Mud

I know you know it's muddy here. It's really muddy, I mean REALLY muddy.

I grew up living in the country. We moved around the county a lot, but I always lived on dirt roads until I left home. We had muddy roads, often, but not like what I'm dealing with now--here. I've talked to my folks about it, and to a good friend of mine who lives here in the same town I do now. We think the mud here is different than the mud at home.

I grew up in an area with red hills, composed of iron oxide, so the dirt was red. We had sandy roads too and cleache (probably not spelled right, but it's pronounced clee-che). Cleache roads were the best. Water did not sit on them, they were not slick. Sandy roads were good too, you'd have muddy spots, but could get through and they dried out quickly. Red dirt roads were usually fine, you'd slip and slide, but you wouldn't sink very far.

The dirt here must have more clay, because the mud here is sticky, and you can sink in and it clings and you can't get out, and you leave big ruts if you do get out. I've been fighting mud for over a week now, with no end in sight. The snow keeps melting, but there's no where for the water to go. The ground is saturated, so nothing has even begun to dry out. We are parking two vehicles at the highway, but can't park all 3 there. So, I usually get to drive the diesel in and out. And I don't like it. Mornings are OK, because the mud is frozen. But, it's rough, you slide from the tops of the ridges down into the ruts, or bounce over the ruts until you are seated in the ruts. Then you bump and bounce through the mud down the drive. When you get home in the evening, it's thawed, so you slip and slide and slip and swerve and sway and pray. Then, you look for an area that is still firm, where you can park, but if you find such a spot, you've got to figure how to get to the house and not lose your shoes in the mud--or in the very slushy, crusty snow.

If you park at the highway, you've got to make sure you leave room for the other vehicle, and then you've got to pack all your baggage, school work, etc. in to the house, watching every step. Making decisions all the way in. Do you walk on the snow and risk falling through, or walk on the mud and hope it's firm enough that you don't bog down in the mud. Do you walk on the left side or right? Do you go around or cut through the snow closer to the house? And, when you get to the house, can you get in without tracking mud everywhere.

I have never liked driving in the mud. I have never very good at it. I know how to drive in the mud. I know to get in the tracks, to give the car or pickup gas, to not stop moving, to just keep the tires turning, etc. But I've never liked doing it. I don't like feeling my way down the muddy road. I don't like it when my back end swings around in front of my front end. It makes me nervous. (This probably is the fault of my drivers ed teacher, who grabbed the wheel on me once because, at that time, I had never driven in mud and wasn't doing well...)

But, now, I'm driving in mud again. But this mud is different. The ground is so saturated, that as this snow is melting, there's no where for the water to go, so it sits on top of the ground, or runs under the snow. I watched some of the ruts in the driveway act like a creek--the water was just running, downhill, in the ruts. And what doesn't run, pools.

So, on Friday, I had to load up the diesel pickup with all our Archery equipment for the kids I was instructing. I waded through water and mud to load all the equipment. Then, I started to back out of the driveway, uphill to the circle drive in front of the house. From there, I could then go forward, curve around the trees, and curve out and down the driveway to the highway.

Unfortunately, the ground was so saturated, I almost got stuck. I didn't, but I left nice 12" deep ruts in the yard. And these 12" deep ruts are wide, because my front tires slipped and were turned, so I was trying to back up in 4 wheel drive with tires that weren't square, so I didn't make any headway and tore up the ground. Oh, I figured it out, because I kept asking Andy if my tires were straight...he kept saying yes, but unfortunately, was looking at the REAR tires, not the front tires. (Can I blame him for the ruts?)

On Sunday morning, Kev and I tried to take Kev's Dad to see a place further out in the country that is on the market. Kev wants to buy this place. I'm not so eager.

We turned down the dirt road that led to this place, and wenta couple hundred yards down itand found 12" deep ruts, and snow drifts more than 3 feet tall. Seeing the condition of the roads, I told Kev we weren't moving. Besides fighting that mud, there are also steep hills on this road and deep canyons on either side of these hills. Too dangerous. And, besides, I hate mud. I will not fight 3 miles of this sticky icky mud.

I figure that the mud will be around for 2 or 3 more weeks. I pray that it will dry out soon. I like living in the country. I don't mind being snowed in, but trying to maneuver through this mud, it's almost more than I can bear. I can't believe that I'm griping about mud. I have lived my entire life in an area where moisture is a blessing, where mud is a sign of moisture, something to show that we got always needed moisture, and here I am, griping when I should be grateful.

Random thoughts...part 2 or is it 3?

Only in small town America can this happen--I pulled into the drive through this morning on my way to work with a deposit for our family account. The teller brought me some cash, and she brought me a blank check of my son's. Evidently it had stuck to the check he wrote to a local business. He didn't catch it, the business didn't catch it, but the bank did. So, they saved it for the family member who came in first. Now, would that happen in a big city? I just don't think so.

