Slice of Life
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Category Archives: Mother Nature
Between Storms
We are having a stormy weekend. Between storms, I went out to check our veggies, and wanted to share their progress with you.
These are the tomato plants in what I call the “nook” planter. They are in a spot on the back of the house with our porch on the left side of this picture. They are more protected from wind than the other tomato plants.
These are the tomato plants in the other brick planter we converted to square foot gardening with the soil alternative. I saw some sweet yellow blossoms!
This is the main veggie garden. I hope you can see that we are finally rid of the thigh-high weeds that were on the ground under the boxes. There are a couple of areas I’ll spray again – if the rains ever stop – but mostly I have them under control now.
A little bit of head lettuce and then the sweet red onions.
Spinach in the foreground and head lettuce behind.
The head lettuce is forming heads now! I’m still going to harvest leaves for salads while the heads are growing.
The spinach is putting on lots of new leaves.
I’m encouraged by the garden so far. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that, with all this stormy weather we’re having, we don’t have a lot of hail that will kill the plants. We are sure enjoying lots of big salads!
“It’s Raining, It’s Pouring…”
PictureQuotes.com
I love rain, but I would rather be on the inside looking out at it.
We just got back from doing our errands for the day. It’s 40 degrees with a cold rain. We didn’t have many, but we DROWNED doing them. It’s a very good thing we are not water-soluble. I’m having a cup of coffee now, trying to warm up. A wonderful day to be inside. :0)
I’m feeling good because our veggie garden is under good control right now, plus we got the yard mowed and weed-whacked before the rain started. I can enjoy the inside days with a clear conscience – happy to be warm and dry.
I’ll fix our lunch and then I’m looking forward to spend some time in my art room. I’m painting some wooden earrings which will have posts, and I have some ideas (thanks to my good friend, Marsha) for some things I can create with my Unicorn Spit paint and put them in the local shop booth I share with my friend, Carla.
When I saw how cold and rainy it was this morning, I put ingredients for a beef stew in the slow cooker so we can enjoy some hot comfort food tonight. It’s odd – our weather forecast is for cold and rainy today – but WARM and rainy the rest of the week, including thunderstorms and possible severe weather. Mother Nature is being quite active lately.
I hope that you are weathering whatever shutdown restrictions you have without too much discomfort. Gradually, things will reopen and we can adapt to the ‘new normal.’
Take care and stay safe.
Relocation Service
RiverBender.com
We caught a raccoon overnight in our humane trap. We will head out in a second to drive about 5 miles farther out in the country to let him out by a stream we found at the roadside years ago.
We are about 3-1/2 miles from the small town of Greenwood, Arkansas. Our place is wooded enough that each year we have a family of raccoons wandering around in the middle of the night. They find our bird feeders on the deck. If they just ate their share, we could live with them. They clean out ALL the bird feeders – every seed – and many times go on to trash the feeders themselves.
We got a humane trap that we use to catch the critters. We bait them with various things – this time it was part of an apple and a chunk of sugar-free oatmeal raisin cookie.
We will relocate him, hopefully far enough away that he won’t return. We like the idea of giving him another chance at life – just not where WE are.
We will find out if he has a whole family with him in the coming weeks….
Filed under Mother Nature
Thoughts on a Tuesday – May 5, 2020
Simply-Beautiful
Happy Cinco de Mayo!
Some really good friends of ours celebrate an anniversary today. I wish them many, many more happy years together.
Last night my husband and I cooked out on the grill for dinner. Severe weather was forecast, but we decided we would go ahead with it, hoping we could finish before the rain started. We have an LED rope light that we strung around the deck top, and I plugged those in while we sat and talked, enjoying the cool down and the breeze while the meat cooked. The lights instantly make us feel festive! We got our dinner cooked, and I stored the grill cover on the back porch as we went inside, having lost one before in the same situation.
As we sat down in the living room with our dinner, the rains started. They came in waves, sometimes quite hard. It was loud, too, with lots of lightning and wind. I closed the garage door, finally shutting the front and back door due to the blowing rain. It was quite something.
