They're on Their Way There (Massachusetts)

Well my sister, her BF and Lyra left for Massachusetts this morning at 7 am, the Subaru packed tightly and Lyra snug in the back seat on her bed. I missed them the second their car disappeared up the driveway. I think Ziggy misses sleeping in the guest bed with them, too. I've gotten a few text messages and there was ice in a couple of spots on I-75 but they still made it to Dundee and the Cabela's there in about 4 hours. Now they're stuck in traffic just south of there, not quite to the Ohio border. (turned out to be a jack-knifed trailer truck)

The weather here is cold, only 7.7 f already exceeding the forecast high by 3 degrees. The low was only -7.3 but the wind is making it feel much worse. Wind chills are supposedly in the -20s and during the 6 minute walk the pups and I took after adding wood to the wood stove for the third time this morning, I believe it. I had to turn my back to the wind whenever it gusted. The dogs seem very content to stay inside. I didn't even open the pop-door to the chicken coop, don't need the wind to suck out what little heat they're generating on their own. And having just check the coop temperature I think that was a smart idea because it's already risen 10 degrees to 19 f. I may just keep them trapped in there till Thursday, they don't like walking in the snow anyway.

Yesterday I started taking a few decorations off the tree, but really got to work on it this morning. I'd have more done if I hadn't had to go outside those 3 times to work on the wood stove. (It's temperature was down to 128 on my first trip to it, then 126 which demanded a 2nd trip, and then 125 even though we'd turned the internal house temp back down to draw less heat from it. It's finally back into the 150s, needs to be between 160 and 170 for optimum heat, but I'm thinking it's time for Hal to get out there and throw in some bigger logs, I can only lift so much weight and with this weather, it's really burning wood fast.

I suppose I'd better get back to the tree now, it's not going to un-decorate itself. But first another dog photo taken Christmas evening.

Luna, Lyra and Ziggy