The Dog Days of Winter

I took these yesterday during our heat wave. It was 60 and sunny, and the animals were all panting and napping in the sun.
Except Scott, who sought refuge in Celia's (Celia is the houseplant)shade.
Katie is admiring Snowflake's opposite eyelashes. One side is white, while the other side is orange.
Madelon, if you enlarge the top photo, you can see two rows of the orchard down the hill.

Redecorating

Katie took pictures of Becky and me prepping for painting, and here's one of them. The hall and living room now have one coat, and maybe tomorrow will be ready for the trim painting.
In the shower is the girls' new pet houseplant, "Celia," the palm.
The whole place seems so different after having the light yellow all these years.
It's now "Brown Tepee," a mid tone brown.

Laura's Walk in the Woods

The picture under Golden Leaf Trail is the pond, which Joe Houndog daringly crossed.
Then it's the flooded plain where we have our fires.
The holly tree- the only green thing on earth, it seems.
The tree stand down by the new trail.

The Horses and Their Girls

Wait a minute here. I was supposed to have my own horse. But my mare has been highjacked by Becky . And my mare's companion is Laura's special friend.

Our Wild Windsday Drive

Travel back in time with me, to Wednesday's skating day. We got word in the morning that classes would be held at their normal times. So off we drove through the high winds and drifting snow.
Danny took the back way, which proved to be the best path. The huge highway that I would have assumed to be in perfect condition was actually icy, and the source of many wrecks that morning.
The snow swirling across the road while we drove looked like fog or sometimes ocean waves. It was extremely cool. I hope you can see a little of it in the tiny pictures.
I had entitled this one "Our Wild Wednesday Ride" but Laura corrected me.

New Snow

This is where the juncos were eating yesterday, but today, the crows are guarding it and keeping them away.
Notice the inch or more of new snow. Normally, this would be the most snow we get all winter, but this year it seems like snow is as commonplace here as it is in Pittsburgh.

Hungry Hungry Juncos

The birds are having a rough year with the abundance of snow.
We're throwing some food our there for them, which the cats appreciate.
These are the juncos, who hang out in the back yard. The robins and meadowlarks are in the front yard.
I thought I couldn't blog lately since I didn't have any interesting photos, but when I uploaded this one, I found that Laura had taken some wonderful snow and ice pictures.
I'll update soon...

AMAZING SIMPLE HOME REMEDIES



THESE REALLY WORK!! I checked this out on Snopes and it’s for real!

AMAZING SIMPLE HOME REMEDIES:

1. AVOID CUTTING YOURSELF WHEN SLICING VEGETABLES BY GETTING SOMEONE ELSE TO HOLD THE VEGETABLES WHILE YOU CHOP.

2. AVOID ARGUMENTS WITH WOMEN ABOUT LIFTING THE TOILET SEAT BY USING THE SINK..

3. FOR HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE SUFFERERS ~ SIMPLY CUT YOURSELF AND BLEED FOR A FEW MINUTES, THUS REDUCING THE PRESSURE ON YOUR VEINS. REMEMBER TO USE A TIMER.

4. A MOUSE TRAP PLACED ON TOP OF YOUR ALARM CLOCK WILL PREVENT YOU FROM ROLLING OVER AND GOING BACK TO SLEEP AFTER YOU HIT THE SNOOZE BUTTON.

5. IF YOU HAVE A BAD COUGH, TAKE A LARGE DOSE OF LAXATIVES. THEN YOU'LL BE AFRAID TO COUGH.

6. YOU ONLY NEED TWO TOOLS IN LIFE - WD-40 AND DUCT TAPE. IF IT DOESN'T MOVE AND SHOULD, USE THE WD-40. IF IT SHOULDN'T MOVE AND DOES, USE THE DUCT TAPE.

7. IF YOU CAN'T FIX IT WITH A HAMMER, YOU'VE GOT AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM.

DAILY THOUGHT:

SOME PEOPLE ARE LIKE SLINKIES - NOT REALLY GOOD FOR ANYTHING BUT THEY BRING A SMILE TO YOUR FACE WHEN PUSHED DOWN THE STAIRS.

More Snow Photos by Katie

Snow Photos by Katie

The Snow Pony

Here are my brother's beautiful pets.
The pony and the Border Collie mix are both descended from hardy Scottish stock, so they think all this weather is just dandy.
Snowflake is contemplative in the field, wondering which animal she should chase next.

Getting Hay

What are the chances of getting more snow than expected? It's happening right here, right now in Southside Virginia.
This is from this morning's hay trip.
Danny and the big girls are back out with the 4 wheel drive getting another round bale, for weight.
My mood has improved. I even had a nice time playing in the snow with my brother's pets today.
PS I forgot to wait for the photos to upload, then lost internet for a while ; )
Also, the pictures are as follows:
Looking at our horses from the top of the driveway.
Buddy, the German Shepherd at our hay place, in the bed of the truck.
Our road, from the Harvey road direction.
Our house from the road.

Snow

Here's the last snow. I barely got it on here before it'll be time to photograph the next snow!

A Day in Northern Virginia

Thursday we took a trip together up to Purcellville so Danny could see a house he's going to work on, and the girls and I could play with Jodi and her kiddos.
Here are Katie and Preston playing Halo together.
Katie and Preston swinging at the park.
And Preston, Katie's best friend.

Pierced Ears

Katie's been begging for pierced ears for a long time now. Finally, Daddy gave in and said yes.
Her first pick of starter ear rings were big gaudy gems, but we negotiated smaller diamonds.
Here, she's on the cell phone with Spinster on the way home from Claires.
The lady who pierced Katie's ears said that Katie is the bravest 8 year old she ever pierced.
I got mine re pierced after Kate assured me it's a painless procedure- it is. But I held the teddy bear anyway.