Author: Joy Hurt

_{Inspired by Brian Bendall}

How high’s the snowfall, Mama?
“One foot high and rising!”

I ate my food and Daytona came.
The snow last year was just the same.
I gorged myself and loosened my belt.
Knowing that stuff would only melt.

How high’s the snowfall, Mama?
“Two feet high and rising!”

Don’t worry Mama, it’s okay.
An early thaw is on the way!
Relax, my dear, enjoy the fire.
This snow won’t make it any higher!

How high’s the snowfall, Mama?
“Four feet high and rising!!”

Okay! Okay! We’ll compromise!

I’ll get the shovels, you get the guys!
Let’s bring this white stuff down to size!
It won’t take long to make the run.
We’ll build a snowman when we’re done!

How high’s the snowfall, Mama?
“Six feet high and rising!!”

We cleared a path to the outhouse now,
Thanks to our trusty John Deere plow!
You gotta go? Then do it soon,
Or you might not make back ’til June!

How high’s the snowfall, Mama?
“Eight feet high and rising!!!”

The snow’s still comin’! It’s gotten colder!
Better get the front-end loader!
And Mama might need an army tank!
I just lost Fred in a huge snowbank!

How high’s the snowfall, Mama?
“Land sakes!! Ten feet high and rising!!!!”

The outhouse now is not in sight!
I gotta whiz, but that’s all right!
Make sure you got some pots to spare,
We’re gonna need to go…somewhere!

How high’s the snowfall, Mama?
“(Sigh)…. Take a look outside!!!”

We gotta get this window cleared!
Frank and Tom have disappeared!
It’s buried our new car and truck!
It looks like we’re plum outta luck!!

How high’s the snowfall, Mama?
“Zzzzz… Zzzzz… Zzzzz… Zzzzz….”

Well I’m tired, too, so I’m relaxing,
Even though the roof’s collapsing!
It’s nice and warm here by the fire.
I know this snow won’t get no higher!

Oh, no!!!

We’re outta firewood!!!!

Worry we should!!!!

MAMA!!!!!

*** Have a wonderful day, wherever you are. Buried under 4″ of fresh snow here. Going to enjoy the fire.

More tomorrow.

Meatloaf is an honest recipe. Ingredients can’t hide in meatloaf. Whatever you throw in there will remain identifiable. You can make your recipe as simple as meat, bread, eggs, and seasoning, or you can really dress it up with an assortment of vegetables. Whatever you choose tp throw in it, meatloaf is meatloaf, unless it’s eaten with friends. Then it can become something much more special.

After traveling about Nevada for the morning, Ace and I decided to try his recipe for The World’s Best Meatloaf.

For the Meatloaf:

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/3 cup grated carrot
• 1/3 cup finely chopped celery
• 1/3 cup finely chopped mushroom
• 2 large egg whites, slightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup catsup
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 teaspoons canned diced garlic
• 1/4 package of McCormick’s Meat Loaf Seasoning.

Preheat the oven to 350. Mix all the ingredients by hand.

Evenly flatten the meatloaf mixture in the bottom of a small baking pan. During the cooking, the meat will shrink away from the sides of the pan, leaving a space for the grease to accumulate.

Cook for 30 minutes. Drain off most of the grease and cook for another 10 minutes.

Enjoying a home cooked meal with a friend is the best feeling in the world.

With projects spread all over Winterpast, this writer needs to create stories. Saturday and Sunday are the perfect days to do just that. Have a wonderful weekend.

More on Monday.

There are very few places in the world that offer desolation and quiet beauty within 20 minutes of a bustling town. Yesterday, Ace and I discovered such a place off the loneliest highway in America. Holding court above the sage brush and under the blue desert sky next to the road. Sand Mountain. Something out of a movie. A 600 foot high mountain of singing sand with only a handful of people enjoying the day at her base.

Only miles from Winterpast, the remnants of an ancient sea remain. The entire area was covered by an ocean at one point. The fossilized remains of an ichthyosaur await my visit still. Just a little further than I want to travel alone, these marine fossils are embedded in the mountains. When the Pacific is just too far away, the call of an ancient ocean can be just as strong.

While enjoying breakfast at Angela’s and considering options for a little adventure, Ace told me of an ancient mountain made of sand. Googling it, we found the following information on the BLM site. Remember, the real BLM, not the made up one. BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT. The one our tax dollars support.

