LEAP YEAR WEDNESDAY A STORMY ONE

 Did you know that long ago in about the 5th century the tradition was started that on February 29th, women were allowed to pursue men ???
HAPPY LEAP YEAR WEDNESDAY !  WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH YOUR EXTRA DAY THIS YEAR ????

 A cloudy morning but still really warm, 53 degrees at 9 am. After chores and breakfast I went over to my friends beauty salon to get my hair trimmed. My hair grows really fast and it was getting to a not very manageable length.
She is going through a tough time right now,facing having to put her dad in hospice care from the hospital where he is in renal failure and his heart is failing him. I know what she is going through and will be praying for acceptance for her and her family.
Back home I  changed out my month end furniture covers and also decided to put away all the winter decorations. I guess I'm giving up on winter this year ! In their place now are blooms of daffodils and forsythia with some tulips and pussy willow mixed in.
Our area is under a tornado watch today from a storm system that is moving across the country. In the mid west several deadly tornadoes have killed 12 people and some towns look like disaster areas.

I'm glad I have no where to go this afternoon and can stay inside and do housework.
The afternoon was calm with only gentle winds and even some peeks of sunshine but with the temperature reaching 70 degrees it was the recipe for severe storms. Lucky for us the front slowed down and won't get here until after dark tonight so the temperature will be cooler,hopefully avoiding anything severe.
After chores,supper , weekly paperwork and exercise hubbie and I watched the UNC/Maryland b-ball game flipping back and forth to Survivor in the second half. UNC won big and only have one more regular season game to go.
 Tonight we had some thunder and lightening but thankfully the storm split and the more severe wind and rain went north and south of our area leaving us with only a narrow band passing through.

My prayers go out tonight to the folks who suffered damages with these storms as they tracked all the way across the country.
I had to comfort Bernie tonight as he is really  scared by thunder and lightening. He was leisurely lounging in one of the doggy beds in the living room when the first flash of lightening and clap of thunder happened.

He quickly wanted to be under the blanket on the couch and to be held until the storm passed by. He is the second dog we have had that is so afraid of storms. We used to have a little Shitzu mix that would absolutely go bonkers during a storm.
On the other hand Dolly pays no attention what so ever to the storms. I've always wondered what makes some dogs so scared and some not at all.
Thankfully it is all quiet tonight and we will be able to sleep peaceably without any bad weather.
God is a gracious and loving God all the time and I'm thanking Him tonight for my blessings.
Good Night and God Bless.

PLUM TREES STARTING TO BLOOM

Another beautiful morning greeted me this morning as I did the morning chores. As I peeked in at the new mama and baby chicks I noticed she had added another one over night.
After a quick breakfast I headed out for a long walk in this warm spring like weather. There is a lot of green showing on these plum trees.

A closer look revealed this first bloom in February ????

As I walked in the lower pasture these Mallard ducks looked beautiful with their bright colored feathers reflecting the bright sunshine.

I also noticed this block of post in the neighbor's what used to be a sod field.

You can see the creek bank at the bottom of the photo so these are definitely in the flood plain.
It will be interesting to see what goes with these post.

As I headed back inside to begin Tuesday's laundry and housework I  was sorry I hadn't put in a load of sheets so that I could have gotten them hung out on the line to dry.
I picked up g-son at pre-school and we came home for lunch. He was extra hungry today and ate pizza and mac and cheese for lunch.
I worked to finish my housework by 2:00 so I could go outside and get a good dose of Vitamin D. The doctor told me yesterday that my Vitamin D level was a little low so today would be a great day to get some extra.
I got to sit out in the sun off and on for almost an hour while getting g-son 2 waffles with syrup and then checking on my chicks amid taking a load of laundry out of the dryer along with a couple other request from g-son.
G-son came outside for a while and played with Annie and rode his bike.
When hubbie got home from work all 3 of us sat out in the patio and enjoyed the end of the nice day as the clouds rolled in.
#1 son came to pick up g-son and I did chores before having a turkey breast sandwich for supper.
After our exercises I worked on my blog book while hubbie watched TV.
I got another month done tonight so I'm already to October 1,2011.
It is 54 degrees tonight at 11:00 after a high today of 68.
This is leap year so there is another day of February before we see how March decides to come in this year.
Grateful tonight for God's never ending  love and the blessings He gives me each day.
Good Night and God Bless.

GETTING THE " ALL IS GOOD" FROM THE DOCTOR

Up early doing chores before I leave for the doctor's office.  Got up today with a sore aching back from lifting things I shouldn't have yesterday.
Things went well at the doctor with my yearly physical. I was declared very healthy for a women of my age !!  We talked about how I should loose a few pounds and after I told her what my daily calorie intake was she said I needed to eat more and more often to see if that would kick up my metabolism. I also need to get a couple more test done to be sure about everything.
I got home in  plenty time to go with hubbie to pick up g-son. We made our weekly stops at Sam's Club and Ingles.  I bought several healthy things to eat my small meals from.
At home on this beautiful day hubbie and I decided to work outside doing some pruning.

