Cleaning up the Mess!

But first, I am so happy that the month of February is winding down. Out feeding chickens this morning, I noticed buds on the Flowering Quince. 

Be still my heart! I can hardly wait to feel the warmth of spring again...to hear the frogs down at the pond...and see grass that needs mowing.

Awww, speaking of the pond, we'll sure miss our old Miss Ducky. Sadly, she passed away last month...

The teeny tiny pond won't be the same without her. This was her pond for at least 15 years, and she stood guard and protected it daily. It was funny watching her swim out to meet any wild duck that might stop by...explaining to them that she was in charge here. She was our sweetie pie. 

Another bit of news from January that I forgot to mention...

Our sweetest boy Eli turned 12 years old. The books say that's pretty old for a Pyrenees. He is doing well except for those big back legs which have become very weak. We keep looking at those wheels or wheelchairs for dogs but those made sturdy enough for a Pyrenees are expensive. :(  

Still dreaming of Springtime, this is the little playhouse of my dreams...

Hope I won't get into trouble using this picture from off the internet. It's just so beautiful!!

Okay, about cleaning up the mess and what a mess it was! Remember my brilliant idea of using every towel in the house to make walking paths over the packed snow and ice?

Well, it took days for these towels to thaw up enough that I could pull them apart. Seriously! Frozen towels cannot be pulled apart. I used a potato rake to pull each towel from the ice and ground frozen beneath it. Chopped a few holes in the towels too!

That wheelbarrow packed with frozen towels facing the sun...stayed here for two days without thawing. I finally had to carry buckets of hot water from the house and pour over them.

Even though the sun came out the days were cold and the ice stayed around. The fun part was setting up a little laundry area with an old bench and No. 2 tub. My hands were more than a little chapped and dry after all this. Oh my gosh...there were bird seeds and sunflower seeds and gravel all frozen into the towels! My goal now is to buy all new towels and save these for future ice storms. :)

back to spring being just around the corner...the Jonquils are coming up...

I raked pine straw from off the dam and covered the bare winter ground around them. At least, it looks a little warmer for them. 

Guess I've kept you long enough friends, well, that is if you're still here. Sure do appreciate your visiting.

Love, Henny

Uggg! This weather!

 No siree!! You will not hear me wishing for snow any time soon!! I am scared to death trying to get from the front porch steps to the chicken house door...slick as ice out there!!

No soft, fluffy snow here! We have sleet, and freezing rain, all packed down hard and slippery! Poppy went to the mailbox yesterday...

There was no mail and no sign of tire tracks that the mail had run. Going in the opposite direction here, takes you into town. In case you're interested. :)

 

                  

I started this post last Tuesday and here it is Saturday! The ground is still solid packed ice and we're waiting now for the next snowstorm. 

We are not used to weather like this...ice covering the ground for a week and now a major snowstorm predicted for today and tomorrow! 

So afraid of falling, I had to come up with some way to get to the goat lot and chicken house...

Well, necessity is the mother of invention! Our towels will probably never come clean but that's okay. We need a stack of new ones anyway. This idea works perfectly!! The towels stick to the ice and the top feels like walking on grass.

This pink one especially won't come clean! I had spilled a cup of coffee on it before adding it to my path. :) The damp towels stick to the ice better. 

One more weather-related item and I will hush about it...Take a look, if you will at the weird icicle...

Okay, I'm done. You Northerners are probably thinking, "she doesn't know anything!!  and I bet you're right!

Staying inside now, Ugg!!! I was bound and determined to finish this apron that has almost broke me from sewing altogether...

First, this apron has darts. Darts! I don't like making darts and the ones in this apron are odd and hard to get right. Then I had to sew the pocket on twice. I made the ruffle too short and had to take it completely off, add another length and gather it all over again! Then I pinned the bib to the skirt, sat down to sew it on and had pinned the bibb on backwards. Whew!! 

I've made a few teeny tiny pinafores and bonnets. These used to sell really well at the farmer's market. Don't know why I stopped making them...

Well, it's 10:41 am here and a few tiny snowflakes have started to fall. Guess I'll go prop up at the kitchen window, watch the birds, and finish off the bowl of popcorn from last night. :(

Want to mention though, I was looking back at the comments on my last post, the one just before Christmas. There were some very nice comments that I am just seeing. Thank you! And South Carolina girl, I enjoyed reading about the wormy Hickory nuts. The panful on our front porch may have worms but are too frozen to move around. :) 

Thank you, dear friends.

Love, Henny