BIGGEST SNOWFALL OF THE YEAR USHERS IN SPRING

I'm going to start today's blog last night just after 11pm as I was getting ready to get into bed and let the dogs out for their last bathroom break of the day. I was shocked when I opened the door and looked out to see this.

I haven't seen it snow this hard since the blizzard of 1993. I had to wake hubbie up so he could have a look for himself.

Not the expected way to end the first day of spring for sure.It must not have snowed at this pace for very long as we would have had a major amount of snow this morning and we only had about an inch.

An early phone call confirmed my expectations that school wouldn't be on a regular schedule as a 2-hour delay was the info from the call.
G-son had extra time before school to put a puzzle together.

 As I did chores out in the 26 degree morning I took time to make some pictures of the biggest snow of the season so far.

The pretty spring bloomers have a cool blanket of snow on them this morning.

G-son laughed all the way to school at all the road signs and mailboxes that were covered with the blowing snow that had frozen on them.

The lawn at school was covered but the roads were fine, a perfect snow !!

It was a very heavy sticky snowfall and with the temperature only getting into the mid 30's there wasn't much melting even with the sunshine.
After I dropped g-son off I headed to town to run errands and do some other business that took a lot more time than I had expected. I was finishing up my shopping in Walmart just before 3pm when I got a phone call from g-son's other grandmother who was scheduled to pick him up today but was stuck in traffic as a house fire between her house and his school closed the road.
I called daughter and had her call his school so they could tell him what was going on and why I was going to be late picking him up so he wouldn't get scared.
I made it there about 3:20.
As we drove home he complained with his throat feeling scratchy and when he ate he said it hurt  so I hope he isn't getting anything to bad.
His dad looked down his throat when he got here and said it looked okay to him so who knows.
Evening chore time felt like mid winter instead of early spring and I'm sure the animals are feeling it too. I gave out some extra feed tonight and hoped that my little setting silkies will manage to keep their eggs warm through these next few nights. It's already 28 degrees at 10:30 tonight.
Hubbie and I had a nice restful evening.
Grateful to God for the blessings of this day and for His never ending love each day.
Good Night and God Bless.

SPRING 2013 ARRIVES

As g-son and I headed out to school the temperature was a balmy 33 degrees. He was excited today as the traveling zoo mobile was coming to his school and he had been told he would get to touch a snake !!
I spent the morning with chores,exercise and housework. I watched the sky cloud up then clear all before lunch. I placed an Avon order online before I sat down to eat my last chicken breast that we had smoked Saturday,they sure were good !
After lunch I loaded all my rugs and a couple large thick quilts into the van and went to the laundry.
I don't like washing my rugs in my machine because no matter how much I vacuum and shake the rugs I can't seem to get all the grit out of them. Since there is a laundry about 1 1/2 miles out the road with very large commercial machines I collect all my dirty rugs as I change them and make a trip to the laundry about every three months.
I can relate to the relaxation therapy of watching the washers action.

Usually it takes less than an hour but today I decided to dry the large quilts. I brought the rugs home and hung them out on the clothes lines.

The sun is out and a cold wind is blowing so they will dry.
After picking up g-son I stayed on my sewing schedule and made two more large bonnets before his dad came to pick him up.

I love this yellow one,hmmmm, it just might be mine !!
At chore time the cold air is coming in faster than expected. Today is the first day of spring and it sure looks like spring around the yard with the plum trees now loaded with blooms.

The Forsythia is blooming even after putting out a bunch of blossoms last fall.

And more of my favorite Daffodils are adding color to my yard.

But the weather maps for the next several days do not look alot like spring is here.

And yes that snow is predicted to get to us before morning,wonder what the morning will bring ???
Around our house this is a sure sign of winter weather.

I will be so glad when the warm weather gets here to stay and I can clean this mess up and store the ring until next year.
Tonight has been a continuation of my busy day with weekly paperwork and bill paying.
Daughter stopped by after church for a short visit,she had gotten a birthday gift from her secret sister and was thrilled with it. I don't know who her secret sister is but I know she sure picked a perfect gift for daughter.
Hubbie and I watched Survivor on TV tonight and then he went to bed as his back is hurting from something he did at work today. I'm looking forward myself to a hot bath and warm bed tonight after my busy day.
God is good all the time, all the time God is good.
Good Night and God Bless.

MORE MARCH 1993

What a difference a day makes as today there are just some small white fluffy clouds in a bright blue sky.

After yesterday's socked in cloudy day and rain today's upper 50's sunshine was a blessing before the bottom falls out of the weather for what sounds like the remainder of the month.
After a regular morning of school,chores,devotions,and breakfast I did laundry and did some housecleaning. On my new schedule I got in a walking tape and had everything done with the last load of laundry in the dryer by lunch time.
After lunch I did an exercise video with a new resistance band I bought. I am trying to find something that won't rehurt my elbow and this seems to be a good alternative to my hand weights.
I sat outside and soaked up some vitamin D then fed the chickens another cart full of kale greens before it was time to pick up g-son.
When we got home #2 son was here. He had to leave his house while realtors showed it twice today already,once from 1-2 and again from 4-5 this afternoon. Hard to believe this is the first day on the market and already 2 showings.
#1 son came after g-son and the boys all had a nice visit.
I sewed up 2 large bonnets before chore time.

