Our source of warmth...

Before picture...delivered, split and ready to stack!

After picture...approximately 3 hours later...thanks to both of us working, me stacking wood and Jan loading it with our SC2400 tractor

Neatly stacked inside our out building away from the elements.

Still more wood left to stack outside...but it's out of the main driveway.

We had another cord of wood delivered this past week, so we are set for the remainder of the season and well into next winter! We have a wood burning stove that we use as our primary heating source for the house. Although we have central heat, we prefer to burn wood instead, it is more cost efficient than LP gas, which costs about $225 per fill up (depending on the cost of a gallon at that particular time). Up until about a month ago, we had not had to have our LP tank filled for over a year, thanks to the wood burner! But, since we were going to be away for a week and a half, we figured we better fill it before we left.
A cord of hard wood costs $175, split and delivered, and depending on how cold the weather is, we typically use about 3/4 of a cord for the season. If we didn't have the stove, I estimate we would easily go through two tanks per winter, maybe more! This time, we had our tractor to move the cord around. The last several cords we purchased was moved around by the "wheel barrel method"...Needless to say, I'm really loving the tractor A LOT!

R Dean

Waxing Gibbous Night...

I can't begin to express in writing how beautiful it is out in the country on a clear night during a full moon or in the case tonight, a Waxing Gibbous....We still have a bunch of snow on the ground, but the extremely low temperature's have turned it to a hard crusty landscape with crater like holes scattered about, the result of Sorel's post-holing, all of which brilliantly reflects the moon's white light.

One needs no artificial light on nights like these, the moon reflecting off of the snow is all one needs to see clearly for miles! It's awesome!

Life is good...in the country!

Back into the cold...

Up close and personal with one of the Blue Men after the show...

She is sooooo impatient!!!

Crashed in the back of the mini-van!

Got food?

Romantic carriage ride...

John "squared" (our carriage driver and his horse)

I don't know why my neck is stiff...

Can I text my friend when you're done with the Blackberry?

Is that my BALL?

Molly and Maggy...Chillin'

Nitschke and his BALL!!

You missed the turn to the doggie park...DUMMY!!!

Some cool art at the House of Blues

Hey folks...we are back from a short jaunt to the Sunshine State and let me tell you, the weather was superb! However, being born and raised down South, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that weather in Florida during January is just a teaser and the worst is yet to come!

Fortunately, we were able to enjoy a couple days of vacation while we traveled to Orlando for business, stopping briefly in TN to visit family. Although the trip had its "hectic" moments, all in all it was fun! We introduced the kids (our dogs) to a serious road trip seen from the back half of a rented mini-van that Jan customized into a cool dog pad of soft blankets and dog toys. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised at how well they behaved in such cramped quarters...Not once did they ask..."are we there yet" or argue about who got to sit next to the window!!! Pretty impressive, huh?

Once there, we picked up our rented RV (or as we came to know it as...Crap Wagon) and headed to Disney's Fort Wilderness Campground. We chose Fort Wilderness Campground because they accepted dogs (THREE LARGE DOGS!!!). I must say, I was extremely pleased, we had a great campsite, the campground was clean, the staff was overly pleasant and it had an off leash DOG PARK!!!!!...

Hope you enjoy the pics...

Peace

R Dean

Nitschke's favorite ball...EVER!

Jan took this picture of Nitschke...He's obsessed with this ball!!!

R Dean

Blizzard of 2009...

At least 100 bucket fulls or 500 cubic feet of snow moved!

Our F150 buried alive!

Snow was over the door knob!

West side of the F150...4 wheel drive low couldn't even budge it from this snow entrapment...

Figured we MIGHT have a white Christmas!

Snow day! No school...yippeeeeee!

I'm stuck!

Snow dogs!

Let's build a fort under the tree!

Takin' a breather...

Play hard...rest comfortably in our nice warm house...we're not spoiled though!

It's been a while since I last posted, actually over a month now, so what a better time to jump back into the blogosphere! I'll start by wishing everyone a Happy New Year!

Back on December 8th, we had an awesome blizzard! After everything was said and done, we got about 15-1/2 inches of snow. That, coupled with the drifting that the 40+ mph winds brought made for a very interesting couple of days. It took me almost all day to move snow so we could get out of the house. The driveway was the worst, the snowfall combined with the drifts required several hours of tractor time to clear 200 plus feet just so we could get to the road. Along the way I only got the tractor stuck three times, well, really only twice, the first time I barely made it out of the garage before I got it stuck!

Hope you enjoy the pics...

Peace...R Dean