The good news is that I finished my novel early this afternoon and printed it out with no problems.  So intent was I on this, that I didn't even realize the Packers were playing Detroit, tuned in the last 30 seconds, and was happy to see they won handily.  But it's done!  And I can now settle back to edit and search for a publisher. 

The bad news is that I thought I would go out there into the woods and help John bring in firewood.  He had found two dead oaks right here in my own woods, enough wood to last for some time.  The snow was knee deep and just walking out there to help had me struggling to breathe!  I did not realize what bad shape I was in.  Though I was able to help somewhat, I see that John is a powerhouse of energy and strength.  He is always running, skiing, snowshoeing, swimming, and does so every single day.  If he has to miss a day, he mourns for his exercise.  It has been an eye-opener to find out how out-of-shape I've become.  I gave up walking my dog in May sometime, due to gardening chores and because big, nasty, biting flies come out of the woods to harass walkers. 

Well, now I know what I need to do to get in shape again.  This will be my New Year's Resolution - to get out there and make my body work hard every day, doing things that are good for it.  I only hope it's not too late to start working out.  I was really surprised at how much I've deteriorated. 

I got up this morning, determined to stick with housecleaning, and nothing on the book will be written.  So I loaded up all the recyclables and took them to the landfill.  Everyone else in town must have had the same agenda; the place was jumpin' and we were all scooting around in the wind and snow, thrusting our recyclables into the many containers.  It took me a long time to load up and a long time to unload all the stuff I had.  I had to go into town then and get gas already - darn that ethanol stuff.  My mileage goes way down when there's ethanol in the gas.  John got his chain saw sharpened and cut up some wood.  Now he is snowblowing the driveway - it is supposed to get extremely cold again tonight.  My back end (of the truck, that is) is now very light and slews around on these back country roads.  I was lucky to get back into the driveway when I got home. 

And I made hamburger soup again - it's my favorite, lately.  I also cooked for the dogs, and they know when I'm cooking for them.  They are so eager to get the food.  I had to feed them early, just because of their longing eyes.  The weatherman had promised sunshine all day today, which my chicken needs to be healthy, but again, there are just gray skies out there.  At least she has her lightbulb in her house.  I've been feeding her small pieces of ham  lately.  She really tears into them.  Maybe the meat provides her with extra B vitamins that keep her going.  I know there's Vit. D in sunshine...

I finally picked up the mail on the way home, from my mailbox, which I had not done since before Christmas.  Looks like a ton of seed catalogs came.  John wants me to make pea and lentil soup right now - his favorite.  The slow cooker can come into play now.  As soon as that's on and cooking, I'm going to settle down with that stack of mail and catalogs, books that came recently, etc.  The novel is taking a day off while I contemplate how to dispose of the body. 

I have been writing, and I'm getting to the climax of the novel now.  Soon, someone will get murdered. 

After the phone call from Verna, Ida Mae sat in the darkness of her dingy apartment, almost in shock, at the dizzying array of questions she had mostly avoided answering.  But one thing was clear, there was money involved, and it could be a substantial amount of money.  It would be something if Ida Mae no longer had to work so hard for what she got.  Of course, Verna really had no idea what she was talking about; that had been apparent all through the conversation. 

The shock was that Chase was being paid $80.00 a month for his silence.  Why was he the only one being paid?  Why wouldn't Jack Mooney, of all people, pay Ida Mae for her silence?  True, she was paid for various jobs she did around town; most notably, the bus station surveillance, but that was a paltry sum compared to what Chase was getting.  Maybe Verna was lying about the amount, but there wasn't any indication of that in her voice.  And why would she lie about it?  Verna's interest had been to team up with Ida Mae to force the police chief to pay more. 

And Verna, still not satisfied with Ida Mae's responses to her queries, could only gnash her teeth and wonder what else she could do.  What rock could she overturn now and peer beneath?  In fact, she had gnashed her teeth since childhood.  In cases of extreme anxiety or anger, she even foamed at the mouth.  But the dentist warned her that she was even gritting her teeth at night, while she slept, a dangerous thing to do, he told her, as eventually, it would grind off the enamel from her teeth.  A very dangerous situation, indeed.

