Too many hexagons

 I feel like this is already the fifty bajillionth time I've done a wintry post. I know those of you who don't usually see snow have already experienced your own this winter. As much as I wish it would just go snow on the polar bears who really want the stuff, it appears that's not going to happen. So I'm trying to find the beauty in the winter wonderland. 

And then the storm showed up. Those are car headlights, approaching from the east.

 Aftermath. First thing, gotta clear a path so the dogs aren't tracking all the hexagons inside.

Uh oh. It's not gonna be great if there are already drifts inside the garage...

Impossible to tell how much we actually got thanks to our wind. One of our cars was next to naked while the one beside it looked sculpted. You can see the dunes and drifts. This is standing just outside the garage door and looking north-ish. You can see where the wind has almost scoured it clear only to deposit it all a foot away.

                                                   

                       Both Dada AND the mailbox down...

We shoveled a bunch by hand because we needed the exercise and because it was sunny, but we were thrilled when the tractor was warmed up enough to do the majority of it. I don't know that we've ever had icebergs to the height that we have now. While we shoveled, the drifts kept calving so I was making snarky remarks about glaciers not disappearing, merely relocating. If you're looking for them, head to Ohio. And feel free to take them back where they belong at the end of your field trip.

I'd say we got maybe two more inches today, so I'm starting to feel like Forrest Gump as he relates towards the end of his story, "and I met the President of the United States... again." Someday the snow will stop and maybe our piles will disappear around April Fool's Day. Now I'm hearing Aragorn swearing, "but that is not this day." 

Be safe out there. Hang in there, Texas. Just hang in there.

Fancy Big Sucker at work

 

Well, our resident Big Thing got busy and churned up enough dirt for a garden. These were taken the last week of May. Dada put our Fancy Big Sucker to work and still had to rent a rototiller to finish the job. But now we have a garden plot:

 

 

And now we have a moat:

 

 

Haha! Okay, this was taken today- June 28. You see tomatoes, a pepper plant, a watermelon plant, and a canteloupe plant. We'll see who likes having a lot to drink, that's for sure!

 

The apples are coming along and some are blushing rosily. It'll be a fun fall of applesauce and apple chips in the dehydrator, methinks.

 

This is the moat creek behind our house. I don't remember the name of it- I'll have to hunt it down. The cattails in the middle of the picture are usually in the middle of the creek and the vegetation you see on this side of them is where the creek bed starts. This is almost a whole day after it's stopped raining. Every time I glanced out the window yesterday to watch it rise higher I thought of Anne of Green Gables and her "Lake of Shining Waters."

 

We're supposed to have rain again tomorrow and much of the week, but as you can tell from the last photo, it's a gorgeous and sunny day here today. We'll take it!

 

 

 

 

Camp in October

Naturally, it was beautiful and dry on Sunday when we left. These are all shots from main camp on our way out.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Procrastination

The house is a complete disaster zone and I am procrastinating on cleaning. I already called my parents just to chat and now I'm blogging. I'm justifying it by saying that I can hear the washer isn't done with its load yet, so I don't need to get up quite yet either ;)

The last time my Mommee was here, she was reading to Carrie in our big rocking armchair. Carrie informed her, completely deadpan, "you bum is bigger than Mama's, I'm afraid." Lest you be horrified that I said that in public, I want you to know that she asked me to blog that! It's also on the quote board, so you'll have the joy of reviewing that quote at a later date. Mommee said that my Nana and Pap Pap both found it hilarious when she told them.

Happy 4th birthday to our Nina, Liam's betrothed. She had her birthday and her party yesterday, and everyone had a great time. She is such a princess. I'll have to see if Mama Rita has any pictures to share so I can post them here.

Liam is done with his swimming lessons at the Y and he loved them. He's signed up to start soccer two weeks from now, and he can't wait. It ought to be interesting! He'll be a VERY young 4, so I hope the coach doesn't mind having kids in her session who bodily throw themselves onto the ball. Oy. Like herding clouds.

I know a lot of you have had crazy, wet weather, and some of you have had snow. You can keep it! Today it is a beautiful, breezy, sunny morning although there is a freeze watch for tonight. Gotta remember to get my plants in.

Care Bear had her first spelling test yesterday and got a star AND a sticker on it. She spelled all 10 words right, and she's on track reading to us at least 4 nights a week for her Pizza Hut Book- It program. *beam* So proud of her. Gym is still her favorite. I'm still not sure she's my kid, sometimes ;)

Drat it all. The washer is done. Better get off my bum and get to work. Happy weekend, all!