That wasn't so bad

We were lollygagging this morning.  Made a 2nd pot of coffee, read newspapers and magazines, and generally tried to be laid back.  Then about 10:30, I realized we had to get the video back to Hastings.  They told us we'd get a $2 credit if the "movie was returned by 11."  So, we jammed on our cold weather clothes, put on our gaiters and boots and hot-footed it over to Hastings.  We made it a couple of minutes before 11.  I asked the clerk if we were ontime and she gave me the "space alien" look.  Me being the space alien.  Turns out the deal is to get the video back by ELEVEN PM--NOT 11 am!  Most of Hastings' young customers are much more aware of 11 pm than 11 am.  Oh, well, the feeling of being an idiot wore off pretty quickly.  To console myself, I roamed over to the Idaho section of books and bought two of them:  "How to get started in Southwest Gardening," and "The Idaho Bird Guide."  They were both published in the 2004-2005 time frame and retailed for $20+.  We got them both (used, of course) for $15, including tax.

The bird guide is really good and I've since learned it's considered one of those "must have" books for addicted birders.  Susun and I are not birders, even though we own a pair of binoculars and can recognize a the difference between a bald eagle and a sparrow.  The reasons I was smitten with this particular book is that it is like a road guide.  Each of the birding areas is shown with a road map that itemizes all the "hot spots."  As a general rule of thumb (or wing, as it were), really cool birds hang out in really cool places.  We may not know a red-headed roufus from a pot-bellied chickadee, but we can sure recognize and appreciate a really cool place.  So, I'm looking at this book as an insider's guide to some really cool "sweet spots" all throughout the whole state.

Meanwhile, one of our biggest challenges regarding the 2nd Chance Ranch (AKA--our Arizona Property) is how to deal with the annual attack of the Killer Tumbleweeds and Dreaded Goatheads.  We believe our only hope will be to establish a low or no water xeriscape of native plants.  We really need to do a lot of "book learning" even before we go forth and ask pesky questions at nurseries, etc.  This book will help a lot.  It's been almost 20 years since I became a so-called Master Gardener down in Airy Zonie.  I've forgotten everything I learned back in those days.  Everything.  So, this book will help me go back to Square One and start the learning curve all over again.

We returned from Hastings and immediately launched into snow removal.  We finally quit at 2 pm.  I guess we worked a little more than 2.5 hours on the snow.  It wasn't all that bad--the work we did yesterday made today a whole lot easier.  Anyway, everything looks really good all around the house and driveway, etc.  The vehicles are snow free again, the sidewalks are spotless and life is good.

Jon-E Hand Warmer King Jeff S. and his lovely wife, Suzanne, stopped by for a visit.  Hugs were repeatedly exchanged all around and there were enough smiles and laughs to last us quite awhile.

After beating our snow into submission, I put over 100 photos on my thumbdrive and walked over to Walgreen's.  Opps, that 9 cent special really brought out the customers and the line was ridiculous so I walked back here and have been messing with blog stuff and webpage stuff ever since.  I started a webpage on Google sites to help organize my thoughts about how to "deal" with our Idahome.  It will save us a lot of hassle in having those thoughts in one readily accessible spot.  You can check out the rudimentary beginning here:

http://sites.google.com/site/idahomeproject/

It looks like we won't be getting another big dose o' snow soon.  You can read the Pocatello NWS Discussion here and judge for yourself.  Consequently, it looks like Sunday might actually be a true R & R day.  What a novel idea!