Snowbound

 

 

 

 

I like this photo taken through our front window  because there's blue sky behind the icicles.

 

Which is nice.

 

Because it means, for now at least, it's not snowing.

 

Three feet of snow in three days and I've been housebound.

 

Here's a summary of my rural life this week.

 

I watched my car slowly disappear from view.

 

 

I watched the elk descend from the mountain,

through our homestead and cross the street.

(Yes, that is a For Sale sign in our yard.

We put our house on the market this week.

And no, we're not sure where we moving to. Yet.

But I'm hoping for someplace that doesn't snow in April.)

 

 

 

I watched my husband brave the elements and attempt to dig us out.

 

 

 

 

 I cooked.

 

 

 

 

 

 I baked.

 

 

 

 

 

I baked some more.

 

 

 

And I took photographs.

 

I think I need to make a trip to the store for more flour before it starts snowing again.

 

 

 

I'm sharing with

Rurality Blog Hop

Friday's Fences



Snow Day

This is my kind of snow day.

Gently sifting white confetti.

Tranquil.

Peaceful.

Made from scratch beef stock.

Liquid love.

Simmering.

Its warm aroma fills our little home.

I'm content.

And more blessed than a woman has a right to be.

"If you surrender completely to the moments 

as they pass, you live more richly those moments."

-- Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Sharing with Rurality Blog Hop and Friday's Fences

Deer Talk

"Hey! Do you see what I see, Mom? Another grownup."

"Uh, I wouldn't go down there if I were you."

"Hey! Get your face out of the snow. I'm trying to talk to you."

"Ok, fine. I know when I'm not wanted. . .Hey, Mom! Wait for me!"

The deer around our homestead are a never-ending source of entertainment.

Enjoy your weekend.

Sharing today with Camera Critters and Friday's Fences

Winter Wardrobe

Welcome gentle snow,

soft and white.

You've dressed the pines for winter.

Sharing today with

:

Rural Thursday - What a Difference a Day Makes

So yesterday it's 80 degrees outside and a deer is on our front porch munching on the lilac bush. Which is okay, because there will be no lilac flowers this year. All the buds died in the frost we had a couple of weeks ago. Somebody ought to get some enjoyment out of that bush and it might as well be "Bud". (Notice the ring on the deer's topnotch that looks like a washer? That's how he got his name. . .that little ring is where his antler will "bud".)

"Bud" caught in the act.

Anyway, so that was yesterday. And this is the mountains in May. And we need moisture. And we got it. And my husband is now doing "the happy dance" because it's snowing. 

I am not amused.

(Blessings,)

Nancy

Linking up with

Seeing Past the Snow

“All Heaven and Earth 

Flowered white obliterate... 

Snow...unceasing snow” 

-- Hashin, Japanese Haiku: Two Hundred Twenty Examples of Seventeen-Syllable Poems

“Never be afraid to sit awhile and think.”
-- Lorraine Hansberry

"There's only one thing I never did and wish I had done: climbed over a fence."
-- Queen Mary

“Honesty is like an icicle; if once it melts that is the end of it”
-- American Proverb

I dream of Lilacs in bloom again.

"In my mind, clematis climbs,
And morning glories do entwine.
Woodland phlox and scarlet pinks,
Replace the frost, if I just blink.
My inner eye sees past the snow.
And in my mind, my garden grows."
-  Cynthia Adams, From Winter Garden.
   First published in Birds and Blooms magazine, Dec/Jan 2003

Nancy

Thank you for visiting. Today I'm joining these memes:

Thursday Challenge

There are some wonderful, talented blogger photographers on these sites. Take a moment to check them out.

Friday's Fences In the Snow

I'm joining Jan and Jer at Friday's Fences for the first time today. Hop on over and check out the links. There are some great bloggers and photos for your viewing pleasure.

We awoke to a fresh blanket of snow this morning. It began to gently fall around 8:00 last night and has continued. We have about 9" accumulation so far. 

I shots these photos at our homestead around 7 am. The foggy light at that hour gave everything a blue cast, as reflected in the pictues. I like to post undoctored photos, whenever possible. At first I thought, "Oh, don't post these. They're too dark." But this IS the way my world of fences looked at that hour, so I decided "what the heck. . . go au naturel."

I like the three rows of fences in this photo and the contrast of split rail and wire. All fences are not created equal.

Rhapsody in Blue 

We're staying in today. Dennis is working on watercolors and I'm. . .well you know what I'm doing.


Hope your weekend is especially blessed.

Nancy

What's to Love About Raymond

"Let us love winter, for it is the spring of genius." -- Pietro Aretino

Several Sundays ago Dennis and I took a drive from Allenspark to Lyons along the St. Vrain River. This route took us through Raymond, which is called a town but is really just a small roadside country store and several miles of private cabins and ranches. In my humble opinion Raymond is a hamlet -- not a town. Besides I like to use the word "hamlet". It sounds so. . . quaint.


The sky was clear and the temperature mild, making it a great day to take photos.

This ranch gate caught my eye. Look at that shocking blue sky.

Beyond the ranch entrance. (I wonder. . . what's behind the trees?)

Red berries framed by a rustic fence. Charming, no?

I see this cabin and imagine a roaring fire, hot chocolate and a good book.

I'd like to have a wagon like this one on our homestead.

And maybe an old truck, too.

Dried flowers in the snow fascinate me.

I love this scene. So serene.

"Out of the south comes the storm, And out of the north the cold. 

From the breath of God ice is made,

And the expanse of the waters is frozen."

 Job 37:9-10 

Nancy

Thank you for visiting.  Today I'm joining these Memes:

Will Toilet Paper Become Obsolete?

"A lot of people like snow. I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water." -- Carl Reiner

We woke up to fresh snow this morning. This must be the fourth or fifth snow storm we've had since October. When I became an adult I lost my fascination with the white stuff, but now that I live in the mountains, snow and I have become friends again. Maybe it's the beautiful white-tipped evergreens that have won me over, or the winter sunshine that paints gray shadows on the white, billowy canvas.Then again, it could be the simple fact that I work from home and don't have to navigate through the snow, unless I want to. The answer is "D"-- All of the Above.


Earlier this week, I came across a blog that I filed under "E" for ee-yew. The blogger extolled the virtues of "family wipes". These are reusable cloth wipes designed to replace toilet paper. Yes, folks. Nix the toilet paper and use cloth wipes instead. Apparently, the "used" cloth wipes are held in a designated container close to the toilet. When the container is full, a lucky family member gets the jolly job of throwing the whole kit and kaboodle in the clothes washer for cleaning. Then the wipes are dried, taken back to the bathroom, and the process repeated.


Ok, now I believe in frugality. I also respect the environment (I don't worship it, I respect it). But cloth wipes are just a little too au naturel for me. I like my toilet paper. I like the fact it's on a roll. I like seeing it disappear when I flush the commode. And I love the fact that I don't have to put it in my washer and wash it, followed by washing my other clothes in the same washer. Get my drift? 


If you think family wipes are the next best thing to sliced bread, more power to you. Just let me know that you've switched to cloth before you invite me to your house. I'll make sure I bring my old-fashioned, environmentally unfriendly, horribly expensive toilet paper with me. 


Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. (I'm thanking God for t.p.)


Nancy