The Longest - Shortest Month of the Year

Does February seem to drag on forever??  Well, good news, today is the last day of the longest altho shortest month of the year.  There is snow covering the ground, which I really wanted to happen at Christmas or in January, because now I am ready for some spring-time activity.  But instead of seeing crocus and daffodils I am seeing piles of snow.  As much as I whined about the lack of snow earlier in the winter, wanting, wanting wanting it to appear now it's like too little too late.  Oh we are a fickle lot.

Since it is the end of February I decided to post some of the photos I didn't post during the month.  Some I have played with, adding textures etc. some not.

Linking to Tricia's Watery Wednesdays....

Linking to Little Things Thursdays.

Have a happy Thursday.

"Often when we lose hope and think this is the end, God smiles from above and says..."Relax, sweetheart, it's just a bend, not the end."

Until next time.....

Chin Draggin'...Not a Pretty Sight

Yesterday we had another good sized snowstorm and depending on where you live in the Chicago area it snowed anywhere from 2-9 inches.  We were at the low end of that range with only about 2 1/2 inches totaled, but it was a good snow.  Good in the fact that it was wet, the kind that sticks to trees and makes everything look beautiful, but on the other hand, the kind that causes heart attacks in some while shoveling the heavy stuff.  So if you have young strapping boys shoveling your driveway it was good, bad if you are stuck with shoveling the white stuff yourself.

And yesterday was the day to go out and take pictures, but the roads were too dangerous so I stood on the front porch, such an adventurer I am.  But today after Bible Study I meandered on the way home, stopping here and there and capturing some of that beauty.  It was the kind of snow that made good snowmen....I thought he was kinda funny with his pine cone eyes and pine needle hair, clever use of availability.

Before I left this morning, I snapped this pic of the beautiful pine tree across the street from my house.

We are in the middle of a study on Ruth in our Wednesday Bible Class and this week our discussion was about how God is omnipresent in our lives....always there, knowing us while we were melding our bones together in our mother's womb before we were born, guiding us, loving us forever.  As I left church I stopped less than a block away and captured this.  It spoke to me of God's omnipresence.  Even with the sometimes entanglements of darkness and starkness that can surround us, there is still His beacon that gives us the strength to carry us through the roughest times in our lives.

I think I am feeling a little melancholy today.  Do you ever get that way??  No reason, and I am too old to blame it on a "period" or even menopausal, too late for that too.  Maybe it's because there are several ladies in our Bible class that are having some major health issues, maybe it's because it's the end of February and the sun hasn't been shining that much lately, who knows.  I am usually pretty joyful, but ever once in awhile I fall off of the happy wagon.  This is one time I am grateful to live alone.   No one around to see my chin dragging, it's not a pretty sight.

Linking up with Madge's Rurality today.  I thought the above pic look fairly rural, altho it is right in the middle of the next town over from me.  The suburbs around here do a darn good job of leaving lots of open spaces and forest preserves, so if you are feeling a little hemmed in, all you have to do is drive a short distance and that city-feel is quickly gone. 

"When God solves your problems, you have faith in HIS abilities; when God doesn't solve your problems HE has faith in your abilities."  

Until next time....

Texture Tuesday - The Dreamy Edition

Today is Kim Klassen's Texture Tuesday with the theme being "Dreamy".  My tulips are beginning to drop their petals, their beauty is waning, but thought they made a dreamy illustration using Kim's "water-stained frame" texture.

Until next time.....

Barns and Farms, a Church & Oscar

Oh I hope you all watched the Oscar's on TV last night.  It was entertaining and I do think Seth McFarlane did an admirable job.  How would you like standing up on the stage, hosting the biggest award show of the year in front of all those actors, directors, Hollywood types and not feel like you were being judged?  It's usually not a winning situation....many have bitten the proverbial Oscar Host dust, may I just mention James Franco.....what were they thinking???  In my younger days, I know back in the dark ages, but we did have electricity and TV, Bob Hope was the perennial Oscar Host. Between 1940 & 1977 he hosted 19 times, always widely praised and well received.  We should have cloned some of those old favorites, maybe some were corny but they provided us with good, clean laughs.  Unlike what we see today.

OK done with the soap-box...I joined my daughter, son-in-law, 2 grandgirls, 1 boyfriend, and 2 good friends for an Oscar night fiesta....well not exactly a fiesta since Lisa ordered Chinese food.  But then the Chinese New Year festival was on Feb 20, 2013 this year, so we will stick to fiesta.  Whatever, there was a lot of food and fun.  Lisa had score sheets for everyone....we each threw in $5.00 and whoever picked the most winners took home the loot.  There were 24 categories, Sam (son-in-law) had 20 correct, why he hasn't won the Lotto yet, I'm not sure.

