Beginning of Another Week

It's not been a bad weekend. Yesterday was a little tough. My sister went to Mum's bench and took some flowers including a bunch from me. I can't wait to go back again and sit on her bench. She really loved going to Felixstowe and sitting in the sun. Not so much when it was windy lol. I am hoping to go back for her birthday this year. 

So nice of her to do this and send the photos to me. My niece and her husband both sent messages as well so that was nice. 

I have been enjoying daughter's visit. It's nice to have her near. On Wednesday we'll be travelling back to Minnesota, and I'll be there until April 2nd. Apparently, they have about two feet of snow on the ground. It finally looks like spring temperatures are coming to Michigan this week! I won't be around to enjoy them though lol. 

This is Sasha. She's one of their huskies. So adorable. She pulls such funny faces. 

Snowy Saturday

Thankfully daughter and SIL made it okay. They said the weather was pretty clear until they got close to us and then there was some horrible blowy snow. Understand totally what they mean. Husband and I went out today and it was horrible out! So cold and snowy and windy. It was rather strange as one minute we'd be driving along with blue skies and sunshine and the next you couldn't see a car length in front of you! 

I took a little video. It's a time lapse one. Husband was driving. 

We went to the lakeshore to see if there were any waves, but it was really bitterly cold outside and too cold to spend long out there. See temps below. 

Daughter and son-in-law got in late this afternoon. We took the dogs out for a walk, and all got really snowy. I think the worst of it is behind us though where they live in Minnesota is forecast to have a snowstorm around the time we go back. We are keeping an eye on the weather and will adjust as needed. 

This is Sasha who sat nicely for a phone photo. Koda didn't want to cooperate. 

Hopefully I'll be back tomorrow!

Ups and Downs

It's been a...challenging couple of days mentally. Mother's Day (UK) is coming up this weekend. I can't believe it will be the second one without Mum. I've been thinking about her a lot lately and it makes me feel like being on a rollercoaster of emotions. I don't suppose going through menopause helps either when my emotions feel all over the place recently. I miss her. I suppose this time of year is a struggle for a lot of people who are missing their Mums or don't have them in their lives for one reason or another. There's lot of adverts around and mention of Mums and frankly it hurts. I was chatting with my sister today and she said she tries to opt out of any Mother's Day emails. She also mentioned how difficult it is for me when there are two Mother's Days (UK in March and US in May). I used to send Mum something for both. It's difficult over here when most people don't understand why I'm feeling a little sad. 

Anyway, enough of that. After ups and downs, daughter and SIL say they are coming this weekend so that's something to look forward to. I am pleased to see them but hope I don't bring the mood down. I think there will still be moments. 

On a things-that-make-me-smile note, I saw the beavers on Thursday. It was sunny but chilly. I stood and watched at least three (maybe four) of them. So lovely to watch. I took a little video early in the morning and managed to catch one. 

Also took a few photos of them. Here's one. 

Today was horribly rainy and snowy. I didn't take a walk. We're under a Winter Weather Advisory for ick snow. So we shall see. 

As always, thank you for the comments. I do appreciate and read them. 

Tree Down

I just remembered to post before getting into bed lol. I'll reply to comments tomorrow. 

I finished the things on my list today. I went for a walk this morning. It was really quite cold. 17F -8C when I went out. I bundled up and it was a double glove and handwarmer day! It was beautifully sunny though. When I stood in the sun it actually felt quite pleasant. It did warm up later in the day and melted most of the snow in the garden. I wonder how much will be left on my walk in the morning. 

Tomorrow, I have quite a lot of housework to do. I'll go for a walk in the morning before the rain comes. We're due rain tomorrow afternoon and Friday and snow on Saturday. Definitely coming into spring lol. 

I'm off to bed. Quite tired. Didn't sleep well last night, but managed to stay in the bed and didn't end up on the sofa lol. 

Oh I almost forgot to report. There is a tree down!!!

It was Tree C

It fell two days ago!

I did pretty well with my list today. Pulled my back a little but seems to be better after a nice warm bath and some just sitting still. 

