What? More snow?

We awoke to another 2-3" of snow. We've had more snow in the last week than we had all last winter. Here are some shots around Troy of our "winter wonderland."

See? He's wearing his hat this time.

One of our basement windows.

Doesn't this look like a Christmas card?

Our friends at Tire Discounters are at it again.

First you go sledding ....

Or lying down ....

Then you go to Tim Horton's for hot chocolate and a doughnut!

I'm dreaming of a white day-after Christmas

Where is his hat? Bob shovels the drive, but our across-the-street neighbors aren't so diligent.

Oh no. We're out of de-icer.

There are birds all over the feeder. That's a female cardinal in the upper left.

We put snowflake clings on the windows before Christmas. Contrast those with the real thing on the window by the front door.

A nice snowy touch to our front door wreath.

A cup of Listerine cheer

I had my teeth cleaned last week. The hygienist recommended a couple of Listerine mouthwashes and gave me samples. Dr. Culp (our dentist) came in and commented, "There's a lot of alcohol in that one. Add it to a cup of eggnog and you'd have quite a cup of cheer." Hey, I don't recommend it - but if there's anyone out there who wants an eggnog mouthwash, throw some of this in your traditional Christmas drink:

On a completely different note, I took of picture of Bob this morning during his morning bird feeder filling and patio clean-up duties. He doesn't look happy, but then it was cold outside.

Winter solstice

Winter started this morning at 6:11 a.m. EST and we've had snow all day (though not heavy). The wind has blown, too, which moves the snow all around. We won't have a white Christmas, because temperatures will rise and we're supposed to have rain. Oh well. We were close.

I took these photos with my iPod, so they're not the highest quality.  You get the idea. This is our front walk.

Our decorated tree in front.

The back yard.

The people working at Troy's Bakehouse ... or the elves, as the case may be.

I love Kroger

Kroger gives gas points:  every $100 spent equals 10 cents off per gallon of gas. Well, we had a really good December, when Kroger gave 4x points for gift cards purchased through Dec. 9 (every dollar spent on gift cards equaled 4x in gas points; $25 gift card = 100 gas points). We ended up with over 900 points (yowza) and got gas for an amazingly low price. See the receipt below:

I am a hockey buff ... who knew?

We've attended some hockey games at Hobart Arena. The Silver Sticks tournament was held on Dec. 1-2 and 8-9. Our nephew Ryan and his wife Tanja accompanied us on Dec. 8. We all aspire to be Zamboni drivers.

Pity the goalie - trapped under there somewhere.

Different team, different game. See the puck?

My dream job: Zamboni driver.

Our tree on top of the credenza.

A collection of fall photos

I found some pictures in various folders and I thought I'd share.

I'm prepared for trick-or-treaters on Halloween. While I waited, I sent an email to Joan Kunkler to update her on the number of kids who came to the door. Final tally = 107.

Peace on earth, cat version. While the "wall of flames" is on, they manage to get along.

Mom and me on Thanksgiving as we prepared food.

A little Carolina wren has shown up in the back yard.

Our first Christmas decoration is up - we got these Santa lights last year in the after-Christmas sales.

Happy Thanksgiving

We've been busy. Bob entered two craft fairs with his photographs - perhaps not the best venue for him, but we made enough to cover the cost of the entry fees! There are lots of talented people at these bazaars. Homemade greeting cards, all manner of crocheted items, wooden toys, Christmas ornaments, etc. - the trick is not to spend money he makes buying other people's stuff. :)

Bob at First United Methodist Church's holiday bazaar.

Milkweed seeds getting ready to fly away.

My homemade suet before I put it in the "accessory refrigerator" (the garage) to firm up.

Chipmunks are thankful for big cheeks.

Isabella is thankful for a heating vent on a cold morning.

Late October-early November

We went on an overnight trip to the Hocking Hills before Halloween. The Hocking Hills area is very pretty, with lots of rock formations, lakes, rivers, and caves. We stayed overnight at a bed-and-breakfast in Nelsonville, OH.
On Halloween, we had to take a picture of the "scary yard" in Troy, where the owners really take Halloween to heart. They decorate with lots of skeletons, coffins, and stuff that would have made me run the other way when I was trick-or-treating. But, they get 400-500 trick-or-treaters, so they must be doing something right (or wrong, as the case may be).
Finally, the Miami East girls volleyball team once again went to the championships near Dayton. They won their second title in a row - Division III girls volleyball champs for Ohio. Quite an accomplishment for a rural school. Bob took over 500 photos, but I promise I'll share only a couple. :)

  

The Mead House, our bed-and-breakfast.

Lake Logan, with swans and fall color.

The largest rock bridge east of the Mississippi River, located in ... wait for it ... Rockbridge.

Part of the scary yard.

Just of few of the Casstown Crazies before the championship game. What a good cheering section they are.

The second year in row champs!

Some non-Sandy October events

We handed out candy at the First United Methodist Church's Trunk and Treat on Oct. 29. Once again, we woefully underestimated the number of trick-or-treaters (and I really thought I was prepared this year). I heard estimates of 600 (!) kids. No wonder we ran out. Thank goodness, candy donations to the church allowed us to refill 3 times. On Halloween, we had 107 trick-or-treaters (yes, I counted) at our front door. We ran out of candy at the end and had to resort to the pretzels bagged for trick-or-treating. They're in the shape of jack-o-lanterns and bats. Really very cute ... and we have some left over!

Not our trunk. But, gosh, what great bones.

Penny was once again Cooper the Dog. This year, she loved the warm costume.

Our trunk. It's too light to see the ghost and pumpkin lights, plus our light-up jack-o-lanterns. Trust me, it looked better as it got darker.

The new bridge opens. That's the mayor with the really big scissors (anyone remember "Dead Again" with Kenneth Branaugh and Emma Thompson?)

Fall leaves.

Hurricane Sandy ... or "I'm dreaming of a white Halloween"

I tried to publish a post yesterday, but I think the storm caused some internet problems. We were fortunate in western Ohio. We had howling winds during the night of the 29th-30th and we woke to snow on the 30th. We did not lose power, our snow came in flurries only, and, of course, with no ocean, we did not have a tidal surge. We hope our friends in the NE, the mid-Atlantic states, and West Virginia are safe.

Check the roof. Notice our big spider (for Halloween, of course) above the garage door.

This was our "accumulation." West Virginia puts us to shame.

The day before Halloween! Who knew?

War of 1812 returns

We went to a War of 1812 commemoration at Indian Creek Distillery last weekend. There was a blacksmith, a couple playing the fiddle and mandolin, 1812 militia reenactors, and a tinsmith. We didn't see British troops ready to burn the White House (but that didn't occur till 1814, so perhaps in two years we'll see a reenactment). The working distillery turns out Staley rye whiskey (they're in the process of getting government approval for tastings). The woman who is co-owner of the land and distillery is a descendent of the original distiller, Elias Staley.

The blacksmith.

It was cold, so the jackets and caps felt good. A few days later it was in the high 70s.

An old flintlock.

The road just past the distillery.

The working stills.

Cell phones in 1812? Probably not, but a girl has to have her technology.