G'day everyone, Dutch here! Welcome to my little place in the Universe! What does Andre, water and ham and potatoes have in common, they're all in my blog... Was going to do this yesterday but had internet issues off and on so going to do it today.... my dear friend Chrissie wasn't impressed with bluegrass sooooooooooooooooo for her and our mutual friend Kim chose this selection to listen to....the final one is for them to listen to and my friend Gina (she's in Germany) and I to dance to and the second for my dear friend Pam who along with her town is in floods way..my thoughts and prayers for them as well as everyone in harms way...hopefully it will add a little humor to a bad and very serious situation... that being said.....

So with Andre starting things..put your troubles aside for the moment, pull up a chair and visit a spell...

The weather around here, you ask....they say a picture is worth a thousand words and this one says it all....

it's two picture of the same pond, I couldn't get it all on one picture, about 200 feet from my front door... there are a lot of places a lot worse off and top compound matters cold air is moving in to add to the misery...forecasting 5-9F degrees this weekend with wind.... I think Johnny Cash pretty well sums it up for Pam, my part of the world and other places too numerous to mention....

not going to dwell on that any further...have another ham recipe I have used for leftover ham....

I leave the skins on the potatoes if the skins are not damaged, left out the Ranch mix and use 1 can of evaporated milk and one can throw in a couple hands full of sweet peas, if you have a mind to....

The final video with Andre brings back some memories for it is in German...as you know I was born in a German/Dutch farming community and the first 6 or 7 years of my life I probably spoke better German than English...us kids would stay at my Grandmother Altje (pronounced aught-ja) Gerdes and she would read to us at night out of her bible which was in German and a lot of German was spoken by the elders...we were on a party line (hand crank phone on the wall with a central switchboard) and whenever Mom and Grandma would call each other and they would catch someone picking up their phone and eavesdropping they would switch to German because no one else on the party line could understand what they were saying..how coooooooooooooooooool was that.... it's not spoken much anymore so I've gotten a little rusty at it, just catch a word or two..

Anyway, the final song is for the ladies to listen to and anyone else that wishes to....sooooooooooooo while I'm getting my dancing shoes on, wishing everyone a safe and smilin' gooooooooooooooooooooood day of Peace Love and Happiness and I'll see you next time if the good Lord's willin' and the creeks don't rise..

And before you leave Germany my dear friend, Lady Gina, will you be gracious enough to honor me with this dance?......When your ready, Andre....

G'day everyone, Dutch here! Welcome to my little place in the Universe! Had a busy weekend which I'll touch on briefly....Checked out some Don Williams music (I like the singer, can't ya tell) and come across a Marty Robbins song, soooooooooooooo gonna start with Don (early Don) and finish with Marty...

Sooooooooooooo put your troubles aside, pull up a chair a visit a spell....

Here's what my place in the Universe looked like when I went ventured out to check the weather this early AM....

Kim and family with the dogs, Piper and Buddy, spent the weekend...it was too bad the weather wasn't a little more friendly and eveyone could get outside... by Sunday, being cooped up in the house for two days, the four dogs patience was wearing thin and cabin fever was setting in for everyone...but it went well, everyone survived, made plans, etc...Kim, bless her heart, did some shoveling to help out....

This is what things looked like after the storm event...

the above picture I took just before doing my weather thing......snowfall wasn't all that bad, the issue is the wind...the snow was powdery and blew everywhere.....

everyone waited till the wind calmed down and then started the removal...

I cleared a path for the dogs so they could get out in the back yard..they walked where I had made a path to measure snow,etc......

I thought my shoveling was over until yesterday I was walking Bree and Daisy when I noticed my neighbor Shirley trying to dig out her driveway...She is in her 80's and dealing with breast cancer....of all the good towns people who preach being a good Christian, a good neighbor, a good American, with all their snow blowers, plows, etc..not one...NOT ONE..volunteered to help or even bother to ask if Shirley needed and help.... but I forget that this country is a land of "image"....sooooo I left them to their sorry world, grabbed a shovel and started shoveling again, Shirley was in tears and said "some neighbors, huh" and I said yes ma'am...and after a couple of breaks I got it cleared....

sooooooooooooooooo don't come preaching to me about how great this country is and try to sell an image, people, I got better things to do with my time....

Was also asked whether I'll vote in the primary, and I said no....I am an independant and I'm not going to vote for the good of any party, as I watch this political scenerio play out I observe every organization or group out looking for their own interests...the candidates are campaigning to get votes and change with the wind... I will vote in the November election like I have for most of the last half century (not everyone can say that) and I'll vote for what I think is good for the COUNTRY.....in a voice LOUD AND CLEAR....nuff said.....

Cooked a ham over the weekend... putting up my recipe for leftover ham if anyone is interested....

Well, I've rambled on enough, have things to do sooooooooooooooo everyone have a smilin' goooooooooooooood day full of Peace Love and Happiness and I'll see you next time if the good Lord's willing and the creeks don't rise....

The floor is yours, Marty......