That Hill in Pennsylvania

On a severely rainy, windy and generally stormy day like today (yet beautiful in its ferocity - Thank You Hurricane Sandy), it is pleasant to remember another beautiful and the fun filled weekend in Pennsylvania and New York - just 10 days previously.

It all began with a wonderful drive up through Pennsylvania.  It took hours and hours, mostly because I made a few stops before my destination.  But I find that I enjoy driving long trips by myself.  It wasn't always the case.  But over time and with a few trips under my belt, I have discovered the joys of day traveling by car as a solo traveler.  Sort of like a private adventure - time for thought, time for audio books, less stress when I get lost - which I did a few times - it is all good.

Maryland has hills.  Pennsylvania has mountains.
Mountains that make your ears pop.
Pennsylvania was also a few weeks ahead of us in the leaf colors.

My cousins live on a large area of land on top of a mountain in Northern PA.  Their "driveway" is about 1/2 mile through the woods and up a rugged hill.  All wheel drive is pretty much a requirement.

My cousins' drive way - looks beautiful and is beautiful.  It is also "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride."
I couldn't seem to capture a picture that would show the "wild,"
 just the "beautiful."

Looking down the hill beyond their entrance to "Mr. Toad's Hill" is the beautiful view .  
The hill continues further down another 1/2 mile or so from this point.

But the real challenge is looking up ... and up ... and up.
And if you look closely, you can see one of the houses just between the trees.

As you are nearing the house the road is bordered by a rock wall.
A charming feature I have seen in other areas like Gettysburg.

The hill is kind of a "major event" for me.  I decided on my first day to walk the one mile trip to the bottom.  Some areas were so steep that you had to be very careful with your footing.  Falling on the uneven rock bed was not on my agenda for the day.

And as I was descending the very steep parts near the bottom, I gently reminded myself that I had 2 ways back up the hill.  I could walk back up, or I could call my cousin to drive down and pick me up.

Yeah!  Right!  I wasn't calling my cousin!  No way.  I am an active healthy person and I can do this. And I would do it if I had to crawl on my hands and knees.

And so I began the trip up with a positive attitude.

After about 100 feet of walking (do not laugh), I stopped.  I checked my phone  (you know, to make sure it was working,) took a picture of the surrounding trees, breathed deeply, checked my pulse rate, retied my shoe laces, checked my pulse again, deep breaths - and decided I could continue.

The road flattened for about 20 feet and then got remarkably steep again.

Focus, focus, focus.

You can do this!  Just keep breathing.

Got to the next flat part and decided to recheck my shoes again!  :-)  Yep, shoes were still on my feet!  Breath, breath.  Yep, phone battery still charged.  Breath. Pulse pounding strongly in my ears so that is a good sign (right?).  A heart attack on this hill was not on my agenda for that day either.

And so it went.  By the time I got half way up the hill, I got my sea legs for this little jaunt and was able to make it the rest of the way up without stopping.  I did, however, began to peal off clothing before I made it to the house.  I was still decent when I walked into my cousin's house, but the thought did occur to me that under pants and a bra were really all that was needed in 50 degree weather.  More clothing is just ostentatious.

I spared my cousin that experience.  I love her and want to be invited back again.

Later that day I learned there was a story to those steep and flat parts of the road.  Apparently my cousin's grandfather built that road a long time ago.  He build the flat parts so that he had a place to "rest the horses."

The man was a genius ... just say'en!

Tomorrow .... (if I have electric - remember Sandy is being a witch outside) ... if I have power I will share my time at Rhinebeck.  Great fun.

Sandy who ??

Yeap!  My house is right in the path of this storm.

I have been working on my post from last weekend's trip to Rhinebeck and the thought occurred to me.  EVERYONE, and I mean just EVERYONE is stoked about Sandy. Maybe I should write something about that.

Wouldn't it be a total hoot if Sandy did the "female thing" and changed her mind about where to set down on land?  Wouldn't everyone get a chuckle if she turned a hard right and headed right back to the African coast?

Ok, so that probably won't happen.  But I have taken steps to ensure that electrical power stays on during the storm.

• Been making ice since Wednesday for the ice chest and for any empty spaces in my two freezers.  I ain't loosen any frozen food this time.  No sir!
• Been making various foods that can be eaten at room temperature.  We will not go hungry. In fact, we will probably gain weight. :-(
• Will make coffee in advance 'cause I am not facing even one frick'en morning without caffeine for some broad named Sandy.
• Filled the car with gas - cause if I WANT to take a leisurely drive around town to see all the beauty of fall - I damn well will do it - cause I will have gas! (Traffic should be down, too.)
• Pulled in the lawn chair and the bird feeder - cause I am not going to spend money on new ones because of Sandy blowing into town.

I am prepped.  We will not loose power now because of all my preparations.  You can thank me after it is over.

In fact, I have made (and bought) so much ice, I would guess that the entire eastern seaboard is safe now from power outages.  The big story on the news in a few days will be how the lights stayed on.  They will wonder why.  But I will smugly point to my freezers that are filled to the brim with ice!  I will know.  

Oh ... and I have red wine.  Best at room temperature, you know.

Cheers everyone.

Stay dry.

Family and Yarn - a dynamic combo!

This weekend I am heading up to visit my cousins in Pennsylvania for a family weekend and I am so looking forward to it.  Sunday we are getting on a bus and going to Rhinebeck - New York's Sheep and Wool Festival.  I am pretty stoked about that!

