And then...

AN ICE STORM!

The Aftermath

 This is what we saw when we opened our back door yesterday after the Wednesday storm.

 Some places were bare...

some had big drifts

The night before, the small windows were totally ringed with snow

and only a small opening showed in the middle.

 

The snow plow/blower sent up a huge spray of snow.

This is not our door but it was here in the city.
And guess what!
It is SNOWING right now!

Play it again, Sam

It seems like we keep playing the same tune over and over this winter.

Can you see the other side of the lake?

I can't either.

We are in the midst of a "weather bomb"  with high winds, blizzard conditions, 

storm surge,  0 visibility.  The winds howl and the house creaks.
We are thankful to have power...so far.

We are warm and well-fed.  What more can we ask?

Maybe, just maybe spring is out there somewhere.

The Calm before the Storm

 A beautiful day for snow shoeing

 It's been a hard winter!

 I love the way the red and black plaid shows up against the snow!

 Pristine, untouched snow

Civilization

 The chicken coop is history! 

Anybody for a ride in the trailer?

Sit for awhile in a lawn chair.  :)

Very welcoming, eh?

The pretty red in the upper left is my glove.

I seemed to have a hard time with it from here on.

But it does look pretty!

Just dreaming...

This is the first full day of spring.

We have piles of snow around,

but we actually have puddles of wet water,

as in not frozen!

And we have had some real rain as opposed to freezing rain.

 We hope the forecast for next Wednesday is wrong...

But real spring will finally come,

at least it always has in the past!

Traveling Into Spring

 The aftermath of last Thursday's storm

That petunia just keeps blooming though out the winter.
 It was from the summer before last 
and it adds a happy note to our kitchen.

Talk about a happy note...

I saw this robin outside our window today.

By the calendar, spring arrives on Thursday!

Another Project, Another Mess

We need some lightening, brightening and freshening in here.

The Lash Hurrah...We Hope!

You can't see the blowing and snowing,

but you can see the drifting.

Another snow day for the school kids.

Maybe they won't have a summer vacation.

Church Renovations

Renovations are so much fun...

when they are finished.

This happened last summer in the church.

One man laid all the carpet and vinyl in one week's time!

Things were in a bit of a mess for a few days, not like it was at the house.

Of course it is easier when you don't have to live in it. 

The ceiling had been fixed up previous to this and it looks great.

The men who did that are the ones who renovated the parsonage kitchen.

We are really sold on them and will probably use them ever afterwards.

They are currently working on projects in the church basement.

We got rid of those awful blue drapes and the blue carpet that went with them.

The finished product.  I guess I don't have a photo from the back where you see all the carpet.

It is a wonderful change!

Winter Memories

I have been trying to find a photo of the old house with the snow up to the back porch roof top.  This is the best I can do but I do remember one year when it was up to the eaves trough.  We didn't go in the door that you see, but around the back.  It seemed that it would drift so that there wasn't as much snow that way.  We did stay overnight in the winter from time to time.  We slept under a huge pile of blankets.  You didn't want to get up in the night for anything.  My pleasure was staying in bed in the moing while Paul stoked up the fire, banged the door going in and out to the wood shed, put the kettle on and then I could smell the wood fire.  That was fun...

but I got to the place where I didn't want to rough it quite so much.

Love, love, love our house,

hot water, (no need to heat it on the stove!)

shower,

heat!

Even a dish washer, which isn't me!

One thing I miss, and only one, and only a bitty bit...

my red stool right next to the wood stove.

I would sit there in my boots, wool sox, long janes, heavy sweater, jacket, scarf

almost on top of the stove and read.

Then, just maybe, I would peal off the layers one by one.

Winter in the Country or the Long Winter

Monday we went to the farm to be there when we were plowed out.

For some time we have parked on the road and snowshoed to the house.

We have SO MUCH SNOW,

there was no way we could get through it.

We had to go OVER IT.

We realize that in case of a fire, the fire department couldn't do anything for us

and then our insurance would be no good.

We do what we can and then ask the Lord to watch over the place for us while we are away.

We aren't in control at any time anyway.

God gave it to us, it is His and He does a good job of taking care of it.

Here's Paul climbing up the bank on the side of the road.  

It would be made up of snow and salt from the salt truck.

The time before, he had to give me a push from behind, but I made it!

That's the mail box peeking out.

Obviously we had to pick up our mail in town.

The house view from the road.

Can you see the little fence posts sticking up out of the snow?

The swing is practically touching the snow.

A gorgeous day!

We don't usually look down on the burning barrel.

The bottom steps were unnecessary.

Those snow shoes are the greatest!

They were a wonderful investment.  We bought them on sale at the end of the season

the winter before last.  They have certainly earned their keep.

Here he comes to rescue us.

It's the same guy who demolished the old house in the summer of 2010.

He was not destructive this time.

Of course, that is why we hired him the last time,

to be destructive.

That's one pile of snow!

It's a good feeling to drive up to the door.