I did the Butterfly bushes and other things close to the house while hubbie did all our muscadine grape vines.
He also cleaned up a plant bed next to the grape vines with the help of g-son.

They were taking up the tomato cages from last year.

They also took up the rabbit guard around the bed until we can get the leaves blown out of the bed.

What a good little helper !!
After all this work we all took a much needed break , hubbie and I in the rocking chairs on the porch to watch the sun go down and g-son in his play house getting re-aquainted with some outgrown toys.

After his dad picked him up it was chore time. My black silkie so far has 4 chicks with 2 eggs still under her.

I am always amazed at how natural mothering comes to these first time mama hens. The little yellow chick hatched out during the day today as it wasn't there this morning. Hopefully the other 2 eggs will hatch over night or tomorrow before she abandons them to give full care to the new little wandering chicks.

After a salad and steak supper I did exercises and finished another month in my blog book.

Getting an earlier bedtime as I am tired tonight and I know my back will be hurting again in the morning.
Thanking God tonight for a good report from the doctor this morning and so grateful for the health he blesses me with.
Good Night and God Bless.

A SUNNY SUNDAY FILLED WITH GOD'S BLESSINGS

Chores, church and then a spaghetti lunch for everyone today.  All were present plus daughter's b-friend so we had a house full.
After a short visit everyone went their own way and Hubbie and I unloaded all the shelves and storage boxes from my stand at the Curb Market that we brought home last week so they can seal the concrete floor.  I went though each box and threw away things I don't need anymore and then we cleaned all the shelves and re-loaded all of it back into his truck. Hopefully they will get the floors done this week but I'm expecting more like next week. Maybe we won't need the truck before then.
The sun is shining today with  a temperature in the low 50's and no wind for the first day in a while so it feels pretty nice.
My little black silkie hen's chicks are beginning to hatch today,so far this evening she has 3 little black and yellow chicks with 3 more eggs to go.
I downloaded the last six months of last year on to the book smart program to begin work on my next book.  I worked all through the covers and the first month this evening. At this rate this book won't take near as long as some of the others. This new computer speeds things up considerably.
Going for an early bedtime tonight to get an early start in the morning with a 9:30 doctor's appointment in Asheville.
Praying for God's grace in the coming days and thanking Him for the blessings of recent days for all of my family.
Good Night and God Bless

2002 FEBRUARY DECADE PICTURES

A change in the temperatures for sure this morning as I was breaking a thin skim of ice from the water buckets.
Market was okay today ,at least a little better than last week.
After market I picked up the last order of photo prints to catch up my photo project,came home unloaded the van and put them in the albums.  All finished and really proud of how it all turned out, making it so easy to find the photos of any time period in a second.
Hubbie and I both spent a cool Saturday evening relaxing. We watched a UNC/Virginia b-ball game which UNC won just barely and our country music Saturday night shows we always watch.
It has been a sunny day but only 42 degrees so it was a good day to spend inside.
With the photo project done I am moving on to my blog book now to catch up with that and whew then I'll really be satisfied with my winter time progress this year.
 Tonight I need to finish the February decade pics with 2002.  If you follow my blog you know that a couple days ago in 1992 there were pictures of my young boys basketball team.
In 2002 these pictures of the pay-off for all those many days and nights in the gym for #2 son who choose a career in Basketball and won a college scholarship for his dedication.
After visiting many college campuses around in several different states he settled on Montreat college which was about 45 minutes from home.

We got to see a lot of his games at home and even took some road trips to Tennessee and Kentucky on Saturdays to see him play.

He was voted National Freshman of the year in the NAIA division of colleges that year.
Unfortunately due to that college dropping the major he had chosen in college and some coaching changes over the summer that would be his last year of basketball. After the first semester he transferred to a local community college to finish his sophomore year and then transferred to Western Carolina University for the remainder of his college on scholastic scholarships.
I was kind of glad to see him get out of basketball because of how rough it has gotten at the college level. The system has made it a dog eat dog, win at any cost game because if you are a coach and you don't win you are replaced. So they pull out all the stops, dirty tricks and meanness that it might take to win.

That February 2002 we had several snows.
This is #2 son's chevy camero that he worked several summers to buy covered in snow.

And this is my taurus station wagon and daughter's taurus,( her first car).

 A picture of our back yard before all the bird feeders took over out there.

 

I love taking snow pictures anytime we have the white stuff on the ground I'm snapping away and it is interesting to see the changes in our yard over the years.

Unfortunately there won't be any snow pics for this February. I can't believe we are ending the month with not so much as a dusting of snow and for that matter not much cold weather at all.

March can still deliver a powerfull winter punch but usually any snows we get in March are gone by the next day,so I guess we'll see what March 2012 brings.

