Waiting for Guffman (Well, for Doug, actually)

Dogs love routine, I'm told, and Nick is no exception. The day starts when he hears me stir and finally convinces me to roll out of bed and get his bowl of kibble. If I'm not quite ready to roll, I tell him "5 more minutes" and damn, if that dog doesn't know exactly what that means, because about 5 minutes later, guess who's back at the side of the bed, whimpering ever so softly?

After his breakfast comes his walkabout the property. If it's sunny, he will then curl up on the back porch and wait till he hears Mason get up. Then comes Breakfast No. 2, when he gets a few bites of Mason's cereal, then bacon or sausage, depending on the day, and then licks the egg yolk off the plate. And then for Breakfast No. 3, he licks my yogurt container. One, two, three -- every day.

On the couch or out in the sun, he then waits for us to brush our teeth. And when he sees us head back upstairs to make the bed, he knows he's tail-waggin' close to his favorite time of day: The Walk. Every day.

But as soon as that walk is done, Nick has a new favorite time of day: Waiting for Doug. That's him, waiting on the porch, above. If he thinks maybe it's getting real close to Doug Time, he goes out in the yard to wait, staring down toward the cattle gate to the property.

Doug owns the cabin behind ours; we share the same gate. He lives in town and the cabin is a work in progress, but if the weather is decent, Doug comes up almost daily to work on it. He also brings up a dog treat for Nick.

And if you saw Nick's reaction when he hears the tires of Doug's rattly old diesel pickup on our gravel drive, it's the Best Damn Treat Ever Known to Dog. His little legs quiver with anticipation, and he whimpers as he waits for Doug to come up the driveway. Oh my! Some days Nick scores a second treat from Doug on his way back out.

If Doug arrives while we're out on our morning walk, Nick will pick up the scent of his tires on the road, and a quarter-mile from home, he takes off in a sprint to catch up with Doug. And sometimes he'll run another quarter-mile to Doug's cabin just to make sure he isn't missing out.

This routine? It's the new highlight of Nick's day.

But Mason and I also score something out of Doug's visits: He brings us the Chattanooga newspaper! Sometimes it's a couple of days old, but we don't mind. In return, we give him homebrews. That's him  below talking with Mason, back when there were still leaves on the trees.

But as the days get colder, Nick's routine is about to take a hit. See ya in the spring, Doug.

Hello, Minneapolis!

Our birdhouse, sunset Dec. 8.

So I woke this morning to find my Minneapolis mates posting photos of the season's first snowfall. I have to admit, it's simply gorgeous when those fluffy flakes coat all of the tree limbs. But this is Dec. 9. There are good odds that those Minneapolis mates won't be seeing the ground again until March ...

Meanwhile, Dec. 9 on Flat Top was spent working in the yard, combining piles of shredded leaves into one giant compost heap that hopefully will become "gardening gold" come spring. Our skies were party sunny and delightfully pushing 70 degrees here on the mountain. At quitting time, I took time to pick up the phone and call the Balafas family to see how they were loving the snow. Sure enough, their two teenage kids were out playing in it when I called. Too cute!

That's me (right) on the phone with Dino -- oh dear, that hair IS gray, isn't it? Anyway, as you can see, we've already made a dent in our firewood supply. But don't fret, we have about five more piles as big as the one on the left. We are NOT running out this year!

We Needed a Vacation

I know, I know. We haven't "worked for the man" in more than two years, and we haven't even been that productive around the cabin lately. That solar project remains hanging over us, not to mention the winterizing project of finishing the "skirt" around the cabin's crawl space.

But, seriously, doesn't that white sand look like more fun? This is Okaloosa Island at Fort Walton Beach, Florida -- just a seven-hour hop south of here. (Technically, in that photo, we were on U.S. military property, but they didn't appear to be using it on this Thursday afternoon, and besides, why should the military get all the good beaches?)

Mason has got a buddy from his Texas high school days who lives here. Well, he "weekends" on the island, then spends the week on his 10-acre "farm" nearby. Not a bad life, eh? We're gonna leave him unnamed, because we're pretty sure he'd prefer it that way.

Now, we've been to a lot of ocean destinations. You know, sailing the South Pacific and all. But the white sand here in the Redneck Riviera? It's truly pretty damn nice. The restaurants and crowds? Meh... But don't worry, we brought icy cold homebrews along. And Nick the Dog loved the beach.

And now, back in Chattanooga, today it was 70 degrees. In December. The good life continues!

Thankful for Trusty Recipes

We didn't do much special for Thanksgiving. We went over to the neighbors for a bit, then came home to roast a turkey breast and watch football.

