Thursday Happenings.

Was 6 degrees at 04:30AM when I got up. Supposed to get all the way up to 35 today and it is sunny and not much winds.

The other day when Donna went out running around,(shopping). She came home with one thing I know we couldn’t have done without.

The bird motel now has a restaurant addition. I had to hang it up yesterday in the cold. So far it looks like the birds are happy.

                      Bird Motel Restaurant.

Donna has the restaurant tonight, She is baking cookies and some blueberry muffins now. Hope she gets a chance for a nap before work.

I love the smell in the kitchen when Donna is baking, it also smells good in the fiver when you bake something but the darn smoke alarm keeps going off. I usually take the battery out before baking and put it back before bed.

Our friends Rick & Paulette along with Molly & Riley have headed south from Cowichen Bar BC. to Sands RV Resort  in Palm Springs Ca. I know they are looking forward to warm weather and a soak in the pool. Hope you have a safe and uneventful trip south.

Supposed to have a wintry mix storm Tomorrow hit the area, with about 3 inches of snow, maybe it will go around Dardenne Prairie again. No matter if we get a bunch, the cars will stay in the garage until the roads are clear. We have plenty of food. So no need to take a chance. Although Donna has to drive a short way to work she has 4wd.

Nothing else is going on here for today, Everyone be safe out there. Sam & Donna…………… 

Tuesday Thoughts.

Still cold here, got up to 16 degrees, but this afternoon it is up to 35 degrees now and the snow on the driveway and patio is melting. Rigg’s picked out a couple of pics from the vault for us today.

Dad, I’m ready anytime you and Mom are for another vacation trip.

Dad, remember this, you and me swimming together, I Love swimming.
Wish I could tell him when, but we still don’t know yet, heck it’s almost as cold down south as it is here. I’d rather wait for some warmer temperatures, Leaning toward south Texas, don’t want to drive at far as Arizona /Calif. and we will probably visit our friends Paul and Helen and the girls(Labs) later in the spring when they recover from wintering in Mexico. So we are watching our pennies right now.
Donna is off today and she decided to get out of the house this afternoon and get some running done. That’s wife talk for shopping.
That’s about it for now, Everyone be safe out there in your travels, and I hope the cold spell ends for you soon. Sam & Donna………..

Monday Musings.

Still in the artic deep freeze mode here in Dardenne Prairie Mo.Low of 12 this morning and I think we reached our high today of 25. Donna is off today and is making a stew for dinner.
The biggy for today was the body shop called and said my mirror is in and to bring the truck in to have it repaired.
Don’t know if I told anybody but about a month ago I smashed the passenger side mirror backing out the the garage, It is the extendable tow mirror with heat, and signals.
I took it for two estimates and the first one was $850 to replace the broken mirror. Yeah you read it right, unbelievable. When I told my insurance man he said if it was more than $750 I would have an accident against my record, If it was less then there would be no record of the incident.Since I have the lowest rates and deductibles State Farm offers, I didn’t want to take a chance that so I got another estimate and told the body guy what the score was, he said he would look for a used mirror and that would bring the price down to about $650 which was in the insurance company’s range. Trouble is finding them.
At 02:00PM I was pulling in front of The Body Shop in O’fallon MO.


                           The Before picture.


                              Old mirror removed.


The new to me mirror, looks brand new and all functions work.
The Body Shop did a great job on the repair and the truck was only tied up an hour, I waited while it was done.
Now we can plan a trip and have the tow vehicle back in top shape.
Got home and decide to post this, Hey all my buddies out there with 2500 and 3500 HD GM and Chev trucks, Denny and Rick and I’m sure there are others. try to keep from smashing your mirrors, they are expensive to replace.
Nothing much else going on here at the Ranch, hope all is well with all our friends out there. Be safe. Sam & Donna…

Saturday Mumblings.

                     Helicopter view.USS Arizona.

The 72nd anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Oahu. Hawaii. is today.What a day in history, a day President Franklin Roosevelt said “Will live in Infamy”.