This morning the sun is shining and all is quite beautiful. It amazes me that it can be so fierce during the night and so lovely the next day. There are leaves and small branches all over the front yard again. (I just cleaned up a big bunch from the last storm.) I have not found any damage yet. Our tomato plants are still looking good. I’ll give them closer attention this morning, as well as check on our garden veggies to see if all is good out there, too. I’ll try to get some pictures to share with you.
I had a wonderful thing happen this past week. I received an order for a set of glassware on my painted glass website.
I was slow acknowledging the order due to our severe weather causing Internet problems. I wrote the customer, apologizing for the delay. He was very nice, saying they had the same problem where he was. He received the glassware yesterday. I wrote to see if they arrived safely and if he was pleased. He said, “Hi. I just opened them and they are wonderful! Thank you so much. I will be using them a lot.” Needless to say, I’ve been walking about 3 inches off the ground, grinning like a nut…
My friend Kay from Lunch Bunch called me yesterday, asking if my husband and I wanted to meet this Friday, having our lunch served outside at the picnic table our restaurant has set up. This will depend on the weather cooperating, of course, but I said an enthusiastic “YES!” Fingers crossed Mother Nature will be in a good mood.
I hope that you are having a good day today.
Hope is in the air!
Filed under Friendship, Mother Nature, Thoughts on a ________
Hope in Flowers
While most of our world remains in concern, fear, and lockdowns to various degrees, I look for things that give me hope that all will be better eventually. I find hope seeing our perennial flowers blooming, in spite of severe weather a couple of nights ago, oblivious to what else is happening in the world. They bloom their lovely hearts out, aware of only warmer temperatures sunshine, and water.
I hope that you, too, can find things that fill your heart with hope for the future.
Filed under Favorite Things, hope, Mother Nature
Thoughts on a Wednesday 4-29-2020
in an email from my friend Marsha
We have had a busy couple of days.
Yesterday severe weather was forecast, including rain, high winds, large hail, and flying hairballs to start around dark. I took old sheets out and covered up the veggie plants in my garden, plus my tomato plants, protecting them as much as possible. The bad weather came, with lots of lightning, wind, rain, etc. I didn’t know if we got the hail. This morning I uncovered everything, and we seem to have come through with no damage to my sweet veggies!
I’m doing several loads of laundry to change the dirty, dripping sheets into clean, dry sheets ready for the next time.
I am really relieved. If we have a quiet, nice day tomorrow, I’ll work on cutting down the weeds and then spraying weed killer UNDER my raised bed boxes, as well as around the perimeter. I’m not sure if we need more mulch to spread under the boxes. I’ll know more when I have the weeds under control.
I’ll also use the push-around weed whacker to clean up the area beside the garden. We have the lawn mowed after finally getting the new belt installed, but my husband didn’t have the time to mow around or beside the garden.
I took pics of our rose bushes before the storm. It’s a good thing, because ALL of them are bent clear over after all the wind and rain. I am going to try to find some things to prop them up while they try to recover.
A small sign of things starting to get back toward normal was that the company that sprays for bugs for us called and sent out Adolpho to spray the inside, plus around the outside of the house for everything – including elephants. When you live outside of town in a wooded area on top of a ridge line, one of the things you take seriously is the creepy, crawly things that will suddenly erupt without constant heavy duty spraying by professionals. We have Tri-Hill Pest Control, 1308 Zero St, Fort Smith, AR 72901, (479) 782-2847. Adolpho is the man who comes to help us. We can’t say enough about him.
Besides uncovering plants, washing sheets, and meeting the bug man, I have made us lunch and baked another loaf of keto bread. I can’t say enough about this recipe from MyKetoKitchen.com
I’ve tried a lot of recipes for bread, since that was the thing I had been missing the most. I wanted one loaf of bread that I could slice and eat instead of eyeing my husband’s roll with dinner. I wanted one that I could slice and put in the toaster while my husband had regular bread – and one that I might even be able to use for a sandwich, if I felt the urge, such as when we want a comfort dinner of grilled cheese sandwiches and soup for dinner. I wanted the yeasty smell and taste of regular bread, as much as possible.
