Tree Moving

We had our dead pine trees cut down at the roadside.  The electric company came out and chopped them down.  They died in the drought from a couple of summers ago.

My helpers helped tremendously.  My backdoor neighbor helped me drag them back to the bonfire.  My Boy #1 helped out by skiing and riding along on the top branches.  Here's a picture from last Saturday morning.  It was a warm morning of 25 degrees, and we worked quick enough to beat the high winds of the day.

With their generous help, we were able to get both dead pine trees all put away in about an hour.

Adios, Old Truck

Sold the 1999 Chevy Silverado truck today.  A nice, younger man, bought it this afternoon.

It served me well in the years I had it.  I bought it new off the lot with 18 miles on the odometer in October 1998.  I sold it with just under 92,000 miles.  I'm sad to see it go, but I'm happy it's going to a good home.  The new owner appears to be very mechanically savvy, and will fix up the rusted doors and make it look like new.

Here's the last picture from a few days ago.

Cold Days

A cold day here at the house.  We woke up to see the following sights...

Work was cancelled, so we made french toast for breakfast and worked on a puzzle today.  I'm sure we weren't the coldest around, but it was cold enough for all of us.  With a -40 degree wind chill, we're happy to be in a warm house today.

A New Ride

After 14 years of nearly-faithful service, my daily driver truck is soon to be sold.  We purchased this 2012 Silverado in southern Illinois just a few days after Christmas.  We made a little mini-vacation out of the trip, and went to a Children's Museum and a hotel with a swimming pool along the way.

The 4-door crew cab allows lots of space in the back for the 3 kids.  Being used, it's not perfect, but the price was right.  We're blessed to be able to afford such a vehicle.

Happy New Years!