I couldn't do it...

I couldn't do it.  I had to complete at least one project this weekend.  It has been too many weekends without working on something, other than homework.  

This week I got a new computer at work. Our tech guy was not impressed with the cobbled moniter shelf of speakers and a board.  I have to raise my monitor or I get a pinched nerve in my neck.  The new monitor is bigger and isn't overly stable on my improvised shelf.  We have plenty of scrap lumber in the barn, so I grabbed a short board and a two by four.  Volia!  In one hour I had a stable computer shelf.

I am so glad my husband taught me woodworking.  I may not be good at the fine details, but I know enough to make what I need.

That is it for excitement.  The wind is howling and the snow is vicious.  We had a couple of nice hours this morning.  Enough for Ella and I to get our weekly snowshoeing run.

I hope the weather is good where you are. Do you know your way around a wood shop?  Who taught you?

January Blahs...

 Not much going on at the cabin.  Homework is cutting into my project time.  Homework and housecleaning is about it for the weekends.  I still haven't figured out what the on-line locker holds.

Since this is a 3 day weekend, I did sneak in a snowshoe hike at Eagle Cliff with a friend of mine.  It started out pretty sketchy.  I studied the maps and knew what trail head we needed to start from.  Problem was there were no warning signs that a trail head was ahead.  We would come around a corner and there it was.  Ok, we will go to the second one.  Missed it also.  Drat.  The major trail head we managed to find.  We stopped to look at the trail maps.  

Problem was it was a cross country ski trail.  We had to return to the first trail head for the snow shoe trails.  There were two other women at that trail head looking to snow shoe and we all decided to go back to the first trail head.  Problem was, we couldn't find it.  Where we thought it was, turned out to be another cross country ski trail head.  I'm just going to say that a cross country skier was very quick to point this out.  We all headed out again.  I pulled my jeep into what we thought was another trail head, but it wasn't.  The other ladies drove by in search of the ever elusive snow shoe trail head.  

We said to heck with it and decided to show shoe on the the Forest Service road on the opposite side.  I was relieved my friend was good with this choice, as I was getting pretty apprehensive that we were getting lost on a highway much less a bunch of little crisscrossing trails in the woods.  Our Forest Service road turned out to be an excellent choice.  A snowmobile went down the middle of it, so we could walk next to each other and visit.  It went right down the middle of a beautiful meadow.  There was nobody else around, so Ella could run without bothering anyone. We had a great time.  After the hike we went to the Sled Haus restaurant in Lead and had an excellent meal.  As far as we know those other two ladies are still driving around trying to find the mysterious trail head.

I don't know how I got so lucky.  A great husband, a beautiful cabin, and good friends.  I am thankful I got to spend the day with Michelle.  I have a lot of respect for her and enjoy her company.  Plus, we were both going stir crazy with the winter weather.  How do you keep active during the winter?  Have you ever had the same experience where the more you look the more lost you get?

Hibernation...

I was looking back at my blogs and I seem to be in hibernation.  I went from three or four projects over the weekend to one if I'm lucky.  Getting back into class work has taken a bit of my spare time.  I did get a few things done this weekend.

Yesterday I made some homemade ice cream.  It is an easy peasey recipe.  One cup of cocoa mixed with 1/2 cup of water.  Mix well then add to 3 cans of sweetened condensed milk and six cups of milk.

This morning I saw the funniest thing.  We feed the deer in the winter.  Every morning there are two bucks that spar while waiting for me to feed them.  This morning the bigger of the two was standing in the middle of the meadow with a bewildered look.  At his feet was the antler of the smaller buck.  They must have been jousting and the antler shed.  The bigger buck kept sniffing it and looking around, like ''did I do that?" I wish I had the camera.

All I have left is to rack my wine.  I'm still losing batches.  I lost the hard apple cider.  I still haven't figured out what the problem is.  I got a new cleaner for the equipment, but that hasn't helped.

That's all of the excitement at my end of the world.  Have you been doing any projects?

Back to class...

I haven't posted because as of January 2, I am back in school.  I have to take a re-certification class to renew my administration and teaching certificate.  There are a lot of firsts with this.  

It is the first time I have taken a class just to re-certify.  Classes have always been for a reason; to get more endorsements or to get my masters.  I'm having a difficult time taking a class just to take a class, so I picked a hard one - action research.  Ouch!  

It is the first time I have done an online class in this digital age.  For one class I now have 3 new e-mail addresses, three new passwords, and an online locker.  I still have no clue what an online locker does.  I looked in it and there was nothing.  I wish I could cram some of the things in my office locker in there: tons of photos, student work from long ago, a dead plant or two, coats, a Nepali dress, an African dress, and a set of grungy clothes in case I need to work with the chickens or in the garden.  Somehow, I don't think any of that goes in an online locker.  If anyone knows what I put in there please fill me in.  

It is also the first time I have used the new APA format for papers.  Did you all know that you no longer are supposed to space twice after a period?  There should be an age limit on this.  I learned to type on a typewriter.  Muscle memory dictates two spaces.  I tried to be aware typing my first paper and I was only successful once.  I spent more time deleting extra spaces than typing the paper.  Argh!

Anyway, don't give up on me.  Posts are probably going to be a bit scarce until April.  Either that or they will be like this one filled with new revelations.  Like the new virus my computer has after downloading or uploading all this class stuff.   In an attempt to alleviate my fears that I may be too old for this digital age learning, I am going to post some peaceful images from the snowshoe excursion Ella and I took on Sunday.