This one does all this. One loaf lasts me approximately a week. It doesn’t rise as much as regular bread, but it tastes good to me. I don’t feel deprived watching my husband eat regular breads – rolls, bagels, toast, sandwich bread, hot dog buns, etc. I will eventually branch out, trying other keto recipes for all of these various things, but this has really helped me in my efforts to stay on keto and lose the lard.
I hope that your day is full of hopeful things, too.
Our Favorite Rose Bush
Our favorite rose bush is called Rio Samba. We have no clue what we’re doing on growing roses, but this one seems happy with us. We have three of these. You are looking at three photos of the same rose bush from different angles taken just a few minutes ago.
We love the fact that we have so many different colors on the same bush, depending on how long the rose has been blooming.
When it is a bud or very early bloom, the flower is bright yellow with a swash of coral. When it opens completely, it is still yellow, but has coral edges and the older petals start to turn a much milder coral.
When if is almost ready or ready to prune, the whole blossom is a sweet shade of coral.
There are few things that lift my spirits as much as visiting our rose bushes this time of the year. They give me hope that things will one day be back to normal, in the normal flow of nature.
Filed under Favorite Things, Gardening, hope, Mother Nature
Thoughts on a Wednesday 4-22-2020
Garry Dano – I Love Elephants with Elephant Addict
How could anyone feel ‘down’ after seeing this sweet baby elephant?
We are having storms this morning. We have lost power once briefly and Internet once so far. Rain, wind, hail, and flying hair balls are predicted all day and into the evening. I am worried about my veggie plants and my tomato plants. Fingers crossed that we DON’T get the predicted hail.
I am thankful we have a warm, dry home. Usually we play ‘doggie doorman’ all day long, but both doggies are sound asleep as I type. Both cats are inside, too. And, of course, the gold fish are safe from harm.
We started a project last night of replacing the long board that is on the outer edge of our deck, trying to shore things up a bit. We got part of it accomplished, and planned to go to the local hardware store to get a replacement board today. So much for our plans. We will hope we can continue the fix tomorrow.
Meanwhile, we are trying to sell an old riding lawn mower. A man just called and is on his way out to see it – in the middle of this weather. I’m hoping that means that he really wants a mower and will be delighted that we can sell him one cheaply that works. Fingers crossed!
123RF.com
I finished the painting I started several days ago.
The weather has really thrown a wrench into our plans for the day, so I’m not sure what I’ll try to accomplish today.
I got two stars yesterday because I FINALLY did my elliptical trainer in the morning and my yoga in the afternoon. I will try to do that again today.
Penn Fitness Warehouse
Bored Panda
I could really tell yesterday that I had stiffened up in my yoga practice. I have to prove to myself over and over again that I really need to do this at least several times a week, if not every day. I’m a very slow, stubborn learner. Here’s hoping I earn my two stars today.
Please take care and stay safe.
Thoughts on A Tuesday 4-14-2020
New Animalbook
- I seem to be UNABLE to stop touching my face! I’ve tried several things without success. As much as I pull on my nose, I should look like Pinocchio!
- I am using every excuse in the book (and even inventing some new ones!) to cheat on my diet and exercise.
Fat Animals-Rollin Wild by BMC-Nasim Biswas-2018
Each day I ‘start over’ in my mind, looking forward to exercising and eating right. Maybe TODAY I’ll get going again!
- My sweet veggie plants and new tomato plants made it through another freeze. As far as I can tell, this is the last time I’ll need to cover everything. I have the first load of sheets in the washer to get all clean and dry for when they are needed again. If the weather warms up (it’s 40 now) I’ll try to get a good start on getting the TEENY, TINY weeds out of my veggie garden today.
- My goldfish have done their trick of dirtying up their aquarium again, so cleaning that is on the agenda for this morning. Happily, I am able to get everything out, clean the aquarium and put all new stuff in it in about 35 minutes now.
