Today I noticed...The ice is melting layer by layer.

We commented yesterday about the thickness of the ice on the back porch and how the table went from being a solid, stacked sheet of ice to the grid pattern of the metal on top. Then, today we noticed that there was a layer of ice on top of that grid as well as a layer on the bottom. Plus, there is a fringe of icicles around the edge.

Partial Top Layer and Drooping Bottom Layer

The south end of the table cleared off yesterday but the ice that dropped off of it just landed in a pile underneath and it looked like we had dumped a bag of ice there. 

With the sun shining and higher temperatures today, there seems to be lots more dripping and I am seeing chunks fall off the power lines and trees. It does sort of sound like a shooting gallery when the chunks hit below.

When I looked up, I noticed that our gutter covering that keeps leaves out is also serving to keep the ice out and it is just sliding off and dripping. 

The sunshine makes it look like there are diamonds on the trees and atop the porch and all over the place. It is beautiful to look at - especially since we have suffered very little damage.

We have seen so many online posts of neighboring streets, roads, and yards where they have had damage and we've talked to several folks who lost power as well and our hearts go out to them. It was heartwarming to see where local coffee shops and restaurants took donations and provided meals, snacks, and drinks for the folks working to restore power and clear roads. When I saw those announcements, it made me want to do my part to be an unseen and unnoticed helper.

In times like these, I'm reminded of the Fred Rogers story about his mother offering reassurance and advice by telling him to Look For The Helpers.

Rain, Rain...

The ground here is dry, dry, dry.  We have dust and cracks in the earth.  The weather forcasters have predicted rain and the conditions of high humidity and high temperatures are just right for the rain but somehow it just seems to keep missing us.

That has been a good thing for the hay Mike is working to get rolled up and out of the field but we could use a really good soaking.

Things are not quite the same a couple of hours west of here where Bryan and Jessica are trying to get going with their house.  The dozer operator came by mid-week and leveled off a place for the footing to be dug.  They were on go to get started on Friday or Saturday of this week.

Then, Friday afternoon Jessica sent me this photo:

An ominous looking sky.  The leveled dirt is there to the left of the driveway.  A couple of hours later, we got this photo:

They got a downpour of a bit over an inch.  No footer digging is going on this weekend.

Fixin' Fence

We've had a couple of weeks with rough winds.  This made for some downed limbs.  This made for some need of fence repairs.  My dad hasn't been as full of vim and vinegar lately as we have enjoyed in the past, so we assembled a Saturday Fence Fixin' team yesterday.

My brother-in-law, Dwayne, neices, Megan and Madalyn, and Megan's fiancee, Adam trekked the hour drive and got a jump on the fence fixin'.  Mike and I gathered up some extra supplies and made our 20 minute trek to the farm.  Bryan and his family had come for a visit.  So, Bryan joined us a bit later.

Once the team was assembled, we made a collaborative effort to get as much done as possible using the daylight hours.  Dwayne made quick work of some downed trees by cutting them up to get them off the fence.  Megan, Adam, and Madalyn stacked most of the cut pieces in the back of Mike's truck.  Mike began gathering up the broken and rusted pieces of barbed wire.  I picked up the loose branches and made a brush pile.  Even though the temperature was a bit on the cool side, I think we all worked up a sweat.  We were so busy that there were very few photos made.

Here is a shot of most of the crew in action with Mamaw checking us out.

Dwayne, Adam, Megan, and Madalyn had one little calf-lot shored up when Mike and I made the scene.  We simply moved down the fence securing it. If there was broken, rusty, dangling wire, we took it up.

Madalyn and Dwayne securing some strands of wire to a T-post.

Bryan joined us, wearing some of Papaw's coveralls.  Then, he and Adam became the primary post drivers.

Adam and Bryan teaming up.

Madalyn and Dwayne teaming up.

Turns were taken to attach the clips securing the barbed wire strands to the posts.  Sometimes an established tree served as a post and the wire was secured with steeples.

Bryan swinging a hammer.

Adam swinging a hammer.

We would work as teams stretching wire from one tree to another and securing it.

