Snow Blind

How do you like my new boots?  It's a necessity in our northwoods with all the cold and snow we have had this year.  It's been reported that it's our worse winter since 1973, not only for the lasting frigid air, but for the amount of snow.  My taller boots need new liners, and will get them someday, but for now, I needed WARM and WATERPROOF.  

Come one, come all, come get your snow blindness here!  

Really!, Can you see the neighbor's mailbox???

Me either, but if you click on the picture, you will ' maybe '

see where the driveway is.  Yes, those banks are high.  You can not see a pick-up truck coming out of this driveway, and you can only see the cab of the county grater that keeps this drive open just across the road from our place.

 This is our mailbox.  My main man keeps this one plowed back far enough so the mailman can get to the box.  That's fine and well so long as the mailman stops bringing me bills.

 This is the driveway to the farm, ya know, I just had to see if I could get all the way up this 1/8th mile long drive without getting stuck with my 4 wheel drive.  No Problem, this time.

 It's always a beautiful ride past the grove of balsam and spruce that line the farm road., but about half way there, like the photo above, it's open and it drifts, sometimes clean across.

 This drift is right up next to the door of the truck and to the bottom of the window.  It's a high step getting in this truck with it's 20 inch tires.  I think we have a little snow~

 Hmm, this isn't too bad.  The drifts are only about half way across but still passable.  I thought I'd go help Mom with a puzzle she's laid out to pass the time while she isn't venturing out.

 The fence rails are chair seat height.  We are still able to get to the gingerbread house even tho the snow is way above the rails.

I know, I know, you've had enough of going snow blind.

We are too, but at least for another couple of months, we all have to deal with our diverse weather together.

That is, unless you are fortunate enough to have green grass to look at already.  If you tire of your sunshine and gardening, sitting on your deck with a cold one, come back.  I'm always happy to assist in cooling you off even more.

Forecast for the remainder of the week is still icy, not even in the teens and up to minus -30's again each night.  We keep praying for that ' heat wave.'

Until next time...

God Be With Us All

Spared

I'm sure you are tired of seeing this but it's actually good news today.  We were warned of another dangerous snowstorm which started early last night for our north central WI area.

 According to the weather reports, we were in the area expected to receive between 14-18 inches....again~

the wind was blowing the snow directly from the northwest.

We filled our reserve jugs of water in case of power outage and Bill widened the road to the cabin in case we need to go for the generator or, temporarily ' move.'

 As it turned out, we got lucky.

Yes, we still ended up with a considerable amount of snow for Bill to plow.....again.....but we were spared the terribly depth of it.

 It's looking gorgeous out, all white and clean again.

 We can still get in and out of the yard without ditching.

 The new foot of snow on the roof was nearly gone in yesterday's heat wave, and it will melt again.....maybe next week.

 The birds have found their free meals again.

 With their resourcefulness, they can easily find the seeds under the blankets of snow that has blown in and piled high.

 The birds plump up and use their thick winter coats of fluff to keep themselves warm and still manage to ' sit pretty.'

I have been doing a lot of hibernating this extra harsh winter, 

but still would never choose to live anywhere else.  North central WI really is a wonderland of the four seasons.  The only thing I would change, would to shorten winter and lengthen the rest of the seasons....that would work for me.

Meanwhile, we play a lot of cards, take walks when it's above zero, bake too much, read, spring clean (it helps, really), and do what the bears do,........sleep in!  (gotta get it while we can because come spring, it will be very busy around here.)

How do you deal with the winter dull-drums???

Now, I wonder if that snow is packy enough to make a

snowman?  It would be a first this winter due to all the cold.

\o/

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Now Ya See It, Now Ya Don't

Do you remember this? It's last spring's garden.  Take note of the 8 ft. poles.  Now you see them and ..............

 Now, you barely see their tops.  Yeppers, folks, that's how much snow is in our yard.  It's pushed as high as the tractor plow can push it.  There are about 5 rows of it surrounding our place.

 It'll be quite some time before we can plant anything, but it doesn't deter us from enjoying the outdoors.  There's a heat wave going on, don't cha' know.  This is the first break we've had from the miserable arctic winds and temperatures, so the air felt wonderful today at 30-something.

 While the Grandloves and their dad played, I snapped a few memories.  There were holes to dig, and 

 rides to take, (how I wish I were small enough to ride the pull-behind sled)., and

 a-waaay they go!

 Did you know you can dig to China to watch the Olympics, it's true~so they say.

 Did you also know you can make a volcano 

out of snow?  Really!!!

 Now where'd he go?  Click the photo and you may just see him...