- I have an idea for a painting rattling around in my head. I’ll try to get up to my art room today to get a start on it.
- Bacon-wrapped keto chicken is on the menu for tonight. I’ll fix a nice salad – with spinach and lettuce from our garden – to go with it.
I hope you are finding good ways to spend your days as we all hope that we can put the threat of the virus, as well as financial worries from the economy being shut down, in the rear view mirror.
Stay safe and well.
Spirits Raiser
Razvan Chisu via Brian Morley
Filed under Encouragement, Favorite Things, hope, Mother Nature
Hope Springs 2
Yesterday, before the weather changed, I cut two roses to bring inside. I can FEEL my spirits lifting when I look at these!
I drowned yesterday morning covering up the plants in my square foot garden boxes plus my two planters of new tomato plants because bad weather and plummeting temperatures were forecast. The plants were covered all day and all night. We had at least two rounds of severe storms, some with hail, followed by a freeze.
This morning they were still alive! They are looking a bit ‘tired,’ but I think they are okay. I was planning to go out and weed in the garden, but the temperature never got above 40 here, with enough wind to make it uncomfortable outside. Hopefully, I can get rid of weeds tomorrow.
I hope that you are safe and well. I also hope that you – also – are finding things that give you hope for the future.
Happy Wisteria
We have been working to get our wisteria to grow from its base in the planter on the right of the photo to a tree off the edge of this picture on the left.
A closer view. Things are looking more lush each day.
This fills me with hope for the future. It makes my heart sing.
Filed under Gardening, Mother Nature
Timing Is All
Very Well Family
We went out to get supplies this morning. Just as we were coming out of the store, the rain came down. By the time we had all the bags in the truck and I had returned the cart, we were both dripping. We stopped at one more place, getting even wetter, if possible, and then came home. Of course, as soon as we came home, the rain stopped. We put things away, made lunch, and then both fell asleep in our chairs.
The sun is shining now and you would never know it happened. It almost makes me feel as if I dreamed the whole thing! Such is life in the exciting Lewis household these days. Timing is all.
I am trying to have a specific goal for each day, particularly since we are trying to stay home and limit our exposure to the virus. Today the goals were replenishing supplies, paying bills, catching up the bookkeeping, and cleaning out the aquarium. The first two are done…
Be safe.
Filed under Mother Nature, Thoughts on a ________
Happy Veggies!
Science | How Stuff Works
Spinach
Sweet Red Onions
Head Lettuce
My veggies were smiling when I went out to take these pictures this morning. Everything seems to be doing very well now.
I told you how hard I was trying to get the irrigation system going for my garden a couple of days ago. If my husband and I couldn’t get it going, I was going to have to fill my watering can over and over to give them a drink. We FINALLY figured out why we weren’t getting water in the outside agricultural water faucet we have – a faucet control in the well house was turned off instead of on.
Now that it is running perfectly, and the timer is set for daily watering, we are getting rain every day from yesterday through Thursday of next week. A beautiful illustration of Finagle’s Law of Dynamic Negatives. (Finagle’s law of dynamic negatives (also known as Melody’s law, Sod’s Law or Finagle’s corollary to Murphy’s law) is usually rendered as “Anything that can go wrong, will—at the worst possible moment.”) We also have it to mean “the more you need it, the harder it is to fix” or “you will get it fixed when you no longer need it.”
My garden is such a joy. The boxes we built allow me to continue gardening with pleasure, not having to bend over double or get down on my hands and knees over and over. The fence keeps large critters out. The chicken wire around the bottom keeps small critters out. The Mel’s Mix in the boxes (peat moss, vermiculite, and as many different kinds of compost as you can find or make) allows plants to grow well and happily, not having to depend on the quality or quantity of our soil.
The cool weather crops, spinach and head lettuce, will hopefully do really well before it gets too hot here. The red onions will stay where they are until harvest, probably in October. When it gets a bit warmer, I’ll add yellow squash and radishes, if not some other things, to the garden.