The guys would drive a couple of posts to provide more stability.

We would add clips and steeples to attach the wire to the posts and trees.

Mike would shift a bucket from tree to post and camp out a minute or two to add clips.  The crew in the photo above shows Madalyn with the can of steeples and fence clips she sorted and made ready to hand to her Uncle Mike to make the process move along smoothly.  Megan was headed to the truck for another metal T-post.

Dwayne heads for the green bucket.

The green bucket served as the anchor for each section of work.  It held the stretcher, steeples, clips, pliers, etc.  We kept the spool of wire for patching nearby and the water jug with cups was stationed there as well.  As we moved down the fence, these all-important items moved along with us.

When we were about 2/3 the way through the project, Mamaw, Lillie, Lydia, Jessica, Harris, and his puppy came to check on our progress.  The photo above shows our crew working along the fence-line in full force.

Harris and Lydia

These little fellows brought a ray of sunshine and a smile to all our faces!  They thought they were big stuff in the bed of Papaw's pickup truck, too.

Harris noticed that we all had gloves on and thought he needed some, too.  An extra pair of gloves were slipped on him like a pair of mittens and his little paws were a wee bit warmer.

After a few minutes of inspection, they headed off to run an errand.

Lillie and Lydia feeling like big stuff riding through the pasture in the bed of the truck.

Mike inspecting a couple of strands of wire to decide  if we needed to add or replace some.

Looks like an important conference going on there on the right!

At one point, Adam mentioned that Ford Motor Company would be proud and should be there filming a commercial.  There were these three trucks and then, Papaw's was on the other side of the camera.

This one was piled with extra fence posts, bits of wire, cut wood, and more.

Our work seemed to pass inspection and I feel sure that what we got done was an improvement and will hold calves in the different pastures...at least till the next heavy wind blows through.

The Weather Outside Was Spiteful!

Mother Nature has one of those cackling, scary, witchy laughs.

She is sort of sounding like that wicked witch of the west right now.

She dumped rain, sleet, icy coatings, and snow on top of everything during the wee hours and up into the morning yesterday.

The sun never smiled on us.

It was grey, shivery, and frozen all day long.

So, I made chili for supper.

It was pretty tasty.

The most delicious part was the crackers that accessorized it.

Hop over to my recipe blog, Recipes From Out of The Blue, to learn how to make yourself some spicy, crunchy, yumminess!

I think I might heat me up a bowl of leftover chili for lunch just so I can have an excuse to eat some of Jessica's Spicy Crackers...or maybe just slice up some smoked gouda...Mmm...Mmm...Mmm...

Snow!

Yes, we got a little bit of snow on the Saturday after Christmas!

Just a little dusting...

 

 

It was a wee bit deeper on the deck.

 

It was pretty.

Finally...

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

It came...

...rain, glorious rain!

Spring Storms

I went over to help out at my parents' house today.  Mom has been having back trouble and is just beyond going.  She is in such constant pain it hurts me to watch her.  When I got there, my daughter, Bridgette was already there with her daughters and Mom and Daddy had trouped out to her therapy session.  Bridgette, Lillie, and Lydia had already dusted all the furniture in the house.  So, that left the floors to clean, the fridge to clean out, and a few other pick-up-and-straighten-up tasks to do.  Plus, Mom's flower beds were overgrown in weeds - something we would never see if Mom were not feeling poorly.

Knowing that a spring storm was headed our way, we decided to zip outside to work on the flower beds.  Bridgette began by attacking one area like she was killing snakes and she never let up till the storm rolled in.  It didn't take her long to fill a five-gallon bucket full of weeds and dead twigs.  I had almost a full bucket from the area where I was working.  So, I tromped off to Daddy's tool shed to get the lawn tractor and cart.  Of course, it was in the shed behind a couple of other things.  Then, when I got it out - every tire on both pieces of equipment needed air - isn't there always something like this so that nothing is just a quick little chore?  Being the first time the equipment was used this season, of course it needed some maintenance!  Anyway, by the time I got back to the yard with the cart for us to dump our weed buckets into, Bridgette had pulled another huge pile of weeds!