This morning I went out for my walk. It was colder than I had expected. I was bundled up. Long underwear, two pairs of gloves and several layers on top. It was quite dull when I went out but got sunnier later on. I didn't take a lot of photos, but here are a couple. 

As you can see there is still a bit of snow around from our last storm. It is supposed to warm up tomorrow and then rain on Thursday and Friday and then back to snow on Saturday! 

I had trouble staying on track today. I did get the things done on my list and my normal household things done, but anything else - ack - I ended up trying to find camping reservations for summer and ended up getting distracted for about an hour and a half! 

I made myself another list for tomorrow and shall try to get those things done. 

Some good news - Daughter and Son-in-law (touch wood) are coming for a quick visit this weekend. As you may remember, they couldn't come at Christmas due to the weather, so they are planning to come for FIL's birthday this weekend. I am really hoping it will all work out! Son-in-law's father hasn't been well lately. He's been in the hospital and should be going to a rehabilitation centre for a couple of months today. Daughter says that she will come even if SIL can't. I am planning to go back with them next Wednesday for another week and a half to spend some extra time with daughter. 

Something to look forward to!

Weekend

Had a pretty good weekend. The sun was shining on Saturday, and it was a little above freezing. We went out for a nice walk and had a pretty good time. Sunday was just the opposite. The sky was completely a solid grey colour and there were snow showers. We went out for a bit as we had to drop off a replacement debit card to our middle son who lives by the lakeshore. 

There were lots of people fishing at the piers on both Saturday and Sunday. We couldn't believe how packed it was! On Sunday husband who is way more sociable than I am talked to one of the fishermen. Apparently, it is Coho Salmon season, and they are near to the piers. I could understand them being out on Saturday - as I said the weather was nice, but Sunday. Brrr. 

Some of the fishermen/women on the pier

Fishing from the snowy beach. 

It's the beginning of another week. The son who lives with us is more than tired and just a little (understandably) grumpy. He had to work all weekend - ten-hour days - and is now on nine-hour days. Ugh. 

It was snowy again this morning, but the roads were clear so I went out for a walk. Stopped and picked up a couple of things, got a couple things done at home. Pretty uneventful. 

I'll be back tomorrow. I really thought I had posted on Saturday lol. Must have just dreamed that I did!

Today

Well, it did snow. Maybe 5-6 inches. It was wet and heavy snow. The trees were heavy with snow and the roads were covered until it got to daylight (notice I did not say until the sun came up - it wasn't visible) and then the roads turned to slush. I actually procrastinated (is that a surprise?) bundled up and watched the birds for a while. They were fun to watch. Husband got off work early as he had worked over the other day. He said the roads were just wet so then I went for a quick walk. I felt better for it. It was pretty, but it's tough to walk through the snow!

On my walk

And in the garden

One of my chipmunks was out in the garden today. He has a hole in the ground - he must have dug his way through the snow! I did throw him peanut.

Did I actually get anything done today? 

I have almost finished working on the problem area I was working on. Actually, I have sorted through it but am not completely happy with it, so I'm going to take another quick look tomorrow and see if there is anything else I can reorganise or get rid of. I did not get up into the craft room. I did work on another problem area I want to tackle. On the plus side, I did manage to take another look through a bookcase and get rid of another eleven books! If you've been reading this a while, you know how tough I find it to let go of books. 

Tomorrow we are going out somewhere. Not sure where. It's looking like the best day of the weekend as there are forecast snow showers for Sunday. 

Hope everyone has a good weekend. 

My good intentions to post yesterday...well, by the time I remembered I was in bed. Lol. I was so tired I didn't want to get out again. Sigh. It didn't last long. Husband was snoring up a storm and I ended up on the sofa. Again. Sigh. 

Anyway, I did get a lot of the boxes sorted yesterday and put a bunch in the recycle. I think I can probably let go of more but for now I'm pleased of what I did get rid of. I have a couple of other things on my list to get done tomorrow. It's supposed to snow. As I am writing this - ten at night - the snow is coming down fast. I don't want to go driving in it, and I had a really long, good walk today so I plan on staying in tomorrow (if the snow is bad) and getting the other things checked off my list. I'm halfway done with one of those projects and the other shouldn't take too long. I am hoping to also get up in the craft room and start on that. It's a real mess. I've been using it as a dumping ground again recently and I need to clear space so I can actually craft!