Oops!  There I go again, I'm so involved now in this book that I am always mentally writing.  If I can't find a publisher, this time I just might use this blog to publish.  The weather is wintery, the dogs go in and out, the chicken longs for sunshine and probably companionship, I cook and clean house, the clock ticks on and on.  I try to look at my seed catalogs, but I'm not interested just yet.  I did receive some books I had ordered in the mail.  They came this morning; the postlady brought my mail right up to the house and laid on her horn.  The dogs went nuts and I, who had, for once, decided to stay in bed and rest today, had to go out there in my bathrobe to fetch in the package.  She always catches me napping.  The only other time she brought the mail right to my door; same thing.  She must think I'm a slug. 

I got underway about 2:00 p.m. finally, after getting presents and things loaded up in my truck.  The biggest effort for me was getting all the snow and ice chopped, brushed and scraped off the truck.  John snowblowed the driveway on Christmas eve, then again on Christmas morning.  I drove right out, after warming up the vehicle.  We had a wonderful Christmas party then at my daughter's house.  Eight of us, my daughter had a new all-white tree, there were plenty of presents, and my son-in-law made Italian beef tenderloins in au jus, with baked potato, rolls, applesauce, Jello and a salad.  Cheesecake for dessert.  I brought some dressing and extra spritzers.  Everyone had a good time.  We played the Johnny Cash DVD with all the old songs, and marveled at how much the singers have changed.  Crazy how we still remember every word of those songs.  I left about 6:00 p.m., and everyone left right after I did.  That surprised me, but it had begun snowing furiously, and everyone wanted to get home before the roads became too bad.  It sure was good to arrive back home safe and sound, feed my dogs, and put my chicken to bed.  I called daughter to tell her I got home safely; that's when I found out everyone else had left, too.  A very happy time for all of us.  I hope everyone else had a good Holiday, but my heart goes out to those who spent it alone; that would include my two brothers, who live too far away. 

Today, I think I'll just continue, slowly, with my Quarterly Housecleaning Festival.  Now to make some New Years Resolutions.   

Near blizzard-like conditions, they are saying on the Weather Channel...this is the most wonderful weather of all, to me.  Only about 4" of snow so far, but it is supposed to continue all day.  I just love this.  Of course, it might be a little more challenging if I had to go someplace, which I don't, but there have been many days like this in years past, when I did have to go to work or whatever, and I have relished the effort.  I absolutely love snow!  And especially, this kind of a day, where it is somewhat warm and snowing.  I have already put on my parka and stood out in it and just let myself get covered with snow.  My dogs have also been out, and we have laughed at how funny they look when they are all white and big.  Then they come in and shake themselves off, and lick their paws for awhile.  Pepper is especially funny, being black and fluffy. 

I was able to remove the strainer basket on my dishwasher last night, after locating the instruction manual, and was horrified to see what a clogged mess came out of there.  It took me about half an hour to get it all cleaned out.  Of course, I only got about half way through cleaning the kitchen yesterday before tiring.  So today, I need to wrap presents, bake bread, and continue the cleaning festival.  I am also getting near the climax of my novel, only a few more chapters to go; I'm hoping to finish by the New Year.  I also wrote for about two hours yesterday.  So it was a pretty full day. 

Ah yes, this is the shortest day of the year, and tomorrow, the days will be a little bit longer each day.  Of course, winter has just begun.  Here it is drizzling rain, and the snow pack is going down, down, down.  Come on, where's our winter weather?  But, the good news is that we barely have to keep a fire going now, so that saves a lot of work and wood. 

I actually started cleaning yesterday, the day after the girls got together at a friend's house for a Christmas party.  I am making good progress, cleaning shelves, scrubbing out refrigerator, toaster oven, microwave, sink drains, getting behind every little thing and scrubbing away.  I have been in hot water all morning, and just stopped now for my lunch.  I really felt so much better after getting the Christmas party out of the way...I don't know why social commitments are such a pain...I enjoy them, but glad when they are over, and I can just be me at home again.  Well, I love being home, that's why I'm Shackhappy. 

