Spring has Sprung!

I can't believe this gorgeous weather we are having so early in the year! It's been in the 80's, and all the poor flowers are so confused. I went for a walk around the yard to see
if I could rustle up a Spring bouquet, and there are flowers everywhere. They're sure to get buried in snow soon! Anyways, I pruned my way through this huge patch of very thorny wild roses >>> to get to the white blossoms beyond, and it was worth it, they look beautiful in a vase with some Forsythia that was much easier to get to!

My sweet little polka-dot flowers are blooming like crazy, right up through the leaves that haven't been raked out yet, I'd better get busy! They are the cutest little things, periwinkle blue, lavender, and pink, all blooming together in the same little bunch. I wish they would last all Summer instead of just a few weeks in Spring!

Yesterday was so gorgeous that we closed the shop early and went for an "off the beaten path" road trip, just us girls! We went to see our friend Monica, who has an amazing shabby-chic shop where she sells antique linens, vintage clothing, antique china, delicious soaps and lotions that smell like wonderful things (lilac and lily of the valley scents were my favorites), and so much more. It's a tiny shop but it is jam-packed, and you could easily spend all afternoon looking at all the wonderful stuff she has displayed in the most beautiful ways. She certainly gives everything her personal touch, everything has a hand written fancy little tag and is tied up with a ribbon, so special! We also went to a bakery, a cheese outlet, an antique store, an everlastings store, and to see two of the Amish women who quilt for us, and we topped it all off with the best salads for lunch at a delightful restaurant. It was a gorgeous day, and we passed a long stretch of nothing but daffodils growing along the bank of the road, so beautiful! Needless to say, we traveled alot of dirt roads, and we came home with the PT Cruiser filled to the top with things we couldn't possibly live without, including these beautiful linens, and a very shabby, very cool "three burners on legs" from an old gas stove. I had originally planned on using the burners as legs for an old wooden tool box to raise it up so I could use it as a coffee table, but it's so cool I hate to hide it under something, so it may end up as a plant stand until I decide what to do with it.

Good Morning Sunshine!

I decided to walk around the Lake yesterday ~ BEST IDEA EVER! It was just gorgeous outside, what a difference a couple weeks makes! You know what they say about the weather around here, if you don't like it, wait an hour, it will change! All the snow I wished for (and got ~ thank you snow fairies!) is now almost completely gone except for the spots where the snowplows piled it high. We had some ankle deep mud for about a week after it all melted, but now thanks to this beautiful sunshine, even the mud is drying up. What a nice walk I had, the sun was shining, the birds were singing, and it smelled like Spring...until I passed the Campground where someone had a campfire burning already early in the morning....then it smelled like SUMMER! I almost invited myself to join them for a cup of campfire coffee. I had to walk up the dirt road past the Camp to see if the arbutus was out yet. I only know of one patch that grows around here, and it hides there on the mossy bank. I lifted up the shiny leaves, and sure enough there are big clusters of buds hiding beneath, so in another week or so I will once again get to breathe in that wonderful, elusive scent of blossoming arbutus. I love the memories of going looking for the arbutus as a kid with my Mom, it was like a treasure hunt. As soon as it blossoms I will be sure to surprise her with one of it's delicate, powerfully scented blooms, she will love it! We are having a birthday tea party for her in a couple weeks, wouldn't it be lovely if it blossomed just in time to honor her 75th birthday? When I got to the woods on the back side of the Lake, I tried to tread quietly so that I might see a deer or two, but it's impossible with the forest floor and trail still covered with the dried, crunchy leaves of Autumn. I saw several squirrels and chipmunks scurrying around, and lots of areas where the Spring turkeys have been scratching around in the leaves. I had to stop a while and listen to the most peculiar sound. At first I thought it was an over-achieving high speed woodpecker, it was so loud and fast, like a little jackhammer going to town out there in the middle of the woods. Finally I decided that it must be a Heron. They make the weirdest sound! I was only going to walk around the Lake, but it was so beautiful out I turned the other way and walked up to the "Big Rock" before heading home. It's funny how the "Big Rock" isn't half as big as it seemed when I was a kid. The sun was beating right on it through the trees, so I climbed on top for a rest. The sun was so hot on my face, I'm sure if I sat there a while I could have had a nice tan! I laid down on the rock for a minute and looked up at the tree tops swaying in the breeze, I forgot how fun that is! It's like a carnival ride, it can make you dizzy if you watch long enough! There wasn't a cloud in the sky, it was blue as could be. I can't imagine living somewhere that has sun and warm weather all the time, I love the appreciation we have for those first warm days after a long, cold winter, I would never want to take that sun for granted! I ended up walking for probably an hour and a half. It felt so good to get some physical exercise other than walking back and forth from the sewing machine to the ironing board! (Thanks to my Mom and Sisters, I really had the quilting bug this Winter while I was hibernating. Usually in Winter I like to paint, but this year I did more quilting than anything else.) It's supposed to be another beautiful day today, I'm already looking forward to going for another walk. Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone. I have to get off this computer and go find something green to wear, I suppose! Be Happy Always! Jewels

Still snowing!

Well, I got my wish, it's still snowing! It was so windy last night that the drifts are deeper than my legs. This is how I remember snow storms being when I was a kid, I love it! My poor kitty doesn't love it, she was taking flying leaps from one footprint to the next. I wish we could make a big ring of snow angels all around the house and take an aerial view picture, wouldn't that be so awesome? The kids decided to make a giant snowman late last night. They came in to get a carrot, said it was too small, and took a whole zucchini, haha! Such big aspirations! Their plans were foiled, though, the snow wouldn't pack well. I got my zucchini back. Be happy always! ~ Jewels

It's snowing!

The world outside my window looks magical today, everything is covered in a glittering blanket of new, white snow that keeps getting deeper and deeper and deeper. The weatherman says that we could get up to 15". It's about time, we haven't had a deep snow yet this winter, while the rest of the world, it seems, has been buried in the snow we usually get. I have to admit, I've been jealous. I love a good snowstorm. It's so peaceful to just stay home and be. Just breathe, have a cup of coffee, watch the snow fall, get lost in a craft project....

Soon the house will be a bustle of activity, with friends coming to go sledding, a snow-day ritual. There's a pot of soup cooking on the stove, brownies are made, hot cocoa is at the ready. I'll enjoy the quiet of now, but look forward to the squealing laughter of children later, sledding, making snow angels, building snowmen, and I'm sure pelting eachother with a few good snowballs. Until then, I'll watch the little assembly line of chickadees empty my feeder one seed at a time. I hope we get all 15" and more so we can do this all again tomorrow! Have a magical snowy day!

Hmmmmmmmmm.........

I'm not sure what to think, really, other than...

"It's time for another cup of coffee!"

I'm pretty clueless when it comes to starting a blog, so like the adorable little chickadees at my birdfeeder I'm just going to 'wing it'. Stay tuned, you can watch while I learn.....(I'm sure that has you on the edge of your seat!)