*****
I think I know why my chickens are on strike. I think, by eliminating the roosters, the hens are concentrating on regrowing their feathers. Their little backs were bare--from all the amorous attention from those randy roosters. Now that the roosters are gone, they are going through a kind of molting, and instead of putting their energy into laying eggs, they are instead growing new feathers. I did give orders for 12 eggs today. So, we'll see if they really care what I want or if they'd rather stay warmer with feathered backs...

*****
Today is Miss Kat's birthday. She's 11 today. Eleven years ago, at this minute, my contractions were getting pretty close together. I won't bore anyone with the horrors of childbirth, because, even though she was induced, my labor was relatively painless and quick. She was born at 10:00 a.m. Of course she was 2 weeks late and I'd swear she was grabbing onto my hipbones to keep from coming out in a timely fashion...but, I promised, no horror stories.

My baby, the final child of my loins is 11. She's not a baby. She's not a little girl. She's a girl on the verge of becoming a teenager. She's on the cusp of puberty. She's growing up.

*****
I still think I prefer snow to mud. We've run out of anywhere dry to park. The ruts in the driveway are record breaking. And, I think God is tired of hearing us pray as we drive into the yard. I think he is because there's a blizzard forecast for tomorrow. Another blizzard bringing anywhere from 3-9 inches of snow. Wind speed is being projected to be anywhere from 20 to 40 mph. We'll be blown shut...again.

Maybe I need to rethink my preference of snow over mud. Nope, I'd much rather walk on top of hard packed snow drifts than to wade through mud and water to feed the animals. But, dang it, that darn snow will melt sometime too. I may have to think this over. Mud...Snow...Mud...Snow...Mud...Snow...hummm.

*****
Yesterday I took treats to the school for Miss Kat's birthday celebration. My last time taking treats to the school. Next year, she'll be in Middle School. No parties for holidays or birthdays in Middle School. Since the kids are out of school today (again), we're taking friends bowling, having two friends spend the night, Grandma and Grandad Huelsman and cousin Sami are coming out from Colo Springs. We are having pizza and "dirt cake". Since one of her presents is a Dance Dance Revolution, it's going to be a wild and crazy night! Lord, help me. I'll have a new prayer tonight!

My lastest project

During these long winter days, or should I say nights, I cross stitch. I can not watch TV without either stitching on a project, or reading a book. And, yes, you can do both and know what's going on. I am W.O.M.A.N. and can multi-task. Just don't talk to me while I'm watchin' TV and cross stitchin', cause I probably will ask you to repeat yourself!

Anyway, right now, I'm working on this project as a Christmas present for my little brother. I started it last summer, but put it away for a while to read and then to work on two projects for the newest little girls in the family. I also was having trouble seeing the pattern and the squares. Realized that I needed bifocals. sigh. My poor eyes just couldn't take the strain. But, once I got those wonderful new glasses, I've been stitchin' like a fool.

This is a picture of the finished project. Steve, my little brother, is really "into" the Civil War. I think I'll make this into a pillow for him to throw on his bed. See, he's single, so he needs my guidance when it comes to "decorating." He's a typical "man" and will ask me just why I think he needs a pillow on the bed, but he'll do it anyway, cause I'm his big sister, and he's really scared of me. He is, he just hides it well.

Really, he's terrified of making his big sister angry.

This picture is done on 18 count Aida fabric. I'd prefer working on an evenweave, or on linen, but I didn't have any fabric at home large enough, so am using what was sent. The finished project will be 14 x 18 or so (I'm not sure of the exact dimensions, but it's pretty large and with 18 squares to the inch, those stitches are pretty small.

This is how far I've gotten. I've just about finished the Union Soldier. Last night, after taking this photo, I worked about an hour and got about half of his hat finished.

I took approximately 4 hours for me to stitch the blanket on his back. It might not look like much, but there's lots of little x's in that blanket and there's about 5 different colors of gray in that section.

The "star" you see is part of the confederate flag. The flags are done with 1/2 cross stitches, so will stitch really fast, and being just 1/2 of an "x", will have a little translucence, providing a little depth. When stitching, you start in the middle and work out, so the flag was the middle. I finished one section, then moved on and concentrated on the Union soldier. When he's done, I'll move on to the Confederate soldier from his hands and gun out to his body. Then, I'll do the flags and all the back stitching which will make the details pop.

By the time I finish this project, I'll have close to a hundred hours in it. That's a guess, but I'll have lots of time invested. It took most of one of my "snow days" to do his lower extremities, and that is only comprised of 4 colors. Black, Navy, Navy and Blue combined, and blue. (see the image below.)

This last shot simply shows a close-up of the stitches. Check out the subtlety of the shading in the blues. Fortunately, the shadings on this project are easy for me to see and distinguish. I've done some where the colors were so close that I easily got lost and confused. Of course I can now blame that on aging eyes...right? Anyway, this is what I'm working on right now.

Chickens on strike

My Chickens are on strike. But, I'm not sure why.