A couple of phone photos from my walk today. As an added update so far none of the trees featured in my one post have fallen so far. Tree C does appear to have some more chewing on it though!

Tuesday

After yesterday's fall my arms are feeling a little sore, but otherwise no lasting effects. My car is also still light free. I went for a walk this morning, a little more careful as I walked in the mud, so I didn't take another tumble. It was a little chilly and windy, but it was sunny, so I won't complain! It looks like there might be some snow on Friday so I'm making the most of the sunshine while we have it. 

Today wasn't a lot more productive than yesterday. Sigh. I did manage to get another post done on my project. I'm pleased that I'm still plugging along on it. I got the normal Tuesday housework done. I did start some sorting, but then realised I was running out of time before the guys came home and put it all back again. 

I have started a list of what I need/want to get done. I think as it's supposed to be fairly mild 46F/8C I'm going to work on getting a whole bunch of recycle boxes that are currently on our porch sorted, broken down and put in the recycle. I've been saving a bunch, so I have them to post the things of Jane's that I have up for sale. I'm down to the last of large items, so I won't be needed a lot of them. Our recycle will be picked up this Friday. I want to begin to tidy up the porch so that it will be ready to be used once the weather gets better. The porch is a screened in one. Husband puts up plastic protection over the screens in the winter so the snow doesn't get in. When the weather gets warmer the protection comes down and we can sit out there in the cooler evenings and enjoy the fresh air (and not the bugs!). One of the things I do like about American houses is the screens they have in windows. It's nice to be able to have the windows open and not worry about bugs or flies or mosquitoes.  So that's the plan for tomorrow. I will let you know the progress tomorrow!

Photo today - a lovely Pileated Woodpecker I saw today on my walk

I don't like Mondays...

Funny start to the week. 

Some background - on Saturday at the end of our morning out the check engine light came on in my car. We had gone over some pretty deep snow. Husband, being cautious, didn't want to take it out for our Sunday Adventure so we took his van. His workplace has a mechanic that outside people and employees can hire so he decided to drive my car to work this morning to see if the mechanic could hook the car up to the machine and see what was wrong with it. Apparently everything is electronic these days. The car seemed to be working fine, but it's better to get it checked out. Anyway, husband gets to work and there is no power! He turns around and comes home as it won't be back on until noon. A local car place opened at 7.30 so husband decides to take it to be hooked up there and see what the diagnosis was. He drove it up the street and the light goes off! 

I ended up going for my walk. Husband's work electricity came back on so he went to work. Hoping the car acted up because we drove over that tall, packed snow. Apparently, the mechanic can't diagnose the car if there is no code tripped! So, fingers crossed the light will stay off! It's driving fine. 

On my walk I slid in the mud and fell over. Nothing hurt, just wrenched the arm I'm having trouble with a little more. Thankfully I saved the camera I was holding too! 

I think the beginning to the day threw me off. I had made plans that didn't include a car or a walk or doing my food shop. I suppose at least I did those and the basic housework. 

Weekend Adventures

It was quite snowy Saturday morning when we did get up. About 8 inches of snow. We didn't go too far but we did manage to get out. It was #1day12pics for my online camera club. Every first Saturday of the month the goal is to take 12 photos to document your day. I usually end up just doing a theme. That's my goal. It's one of the projects I hope to complete again this year. My theme was going to be Signs of Spring, but quite frankly they were all buried or covered in snow so instead I went with Snowy March Beginnings. 

I made two collages of the photos I chose to include in the project

It was lovely and snowy on Saturday so that was nice! The temperatures warmed up enough that a lot of the snow has already gone. It was nice and sunny and mild today too. 

We went a little further afield today. To a park we've been to before but not recently. Husband wants to walk more and there are trails there to walk on. We had a lovely walk. There wasn't a lot of snow around up there - they didn't get as much as us - and as I said it has warmed up nicely that last couple of days. We saw two eagles. We were really pleased to see that they had rebuilt their nest as the previous one was brought down (I think the whole tree!) in a windstorm a while ago. 