Yesterday, I organized all my supplements - there are 3 shelves full of them.  I guess I am prepared with a natural cure or remedy for just about anything that could ail a person.  I even have activated charcoal, in case of food poisoning, or overconsumption of alcohol, etc.  The charcoal will absorb stuff in your stomach so it can pass on without harm.  I have stuff that will destroy worms or parasites within your body, flu remedies, lower cholesterol, cause you to lose weight (okay, maybe not ME), stuff that will prevent Alzheimer's, and on and on.  All but a few are current and have not expired as far as freshness.  I am thinking of passing on some that I may never get to use, such as Coral Calcium Complex, because I am taking Calcium Citrate now instead, at my daughter's insistence.  I could donate to the Food Pantry; the bottles are unopened and are still current, so somebody may appreciate them.  I will do it!  Probably on Monday, I know they will be open. 

I broke a tooth off eating spaghetti the other night, and I can't get used to the feeling of this jagged remainder.  It doesn't hurt, and I think I will just go on as if nothing happened.  At least for awhile.  Except for my smile, which shows a blackish hole at the side of my face, but then, I don't have to see it.  Yes, I must be losing my sense of vanity, along with everything else.  So, onward with the cleaning! 

A week ago, John brought some cookies that he thought he liked, but he didn't, so I ate them all.  They were Pfefferneuse (sp?) cookies, and were anise-flavored, or licorice-flavored.  He did not like that flavoring.  Today, I made him some similar cookies that he does like, they are called Russian Teacakes, but flavored with vanilla.

Cream together 1 cup of butter (2 sticks) with 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 1 tsp. vanilla.  Sprinkle with 1/4 tsp. salt.  Add 2-1/4 cups flour and 3/4 cup of chopped walnuts.  I chopped them fine, so they resemble coarse flour.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Roll the dough with your hands and fingers into little round balls, about 1 inch in diameter.  Place on ungreased baking sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes.  Remove and cool slightly.  Sift powdered sugar into a bowl and roll the balls around in the sugar until coated.  Place them on a paper plate or paper towel; when completely cooled, roll them all again in the powdered sugar.  This recipe makes about 4 dozen.

I got all my Christmas shopping done yesterday, and I'm so glad it's over.  Now all I have to do is wrap.  Tomorrow the girls are getting together for a pot-luck Christmas party at a friend's house.  I am bringing the little Russian teacakes.  And a pretty plate to put them on. 

I got mad yesterday, when I stopped at the Holiday Station for extra gas this month.  There's a sign on the pumps that said this gas contains ethanol now.  I went in and loudly told them they are losing me as a customer if they don't get rid of the ethanol.  I went through all that ethanol crap last summer; my gas mileage dropped dramatically, like 15%, and I had so much water in my tank, that I'm sure it had something to do with it rusting out the tank, which of course, I had to have replaced (again) last summer.  The manager humbly told me it wasn't his fault, and I said I knew that, but I wanted him to pass on my comments to the higher ups.  I am now looking for a gas station that doesn't have ethanol in their gas.  I did get a 4-pak of Heet and got one can in my tank; hopefully, it will take care of the moisture now.

And I've had the last back adjustment from the chiropractor this year.  My back feels pretty darn good and he even adjusts my wrists and elbows, which have improved a lot.     

I have only two more presents to buy, and I'm restraining myself from buying myself another Christmas present.  I've already purchased a lightweight jacket for in-between temps.  Between windbreaker with flannel lining and heavy winter coat.  My usual "good" coat is about 15 years old, and I feel guilty wearing it downtown, as I imagine people thinking, "well, here she comes in her green coat again."  But that's silly.  The fact is that even though it still looks okay, the fiberfill filling has become very thin, and I mostly need it to go out and do chores, like getting in firewood, feeding the chicken, and bringing the dogs out and then in again.  So I don't feel bad about getting this intermediate jacket.  If I wear a sweater under it, it's as good as a winter coat.  And I only paid $29.00 for it - had a coupon at Sportsman's Guide, and it was on double sale.  But I see where they have snowshoes for $53.00...but I'm not going to get them.  I have my exercycle upstairs that John got for only $10.00 at a thrift store.  And that will be enough for me.  Another thing I wanted for Christmas was one of those machines that wrap your food in plastic, suck all the air out, and seal the package, so you don't get freezer burn, etc.  However, this might be a temptation to put just about every little leftover in plastic and seal it up and freeze it.  I can just imagine...