I have two large brick planters on the other side of the house that we converted to be square foot planters. We devote both of them to tomato plants.
So far, I have smiling, happy veggies. Fingers crossed that this will continue.
Have a happy Saturday!
Filed under Gardening, Mother Nature, Square Foot Gardening - Raised Beds
I Love Trying to Grow Things
Gorilla Love – Unknown – via Penny Yaffe Krakow
Head Lettuce
Red onions
Head Lettuce and Red Onions
Spinach
I have a funny problem. I was just out weeding and cleaning up the plants a bit. We have had a lot of rain lately, but most of it is going around us, rather than watering the garden. I decided to hook up our irrigation system, uncovering things for the first time this season. My control for the watering needed a battery, so I came back inside to get one.
When I went back outside, it was raining! Hahahahahaha!
Now that I’m writing this post, it has stopped.
Mother Nature is playing with me and laughing.
Filed under Gardening, Mother Nature, Square Foot Gardening - Raised Beds
Rich in Daffodils
Today was spring-like, but grim and gray. When I walked around in the yard though, after we got home from errands, I couldn’t help but grab my camera and try to capture the richness of our yard right now.
There is still the hole in the middle of the yard where we had to dig up a large part of it to find the leaking water pipe. I told you we managed to roll the rock over the edge of the world, but the hole remains. It now has some dark potting soil, but it’s still an eyesore and will be until we are confident the mower won’t sink down into the hole, and the grass once again covers the area. Even with that, the daffodils take my breath away.
Each year I did up some of the bulbs and plant them in another spot. I’ve done this for several years now, so clumps of daffodils are blooming all over the front yard and we now have a couple of clumps in the back. (The one above is “Debbye” in full bloom now.)
Big happy daffodils in several different shades of yellow and styles, all living together. Long stalks heavy greenery, bringing up my spirits.
These are beside the well house. We have dug them up twice, thinking we got them all, and yet they continue to bloom year after year.
Filed under Gardening, Mother Nature, quality of life, Seasons
Wonderful Wednesday
sayingimages.com
My early spring garden seems to be doing well so far. I got out my trash can full of old sheets, plus clothespins, putting it under one of the tables, so I can cover the plants tonight. I’ll be doing that a lot until the threat of freezes is over. I will try to get onion sets when we do errands today. I would love to finish weeding the other boxes in the garden and get the onions in as soon as possible.
I’m trying to ignore the fact that – wherever I look – things are calling out to me to be SEEN and FIXED. I have made a priority list for the day. If THAT gets done, I’ll move on to the lesser list. (Who would have thought I would now have TWO lists….
The roast I cooked in the crock pot yesterday turned out really well. My husband asked if we could have the rest cut up with onions, mushrooms, and cream of chicken/mushroom soup tonight over rice (for him.) I’ll do that with cauli-rice for me. :0)
The sun is shining brightly today, so my spirits are lifted each time I look out the window.
Hopefully, I’ll be playing in the dirt this afternoon!
Have a wonderful Wednesday.
Poor Stupid Daffodils!
Our weather has been really strange this winter. We’ll have a cold snap, then spring-like weather, then cold again – then a pretty snow, then thunderstorms. It’s no wonder my daffodils are confused.
“Friendship is a shiny thing, a steady beam of light
A lantern on a lonely street, a song far in the night
A smile, a touch of a loving hand, a quiet moment on a hill
And, oh, what a happy little child bringing home a daffodil” (Unknown)
“A host of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.” ~ William Wordsworth
“For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.” – William Wordsworth
“A house with daffodils in it is a house lit up,
whether or no the sun be shining outside.” ~ A.A. Milne
Filed under Mother Nature, Seasons
A Beautiful Day, Except…
i.pinimg.com-originals
We are having a truly gorgeous day today – particularly for February. The sun is shining brightly and it’s 59 degrees outside!
Yesterday we not only saw the small herd of 6 deer beside the road on the way to town, but also saw a roadrunner when we got home.