Unfortunately, first thing the trail was a little icy and husband fell. He didn't break anything, but is feeling quite sore! I'm sure tomorrow he'll feel even worse. Yikes. 

While I was out today I looked for reflections in puddles. I made another collage.

Back tomorrow!

Friday - Did it Snow?

Thanks for all the comments on the last post! I shall let you know which one falls first. They all looked the same today. 

That Midwest forecast I posted rang a little true today. The snow that was predicted to start at 10am didn't. It didn't start at 11 or 12 or 1 or 2. It must have started about 2.30pm. There's about 5 inches on the bird table from what I can see. As I look out of my window before writing this (10.49pm) there are two deer out there trying to dig through the snow and eat the seed that has gathered on the table. 

As the snow started this afternoon the birds were out in numbers trying to beat the rapidly falling snow to get some food before sheltering for the night. There was even a rabbit out under the table. For most of the winter they have been coming out at night - to stay away from prey I suspect - but this one was out this afternoon. 

I did manage to get out my walk today. It was okay. Cloudy and windy and we didn't see a lot, but the exercise was good. I came home, did the usual and texted with my sister. We always check in on Fridays. I listed a few more lighthouses on Ebay. I am almost done with them now. 

Not sure what weekend plans are. I suppose we shall get up in the morning and see how the roads are. It will be above freezing tomorrow so the snow won't be around too long. Hopefully we can get out somewhere. 

Today

Got up this morning and went for a windy and cloudy walk. I'm glad I spent time to enjoy the sunshine yesterday. I stopped at the shops after my walk. Tomorrow is still looking like there will be...something weatherwise, not as early as predicted, but I went out and picked up a few things I needed. Did my housework, read a bit and that's the day ended. 

The days seem to be flying by. Sometimes I blink and the day is over! Tomorrow I should be able to get in a walk before any of the weather comes, so I shall be getting up my usual time and heading out. After that I'm coming directly home. Husband is off work early tomorrow as he had a late day earlier in the week and there is no overtime allowed. He's loaded up the donation boxes in the back of his work van and will drop them off on the way home tomorrow, so they are out of the way! 

The Winter Storm Watch for tomorrow has turned into a Winter Storm Warning so stay tuned, I suppose lol. 

Photo for today - on my walk there were three trees that look like they are being chewed on by the beavers. I'm taking fun bets on which one will go next. What do you think? 

a. This one is right in front of the beaver lodge. It was first chewed on last year, but has new signs of chewing on it now. 

b. This is to the right of the Beavers' Lodge. The chewing is all new. 

c. This one is on the other side of the lake. It's been consistently chewed on for about 10 days. 

Which one do you predict goes first? 

Back tomorrow...hopefully

March 1st

 I had a lovely walk today. I went by myself as my friend had an appointment. It was cloudy at first, but then the sun came out. It was fairly mild and the birds were out singing. It was really quite beautiful. 

Here's a few phone photos

Look at those lovely blue skies 

Looking up

And here's a little video I managed to take of the Red-Winged Blackbird singing his heart out 

I came home, did a bit of housework and then actually sat out on the back porch for a little bit. The sun was shining and it was feeling quite warm. I wanted to make the most of it because it's downhill from here lol. We are expecting another storm on Friday - maybe snow, maybe ice, maybe a mixture. 

I saw this on someone's Facebook a while ago and it made me laugh

Back tomorrow!

End of February

This month seems to have just flown by! I managed to get three boxes ready for donation. It is mostly books which isn't a bad thing as I have so many of them! I am hoping husband will drop them off sometime this week so I can start another box for March. I like the idea of having a box to see and remind me that I need to fill it with things that can be got rid of. Although I haven't got my BIG photography project finished, I have been making progress on it. I shall continue with that next month too. 

Yesterday it rained all day long. Well, to start with it was freezing rain but as I wasn't going for a walk I waited until the freezing rain and passed and it was just all rain and went out to run my errands. I had a hair appointment, then I did my food shop and dropped packages off at the Post Office. I have not included in my got-rid of pile all the things that have gone out this month through Ebay. I reckon there have been at least another two boxes worth of stuff. Perhaps I should be keeping track of it!

