Cowboy's New Career Search...

.....the Results are in ..options that have been eliminated.

* * *
Taking up the Profession as a Chimney Sweep is out! It's a scarry, dirty job...
where was Mike Rowe anyhow, when he was needed most!
* * *
(Go ahead, click pictures to enlarge)


Hey W.O.W.! ....I've got it!


Remember when we used to dance all night,
the jitterbug, the waltz, the two-step?

I think I will try out for
"Dancing with the Stars"!
I could become a famous dancer
with my new "Three-step" routine!







...What's that you say? ...No?...





Then I should try my hand as a Mountain Climber!
Remember W.O.W., those days on the pack outfit?
Riding over the top of Mt Stuart? What a thrill it was?
Being on top of the world seeing into Canada and down
into Oregon and Idado?
Those were fun times! I Could do this!

...I know, I know, a horses' footing is better'n mine...




...HMMmmmm...






Oh! I got it!
Hydro did gymnastics!
Why not me?
W.O.W., ..watch me! I can do the balance beam
with ease, want to see me try a back flip?
Yea! This could be a lot of fun!




Ahhh.......W.O.W.! You won't let me have any fun!





You even made me quit riding bulls!
I probably would have become the
next Don Gay if you hadn't threatened
to become a Rodeo Clown,
if I didn't quit....
.....give me another chance!
...Paaleeease???




...OH, ALL RIGHT !.......
....fingers tapping gripping now...






OK, W.O.W.!
You can't tell me "No" on this idea!!
You know how much I love Christmas...
I think I want to become a Cowboy Santa?
I am such a Jolly ol' fellar, and
I will promise to drop the toys down
the chimney with care!





....COME..... ON.....!!!....W.O.W!





Do you have any better ideas?

Well, fine then...
*
*
I will just stay here and relax awhile longer!







...Oh, H.O.W.!
Quit fooling around & get off that roof....






...come in and sit by the warm cozy fire!

The Chimney Sweeps...

...are coming today!

Their names are H.O.W. & W.O.W.!



This picture is what one should look like,
in the true sense of the Profession.....
But....
Because Cowboy and I are both deathly afraid of heights, I'm quite positive we won't look so confident.
Fear will no doubt preside over our faces,
along with the soot!
Not to mention the fact that our roof line is NOT that flat! Ours has an 8-12 pitch!
That is STEEP!
(and no... I'm not talking Tea Talk!)




The next few hours shall be interesting to say the least.

Of course, since we are a family with a long history of Procrastinators, this chore has been put off way too long!
We must now, face our fears head on!
It has been downright chilly for well over two weeks, in the frigid range of 13º to 22º through the darkness.
Many a log has turned to glowing embers of scarlets and orange, already.
Smoke is infiltrating our breathing spaces each time the door is opened.

This old house has two, 2-story chimneys and the one with a funky crook in it's configuration has brought us nothing but billowing grief each winter.

Yet, for the sake of warmth which is nurturing for the heart and soul...not to mention for proper functioning of the hands that cook or these hands that want to blog, these chimneys are a blessing.

Thus far, this cold and blue morning, we have managed to kill some time by downing a pot and a half of coffee for courage as we sat in solemn silence.
Each of us secretly drawing from within the depths of our minds,
searching for the strength to carry out this dreaded task...

It is 7:18 am and the time has come!
...Without further ado, we must don our hats, gloves and coats;
grab the chains, the brushes and ladders!
We must meet the demons of creosote!

I fear, if we continue to drag our feet any longer,
we will cause holes to form in our souls soles!
New boots are on our list of things we cannot buy!

Just to make this more ordeal even more eerie....

The first time we were forced to clamber up the steep pitches towards the chimney top, was three Christmases ago (2005) in a pouring down rain.
We had had a chimney fire and all the burned off creosote came crashing down to that funky crook, plugging this whole chimney not allowing any smoke to leave. That fire smoldered for days. We were forced to hire a Pro Chimney Sweep.
Do you know they charge by the story?? It was way too costly, so we have taken on the amateur ways of a Chimney Sweep...do it yourself!
* * *
That cold and wet December night, was our second 'encounter' of having another "Presence" amongst us.

* * *

Maybe I'll post about that for Halloween...but it is the truth, and Hydro was here to witness it too!
Even the mere thought of, or the mention of, gives Cowboy the willies,
so I think I'll wait until this sooty story is behind us to remind him of that night's encounter!


By the way...if you don't hear from me in a few days?
You might send the search & rescue our way!
(Does not mean they'd find us though, Fed-ex never can!)
Silence on my end, could mean that our fears got the better of us
and we took a giant "leap of faith" and landed elsewhere....
OR...
the "Presence" reappeared at an untimely moment!


OOOooooowwwWWW




(Sorry, but I had to enable that word scrabble thingy...spammers are getting me
and I cannot find the "garbage can" thing to delete their nonsense!)