Not good news but not too bad either.....

I have taken a small break from posting.  I have had quite a few little glitches in my life and while they are not devastating they have thrown me into a bit of a spin.  And the cloudy, cold weather is not helping.  There are a couple of days when I have just curled up in a ball and done nothing.  So I am a bit behind in many things.

By the same token, I have been busy.  I have gotten the van inspected and the little boo-boo on the fender repaired.  I have gotten the truck inspected and the blower fan for the heater and defroster repaired.  All have new windshield wipers (thanks Danny and Darren) and the snow plow is on the truck.

I figured that it would be the end of the car issues, but the day I was going to be able to pick up the van, I had done some shopping in the Elantra.  Driving along Route 322, a stone was kicked up by another vehicle and a small stone chip appeared just above my head on the windshield.  So, I called my insurance and got my best repair group out today to fix it.  The Elantra has been in the garage since, but when we went in to assess what was needed, the freezing temperatures had made the chip into a full blown crack.  Friday they will come back and replace the entire windshield.  Yippee!

The sewing room is coming along nicely.  I have managed to make one pillowcase for charity, but with all of the appointments and meetings and stuff, I have just not had time.  I did assemble and install the trundle under the bed.  It was an interesting process.  The frame needed two people, so I had to improvise to keep the metal slats from falling out while the ends were being installed.  Yarn comes in handy for more thank knitting!!  Just sayin'!

The mattress came from Amazon.  It was vacuum packed and rolled into a large duffle looking thing.  The package warned that opening it would cause the mattress to expand quickly.  Inside the duffle was another plastic bag.  That bag revealed more plastic and some really hefty tape.  I carefully cut the tape one at a time and with each cut, it began to put pressure on the remaining.  I tried to position it to be on the bed frame but missed a bit.  It unfolded with some force, but I managed not to hurt myself and not break anything.  If everyone comes that might come for Christmas Eve, I will need beds for 9 - NINE - 9 - people.  It will be fun!!

Now, for tonight.  You all know that Winston came to live here late in June.  At first he was very confused and we had some issues with remembering to ask to go out to pee.  He had some food issues, too but of late the only issue I have had with him is that he is a digger.  He has been digging holes all over the back yard.  One of the local farmers says he is digging for moles, and it explains the strange little creature I found on the porch.  But tonight I was supposed to go out and have dinner with some delightful local folks who go out to dinner every Tuesday.  I had put Winston out to do his duty while I gathered my purse, keys and coat.  Not long, less than 5 minutes.  I go out to get him and he is no where in sight.  I call and no movement.  I finally go over to the steps, look at his lead and it is strung from the step where it is connected to under the deck..... UNDER the deck.  This deck is 12 feet wide and 32 feet long.  Lattice covers the openings, but there was a low place where the sewer line from the house to the septic was repaired and he had made it a little deeper and gone UNDER the deck.  I tugged on the lead, but he had managed to under some conduit for electric for the garage and gotten the lead jammed under the conduit.  He was stuck under there.  STUCK!!!!!!!!!

I called my friends and begged off dinner.  Then I got a flashlight and tried to view where he was.  I then went into the garage and located a small pry bar. I took off the lattice in the area closest to where Winston was, He managed to squiggle over and I was able to lay on the wet and muddy (it had been raining off and on here for most of the day) ground, unhook the lead and get him out.  After putting him in the house, I managed to replaced the lattice, cover up the low area temporarily.  Tomorrow I will try to secure the lattice, try got get the lead out from under the conduit so I can use it again and find a better way to block access to under the deck.

As I told Marji today.  Winston certainly makes my life interesting and on my toes.  He is not like any dog I have ever had.  He digs holes, he loves rain and snow, he eats dirt and other things, he is not the dainty little dogs I have had in the future.  But he climbs up in my lap, now, and leans into my chest and snuggles so nicely.  It has been several months of learning to trust me.  We are finally are beginning to understand each other!!

Better days ahead!!