We wound up pulling enough weeds out of about half Mom's flower beds to fill the cart heaping full twice - Bridgette pulling the lion's share - before the thunder began to rumble and big drops of rain began to fall.  (I think Bridgette and I were thrilled to see the storm roll in so we could stop!)  I quickly dumped the cart and trekked back to the tool shed.  I got pretty damp on my walk back to the house from the tool shed.  Then, the bottom dropped out! 

At first there was just big drops of fast-falling rain - a typical spring shower.  Then, there were a few pings on the tin roof of the house and barns and little pecks at the windows where the hail was hitting.  Finally, there was hail falling and bouncing round everywhere!  Lillie commented that it looked like popcorn popping. 

Here is what it looked like peeking out the back door.

(I don't know what that glowing loop at the side of the photo is, though.)

We stood at the back doors and watched for several minutes.  The hail was only about marble sized but it was really coming down fast!

The shot below shows Mom's rose garden (and doesn't it look beautiful and weed-free?) with hail beginning to pile up.  Also, notice the crevices between the pavers of the patio.

You can also see on the horizon how the rain shower was pelting down at that point.  The temperature quickly changed from a muggy, humid, sweaty hot to a cool, damp, breezy chill.

Here is a closer look at the weed-free rose garden...

The little pellets and marbles of hail quickly piled up and more kept bouncing around.  (Guess who weeded this area?  Of course, I went over it once and dumped my bucket.  Then, when I came back, I could hardly tell I had done anything.  So, I crept over it again.  It is no wonder that my mother has always been in good physical shape - or that now her body is wearing out!  Keeping things looking like a National Park around there is hard work!)

Here is a better shot of the patio and how the hail rolled to a stop between the pavers.

Take a look just beyond the patio area, past the table, toward the bird bath.  Look at all the little hail piled up there!  (Notice I'm not bragging on that area so much?  Guess who weeded that area over on that end?  Nope, not me!  It does look really good, though!) Also, notice how it is still pouring rain.

Almost looks like a dusting of snow there doesn't it?

The power went out at about the time I finished shooting these photos.  So, we couldn't vacuum the floors or work on cleaning out the fridge.  It seemed like a good time to nap to me and I climbed into a recliner and dozed a bit.  When Daddy dashed down to the house from where he was working to repair a tractor, the power had just gone out.  When he came into the house, little Lydia asked him if he had gotten scared with the thunder and lightning and gave him a hug.  What a sweety!  All-in-all I think a bit over two inches fell during that hour.  Then, the electric company got the power restored and we swished around cleaning before we departed for home.

Everything seemed greener - almost like the nitrogen in the hail was already working!  The air was fresher, the temperature was cooler, and the world seemed like a cleaner place.  I love a good spring storm!  (especially when it gets me out of pulling weeds!)

A King!

I have thought so for quite some time but now there is no doubt in my mind... My husband is King of the Grill! 

Yesterday he had the day off from his job.  That in itself was something that is an anomoly because since we married in 2009, I think we could count on our fingers the number of times he has had Saturday off from work.  We enjoyed it like royalty.  Both of us got to sleep late - way past daylight!  Yippee!!!  Then, he cooked up a wonderful southern breakfast of eggs, sausage, bacon, and biscuits.  Yum.  Another special treat is that we got to eat out on the back porch.  It was a fabulous start to the weekend.

We took the time and the beautiful warm day to work on getting the lawn mower in shape to start off our season of mowing.  The wonderful day seemed to crash and burn at that point.  When we sit on the mower and turn the key it just clicks.  We thought at first that the battery was low and Mike attached the battery charger to it but that didn't work.  So, now he thinks it is some sort of fuse or a starter problem.  Of course, the lawn equipment store was not open and we will have to try for a new fuse or starter later in the week while we watch the revived green grass stretch up by leaps and bounds. 

