Bitter Cold

We lost our electricity yesterday for 3 hours.  By 5:30 pm it was back on and mom and I were doing happy dances but not long after the dancing stopped, mom and I both had fingers and paws crossed tightly that we wouldn't lose it again.  So far - so good.    It's minus 3 degrees F here with minus 15 and minus 20 degree wind chills.   brrrrrrrrrr

When the sun appeared, mom couldn't wait to go outside and take pictures of all of the ice covered EVERYTHING!
This is the first time she's wearing her Stabilicers and she couldn't wait to see if she slipped on the ice.  BTW, she is not wearing winter shoes.   The Stabilicers run small and she should have bought the size larger for her winter shoes. 

 The pictures don't do it justice but it looks like a crystal palace with the sun shining through the ice covered branches.    It's just beautiful! 
She happened to spot a man walking his Golden Retriever and all mom could do was stand there with her mouth open.   She couldn't believe what she was seeing.   She wouldn't even consider taking me out on the road today.   Not only is it too cold but there is a safety factor with traffic and slick roads and downed trees.   Hopefully, the dog had boots on.   He wasn't wearing a coat.

 The wind has been fierce and the bark on this tree is covered in shiny ice.    The branches on the tree right outside our kitchen window are ice covered and they are scraping the aluminum siding on the house and every time the wind blows, it sounds like someone scraping their fingernails on a blackboard☺

 This is the first time she's been in the front yard since the storm.

 On a scale of one to ten, how did she like the Stabilicers?   She gives them a TEN!   She never slipped once and she was walking on ice covered driveway and ice crusted snow.   But she still took me out through the garage and out the back door.   She knew that I would slip on the stairs and we can't have that.  

 No walkies for me today but I will be playing with my interactive toys~

And gnawing on my stuffed bone~

Stay warm and safe everybuddy!

Love ya lots♥
Molly

Our Ice Storm

Last night, when mom and I went out do last minute peepee's at 9pm, the snow was just beginning to twinkle down.    We went out this morning at 3am, and it was raining and my beautiful snow was already mushy. 

Now it's almost noon and the rain has taken a break - long enough for us to check out the yard. 
My sissy's boyfriend was here about an hour ago and he plowed our driveway.   Bless him 87 times over!
It's still very icy and very slick and mom decided that there was no way she was heading down the steps with me.

 So we went through the garage and out the back door and past our poor icy Rosemary.

 The Dogwood tree is weeping and covered in ice.

 The Bittersweet berries~

 And the Holly berries~

 This is just wet snow.

 Wet snow is not fun snow.   You can't see from this angle, but 3 long-needle Pine tree branches have already cracked and fallen to the ground and we are hoping that no more fall.

 It's starting to rain again and we need to get ourselves inside, mom!

 Right now, our temps are 30 degrees F.     In a few hours, the temps will drop like a rocket and the wind will pick up and it's possible more branches will fall.     We are praying they don't fall on power lines and we lose our electricity.    There is no generator here. 

Tomorrow, will be an icy cold bitter day and mom says no walkies for either one of us.

 There are many of us on the east coast experiencing this nasty storm.     Stay safe and warm, everybuddy! 

Love ya lots♥
Molly - reporting from icy Connecticut

Scarcely Any Snow on Saturday

Love ya lots♥
Molly

Nature Friday

We are joining Arty today for Nature Friday~

The Christmas cactus was mom's Christmas gift from my sissy last year.   It had buds on it but the buds fell off and it never bloomed.    Surprisingly, mom has kept it alive for an entire year and the plant is rewarding her with beautiful flowers!

  There is more than one bud on the plant but this is the only open blossom at the moment.

  Mom bought this cyclamen at the grocery store.   It was on sale and she figured that it would add some cheer to the winter days ahead~

Today would have been gram's 87th birthday.   Great-gram and gram had Dachshunds and Irish Setters always.  Those breeds were the favorites with both of them.  Mom doesn't know the Doxie's name but the Irish Setter is Lady.

