Right on, Mish!

So glad to see someone else with the courage to say they hate Christmas! B and I have decided when we are old and live together we are reviving all the original pagan customs and rituals for that time of year. And since historians have claimed 3 or 4 other dates as the actual birth date of Jesus, we have picked the latest April 7th date as the day we are actually going to celebrate it.
Okay - started this blog over a week ago and never finished. (Much like everything else in my life.) We were hit by the big ice storm some of you may have seen on the weather. Lost electricity on Tuesday about 5 p.m. and didn't get it back until late last night, at which point it continued to flicker off and on through the night. We seem to be maintaining this a.m. Ten, (or even as recently as 2), years ago, this would have seemed like a great adventure to me. As I see 50 just over the horizon, it is no longer fun. Remember - we live in the middle of nowhere (some refer to it as "God's Country" - I say let God live here then!) so no electricity also means no running water. No shower, no laundry, no dishes, no toilet flushing, and no watering of 6 cows and 2 calves, 7 cats (we've adopted more recently), 2 chickens, 2 ducks, and 1 dog. Chopping stock tanks several times a day, hoping it gets above freezing soon so at least they'll get the run-off from the ice on the barn when it melts. Everything in both fridge/freezers and the stand up freezer now rotten and having to be thrown out, not to mention the mess they made. And of course now that we do have electricity, all drains (bath, sinks, toilet, washer, etc. are frozen solid. I didn't even have company and help in my misery and struggle to keep the animals hydrated, as poor Darrel went to work Tuesday a.m. and until 2 a.m. this morning had only been home for 3 hours and slept 1-1/2 hours. He's currently sleeping the sleep of the dead. And on ...and on... and on.... Okay - I now officially hate country life. Last year this went on for a week, suppose I should be thankful it was only 3 days this time. And yes, I know - I have thought about all the people devastated by the tsunami and how I should quit my complaining.
Have some lovely pictures of the ice, though, which I intend to share with all you warm weather bloggers, if I can just remember how to!!! (Yes, Brandy - I haven't a single brain cell left.)
Amidst all the madness, I did see one of the most beautiful sights I've ever seen. Late Wednesday night I went outside for something and accidently shut the flashlight off and happened to look up. Any of you who have ever been really out in the country know how breathtaking the night sky is when it's clear. It's one of things I've always loved about being out here. This night it was indescribable. The sky was so full of stars it lit the ground and reflected off all the ice everywhere. Took my breath away and will be my one and only treasured memory of this "adventure." If I hadn't believed in the world of fairies before, I do now.
Will post the pics (sorry - no night time ones!) when B has time to remind me how stupid I am!