After chores I refilled all the bird feeders to get the birds ready for the change of temperature coming.
The air already has a definite chill to it and is supposed to be in the upper 20's by morning.
To finish out decade photos for the month of March 1993 after all the blizzard photos already posted on the 20 year anniversary of the snowstorm of the century tonight is pics of the two birthdays that are in March.
On March 1,1993  #2 son turned 10 years old.

His cousin Susan and sister watch as he blows out the candles.

Cousin Aaron and his bother.

Money's always good. Ha ha, notice the bag of recycable cans in the lower corner of the pic !!

Also later that month on the 26th daughter turned 8 years old.

Cousin Susan and a friend watch as she blows her candles out.

This little boy was a neighbor but I can't remember his name.

Both brothers looked on as she opened her presents.

My #1 son holds his first cousin Mark (my brother's son) at the birthday party.
March was always a busy month with 2 birthdays and the beginning of spring planting.
I still give presents but the parties ended many years ago.
A sad ending for March 1993 was the death of my mother. Who I think was done in by the blizzard and her fear of being all alone, even though she was a stone's throw from both my brother's houses she still felt panic when the wind blew just a little or when it stormed. She had to carried through the snow to one of their houses  a couple times she got so scared during this blizzard. She died on the 27th day of that same month of a massive heart attack in the ambulance on the way to the hospital.

Hubbie and I spent the night relaxing.
Grateful to God for the blessings of today and for His graciousness He shows each day.
Good Night and God Bless.

RAINY MONDAY

Got up early to get chores done and be ready to go to the doctor to have blood drawn in advance of my physical. Hubbie took g-son to school and when we got back we headed over to Asheville.
The rain is light thankfully as we travel but the temperature is in the upper 30's.
Had a new lab tech draw my blood and she was very good, don't have much of a bruise at all.
We left and stopped by the bank and P.O. in Fletcher on the way home. Today isn't much of an outing day with the cold drizzle so it was nice to get back to the warm house.
Hubbie built a fire in the wood stove as soon as we got back. After the 70+ temps this weekend this 30+ temperature drop hurts.
I worked inside changing the corner shelf in the computer corner of the living room to the smaller one I brought from #2 son's house last week.
Speaking of #2 son, his house hit the market today. These are some of the pictures from the MLS.

My favorite part is this huge rock fireplace.

This is such a beautiful house I wish it was closer to his work.
Hopefully he will sell it and be able to move forward with his next venture.  The bank accepted his offer on the vacant lot, but the bank wanted a mid May closing date.

After we picked up g-son from school we started our once every three year adventure of getting Annie her rabies shot. She does not like riding at all and hates going to the vet as all dogs seem to and she is big enough to put up quite a fight.
I put a harness on her instead of her regular collar that she slipped out of on her last trip for a rabies shot.

Since the weather was so nasty we put her in a large crate in the back of the van and had the doc come out and give her the shot in the parking lot. Which he was glad to do as he remembered her escape last time. We all made it there and back with no problems,she didn't even get sick,thankfully.
Whew!! Safe for three more years !!
The rain got harder as the evening wore on, I poured 1/2" out of the gauge at chore time and the hardest rain hadn't gotten here yet. It has actually warmed up a bit to 42 at 10:00 tonight.
In the news of the day is this fire in Pigeon Forge,TN. that has burned over 200acres plus 55 vacation cabins ,and damaged several more before they got it contained with the help of today's rain.

Still praying tonight for the family of my friend that was killed Saturday.
Praising God for all the undeserved blessings of my day.
Good Night and God Bless.

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY

St. Patrick's Day 2013 started out sunny and very warm, 68 degrees already on our way home from church.
Church was good today,we had a guest speaker and the children led the songs and did a great job.

This is the first through sixth graders choir group.
At lunch everyone came and greatly enjoyed our smoked boston butts from yesterday. They were better this time than the first time we did it and I'm sure we will get better each time we do it.
After lunch we all scattered to our own Sunday afternoon activities. After hubbie and I watched the UNC/ Miami ACC tournament finals which UNC lost but it was a very good game and he finished watching his race we headed for Sam's Club. We are out of a bunch of stuff and have been adding to the list each day.
We had our rebate check from there so it was fun to shop and not have to pay and we even got quite a bit of change back.
The temperature has been a balmy 72 degrees but the wind is blowing and in early afternoon the clouds began to take over the sun.
It is supposed to rain tonight and tomorrow, then cool off for the remainder of the week and yes that is snowflakes for next weekend,just in time for the beginning of spring.

