Gromit's responsibilities

I'm Gromit and I help Marilyn and John both at home and away. Here are some photos of me at work.

I helped knit socks for Marilyn's great-niece, Wren.

I shoveled snow MANY times this winter.

Here I am jumping into Marilyn's bag as she was getting ready to go to a conference. I stayed with her personal items while she gave a presentation.

I also help Marilyn when she grades the college students' assignments.

With my help on the taxes, John and Marilyn got a refund!

I help Marilyn charge and sync her iPod Touch. Sometimes I get to play games, check to see if Rover has sent me an e-mail, or listen to an audio book.

I helped John get this Kindle for Marilyn just before Valentine's Day. When she is at work, I get to read it! We both just finished a book about the Camino de Santiago de Compostella. Hmm. I wonder if she wants to go there... if she does, she'd better take me!

While in Florida I supervised John and his dad while they did some plumbing work.

I even help Marilyn buy cards for John. These were for Valentine's Day.

As you can see, I am quite busy!

Sad roses, but springs forth!

The rose bushes have been buried under drifts all winter. I've been worried about them as the few canes that were visible stuck out at odd angles. The snow is starting to recede after a week of above freezing temperatures and five days of rain and those worries were justified. Almost every cane in bent or broken. When the ground drains a bit, I will have to do some major trimming. I hope they can bounce back.

The tea roses have suffered the most!

Even the more robust floribunda roses (I think that's what they are...) are suffering!

I didn't even see these little green shoots until after photographing the nearby roses. Daffodils are in the background with surprise lilies (AKA magic lilies or naked ladies) in the foreground.
Spring will come!

Socks

I like to have something to do with my hands while watching TV or listening to NPR. I also tend to take up a hobby or craft for a while, enjoy it, then move on to something new. In the past I've done counted cross stitch, crocheting, origami, and fabric origami boxes. This is in addition to crossword, sudoku and KenKen puzzles. (What is KenKen? Sudoku on steroids. GREAT math and logic. Try it!)



So, right now knitting is my craft of choice. This fall I made hoodie sweaters for the daughter of a friend, Mya, who is almost 1 1/2 and Wren, my great niece, who will turn 1 in a week! They were lots of fun but almost too quick. So, I decided to try my hand at socks. For sure, socks are not quick projects. First, the needles used are really small, so those stitches are really small too. One reason I moved on from counted cross stitch was the difficulty seeing the small stitches. Well, knitting socks means I sometimes still use a magnifying glass or take off my glasses!



They really are a challenge but that is part of the fun. Also, for the first time I can remember, I have a pair of socks that FIT my little feet. I didn't realize one could actually have socks that didn't have at least a half inch extra fabric at the ends of the toes!



Here are my first two successes.

This is the pair I made for myself. They actually fit! However, even though the stitches are small, they are not smooth underfoot. I'm getting used to that. The yarn is washable wool and nylon so I throw them in the washer but like all my wool sock, they air dry.

This is the pair I made for Wren's first birthday. They were fun because they are so small. Little socks are really cute, too. The yarn is 50% washable wool, 25% bamboo, and 25% nylon. I am afraid that one sock is larger than the other just because of tighter tension on the first one knitted as I was working REALLY hard to figure out the instructions.

Happy Valentine's Day - a bit early!

Gromit, Hutch, and Denali are admiring the new Kindle! John is setting the bar high for Valentine's Day gifts. Last year he surprised me with a deep pink Asus eee PC that he found on eBay. This year it was a Kindle. What a guy!


I've debated whether or not to get a Kindle. Would I like to read on an electronic device? Will I be willing to pay for books when I am so accustomed to utilizing our excellent public library as well as the college library? For a long time the decision has been to wait until the e-book war between the Sony Reader, the Nook, the iPad, and the Kindle is won - and includes the ability to access library books.


In the last two months it seemed like everyone around me was getting Kindles. Hmm. Temptation!


then one night this week I had trouble reading my book in bed. My eyes were tired, the font was small, and I just couldn't find the 'sweet spot' in my no-line bifocals. If I had a Kindle, I could just increase the size of the font and continue reading. I must have said that out loud! Then Amazon had a free two-day shipping promotion and John acted, unbeknownst to me!


When we got home Wednesday, there was a small package at the door. He said it was bike parts, which is a common reason for a box at the door. I DID notice that he quickly put it under his coat but then forgot about it as I fixed dinner and headed to bell choir practice. When I walked in the door, Gromit, Hutch, and friends were all guarding a box on my chair. The Kindle had arrived!


The rest of the evening was spent trying to deregister (that's the term on the Kindle's setting page!) the Kindle from John's Amazon account and register it on mine. Maybe that wasn't so smart because now I have to pay for my own books. :-) Anyway, it didn't work the way the Help menu said it should, so I spent some time talking with Customer Service, apparently in India. All is well now but I am still trying to decide on which book should be my first purchase.



