Soooo what have we been doin' lately???????

Well we have  been home over a month now. 

We have had  many  cold days!

 Yes it was pretty...

We had early morning temps of 3 or 4 ....so everything was ice covered .

ANd then we have had a sad time.....

Our nicest, sweetest, friendliest swan was again kicked off the pond.

When we got home he was in the creek that was no wider than he was....

We knew he was not safe, but he had survived the same conditions last year...

so we hoped....

He sought refuge in the horse pasture

and was kicked or stepped on.....

Bob brought him home -

I held him and petted him while Bob made a bed for him in the shed...

We hoped he would recover.....

but it was not meant to be.....

We now have only one swan.

(and yes I have had a discussion with Nasty Swan

and told him what might happen to swans who kill their brother!!!)

We have been "up north" THREE times, looking for?????

SOMETHING.... :-)!!!!

A house...smaller...easier to maintain....????

AND TODAY.....

Robert headed to town to buy  pellets for our wood stove.

(Yesterday was near 80---a beautiful day.

Today is again cold and windy)

So I am here alone and the pellet stove went BONKERS-

which made me go BONKERS!!!

All of a sudden smoke was pouring out of every nook and cranny!!

It has never done anything like that and it scared me BAD!!!

I was just thinking how I should have shot a picture of the smoke

ROLLING in the family room.

The fact that I did not think of that tells you just how scared I was!!

So this evening I am sitting here and it is rather cool -

we could use a little heat...

but the pellet stove is "out of order"..

Bob has retired to a room that smells BETTER than this one!!!!

Now I am going to do the same!