I need Hermione's magic bag...
...To hold all of this stuff. In a burst of motivation and energy brought on by a sunny afternoon, I hauled in several boxes and bags of craft room stuff to organize. Quite a bit of exercise was had by making multiple trips back and forth carrying things. Even more exercise was had in the process of emptying said boxes and bags. My craft room is currently overflowing while I try to get Things put together with Similar Things and neatly put away. This is definitely not a one-day task, but I'm reasonably pleased by the progress made.
I do honestly have enough spinning fiber, yarn, weaving thread, fabric, and miscellaneous craft supplies to open a store. (But then I'd have to give it up, which will never do.) In between spurts of organizing, I'm doing laundry and various other chores, plus carrying in wood and keeping the fire stoked so that Their Majesties will not get a chill while they sprawl around the living room.
As for driving this winter - as we now live in a place on a gravel road up in the hills - I haven't had any of the problems I expected I would. The county has been keeping the road well plowed and I got studded tires for my little car. They work so well that in places where Shannon has needed four-wheel drive to keep going, I've just buzzed along with no issues. I even bought snow chains earlier in the season to have just in case, but they haven't been needed so far. I've decided that studded tires are AWESOME.
The feral cats are still doing well. We decided not to try trapping them until spring; we don't want to make them wary of their shelter while they still need it. Still have not been able to make contact, but I'm getting closer. Daisy (mom) has carefully sniffed my fingers a few times and will crouch within 2 or 3 feet while I refill the feeders or water bowl. She will nibble treats off the top step while I kneel there. Kermit still runs off the patio when I step outside, but he loves playing with the bouncy stick with feathers that I bought them; I kneel just inside the open sliding glass door and he plays with the feathers 3 feet away. Ivy is still very spooky when I come and go, but she's been very interested in watching our indoor cats through the glass while they get attention.
In between all of this, I've been planning my garden for this spring. I've decided to put most everything inside one large fenced enclosure - fruit trees, berry bushes, and raised beds for veggies and herbs. The nice thing about planning this far ahead is that I can purchase the supplies over several paychecks. Fencing will be next weekend's purchase. Next will be lumber to build the beds, and then loam to fill them. There are a few places in the valley I'll need to call to find out who can give me the best deal on a dump-truckful of loam. (The soil here is very rocky and clayey, and not conducive to digging.)
~puts more wood on the fire~
I'm running out of steam here. I think I'd better just stack the rest of the bags in the craft room for now and call it a night.
I do honestly have enough spinning fiber, yarn, weaving thread, fabric, and miscellaneous craft supplies to open a store. (But then I'd have to give it up, which will never do.) In between spurts of organizing, I'm doing laundry and various other chores, plus carrying in wood and keeping the fire stoked so that Their Majesties will not get a chill while they sprawl around the living room.
As for driving this winter - as we now live in a place on a gravel road up in the hills - I haven't had any of the problems I expected I would. The county has been keeping the road well plowed and I got studded tires for my little car. They work so well that in places where Shannon has needed four-wheel drive to keep going, I've just buzzed along with no issues. I even bought snow chains earlier in the season to have just in case, but they haven't been needed so far. I've decided that studded tires are AWESOME.
The feral cats are still doing well. We decided not to try trapping them until spring; we don't want to make them wary of their shelter while they still need it. Still have not been able to make contact, but I'm getting closer. Daisy (mom) has carefully sniffed my fingers a few times and will crouch within 2 or 3 feet while I refill the feeders or water bowl. She will nibble treats off the top step while I kneel there. Kermit still runs off the patio when I step outside, but he loves playing with the bouncy stick with feathers that I bought them; I kneel just inside the open sliding glass door and he plays with the feathers 3 feet away. Ivy is still very spooky when I come and go, but she's been very interested in watching our indoor cats through the glass while they get attention.
In between all of this, I've been planning my garden for this spring. I've decided to put most everything inside one large fenced enclosure - fruit trees, berry bushes, and raised beds for veggies and herbs. The nice thing about planning this far ahead is that I can purchase the supplies over several paychecks. Fencing will be next weekend's purchase. Next will be lumber to build the beds, and then loam to fill them. There are a few places in the valley I'll need to call to find out who can give me the best deal on a dump-truckful of loam. (The soil here is very rocky and clayey, and not conducive to digging.)
~puts more wood on the fire~
I'm running out of steam here. I think I'd better just stack the rest of the bags in the craft room for now and call it a night.