Snow and orchids...

Outside,

14 inches of snow,

some ice,

and hungry cold birds.

We watched a dozen bluebirds enter a small nesting box to keep warm.

A lot of birds in a very small space.

This car is still snowed in.

So while it snows outside,

inside the wood stove keeps us warm,

and this orchid continues to amaze us.

12 blooms that came out 6 weeks ago

 continue to last.

This is the first time that the orchids have bloomed

since repotting two years ago.

A little summertime in a pot.

Keep warm.

Today It Snows

This isn't a blurry picture.  

Just lots of big flakes coming down.

Wreath on the Blueberry Corral Door

Snow turns the colored landscape into one of  black and white.

Not a lot of time to post right now.

We found out that our big pea-eating-sometimes-hero-chocolate-lab has stomach cancer.

But he still loves a ride in a pick-up truck.

Jack has packed a lot into his ten years.

Hiked a lot of trails.

Swam in dozens of northwest rivers and mountain lakes.

Ridden a lot of gravel road miles in the pick up truck.

Eaten (Stolen) what seems like a ton of home baked loaves of bread.

Lucky Dog!

Snow is not a sign of spring

Bluebirds are a sign of spring, which began on Tuesday.

Right?

Pussywillows are a sign of spring, which began on Tuesday.

Right?

Bluebirds huddled in a snowy tree.  Not a sign of spring.

It just seems wrong!

I went out and emptied the bluebird box of last year's nest, so the bluebirds would have a clean place to start building this year's nest.  Now I feel bad.  It must have been really cold for them last night without the additional nest padding.  I'll go out to the barn and get some hay for them to cuddle into tonight.

 Strawberries and rhubarb are sitting in the garage waiting to be planted, but it snowed all day yesterday and then this morning again, so that won't be happening for awhile.

The snow is beautiful. But I want it to go away!  

Let's get on with spring.

Teach us delight....

Teach us delight in simple things.

Rudyard Kipling

We woke up to more snow this morning.

Snow

First Snow of the Year!

The first snow of the year is always exciting.  I get up a couple of times during the night just to watch it come down.  Snow means a walk up the hill with the dogs and hot toddies by the wood stove.


However a couple of years ago, the snow did not stop.  It just kept coming.  For 14 days it fell.  28 inches of snow.  For us that is an incredible monster snow storm. Temperatures dipped into the low teens every night.  All this meant that we had no water, no electricity or phone for a very long week. We cooked on the wood stove, melted snow on the wood stove, and huddled by the wood stove.  We kept candles lit in the pump house to keep the pipes from freezing.  Our generator kept breaking down, and the roads into town were impassable.


Now if you live in the midwest, Cordova, or Connecticut, this might not be a big deal, but out here, we simply are not prepared for snow that deep or temperatures so low. 


Because this is National Poetry Month and because we got our first snow yesterday, here is the "snow poetry" written during that Oregon storm.

Snow mini poems

-1-

Three days in a row

Snow

-2-

All white

What a sight!

-3-

Heat

Neat

-4-

Seven days in a row

Snow

-5

Water gone

No john

-6-

Ice

Not Nice.

-7-

Ten days in a row

Snow

-8-

Pipes freeze

Oh jeez!

-9-

Birds can’t fly

Die.

-10-

Generator won’t start

Tear it apart

-11-

Truck stuck

Ahh f_ck

-12-

Eleven days in a row

Help, marriage is on the rocks, he smells like diesel, she just smells, melting snow is no fun, shoveling snow is a drag, almost out of candles, gas is low, out of birdseed, barn cat has disappeared, steps are icey, can’t make it out of here……HELP!

May all your snow be enjoyable (and temporary)! 

Libby, the Snowplow

Here's Libby, wheaten snowplow terrier, loving the snow. 

I'm not sure that she can see.

It's snowing!

Snow on Muffin Mountain

Yesterday, a female Northern Flicker banged into the kitchen window, left quite a few feathers on the pane.  We found her lying below the kitchen window with blood flowing from her beak.  Poor birdie.  Sid picked her up and held her.  Now, I know it sounds stupid, but she seemed like that helped her....maybe the warmth of his hands holding her.  Anyway, we thought she was a goner, but didn't want the dogs or something else to get her, so we sat out on the front porch and held her.  Pretty soon, she started looking around.  Then suddenly, without warning, she pooped all over me and flew off. 

Look at the size of her beak!!