Happy Friday, everybuddy~

Love ya lots♥
Molly

Today is Your Day

Today is your day to practice whimsey,
smile broadly, sing loudly,
paint your rooms in bold colors,
watch wondrous cloud animals parade your story,
search every rabbit hole
for a magical white bunny,
have caviar for breakfast
and oatmeal for dinner,
wear a purple coat with a red hat,
and dance lightly with life.
~Jonathan Lockwood Huie ~

Love ya lots♥

Molly

Molly Monday

Love ya lots♥
Molly

Nature Friday

We are joining Jakey this week for Nature Friday~

Tuesday morning we had a snow-drizzle mix.  I love my walk early in the morning and I convinced mom that we NEEDED to get out and walk and she said yes! 

 OMD - we found a Periwinkle flower in January!

See mom, it was well worth the walk even though we did get a little bit damp!

Happy Friday, everybuddy!

Love ya lots♥
Molly

The January Tree

Mom couldn't bear to put all of her Christmas trees away and lose the festive lights that make her happy when it's cold and dreary and this season, far too rainy, so she took off the red flowers and replaced them with blue hydrangeas☺

Guess what!
Mackie and Jett sent me January pressies!   I have my very own shopping bag!
Let's hit those store for the January sales, mom!

 And they sent me yummy treats!

Thank you, thank you!       You boys are excellent shoppers and I love my January gifts!

Can we do a make-over on the tree in February too and will there be gifts, mom?!

Love ya lots♥
Molly

Making Pomanders

Mom has been making pomander balls for the past couple of days.   Yes, we know that they're supposed to be made BEFORE Christmas to be used as ornies on your tree but mom doesn't always follow the rules.
She bought oranges at the grocery store and she bought a pound of whole cloves from Amazon.
The nut pick on the breadboard helps mom poke holes in the orange to make it easier on her fingers to insert the whole cloves.
She was listening to music and poking and inserting away.  She says it's fun and smells incredible!

 We're getting there!
She fills the entire orange with cloves because she has read that they last much longer when the entire fruit is covered and that's the way she's done it in the past.   Mom made pomander balls YEARS ago when a container of whole cloves was dirt cheap.  Now they're 4 times that price.    She used to make them with apples too.

 You will notice that she does use the powdered orris root.  Some pomander recipes don't call for it but it helps the orange to dry and prevents mold and the pomanders can last a long time.
Martha Stewart has a fun video on pomanders.

 Once the orange is filled with cloves, she puts it in a ziplock bag, which contains the orris root and the spices, and she shakes and rolls the bag till the orange is coated.

Mom headed outside to gather rosemary clippings and cedar greens and holly with berries and put them in a dish with the pomanders on top. The smaller pomander is a lemon.   The lemon slices came from Michael's and are fake. 

 Yes, it does smell good, mom, but I would rather have a yummy cookie from my cookie jar~

Mom had a fun morning on a rainy raw day and our kitchen smells so pretty!   Have any of you ever made pomander balls before?

Love ya lots♥
Molly

Nature Friday

We are joining Rosy today for Nature Friday~

I am on the road in front of the small woods on our property.   We wanted to show you our pretty stone wall~

 And this woods is directly across the street.   Some of the trees still have lots of their leaves~

 And right next to our mailbox, there is tons of pachysandra!

 This mushroom is pretty mushy from all the rain that we keep getting.

 This adorable little barn (that needs lots of help) is right up the street from us~

 We walked past Cecarelli Farms yesterday morning.   Isn't their huge wreath just beautiful!

 Happy Friday, everybuddy!

Love ya lots♥
Molly

A Surprise

On New Year's Eve, mom and I heard someone at our back door.  We weren't expecting company.  
It was a surprise from our most favoritest company - CHEWY!

 And the box was addressed to ME!

 It's a mama and baby Hedgie!

 Mama Hedgie is grunting at me!

 We need to talk!

 Thank you so very much, Chewy!   What a wonderful New Year's surprise!
I love, love, love my new Hedgies!       You are always the most generous and considerate.  We just love you guys♥

Love ya lots♥
Molly

Happy New Year

We wish you happiness, health and peace~~

Love ya lots♥
Molly