Snow out back

Still snowing

Yep, we got snow

When we woke this morning it was grey, dismal, overcast, mild and dry. So we thought - maybe the forecast has changed, and we won't get snow. So we went out to breakfast and back home and still now snow. And it was still rather mild - in the lower 40s. Then the wind picked up...and in the midst of all the leaves that were falling were flakes...maybe snow....yes, SNOW.  And here it is, 3:37 and it's STILL snowing.
So, what to do on a dismal, snowy day?? Well, I made cookies. While I don't expect any trick or treaters, you never know so I'm now able to offer chocolate chip cookies.

They turned out quite good - it was a new recipe. It made 6 tray fulls. Honey was very interested in what I was baking. However, I don't feed her people food and especially no chocolate. I'll have to make her dog bones sometimes. Honey did get to go outside and just LOVES the snow! She enjoyed snow last year and she still loves it. B put her out on the deck that runs around the house. She was playing and eating the snow. B was throwing snow balls at her and she would bit them and wonder where they went. Below are some pictures of Honey.

As well as seeing Honey, you can see how much snow we have so far.

Right now we have about 4 or 5 inches. More to come. UGH!

Where did the snow ball go?????

Vampire Bite

Well, not a vampire but a tick. We worked outside yesterday and I was cleaning out flower beds and leaning over. This morning I washed my hair. After breakfast I wen to finish my hair and as I used the curling iron I noticed blood my neck. A bit of rubbing alcohol and some antibiotic cream was all I thought was needed. Then a bit later I touched it and it was hard eww. Had B check it ...... Yep a tick. Went to the local Urgent Care and after a short wait was seen by a very nice Doctor who indicated I was not the first person with a tick bite. She removed the rather small critter and yes, it could be a deer tick Got a prescription and I'm back home. So that kinda killed my afternoon.

Dinner is creamed chicken on toast using the SAMs chicken we got the other day. I'll make stock from what's left and freeze it. I'm needing another glass of wine....

Posting from my iPhone

Just updated my phone to the 5.0 software. Also downloaded the Blogger apt. So I'm trying it out. Let's see if this picture posts. It's the view as I sit at my computer on the lower level and look out the window.

Eating can be fun!

In anticipation of the rain we will get today, I cooked chicken out on the grill last night. I've found it easier to purchase a whole chicken (generally in the 4 to 5 pound range) that generally sells for 99 cents a pound at WalMart (Purdue) and then cut it up. I grilled half of the chicken on the grill adding BBQ sauce at the end. The wing tips and back bone get frozen separately as does the other half cut up into 5 pieces. Along with the chicken, I used a grill pan to grill veggies - potatoes, carrots and beets. B doesn't like the carrots and beets so I get them all! We shared the potatoes and I also made a salad. A very good meal! Below the grilling pictures are some pictures of Honey enjoying her meal!

The chicken goes on skin down for about 5 minutes. Then I turn it for another few minutes and then cook with indirect heat by turning the middle burner off and closing the lid.

The veggies then went on and the outside burners were turned to medium. The lid closed and I checked it every so often. About 8 minutes before the chicken was done, I brushed the chicken with BBQ sauce. Since I'm out of the sauce I make, I used one we purchased.

The meal was very good, if I do say so myself!!

And then there is Honey - who scarfs her food down like it's her last meal.

So, to slow her down a bit, we've been putting most of her kibble in these orange balls that she rolls around and as it rolls, kibble pops out. She can pick the ball up and move it around, something she does to be sure she gets every last bit! When one ball is done, she comes back into the kitchen and I give her the other ball which she drops, spilling out kibble. And around the house she goes, nosing the ball and then picking up the kibble.

 Here she is in the foyer - she likes it there as she can push up to the walls and move it along. The pictures are a bit blurry as she was moving rather fast!

And below, she is in the breakfast area and you can see the kiddie fence we use to block her from the lower level steps. She could push it aside but she doesn't. She goes all over the house with the balls and then will re-run her route to make sure she didn't miss any food. It does slow her down and we enjoy watching her.

Look, Up in the Tree!! Is it a Bird? NO - A Raccoon!!

Thursday night, while walking Honey, B saw two eyes glowing in the dark....up a tree by the back corner of the driveway. He thought it was some kind of animal but wasn't sure what. Friday he called me to the back deck off the bedroom and asked me to look up....and quite high up, this is what we saw. A raccoon up the tree. Apparently this is what he saw the night before and this guy appeared to be asleep. I quickly grabbed the camera and took some pictures. While we are always careful about not leaving sliding doors open for Honey, we will be particularly sure we close the screens the entire way..don't want a coon dropping in for a visit!

I went back a while later and he had moved around a bit.

Then I panned out - he/she is on the right tree below the branch that juts out to the right. Really quite high!