“The 4,795 acre Sand Mountain Recreation Area is a designated OHV fee site located in the high desert of west central Nevada. Created by the migration and deposition of windblown sand as it is stopped by the rising Stillwater Mountains bordering to the north, east and west, the most dominant feature of the dune system is Sand Mountain which is approximately 3.5 miles long, 1 mile wide and 600 feet in height, making it the largest single dune in the Great Basin. The recreation area also includes the Sand Springs Pony Express Station historical site (1860) and the Sand Springs Desert Study Area.

In addition to off road vehicle riding on the open dunes, there are 23 miles of riding available on the designated trail system that was established in 2008 to preserve the Kearny Buckwheat habitat and protect the Sand Mountain Blue Butterfly which is endemic only to the Sand Mountain area.

Visitation averages 50,000-70,000 visitors a year with the primary activity comprised of riding ATV’s, motorcycles, sand rails, dune buggies and side by sides. Sand sailing and sand boarding are also practiced by those adventurous enough to brave the OHVs and the climb to the top of the dune. Primitive camping is available at the base of the dunes and facilities are limited to six fault toilets. Water is not available on site.”

Being only a stone’s throw away, we decided to drive there to see this movable mountain for ourselves. Where else can you find salt flats, a pony express stop, nearly extinct butterflies, and a singing sand mountain???? Only in Nevada.

Spending time with Ace is always fun. Knowing each other a year now, the times we spend together still provide new and hilarious stories that keep us talking for hours. I can resort to being a simple wingman and enjoy the wide open spaces of a desolate landscape. It’s always better to hold hands with a friend while venturing into the unknown. You just never know what dangers await.

The further we traveled East, it seemed there was no mountain of sand to see. At first, there was an agricultural oasis dotted with country homes. The more we drove, the less homes were around. The stark outlines of the rock mountains against the blue desert sky were like a western painting. Zipping by Rattlesnake Raceway and Grime’s Point Petroglyphs, we were soon in the land of nothing. No other people or cars. No mustangs. No cattle. Nothing. Just miles and miles of sage brush and towering mountains on either side of the interstate.

Until we came to the salt flats.

Resembling fresh snow, salt grows out of the ground to be harvested. This calls to a certain type of person to find rocks in which to leave messages. This phenomenon can be seen in the salt flats outside of Wendover, as well. The strangest things are written in rock along side the road on the salt. Yesterday took the cake.

The Preamble of the United States Constitution. My goodness. Even typing that took a bit.

For as long as it took the words to stretch, someone or ones had taken rocks and spelled out every word in a straight line. At first, it just seemed like a line of rocks until I started looking at the words. Some people have way too much time on their hands. These words were big enough for easy highway reading in block letters.

Finally, 25 miles east from where we started, there it was. Sand Mountain. With a handful of hearty RVers, the 600 foot mountain of sand stands, singing on occasion. Ace and I were quick to think of camping possibilities on a moonless night. There are no lights for miles around, so the stars must be amazing on those nights. No light pollution there. Under a full moon, the landscape must almost glow with the reflection of the salt flats.

Avoiding disaster, Ace backed us out of the sand when it was obvious we started to sink. In situations like that, it’s a good thing to be with a car guy. They know things. A new desert lesson. Don’t try driving in sand, even with a 4-wheel-drive jeep. It just isn’t a smart thing to do.

After seeing enough of this natural beauty, it was time to retrace our steps, get an ice cream, and head home to Winterpast.

Adventures don’t need to be costly or time consuming. Exotic beaches are nice, but so are the simple and quiet places that you find everywhere in our beautiful country. Sand Mountain. She’s a beauty.

More tomorrow.

Thank goodness Oliver is so darn cute. In this world, cuteness excuses many defects. Oliver knows how to work this survival strategy with the best of dogs. It fills his dog bowl and keeps a bed next to my writing desk. He stands with the cutest of cute dogs.

Three years ago, no one found him cute at all. He was left behind as his brothers and sisters were whisked away in early Winter, 2019. His littermates all went at the height of their desirableness at appropriately 8 weeks of age. For some reason, Oliver was left behind. Too old to be one of the desirables, he spent his days playing in the farm, getting bigger and bigger. Not only was he aging out, he was sizing out. Mini- (under 12 lbs) and Tweenie (12-18 lbs.) dachshunds were the sizes most people want. Standard Dachshunds (18+ lbs.) are reserved for a different breed of folk. Oliver was twelve weeks and twelve pounds on the day we met.

