To wrap it all up

The last ten days have been hell-FREEZING OVER. I'm utterly and completely serious, 40 degrees has never felt so amazing.

The ground got hard and cold, and the air was so frigid. Our hoses started freezing, since we didn't do any sort of freeze protection which meant we had to haul water to the back and front pasture. We had to haul water for 8 head of cattle, 4 goats, 2 turkeys, 5 rabbits, 2 geese, 21 laying hens, and 7 ducks. It was...interesting.

As the ground froze it got easier to navigate the previously mudded pastures, but the air became so hard to breathe. This past Wednesday I started feeling run down, my throat sore, congested, etc. This morning I woke up and it's hard to swallow food and water. LAME! I have been downing tea with lemon, ginger, and honey like you wouldn't believe.

We tried thawing out the hoses with space heaters, and letting water run so they wouldn't freeze. Well letting the water run should have worked, but then our well froze. I am not kidding. We had the well pump replaced about a month ago, but the company who did cut off all the insulation that had been there. We didn't realize that, so one of the many nights it got down to the teens our water froze. We called the company and they came out to thaw it. After that we re-insulated the pipes. Basically the water problem has just been one big fiasco.

At one point we were pulling water from the spicket inside the garage that the washer and dryer is hooked up to since it was the only spicket that didn't freeze.

So much for writing everyday huh? I'll try to get diligent about it.

On the upside:

We got lights on the tree inside, we got some icicile lights up in the windows, and will be making potato latkes this weeks. They are the best thing about our Christmas/Hannukah festivities. Actually food in general is. I love the holidays and cooking. When I retire someday, I might actually consider some avenue in which cooking is heavily involved.

To Do List:

• put ornaments on the inside tree
• make popocorn garland strand for the birds for outside. This is something we do every year. We string together fresh cranberries and plain popcorn on fishing line and then put up ornaments of pine cones/peanut butter/bird seed. I'm so excited since we have plenty of blue jays in the neighborhood.
  
• put lights up on the outside of the house
• begin the 2 day process of making tamales
• the intense cooking that goes on. This year will include tamales, homemade davinity, tons of cookies, homemade eggnogg, crown roast(lamb), and so much more.
  
• straighten up the house for a smallish family xmas party for this coming weekend=lights and the trees gotta be done by THURSDAY
• put together a scrapbook page for a gift
• loom knit at least 2 more scarves and a hat
• get unsick!

Oh and along the way I have made plans to spend New Year's eve in San Jose with some family. My dad is picking up my sister from her mom(in Ukiah, California) this Thursday but he's a pansy and doesn't want to drive her back down because of the weather. So me and my honey will take her back, I get to see my aunt and we'll spend new years with his coolest cousins.