Everyday Things

Yesterday: slightly overcast, snow showers, 22 at 8am. The rest of the day was partly sunny and stayed very cold.
Today: 32 at 8am. More snow showers fell overnight, but today looks like it will be sunny, and perhaps a bit warmer.

We've had snowglobe snow the past two mornings--drifting flurries that sparkle in the sunlight. So pretty.

 The birds have been busy at the feeders, emptying them almost every day. It keeps Larry busy just keeping them filled.

Today's to-do is mundane: change the sheets, laundry, go to a doctor appointment, a little grocery shopping, drop off things at the thrift, and begin the arduous task of taxes. Yay.

Yesterday was one of those many-colored days: a bit of cleaning and washing up the glass I have on display in various places in the house, listing on ebay and packing sold items, catching up on mail and email from the weekend.

I changed up the colored glass on the buffet to Valentine's Day colors--most of the crystal stayed as well as the ruby but I took off the green and added a little pink. But I still need to take all of it off and give the buffet a good cleaning and oiling. At least the glass is already clean.

A friend visited in the evening, bringing the cured and smoked bacon from our half of the hog Larry helped butcher a couple weeks ago. We sent the bacon to the slaughterhouse to be smoked and cured as they do a fantastic job of it. It was nice to have time to chat and catch up a bit. Ended the day as usual, by the fire with the dogs.

So off I go to get ready for the doc. Have a good day, friends. Just for fun, here's a story about housekeeping--sort of!

From the book Nursery Rhymes of England,
BY James Orchard Halliwell, illustrated by W.B. Scott, 1886.

There Was an Old Man, Who Lived in a Wood

There was an old man, who lived in a wood,
As you may plainly see;
He said he could do as much work in a day,
As his wife could do in three.

With all my heart, the old woman said,
If that you will allow,
Tomorrow you'll stay at home in my stead,
And I'll go drive the plough. 

But you must milk the Tidy cow,
For fear that she go dry;
And you must feed the little pigs
That are within the sty; 

And you must mind the speckled hen,
For fear she lay away;
And you must reel the spool of yarn
That I spun yesterday. 

The old woman took a staff in her hand,
And went to drive the plough;
The old man took a pail in his hand,
And went to milk the cow: 

But Tidy hinched, and Tidy flinched,
And Tidy broke his nose,
And Tidy gave him such a blow,
That the blood ran down to his toes! 

High! Tidy! Ho! Tidy! High!
Tidy! do stand still,
If ever I milk you, Tidy, again,
'Twill be sore against my will! 

He went to feed the little pigs,
That were within the sty;
He hit his head against the beam,
And he made the blood to fly. 

He went to mind the speckled hen,
For fear she'd lay astray;
And he forgot the spool of yarn
His wife spun yesterday. 

So he swore by the sun, the moon, and the stars,
And the green leaves on the tree,
If his wife didn't do a day's work in her life,
She should ne'er be rul'd by he.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.