It Snowed!!!

Oh boy did it snow here today. and it was that nice heavy "heart-attack" kinda snow that just sticks to everything.  Perfect for making a snow man.  It started before 11:00 PM last night and the last I checked it was still snowin' and a blowin'.  Needless to say I barely stepped out today except to shovel a pathway for my kids to do their thing.  Speaking of doing your "thing" I still remember my grandmother's outhouse.  Oh Yuck!!  We only visited in the warm months and it was bad enough then but can you imagine traipsing out with snow up to your knees with the wind howling. Oh no....so glad I am a 21st century woman.  How did I get off on that train of thought!!??

These are my snow angels.  They are the family that live across the street and every time it snows they come over (all of them) with shovels in hand and shovel my driveway and walks.  You can see by the pic how heavy it was snowing.  God bless the good neighbors in this world!!

Toby loves the snow....he jumps and runs and buries his nose in the white stuff.

While Cinder, on the other hand, is just fine staying in the nice warm house with her new sweater to keep her extra warm.  She only goes out when it is absolutely necessary, if ya know what I mean.

OK now it is the morning after and Toby has managed to burrow his way through the snow...you can tell by the huge piles just how much snow actually fell yesterday.  I saw on facebook someone measured 16 inches on their back porch but I don't think it is quite that much.  It's still a pile whatever the actual measurement is.

And another shoveling angel stopped by this morning and snow-blowed my driveway and sidewalks. I am so grateful for my neighbors who do this for me.  I have enough trouble just keeping a walkway cleared for the kids.

And to remind us that Spring is on it's way....(altho today being Ground Hog's Day and the critter saw his shadow which means another 6 weeks of winter) we will think warm thoughts and enjoy flowers from TJ's until they begin their emergence in the warmth of April May June.

Stay warm, stay safe!!

Until next time.....

Arms Wide Open

I am unwritten, can't read my mind, I'm undefined

I'm just beginning, the pen's in my hand, ending unplanned

No one else can feel it for you

Only you can let it in

No one else, no one else

Can speak the words on your lips

Drench yourself in words unspoken

Live your life with arms wide open

Today is where your book begins

The rest is still unwritten.

What a wonderful compilation of words by Natasha Bedingfield to begin this New Year with Kathy's meme....Songography.  I especially love the line "live your life with arms wide open" and I so subscribe to this approach to living.  Life is so short, why not make it sweet with your arms wide open.
                                                           

And again, I am using my 50mm lens for taking all these shots today...semi macro as above.

And thru a screen (you think I'm going out in that stuff??)  Not today in my bathrobe, however I did shovel the walk with said bathrobe so my kids could do their thing....but I haven't tromped thru the snow....yet.

We have some awful weather ahead of us....snow is still falling and winds are picking up with predictions of windchills up to -50 below 0....oh that thought shivers my timbers.  And...to make it even worse, my granddaughter, Bailey is working today and has chosen to drive home in this....I keep pleading with her to spend the night, but she thinks her business may close tomorrow due to the weather and she wants to be home.  And my granddaughter, Brie is headed back to Iowa State to return to school, driving.....arghhh!! She tells me the roads aren't bad in Iowa and she has emergency numbers just in case something happens. Oh brother, the worrying never ends, first it's your kids, then it's your grands.

Me and the kids are sticking pretty darn close to home....I re-filled the cupboards yesterday and managed to get my car in the garage.  What?  Well, you see when I had to move my sweetie from the Memory Care facility to a nursing home this past summer, I had boxes and boxes of his possessions along with stuff  I had cleared out of my office when I did a re-do this summer, which all ended up where the car was always parked.  But with our grim weather, I really didn't want to leave my darlin' auto out, so I managed to pile, move, and shift stuff  in order to keep her out of the nasties that are comin'.  I could almost here her say..."thank you."

Have a lovely Sunday and I hope wherever you are, whatever your weather you are safe & warm.

"I used to be Snow White, but I drifted."  ~  Mae West

Until next time....

Holy Moly It's Snowing.....

Holy moly it's snowing and has been since yesterday morning.  Last year I complained bitched about the lack of snow...wow this year it is definitely a snowy winter wonderland.  I am waiting for it to stop, so I can scurry over to the Arboretum to grab some images of this delight before the bottom drops out of our temps,  Predictions are grim for any outdoor activities with temps in the below zero range, even daytime temps will not reach above the 0 mark.  I know you people up north are probably used to that but this midwestern girl, raised in Texas still shivers at just the thought.

Yesterday was a pretty low-key day with naps on the agenda enjoyed by all.  And between naps I am reading a really good book, "The Husband's Secret" by Liane Moriaty.  I am anticipating this might be one of the better books I have read in awhile. Love her writing style.  

Then last night I ventured out the front door to shovel off the walk so little Cinder had a place to walk and do....you know.  Snow is not her favorite thing....  I looked up and saw Toby standing on his chair watching my every move wondering why he wasn't out with me.  And yes, I have my tree and holiday decorations still up.  Maybe this weekend they will come down.  It just took me so dang long to put them up, I need to enjoy them just a little longer....enjoy - ha who am I kidding, the truth is I definitely am not looking forward to the work of putting them all away.