March is National Craft Month. It seems fitting that I plan to try to do a bit of sorting and organising up in my craft room. Hopefully I will end up getting rid of a bunch of items - some to donate and some to put on Ebay. Also, in March I plan on tackling a bunch of craft and other magazines I have. We shall see. These goals might stretch into April as well as I will be gone for about a week and a half in March. 

Today I went for a walk with my friend. It was rather dull but at least the rain had stopped! It was awfully muddy on the walk though!  I came home, did some housework, sorted some Ebay stuff and worked on my photography project. 

Photo today - lots of Red-winged Blackbirds around. It's a little early for them, but it's lovely to see them again. They are one of the first birds to return after winter!

Sunday Adventures

We did have a nice day out today. It was rather windy at the lakeshore, but bright and sunny. I had a nice walk along the beach and enjoyed watching the waves. We stopped at several places along the lakeshore and just had a few enjoyable short walks. It was so lovely to see the sun, though the wind made the air feel pretty cold. 

It was surprising to see how much the beaches have changed even in the few weeks since we've been there. We've had a lot of winds and the snow fences, though not buried by snow, were buried by sand. 

This fence was once quite tall, about four feet tall, now there are only a few inches showing!

I think it will be quite the job to clear the snow from the fence when it comes time to remove them for the summer season. 

The benches at this beach were quite buried too!

Video of the wind

It's amazing to think this is a lake

When I came home I did a little cross stitching. I haven't done much but it is coming along!

My middle son came up later in the afternoon to eat with us and stay a while so most of the later afternoon and early evening was spending time with him. 

Good news - MIL texted me this evening to tell me that their power had come back on! She doesn't have television or Internet but she has power! 

Saturday

 It wasn't a bad day today. I went out for a bit this morning. We didn't go far, but I did get out and try some more intentional camera movement photos. I'm a little addicted to it now sigh. It's good for dull days as the photos turn out really bright and interesting and it makes for some fun, creative photography. On our way back home we stopped at the store and picked up a couple of items. Son is coming up tomorrow to visit and have dinner. I hadn't bought enough for what husband was cooking so we wanted to get some more items so son could eat too. 

Husband and other son went out this afternoon. I took a leisurely bath and then worked most of the afternoon on my Big Project. It was actually last year's Big Project for photography but, even though all the photos were taken last year, updating my year-long blog is taking longer than I thought. I had planned on finishing it in January. Nope. It won't be completed in February. I am determined to get it done, but it's looking like the project might continue through half this year too! I completed 10 blogposts on it today! 

It is kind of interesting looking back at the photographs and some of the notes I took. I had forgotten that I'd taken some photos! This one of the beavers made me smile 

How adorable is this! 

I will get this finished! 

Tomorrow we're off out. Not sure where yet. I haven't made any plans. 

Hopefully back tomorrow!

It's Friday - made it through

Thanks for the comments on the last post!

Well, the ice came... and it's gone, though it's aftermath is still being felt. It was quite the storm. On Wednesday I didn't end up going for a walk. I did manage to get to the post office and get my packages out just before the icy rain started. By late afternoon there was a coating of ice on the grass and road. It didn't look too bad though. 

Waking up Thursday morning everything was covered in ice. There was a huge tree down at the top of the road that had pulled down an electric power line (not ours thankfully) and the road was blocked off

There was also a tree down at the bottom of the road - not blocking the whole road, just half

The line at the end of our driveway was to the neighbour's internet and it was fixed today

I was going to walk around the neighbourhood and take some more photos but as I was outside I could hear the trees crashing down, saw a couple come down close by and decided not to! We didn't lose any trees - there are a few really big ones at the bottom of our garden. Our neighbour across the street had lots in their garden and one fell and crashed through their window! 

My MIL and FIL are without power. Apparently it will not be on until Monday! It is below freezing. Luckily they have a small generator that will keep the heat going. 

It was so strange being outside as the ice began to melt and fall. It rained ice chunks! Some of them looked quite big. I took a little video - not a lot as I didn't want to get hit by any!