Dachshunds come in many colors you may have never seen. Oliver is a Standard Cream Piebald Wire Haired Dachshund. If you Google that combination of descriptors, you will find pictures of those that look just like him. Standard is the problem. In the age of pocket puppies, a 25 pound, badger seeking tornado of a dog isn’t first on everyone’s list, and so, Oliver got left behind.

When we first met, he’d just experienced his first car trip at 4 months of age. Covered in bodily fluids of one kind or another, the breeder thrust him into my arms, where he settled right next to my heart. For the first three nights, we slept on the recliner, nestled in thick blankets. With no yard in VC, Oliver became a house dog. Later, he would become an even better RV dog, running the show at the various RV parks along the way.

VST found Oliver to be a worthy friend. Somehow, Oliver didn’t mind walks with VST, and VST was happy to control the little dare devil. Oliver loved VST’s big lap, and soon, they started communicating with winks. As I’ve said so many times before, Oliver was VST’s first and last dog. Their friendship was a huge success.

These days, Oliver would be the first to tell you he doesn’t like walks any more than I do. We’re matched in that way. His feet don’t like hot or cold concrete. He doesn’t like meeting up with strange dogs that whisper nasty little things to him long before we get close enough to say Hello. He’s just as happy to dig little holes in the back yard, or eat apricots, being very careful to spit out the pits in neat little piles. Questioning the box of water in which his Mom-Oh sits on occasion, he prefers to ignore it all together. He’d be the first to tell you that humans can be very odd and hard to understand.

At times, I’m quite sure that Oliver sees angels. In a knowing way, he communicates with them and then comes to nestle next to me. His translation is always, “Mom-oh, we have so many things for which to be grateful. We have our health, happiness, and home. We have each other.” So much wisdom in such a big-hearted little dog.

Tired of winter, Ollie is ready for the birds to come back. Being an only child, he loves having other animals to chase. He’s not so happy that the toads will surely return, but, he’ll keep their activity to a minimum. He is his own science project. No. It seems toads are not deadly if ingested by a badger hunting dachshund. The toads will just need to move on if they value their life.

This year, Oliver will be four years old on August 6th. Hard to believe this crazy puppy is a day over 6 months. As we work on manners, I see improvements in his ability to stop wiggling long enough to sit. The door bell can ring twice now without a total loss of control on his part. Some nights, he falls asleep at 5:30 and sleeps straight through eleven hours of puppy dreams. He’s learning patience and understanding more each day. Thank goodness he forgives me for mistakes I’ve made along our journey together. Dogs are far better at that than humans.

Two weeks ago, a new habit came to be. Not something that his Mom-oh is condoning. Oliver discovered a full box of Kleenex. Never had he felt something so tender between his tongue and teeth. So tasty and irresistible. Absolutely a new favorite of this little dog. I see him plotting from his bed on the floor as he looks atop my countertop to where the new box sits. I’m quite sure that if left alone to his own devices, that box would be his in a matter of minutes. Oliver is just that smart.

It’s a good thing that he has his cuteness to fall back on as his main survival strategy. Those sweet puppy eyes. That sweet puppy wiggle. Those little puppy kisses that tell me I’m his favorite Mom-Oh in the entire world. I guess I should stock up on the new Kleenex boxes now.

More tomorrow.

Twenty-four hours of winter has been a delightful thing to behold. Waking up to an inch of fresh snow was beautiful. Every little limb outlined in stark white, against a backdrop of angry black clouds. Winterpast was again dressed for the ball in a blanket of snow. Opening all the blinds, my town was a more appropriate host for the Winter Olympics than the landscape of Beijing as seen on TV. With a little more than a month of winter to go, there was no need for man-made snow here.

Throughout the day, the snow disappeared. By last night, there was no trace left. The perfect kind of snow storm for me. No shoveling. Snow in inches, not feet. No need for 4 wheel drive anything, really. Just postcard beautiful for the morning hours, and then business back to normal.