Getty Images
This one above is not the one we saw, but the picture gives you an idea. He was up on our deck railing, eating the handful of seed we try to leave in the “bird” feeder we made from a shovel.
Shovel Bird Feeder
Shovel BirdFeeder and Friends on the Deck Railing
He seemed quite comfortable eating brunch as we watched. Two squirrels and a rabbit rounded out the wonderful display of nature.
Our doggies have LOVED the day, wearing us out with letting them out and back in again over and over. (They have to go out separately, since our lab, Amber, is jealous of our elderly cocker spaniel/schnauzer cross, Molly, and tries to hurt her.) We are getting our exercise today playing “doggy doorman.”
Amber
Molly
I got the ingredients for keto chili in the crock pot early this morning – at my husband’s request – so we’ll enjoy having that ready to eat for dinner tonight. I also cut up a HUGE container of strawberries because my husband lives for his ‘cakes, ice cream, and strawberries’ each night.
This would be a perfect day except that it’s February, meaning I need to get our paperwork organized for our CPA to do our taxes. I have kept spreadsheets on the various deduction categories this year, and I have made myself enter the data each month, so I think it will be mostly a matter of checking things over, totaling everything, and printing the spreadsheets, then adding the appropriate backup for each thing.
Stock records to confirm as we wait for the company to send us the official records, filing, updating, and THEN opening the spreadsheets for the records for 2020 are also on the list.
If all this paperwork were done with a swish of my magic wand, I would be the happiest of women….
A Beautiful Sight
On the way to Lunch Bunch this morning, we saw a group of SIX deer standing beside the road. Happily, they didn’t move as we drove past. I wish I could have gotten a pic of them, but someone was behind us on the road, so we couldn’t stop. This picture I found on the net gives you an idea of what we were fortunate enough to see.
Filed under Delightful Surprises, Mother Nature, quality of life
Thoughts on a Tuesday 2-4-2020
Listal
We’re having a cold, rainy day today, to be followed by a wintry mix tomorrow. We were spoiled by two days of absolutely gorgeous, sunny weather lately, so I guess this evens things out.
YouTube
Yesterday I finished taking my warm weather stuff out of my closet and putting it into our guest room closet. I had my cold weather stuff in a big tub that I stashed in my art room because we were trying to have a clear closet for the foreign student we hoped to host. My husband’s stroke changed our plans, the foreign student won the lottery on host families elsewhere – finding a perfect one for him. Yesterday I pulled the tub into our master bath where my closet is.
I was determined not to just pull things out and be done with it. I tried each thing on and then decided whether –
- It was good and could be hung up
- It was good, but needed to go into the dryer for a few minutes to get wrinkles out
- It was now too large and should be donated (HOORAY!)
- I really didn’t like the way it looked on me and should be donated
- It was still too small and should be donated
I finally got to the bottom of the tub. I took the clothes that needed the dryer, along with hangers, downstairs and began running loads with a few things at a time. I took a pad of paper, pen, and large leaf bag back upstairs, listing what I was donating and filling the bag. I brought both downstairs. Then I brought the stuff that was now wrinkle-free and on hangers back upstairs and hung them in my closet. Today I will document the donation and the next time the weather is cooperative, we’ll drive to Ft. Smith to the Veterans Thrift Store.
Today’s project, thanks to Mother Nature giving us a cold, rainy day, is scrubbing my kitchen. Things have been cleaned out in both our walk-in pantry and the kitchen, and today I’ll do the deep cleaning it has been needing. So far, I have the top-of-the-stove parts in the dishwasher.
We went bowling with our good friends last night. We got to catch up on what each of us had been doing – with good conversation and laughs. My husband beat me the first game, but I beat HIM the second. We ALL enjoyed going to Braum’s after for ice cream. My husband wore the new tee he bought – giving both of our friends a good laugh.
I hope that you are having a good Tuesday. ENJOY!