Since there was still snow on the ground I decided to drive out early and see if I could find some barns along the way.  Ofcourse I can find barns, all you have to do is drive down any country road and you are going to find barns around here....after all this is corn country.  And I was blessed with a gorgeous day, the sun was shining and the sky was a brilliant blue, perfect.

Before I even found my first barn I came upon this sweet little country church, you know those old-fashioned kind with a cemetery right next door.  The sun was positioned perfectly in the sky making the church look like it was glowing.

No one out swinging today...

Spotted this farmer preparing his fields for the spring....

 There is something so visually esthetic about a red barn with snow on the ground and a bright blue sky....

And a few more from my trip to NC....these was somewhere near Lexington, KY.

Love all these black fences...you can tell these are horse farms.

Grey or dark grey barns seem to be real popular in this area of the country.

Hope everyone has a great week ahead....

Linking to Trish's Barn Charm

"Do you know why a car's windshield is so large and the rear view mirror is so small?  Because our past is not as important as our future."

Until next time.....

Scavenger Hunt Sunday - The February 24, 2013 Edition

Missed last week....on the road, but back to play again.  This week's challenges are:

• Time to Eat
• Getting Ready
• Playtime
• Sweet Dreams
• Scrub a Dub

Trader Joe's has a mighty tasty frozen fried rice dish that is an easy lunch fix when it's time to eat....

Getting ready......for Spring

Oh Toby has a grand playtime when it snows.....Linking to Rebecca's The Simple Things (I was featured on here a week ago, yes I am patting myself on the back)

Well, not exactly what you were expecting for "sweet dreams" but after-all this is our final resting place.  Captured this while in Asheville, NC, a true Confederate Army General.

Now I want no laughing on this scrub a dub dub, 1 woman in the tub...snapped for a "selfie" class I am taking.

Well, that's it folks for another fun week.  Tune in again next Sunday for more scavenger hunts and hop on over to Ashley's blog to see this week's goodies.

Until next time.....

Some Snow Fun

Thursday night into Friday I woke up to our biggest snowfall of the season that finally dropped a whooping 3-4 inches of the white stuff.  Not quite NEMO size or the national attention, but enough to make everything beautiful with a covering of the white stuff.  There is a good & bad news snow situation in the suburbs....the good news is that the streets get cleared quickly, the driveways and sidewalks are shoveled for walkers & autos to move easily, the front & back yards are havens for the dogs that love to romp in the snow ie: Toby, but the bad news is that said streets, sidewalks & yards are no longer pristine with newly fallen snow.  There are no hills or valleys or fields that have no trace of human footsteps, I have to drive to see that.  And yesterday I did not feel like driving, maybe it was the long drives of last weekend that I was still recovering from, so my snow pictures are very local (yard local).  Maybe today I will wander into the pristine countryside.

Toby is in heaven when it snows...throw a ball to him and he is a happy guy!!

Not only does he play in the snow, but he eats the snow...

I love this portrait of Toby....may have to frame this one.

Hope you all have a happy weekend....tomorrow night is the Oscar's where we find out the best of all....my daughter always has an OSCAR Party and it's always a fun night...placing bets as to who or what wins the golden statue and eating Chinese food.  A perfect evening!!

Linking to Madge's Weekly Top Shot.

"A blind person asked: 'Can there be anything worse than losing eye sight?' The reply: 'Yes, losing your vision.'"

Until next time.....

Roaming the N Carolina Countryside

Sunday in Asheville was cold and windy....reminded me of Chicago.  It was in the 20's and eventually the sun came out, but the wind howled most of the day making it a miserable day to be out photographing  But since it was our last day there, we had no choice, it was today or our opportunity for roaming the N.Carolina countryside would be lost.

The day began quite cloudy, but the sun could be seen peeking through the clouds...it had snowed the night before leaving little bits of white.

Discovering beautiful fields of golden grasses was a treat to the eyes....

As we rounded a bend we came upon a flock of about 50 wild turkeys...what fun that was.  I don't know if I have ever seen a wild turkey let alone a whole flock.  Mr. Tom was in his glory.

Whenever we stopped to get a picture of the local animals we were always met with stares...somehow they knew we were either foreigners or they wanted their best side to the camera...not sure which.

Well at least they had running water....

Then finally the sun emerged and boy does that create a glorious scene in the mountains.  You can really witness God's glory in these mountains.

Believe it or not, I still have more to share, but not today.  It snowed last night, the most it has snowed all year and I am off with camera in hand to capture that beauty.  Happy Friday everyone!!

Please stop by my collaborative blog Focusing on Life where I am musing on TRAVEL. And since I have so many fence shots have linked up to Jan & Jer's Friday Fences.

"Prayer is not a 'spare wheel' that you pull out when in trouble; it is a 'steering wheel' that directs us in the right path throughout life."

Until next time....