February patience is tough. The 2022 bathing suits are hitting the racks at Walmart. Walking down the aisle in the toy section, stacks of wading pools and water wings are on display. The pink and red of Valentine’s Day are gone, replaced by Easter baskets and bags of cellophane grass. Spring shorts and tees are on display, while I just wait for the iris’s to jump out of the ground.

The weather had been so nice for so many weeks, it was easy to forget that winter isn’t done with us yet. During the 24 hour storm, the local ski resort was covered with 9″ of fresh powder. The interstate slowed to a crawl with travelers sharing knowing looks with each other as they passed Donner Lake. THAT Donner Lake. If you’ve ever driven through a Sierra snow storm, the horror those folks endured takes on a new meaning. If you are unaware of the Donner Party and their gruesome tale, Google it. It’s a story you won’t soon forget.

Waiting for spring to arrive, it’s time to refocus on goals. Time to plan the garden, and then order the seeds and bulbs. Examine the shape of the trees and how a pruning might give them a chance to produce larger fruit. Here in the high desert, it’s a given that most years, the first bloom will be lost to frost, but we can hope for a second. Without pests, the apricot crop is the one I’m waiting for. I hope this year brings enough for Oliver and I to share.

Thinking about the garden furniture tucked safely in the barn, I wish it was time to bring my living space outside again. The chairs and tables could use a little paint. The bird houses are in need of some TLC, too. All too soon, the desert temps will be blazing, leaving everyone hoping for an early autumn. And so go the seasons.

All of these gardening ideas amuse me, while keeping irritations and upsets at bay. So many things can derail a person from the beauty of the day in the high desert. Things that really matter not one bit in the giant scheme of things. Keeping the television viewing at a minimum does help. The news is nothing but bad. Tedious. Minute by minute, the revisions of yesterday’s news only turn more rancid, souring the day. Politicians need to pick up a shovel and move a pile by hand. Refocus on goodness and light. Wouldn’t that be swell?

Whatever you have planned for today, focus on positivity and patience. Find a happy spot to enjoy something. Be grateful for what you have and try to forget about what you don’t. There is always something about which to smile. Spring 2022 is just around the bend.

Good Morning!!! With my Internet back up, it seems strange to be rattling around Winterpast in the dark, fumbling for coffee and ideas. My internet is back up!!! In the wild west, services are often out of the olden days. Such is life in my little town. I’m lucky to have any internet at all.

When VST and I first moved to Virginia City, we needed to select a television provider. Of course, the two obvious companies available on Mount Davidson were Dish Net or Direct TV. Both were quite expensive, considering our TV bill had been $0 for the last 7 years in California. Perched on our California mountain top, we’d been lucky enough to get free television signals from an inexpensive antennae. Thirty high definition channels were quirky and free. Okay, one was in Hindu and the other in Hmong, but, they were still High Definition entertainment.

On one of our first nights in VC, while enjoying dinner with the new neighbors, the topic of television services came up. Just WHO should we choose for television service.

“Comstock Television.”

A choice of which we knew nothing. Just like that, we were introduced to the world of Red Neck Television.

Stop by and chat with Mabel, who lives at the house on the corner with the wild poppies. Her husband, Bob, died a few years back. She isn’t always there, so just keep trying until you reach here. She’ll set up an account.

Stan, across the street, tends to the power cord and antennae on the mountain. Cord runs to the Atkins, right under the rock “V” on the side of Mt. Davidson. Stan takes care of the antennae. Let him know if the reception gets grainy. He may need to go clean it off. Be patient. His jeep doesn’t always run just right. Might take him awhile to get up there.

Reception in the snow? Well. FERGETABOUTIT. Besides, in the snow, everyone is either out shoveling it, or inside watching it fall. Better things to do than television watching.

Price? Oh, Yeah. $25 a month. About 18 channels. Not high def. Some days, no def.

Being cheap, for the first four years we lived in VC, we went with Comstock TV. Everything ran just as the neighbors had said. For $25/month, we had all the channels we could handle. A pretty good assortment. News. HGTV. Three Western channels. Sci Fi. Three local channels. Everything worked great unless the antennae was dirty or covered with snow.

Each month, a hand-typed carbon paper bill arrived in our PO Box, signed in blue ink by Mabel. Every month, VST wrote out a check and sent it back to her. We never met even though she lived in the house on the corner with the wild poppies. She had her woes and we were busy working. Always busy working.