 After chores this evening I tried moving the little red silkie again after she went wild yesterday and I guess she got the message because she settled right down on the eggs I gave her in the brooder box.
One of the little black silkies was sitting on the nest in the house this evening so if she continues I will put her in another brooder box and hope that no one else gets the idea of sitting for a while.
I sat out in the sunroom for a while and watched darkness come this evening,it felt so good to relax in the warmth of the evening.

Still praying tonight for the family of the friend you died yesterday and asking God for His wonderful
love which surrounds all His children.
This has been a good St. Patrick's Day and I'll leave you with this blessing tonight.

Good Night and God Bless.

NICE DAY ENDS WITH VERY SAD NEWS

I have no idea how I got so far behind this morning,in fact I didn't even realize I was behind until hubbie commented how late we were after I came in from feeding the chickens and dogs and turning them out.
I got to market 15 minutes late but luckily daughter was already there and had her things out for sale although no customers had been there yet.
She stayed for a while then headed over to the highschool to a volleyball tournament. Hubbie headed home to get the smoker going with all the meat I bought Thursday in it.
I had a pretty good day,I'm very thankful for what I did sell. Today is a beautiful sunny almost 70 degree day so everyone is probably working in their yards on this first spring like day.
Before I left market I took down the St.Patricks Day decorations and put up my Easter decorations, ready for next week.

 Par for the way I came in this morning I was late leaving,the last one to get out the door and again I have no excuse !
I stopped at Aldi on the way home to pick up more salad for tomorrow's lunch.
Hubbie helped me unload and get things put away. We checked the meat in the smoker,it was coming along nicely.
I pulled more kale for the chickens and spread the composted manure out of the bins on part of the garden to be plowed in.
I set another little white Silkie hen . A red one has been wanting to set longer but when I moved her into the setter box she went wild so I let her out and put the white one in there,she was fine and settled right down on the eggs I had in there. I might give little red another chance tomorrow.
We came inside to watch the UNC/Maryland semi-final ACC tournament game which UNC won.
I got a call from a friend telling me some sad news. Another friend of ours Anita Rhodes was traveling down 64 highway this morning when a tree fell on her car killing her instantly. This is so sad and I pray for her family  as her son graduated with my #2 son and now works with hubbie. He just found out that he and his wife are expecting twins and these would have been Anita's first grandchildren. She was so excited for their arrival. She was on her way to her church this morning with the bulletins for tomorrow's service as she was the church secretary.
I know Anita is in the loving arms of our Heavenly Father tonight but my prayers go out for her family as they grieve this loss. I pray for comfort and understanding in the coming days for them.
Good Night and God Bless.

BEAUTIFUL FRIDAY

I was pleasently surprised with g-son this morning as he was so happy and energetic for a Friday morning,he must have something special going on at school today !
I  am trying out a new housecleaning schedule to try to aleviate my backaches from doing to much mopping and vacuuming in one day. So this morning after chores,breakfast and devotions I cleaned,vacuumed and mopped the sunroom. Then baked cakes, 9 caramel,2 coconut and 3 chocolates. While I waited for the last ones to come out of the oven I cleaned the kitchen and had lunch. The timing was perfect as I was finished with this just as the cakes came out of the oven and I could sweep and mop the kitchen/dining room floors.
The temperature was in the 60's and the sun was calling my name so outside I went. Much to the chickens delight I pulled up a bunch of  kale and gave it to them as the garden needs to be cleaned off so hubbie can plow. We plow in the fall when we get everything out of the garden but I add compost all through the winter from my chickens so he plows all that in just before we plant the early crops in spring.
Ahhh!! This warmth feels so good on my old bones and arthritic joints.
D-in-love called and ask me to pick up g-son today as her mom had locked her keys up and couldn't make it to his school on time.
He was ravenously hungry today,must be another growth spurt.
I got a couple more bonnets sewed up while he ate. This time a medium and a large.

As I worked outside I noticed that seemingly overnight several blooms have popped out.
These little Creeping Johnny blossoms are so dainty.

Periwinkle along the driveway is starting to bloom.

These are some of my favorite daffodils with their lacy double blooms.

As I walked these guys kept an eye on me just in case I might have a hand out.

They have become the permanent residents of the upper pasture so the cows in the lower pasture can have their minerals free choice before they all have calves in a couple months. The horses don't mind this arrangement at all since they get extra attention up around the barn with Snowball.
D-in-love came after g-son tonight as #1 son is on a road building job this week and is working until 6 each night. This is a picture he sent of his track hoe down under the roadway.

Back in the hard rains of last month a portion of this road washed completely away and they are building it back with netted baskets filled with rocks. He called them a name but I forgot what he said. It was a dangerous job for all of the men working here. Hopefully they will finish Monday.
I iced cakes for 2 hours tonight while watching the ACC tournament games.
The Duke/Maryland game which Maryland won in a huge upset was a good ballgame. Then I watched part of the UNC/Florida State game but as it started at 9:30 I went to bed before it was over with UNC leading by 15 points.
I have several orders for market tomorrow so I'm hoping for a good day. Usually as the weather warms so does business.
Grateful to God for the health and joys of each day.
Good Night and God Bless.