I know I should be helping you change the world or something, but I can't manage to pull myself away from the woodstove. It chants, "More wood. More wood. More wood." My husband doesn't believe me. He thinks I burn through all our wood for my own pleasure, but it's really the stove. I'm practically chained to it. This morning we woke up to -15 degrees, but the Weather Channel App said it felt like -32 degrees. I can't say for sure, because there was no way I was stepping outside to either confirm or deny that report. I'll just trust they were close, and really, there's no use … [Read more...]
Winter Wonderland
January 21, 2014 by 12 Comments
I woke up yesterday morning to another twenty-four hours of snow and bleakness. On the verge of the next deep freeze, I decided I could either wallow in a jar of Nutella or find something to redeem the day. I decided on pictures. That makes perfect sense doesn't it? I'm not a photographer and I don't have a fancy camera, but I do have the driving force of snow behind me. I grabbed my cell phone and an extra pair of socks and left on a mission - Winter Wonderland. Join me, won't you? Pictures come at quite the high price. I never realized how dangerous snapping a photo … [Read more...]
Stir Crazy – It’s a State of Mind
January 16, 2014 by 2 Comments
It's January. I know, news flash, right? You have a calendar too. I get it, but it's January. This she-bear can only hibernate for so long before she gets a little stir crazy, and by "stir crazy" I mean I'm grasping at any reason to leave the house. I may have waited outside in the cold for another mother's child's school bus this afternoon just so I could chat with a human. There's no telling what my mental state will be like in thirty days. Keep your children and your chocolate at arm's length. I'm trying to stay positive, focused, but it's taking every ounce of energy I … [Read more...]
I’m Going Bald & A Survey
March 8, 2013 by 5 Comments
I know it's lame to talk about the weather, but you guys, I'm dying over here. It's still snowing and it's cold and I have no vitamin D left in my body. None. My hair is falling out! At this rate, I'll be bald by July. I don't know if that has anything to do with vitamin D, but I plan on blaming every one of my ills on the lack of sunshine. Every one. I feel like I sailed through January, I enjoyed February, but March is chewing me up and spitting me out on top of an iceberg. Even Jonah got spit out onto a sandy beach. I don't know that for sure, but "dry land" translates … [Read more...]
The Cold War: Man v. Mouse
February 19, 2013 by 12 Comments
I'm deep in the throws of a cold war and my enemy is a mouse. His name is not Micky. This morning I woke up to a frozen house, only to discover a mouse or possibly mice came in for some warmth. They have a habit of nestling into the kitchen towel drawer. I can't really blame them. It is the perfect place to settle down for a long winter's night; however, my sympathy only runs so deep. I freaked out, yelling about mice and not even drinking my cup of decaf coffee yet, and then I opened the next drawer. Mr. Mouse chewed through the plastic top on the my can of cocoa. I understand the … [Read more...]
A creative spark ignites life on the Fringe.
November 18, 2011 by 9 Comments
Today was our first snow. Oh, it wasn't the first time it was snowing, but it was the first morning I woke to the sound of a plow truck. I knew it wasn't a good sign, but then I untangled myself from my web of covers and looked out the window. It was white. And beautiful. The snow clung to everything in sight and it felt a little like Christmas, but that's probably because my son has been playing "I'm not dreaming of a white Christmas..." The record player in my mind (Yes, there's a record player up there. I am that old, but barely.) keeps getting its needle stuck and that line … [Read more...]
Deep Fried Tomatoes & Baked Potatoes
March 21, 2011 by 5 Comments
Deep Fried Tomatoes & Bakes Potatoes, Part 6 Devil Dog on My Porch (Prt. 5) It's Not Only The Moose Watching (Prt. 4) Closing - Not a Naked Dance (Prt. 3) Our Dream House (Prt. 2) From the Beginning (Prt. 1) One of my favorite moments of housework landed me sloped on a ladder, clinging to the house in hopes of stilling my shaking limbs. After witnessing winter's fury, we decided to wrap the entire house in an insulating foam board. This after we squandered weekends chipping clapboard siding that saw centuries turn. The foam had a silver paper on the outside, similar to … [Read more...]
Devil Dog On My Porch – Dream Houe, Part 5
March 16, 2011 by 9 Comments
Deep Fried Tomatoes & Bakes Potatoes, Part 6 Devil Dog on My Porch (Prt. 5) It’s Not Only The Moose Watching (Prt. 4) Closing – Not a Naked Dance (Prt. 3) Our Dream House (Prt. 2) From the Beginning (Prt. 1) "Really? The house is still standing?" John asked into the phone with me hanging on his shoulder listening. "Ok, we'll be up on Saturday morning." He hung up the phone. We both sat with a thump. Shaking out heads in disbelief, we kept murmuring, I can't believe the house didn't fall. Finally I grasped that our entire porch, the porch that wrapped around two full … [Read more...]
Deep Freeze
March 1, 2011 by 9 Comments
My eyelids are drooping down to my knees. Are we having another Monday? Nobody warned me. I'm dreaming dreams of caffeinated beverages laced with chocolate and whipped cream. These are happy dreams. Please don't wake me. I like the fact that my city does their best to remove portions of snow mounds that line the streets. Peaks loom high over cars making visibility very low. I run into things without impaired visibility, so imagine when I can't see... I'll just leave that to your imagination. Anyway, the city workers spend a good portion of each night moving … [Read more...]