The ice did look quite pretty, unfortunately dangerous too. I did get out in the garden and take a few photos, but that was as far as I went. I managed to take this one (with phone) at the bottom of street

On the plus side, I did get some more books sorted. I am pleased to say that I managed to collect two boxes full of things to donate for February!

Another pile of books ready for donation! 

It's Icy Outside - Quick post

Just a quick one. It's been an icy day today. We're under an Ice Storm warning until early hours of the morning. There is lots of ice building up on the trees and the wires overhead. So far we still have power, though now we can hear tree limbs cracking outside the window. Our neighbour has lost some tree limbs and there is a wire down in front of our driveway. It isn't a power line, so don't know what it is. Our neighbour reported it to the police who told them it would be Friday before someone could see to it! Neighbour told them that they might want to get someone out here sooner to at least put some cones up or something so people don't drag it. The cars race up and down the hill so hopefully someone won't drag it. 

Yikes. Just heard another crash outside. 

Schools were closed today and they have closed them again for tomorrow. It's only supposed to last through the night, so fingers crossed.  I didn't walk today but hopefully if things melt I can go sometime tomorrow. 

Monday

It was a lovely start to the week, sunny and not too cold. I'm trying to make the most of it as the weather will be getting (maybe) a little iffy mid-week. I went for a nice walk and then went to the shops to do a food shop. I picked up some fresh veggies and a few odds and ends. It ended up costing quite a bit more than I had hoped to spend but I have supplies at least until the end of the week. I still have to work out what husband will be cooking at the weekend. 

I was a little productive today - at least it felt like it. I got a problem area sorted out, well, at least organised a little more. I also did get some things listed on Ebay. I have several items to package up to get ready for the post office. I'll do that tomorrow. 

Tomorrow is supposed to be ok weather-wise, so I'll be off for another walk. I am going to work on another problem area tomorrow when I get back and I have some housework to do. 

Sunday Adventures

We had a nice walk today. It was bright and sunny and not too cold. We renewed our pass to the metroparks on the other side of the state and had a nice walk around the nature centre. We got there early so there weren't too many people around at first. Later on it got a bit busier, but it was nice to be out on the trails to walk. There were a few spots of ice, but nothing we couldn't walk around. 

Not too much growing but there was a lot of little birds around. I'll post some photos when I sort them out. Husband likes to go here as the birds land on your hand and take peanuts and seeds from you. Rather fun. 

There were a few Sandhill Cranes around. They are year long residents at the park, though not many of them usually stay in our state for winter. I suppose it's because they have plentiful food. People aren't supposed to feed the cranes - there are signs telling you not to - as they become aggressive. They are fun to watch though. They aren't at all scared of people. 

I have made myself a list of things I want to get accomplished this week. I am hoping that seeing it in print will give me the motivation needed. There are things I really need to get done around the house. 

It's Saturday

 I turned off the alarm today and didn't get out of bed until half hour after my usual time. I almost ended up on the sofa again last night. Husband was snoring loudly again. I was so tired I didn't want to move, yet I couldn't get to sleep either. I was just about to get up when I must have nodded off. 

I was debating about whether to go out or not. Husband and I usually take a short 'adventure' in the morning, but as we were away last weekend I told him it was okay, he didn't have to take me out, he could work on his own hobbies. It still looked a bit icy out so I was debating going out or staying in. 

I did end up going out. At least for a bit. It was sunny so that was a plus. It was sort of peaceful being out by myself. I didn't take a lot of photos. I did try some more ICM (intentional camera movement) and just faffing around. 

These are a couple of the phone photos I took

This is one of the ICM photos I took. I hesitate to share these. They aren't traditional, but I really like the way they turn out - a little like a painting, a little dreamy.

When I got home I wasn't too productive. The sun coming in the living room this afternoon was lovely so I took some time to do a little cross stitching. It's coming along. The highlighter I got at the Dollar Tree - green one - seems to be working better than the yellow one. I can tell which stitches I've done!

Tomorrow we are off out for an adventure. It's going to be quite warm - 50F/10C! That's positively warm. I'm sure there will be people out in shorts ha ha. 

Back tomorrow!