The Yank here, and I have a confession to make.
Snow has lost its charm.
Snow has lost its charm.
Aren't they CUTE???
Being tired of snow in late February is not an unusual circumstance for this lover of winter.
God wants us to embrace much and employ moderation. I'm thinking turnabout is fair play when it comes to winter.
Winter is like pregnancy... YOU LOVE KNOWING YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE A BABY....
But by the end of month eight, you're ready to be done.
So today we're thinking spring.
Flowers.
Bearded Iris in front of my side porch...
These are from Great-Grandma Blodgett's garden. They love sun, they don't like their tubers planted to deeply, (they like to "breathe") and these babies have been with me for decades!
And then there are:
These are from Great-Grandma Blodgett's garden. They love sun, they don't like their tubers planted to deeply, (they like to "breathe") and these babies have been with me for decades!
And then there are:
Gardens with cute kids.... This is my cover model for upcoming characters Sonya and Dorrie Cabrera McKinney, regulars in the "Kirkwood Lake" series. The girls are identical twins with VERY DIFFERENT personalities...
And that just makes things more fun!
And that just makes things more fun!
How stinkin' adorable is she??????
And then there's this:
Puppies!!!!!
We could be expecting Golden Retriever and Golden Doodle puppies this spring...
Time will tell.
I love puppies! I love teaching them, caring for them, seeing them get born and how beautifully
their mamas care for them.
Puppies make me smile...
And when the puppies are done with the cute fence I have for them...
WE DO THIS:
Puppy cages with multi-purpose usage.... Caging children cannot possibly be illegal, right?
Time will tell.
I love puppies! I love teaching them, caring for them, seeing them get born and how beautifully
their mamas care for them.
Puppies make me smile...
And when the puppies are done with the cute fence I have for them...
WE DO THIS:
Puppy cages with multi-purpose usage.... Caging children cannot possibly be illegal, right?
Not when they have a LADDER!!!
Summer foods.... In September I long for mashed potatoes... soup.... roasts.
I'm ready for grilled meat without standing in a crazy snowstorm to cook it.
(Come July I'll be whining about the heat, so it's really okay to ignore me now...)
Pasta salad....
Oh, yum. Why does it taste better in summer????
Burgers and dogs...
BASEBALL!!!!
Sigh... 'Nuff said!
So here's where I'm at right now.... I'm still making soups, poring over these:
And dreaming of planting.... weeding.... trimming... picking and eating, LOL!
What is it that you like best about spring?
Oh, yum. Why does it taste better in summer????
Burgers and dogs...
BASEBALL!!!!
Sigh... 'Nuff said!
So here's where I'm at right now.... I'm still making soups, poring over these:
What is it that you like best about spring?
BRECK'S!
ReplyDeleteOk, I have to say, I love not having to corrall 4 little boys an jam feet into socks and socked feet into shoes, while searching for coats and mittens and gloves and hats and pants without holes and shirts with long sleeves. Older girls dress themselves an seem to be able to get all the pieces together.
Somehow boys always want to wander outside without proper attire. Which might prompt nosy neighbors to dial Child Protective Services to report CHILDREN WITHOUT MITTENS.
When the weather warms up, I don't have to guard the door. They can go out and play, come in and play, go out and play, and go out again without me checking for shoes-socks-mittens-hats-gloves-coats.
I'm grateful we have them. So grateful we have so many socks and mittens and three pairs of shoes and extra boots for all...
BUT I am going to be gloriously happy to pack it all away and let them run wild again.
There. You did ask.
YES, YES, YES!!!!! And I'm constantly having to replace mittens, and it's hard to find good ones that go on without an act of Congress, and I thank God for the woodburning stove because that's how I toast their boots dry each day!!!! I knew you would understand!!!!
DeleteBIG SMILE HERE!!!
Im still dreaming of tomatoes! I put in a couple of plants but hardly any tomatoes really disappointing. I have to say I dont want winter but I dont like heat of 100 degrees either. (oh some rain would be nice!)
ReplyDeleteI hate to say I dont want summer to end at the end of next week.
Jenny, it's such a mixed bag isn't it? And I love the change of seasons, but we live at the edge of Lake Ontario, a HUGE lake, and spring takes longer here because the water is so cold and our wind comes off the water. So it's nice in mid-summer to go to the lake, but spring is pretty chilly until June hits... But we love the spring flowers... the mists, the fog, the rains.
DeleteI will say the MUD is wearing with kids around, but once it warms up, puddles are a girl's best friend!
Oh what do I like best about Spring. That Winter is over!
ReplyDeleteYes, Jenny! I hear you!
DeleteI was just thinking yesterday about how I have hit that point in winter when I am fantasizing about those farmer's market veggies.
ReplyDeleteI am also plotting my container gardens!
But March is a fickle month here in the Carolinas. I never plant anything until after April 1st!
Peace, Julie
Planting is so far away here too, but the planning... it's like picking out baby clothes in anticipation!!!! Which outfit for what holiday??? And will I like that color against a yellow/gold house? And which flowers withstand spring freeze and marching (if little) feet??????
DeleteAnd then those early tips of green, the daffodils and tulips and hyacinths... ah. Just thinking of it makes me smile! When the boys were in school in Philadelphia, I used to go down there in late March just to find the "spring"... they were three weeks ahead of us so it was fun to go and see Matt and Zach and bask in Philly sun. Tiny green leaves on the trees. There was hope!