Stan wasn’t the best at keeping the antennae clean. He had a real job with the VC utilities. But, we would catch him when we could. I loved watching his faded red jeep snake up the mountain road to the antennae at the top and right by the “V” which is made of white rock. All the towns in these parts have their town letter on a hill above them. Made it easier for travelers in the olden days to head in the right direction.

In my little town, I was hoping for fiber optic internet of the fast kind. It would be great to get the best connections for all my surfing needs. I soon learned to FERGETABOUTIT here, too. Mountain communities sacrifice good services for the joys of living with nature, or something like that.

The realtor told me I should check on a little provider located in the county seat, 45 miles to the south. The price was right, so I signed up for internet services only. Some days are great, other days are not so great. The company sold a year ago, with price hikes and many days of no service at all. When it’s the only game in town, you just go with it. No other choice.

This last outage was planned for equipment upgrades. However, during the upgrade, there was an additional little problem. The fiber optic cable feeding my company was cut clear through with a shovel. That’ll do it. Luckily, they got things working again.

When moving from a real town into a pretend one, patience is key. Expecting Nevada to be California never works out well. When the internet is down, one must find other things to do. Unplugging gives one time to think about things that are truly important in this world. It gives a writer a chance to regroup.

On this first day back with you , it’s finally snowed again. Thank goodness. Maybe things can get back to normal around here.

More tomorrow.

Unfortunately, my local Internet Provider will be down for service until February 15th. I’ll be back then with lots of new stories.

Until then, have a great week.

Joy

Other than the Olympics, I seldom watch network television. The commercials on NBC seem foreign and judgmental. Becoming irritated with the entire mess, I began thinking about the most enjoyable movies I’ve watched since VST died. Some of them were his favorites, too. But, at this point, most of them I’ve discovered on my own. With Valentine’s Day coming soon, I thought I’d share my list of my favorites with you.

Viewing romantic movies alone can be a little sad, or they can take you to a time and place when you weren’t. These days, I enjoy seeing a normal world in which we didn’t need masks and social distancing, even if just on a television screen. Days of picnics and walks in the park. Outings that were jam packed full of laughs, great conversation, and tenderness. For those experiencing widowhood, those days are in the rear view mirror for awhile.

Everyone needs love in their life. Sometimes, it’s fun just to watch a movie and get sucked into the dialogue, knowing a happy ending shows up in two hours or less. At least the boy and the girl usually end up in a good place. So, here is my list of Go-To Romantic movies.

1. An Affair to Remember — This has it all. The Atlantic crossing. The handsome guy. Beautiful gal. Star Crossed Soul Mates and surprise ending, if you haven’t seen it yet.
2. Sleepless in Seattle — A little rough if you’ve just entered the World of the Widowed. But, also a good message. Time moves on. Everyone needs love. Back in the saddle again, Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks work well together.
3. Ghost — Cry-eyes warning. Some scenes were stunning. So beautiful. I mean, young Demi Moore’s eyes are just too much. They must have computer generated sparkly tears. And those lashes. Get out the Kleenexes. Although it gets a bit much towards the end, it’s still fun to watch.
4. IQ — Mechanic meets beautiful intellect. This isn’t as well known as many of Meg Ryan’s other movies. Walter Matthau, as Albert Einstein himself, does a great job. This was one of VST’s favorite’s, too. Wa-Hooo.
5. Along Came Polly — Jennifer Anniston plays an adorable character named Polly. Pretty cute.
6. South Pacific — Twice a year, I need my fix. The beautiful island. The tension of the war. The nurses. Mitzi Gaynor and Rossano Brazzi. One of my all time favorites. No surprise, VST wasn’t a fan as this is a musical.
7. The Lake House — I’m usually not a Sandra Bullock fan, but she nailed this one. This movie has a twisted little tale to tell. A quiet little love story about time.
8. The Notebook — Oh my. One of my all time favorites. Who of us wouldn’t love a partner like James Garner? This movie is about the strength of a life time of love and the frailty of life.
9. The Holiday — Just a ditzy little movie about two unhappy women looking to find love. Switching homes with each other, they find love exists in many forms.
10. When Harry Met Sally — My all time favorite movie on so many levels. Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan nailed the movie that seems to have been written for them. They play off each other so well. Not an intellectual movie, it’s strictly sweet and fun.

