Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas 2011!

Ken's Year

Phyllis's Year

Any questions?

Happy 2011 and See'ya down the road!

Whadda HoHo and other gems!

Wylie - get off the bed!  






Who me??

Yes, you; come here!  






I think he likes the bedspread. 

Miss Billie & Mr. Lloyd - so glad they are back and will be here awhile.

 Miss Billie inspects my work and gives me some ideas to finish it better.  This is the first of three bedspreads.

 Miss Glennis gave me a handwoven bracelet and I gave her a table runner.  She also got a beautiful neck scarf.  She is teaching the gals wonderful bracelet weaving.






Here is just a small sample of her work.  Glad the antibiotic against other crafts is holding.
Glennis and Cal hail from Broomfield, CO.  They are here until the first and then will be back in April.  We will miss her  errrr -- them.  :)

Miss WhaddaHoHo is busy finishing her bracelet.  Miss Joy is going to make homemade noodles for tomorrow night (yes the weather WILL straighten up) and has used her magic wand to poing several worker bees to help her.  She makes GOOD ones.

 And WAALAA it is done!!
 Awesome job Miss Joy, awesome!!









Our friend Maurene got good news Wednesday when her lump was NOT cancer.  Wootwoot!!


Ya know we don't all "go south" just to meet one another and b.s.  Many of us do this to find some milder weather in hopes all the aches and pains will be milder as well.  I poopooed when Marilyn told me this winter would be worse than last winter.  It was bad enough here but man to have almost the entire state of New Mexico in the grip of storm after storm after storm now is devastating to us and our pain filled neighbors.    Sorry Marilyn - I won't doubt your weather forecasting again.  


It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas............... (sigh)  no, no, really 
I'm smiling.  I am.  I am.

Bit.....errrr... A Day for Sniveling......

Up at 5 am to turn the furnace up higher.  Yes there is white stuff out our door LOTS OF IT!!  (Expletive deleted) I'm sure I went to sleep in NM and woke up on Rocky Point Drive in Gillette where I am time traveled back to MARCH 2008!!!  Not!  The main difference is we are NOT cold!  Even if the snow is coming in sideways from the NORTH!  It needs to shape up and keep it.  So I will spend a few minutes sniveling then straighten my bunched up big girl panties and proceed cheerily along.  Since I'm going nowhere and Ken will more than likely spend the day in bed no one will know if I have succeeded.  


Snivel #1 My printer has stuff stuck in the print queue (glad I finally learned how to spell THAT word!).  I have done all of the snobby computer geek stuff: turned it off; physically unplugged it at USB and electricity; waited overnight for these two fixes to pong the machine and fix it.  It didn't work.  so I went online and downloaded a fix - it SAID it fixed it but when it restarted it was still there.  So am deleting the whole kit and kaboodle and starting from scratch.  There - I have smile #1 for the day.


Snivel #2 - I wonder WHY I thought I should get rid of my tall snow boots?  THAT was really stupid.  And this shall surprise no one that I slogged around in my "slipon" fuzzy boots.  Well they are on the heater and shall be dry before I go out again.  Yes - doggy duty.  


Snivel #3 - Sorry Clay but you aren't getting ANY credit for sitting outside today - and I DID come over to sweep your step but the wind is not bugging you as much.  
SO the stats:
Today is Dec 23
Day 99 on the Alley
Sitting outside? 80 Days (.5 Clay/Oct; .5 Nov/Clay; .5 Dec/Clay; .5 All)
Rain: 3 Dec; 2 Nov; 4 Oct
Wind: 3 Dec; 4.5 Nov; 6.5 Oct
Snow:  SNOW??? SNOW??? 4 in December
breeze: 7
Hail: 1 Nov


Snivel #4 - I put off going to the store yesterday forgetting the weather alert that was out.  Well, SPIT!


OK That's it - no more sniveling. On to happy things.......in the next post.

Wylie Arnta Coyote

Grrrrrrr

Wuff (aka Wylie)

I think they are sleeping off a wild terror here

When we left NM in May '11 I told the gals it would be interesting to see if Ken managed to not fall in love with one of the two puppies Lori/Kev's Papillon Vixie had.  

When we are at Kev/Lori's  their dog, Vixie begins to count us into the family unit  so comes to visit several times a day and sometimes  overnight.  This year when we came she brought two little tag-a-longs - Wuff and Grrrr.  They were born on March 15  so were about 7-9 weeks old when we arrived in Wyoming

Vixie particularly liked it when Grandad cuddled the two pups and she could escape outside ALONE!

