Nacho and I enjoying spring

    Not looking forward to the HEAT of summer. We've only needed to use the Cooling Towel once, thankfully the tree are starting to offer more shade. Here are a few from Spring,  to clarify April smashed the record of snowiest month ever. May also broke a record of earliest 100 degrees day in history

Yes this picture was taken in May

Nacho and I have been enjoying, morning and Sunset walk's. Finding way's to beat the heat.

I enjoy winter, I draw the line at a Blizzard in mid-April

Winter in Minnesota

Is our longest season

Once the blanket of snow covers the ground, our neighborhood goes into dark and white. Thankfully the holidays are full of bright colored lights after New year the Christmas decoration are taken down, many of the lights stay up and on at night. Until the blanket of snow is no more. Nature wakes from it's winters sleep, to show us all the wonders and colors it holds. Happens twice a year.

This is a slideshow of our three day Blizzard 52 hours of snow.

Our forth longest winter also, the most snow fall in April on record.

Had the Super Bowl here, show casing all the winter stuff we do, outside even if it's -20 below.

A few of the Eagles fan's learned Minnesota nice only goes so far.

Some got to spend a night or two in jail.

Some even took out seat's, most got caught camera's all over the place. Most of the Eagle's Fans were nice.

Nature, Mother Nature! Is the most powerful force on Earth.

It's the only home we have.

Temperature on February 27 is -14 degrees feels like -26

Winter is hanging on here in Minnesota. With a snow pack in places of up to 4+ feet, it's not hard to understand, clear skies at night means there is nothing to holding the heat in. Last week it rained then it snowed, the roads are still iced over too cold for it to melt, even with all the Sunshine we get as the Sun makes the journey north. According to the forecast we are enjoying another Polar Vortex until next week Wednesday the high may make it to 20 degrees. The long term forecast has us below average until mid-March. Knowing the North pole is warmer, than we are isn't helping one bit!  

This was February 8  

February 22

Much of the snow we get in December, will still be here in March the April showers also come in the form of snow! May flowers . Rain on the other hand once the Sun goes down any water becomes Ice add in a polar vortex or two. There are many four letter words used at this time of year, replace the every day 4 letter words used all year long. A short list; Snow, Plow, Rain, Road, Roof, Rake, Cold, Wind, Sand last one Salt...! The amount of emotion behind these words no other 4 letter words are needed!

January 19 2014 

February 22 2014

There is an upside to all of this bone chilling cold.

The sky during the day is a bold shade of blue. 

Sunrise and sets are wonderful in soft pastel colors.

The night sky is my favorite.

The moonrise when it's full is so big and bright, casting shadows on the ground. 

Best of all is seeing so many stars even spotted the Milky Way a few times.

Reminding me of home living in Wisconsin.

When the sky was clear I would watch it for hours.

When a path starts looking more like a tunnel.

February 22 2014

     

Goodness let this be the last snowfall that needs to be shoveled!?!

Okay maybe not everyone shoveled, it was very wet snow and most of it was long gone by 3 O'clock. It's been so dry here with much of the moisture last winter came in the form of rain that did us no good, too many times every form of moisture fell within 24 hours period. With the ground being frozen it went down the drain. Didn't want to waste all that free water. So I shoveled it into the backyard and on to the front lawn so it soaked in, instead of it ending up in the river. This hopefully will be the last of the winter weather  that has overstayed it's welcome by lasting six months!
Really hope these are the last pictures I take of the cold rain and snow, that made up our winter. We have in the past gotten snow in May, so the shovels will stay at the ready until after the grass is cut at least once. Took a few more pictures.

Never walk under a tree like this as I learned, it's not just the ice that falls 

Limbs coated in ice do also! Ouch

Another lesson relearned.

Thankfully it broke when it hit me and wasn't too big!

As I was breaking up the limb another chunk of ice fell hitting me in the head

Darn good thing I'm hard headed!:-)

Mr. Owen

Nacho

   

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April 19 2013

A winter wonder land that thankfully will not last LONG!

Are we going to play in that white stuff!?! I really love that white stuff you call SNOW! 

By the way! You're taking too long, you know what happens when,

I'M ANNOYED!   

All this snow will melt in less than a week, the faster it melts the warmer we get!

The roads are already starting to melt.

It should bounce back I hope. We had very wet snow, last night the temperature dropped below 29 degrees and when it's frozen even heavier.

Thought this crap was done!

Asked Nacho if he wanted to come back outside with me. Gave me this look and laid down guess not! Where I came back in he was sound asleep, Mr. Owen was asleep on the bed.

I'm waiting to put away my shovels until after I've cut the grass. We have had snow as late as May 17th. Last year I wasn't able to plant my garden until the first week of June. Whatever the weather brings, I'll work around it, living in Minnesota it's one of those things, we learn about at a very young age!