Thoughts on a Wednesday 1-29-2020
Animals Collection
Even though it’s gray, 44 degrees, raw and rainy here today in Arkansas, I’m having a nice day, and have many things for which to be thankful.
Yesterday I opened our mail to find a pair of earrings my husband had found and ordered for me!
I just love them. It doesn’t show here, but the stones are kind of sparkly! The design of them is giving me a bit of a problem, though. They have a curved piece on the front that goes through the hole in your ear, and then you close the back onto the end to hold it in place. I’m having trouble getting the curved part through my ear. I’m continuing to try different techniques, but so far, no luck. :0( I’ll keep working at it because I really want to wear them!
I’m working on a new wooden plaque in my art room. I think it’s going to turn out well, and I’m having fun working on it.
Since it’s still raining, we’re having to delay our trip to Ft. Smith to take our donation to the Veterans Thrift Store. Hopefully, we can do that tomorrow. I’m already finding more things I would like to donate, but the back of our truck will be full with what we have already.
Early this morning I put ingredients for Keto Chili into the crock pot, so we’ll have a nice comfort food type dinner this evening.
Today I’ve decided that my next clean out project will be my clothes closet. I need to move warm weather stuff out and move cold weather stuff in. I want to take my time, though, and get rid of a bunch of for each ‘season.’ Happily, some of my clothes are simply too large now, thanks to my efforts on eating Keto and exercising.
So it’s back to work now, after taking a short break. I hope that YOUR Wednesday is treating you right.
Freezing
PxHere
First real taste of winter here overnight and this morning. I had to be really careful taking one of our dogs out this morning. The lip and steps of the front porch, plus the concrete pad down below were pretty icy. I had to be really careful not to fall on my head. It’s 33 degrees F. now, and we’re to have a high of 37. The precipitation has changed from freezing rain/sleet to just really cold rain now, so hopefully the ice will melt. I’m a bit worried about the re-freeze tonight, but will wait and see.
Center of the American Experiment
Happily, we have all we need and don’t have to get out, except for taking dogs out.
I hope that YOUR weather is either good, or you can get somewhere warm and dry OUT of it.
Filed under Mother Nature, Seasons
Enjoying the Fall for a Bit Longer
Floristic Planet
Color on the Metolius River-Extreme Oregon via Yolanda Vanveen
Slice of Life
Filed under Mother Nature, Seasons
Thoughts on a Saturday 1-11-2020
Jeff Jett – LinkedIn
The severe weather came through last night, dropping our temperature from 70 degrees F. to 34 this morning. the storms and lightning were pretty impressive. (My husband was teed off because our weather guy broke into the programs he wanted to watch.) The day today is gray, raw, wet, cold. We MAY get sleet today, but so far, we are doing fine, have sustained no damage that I have found, and are warm, safe, and dry. I hope the storms don’t cause a lot of damage as they now move to the east.
My daffodils are stupid. They have sprouted and will try to bloom, even though the prospect of sleet is imminent today with winter coming on its heels.
I baked recipe #6 for keto bread yesterday. I brought two slices in for my husband and I to try. My husband took one bite and didn’t say anything. In a few minutes he let our dog, Amber enjoy the remainder of the slice. (Tact is not his long suit.) Happily, I found a group yesterday on Facebook – Amazing Daily Keto moderated by Angie Thomason that is all things keto. I was accepted into the group and already have a new bread recipe to try! Hooray!
I’m getting my chores accomplished – mainly due to the yucky weather outside – and
source unknown
am hoping to spend at least part of the afternoon in my art room. I have some ideas rattling around that are becoming insistent that they be allowed to come out. I LOVE spending time up there! :0)
I hope that YOUR day is safe and enjoyable.
Filed under Gardening, Mother Nature, playing in my art room, Thoughts on a ________
Preparing for Flying Hair Balls
Since high winds, heavy rain, hail, and possible tornadoes are predicted – starting in a couple of hours, I just spent 45 minutes using the industrial stapler to try to handle the loose or torn places on our greenhouse. There were LOTS of places that needed attention, mostly on both ends of the greenhouse. I think I have those under control now, although my hands really didn’t like the stapling, so I had to stop. I told my husband that, if the greenhouse makes it through, we need to try to shore up the door end, since it is starting to definitely lean in toward the center.
