Now that winter is almost over, and the days for cold and snow are rather on the limited side, we actually have some! [snow that is :-) ] Although our totals aren’t nearly as impressive as D.C. (32″ I beleive) we’ve gotten enough to make snowshoes worthwhile on my hikes with the dog. [or squirrel hunting ;-) ] The totals vary to quite a bit in our area, the last big storm we got about 8″ on average; but just 9 mi away, at the W. farm they probably got closer to ten or eleven inches.

The flakes are once again falling this morning, which probably means my clothes aren’t getting very dry–something to do with the warmer temps and precipitation I think! Ah well, they can always finish in the house. (I’m a very firm believer in hanging clothes outside to dry–as you may remember)

I guess that other places have gotten snow too–Texas for instance. I even hear rumor that the global warming talks, after being postponed three times, were canceled because of all the snow in D.C. You don’t suppose that God is “meddling” again, do you? “Global Warming–Ha! I can make it snow in Texas and Florida.” Whatever the case it does show that we serve and omnipotent God!

The snow is also making the garden hoop house project drag along a little more slowly than I’d anticipated. Actually, it’s mostly the frozen ground. I can usually pound a fence post in (using a regular manual post driver) in about 10 hits or so–no more that 20. The well-pipe stakes I’m trying to pound in now are taking me a lot closer to 200 hits than 100. Admittedly they are rather taller than the fence posts mentioned earlier, but after pounding in two or three of them I’m about sore enough to quite for a few a hours anyway. Hard on your shoulders and hands. Six down eight to go (I think)…

Then I need to get some nine gauge wire to tie the well-pipe hoops to the other 3 ft. stakes I’ve already pounded in to the ground to support the hoops. The plan was to have everything done by last weekend. Maybe I’ll be close by next weekend :-) I do have the blocks for the stove wall in place, but those tall stakes (mentioned above) to hold the blocks in place (for some reason mortar doesn’t cure too well at 15 and 20 degrees…) are really holding up progress.

Additionally, I’ve been trying to put in at least an hour or two in at the great studying. Yippee! (insert extreme sarcasm into that one!) But to accomplish my goal I’ve got to keep plugging away at it. And we figure better here and now, than later at Alpena where I’ve got to keep at the slow, expensive, mundane pace they prescribe. Not to mention that if I can conquer this stuff now, when I get up there I should be able to get the A.S.S. degree in one year. Which would be good.

It’s a excellent plan, I just need to (by the grace of God) muster up enough fortitude to trudge, march, or somehow, get through it.

So with that in mind I guess I’d better back to something slightly more productive. (although this provides a nice break)

Matthew