Spring

After an extremely long winter it seemed that spring would never arrive. But it did! Albeit behind by a few weeks judging by my Forsythia first blooming now but oh the sight of green grass and budding trees. The sound of the spring peepers in the water alongside roads and daffodils poking out in our fields. And the intoxicating fresh smell filling my nostrils. Simply amazing! And how much more we appreciate the beauty when it was gone for so long.

Big Snow!

Last winter we hardly had any snow and it was quite disappointing. If you are going to have winter and cold you might as well have the snow to go along with it! I'd rather have beautiful white covering the earth than drab brown any day. You may remember that we had days warm enough to hung out laundry last winter.

Well, this winter has not disappointed! We have had a lot of winter fun, well, maybe not me so much but the kids definitely have been out every chance they get. Sledding with friends is a favorite.

They'd like to cross-country ski too but we need skis and getting them all at once is not going to happen.

Overnight on Tuesday we were supposed to get 3 - 5 inches which is no big deal. It began snowing right as John got home from work. By the next morning he woke up and began to plow as we were snowed in deep.

As I watched out the window from my cozy bed and saw his truck stuck in the driveway I assumed he wouldn't make it in to work. All schools were closed and I kept hearing that the roads were terrible. But when I ever question about driving in the snow John always says "We live in Wisconsin!" and this time he added "It isn't Armageddon out there!" Yup, nothing stops John. Except maybe the ice underneath the snow which is why he was stuck. It took him twice as long to get there but he made it to work without incident.

As it turns out there were only two patches along the lake that were dumped on so instead of the predicted amount that most people in Wisconsin got, the total was 16 inches! Even the TV weathermen were apologizing. I am not sure how much we had at our house and it was probably less since we are farther from the lake but we got plenty, adding to what we already had. We are VERY thankful for a plow!!!

Seppy trying out the glider. 

Lincoln enjoyed bounding through the snow.

The kids tramping through the deep snow busting up drifts.

The walkway after John came home and finished up clearing the snow away. The sky still dreary and heavy with snow.

It has reminded many of the big snows we had growing up. I remember a picture of me standing on the built up snow piles as a child able to touch the roof. Driving through town with piles lining the roads it brings back memories of days past.

View From My Porch

The first day of October and we are two weeks ahead of schedule for fall color and seem to be at peak (based on comparison of past pictures). From what I have heard it is due to the warmer winter and dry summer we have had. Well, it makes sense since the trees leafed out much earlier too.

The view from my porch is simply amazing! I could sit there all day reveling in the wondrous site so very grateful to God who has painted autumn with such glorious colors. I know in not too many weeks this will all end. Oh, how I wish these beautiful colors could stay longer!

This picture gives a hint to our Christmas card picture. See the grassy hill in front. That is where I hope we will be sitting tonight. If all goes as planned that is. 

"Just before the death of flowers,

And before they are buried in snow,

There comes a festival season

When nature is all aglow."

Author Unknown

Spring (Summer) is in the Air!

What glorious weather we have been having! It has been unseasonably warm (and also across the country from what I have seen). This has been the case actually this whole winter and now into spring. We enjoyed the snow when it came and then it more often than not melted within days. And we only got stuck in the snow driving up our driveway one time in our big snowstorm just a few weeks ago. Although I think we will suffer in other ways from this warm winter with more bugs. The boys already found two ticks crawling on them.

In a typical March for us there is often still snow on the ground or the likelihood of a snowfall. We still are wearing our winter gear and thoughts of shorts and t-shirts are something we long for but know would not be reality for another month or two. The ground and everything in sight would still be brown with few signs of new growth. And so this year is such a welcome surprise.

The past two weeks we have been enjoying 70 degree temperatures and up into the 80's a few times and we have pulled out our summer clothes. George stated he was not going back to wearing long pants but I informed him that it is only March!

I am hanging the laundry on the line again and we are outside every chance we can get. Baby was enamored with all of the new sights and sounds as we strolled through our fields. The grass is turning green and flowers are poking their heads up. My Forsythia bush which shouldn't bloom for another month is fully clothed in bright yellow flowers and I totally missed taking cuttings from our pussy willow bush as they are now leafed out. Our windows are wide open in March and I even slept with them open falling asleep to one of my favorite sounds -- frogs croaking in a distant field. Simply amazing. What a gift! I assume that it can't last and wonder if it will snow in the next few weeks but John tells me to not worry about that but enjoy these beautiful days while we have them. And indeed we have.

And seeing as I started writing this post when the warm streak began -- today the weather is seasonable and winter jackets are again in use (well only by those who like me are wimps). But I am thankful for the sunshine and love the green everywhere I look. I know that true summer is not too far off and I take great delight in that!

What a difference a day makes

The past few days have been gorgeous weather here! January typically has snow and cold temperatures but we have only a trace amount of white on the ground and that is only in the spots that never see the sun. And the temperature got up to 50 degrees for two days this week! I took advantage of that washing all of the sheets and hung them out to dry. They smelled fresh, although with a completely different scent than when everything is green and growing. I can't recall a time I have ever hung out laundry in the winter and I really could get used to it. But alas, the cold front came through and we now have 4 or 5 inches of snow today so back to reality we go. I must say having winter come so much later makes it seem more bearable. We'll see if I am still saying that come the end of February.

On another note -- I mentioned in Baby Boy's 4 month update that he has been wheezy. Well, that increased this past weekend and so we began breathing treatments again. That didn't seem to accomplish anything and I began brainstorming with a few moms. I ended up taking him to the chiropractor who said he was very tight and adjusted him. George got a kick out of watching his baby brother hanging upside down but Baby loved it and looked around as if nothing was out of the ordinary. She did agree with me that if he wasn't better by the next day I would take him to the doctor.

Happy Wheezer

Of course the wheezing continued and while we watched for any other signs of something serious like difficulty breathing, retracting chest, etc. our little guy remained happy, and was eating and sleeping well. But I took him into the doctor because obviously something was wrong. Our doctor was quite surprised at how his lungs sounded after seeing no visible sign of sickness other than the wheezing. She ordered a chest x-ray and that came back that Baby has pneumonia. John and I thought they would send Baby along with me to spend some time in the hospital but thankfully his oxygen level is normal and his breathing is not labored and we were not admitted to the hospital. He gets breathing treatments every 4 hours and is on antibiotics so should be on the mend. John in talking to Simon asked if he is so happy when he is sick how much happier will he be when completely normal. :)