Thursday, January 31, 2013

One Wild Morning

Last night was a wild night here with very high winds and rain.  The rain wasn't the real issue with us - it was the wind!
When we got up at 4AM to do our bidness, it was very scary and very windy.  Mom told us to hurry so that we could get back inside and be safe and we did.   About 1/2 hour later when mom was on the computer writing to Aunt Lydia, she heard a C-R-A-C-K and then a BOOM!
These are the branches that mom heard.  It's a huge mangled mess and the only thing good about it is that it smells wonderful - like Christmas again because the tree is a pine tree. 
 This is the view from upstairs. 
 Mom and dad are cleaning for the Celebration of Life pawty on Saturday and as mom is washing windows she's stressing about that tall damaged tree top that's still hanging on .  Do you see it?

 We never saw it happen and we never heard it but when we left the barn to come back inside the house, look what was in the back yard.
That tree top fell. It wiped out our white lilac!   It's still windy here but not as bad as it was this morning.  This morning, the winds sounded like a freight train. 
The only real damage we had was this - a crushed downspout!
 We feel so very fortunate!  We did have other trees that came down but they're not close to the house and barns.  WHEW!

Look what I found on our morning walkie.  Coffee!  I carried it all the way home but never drank a drop!
This is our 1400 post!

So until next time.......

Love ya lots,
Mitch

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Penny

Penny is on the pond!
Dad let her out a few days ago.  She was bonding with Margaret through the fence so dad decided it was time.   The girls are getting along fabulously!

 Everyone seems to be happy outside, even in the snow.
 Except..........
Buster and Gussie.   They would rather be inside with their warm light bulbs than outside in the freezing cold water at the moment!   haha
They're doing a swan dance inside their house for you!
 Playbows to all of you!
Love ya lots,
Molly

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Another Special Gift

We received another very special gift in the mail yesterday.  This one is from Auntie Lydia and her AireBoy, Dave.    Auntie Lydia is making candle mats too!  Isn't it just beautiful!
 You can't really see all of the teenie tiny little gold beads all around the edge of the melon colored wool but they are there and "Maggie's" collar is a beautiful gold too.
 The purple stuffie at Maggie's feet is Baby, her very favorite stuffie. 

Thank you so very, very much, Auntie Lydia and Dave. You are so incredibly thoughtful! 
Our Maggie and Baby mat will live in the bedroom, right next to mom's side of the bed where she will see it every night before she closes her eyes and it will be the first thing she sees each morning when she wakes up.

Today is Aunt Lydia's birthday.  Happy Birthday, Aunt Lydia! We hope you have a wonderful day! We love you!

Love,
Mitch and Molly and Sue

Monday, January 28, 2013

A Whole Year Has Passed

We can't believe that it's been an entire year since our Maggie has been gone - a whole year already.  Not a day goes by that we don't think of her.
It was very difficult in the beginning but we can finally smile and laugh remembering so many of Maggie's antics - not that we don't have tears too because we still do.  Maggie was such a character!

This is one of mom's favorite pictures of Maggie.  Mom always wanted to learn how to crochet and she taught herself how to do it by watching many videos on You Tube.
She made a granny square lap quilt and Maggie got to sleep beneath it.
 Mom has been doing a lot of wool penny candle mats and she made this one in memory of her sweet and precious girl.   Because our mom grooms us, she still has some of Maggie's fur and her fur has been needle felted into "Maggie" on this candle mat.
There was no way that we couldn't add Mr Carrot seeing as he was one of Maggie's favorite toys. 
 We're getting to snooze beneath the special granny square quilt too!
We will always miss you and we will always love you, Maggie - forever and ever until the end of time.

Love,
Mitch and Molly

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Saturday, January 26, 2013

The Gift of Warmth

We got a pressie in the mail a couple of days ago and it came all the way from Israel.  We don't know anyone who lives in Israel so mom was a tad bit nervous about what she was going to find inside.
When mom opened it up she was laughing through tears!
There was no gift card that told us who the generous giver was but mom had a hunch that it was Miss Elaine and Sunshade and Jaffa.   A thank you email confirmed it!
 Aren't they fabulous and they fit mom perfectly and they fit Margaret perfectly! BZfingers even got angel Maggie's ears perfectly correct! And her favorite toy, Mr Carrot, is on the reverse side! Mom loves them so much that she doesn't want to wear them and get them dirty! 
They look much better on you and Margaret, mom!    I'm doing this for you ONLY because I love you!
What a wonderful surprise!  Thank you so much, Elaine and Sunshade and Jaffa!  You guys are so sweet and thoughtful!  This coming Monday will be one year since our angel Maggie went to Rainbow Bridge and not a day goes by that we don't think of her and miss her.

Love ya lots,
Mitch and Molly

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Italian Wedding Soup

We helped mom make soup! 
Mom has never made Italian Wedding soup before but her Nonna used to make it all the time and it was sure yummy.
We found this recipe at allrecipes.com
 The meatball making is in progress~
 The recipe calls for carrots.  We were reading our friend, Archie's blog on Tuesday and he was talking about putting heart-shaped carrots in your soup and seeing as mom had planned to make this soup, she decided to give it a whirl.   There is a lot of "waste" but that's what we're here for, right?
 hummmmmm - you will never make it as a gourmet chef, mom.  These hardly look like hearts!
 The recipe also calls for spinach and lots of it. 
 What do you think of spinach, Molly?  It's pretty good, don't you think?
 The meatballs have been dropped into the pot the they're beginning to cook.
 We're making a change here.  Nonna always used pastina, not seashell onies, and her soup was always the best so pastina it shall be!
The soup was yummy and dad didn't even laugh at your heart carrots, mom!  We can't wait to have it again!

