Something I really want to say ....1

No, I still am gone (in more ways than one). But, I cannot resist putting up a couple of photographs of the first work being done on the Saint Paul house since the end of November. What do Minnesota boys do when cabin fever gets to them on a Saturday with the thermometer at four degrees Fahrenheit (minus sixteen Celsius) and the wind huffing and puffing around twenty miles per hour? Why, they go outdoors, go to work and make some money, of course. (Actually, it was a break from the really mean weather experienced around here during recent weeks and what the weatherman predicts is in store during the days ahead.) New, black shutters, hopefully, will go on before too much longer to add a bit of contrast, but, unfortunately, painting tasks around the house and the "barn" and patio renovation will have to wait until spring. The patio resembles an igloo -- full of ice and snow -- literally. I am proud of this crew for telling winter to go to hell. That is my attitude at the moment, too.