It has been cold, but we have been missed by the ice storms and snow that much of the country has been getting.  I feel so bad for people who have no power right now, in the coldest part of winter.  I have heard from my grandson, who is busy daily with the snowblower, keeping the driveway passable where he lives. 

As I mentioned before, I must focus on getting those last two presents, and that will just about do it for this holiday season.  Oh, and I still have to assemble two baseball cap racks...wait...should I assemble them first?  How will I wrap them, then?  If I wrap them in the box, the giftees will have to assemble them on their own.  Hmmm, they at least are handy people who can do it.  And what if assembling them is harder for me to do?  I might, just might, wrap and let them assemble.  Is that nasty, or what?

I'm going to make Hamburger Soup right now.  Here's the recipe.

In a large soup pot, brown 1 lb. of hamburger and 1 medium onion, chopped, in 1 tblspn. cooking oil.  Add 8 cups water; 4 beef boullion cubes; 1-1/2 cups chopped carrots; 2 cups chopped celery with tops; 1-1/2 cups chopped green cabbage; 1/2 tsp. garlic salt; 1 small clove garlic, minced; 1/2 tsp. lemon pepper; 1/4 tsp. black pepper; 1 or 2 tsp. salt; 1 medium potato, scrubbed and cubed; 3 tblspns. barley; 3 tblspns. orzo; 1 medium tomato, chopped; 2 rounded tsps. capers with juice; 1/2 tsp. white sugar.  Simmer together 1/2 hour to 45 minutes. 

Once again, the chicken scores up on produce that would have gotten thrown out, were it not for her.  I had picked a lot of green and yellow beans, scarlet runner beans and cranberry bush beans as a last and final picking last summer.  They were all pretty old and tough looking, but I washed, trimmed and parboiled them and froze them in a big, gallon size plastic bag.  Although I've been using my "good" frozen beans now and again, these seemed destined to just sit there and get freezer burn.  Then the light bulb in my head went off - the chicken!  Of course.  I've thawed them out, and now cut them up into bite size pieces with a scissors.  She is out there now, gobbling down today's handful.  She really is enjoying them.  This morning, for her breakfast, she finished up the box of Ralston Purina hot cooked cereal.  I'll have to move on to Farina and oatmeal after that.  Who knew chickens liked to eat human food, too (just like dogs).  It's going to get colder again, but with her daylight sunshine, and her warm house at night, I'm not worried about her now.  Of course, I still feed her the regular laying mash, sunflower seeds, bread or croutons, a small handful of oats and whatever carrot peels, etc. that accrue from cooking.

Yesterday, I made split pea soup with brown lentils.  John specifically asked me to make it and even asked that instead of chopping the carrots, would I shred the carrots?  Sure I would, fussbudget.  The hambone, after carving off all the ham I could, also went into the pot, and we have a big bowl of carved ham for sandwiches and for adding to our soup to make it even hammier.  That, 6 or 7 cups of water, and one small onion, chopped, one stalk of celery, chopped, was all I put in it, besides a bay leaf.  I would guess I had about 2 cups of peas and lentils altogether.  I just poured them into a strainer and rinsed them under cold water.  Simmered on low most of the day, and it was all the heat needed to keep the house warm, too.

Today, I got all my Christmas cards addressed and mailed out; I think there were 10 of them.  And I finished Chapter 19 on my novel - a difficult part for me that ended up being only one page.  It took me all week mulling this over, but it's done now, and the story can finally move on.   

I've been making changes lately; tweaking things to be more economical and healthier, such as changing to the Energy Star 13-watt lightbulbs.  Lately, I've shopped around for vehicle insurance and changed to a lower coverage, which makes sense for an old vehicle like mine; gotten a much, much lower rate at AIG. 

Yesterday, I did not buy dogfood at Walmart.  I got it at the Farmers Feed Store and the brand name is Canidae.  Instead of two 20 lb. bags for $27.00 (approx.), I got one 40 lb. bag for $35.00.  It is made mostly of all meat meal products (60%) plus a number of other ingredients that are - wow! - really good for living bodies to consume.  Two of my dogs are exhibiting signs of severe allergies, and the other (Pepper) seemed to have a bladder infection, which may be why she couldn't last the whole night, in the recent past.  No more!  I have her on a regimen of amoxycillin, and the other two are getting only meat product food, plus rice and those other ingredients.  They are already liking the new food a lot. 

