December 19, 2007 

ell, a friend who is a carpenter came to visit and help me on my chimney. Then he apparently had altitude sickness while he was here. Poor guy! He determined that my house was not going to burn down today, but he may come back in the spring to help me install the new piping. It is so tight that we will have to take all of the piping out even though only 2 sections need replacing. What happened is the cap blew off in some windstorm or other, and the water got in the insulated pipe, came down between the layers and into that ring and rotted the ring out, which created water drippage onto my woodstove though the house. It will be OK until Spring and there has been no more leaking since that one day. But he did get better enough to run sled dogs a couple times, which aggravated the altitude sickness, which we actually thought was a mild flu. 

My friend also brought a planer and we nicked that little lip off the root cellar door and it shuts now easily and opens without having to give it a swift kick. Another friend is coming to stay and visit next week. 

I noted yesterday that "Blossoms" ears were evidently frostbit a little from that last freeze. The tips are hard and curling backwards, but it doesn't look like she will lose any of the tips. So today she got a new set of cow earmuffs. I thought she would perhaps mind it, especially not being the prettiest colors. But maybe cattle are colorblind or have a different taste in what fashion is, because she seems to actually like them. Don't laugh at her, or she may become self conscience.  (I think she looks a little like Mickey Mouse).

Cinnamon Bear Episode 22: Welcomed by Santa Claus
Santa warmly receives Paddy, Crazy Quilt, and the Barton twins. Crazy Quilt stays behind, as Santa takes Paddy and the twins to the home of Jack Frost who will repair the star. Jack puts magic snow cement on the star and the pieces fit back together again. After he puts it on his windowsill to harden, the star is stolen.