So, those are my top ten romantic movies. I’m sure you know of many of your own. Comment about the titles of any you think we shouldn’t miss. After all, there are only eight more days until Valentine’s Day! Plenty of time for watching movies.

More tomorrow.

For the last two days, I’ve been sucked into the world of Olympians, even though I promised myself I wouldn’t. It’s been so much fun to watch our USA teams and individuals do their best on the ice and snow. Closing my ears to all the Chinese propaganda, at the heart of it all, our fellow citizens are representing us.

This morning, I found that one of the skiers lives and trains in the Sierra’s near here. How fun to cheer her on. It reminds me of my experience at the ski lodge last week. I wonder if she ever skied the small local ski resort that I visited. I’m sure she’ll get a heroes welcome when she comes back home.

During the opening ceremony, I was reminded that it isn’t the 1900’s anymore. I remember the Olympic Opening Ceremonies of old, when the team would do their best to behave in a respectable manner. Tight little waves. Smiles. Walking together in a group. Shy. Ready to compete. The days have certainly changed, with nothing off the table. Chants. Tongues out to the camera. Hand gestures of one kind or another. Some jackets open, some closed. Different behavior for different times, it seems respect is shown in different ways these days, or just forgotten all together.

The technology on the field was mind boggling. I want to look up more information about how they did the things they did. It was certainly impressive to watch on television, although a bit sappy at times.

The lack of an audience during the events has left the cameras to capture all kinds of weird sounds. During the woman’s hockey game, one of our women athletes was badly injured. Her cries were clearly audible as her team watched the medics remove her from the rink. The music for the skaters wasn’t balanced well in an auditorium that was empty except for the team members. So sad that all the work done in preparation for a worldwide event was ruined by the virus. Rather fitting that it happened while showcasing the country responsible for this nightmare.

I’ll do better.

Team USA.

Team USA.

Team USA.

Watching the downhill racers, I was astonished at the angle of the slopes they tackled. I was also amazed that it doesn’t appear that China has all that much snow. At least not during competitions that I was watching. It’s the same here on the Eastern side of the Sierra Nevada’s. La Nina is at work, keeping the storms away. I hope it snows at least once more before Spring arrives on Sunday, March 20.

Which brings me to the temperatures here in the high desert of Northwestern Nevada. Two days ago, Oliver’s outside water bowl was frozen solid. 3″ of ice. I tossed the ice onto the cement where it broke into two 8″ chunks. The ice never even began to melt for the entire day. By evening, all the shards of ice and the two big pieces were just as they were at 7 AM. It’s still that way this morning. I could sweep up the entire mess and never see a drop of water. It actually looks like glass laying there.

Yesterday, it was time to check my Spa for pH, Chlorine, and foam. With all the Olympic excitement, I haven’t been out to soak since Monday. To my dismay, the temperature of the spa was at 81 degrees. Normally, it’s at 104, dropping to 102 when in use during the winter temperatures. No. No. No. Not this, too. The spa can’t go south on me.

I’m not sure why the temperature dropped so low, except that it might have been because of what happened the other night. With feet freezing on the cement, I raced inside and forgot to close the cover. It’s true. Everything seemed okay when I discovered it the next day. Sad, but true.

Fiddling with this and that, I got the temperature reset and hoped for the best. By 9 PM last night, it was 100 degrees. Let’s just hope it’s bubbly hot this morning. A broken spa is more serious than a kitchen drawer on any day of the week, and repairs would require a specialist.

Although it’s really cold here, the sun shines all day long. The skies are the bluest with no clouds to speak of. The roads are all dry so there’s no problem with ice. Actually, we’ve had the perfect winter, if you don’t like snow. I’ll keep hoping we get a few more storms.

I truly wish I could skate, ski, snowboard, or in any other way slide down a mountain of snow. Even more fun would be skiing, snowboarding, and periodically shooting. The only way that I can see that happening is perhaps cuddled up in a really cool sleigh pulled by big strong horses or perhaps a dog sled ride. Even a snow mobile excursion, as long as I didn’t need to drive the thing. Yes, all those things would be so much fun and doable for this Senior Citizen. Skiing, skating, and snowboarding are only for my dreams.

Today is a day for Crock Pot Stew, as I haven’t made any for decades. When the propaganda from NBC or the Chinese gets too thick, I’ll turn off the TV sound and turn up some music. Saturday is a great day to eradicate dust bunnies, which seem to multiply like crazy here at Winterpast.