I can't complain about the snow. We haven't had that much. But the wind! I hate the freezing, never-ending wind. I'd never have survived as a prairie wife, the sound of the wind really does make me crazy. Walking the dog at night in sub-zero wind chill is just not my idea of fun either.
ReplyDeleteBut you're totally right about the summer heat. Can't take that. I love my 4 seasons. I just wish spring and autumn were much longer than the other two.
Mary, our wind this year has been strong and constant, like it was when my kids were younger. We had a few years of not-as-windy which was weird here, but it's back! And yes it's so cold when you're out on the streets. NY streets act like tunnels, too, so it blasts if you're going the wrong way on a tunneled street.
DeleteI am SO ready for spring! I was ready back in November. LOL I'm not a cold weather person. I'd rather be at 95 degrees than 35 degrees. My ideal temp is 80. I think I need to do some research and find out where I can live and have that. :)
ReplyDeleteToday's supposed to hit 60 degrees, which is good since the kids have their first tennis match. (the last 3 got rained out). Though the daffodils are blooming all over town, and I've seen a Japanese magnolia fully in bloom, I suspect we'll still have more cold weather.
Missy, I love your early springs. I couldn't ever handle your summers.... I love being outside and anything over 85 makes me seek shade, but I love sweater weather.... digging and planting, mulching, tugging old wheel-barrows around the yard filled with old weeds or fresh mulch! 60 degrees and daffodils: SWEET!
DeleteI can't handle southern summers, either. I'm miserable with allergies and the humidity...when we lived in Kentucky I holed up in the coolest corner of the house every day. Hated it. And that isn't even very far south! I'm such a wimp.
DeleteSo Missy, enjoy your heat! I'm not jealous at all :)
Jan, I'm a wimp with you. I can't do it. And it makes me POISON MEAN.
DeleteNot pretty.
Sigh.
Ah, spring. Now that I'm back in the north, Valentine's Day is my target day. Up until then, winter can do its thing and I love it! But after Feb 14? I'm looking for spring.
ReplyDeleteWhich was great over the weekend when we had sunny, 40 degree weather, but today? Blowy snow and cold. Yes, winter is here for awhile longer.
And oh, I remember the days of boots, mittens, socks, hats, jackets.... When the children were younger (think Virginia's children's ages) we lived in northern Indiana. Lake effect snow!!! And multitudes of snowy mittens and wet boots every afternoon (after hours of snow fort building, of course).
We were blessed to live in a house with hot water heat. It had those cast iron monstrosities in every room that radiated heat all through the day and night. It was wonderful. The cat loved those things.
And they're the best ever for drying out wet mittens and socks.
But it's February...and I keep those seed catalogs right next to my favorite chair :)
Ah, yes, we are in a lake effect area! I hear you!
DeleteSeed catalogs. Love them!
Jan, we have those old radiators. I love to leave a pair of mittens drying on them because then they're warm when I stick my fingers in. It's especially wonderful if I think to leave a pair heating when I go to walk the dog. They're sitting waiting to warm me up when I return.
DeleteI love radiant heat. Especially from the tall, old radiators that fill the room with heat! They're such a retro/fun look and amazingly effective.
DeleteIt's cold and snowing here, which isn't a surprise in February, right? But I'm praying for all those folks in the line of "Q".... and what kind of name is "Q" for a storm????? Silly.
If you're going to name a storm, then name it.
And I saw when the Weather Channel decided to name storms, the National Weather Service told their people to not use the names...
They didn't want their stamp of approval on the opposing team's product.
Do you want to bet they're run by men?
It's cold and snowy here, too.
DeleteI think the Weather Channel's need to name storms is getting out of hand.
It's one thing to name hurricanes - I mean, they're huge and powerful and they move around on their own for days at a time. They deserve a name. But these winter storms? Next thing you know they'll be naming clouds or trees or their next meal.
And yes, that radiant heat was wonderful. On really cold days, the cat would lay on top with her legs hanging down between the sections. Heat surround! And of course she'd face out the window so she could watch the bird feeders at the same time.
And the one in the dining room was the perfect place to sit on a cold morning while waiting for your pancakes to get done.
I really miss that house sometimes - built in 1910, on a maple lined street near the college. Small town America. A great place to raise children if you can't be out in the country.
A couple scenes from my May book take place in that town :)
Jan, I can just envision that old house! I love vintage homes, sweet old farmhouses, city neighborhoods, wood trim... it all makes me sigh. ;)
DeleteI can't wait to "see" the town in the book! You and I are "out" together in May and then Mindy and I are out together in September. YEEEEE HAAAAWWW!
Ruthy, dare I say that the dafodils are in bloom here in Texas. Buds are getting ready to burst on some of the trees. And, doggone it, I'm not ready for winter to be over. A white Christmas and then nothing. Over, done, kaput!
ReplyDeleteSo here's what I'm thinking...either we need to trade places or you just need come visit.
Oh, I'd love to visit! I love coming to Texas. It's so.... Texas.
DeleteI think New York is like that in some ways, when you're in the Big Apple, there is nothing else like it. I love it, I love visiting there. And here in upstate, it's gorgeous and thick with forests and small towns. And I love that feel. But Texas is just so HUGE that you can set a bajillion books in Texas and cover less than half the state.
Amazing.