 This is also the time of year that my workaholic loves to go to the woods and cut and pull out trees for firewood.  He's been working the past couple winters getting trees out of the swamps and lowlands, all of which blew down from a huge wind storm that dropped over a hundred mature live trees.  Rather than let them rot, they are harvested for firewood. Like he says, "I'm keeping your butt warm," and he is.  Gotta love him.

 Even the Bluejays are surviving our 'more harsh than usual' weather.  They actually seem to thrive in it year round.

 Of course, the free hand-outs they get all winter makes them fat and sassier. 

Yes, it's true.  It's snowing again....

So it goes in our northwoods which we love.

Alrighty then...

Go play in the snow if you have some.

The Lord's promised spring so I'll remain impatiently patient. (is that possible?)

Re-Tired

In the ' dream world of Bill,' all goes as planned during a days work in the woods.  On this particular day, however, things didn't go so well.

.

 He was pulling a tree top out of the deeper snow when he heard a snap, a bang and then a hiss.  He looked back to see real trouble, something no tractor owner ever wants to see.

He headed straight home in hopes of making it to his shop before the tractor no longer would run at all.  He thought he had blown out the rear end of the tractor.....big, big $$$$$.

 After examining the damage, he realized what had happened was that the draw bar (the attachment on the back of the tractor that connects other pieces of equip. to), it's end had snapped under pulling pressure, causing the draw bar to slam against the tire and breaking the bead that holds the tire to the rim....resulting in~

 yet, another problem.  Inside of tractor tires, there is always some kind of weight that assists in pulling power performance.  Years past, tires had tubes in them that gets pumped with air.  Another weight consisted of a liquid that would not freeze, like calcium chloride, antifreeze or even windshield wash that was pumped within the tube.  There are several other liquids that have been used, including iron weights.  All of these weights are eventually damaging to the rim of the tires, making them useless.

The tire ballast (liquid weight ), they use where we service our tractor, is Rim Guard.  That's what you see pouring out of Bill's tractor tire above.  It's so safe from causing rust, corrosion, it even protects the tire and metal and it's biodegradable.  It's so safe that OSHA has approved it for use as a cattle feed.  WHY???, because of what it's made of.  It's a liquid by-product of beets, so what you see coming out of the tire is actually beet juice.  It's pretty sticky stuff but because of it's weight per gallon, it's ideal as a liquid ballast for tires.  

 Before we drove away from the implement yard, I couldn't help but to take a few snap-shots for my guy.  Is 'big' always better?

He kept eyeing this young lady!  But for now,

maybe just the cab for his little tractor would make him happy.  It sure would keep him warmer while pushing snow and pulling trees out of the woods.  We have burned a lot more firewood this year.

Bill's tire is back on his Lil' Blue and he's a happy man.  You can't imagine the marriage there.  He's on that tractor every day, it seems.  A man and his toy, makes me happy too.

Stay warm and a note to all of my tractor friends out there, don't blow a tire.  

\o/

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MELT !

If you were to click on the photo above, the snow really Is knee-deep on our 6'6" kid.  Yes, we are just in the thick of it around here.  We're doing our best to stay positive about our long winter.  How's this for positive~it's finally above zero and it feels great~! 

Here's another:  Even I am looking forward to picking potatoes...

I couldn't do that last year so it should be a thrill.  You might say I'm making ' peas ' (peace) with Ol' Man Winter~

after all, the extra moisture the ground is receiving should make for another productive spring into gardening, ya think?

We will see our lush lawns and growing gardens again,

I have no doubt, but for now, there are seed catalogs to scour through, favorite pumpkin seeds to put on hold, as well as a 

' must have ' apple tree we want to try.

A girl can plan ahead, can't she?

Until next time~

dream on!

\o/

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and yell

MELT!

A Matter of Choice

Finally, it's warming up enough to let the kids outside to play.  Today, our son and a couple of his sons were here for a day of fun in the snow.....or at least for a little while.

The tallest of the youngin's found that he really has grown taller last summer, so much so that he's a head taller than the windshield of the snow sled.  He came in with a face full of snow but.........he had fun., rosy cheeks and all.

Winter really has been long, and I'm sure you're as tired of hearing about it as I am of seeing it.  Ol' Man Winter can take his long nap now and bring on the warm sunny days.

Same ol', same ol', snow, snow, snow.  

It's actually at it again.

I clean off the railings and the next day they are covered again...and again...and again.

So it goes in the northwoods, 

Where we CHOOSE to live.

We are fortunate to enjoy all 4 seasons as they were meant to be, April showers of spring bringing the flowers, green grass and budding trees and the summer growing season.  Fall colors of the fruits and vegetables of our labor and the brilliance of the trees, and then, well, you know.  It's all we've seen since Oct. and will still see more until May....at least!  But like we know so well, so it goes in our chosen homefront.

Stay safe,

Stay warm and

PLAY!!!

\o/

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