I remember my Grandmother  telling us about everyone sitting in front of radio’s listening to the Presidents speech and declaration of war. She would also say she almost had a stroke when shortly after my Dad, Bing Weibel and his best friend, Boots DeSanto went downtown and enlisted in the Army without saying anything to their families beforehand. You could tell though she and especially my Grandfather were proud of his courage and service. Luckily for me he made it back alive to marry my Mom. They were truly part of the worlds Greatest Generation…

It was 9 degrees when I got at at 04:30am supposed to be another bitter day with a high of 30 degrees, not supposed to break the freezing mark until Tuesday.

Not to worry we have plenty to eat and it is nice and warm in the Ranch.\With the kid’s away for the weekend Donna and I are enjoying the house to ourself’s, Poor Sadie is missing her Mom & Dad, but as long as we put her in bed with us at night she burrows under the covers and sleeps the rest of the night.

Donna has a shift at the restaurant tonight, so I will be batching it until the kid’s get home.

Not much doing, here today. Hope all our friends get some warm weather soon wherever they me be parked. Be safe out there. Sam & Donna…..

T.G.I.F.

Well with all the media hype of a good storm coming most of it went south of St Louis and we only got about an inch.

                   First snow of this winter.

Areas to the south of us and in Illinois got 6 to 10 inches. So I guess we were lucky, It is cold it hasn’t got above 27 degrees all day and the low tonight will be 9 degrees. The furbabies like to go out and root the snow around with their noses, but don’t stay out long due to the cold. At least we didn’t have to dig out a bathroom spot for Sadie.

Rigg’s and Sadie were sleeping on the big bed this morning and they had visions of Pup Peroni’s dancing in their heads

    Oh Boy a dream come true. Thanks Mom..

Donna is going in to work at the restaurant tonight for the first time in over a week. She said she is feeling strong enough finally. Also the kid’s are going to St Louis for a weekend getaway and a nice hotel. Andy’s girlfriend works for a hotel chain and they get discounts and comps, so they are taking a weekend out. Mom & I will be alone for the weekend with the pups.

I guess a lot of our friends that headed south are feeling the low temps as it looks like the lows go all the way to Texas and Florida, hope it’s only a day or two for them.

Looks like about a week of cold temperatures are due here at the Ranch.

That’s about it for today, Everyone be safe out there. Sam & Donna….

Wednesday Musings,

What a gorgeous December day here in Dardenne Prairie. It is sunny and the temperature is right at 70 degrees. But tonight we are supposed to have a low of 27 and the high will be 32 tomorrow with sleet and snow starting and continuing until Friday, a possible 6 inch accumulation is predicted for the St Louis Metro area.

That’s the beauty part of being retired, if it snows you can stay inside with a fire going if necessary and not fight the roads. Donna isn’t schedule back to the restaurant until Friday night so by that time it should be over and plowed out. I haven’t dropped the deck or put the plow on John Deere. I told my son if he wanted to he could but since Mom & I both have 4 wheel drive vehicles, and we don’t plan o driving in snowy or icy weather. I’m not going out like I used to when Donna left at 05:30AM and plowing the driveway, we are retired from all that.

I hope it isn’t like year before last when the cold made it all the way down to Florida and Texas and everyone was freezing. We want our friends who were fortunate to make it south to enjoy their stays.

Not much going on Rigg’s is guarding the house by sleeping next to my chair while I type this. Sadie is sleeping also. I may just go in and put a train movie on in the guest room and kill a couple hours.

Hope all is well with all our friends out their in blog land. Please be safe. Sam & Donna….

Monday Musings.

A nice sunny day with a temp of 57 degrees for a December day. Not much doing around the Ranch, Donna did a little baking this morning and made some apple  fritters, I went to the pharmacy to get some test strips, and a couple prescriptions that were ready.

Sat around awhile and watched a train movie.it’s a lazy day all around with both the furbabies napping on the kitchen floor.

Hope all is well with all our traveling friends, PAUL & HELEN are on their way down to Xpu-Ha Mexico with their three gorgeous Lab girls. Last I heard they were going through Alabama. Can’t wait to see the beach photo’s.

DENNIS & DONNA are at Wright Patman Lake, Clear Springs Campground, near Texarkana.TX. Their site looks gorgeous and I hope it isn’t to cool down there.

That’s about it for today, Be safe out there. Sam & Donna…..