Nothing exciting going on around here tonight so it is off to an early bedtime for me.

Thanking God for the gracious blessings of today.

Good Night and God Bless.

ALL KINDS OF WEATHER IN ONE DAY !!!

Yuck !! I woke up this morning with a really bad case of heartburn. How can you wake up with heartburn? Did I get up and eat something I shouldn't have in my sleep last night ?
As I did morning chores and marveled at what a beautiful day it is I wished I felt like taking a long walk this morning but I didn't.
I didn't feel like any breakfast either but made myself eat a plain waffle thinking maybe that would help and it did a little.
I made the best of the morning by baking a few cakes for tomorrow before lunch.
After a chicken soup lunch I felt better but now it is cloudy outside and we are under a tornado warning for the afternoon. The wind is really starting to whip around and the rain is beginning.
After catching up a few loose ends of little task I've been needing to do I took time to enjoy the silence of the house and relax.
After the rain stopped I bird watched,I have been trying to get a photo of a large ,I think hawk, that  lights in a tree at the edge of the lawn each afternoon about the same time. He watches the smaller birds at the feeders and then flies away. I missed getting a pic of him again today as he flew before I got him in focus. I would love to see what kind of hawk he is.
I did get a pic of this guy that I have seen a couple times before but missed a photo of him.

Meet Hairy , when I first saw him I thought it was one of the many Downy woodpeckers that frequent the suet cakes. But after a closer look I noticed the noticeably longer beak and his larger size.
A little later one of the Downy's made a visit to the feeder.

 I was hoping they would decide to get on either side of the feeder for a better comparison. These birds are identically marked except for a few minor differences that may or may not be there.

I didn't  feel like any supper tonight so I iced cakes early and then sat in our bedroom listening to all the peeper frogs while hubbie was in the living room watching a truck race on TV.
Everything is early this year, the peepers are not usually out in February and may be wishing they weren't out by morning when with the winds and temperatures in the 20's it is going to feel like low teens outside.
Hubbie came in today and said there was our first Garter snake of the season killed on the pavement in front of our mailbox today. In February ???????
The strange weather was a little of everything today, with morning sun and a temperature of 70, wind,clouds and rain moved in around noon and the temperature started to drop after a short light rain fall ended mid afternoon and now tonight the wind is howling with a temperature of  36 at 11:00 and snow showers are a possibility overnight in some places.
We were under a tornado watch for most of the day but were not one of the unlucky ones to actually get one. A couple tornadoes touched down in S.C. this evening doing some bad damage.
The exiting clouds made for a nice colorful sunset this evening.

I was a little late getting this picture as I was attending to Bernie who is a sick puppy tonight and we can't figure out why. Hopefully he will be better in the morning. I followed him around to watch when he went to the bathroom to check for blood and thankfully there wasn't any.
I have both he and Dolly on a strict healthy diet but he must have picked something up outside.
Right now he is sleeping soundly so hopefully that means he's stopped hurting.
I'm listening to the news as I blog and then I'm off to bath and bed ,hoping for a better beginning also for myself tomorrow morning.
God is a wonderful caring God who is always at our side if we only take the time to recognize Him.
Good Night and God Bless.

LINCOLN LOG CONSTRUCTION

WOW !!! After about 2/10th inch of rain last night this morning feels as if spring is here already.
By the time I finished chores ,had a quick breakfast and headed out to make a cake delivery it was 58 degrees at 10:00.
I did my regular weekly errands while I was in town,picked up g-son and made 3 Avon stops on the way home much to his dismay !!
By the time we got here and lunch was offered he ate like a little starved piglet. So much so that I peeked into his lunch box to see if he had eaten his snack and found out why he was so hungry. He hadn't eaten any of his snack.
The sun is bright and the temperature is in the low 70's this afternoon but the wind will definitely blow your hat off out there. I sat outside for a little while but when the clouds drifted over the sun it got cool in the wind so I came inside and watched the Lincoln Log construction in my living room.

He is beginning to be very creative and I was impressed at the things he managed to build all by himself.

When Pawpaw got home they built this cabin that was pictured on the back of the box.

D-in-love and #1 son came to get him before chore time this evening. #1 son has another job interview Monday. Maybe this is the one God wants him to have.
After chores I changed the burned out light bulb in the setting silkie's box. Luckily it picked last night to burn out before the chicks hatch. Saturday will be the 21st day of setting for this first of the season hatch.
I worked on my photo project while watching the Duke/ Florida b-ball game,Duke won.
I can't believe how close I am to having this project done !
Things have been really quiet around here today and tonight.
The weather is still weird with the temperature of 61 degrees at 11:00 tonight. I just hope it cools down enough to defuse the strong storms that are headed our way with a cold front.
Praising God tonight for the perfect creations He graces us with each day.
Good Night and God Bless.