With our lack of snow, been walking more.

Nacho has loved our lack of snow, we have been able to walk down to the Mississippi River. Using Map My Walk .com Once it starts really warming up, the number of deer ticks, will rise making the risk of getting bitten too great. Having m.s. is bad enough, adding lyme's disease into the mix. No thank you very much. Once it stays above 50 for a week, walking there will end, until we have a hard freeze sometime in November. This has been the first year since moving to the  city of Minneapolis, I've been able to walk the Mississippi River Parkways, all because of our lack of snow. 

Most of the time we still have a blanket of snow in wooded places like this.

Piles of snow and ice from the snow plows clearing the roads is already gone.

This year has been, the earliest the snow has been gone for the streets and everywhere, having grown up here I can't remember a time it clear of snow and ice this soon. Last year we had more snow on the ground, than we had all this winter. Our largest snow fall this winter was yesterday the 24 March 2015 it was only 3 to 4 inches, the only snow we see today is on the grass. May end up losing more trees because, there wasn't a blanket of snow, to stop the roots from freezing. 

Nacho hasn't minded the lack of snow, been enjoying laying in the yard watching the birds. Nacho keeps trying to get the squirrels to drop the peanuts I feed them in the front yard, The squirrels out smart him by dropping them on the other side of the fence.

A few of the pictures I took from our walks

The frozen Mississippi a few short weeks ago 

The Minnehaha Creek falls

Minneapolis downtown skyline

The University of Minnesota

HWY 94 bridge

over the Mississippi River

  

The Mississippi River bluffs

In the month of March Nacho and I have walked 45 miles taking 19 hours to do it. With little snow and ice it's been cold, so no worries about getting over heated. M.S. did mess me up left leg hurt with every step, then stopped working. Using different muscle groups it's working good so far, the human body is amazing in it's ability to adapt to change. Walking with Nacho is my favorite thing to do. Would be nice if my hands and arms worked better, a bit harder to fix not as many large muscle groups to work with. Doing my best with what I've got to work with.

Living is a choice I choose to make everyday. Won't buy into the negative, it's a waste of time. Instead I rise to the challenge of the day already knowing it will be what I make it. Life is to short to worry about things I have no control of. That's just about everything, expect me.  Find joy in the odd little things of the day and smile. 

Time for a walk with Nacho, he's outside waiting for me.

Update setting everything right. Got a plan in place.

My visit to the V.A. x-ray on elbow nothing broken good news, other shoe drops, the bones are rubbing together Ouch! With repeating falls due to the front wheels on walker bent, not designed for the amount of walking, I've been doing new wheels are on order. Comments from the doctor slow down and give yourself more time to heal. Understand you walked 98 miles last month? Most people with PPMS don’t even do 50 miles in two years! I didn't bother to answer her, Nacho and I have maybe a month at most for walking, before snow mountain climbing starts lasting up to six months! Don’t think she even knows anyone who has M.S.! I’ll need to have Jane wrap my right arm for 5~7 days and slow down my roll until I get my new wheels. After I got home Nacho and I went for a short slow walk, in the rain, I don't want to fall again, with my elbow wrapped it felt much better, Nacho loved it whining softly, as we started out. After three days of only playing in the backyard, felt good to stretch our legs again. It’s only going to get into the low forties today with lots of wind. Tonight we may see our first snow flakes and this weekend a hard frost, will welcome the fall with my last mowing of the grass for this year. Time to wrap the pine trees, put up the Christmas lights (won't turn them on until after Thanksgiving). Put up new heat tape and talk Jane into letting me get a little bigger snow blower.  The season with a white blanket of snow and sticks will come up fast. In a short time will only see my neighbor’s eyes until next year. Not being ready for winter up here, is very costly for once the white blanket of snow is 4 inches thick it more than likely will only get thicker until the sun is strong enough to start melting it sometime around late March or April. If we are very lucky and the snow is thick enough and the ground isn't frozen too deep the snow will melt slowly down raising the groundwater levels we need here. Instead of the melting snow, running into the Mississippi River causing flooding all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico.

Got a call from the V.A. my replacement wheels are in! All I need is to go in next week and away Nacho and I will go. Not looking forward to the snow

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

   

You can use reactions if you don't want to comment. 

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!

Got it done, day of rest!

Yesterday was a busy day, got to use snow blower, roof rake and shovel at first it was light and fluffy, when it stopped snowing and the sun came out oh boy did it get heavy and sticky. It took the whole day, feels good to start and finish all in one day! Not able to do a happy dance tonight, that’s okay, I’m doing one on the inside. Nacho had a great time he loves snow watching him trying to run through the snow, more like jumping up and over it. Yep it turned out to be a very good day. Hope you found a way to have a good day:-)

This will melt!

Sad tears Nacho and I can't go for a walk

No way my walker will work!:-(

Now a few of Nacho Man!!

My shadow

Trying to find a snow ball

?