Whatever you do, have a wonderful day. Remember that Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Plan something wonderful to celebrate the day with people you love.

More tomorrow.

Oy Vey. I’m so very blessed to be living here in the comfort of my home, Winterpast. As careful as I can be, I tenderly open and close my cabinets while knowing they aren’t the best. I had the best. In 2015/2016, I designed a beautiful kitchen just for VST and I. Lovely in every way, I chose all the bells and whistles while VST beamed at my glee. I was such a lucky woman in those precious days.

VST was like a boy with new a new set of Lego’s. He anxiously awaited the delivery date, and slowly put the kitchen together. Truly, it was like a jigsaw puzzle. Although we had professional installers, every evening VST sat fixing little details that weren’t to his liking. When it was done, it was a thing of beauty. No, it wasn’t white. Who ever dreamed up a white kitchen, anyway??? Ever had tomato sauce boil over???? A husband with grubby fingers? A real life? Mine was maple. With soft close cabinetry. I miss my kitchen, but also know, that ship sailed. I’m now the owner of run of the mill, stock Oak cabinets that will still be here when I sell the house.

Ace and I had a conversation one day about houses. There is a magnificent mansion on the hill above me. At least 5,000 square feet built in 2004, it’s multiple stories and very out of place. It looms over our development like the house in Psycho. If someone lived there it wouldn’t be so eerie. It’s void of life most days of the year. Just a small light shines from the lower floor. Nothing else. One small light.

AS we sat chatting about the house, I shared the opinion that a house needs a family or it’ll deteriorate. Things do break. With no one there to fix them, broken things can cause other complications. Pretty soon, you have a house that’s falling down. The Dunmovin House in Virginia City had that problem when we first moved in. Being empty for so long, faucets were stuck and toilets were leaking. A house needs constant attention and love.

So, on my last little vacation to the Biggest Little City just West of here, disaster struck while I was gone. The problem was discovered not long after my return. Of all things that could have broken, my silverware drawer runner gave way and snapped. Go figure. Just like that. A broken drawer left me with a problem to fix.

I should have paid closer attention to VST during our cabinet adventures. To him this would’ve been such a minor little problem, he is surely laughing up in the heavens. I bet the kitchen there have has soft close cabinetry. I wish he’d talk to me in my dreams tonight and give me instructions on how to fix this broken runner. As that isn’t happening, I made my way to Lowe’s this morning to see what replacements parts they might sell. Depending on the skills of Mr. Handy Lowe’s Associate, I asked whether or not they had a matching piece to the one I had in my hand.

“Oh, yes, we sell those in packages of two. They go on each side of the drawer.”

You know your boat is sunk when you run into Gilligan.

“Yes, Sir, only one side is broken. This is the support that goes against the cabinet wall. The drawer side is okay. The plastic connection piece in the back snapped.”

“But they sell them in pairs, so you can’t buy just one.”

“Yes, sir. I know that. But the space on the store shelf for the size I need is empty. Could you check to see if you have any more in stock?”

“In the package of two, right?”

In the end, my patience held, and he decided that I really needed a plastic piece in the back of the cabinet that had snapped. The one I hadn’t removed to take with me. That one. So, he sold me two replacements, because, as you know by now, they only sell them in pairs.

While I was there, I also needed two garage door openers of the new kind. The ones that open two doors, not just one.

On the package, the words were comforting. They went something like this.

“Universal Garage Door Opener. Simple. A moron can do this. Even a widow.”

Returning home, you could already connect the dots to the end of the story. The plastic piece is in no way the same as the one I should have taken to show him. Besides, it will just break again because it is flimsy plastic and the silverware drawer is extremely heavy.

The garage door openers will work with the two units I have with one small problem. While on top of a 10 foot ladder, I need to disassemble the cover of the unit, press the Yellow “Pair” button, and stand on one foot while singing “How Dry I Am”. Truly. The instructions are just that Chinese to me.

Tomorrow. On my To Do List.

#1. Hire a handyman.

#2. Pray for a good one.

Lord have mercy on this poor widow woman. Big girl panties and all, this is real life on the high desert of Northwestern Nevada. Nevada means home. Suck it up, Buttercup. Be thankful everything else is working today.

More tomorrow.