacular. For instance, I changed a light bulb. That took just over half an hour and tired me out. The reason was because it was a broken bulb high up in the horse barn's center aisle. I had to drag out my 22 foot ladder, adjust it to the proper length (readjusting it twice for the safest angle) and set it up. Then I had to find 2 sets of pliers and a 100 watt LED bulb. Then I had to climb the ladder, use the pliers to remove the stuck base of the bulb (the glass bulb was already gone) from the socket (I made sure the power was off first) and finally put in the new bulb. Then I climbed down and tested to make sure it woked. It did. So I then took the ladder down and put it away. That was actually the highlight of all my dozens of chores today. I also got to use various power tools and my hammer replacing a damaged door frame. Now for a break.

Still keeping busy doing lots and lots of little chores. Most of the chores are dirty or dusty. And since it's above freezing outside, it's like playing in mud puddles. Mike the Vet beat me to feeding hay to the calves, though. We'll probably take the steers to the sale barn in 2 weeks. They're much bigger than last years steers were this time of year.

I'm tired. But it's a good tired... the kind where you feel like you've accomplished something.

Well, I managed to hurt my back badly. Don't know how. On Monday I went down to the supermarket to buy all I needed to make lunch for yesterday, which was the Christmas gathering with my siblings and spouses at my house this year. By the time I got back I was limping and as the day wore on the pain in my back, hip and knee got really bad. Not to be deterred I soldiered on cooking and cleaning. Yesterday morning, the same, preparing the feast, sitting on a kitchen stool to ease the pain while I chopped fruit and made salads etc. By the time they arrived I could barely move. Thank goodness for family, they took over, under my instruction, organised and dished up the meal and cleaned up afterwards. Despite all that, it went really well and we had a great day together. I slept well last night, exhausted I think, the pain has eased this morning, and I will be taking it easy for the next few days, Plenty of leftovers.

Heidi, I'm glad you didn't fall off that ladder!

Normally I would have had someone around for safety while up that high, but I wedged the 22 foot ladder very securely in the trusses, so it could not slip an inch. I felt safe.

I'm SO sorry to hear about your back pain, CynB. Thank goodness that family members helped out to make it easier on you. Taking it easy for a few days is a good idea.

Hi, Everyone! I hope all are well and have found some time to relax after the busy-ness and possible stress of Christmas.

CynB, I'm so sorry to hear about the awful back pain you experienced! Do you think you actually did something that injured your back, or might some of the stress and rushing around in preparing for the meal for your family have contributed to your back pain? I'm glad family members pitched in, and the gathering was fun, and you will take a few days post-party to recover! How nice that you could all enjoy a great holiday together! Hooray for leftovers!

Somehow the days are slipping away from me without me getting very many of my chores accomplished. I'm still the designated driver while hubby continues to recover from his eye surgery. Three times a week he has at least 90 minutes of physical therapy, which wouldn't be too bad, except that very few companies/locations have the equipment for one of the prescribed therapies, so we need to drive about 40 minutes to get to one that has it. At least I can go inside and read or listen to music while I wait for him.

Heidi, I'm so glad you were very careful and planned & prepared before changing the light bulb! That was quite a chore. It's no wonder it took 30 minutes to accomplish!

Thinking of Everyone and sending warm holiday wishes, positive thoughts, healing energy, prayers, {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, and

Greetings to Everyone and Happy New Year!

CynB, I hope your back is feeling much better!

Heidi, how is your ear doing? Have you encountered any more possums? I hope you're getting more of the chores done! It will be a great feeling to start the New Year know what you've been able to accomplish a lot!

DOrA, I hope you and the Hound enjoyed the opportunity to walk among the trees on Christmas! How was the brined turkey? Did you enjoy the family dessert?

Midge, I hope you were able to be at home with your family for Christmas!

Thinking of Everyone, especially anyone I have neglected to name, and hoping that the New Year will bring good health, happiness, and many safe opportunities to enjoy being with family and friends!

Sending , healing energy, prayers, {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, positive thoughts, good health and safety, and wishes for a wonder ! Take care and stay healthy!

I'm still getting some extra chores done, but I've slowed down the pace because it's raining outside. And will be for a few more days.
I'm picking up a 6 month old rescue dog tomorrow. She looks to be a Lab or Golden retriever mix, from the pictures I've seen. I'll know more when I meet her tomorrow afternoon.

Well it's already 2021 here in Australia.
At midnight I sat alone in front of the TV, Col had gone to bed. I looked for fireworks celebrations and then remembered they were cancelled due to Covid and reducing crowds.
So I watched Gatsby again.

Happy 2021 to all our SA friends, those that post, those that read and don't post and anyone else who stops by.
May 2021 be better than 2020. (We don't have a fingers crossed smilie.)