Today at Iten's Acres: Christmas Eve December 24, 2013

Looks as if it will be a white Christmas at the Acres. Cold as well. Bonnie has already been by this morning. What a beautiful dog--her black and white fits right into the snowy landscape--camouflage. She does love winter and snow. I'm sure she's on her way to see Gus. He's currently being a wimpy dog; I can see him sitting inside Ellie's playhouse watching the snow come down. He'll be frolicking as soon as Bonnie gets there. May take a little while. Dogs have no desire to be mathematicians. The shortest distance between two points thing is irrelevant. Who wants to meander in a straight line anyway?
Homesteader is enjoying making the birds scatter. She watches awhile and then her cat nature gets the best of her, and she jumps up against the doorwindow--a flurry of wings ensue. Such power! Then back in my lap with a word or two (or more!) explaining the situation. Two minutes later--ATTACK! ADD cat.
It is gorgeous outside. Hope the flurries continue all day and through the evening. Have to bundle up and take a walk. Won't have the Outlaws with me today since Gus is securely back home. The meadow and wild area will be a tracker's heaven. The wind will add to the flurries from the sky. Dennis' alpaca will be enjoying himself; he's a winter snow lover too. The Acres! Every day is a good day.

Today at Iten's Acres: The Prodigal Is Home December 23, 2013

For those of you who were losing sleep over worrying about it: Gus is back home inside his electric "cage" and quite pleased with the whole ordeal. As I write, he's singing a duet with Bonnie as a siren goes flying down the highway. Well, the old country road.

This Week at Iten's Acres: First Days December 21, 2013

First official day of "Christmas Vacation":

First official day of winter as well: Warm and rainy. I love the rain. I love melancholy. The melted snow and abundant rain have swollen the streams of Morrow County, begun to fill the swamp, turned the Acres into a bog. It will be wet and sloppy walking the place today. Don't worry--that's never stopped me before. Perhaps Gus will join me. He's been "locked out" of his place again for a few days. Sleeping in my shed. Protecting my place with his nightly howls. You would think they would just call him and let him back in the electric fence. I guess they just don't care about the little guy. I'll take care of him as best I can until they decide to look for him. We will enjoy our walks. Perhaps Bonnie will join us. Back to the Outlaw Days. And I'm sure winter will arrive again (it has unofficially been her for a few weeks already.) We would have had a splendid snow if this rain had been a few days ago!
What will I do with my days away from school? Miss the kids. (Don't you dare tell them.) Teacher things--planning, grading exams--a little each day. Hermit things. Lots of walks. Lots of reading and writing. Learning my place in life again--it has already been made clear--again--who owns the rights to the green chair in the daytime. Yep, it's not me. A few backroads of Morrow County excursions. Maybe--don't faint (or hold your breath--never a good idea unless you're under water)--clean and straighten up a LITTLE bit. (I always enjoy making something little into something big.) There's enough food around so I won't starve even if winter sends a December blizzard. (Hope, hope!) Maybe the kids will drop by for a visit? I have a duck hiding in the freezer. I'm sure the days will do the proverbially flying. Ahhh well. Off for one of those walks. Gus and I will enjoy ourselves I promise. Water and all. God never gives us a day that is not beautiful if we will just bother to look for--and embrace--the good that is there. After all, there is never a day that I cannot celebrate the coming of His Son and anticipate the coming of His Son. Never a day. Hope each of your days is a celebration.

Backroads of Morrow County: Dreaming? December 6, 2013

I keep having this recurring dream every few months--or years. Today, I dreamed that I filled up my gas tank at only $2.93 a gallon. Must have accidentally imbibed some coke somewhere, and it's messing with my brain. Guess I'll go home and have the elixir of life--a nice cold Pepsi. Maybe that will clear my mind. But . . . what if I get in my car and the tank is full? Hmm.

Homesteader Update: Alarming December 6, 2013

I have to do something about my alarm clock. Somehow she--yes, she--knows precisely when I'm supposed to be getting up for work. I can hear her coming admonishing me to get up. Now! To the "noise" she adds paws, the sound of a motor, and a cold nose. And she's always in "snooze control." She gives me my first alert, jumps down off the bed so I get the idea, waits a couple minutes, and then back again--noise, motor, paws, cold. I know, sounds as if the "alarm clock" is working fairly well. The problem is that she has no concept of weekends--or like today, snow days off from school. All days are the same. At 5:30 it's time to get up lazy human. "After all, I need my daily can of cat food, the birds need to be fed so I have my morning entertainment, and you need to get out of my house so I can do whatever I please. Rise and moan old man." Got to get that alarm fixed.