Love ya lots,
Mitch and Molly

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Teaching Molly Manners

Molly is a tough cookie at mealtime.
Do you see this picture.
Molly's side of the crate had a huge piece of cardboard on it so she couldn't see me during meals.
She used to give me the stink eye to hurry it up cause I'm comin' over there to finish your food for you, Mitch!    Mom didn't like it so the cardboard went up and it stayed there for quite awhile.
Mom finally decided that it was time to take the cardboard down and see how it goes.   It was going great.  No stink eye and Molly was minding her business and letting me finish my meals in peace.

Molly hasn't slept in her crate since last August.  Once she got a bed upstairs at the foot of mom and dad's bed, she never went into her crate again. It's basically storage for stuffies.
 So no more crate but mom was still leery of putting Molly right next to me at mealtime so this is where we are now.
Mom's goal this year is to get that gate down and have us eating side by side and for Molly to mind her business and stay on HER side!
Wish us luck!  We'll let you know how it goes.

So until next time...........

Love ya lots,
Mitch and Molly

Friday, January 18, 2013

Together Forever

Our longtime blogging friends, Lele and Tris, have gone to Rainbow Bridge.  Lela crossed in early December and Tris crossed this past Wednesday.  The girls were 13 years old and littermate sissies.

Lele and Tris were the AireChicks.   We blogged with them way back in 2007 - we were new bloggers and they were too.
The girls gave Maggie a cow udder toy for her 9th birthday.
We still have that same cow udder tug toy today!  We've taken good care of it, girls~
The AireChicks also had an ice cream cone contest in July 2007.  This was the entry for Maggie and Mitch~
We had so much fun blogging with Lele and Tris while they were blogging.  Like so many others, they left for facebook so we kept up with them there. 
 
We hope that you girls and angel Maggie are enjoying an ice cone together at the Bridge.
We will never forget you.  You both hold very special places in our hearts and you always will
Huge hugs to your mom, Miss Sherry.

We love you,
Mitch, Molly and Sue

Thursday, January 17, 2013

We Got Snow

The tail of an AireGirlie!    hummmmmmm
 You're goin' DOWN, Molly!



We LOVE snow!

Yes, our mom did make the wool heart candle mat.   Thank you so much for all of your wonderful compliments!

So until next time............

Love ya lots,
Mitch and Molly

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Monday, January 14, 2013

More New WaterFowl

Dad was in New York yesterday morning and he came home with 3 new black duckies.  He got them to keep Penny company and to help her to feel more at home here.  Penny wasn't coming out of the swan house and he was afraid that she was depressed.
Not any more!
She was in the pond earlier going for a swim with her new best buddies. 
 Poor Penny is soaked~
 She's drying off quickly!
 Gussie is swan dancing for Penny!  Uh Oh - what will Buster think?!
 He's really keeping an eye on her!
Dad is thrilled that Penny is so much happier!

So until next time............

Love ya lots,
Mitch and Molly

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Friday, January 11, 2013

The WaterFowl

We have been lax in posting updates on the new members of our waterfowl family. 
We did blog about Dauby's passing. We miss her ever single day. 
You all heard about the 3 lardbuttfatasses, as we call them. They're domestic Grey Lag/African goosie mixes and the largest female is a loud mouth who thinks she rules the pond.   That's them on the right side of the picture. When dad had them flown here from South Carolina, he was planning on them being true Grey Lag geese.  OOPS!
And of course, our dad being dad, kept hunting until he finally found a true pair of Grey Lag's so we now have true Grey Lags that have joined the flock. 
And of course, our dad can never be happy with what he has so this past Wednesday, 3 more Grey Lag geese arrived from New York.  They're on the left side of the picture and they're getting friendly with another Grey Lag goosie that was from the first shipment. 
Dauby's mate, Margaret is still with us.  She's a nice mute swan and gets along with everyone.   We still have the Flintstones - the Barnacle geese.  They're the ones standing at the edge of the ice.  They are the cutest, nicest most friendly little guys ever!  Everyone loves them.
 You know that Gussie's wife, Myrtle died.  She was killed by being too friendly to a predator and it breaks our heart to think about it.   Dad decided that Gussie needed a mate so he has added Buster, who is also a male black swan.   Buster is laid back and Gussie is the more aggressive of the two.  We shall see what happens when they're let out of their pen in the spring.  So far the boys are doing great together!
 This is Penny. She's a young mute swan, actually still considered a cygnet. She still has her grey baby feathers. She'll turn white and have an orange beak like Margaret does when she's an adult. 
Penny arrived yesterday and she's very timid and sweet as can be.  She still peeps like a baby swan does.  She will be staying penned up until she gets a wee bit older.  We hope that she and Margaret will become the best of friends. 
 And I, Miss Molly, went to PetSmart this morning and had my nails trimmed and after that, mom and I took the car to be washed.  It was my very first time at the car wash only I didn't stay inside the car - I got to go inside with mom.  As mom and I stepped out of the car to go inside, we spotted a pretty penny - another hello from our sweet angel Maggie!   Thank you, Maggie!  Not a day goes by that we don't think of you~
 So until next time...........

Love ya lots,
Molly