Who’s the cutest perro in the barrio? Who? Why Otto-lito, that’s who. That’s why when the local girls see him on the street, they all say, “Que lindo!” and mush his face.

Have had such a rough day today (way too much work and a crazy poodle-owner at the dog park) that this blue world kind of represents how I feel. Blue yet hopeful. Can hardly wait to see Phil tonight. Happy Valentine’s Day!

I am sorry. Those rare and precious people who read this blog are probably wondering what happened to me. I am fine. More about that later.

Even though it’s nastiest slushy winter weather right now, I know it will be spring very, very soon. When I saw this in the Record Online, Catskill Edition, I called for a brochure, etc. immediately. Going to get some beautiful new trees and shrubs!

Tree and Shrub Sale Cultivates Conservation

LIBERTY – The Sullivan County Soil and Water Conservation District is accepting orders for its annual tree and shrub program.

This district is offering a variety of deciduous and conifer species and specialized packages, including Nut Tree, Flowering Tree and Shrub, Song Bird and Butterfly.

Also available are ground covers, fruit trees, fertilizer tablets, marking flags, tree protectors and bluebird boxes.

Trees and shrubs can be planted for Christmas tree production, timber production and as wildlife habitat, windbreaks, hedges, screens, stream and road bank stabilization and ornamentals.

To order, call the district office at 292-6552, ext. 101, to request a brochure and order form. The application deadline is April 4, and pickup is April 25-26 at the office.

The Times Herald-Record reports that the much-anticipated and much-dreaded casino has received a firm no from the current U.S. Secretary of Interior, Dirk Kempthorne.

Sullivan casino plans denied:
Feds reject tribes’ proposals for Raceway and Bridgeville

Luckily for the St. Regis Mohawks , there will be a new gang in office in January 2009 and sometime after that a new Secretary of Interior.

Lots and lots of visiting with family, both Phil’s and mine. First we drove to Meadville, Pennsylvania, then Amherst, Ohio to see Phil’s parents and brothers, then on to my grandmother’s farm in La Plata, Missouri.

We spent Christmas with her and my whole extended farm family and then drove up to Kalamazoo, Michigan to celebrate another Christmas with my parents, brother and sister and their families. It was very good to see them all.

Otto did well. He adapted quickly to new situations and new people and he only scratched one door(!) and that was our fault. We left him alone in my grandmother’s house and left him closed in the guest bedroom.

We should have put him in the basement. And he and Sam (my grandmother’s dog had a grand time wrestling and running outside together. They are well-matched in energy level and temperament.

Altogether we did thousands of miles of driving. Or rather, Phil did because for most of the trip I was sick with a very bad cold. It hit me like a semi and I’m only now starting feel human again.

The driving was good though, easy conditions, clear roads, light traffic and we like to drive together. It gives us the luxury of lots of time together to just hang out and talk about all the things we don’t have time to talk about at home. And between the bouts of intense visiting it gave us time to decompress.

Only one more day of driving until we get to the farm. We’ve been driving since Friday morning, stopping en route, on our way to visit family in La Plata, Missouri.

La Plata is in NE Missouri, about 20 miles south of Kirksville. I’ve got a bad cold that hit me like a bulldozer yesterday morning and I can barely think. Merry Christmas!

Scion of Sullivan County Metafore is a young rapper getting serious attention and respect from the people who know. He was born and raised in Monticello, moved down south, then back to Liberty.

He’s got his head on straight: despite the hoopla surrounding his coming up he’s living at home in Liberty and enrolled for spring semester 2008 at Sullivan County Community College to begin studying business.

Take a look at Jeanne Sager’s article about Metafore (aka Tashan Turner) in the Sullivan County Democrat:

Introducing Metafore: Sullivan’s Own Home-Grown Rapper on the Rise

The Wurtboro Emma Chase Elementary School fifth grade bell choir performed in a concert Wednesday, December 19. So sweet! And so nostalgic for me. I played in my church bell choir when I was a teenager.

And to amp up the cuteness factor, here’s a video of the concert:

Phil installing 4 x 4 in living room of Little H

Inside the Front Door

The Front Door of Little H

Henry Illing, a local engineer, recommended we put a 4 x 4 pillar under a beam in Little H’s living toom to keep the snow from collapsing the roof this winter.