I’m resting a bit, and then I’ll go out and see what I can do to secure the things we have on our porch and deck. Then, we hope for the best. The sleet forecast for tomorrow probably won’t be that big a deal since it has been quite spring-like lately and the roads are too warm for it to cause much havoc. Still, we bought groceries and are prepared to just stay in until further notice. It’s good to have a nice, warm, dry place to be.
As soon as I finish the deck, I’ll try the new keto bread recipe, and then I’m planning to enjoy playing in my art room.
Thoughts on a Friday 1-10-2020
Soul Alchemy
I’m really sad about the loss of animal life in Australia. People are trying to save as many as possible, and I’m grateful for that. My heart goes out to the people who have lost so much.
We are getting ready to go to Lunch Bunch, our weekly lunch with long-time, treasured friends. It will be good to be out, especially because we are due for some severe weather later today – high wind, chance of tornadoes, strong wind, hail, heavy rain, and flying hair balls. It’s supposed to start at 2 and last throughout the night, changing to sleet tomorrow. I’m about to suggest dances and songs for Mother Nature – trying to get on her good side…
I had a nice online chat with our son in Thailand yesterday. I always feel so good after talking with him. The fact we can type back and forth whenever we would like makes me almost forget he’s half a world away. :0)
I’m trying a new keto bread recipe this afternoon. Fingers crossed!
Have a wonderful day, and stay safe.
Filed under Family, Friendship, Mother Nature, Thoughts on a ________
Thoughts on a Thursday 1-9-2020
New Animalbook
We are getting rain. We had some last night, we’re having some today, severe weather possibly tomorrow, then maybe a wintry mix Saturday. I wish that Mother Nature could do this moisture over Australia…
Between storms, my husband and I drove to Ft. Smith this morning to leave our first donation of the year to the Veterans Thrift Town Store. I am really impressed with the people who run this place. The store is always clean, and the people who work there smiling and helpful. The people in the back who help us with our donation are always really nice. We now donate most everything we have there. If you live in the area, their address is 3500 Jenny Lind Road, Suite B, Fort Smith, AR 72901. Their phone number is (479) 783-7225. They are open Monday through Saturday, 9am to 6pm.
I am doing better with my keto eating plan efforts and my exercise. I just took one of our favorites – an egg/sausage/cheese bake – by Suzanne Ryan – out of the oven for our dinner tonight. My husband actually requests this dinner. I serve it with a side veggie or a salad. Delicious. I’ve been doing lots of yoga lately to try to straighten out my back. It’s working. I’m almost back to normal now. A twinge, when I bend forward, like to pick something up off a table, but otherwise good. I’ll try to add my elliptical to the mix very soon.
I’m going to try another keto bread recipe probably tomorrow. The loaf I’m finishing is fine, but my husband doesn’t care for it. I would LIKE to find one that both of us enjoy. The search continues…. oh- I almost forgot to tell you! I’m on the hunt for Crepini Egg Thins with Cauliflower. Walmart usually carries them, but is out of stock at the moment. I’m planning to try using them as a wrap in place of sandwiches, since trying to eat things from rolled up lettuce isn’t really working for me.
It is dark outside, and it’s only 4:30! Looks like we’re in for another storm.
I hope you’re having a good day.
Filed under DIET!, exercise, giving, Mother Nature, Thoughts on a ________
Dazzling Beauty
Ar Ali Ibrahim – LinkedIn
Ar Ali Ibrahim – LinkedIn
Joanne Vischio Pasquale – LinkedIn
Filed under Awe-Inspiring Photography, Mother Nature
Rain
i.pinimg.com
We are having quiet rain off and on today. I have to admit it’s making me sleepy. Maybe I’ll take a nap….
Filed under Mother Nature
creativeartworksblog 