I also took the cover off the chicken's yard in the daytime yesterday, and I could tell she was a happy hen, being able to soak up a few rays of sunlight, plus get to see what is going on in her world.  Sometimes deer come up to her cage; bunnies, chipmunks and birds of all sorts like to commune with her, and I think she missed that a lot.  Even though it's cozier with the cover on, at least in the daytime, I'm going to take it off so she can see and get sun.

Ha!  I never did get beyond going outside and trying to move the chicken cage - it is frozen into the ground, so that's the end of moving her to the south side of the house.  And there's no hurry then to get the greenhouse built, went to town instead. 

My kids had a most excellent time in Green Bay on Sunday, and of course, my fav player, Donald Driver, was the only Packer to remain on the field after they won the game, blowing kisses to the fans.  What a champ!  And Brett and the others, of course, that played their hearts out.  What a bunch of champs!  My wish at the beginning of the season was that they should have the best year ever! and I think my wish is coming true.

So on and on, trying to look at things differently, imagining that I am gone, or living in another world, and this world could all be done differently then, by whoever it belongs to next.  Then making the changes that are making a difference, helping me to live better right now.  Put up my Christmas tree yesterday.  Even though it is 15 years old (tabletop - 2 ft. tall), it is still pretty and doesn't take up much space.  I also lit up my little ceramic Christmas tree.  When looking for my artificial wreath to hang on the door, I saw that it was already up, having left it there all year long. 

It reminds me of a story my mother told me - that my grandmother left her tree up until Easter one year.  But when she touched it to take it down, every needle fell off, and just the bare branches remained.  I am content with artificial.  Save a tree, I say.  I also have a pencil tree, but haven't put that up since Mom died.  It was her tree.  And I enjoy saying "Christmas" this and "Christmas" that; just to enforce that it is Christmas.  So Merry Christmas!

It was well below zero last night, and still hovers around the zero mark right now.  But the dogs enjoy going out in the cold.  I bring Daphne in right away, as she has tiny paws, and she wants to come in sooner. 

The chicken is doing good, her water wasn't even completely frozen this morning at minus 5 deg. when I got up.  I put her water near the light bulb and that keeps it warmer.  I've been cooking for my chicken too!  Giving her canned vegetables, since I don't have fresh greens, but what I've been doing, is making cooked cereals, like Ralston, Farina, and Oatmeal, cooling it down to where I can put my finger in it and it doesn't burn.  Then I take it out there and pour a puddle of it out for her.  She doesn't even wait for me to get done pouring it, she's on it, gobbling it up.  I'm sure the warmth is beneficial and there's plenty of moisture in it, too. 

I now know that the other chicken died because of the cold.  It was one day of cold and that did her in, before I got the hotter lightbulb set up in there.  She was also a stressed out chicken, smaller, afraid of everything, and couldn't even manage to eat properly.  All things conspired to take her out before her time at the first cold snap of winter.  (Officially, it's still Fall.)

Last evening, the clan gathered for fiancee's birthday, surprise birthday party, that is.  She didn't know anything about it, and kept crying, for joy, I hope.  We went to Marty's Place North, quite a ways up there, but a beautiful restaurant, with lots of atmosphere.  They put our party at a big round table, in a small round room, several feet higher than the rest of the restaurant.  It was wainscoted halfway up, then glass panels, and made me feel like I was in a ship, for some reason.  From there, a winding stairway led up to the restrooms, etc.  There were stained glass chandeliers, stained glass skylights above, and other diners, both above and below us.  I ordered fish fry again, but most of the others ordered steak and chicken.  But I like fish, too, and knew that we are having lamb again this evening, our latest food love, that John is treating me to.