I’m Clinging to Hope & Shoes
February 26, 2011 by 18 Comments
Yesterday a fierce winter storm ushered in extreme emotions and a foot of snow. I've been to the depths of despair and back when I discovered that every photograph I took in the last three and a half years is gone. Lost forever. I may not take good pictures, but they are our life or at least moments of our lives captured on a 4x6 sheet of photo paper. Part of my problem is that I waited too long to print them or back them up. I'm giving you all good advice - Go to the store and buy a flash drive, cd's, or an external harddrive and back-up all your photos. Don't wait! All may not be … [Read more...]
Jumping Tiger Mom Ugly
February 9, 2011 by 12 Comments
I jumped tiger-mom ugly on my kids this week. Ok, maybe more like house-cat-mom, but much more ferocious than I was in holly jolly December. Many of you know I made the radical decision to homeschool my children this year. I say radical, and it is for some. Others were born to nurture their children through phonics, times tables, and biology. I was born to put my kids on the bus, pick them up at three in the afternoon and give them milk and cookies; however, I adjusted my thinking and gave myself (heart, body, and peace of mind) to educating my children. I won't go into my reasons, … [Read more...]
A Case of Cabin Fever
January 18, 2011 by 13 Comments
Today's pretty much a wrap. If I'm going to endeavor to create the illusion of a happy morning mom, I guess I should catch some zzzz's before midnight. Bright and early tomorrow morning, I will be chatting with the receptionists who thinks I sleep my days away. I at least need to wake up in time to shower and apply eye brightening makeup. You know, the nap in a stick. Highlighter. Not the yellow kind, the makeup kind. Friends and chance readers alike, I fear I am on the verge of Cabin Fever. Let's not forget what happened in The Shining. I need to get out! This has … [Read more...]
Split Personality
October 23, 2010 by 15 Comments
We are on the cusp of winter. I am certain, because we had snow flurries yesterday. My kids act like Snoopy when the first snow falls, dancing around with their open mouths upturned toward the gray sky. A celebration of winter. Winter brings inventory time. I yell to my kids and ask what they need systematically go through my children's wardrobes in an effort to ensure everyone is properly attired for the cold. This year we were down two pairs of boots, a pair of foot-y pajamas, and blankets - three to be exact. It was a bad year for blankets in my household. The dog dug a hole … [Read more...]
Mind Tweeting
January 22, 2010 by 13 Comments
To provide Oriana with a little early morning relief, FringeBoy walked outside clothed in a long-sleeved T-shirt and wet head. He returned moments later with a smile on his face and a story about the weather. "Spring must be coming soon." He said. "There were just birds chirping." Skeptically I glanced toward the thermometer. 15.2 degrees. I didn't have the heart to tell him that there are no birds within a two hundred mile radius. It is nice to know that hope and birds are living in his little head. That famous chubby groundhog has nothing on my cute little boy. I only hope he … [Read more...]
First Flakes of 2010
January 1, 2010 by 17 Comments
At the stroke of midnight, I waxed philosophical. Maybe the bubbles from my sparkling limeaide went to my head or maybe it was the shock and awe of embarking upon twenty-ten, but I looked to FringeMan and said, "This will be the year that prepares us for the rest of our lives." And I meant it. Despite what FringeKid thinks. I could almost put it in a fortune cookie, but you know how I feel about Chinese food. So I pillowed my head, thinking about all the opportunities 2010 holds. At the sound of a snowblower, I awoke to the first flakes of the new year. I'm the type of … [Read more...]
Like a Lion
March 3, 2009 by 22 Comments
It's official. March came in like a lion and dumped a foot of snow on the domestic fringe. Since this is Tuesday's Tantrum, I will share the reasons why I hate winter, and because I'm an equal opportunity type of gal, I'll add a few reasons why I can tolerate a short 'cool' spell. Winter Woes * Snow Clothes - boots, hats, scarfs, gloves, snow pants, and coats It's like adding an extra bulky wardrobe for each person in the house. Where do you put it all? Even worse, where do you hang it all to dry?? To add insult, the gloves run away and hide. Does FringePup eat them? … [Read more...]
Winter White
February 21, 2009 by 30 Comments
A combination of raging hormones and February gloom triggered a bathroom induced depression. Not the kind of depression where I hide under the covers and don't brush my hair, but the variety that tempts me to charge one-way airline tickets to Florida. I hate looking out my window and seeing winter's grey clouds. The lack of sunshine makes me slightly crazy each winter and I usually begin painting my walls obnoxious shades of yellow. Sure enough, this winter I considered painting my bathroom a grass green and splashing the walls with giant daises. I rejected the idea of painting mainly … [Read more...]
Sliding By This Winter
February 9, 2009 by 22 Comments
I like these cold winter days. Days like these let you savor a bad mood. - Bill Watterson, author of Calvin & Hobbes As winter grows long in the North, good moods go South. The warm fuzzies are frozen and replaced with looks like FringeKid's - The Hairy Eyeball. That's a term, learned in Maine, to describe FringeKid's raised eyebrow. She inherited this look from her grandma. I shivered in my shoes, quaked in my boots, and shook in my slippers whenever my mother's brow started to rise. It essentially meant, "Prepare For DEATH!" Before the hairy-eyeball infiltrated … [Read more...]
A Winter Poem
December 21, 2008 by 14 Comments
WINTER IS... AS WHITE AS A CLOUD AS COLD AS ICE AS QUIET AS A DREAM LIKE A MINTY CANDY CANE LIKE FRESHLY BAKED COOKIES - By my son, Fringeboy I didn't cut his hair! He lucked out by getting a barber in training...the kid had to learn on someone and I got a discount. Poor FringeBoy. … [Read more...]
