Mending hand & Garden Award

I went into the doctor this week for the post sugary check up, they took x-rays and removed the stitches. Everything is looking good I guess.

Believe me; my thumb is there, just didn't have it turned right. They did make it imposable for me to move any part of the thumb for the next four weeks.

The company I work with, Sarah's Cottage Creations has received 2 awards for our projects we worked on in 2010. One is a garden that my crew spent a lot of time working in. The location is a nursing care facility and home. It is always a pleasure working on this site because of the people we meet that enjoy what we do.

There is a roof top garden/court yard that is home to large pots containing trees and 22 filled with flowers.

There are 4 large pots lining the walk way to the front entrance that are changed out for the seasons. This winter arrangement will remain in the containers until spring Pansy's in April.

Many of the beds are a mix of perennials and annuals.

Along the hot entrance drive four oval shaped and texture and color.

A second small courtyard with beds along the edge under Mt. Ash trees.

The next two pictures are of an sitting garden area by the front entrance. There is a short hedge forming a small wall on the edge of a perennial bed with spots of annuals for bold color.

So there it is.

We wish everyone are the best in the coming year.

Carolers come a calling

I believe I may have shared my excitement with a few of you when I found out we had tickets to see Charles Dickens 'A Christmas Carol' at the Guthrie Theater. Parking was easy and the going rate for 'event parking'.

The show was wonderful, a truly wonderful memory I will cherish forever. I hope it will be a yearly treat at least. Perhaps next year The Nutcracker!

www.guthrietheater.org shows; A Christmas Carol

I feel fortunate to have this type of event within reach of my home.

On Sunday evening we where privileged to be entertained by a group for young adults that grew up in the neighborhood. They have treated us with their songs for the last three years. The group has gotten smaller over the years, but still very wonderful of them to share their gift.

The drywall is up on the celling of 'The Man Cave'. A few of Jeff's very good friends were very kind to help him with the labor and the use of the proper equipment. It seems brighter and larger now. He did move stuff around and out in order to organize the inventory more efficiently. And there is room for his bicycle on a stand and a fun project as well as work.

Holiday Wishes

Just checking in to let everyone know that things are going well as we roll into the big Holiday week. The excitement of seeing family from near and far is mounting and sparking the wonderful memories of years gone by.

The Cutler boy's 1958

Rammingers-1981 (?)

My hand is in the bandage until December 29th; at which time the stitches will come out and the cast will go on for another 4 to 5 weeks.

I have a cooling system inside the bandages. There are two tubes that connect to other tubes that feeds cold water through the coiled pad at the point of injury that helps relieve the swelling. I am hooked up to a 'cooler' while I watch TV, a small pump circulates the ice water. The tubes do get in the way and can be a bit uncomfortable at times; however the pros far out way the cons.

This time I know better what to expect and it's not my dominant hand so I don't feel as clumsy. Typing with one hand is time consuming, but it works. And folding laundry takes a loong time.

The forecast for today's weather is for more snow. Depending on who you want to believe, we could have anywhere from 4 to 8 inches by the time it ends. We, as an area, are running out of space to put even two more inches. Wonder what they did in the past? The street is narrowing quickly. I do feel some guilt that I am not able help him with the snow piling proses.


This following photo was on the web site for the national weather service Sunday December 12th 2010. It was taken by a amateur photographer in Stillwater. This is one of the city's historic homes from the peak of the Lumber Jack days.




We hope that everyone is having a good Holiday Time so far.
Happy Happy....

Holiday in Wisconsin

I spent time with my family in Eastern Wisconsin to celebrate the Holiday Season and spend some time with the ones I love and don't get to see very often. My new wheels did very well on the way there and back, quite comfortable and a great sound system.

I spent the first couple days with Mom. I could have spent more, it went by so fast. Thursday Carol invited us over for home made soup, it was wonderful and just about the whole family was there for awhile. We all hung out around the table and talked about life in general. It's something that I don't get a chance to do very often.

On Friday I spent some time with David and Vicky; took a little road trip and had lunch. After I got back to Mom's I gathered my things and headed to Char's to do some decorating together and get set up for game night. David came with Kate and Caleb.

Doris was there and Steph join us a little into the night.
We played some great games and ate good food and overall I had a wonderful time. I hope everyone else did too.

On Saturday Char and I went to Lori's where Carol picked us up to make the rounds. We went to the Old World Market in Elkhart Lake where we sampled the wares and ....

Saw St Nick.

We had a great time.

On Sunday we all got together and Lori and Steve's place for brunch. David brought Mom. And although Vicky and Carol weren't able to make it because they were working I know they where there in spirit and in heart.

Char made the French Toast and Steve and Steph made omelets in a bag. They mixed all the ingredients into a zip lock freezer bag and dropped it in boiling water. The omelets were good and there weren't as many pots to clean up.

We are in the middle of a blizzard today. We are about 12 hours into the storm and have about a foot of new snow so far with about 10 more hours of snow ahead of us. One of the neighbors called to invite us and several others to a pizza party tonight. Of course everyone invited is within walking distance.

On Monday I am going to have the thumb on my left hand repaired. The surgeon will replace the vanished cartilage with a plastic piece. I had this done to the right thumb a couple years ago. There is very noticeable difference in the type and intensity of the pain. I know now that it is going to be months for the recovery, but in the long run it is going to be the best thing to better use my hands. So I have a lot to do before Monday. Thanks for all the well wishes, I'll let you know in a day or two how I'm doing.