A Little Blue in My Grey

My Mom often says that when some blue sky shows through on a gloomy day that it’s enough blue to sew a Dutchman a pair of blue britches.  I haven’t checked about just how much blue that is with my friend in Holland but I dare say there’s enough blue for several pairs of pants no matter where you’re from today.  We’ve taken yet another strange turn with weather warming up enough to make a real mess outside after the foot or so of snow.  It has been a careful tip toe venture to get back to walking again since I’ve had bone spur issues and Mom had her terrible fall on the ice last year so this makes me a bit nervous to say the least but I’ve carefully pushed on…it’s felt really good though the sights right now are all that pretty…just look at the grass that showing now…yuck!  Our backdoor drain is likely to have plenty of work as the melt off continues…it makes me wonder how busy it will be come spring.  Right now there’s every form of moisture you could ever want, snow, ice, water.  This is the kind of ice you want to avoid when you’re out and about.  I know that it’s warming up some when you can actually walk out in the yard and glimpse the lava rocks along the border of the house.  Wet ‘n dry seems to be the theme today.  My favorite stones to stand on while taking pictures over the fence are showing themselves again.  You know a simple thing for me that I use to brighten my day is when things look gloomy…just look up a bit…sometimes the view is a whole lot better.  If not at least it’s a different perspective and I value that.  Even if it’s issues I have with people where there are real differences about things…look up, they’re still people after all and not monsters.  Remember as things heat up as they inevitably will this being an election year…we are Americans before we’re members of a political party. If you are not an American it matters not…we still are under the same sun in spite of our differences.  Looking out over the vast, endless view from our backyard I realize that we’re all just a speck in all of time .

White World

Wow, winter hit us with a vengeance!  I knew it was likely going to hit when the winter storm warning came up but what was strange was the warning extended from Wednesday until Friday…can’t say I’ve seen that with a warning…maybe an advisory but this is a warning!  I’ve been walking again which has been a real blessing.  I have had some trouble with a bone spur in my right heel that has bothered me since Ireland.  I suspect walking there with shoes that weren’t the best really aggravated the situation and I’ve been in agony off and on ever since.  Lately I have had the pain really ease off so I headed out and it’s been great…enter the new storm we have now.  I wanted to get my walk in before things got really bad so I donned my winter gear(like my webcam pic?…ugh.)  Before going too far I thought I’d take my standard picture of our little niche right outside our back door.  I call that snow that forms on the little table a “snow cake” and here it’s more like a pancake but wait until you see the next one of this table I have.  The steps up just had a light dusting of snow at this point.  Old Man Winter’s chair had only been sat in by Jack Frost so far.  The deck steps were beginning to be treacherous.  I have a stone that I like to stand on to take pictures beyond the fence…it was looking more like a white cap on the lake then a rock now.  I don’t think that we’ll be needing the air conditioner for a while…what do you think?  Once again a look at some of my favorite scenery.  I think that before it’s all over I’ll miss so much the song of Western Meadowlarks that usually resonate from this area.  Well, onward and upward!  I started to walk with the wind beginning to really pick up.  The temperatures were dropping fast and the drifting was starting but I thought I’d keep going since I’d come pretty far already.  For once the golf course I pass by is devoid of golfers that are always there.  You can tell you’re really about to get it when the view is limited by a white haze heading your way.  I was very pleasantly surprised to run across a small group of antelope who were feeding as though they knew all too well what was coming.  Their feeding frenzy was little abated by my approach.  I was astounded at how close they were letting me come to thembut all good things come to and end and this was no exception as they finally began to move on.  I was really beginning to feel the wind now and there was a long and wintery road ahead.  Plodding along at this point I paused to see the beauty of the new frosted covering on the evergreens and marveled at the sight.  Near the half way point of my route I see a lamp post and it made me think of the lamp post in “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe”.  It’s amazing how even in the beginning of this storm the sun still tries to break through with its heatless glare.  The lower to the ground pine bushes were getting a real dusting of snow at this point.  Now I was almost home and after kicking through snow drifts and having the wind rip me with temperatures below zero I was ready to be home…still, this is a beautiful scene…cold or not. 

 

These shots are after the first part of this big storm dropped around 10 inches on us and still it’s below zero with more snow on the way…this is right out our front door.  This is no longer a dusting of snow folks!  It’s snow and cold like this that shows me the wisdom of hybernation!  The deck is well covered and likely will get more so before this thing is all over.  I’m glad we have a new fangled material fence rather than a wood one or I expect it would be pretty weathered come spring.  The barbecue may have to be put on hold for a day or two.  Jack Frost is now leaving the chair to Old Man Winter don’t you think?  The winter pancake on the table is now a full blown winter wedding cake!  The prairie is no longer doubting what season it isand I have to say…the sun may be trying to shinebut I well remember the endless sapphire sky before this whole thing started too.

Birthday Seconds

There are times when you just can’t get enough of a good thing.  Sometimes that doesn’t mean a thing because everything comes to an end but there are those rare events that come around again.  Gabby’s birthday was the event that this year had seconds come along.  She was able to have one of her friends over for a sleepover as well so it was a special thing.  Lovely created a setting fit for a princess.  There were pizza bites, cupcakes and even sparkling grape juice!  It was an amazing setting with amazing food and drink.  The cupcakes even had some bits of candy bars in them (Snickers to be exact)!  The focus started on the pizza but you know that it soon moved on to sweeter ventures.  I think that after a while a person isn’t too excited about turning another year older but at this age you can never enjoy it too many times!  It was a special time and I think it was  a real hit.  Gabby (on the left) and Kennedy seemed to be happy enough with it all and that is all that matters!