This old chair is sitting on the front porch....

This morning it was still snowing,...Toby bounded out.

While Cinder said..."no thank you, I will stick to my cozy warm couch."

Oh whee...I love all this white, it looks magical!! But then I am the one that gets to sit inside drinking a 2nd cup of coffee enjoying the sites from my window while those that are still in the workworld are probably grumbling and not enjoying this one bit. It's all from one's perspective.

I hope you are enjoying your day...stay safe stay warm.

"The Eskimos had fifty-two names for snow because it was important to them; there ought to be as many for love."  ~  Margaret Atwood

Linking to Kim's

Until next time.....

I Found An Angel At Home Depot...

OK, you know that my whole family will be here for Thanksgiving, right (altho my sweetie will be here in spirit only)....and my dining room is rather smallish...in fact my living room - dining room is just one big room and not really all that big anyway.  The only thing that separates each room is furniture.  So I am trying to figure out how I could possibly fit the 9 of us around my dining room table that really only seats 6 comfortably.  And since this is our first, since my son got married, Thanksgiving together I didn't think a "kids table" in the family room would be the answer, in fact it wasn't even a consideration.  So what to do??  Well, I came up with this brilliant idea, I do that sometimes, not often but sometimes....to just place a large piece of plywood on top of my existing table and extend the size of it.  So I called Home Depot and talked to this really nice guy on the phone....you know, "let your fingers do the walking" before making a trip because the closest Home Depot is about 30 minutes, OK 20 minutes if my foot gets heavy on the accelerator. He suggested instead of plywood, particle board, it's sturdier and smoother than plywood.

OK, plan in action...drive to Home Depot, then what.  The particle board is 48x96 way, way to big for my car.  OK I was really thinking hard about how I was gonna get this large board home....probably going to have to bribe one of the kids across the street to drive down and pick it up.

As I entered the store a man with a Home Depot Orange vest just happened to be walking by the front door, how many times does that happen??  I asked him if he could show me where the particle board was.  He was guiding me to the spot just as another man was trying to load two pieces onto a cart, struggling, the Home Depot guy rushed over to help him before he and the boards toppled over.  As I see this big burly man struggling, I am thinking, Deanna what in the world were you thinking....no way on God's green earth are you going to be able to handle this. So you know, shy me, began talking to both of them, explaining my Thanksgiving table plan and they both agreed that it was a grand idea, but there was no way I could possibly get it into my car.  Mr. Home Depot man asked me where I lived and then instructed me to go to the Pro-Contractor Counter and tell them my tale and ask them for any "suggestions" they may have for me.  He just repeated that again....ask them for any "suggestions" they could give me for getting this home.

OK, I will do as instructed.  Walked up to the contractor's counter, an Asian lady was ringing up the purchases from an Hispanic man's cart filled with obviously stuff he needed for a job he was completing.  Now, neither one spoke clear English, the Asian lady had a very heavy accent as well as the Hispanic man, but they were both conversing together with no problem, I seemed to be the one with the problem of understanding.  The Asian lady asked if she could help me, and I explained to her what Joe (yes, I knew the orange vest guy's name, so observant that I am, it clearly was printed on his name tag) said about any "suggestions" they might have in helping me get this particle board home.  She looked at me rather oddly, which I would have done the exact same thing, and I repeated it again.  With that, the Hispanic man asks me where I lived, I told him and he said, no problem, he was going that way, he had a truck and would gladly drive it home for me.  The Asian lady says...."Lorenzo's a good guy." so they obviously knew each other.

We loaded up and I led the way with Lorenzo and my particle board in his truck behind me. As I was driving home, I began thinking about what a kind gesture for this man who had never set eyes on me before, did for me out of the goodness of his heart...we talk about angels around us and he was just the angel I needed at that very moment.  I was really touched by his kindness, in fact it brought tears to my eyes.  I was trying to wipe them away before arriving home, I didn't want Lorenzo thinking I was some silly weepy woman.  But that kind of kindness really tugged at my heart.  We arrived at my home, he backed into the driveway, unloaded it into the garage, making sure it would not tip and was ready to leave when I handed him some money.  He really did not want to take it, seemed totally surprised when I offered it.  I asked if he was married, yes, then I said, take your wife out to lunch, he kinda rolled his eyes, got in his truck and my angel drove away.  For the angels who find us when we need them the most, for that I am grateful.

I still had grocery shopping and more errands to complete so off I went again, stopping long enough to snap a couple of pics of the snow that was falling.  It tends to make everything look a little magical and I was in that light-hearted mood after my particle board angel happening.

  
Within a week I have had a Leaf Fairy rake all my leaves and an angel appear with a truck...can't get much better than this....for these moments in my life I am truly thankful and blessed!!

"Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom."~  Marcel Proust 

Linking to Kim's 

Until next time....

  

Yes, It Snowed Here Too....

Yes, it snowed here too.  I have been seeing bunches of blog posts about the "first" snow of the season for a lot of us...and for a lot of us it was a complete surprise.  We received far less than many, but enough to coat the grass and the rooftops with that fresh fallen stuff we will be wanting come about Dec 24th.  Right now, my yard is still full of dropped leaves and there are some "fall chores" that still need to be completed, so I was definitely not ready for that white stuff to fall.