From there we moved onward to other spring clean-up chores.  Mike cleaned all the residual straw/hay and leaves off the trailer, changed out the leaking tire for another, more reliable one, and aired up all of the others.  I began sorting through boxes and buckets and cleaning and organizing the shelves in the barn.  Lots went into the trash but lots just needed straightening and organizing.  Since we are changing garbage pick-up companies, Mike and I pulled out these huge garbage cans that are on wheels and placed them between the LP gas tank and the wood pile.  While Mike worked to cut the lids off some buckets, cleaned, and organized them, I moved a few stepping stones down to create a path from the driveway to the new garbage cans. 

We hung a wrought iron hose holder and an unbelievable find - a l-o-n-g hose that was hidden in the straw that has no leaks in it!  We also hung some antique wooden and metal singletrees that had belonged to Mike's grandfather on the barn wall.  (A singletree is a croos-bar to which the traces of a harness are fastened for pulling a cart, carriage, or plow.)  So, the barn is shaping up and we are getting closer to ready for putting some calves in it!

I headed off to the house and put the pork loin half that I'd been marinating onto the grill.  (The marinade recipe can be found HERE.)  Right about the time the grate got hot enough to put the beginnings of grill marks on the loin, the grill went out.  My grill's gas tank was empty!  Hubby saved the day by quickly starting a can full of coals and transferred the loin over to the charcoal grill.  We had thawed and injected some chicken breasts and he cooked them as well.  Mike barely had time to get all that meat situated on the grates and put the top down on the grill before a spring thunderstorm blew in.  He dashed into the house and we waited out the storm.  Over an inch of rain fell during about a forty-five minute period.  Lightning was zapping and thunder was crashing all around as the heavy rain fell and we sat just inside the French doors peeking out at the grill. 

When the storm calmed, hubby sloshed out and took the meat off the grill.  It was a wee bit blackened on the outside edges but it was juicy and delicious!  Mike joked that he braved a raging storm to see that his woman had meat on the table.  I joked back that he definitely is the King of the Grill!

I hate you cannot smell and taste what is pictured here, but we are going to enjoy it for the rest of the week!  Yummy!

Snow!

I have so been wanting a Snow Day.  I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.  One of those days where the weather is cold, wet with snow and everybody gets to stay inside and watch the flakes fall while sipping a cup of hot chocolate.  A good day to watch movies.  A good day to read a book and snuggle up under a coverlet.  A day to just be cozy and lazy.  Not only do I really want that.  I NEED it!  A day off to...do nothing.  Well, today I got that.

the view out my front door

I'm not one who likes to get out in the snow.  Since I reached adulthood, I haven't wanted to be out in it and play.  I thought of snow as something that simply caused me extra work.  As a young adult, snow was something that meant we had to work harder to keep cows fed, water thawed, and tramp through mud and slushiness.  So, I was not such a great fan of snow.  Oh, I've always thought it a beautiful sight and loved looking out the window at it.  But, I would prefer to stay inside and stir up some soup, chili, or hot chocolate while everybody else threw snowballs, sledded down the hills, and built snowmen.  I guess that still carries over today.  Still, I love a good snow day.

snow piling on the porch and truck

As an educator, I love snow days because it is like a free gift of a day off.  It is a day when we hadn't really planned to be home and didn't have to prepare for a sub.  It is a day to enjoy the luxuries of life.  It is a day to grab some extra sleep.  It is a day to just goof off!  Or, sometimes it is a day to try to do a little catching up from all the work demands like grading, recording grades, advance lesson planning, etc. 

big fat plopping snowflakes

So, today when I got a snow day it was a little bit exciting.  My heart beat just a little bit faster.  I felt just a little giddy - sort of like a kid. 

blanketing the furniture

Let it snow!  I said.  I dreamt of it falling all day and creating drifts and mounds.  The sight was beautiful and I snuggled a little bit more happily inside with my sweetheart.  We enjoyed the beauty.

taking in the beauty

We appreciated the naturalness and country and creatures around us.  We napped a little bit and stood at the window with a steaming cup.

the view out the back door

We got a beautiful snow day.  The view was wonderful.  Mike and I shared time together.  It was restful and peaceful.  So, why is that I'm not thrilled and satisfied?

Today is Sunday!