To-Do update from last year

Last March I posted a to-do list for sprint, summer, and fall. Status update is below.

The list of stuff to get done this spring/summer/fall -

Grain bin turned Chicken house - get ready for summer, install false ceiling, electricity, and heater before november I got made fun of a lot for this (scowls). Some people even insisted I was going to install air conditioning. Electricity will be done in the next couple of weeks for this, mainly for a light and a heater to put in the bowl so the water won't freeze. I'll be putting some strategically placed hay bales in there so the birds can huddle in a warm place if necessary.
rebuild front porch - roof done, new supports placed, stone columns do be rebuilt in spring.
remove bees from front porch column - done - hive was dead so this was less complicated than we thought.
new roof on both porches - done
repair main roof - we reroofed it - done and done!
repair/replace gutters - skipped gutters - might install in spring, might not be necessary.
paint house - mostly done - we need to rent a cherry picker to finish since we can't walk the metal roof, will probably have to happen in spring now.
weatherize addition and basement This'll be done before Christmas
cut enough firewood to last through next winter - we have a lot, but the stove isn't in. Not sure if it's enough, we'll see.
line chimney - still working with the chimney folks on this, hopefully before christmas.
fix enough fence for us to get a bred milk cow next spring - We'll be doing some fencing, though I'm not sure if it will be used for this or not. Might have to wait until spring if the ground freezes soon.
clean out haunted chicken house and make sure it's in good enough shape to use as shelter for the cow when necessary - done
rock driveway (and the casbah) - only the casbah was rocked.
clean up trash and get a big brush burn done - (last on list since ground can be frozen when we do this) lots of trash removed from property, still a lot of burning and removal to go.

I also posted a tentative to do list for sprint/summer -

Get Bees - still on the list
replace main roof - done!
change the opening for the old basement garage into wall with exterior bulkhead door and storm shelter - maybe . . . maybe not.
prepare fence and housing for bred sow to be purchased spring of 2011 - We may be bumping this up to this spring.
fence and shelter for sheep in spring of 2011? - still on the list
expand cow facilities? - hmm - I think this meant fence the actual pasture. We'll have to see - that's going to be expensive.
prepare for brooding hens to hatch spring of 2011 - I need to have a good place to hatch the meat chickens this year - it'll probably happen in garage.
finish junk cleanup - we'll settle for making progress. There is a lot of junk.

That's the update. I'll post a new to-do before the year is out.

Last Day Out in Houston! The Natural Science Museum

We started out our adventure when we saw a billboard for the Faberge collection, which I have seen before when it was in private ownership (that's another blog post!). Lil'Bug was excited to see the Romonov crown tiara and the "Easter" eggs. Me too. My heart has a soft flutter spot for the faberge glitter and history. I just love the elegance and artistry and I could go on and on about it all. Seriously.

Unfortunately, first thing Lil'Bug saw as we turned the corner into the exhibit was the dinosaur bones in the other wing. Dino bones vs. princess eggs? Yeah. Dino bones win hands down. She humored me for about 5 pillars of the Faberge exhibit but could not contain herself past that. There were dino bones right over there Mama! Oh and there was also a MUMMY!

We saw a real MUMMY. It was awesome. We saw an exhibit on the ancient people of South America, their religion and musical instruments. Lil"Bug called it the Age of the Jaguar- thanks Disney!

We saw an exhibit called the gem vault, which featured both cut and naturalized gem formations. So glittery and interesting.

There was a hands on section based on a science theme. Lots of things to touch and move and play with. Good stuff. It helped the balance between look and don't touch exhibits and a child's NEED to interact with what they are learning. Wonderful.

The unfortunate thing about the adventure for YOU the reader is that photography was not allowed for most of the museum exhibits!

Even so, it was a nice relaxing day at the museum. A good time for all three of us, even Blueberry.

Family Matters

Friday afternoon our family gathered after the services for my beloved aunt. We ate, laughed, cried, hugged, and shared memories.

Oh, and Cousin C. brought out his fiddle. Lil'Big laughed and danced and tried to sing in Cajun French. She might have my language skills, but she definitely loves the fiddle. She really wants lessons right away and C. let her try and play. She did really well for her first touch!

C. has only been playing for 3 or so years, but wow. The music just breaks my heart though, as Cajun waltzes tend to do. I tear up and long for home.

The day was also full of fun and exploration for Blueberry and Aunt Bee. Blueberry was introduced not so cordially to Texas fire ants and mosquitoes. Everything is bigger in Texas, even mosquito bites. Poor baby.

Me, I am just hanging in there. I loved my Aunt Chris. She gave me my first How To Draw kits when I was 16 and really in the rough part of surviving my teen years. She stood in for my Godmother since the one at my baptism left my life in my toddler years. She prayed for me. She loved people unconditionally and my family was always more peaceful and full of laughter when she and her family would come to visit. She will be missed, but always loved.

On Board the Elissa, Galveston TX

Any museum that kids (and kids at heart) can touch and do stuff is a winner with me. This ship had teh added bonus of having a busy crew raising the top mast post hurricane season. The cleaning crew was on hand to help answer question in the tighter quarters. Couple things amazed Lil'Bug.....the steering wheel was HUGE and the compass was pretty fancy.