Everything around us seems to be caught between the two seasons....still colors so vivid on some trees and bushes, while others are stripped bare.  Today there is very little traces left of the white stuff, a little on the slopes that receive no sun but gone from the sunny spots. My backyard is almost completely covered in shade during these winter months. The sun being so low in the sky that the shadow created by the house looms over the garden.  Yesterday I captured this snow-capped dried monarda in those shadows.

Yep, time to drag those bird baths in so they won't crack over the winter.  I leave a couple out that are not made of ceramic so the birds have a place to grab a drink or two.

And because it snowed, it was time to bring out the snowman mug for my coffee this morning. Goodness, I have already dripped coffee down the front.  And yes, it sure tasted good on this cold windy morning.   For having a home that keeps me warm on those first frosty, snowy, cold, & windy mornings I am grateful.

While taking pictures in the back yard, I snipped some of the dried hydrangeas off of the bush and brought them inside to enjoy...I snip them all off during the holidays and place them on my Christmas tree...I love it.

Linking to Kim's

Until next time....

A Lovely Encounter

Still quite a bit of snow on the ground so headed out this morning with camera in hand.  Drove around the neighborhood looking for snowmen....pitiful, somebody needs to teach the kids of today how to build a snowman to be proud of.  Hmm, maybe I should build one, oh just looked at the clock and it is getting close to 4:30 and within an hour it will be dark....too bad, not enough time to build one.  Now if it were Sunday, we would have an hour extra of light due to the beginning of daylight savings time.  Whoopee!!  More light, now I won't feel like crawling into bed at 7:30 PM because it's been dark for so long.  In December & early January it gets dark by 4:30 PM, leaving us with an awfully short day.  And if it's cloudy, the lights come on about 3:30 PM.

Anyhoo I diverse....after finding no camera worthy snowman, I decided to travel to the horse farm a short distance from here.  And I wasn't disappointed.  Not only were all the horses out, but I met some really delightful people.  First I met grandparents with their 2 grand-daughters who were having so much fun petting the horses.  Grandpa and I had a friendly conversation about the area and how it had grown etc etc...seems like we both had lived here for about the same amount of time and had watched the burbs grow from small towns to large cities.  My city has grown from 35,000 from when we first moved here to it's present 147,000.  Certainly no longer a small town.  Thank goodness the counties and towns have left lots of wide-open spaces with parks & forest preserves or no telling what our population would be.

After chatting for awhile to both grandparents, I asked if I could take their grand-daughter's pictures.  They were both so cute, and such beautiful blue eyes.

They loved looking at the horses....

Some of the horses were sleeping, standing up....I suppose they are done with this cold and snow and now waiting for some springtime weather.

This pony was a favorite of the girls...Tucker was more their size.

And while we were there, here came the sleigh, pulling a wagon filled with people enjoying the ride.

Before leaving, I ran into a group of "photography" students.  A couple of them had cameras and were taking photos so naturally I stopped to talk to them.  They convinced me to take some photo classes at our local community college.  The only "classes" I have taken are those that have been offered on the internet. And thank God for those, because when I first began this photography journey my husband had reached the point in his dementia that I could no longer leave him alone.  Now I think live classroom instruction would be beneficial.

How about you....have you taken classroom photography classes or on-line or self-taught?  If you have taken on-line classes, any that you would recommend?

Linking to Kim's Little Things Thursdays.

"Express joy in your daily life whenever you can, so that joy becomes a habit.  Cultivate the habit of living joyously so that your very first response to life's experiences is one of joy."

Until next time....

Oh Did It Snow....

Yessirrebob...it snowed and snowed and then snowed some more.

Ahhh...fresh snow to taste.  Remember that snow ice cream that Mom used to make when we were kids?  Growing up in Texas snow ice cream was a rare treat since Texas is pretty stingy with snow storms.  Kinda like what we have experienced here in the midwest for the last two years, except ofcourse, until yesterday.  When my kids were little the word was "don't eat the snow, the dangerous particles that float around in the sky has contaminated it"...oh boo hoo, so since I didn't want to contaminate my kids, no snow ice cream for them.

As the weary working people were fighting their way home from work in all that snow....I was enjoying my tulips, some fresh bean soup and a corn muffin (one of the two muffins that I bought at the grocery store, the chocolate one had been devoured earlier in the day).  Now you see how I can appreciate the snow more than others.  It was a "didn't step my foot out the door kinda day for me".  I did my fair share of tromping in the snow when I was in the "working world"....I can remember crossing those bridges in downtown Chicago when the wind-chill factor was -20...I did my due diligence, now it's warm bean soup and tulips.

Wonder what in the world this was used for....too small for barn or house sitting in the middle of a field...I know you must think this is pretty random what with the post being about snow etc, but I wanted to link to Madge's Rurality Blog Hop and none of the above shots resembled anything close to rural.  So, OK?

Reminder to self....Easter will be here in 3 1/2 weeks.

Gotta go....Bible Study and I am not dressed yet.

Until next time....