This is also the weekend I pick up my new loom (new to me) - a larger size from the one I currently have, with a stand.  This was a real buy - less than half price off a new one and only used a few times.  Also stopping on my way up into Pennsylvania to visit a cousin-in-law for lunch!

A full and fun-filled weekend.  See you on the other side of it!

With pictures, of course.

New Duds!

Hi all. Milo here!

Gosh, it has been a long time since I made a guest appearance on my Grandma's blog.  Time to correct that error in judgement on her part!  Of course, she types faster than I do so I will be brief.

Every Thursday I go to my Grandma's house.  Today I arrived to find - a new coat!!

So just sit back and take in the glory of me and my new duds!

So here I am showing off the colorful pattern and the details of my new coat.
I especially like the generous strap that allows for expansion of girth
should that ever happen to me!

Again, this is me ... showing off a bit of my wonderful physique!
My hair is so sparse and short with no fat that I get cold - hence the jacket.

From the top - really quite perfect for the cold weather.
It goes all the way to my tail and hangs wonderfully down both sides
protecting from the cold my ... ah .... well, you know what is there.
Now all my Grandma needs to do is find something for my delicate ears!

From what I hear of my Grandma's thoughts, she now must find something special for her other two granddogs - Meathead and Grimace.  She tries to keep things even in the "giving" department.  But coats for them would be almost cruel because they run to hot, hot, hot ... all the time hot.

Note from Retired Knitter:
A little background on the coat:  Good Shepherd Dog Coats is the company that makes these coats for dogs.

"Made in the same manner as our durable and warm lamb coats, which are relied upon by shepherds to keep their newborn lambs thriving and comfortable in winter, Good Shepherd Dog Coats will keep your dog equally warm and cozy in cold weather."

I found this vendor at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival.  Because French Bulldogs do not run to standard sizes, I had to have this coat made specifically to Milo's measurements - which they are happy to do.

If you are interested in this vendor, they can be found at www.goodshepherddogcoats.com.  Apparently they do make coats for lambs as well (www.goodshepherdlambcoats.com).

No,

 I have not been paid to post this message - 

just sharing a wonderful dog coat option

 with those who might be interested.

The Virtual Appalachian Trail Hike - Becoming Odyssa

I have just finished reading a wonderful book by Jennifer Pharr Davis - Becoming Odyssa: Adventures on the Appalachian Trail.  There was nothing virtual about this story.

It all starts with a simple premise.  When Jennifer graduated from college she didn't know what she wanted to do with her life.  She decided to hike the Appalachian Trail by herself and take time to think about her future.  This is the story of her solo hike on the AT and I found it fascinating.  And believe me when I say ...  her journey wasn't simple.

I have read a few books about the experiences of those who hiked the trail - Becoming Odyssa is one of my favorites.

I found a YouTube video where Jennifer talks about her experiences on the trail that first trip (she has since walked the trail again and set the fastest time for a woman thru hiker on the AT).  You can find that link here.  It runs about 30 minutes, but you don't need to watch all 30 minutes to get a flavor of who she is and what her book Becoming Odyssa is about.

Even if you aren't into hiking or walking, I know you will enjoy this book.

Clutter vs Organization

For anyone who knows me or who has followed this blog ... you know I am a big believer in researching stuff: books, blogs, websites, talking with others with similar experiences ... you name it!

My "fall focus" is reducing clutter.  There are alot of current reasons why I am so focused now, but there is a long history of "pitching" stuff to make more space and less stress in my life.

Reducing clutter seems to go hand-in-hand with simplifying life in the materials I have seen.  While I didn't start this clutter reduction process to simplify my life, it seems to have that natural outcome.

In my research I made this discovery ...

While reading another blog I found the first issue of a free online magazine called Simplify Magazine. The focus of this magazine on simplifying your life generally. They had a great article called You Can't Organize Clutter.  I have read a lot on the clutter subject, but there were some new ideas for me ... like:

You can’t organize clutter. 

It just doesn’t work. 

I don’t care how many plastic bins, crates, or boxes you have

 neatly stacked in your basement.

When you try to organize your clutter, 

you are actually just hiding it.

Pretty simple stuff, right?  But for some reason the idea that you can't organize clutter never occurred to me. And I totally agree with this statement.

In my professional life I was a big believer in organization.  I thought there was no substitute for a well ordered professional life, organization made things easier in the end, and I was recognized time and time again for that quality. I am not so rigid in my personal life, but I do think that it helps things run more smoothly.  But the simple idea that organization isn't the answer to a clutter problem was a new thought for me.

If you are interested in simplicity, or downsizing, or decluttering, or just trying to get control of your environment ... check out this free monthly online magazine.

Did you hear? BIG NEWS

I heard on TV that this year they are going to name big Winter Storms ... you know, like they name the Hurricanes.

Let's name this one Chill'en Cherilyn!

Wow, what an idea!

At first I thought ... oh no!  Naming weather snow storms.  Whose stupid idea was that?

And then I thought, gosh, some winter storms deserve the respect of a name.  Will this year be THE year of the BIG SNOW STORMS?  Could the fact that big winter storms are predicted for 2012-2013 and they will be soooo big that they need names?  (Freez'en Frida, Burr Bertha, Icy Iris, Arctic Agatha ...)

Isn't that exciting?

As a Winter Lover ... I am so excited.

Read more here on this story.

I can hardly contain my excitement!!!!