Yep hes asking for another one!

As for me today is for resting, it did take 11 hours for me to get it done. I'm proud of what I did with Nacho helped to keep me entertained. Today is all about recovering for me Nacho is napping and watching people walk by or watching the birds fly into the tree. 

The path to street from house

No not my car or  anyone who live on this street!

A bit rude ya think!

Las Vegas

Was a great time! Now taking time to recover from all the fun. Stayed at the Golden Nugget on Fremont Street very nice place.

Each night Fremont Street puts on a light show at the top of the hour until one am. Very nice but very loud. Every show was different we didn't see the same show twice however we didn't see every show. 

It was cold for Las Vegas, not as cold as Minneapolis, MN. worked just right for me. Did too much walking the first day, we decided to stay on Fremont Street there is a shopping mall at one end of the street so we spent one day there it was fun, everywhere was something new to see. Jane did her people watching as I window shopped worked great for us both. It was never dull, something was happening all the time there. 

Had people asking about my walker saying how much their Mother or Father would love something like it. A few  asked why I didn't use a standard walker they weren't rude about it or anything like that,  they had never seen anything like my walker before. Letting them know that because M.S. had weaken the muscles in my wrist's, my arms still work so I didn't need a wheelchair, just something in between so I use this ( I'd move around a bit so they could see how it works) and ask, "Works great don't you think?" I've always gotten a positive response back. It's a gain for everyone involved in the exchange, they gain new information and understanding, I gain the joy of teaching someone something they didn't know before, that's a win win for everybody if you ask me!

The last full day we didn't do much walking around outside the Golden Nugget, I needed to rest a lot more, we sat by the pool these are pictures of the shark tank . The first one is of a tropical fish tank.

The tube is a water slide through the tank

  

Not so sure who's watching who
in this one!!
Date stamps are all wrong. 

Here I go again with the weather!

To say it's been a mild winter here so far would be a HUGE understatement. Having April temps in January above average by 10 degree or more for 20 days in a roll. Being able to get out and about every weekend, without all the hassle of dealing with snow and the cold, has really been grand. The weather folks are saying it going to change, can't say I'm not glad to hear it, tired of needing to water the trees. Don't mind the low heating bills and seeing my neighbors walking their dogs in short sleeves  shirts it's 49 degrees today. Yes it is going to end it always does waking up to 16 degrees on Thursday will be a bit of a shock even if that's normal for this time of year. Everyone will get back into the layers and layers to keep warm and all I'll see are their eyes in the bundles they've tucked themselves into. Having missed hearing from the bundles as they are about to get that last piece on, out comes a groan as they start pulling off each layer faster and faster asking them calmly what's wrong it's always pretty the same "Oh (any four letter word will do) NOW I'VE GOT TO PEE!! It's the one for me that never gets old, a time or two I've been knew to run the water a bit longer then needed when grabbing a glass of water. One of the many little things that my Mother taught me. But when she did it there were 5 to 10 kids with only one bathroom and it was up stairs.  

Can't say much about weather in Minnesota.

What a different a year makes, much easier to get around to do just about anything that doesn't include snow. Do I mind heck no, haven't used the snow-blower once, shoveled only 3 times. The day after Christmas we set a record high temperature of 52 degrees, considering the normal high is in the low twenty's, dewpoints are still in between the 30's and 40's, yes I've written about the weather a lot, it's kind of becoming a big deal all over the world. Now I'm not going to get into climate change debate, if folks want to keep on the rose colored glasses, there's not much I can do about that. 


When we don't get the snow in the end of fall and early winter we do tend to get more in January and February so it does even it's self out for the most part. When it's this dry and warm I water the trees that get the most sun or are young, so they don't get too stressed. Need as many carbon eater as we can get here in the city, it won't replace the rain forest but every little bit helps, well it can't hurt. 


It been nice getting out and about without having to deal with all that snow, shush and ice.  Having not to fight so hard to keep the cold out and the heat in. Knowing many of you are needing to fight the cold and snow for the first time in many years if ever. Your houses aren't build for this kind of cold or to bear the weight of the wet snow on your roof. Don't know many up here that don't know what the R factor rating is of the insulation in their walls the roofs is. The roofs on the houses up here are built to hold up to the weight of the snow and the freezing and thawing that's caused by the sun. Not saying all this to worry any one just information to hopefully help you get through this winter. Best of luck to all who are needing to deal with for the first time. 

Christmas this year here will be brown.

