Better than thinking, "What idiot said that?!"

😉

I am awaiting more silver threads--I want to go subtle purple (naturally dark brown, and don't want to lighten) with flashes of PURPLE.

Actually, he's about a block away...

...Why do I get the feeling that you're insulting ham?

I just didn't feel right putting my normal thread ending bit directly after Tom's last message... (end)

This is me, now, not from the chat. Those of you who are praying types, please pray for the family. Tom lost his dad in 2018. The girls have only ever known this set of grandparents (my dad died in '97, Mom in 2000, my stepdad in 2005 hundreds of miles away, and my oldest was born in 2003). (4)

I do not believe that she will want to have any more treatments. (3)

The doctor said that 15 chemo treatments would give her a chance for a year. There's no guarantee it would help. If she declines treatment, she has 3-6 months.

I'm sorry to have to bring this news. She is in relatively good spirits and not in any pain. (2)

*wonders if she should point out that she was an art major 😉*

The calories/fat/sugar all leaked out through the breaks, so you're good!

We found Jacob huddled by the kitchen steps. His ears weren't even particularly cold. The darn cat had not made a single sound the whole time we were calling. Yes, we paused while calling to listen. We figure he slipped out while groceries were being brought in, then got scared (coyote calls). (end)

...had been skeptical that they were cat tracks. (Tom had been searching, also.) While I was angling the flashlight to get decent photos in the dark, and we were looking for clear prints to photograph, we noticed there were more tracks, and then I noticed they were headed to the house! (6)

We followed the tracks to the empty chicken coop, but then the snow became ice and bare grass. G and I started looking in the brush--me still in shorts--with G starting to get anxious, as it was 26F/-3C, and Jacob had been missing for over an hour. G decided to take a pic of the tracks, as Tom (5)

...and shake it, it being the cats' dinner time, as well, and Jacob is very food motivated (important note--all the cats are indoors only, due to predator and parasite issues). That didn't work. Then she asked me to come outside to confirm that the tracks she found were feline, which they were. (4)

(My work clothes consist of a T-shirt and cargo shorts--I run warm, and am only outside between building and car, so big puffy coat and half bare legs are fine, normally.)

After a few rounds of looking inside and out, we sat down to dinner. G decided to try taking the cat food bucket outside (3)

...home, G came outside with a flashlight. It turned out that she had not seen Jacob since Tom got home with groceries, about 10 minutes before I arrived (Tom's boss has closed the fireworks stores for the week). I dropped my stuff in the house, and got the big flashlight to help look. (2)

Had to move the soup to a spot a little farther from direct heat...

...keeping the fire going for the pipes and to reduce the load on the heat pump.

(We technically did lose power earlier, between stove stokings while sleeping, but it was for roughly an hour, based on the time on the electric stove and when I checked the fire last.) (end)