Garden grow! Had a lamb! The future?

Being named Mary I've heard that one all of my life. This has been my answer and it true this year too, with one small change with the lack of snow. The frost killed it the rain froze it and I haven't planted it yet. As for Mary had a little lamb? Answer; And the Doctor was surprised!
The weather has been warm. Living and planting here in Minnesota most of my life and forced to replant due to frost so many times over the years. No matter that this year has been really warm but, it's still Minnesota and the temperature can still dip down into the low 30's. So far it's happened 3 times this spring. So I'll wait to plant until the time is right, for one night in the 30's will set my plants back a week or more. 


Getting ready to visit Jane's sister Char on Saturday we'll be in Pennsylvania for five days and will be able to watch the Kentucky Derby I love seeing the horses. Three days later is my 50 Birthday Jane and I are taking Char and her son out to dinner just the four of us, it will be fun both are very nice and easy to be around. All I have to do is not stress myself out before we leave, I'm getting better at this. Even so I'm planning on staying closer to home after this trip. There really is no place like home. When we get home I'll put the garden in and watch it grow.


Been enjoying my memories of life so far, all the love shared with my family and friends. All the fun and laughter that out numbered all tears. The pranks pulled and joke told that still make me smile. The lessons learned, questions answered and then questioned. Understanding that it's up to me to shape the year's to come, life is a journey with twists and turns that for sure. Maybe I should start acting my age Na! It's just a number to mark the passage of time and nothing more. I'm truly enjoying the middle of life, more than willing toss the crappy parts out. You might be thinking is there anything, that I would change if I could? Nope not one thing  nor can I regret any of the choices I've made because at the time I made them, it was the best choice I could make of the options open to me at that time. When the time comes for my last goodbye no matter what ended my life, the cause of death will be from living.  This is from a post Learning... With a small prayer March 28,2011 It's how I end my prayer's each day  "When this day comes to it's ends please lord grant me rest, thank you lord for giving me this day it was a gift and I hope you'll grant me one more, if not I'll leave with no regrets, either way I'll see you when I wake. Amen"

Spring, birds putting it altogether.

Hi from Minneapolis, Minnesota. After a long mostly brown and warm winter. Getting some much needed moisture in the form of rain, everything is greening up nicely. The birds are building their nests the frozen ground is long gone and it's only mid-March. This is happening way too early, 95% of the time here we still have snow on the ground until mid-April; it's happened before if my memories servers but not happened in my life time. Of course I could be wrong that's a given! Planting season here normally starts after Mother’s day in May as well as 60+ degree high temperatures and low temperatures in the 40's. Record highs and lows are breaking or shattered, it happening all over the mid-central U.S. The southern states saw more snow and cold then we did, it seems to me that we had more rain than snow this winter, didn’t use the snow blower once. After last winter didn’t mind that one bit, this time last year I still had snow piles 8 feet tall. What does this all mean heck if I know! Maybe Mother Nature felt sorry for us after last year, however I doubt it! Just hopping we don’t have another summer of being stuck in the HOUSE like last summer! So where am I going with this nowhere, knowing I can’t plant my garden just yet because, we could have another hard freeze, been there done that more than once even if the trees are all leafing out, not willing to risk all that hard work!

Many of the summer birds are already back at my feeders, even had a pair of European Starling shooed them off! A very aggressive and not a native bird still in its winter colors with white speckles, known for displacing, woodpeckers and other cavity-nesting birds by destroying eggs or young. Not a nice neighbor at all to have around and very loud! Okay I admit it; I’m not going to let them take over my birdfeeder so no other kinds of birds would come if I did.

So yes I lied before because I didn't think two kinds of birds’ lived in the city. Now that both have come to my feeders, I must draw a line for who is welcome at my birdfeeders it’s the European Starling and the Brown-headed Cowbird is the only parasitic bird in Minnesota. They can and have decimated song bird populations in some areas, of Minnesota and Wisconsin because of laying eggs in host birds’ nests, leaving others to raise its young. Many song birds’ don’t reject the eggs they incubate and raise them to the exclusion of their own. Cow-bird young are twice the size of the song birds and warblers when attempting to raise more than 2, the host birds will die trying to feed them. Wiping out a generation or two of host birds’, needless to say I am not a fan. Having squirrels does help to keep Cow-birds away. If not the only way I know of to keep them away is to stop using birdfeeders altogether. When I lived in Wisconsin I had to do that, not just because of Cow-birds, a bear had come twice bending the shepherd hook, to the ground to eat the birdseed. The front door was about 15 feet away, sorry but that was way too close for me. The Brown headed Cow-bird is a member of the blackbird family. Of approximately 750 species of parasitic birds worldwide. It’s the only one found in Minnesota and Wisconsin. At one time cowbirds followed bison to feed on insects attracted to the animals.