As you may already know I talk about the weather a lot, many folks in Minnesota do. Last year we had so much snow, this year we've had more rain then snow. With above normal temperatures it's keeping the heating cost down, after the cooling season that was much higher than I've seen before, it's helping the household budget to catch up. The snow lovers here are unhappy, earlier this week we had .34 inches of rain, that would have been 3~4 inches of snow, meaning the ski resorts are ice but are again making snow, I'll admit I like snow at ski resorts more then on the roads and sidewalks makes getting from point A to B and back again much easier. Mother nature I think maybe taking some of the same drugs that I am, or maybe shes having some fun with Mr. Frost. Yes I do know it about climate change, being it's so close to Christmas just want to give a lighter spin, for a short time. Now that it's gotten colder the birds are coming back to the bird feeder again and the three baby squirrels are getting a thicker coat of fur and are filling out nicely, I'm almost sure they'll make it through the rest of the winter. As for the brown, I don't mind it's nice being able to get out this time of year. The snow will come sooner or later, it always does just taking each day as it comes.       

The fall winds have been blowing

For weeks now my goodness! Still have many leafs that need to fall,  winter isn't far away now. Stocked up on bird food, still need to do more winterizing. So far I've heard 1) It's going be a repeat of last year 2) Colder without as much snow 3) More snow and less cold. What I do know is it's coming no matter what it brings, it will be dealt with as always with a bit of moaning and groaning of course! It can't be controlled too many things to factor in.

My herbs didn't make into the house so I'll be starting them from seed, most were to big to come in the house anyway. In May hopefully I'll be able to put them outside. Planning the garden will help me get through the winter I'll wait until February to make a firm plan, in March I'll start getting my seeds, all my starter pots are cleaned up and ready just waiting. Got some bulb's to put in next spring. The outside of the house is just about done, just need to get the last bit of raking done.

Love this time of year bright sun shine without the heat and dew points in the mid 30's high today 50 feels almost heavenly to me, no overheating did get a little warm just stopped in the shade cooled me off right away. All tucker out came into the house for a rest, sat and watched the birds and squirrels at the feeder they are very entertaining as they gather all they can and hide it away. The birds that stay here are getting a bit rounder. Less of the ones that are flying south but they are easy to spot, so thin and lean little flying machines. A group of them comes in and the bird feeders empty in not even an hour. They stay for a day or two at the most and off they go again won't see them again until spring, when they'll do the same thing. Could sit and watch them all day. If only I could find a way to get the leafs to fly into the bags, yes that is a bit of a stretch! Now begins the season of trying to keeping the heat in!  

The fall season is here.

I do enjoy fall yes it is a busy time, with so much to get done so I'm ready for winter. Last year winter came in so fast I got caught with gas in the lawn mower, the snow blower still in the back of the shed. Granted I did need to cut the grass only two weeks before we got 6 inches of snow that didn't melt and was only added to until it final started melting in March. This year so far is starting out more normal with dew points below 50 degrees just two days ago the dew point was 38 degrees. In Minnesota the land of 10,000 lakes, dew points in the 70's and 80's isn't what we are knew for. In a few short Months we'll be back (hopefully) to highs in the 30's and lows in the single digits. This year I'm getting ready for it early, the garden will stay but some of the cutting back I'll start this week like the dogwood bushes and the spring plants. With some help I'll thin the hosta plants this year they got so big and thick, I'm thinking of putting them along the fence it would cut down on the trimming next year. Here are some the plants I grew this years with a few odds and ends added in.

These two below are now over 3 feet tall was told they won't grow too tall may 16 inches if that, my goodness were they ever wrong, I was planning to bring them in the house for the winter, I'm not sure I have the room for them now! 

 

 

This tropical plant and the flowers below it. To say it's rare for it to flower here in Minnesota outside, is an understatement indeed. Having had six blooms already and may still have two or three more yet to come is amazing!  

 

 

Yes I feed all who come be it squirrel's, bunny's and of course the birds. It became a circle of life feeder as a few hawk's came to dine as well thankfully they took their food to go. Most of what they took was mice and no one seemed sad to see them go.

 The bird feeders are for the smaller birds like sparrow's, swallow and the wren's, finch's and the small woodpeckers the downy and hairy. This one in the picture maybe Northern Cardinal but I'm not so sure, it sure is cute whatever it is.

Now that I've had my rest, it time to get back to getting things done. It is so nice to be able to be outside again, with all the heat we had this summer I didn't get to stay outside for long. Here's to hope for a longer fall then we had last year, the fall color's should be grand here with all the rain and heat we had this year. 

About the hawk's we live in the city but are just a few blocks from the Mississippi river that's where they nest the eagles will pass by us on their way to winter in Redwing, Minnesota, the hawk's tend to hang out here until the end of December. 

My window to the world

A different kind of post from me, it's just to hot to be outside so I watch from my window this is some of what I see.

I'm not big on watching people, I watch the critters mostly and these two love that the bird's are messy eaters.

Breakfast under the tree!

The bird bath is in the back yard and it's always stays in the shade:-)

Here are some shots of last winter!

These were taken 12-12-10 on top this 34 inches we got another 84 inches. None of it started melting until mid March and was gone the last week of April, the last snow fell on May 12 if I remember right.

Right now I wouldn't mind a bit of last winter Back Today!