Of course, I couldn't show up at the neighbors' cabin without bringing anything, so I made these little handheld cranberry pies. Aren't they lovely? It was my first attempt at making homemade pie crust (Mixed by hand, mind you, not by food processor! Take THAT, Pioneer Woman!) I have to say, I impressed myself. These tasted like little gourmet Pop-Tarts, only way better. And yes, they are all gone now. And yes, I'll be making them again.


P.S. Not a day goes by -- OK maybe one, but not two -- that I don't tell Mason how much I love my new kitchen.

P.P.S. I really hold nothing against the Pioneer Woman. Just seething jealousy perhaps. (Mason can't stand her, though, for what it's worth.)

P.P.P.S. And, yes, it was tank-top weather here last week.

Boots and More Boots

For those who've visited, you know that I have traded in all my nicer footwear and now live almost exclusively in Wellies. You know, rubber boots. I wear them on hikes and walks, while gardening or even just walking the paths around the house when I first wake up in the morning -- surveying my empire. 

In the nearly two years we've lived here, I've gone through four pairs. Amazing, I know.

I've been partial to the dusty pink ones from Tractor Supply, but they do seem to wear out quickly. See those cracks across the top of my arch? Not so good when wading the local creek or watering plants or digging in dirt. (Not to mention they lose their snake-proofness.) So this time 'round I forked over an extra $10 for this brown "kids" pair from the Sportsman's Warehouse. Oh good lord. I can still remember those days when I shopped at Nordstrom and Banana Republic. How far I've fallen ... or is it how far I've come?!

I sure do love me my boots. So when I was in Texas, I picked me up some I can wear into town. I found these red boys' cowboy boots at a thrift store. I thought they were a bit pricey at $15, but lemme tell you, I can't wear them into town without getting a compliment on them. They're nothing special, except to me, maybe.

Unrelated notes: See that sunshine in that top photo? It's been gloriously lovely here lately. Supposed to hit 70 on Thanksgiving. Now there's something to celebrate! Enjoyed that sunshine thoroughly while planting 100 daffodil bulbs the other day.

My Amazing Friends

When I left Minneapolis, I had a tearful goodbye hug with a group of co-workers. That's because they were so much more than co-workers. These women had been incredible friends -- and they continue to be! And one of them came to visit yesterday: Courtnay!!

This gorgeous woman, her husband and their adorable boy Bodhi braved a night on Flat Top en route to Atlanta to see family. See how conveniently located the cabin-at-the-end-of-the-world is? (That's what our insurance man called it ... and he's a local.)

But seriously, I never EVER thought so many of my Minneapolis friends would make the journey here, and I just feel so lucky. AND LOVED!

It was a whirlwind visit, but we made the most of it, despite an inch of rain and Nick the Dog's undesirable desire to herd Bodhi (which meant Nick spent most of the visit leashed to the couch).  We're hoping a little of our hyper-relaxed psyche rubbed off on them, getting their well-deserved vacation off to a good start.

So those other Minneapolis women? They got wind that I may have complained about not having enough bowls, so they sent an early Christmas gift via Courtnay: a box full of bowls! They each picked one out, without consulting one another, and each one absolutely reflects the woman who picked it out. I LOVE THEM -- the bowls and the women.

Look, they even each came with their own lovely card! Seriously people, these women spoil me.

Courtnay also spoiled us with our greatest-ever haul of old magazines, the perfect pastime for rainy and lazy days up here:

And she also gave us another gift: a lovely photo of us on our walking trail that I'm thinking I may just save for the annual Christmas newsletter, so you'll just have to wait for that one.

Thank you Courtnay, for everything!

Back in Action

We've finally transitioned from Vacation mode to Mountain mode,  thanks to all the leaves. First we found a wood chipper/leaf shredder on Craigslist. Then we blew and raked, and raked some more.  We raked so much, that we even gave ourselves the night off from the Flat Top Homebrew Rule:  30 push-ups per beer. (Sore arms; raking, ouch.) Praise The Hop Gods.

So far we've raked up about half of the area around the cabin. Tomorrow we'll start tackling the other half. The plan is to use the shredded leaves as garden mulch. I haven't done this before, but my sister has, and she says it works! And while she gardens in the challenging climate of Texas, she has a lovely yard and some amazing roses.

After several hours of raking and an unhealthy dose of pain relievers, somehow I managed to pull myself together and make dinner.  Of course, I really had no choice -- one of the downsides of living at least 35 minutes from the closest fast food. On the plus side, my new subscription to Cook's Illustrated paid off with a damn tasty Italian Wedding Soup:

And on two final  notes: HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!! And here's my cutie: Nick the Dog.