The biggest problem? Finishing my current library book!

Walking on ice cubes?

What a week for careful walking! The blizzards of Christmas and early January left a lot of snow on sidewalks and side streets. Several lots never cleared their sidewalks; it is almost impossible to do so now. So walking to work already meant being more attentive than usual.

Then came several days of freezing fog followed by freezing drizzle. For two days everything was covered with close to a half inch of ice. Thank goodness for Yaktrax! However, my Yaktrax were showing wear, so after John did a bit of repair work, I ordered a new pair. (Is that order enough to ward off the winter gods and mean no more snow and ice?) Every step was now deliberate.

Then yesterday afternoon the temperature rose and the ice began dropping off the branches. The sidewalks were covered with ice cubes! Really. They were even the same size. Amazingly, those ice cubes made the walking much easier. The crunching sound was fun, too.

So now what? It rained last night and the temperature has stayed at 35 Fahrenheit so there are puddles - and still icy spots. More snow is predicted. Sigh. I am really looking forward to clear pavement so I can stride out not worrying about every step.

Snow - again!

As I write this, the wind continues to blow the snow into huge drifts as the temperature drops. It is now -8 and headed lower. The college closed the campus yesterday about noon and remained closed today. In 20 years I've never seen it close down like this but the students don't come until next week, so it is easier to do.



This third big storm of the season started with a beautiful, fluffy snow due to the cold temperatures. Then came the wind. It is always amazing how it can blow for hours (days?) without blowing itself out. With all the snow on the ground from the three big storms and several minor snowfalls, drifting is a problem. About noon today the snowplows were taken off the highways. Now that is serious.



I didn't venture outside at all today. So I have only two photos taken from inside. A couple of should haves... should have taken a picture of the cleared sidewalk Tuesday afternoon. Pavement was even visible in places with snow 18+ inches high on either side. Today there isn't even a hint of where the sidewalk should be in front of the house. Should have taken these photos BEFORE sunset... and checked the auto setting before snapping!




The drift on our front porch is the prettiest. There are three nice big rose bushes just beyond the railing.




This is the house across the street, undeniably the nicest looking house in the neighborhood. The owner is a real detail person so it always looks great. Notice the amount of snow on the right side and then note the bare spot at the left edge. Our sidewalk SHOULD be in the foreground.



This is the back yard. Just this side of the bird feeder there is hardly any snow. The black 'spots' on the shed doors are at least three feet above ground level. Good thing we put the snow shovels and blower in the garage, though the drifts there are several feet high too.



If this weather pattern continues, it could be a tough semester. Probably half of my students usually commute, so there will be lots of missed classes. Since my students need to be in class in order to prepare for their field experiences, it could be interesting. I have to continue to teach those who are in class, but those who miss might not be ready for their practicum sessions. They can't be penalized for not driving on icy, snowy roads. What a dilemma. Is it too much to hope for a quiet rest of the winter?

Gromit's Florida Adventure

As you can see by the colors on this fire hydrant, I took another trip with Marilyn and John. After flying back from Oregon into the remnants of a Christmas blizzard, we spent two days at the Super 8 motel near the Omaha airport waiting for the roads to clear. Then after just two nights at home, we flew to Melrose, Florida to spend some time with John's dad.


Florida, you say? Sunshine and warmth? Think again! Not this year. It was mostly sunny but COLD. Several nights were in the 20s with daytime highs barely reaching the low 40s. BRR. With no central heating, all house occupants were grateful for the wood stove, the propane room size heater, and electric blankets. We did bundle up in every layer we brought for walks - note that all I had was a fleece vest besides my fur! For several walks I traveled in John's pocket.




It was actually hard to find a good spot to take my picture with Florida flora. The light was always tricky but this photo is okay.




This plant was in the yard of a nearby house. Since Marilyn is just about 5' tall, you can see that the leaves are really big! After night temperatures in the high 20s those big leaves just wilted. Just because something is big doesn't prevent it from being wimpy!



Can you believe that Marilyn and John wanted my to meet an alligator? This is more 'up close and personal' than I wanted - until I discovered it wasn't alive! It was stone. Whew!


Have you ever taken a picture of a picture? John did! This is a painting of the Florida house back when it wasn't totally surrounded by trees and bushes. It is virtually impossible to get a photo of the house now! The front of the house is facing left.


We flew back to Omaha and then drove home on January 6 under clear, sunny skies. Oh, did I forget to mention that the temperature was about +5? Still, that was better than what happened the next day - ANOTHER blizzard. That's three major storms since early December. GRR.