I spent a couple of days at my sister’s house for Thanksgiving and she was babysitting for a co-workers ferrets. My sister has a dog, 2 cats, and an Iguana – and it was like wild kingdom there!
I am not a ferret person. They are expensive and too needy in my opinion, but watching them play was hilarious. Once they were out of the pen, they raced around the room, jumping and doing flips. The little one, Natasha, carried an empty water bottle around while Borris happily wore a plastic cup on his face. I should have taken more photos of their antics.
After losing much over the past 3 years, I have learned to be constantly thankful for what I have. Each day I am thankful for:
*Being able to get out of bed because my body works!
*My eyesight, good hearing and a lucid mind (for the most part, it works pretty well!)
*My children – I’ve always been amazed that I have such great kids
*Enough money to live on – I am not hungry and have plenty of clean water to drink
*A car that runs and money to put gas in it
*Decent housing and a fabulous landlord, which means I won’t have to move again for a while
*My camera and computer, so I can earn a living
*Friends who care
*The wonderful answer to prayer that I live where I live and am surrounded by such beauty each day.
And there is so much more. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving day, whether you are alone or with a loving family, you too have much to be thankful for.
My squirrels are crazy…and bold! Once all the seed they can steal from the birds is gone they come looking for more – even if it means coming inside!
Heading to the food source
Hello..I need more seeds…
Don’t worry honey, I’ll find a way in..(his wife is in the background)
I see how this door opens…
I sit next to the slider most of the day while working on my laptop at the kitchen table
and when I hear the scratching at the door this is what I see.
Maybe I could train them to fill the feeders for me.
Last December the northeast had a horrific ice storm and the electricity was off for 8 days at my place. I had just moved in and although there was a spot in the basement for a wood stove, I didn’t have one.
So due to the kindness of my landlord and neighbors, I didn’t freeze, but I sure was cold. Inside my house the temp. hovered around 38-40 degrees. In fact one day it “warmed up” enough that I opened the windows because it was warmer outside.
The new fire brick
So I made it my quest to find a wood stove before the next winter arrived.
I also don’t have much money, so a used one was what I hoped for and I ended up with a good size “All Nighter”, but it was missing most of the fire bricks inside.
I was told that it could be run without the bricks, but if the fire was too hot the sides could warp so I got some bricks just to be safe.
A Little Fire
The bricks just set in along the sides and it’s not difficult to do if the bricks are the correct size and if there are not old bricks, broken off and stuck to the sides already! That was my problem.
So someone came out and put them in for me. I don’t know for sure, and information online is hard to find, but a friend bought a new stove and had to burn on a low temp for 40 hours to “cure” the bricks so I will do the same just to be safe.
I just found lots of helpful info at the UNH Cooperative Extension site, so go there if you have questions about heating with a wood stove.
New England's Narrow Road 