I gave him a pair of wool socks to wear on his running, skiing, snowshoeing daily regimen, and he was very appreciative.  He had only one pair of wool socks, so these are a boon.  My children are all going to a Packer game at Lambeau Field tomorrow.  It's the most beautiful stadium in the country now, I've heard.  They will tell me all about it when they get back.  They all have many items of Packer-logo jackets, hats, etc. to wear, and they better wear them all.  At least now, with the new stadium, they can go inside and warm up in a heated room and still see the game on a large-screen tv, if necessary.  My daughter said the last Packer game she went to at Lambeau, it was 15 deg. below zero; sitting on ice-clad metal benches, her teeth were chattering so badly, she had to go inside, but it was unheated then, so not much help there either. 

And I?  I plan to keep my toasty boots on all day, even with my bathrobe.  Except for the times I get back in bed and rest, rest.  I picked up the mail on the way home last night, and have plenty of reading material.  Also, I need to contemplate the next bit of my novel, as I've come to another difficult part.  I am thankful that none of my waterpipes burst or even froze last night, my heat tape is turned on, and a small fan blows warm air from around the fireplace towards other pipes.  All is good for now.  

I'm now on Chapter 19, almost through with it, so things have been coming along nicely.  My chapters are shorter than most, I think, and now I'm wondering if the book will be too short.  But I don't think I should worry about things like that.  I'm telling my story in as few words as possible, and I think that's the important thing. 

I'm going out to eat tonight with my children, celebrating the December birthday girl (son's fiancee).  We are going to a beautiful restaurant up north of here quite a ways, so I will drive to my daughter's, and catch a ride with them the rest of the way.  I got the birthday child some dress socks, tights, and the book, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."  I think this is where my paranoia comes from that my book is too short, as it's quite a large book. 

We have almost run out of firewood already from what John brought from the man who wanted the trees cleared out of his yard.  John saw a dead oak that was leaning and couldn't fall all the way down (these are so dangerous), but he gingerly pushed it down and sawed it up.  It will last about one week.  Wood is so beautiful.  I always felt it was such a shame to burn it up, but it is also a miraculous thing that it can be converted into life-saving heat.  Just sitting by the fire warming my back or staring into the flames is very soothing.  I appreciate it very much.   

I was sick yesterday, who knows anymore with what, but everybody else I know was sick or is sick with it, too.  So there.  I loaded up with supplements last night; garlic, elderberry, MSM, zinc and oregano oil, and that seems to have taken care of most of the symptoms.  I feel good today so far. 

I had to shovel the 8" snowfall off the chicken house and yard; that was pretty strenuous, but then I also had to clear the snow off the tarp edges so I could lift the top and put in fresh water and check the temp. inside the house.  Happy to say the chicken is very happy and keeping really warm.  But the effort really had me down for awhile there.  I felt like I no longer wanted to keep a chicken.  But I've changed my mind now that I feel better.

I was weepy all day yesterday, too, worrying about all the single men in my family; my two brothers and one grandson, all of whom seem lost in a quandary to me.  I confided in my daughter and she gave me good advice.  Said that I should not worry about things that are not in my control, that they are all living the lives they have chosen, etc.  And she is very right.  But I called my brother today and I am now much happier.  None of the things I had heard about him from the other brother turned out to be true.  My other bro was himself lied to, perhaps.  So all's well that ends well. 

I have been spending the day making one phone call after another, taking care of my own affairs, in order to be able to make ends meet financially in the coming year.  It's not going to be easy.  I heard that Social Security cost of living increase will only be 2% or something like that.  Ha!  I have been looking for part-time work in the newspaper and will probably call some of these numbers this week yet.  I have to go into town tomorrow and take care of things.  I would have gone today, but they still haven't plowed our road, and by tomorrow, they should have plowing done. 

The good news is that I knocked out Chapter 17 of my novel yesterday; which came flowing out with no problem, surprisingly.  Sometimes I struggle for one sentence, but yesterday was a boon in writing. 

A massive snowstorm is supposed to be heading this way.  Even the weatherman on TV is scoffing at the supposed 8-12 inches we are supposed to get.  Everyone believes it will be more like 4" at best.  I suppose I should go out there and throw all the deer bones off the driveway in case it's a big snow.  Hate to run into them with the snowblower. 

Aside from that, not anything new here.  Just needing to clean house this day and next, too.  So I better get on the job.