Over the past 3 days, we've gotten 1 egg. ONE. Uno. One solitary, lonely egg. I have approximately 20 hens and one Rooster. And, the hens are on strike.

I told Kev last night that they must be protesting the untimely death of 4 of their boyfriends.

He and Bob butchered 4 of my 5 Roosters last Sunday. We'd been planning to butcher the boys for quite a while, but never got around to it. Sunday was the day. Kev and Bob were "in the mood" and had it all taken care of before I got home from the grocery store. Of course, I told them to leave 2 Roosters, but they didn't listen to little ol' me. You see, one Rooster can "effectively service" 4-6 hens. So, I wanted two Roosters to satisfy my girls and to provide protection from hawks, AND I hoped that by having two Roosters, they would fight with each other and leave me alone. There's nothing more startling than to be attacked by a Rooster. But, those MEN didn't listen to me, and killed one too many. (Yes, I know that according to my ratio, I should have kept three Roosters, but I felt that someone would get some rest if there were just two Randy Roosters around.)

So, the girls haven't had to "service" any men lately. I thought they'd be relieved. The feathers on their backs might grow back in now. They might not have to succumb to the untimely attentions of two or three men at a time, or one after another. They might get some rest. And, that poor Rooster must be tired, and need his rest too, after all, he now has to "service" 18-20 ladies!

Evidently my girls liked all that attention. And now, to punish us, they are holdin' them eggs inside. That has to be it. Revenge. Can't be anything else. Revenge. Those ungrateful wenches. I guess that if this trend continues, I'll have to have a talk with these old biddys. I'll just have to remind them that what happened to the boys can happen to the girls too.

Yep, that's just what I'll do.

When it melts

What happens to snow when it melts?

We've had snow on the ground since December 23 or 24th. And, we've had lots of snow on the ground since December 30. That's, what, 60 some days of seeing nothing but snow on the ground.

This is not typical for the High Plains. We have snow blow in, it blows around some, it then warms up, the snow melts, it drys out and life goes on. We get more snow, more blizzards, but it always melts quickly and goes away. We might even get 12 inches, but even it blows around, and melts, and goes away. What we are experiencing this winter is atypical.

Everyone is tired of the snow. I think, that concentrating on the dab-natted snow that folks have ignored the cold temperatures. Until now. It got up to 50 yesterday. It's going to be in the 50's all week. Which is wonderful. Except it isn't.

All that dab-natted snow is melting. And when snow melts, it turns into water. And there's still 2 feet of snow on top of the water. And where we've moved snow to be able to drive, there's now...

Mud.

Lots of mud. Deep mud. Sticky mud. Slick-as-snot mud. Mud that makes your vehicle slide and swerve down a dirt road. Mud that makes you say lots of prayers as you drive down a dirt road. Your prayers sound like this...

" O lord, please don't let me get stuck. Please keep this dad-gummed car on the road, going forward. Please lord, don't let me turn sideways...oops, that was close. Keep the foot on the gas just enough to go, but not enough to turn around. Oops, woo wee! That was close! OK, now, Lord, we are almost there, just a little farther, O crap, there's the corner, OK, let's go, hang on. Kids, leave me alone. I'm concentrating. Oh lordy, lordy, lordy. Whew. We made it. Thanks Lord."

Now, I haven't lived down a dirt road--a real dirt road in years. But our drive is dirt and is long enough for the prayers. Yes, we slide down our drive, and I pray. I pray that I don't get stuck, that I don't bog down, and that I get to the house without 3 inches of mud on my shoes. Well, actually, I pray that I can get to the house with shoes still on my feet! They can get sucked down into the mud or into the snow. I pray that we don't slide into each other's cars, or get stuck in the middle of the one-lane drive and cause a certain-person-who-lives-with-us-and-has-a-short-temper-a-reason-to-become...well, upset.

And that melting snow makes more of a mess. You see, our chicken house is the lowest spot on the place. All that melting water, that isn't creating mud, is pooling in the chicken yard and is freezing around the door of the pen every night. So, every night, the door freezes, as does this pool of water. Walking to the chicken house is now a hazard. Opening the door is either an impossibility, or a hazard (just ask my tailbone). And when it thaws during the daylight hours, then it leaves a pond of water-covered mud. And we find ourselves wading through mud to feed the chickens, water the chickens and to gather eggs. (Why am I taking them water when the whole dang place is nothin but a big 'ole puddle?) Once the eggs are gathered, you have to wade back through the water and the mud until you hit more snow. (And, Lord help me if we get another cold snap now, that water will never thaw and we'll never get back into the chicken house to gather eggs.)

Once you are safely past the mud, to the remaining snow, you hope that the snow will still support your weight. If not, then you'll fall through the top crust and have to break a new path back to the house.

I've read about mud like this. I've heard of it from folks who get lots of snow every winter. You have months of snow, followed by months of mud. I'll take the snow.

But then again, as long as it's muddy, mopping the floor is a waste of time...