It soon became obvious that one of them was making himself right at home.

"The Bus" had a new ringleader. He would sit on Ken's foot when they were outside.  He figured out how to get

up on the bed, especially when the boys were NOT around.  










And THEN the humans GOT the message also.









After a relatively short time Ken decided we needed to take Wylie with us?  Wylie?  Who's that?  Oh that what I've named Wuff = you know Wylie Arnta Coyote.

  And thus we have an owner and he is training us quite nicely - thank you very much.

So here are the two males of the house - Wylie lets Ken think he's the boss - while he continues to train Ken in the way he should go.  





















Wylie thinks he is a big dog and is ready to make friends with all comers.
















Here Wylie is walking Ken at the Garden of the Gods.  See how well he follows?

Then this fall a Canadian came to visit - Zoey, a cute little (little?) Corgi.  They love to play on the green "front yard".  

At some point I'm going to set up the tripod and get a picture of Zoey taking a rest then RUNNNIIINNNGGG back into the fray!

And don't think I've been left out.  He loves to lay on the Swedish Weaving and snooze.  That is unless he's laying on his favorite pillow - Ken.









































YES - I AM KING OF THE ROAD;

AND OF THE BEDROOM;

AND, OF COURSE, THE TOP OF HIS HEAD!

"Matanza" - Kill a Pig; Have a Party!

 
Ken had been telling about a "Matanza" at the Moose today from noon - ?.  As I've been in cookbook jail for a couple of days I decided I needed a break to go see what was happening.  In short it means to slaughter a pig and have a party.  They gathered at the Lodge early Saturday and by noon they were serving the pig.  We were greeted at the door with come in; there's seats over there and I'll send a couple plates for you.  When she delivered the plates filled with three different types of prepared "pig" she told us to help ourselves to the rest of the meal.  There was hot, med, mild beans; pig cracklin's; tortillas, menudo and pasole.  A lady sitting at the table with us said this was the kind of thing she was raised on and she had missed.  then the strolling musicians began to play. 


To read more about a Matanza click here. :)

A good time - but today wasn't over and we went home to prepare for the annual White Elephant Christmas Party.  As we were going to have live music with dinner we had the gift exchange earlier and finished just in time to help the band get setup and have dinner.  This is the story of a beautiful blanket.    

#1 was Kathy

#2 Leo 

and finally #3 and the winner of the evening: Linda

Linda, "Just following the rules, Leo.  Sorry!"

And there was STILL more fun!!

Dave

Cal

Bill

Maurene

Carol

Yes Kathy got something else......

Wyn

WhadaHoHo doing a jig to the music.  :)

"On Call" - doing their thing!!

It was a marvelous day and evening.  Merry Christmas 2011!!

Tidbits - Tangles - Shafts and Wylie

Trying to get my thoughts purged so I can begin again.  ?  Whatever.....

We are in full craft mode.  Wyn is learning Italian Hem Stitch but is tangled...

O a tangled web I weave...............

Debbie (and The Gang)  have embroidered  cards for Christmas

Nice job - but you've got a long way to go to get to 100.

Glennis is here with her bracelets.  Such intricate work!

 Doug is just hanging around - but WHAT is he REALLY planning..........

 And THEN there is Dave - He'd had a hard day this day and was ready for something, anything so he finished off the pitcher of beer - AND HE DOESN'T  EVEN DRINK BEER!!

Better now?  

Thursday Pool/Darts brings more folks to the board.

 Today they learned that it's all about the shaft and how you handle it.  

 Now, Now Now!!  What did you think I meant?

Awww!  Isn't THAT precious..she finally hit the board.

"........and the tire fell off the wwwaaagggon"

Emile

 Dianne takes her had to the board.  AND yes Debbie can
hit the board - it was a lucky shot that won something I think.

With Maynard playing with Amazon there has been no one to clean up the pcorn mess UNTIL  waalaaa Newell doing the job.  Then after a great afternoon of laughter, margaritas and beer what should we do???

GO HAVE PIZZA!!

 I, 2, 3!  Hold up your menus.







Roy is wondering if Dave really IS going to have
chocolate dessert first.

Of course he is!

HE was NOT a happy camper that he didn't get to go!