Wrapping up February

Here is my catch-all post to finish up February.  Yes, it has been a short month, but looking back, it has been a very busy month.  Feels longer than 28 days!   :)

Korin brought cute and tasty cupcakes to Chemistry class.  Too bad we had to enjoy them virtually!  Ha!   :)  But, they sure did look good!

Korin's Chemistry cupcakes - a lab coat with pencil, an atom, red blood cells, and beaker/flask/petri dish.   

Kerry and Candace got their storm shelter put in at their house.  We are SO glad they have this now!  Living in OK in the bullseye of so many deadly tornadoes, we are thankful that they will now have a safe place to take cover - and all withOUT leaving home.

Korin and her Mom looking down into the shelter (it is in the garage).

Hannah getting ready to join Sarah and Susanna in the shelter.

It is pretty good sized down there.  As they say, large enough to hold us, too, when we visit!
(since I am sort of a tornado magnet...)

Looks cozy!

They even had snow down there!  What a winter...

Hannah's birthday pie!  (gluten free)   :D

Mama, Daddy, Julie and Anna traveled to see James graduate from another training.

Mama, James and Daddy

 On their way home, Mama and Daddy were able to stop and have lunch with Uncle Dale.

Dale and Mama - brother and sister.

I was thrilled to have the opportunity to purchase a handmade dishcloth and towel from an online friend.  Aren't they pretty?

Jonathan always keeps himself amused at dinner.  :)

Yes, it really is sitting at that angle all by itself...  Physics, right?  :)

Rite of passage

13 is a big year in so many ways.  But one of the things that is most anticipated around here is the opportunity to drive the tractor by oneself.  Last week Jonathan got that opportunity.  

I was standing in the kitchen when I heard Marvin tell Jonathan, "Go on out there and take the tractor to the barn.  I'll be down in a bit."  As Jonathan was heading out the door, I realized what I had heard and looked up at Marvin.  He was just grinning.  "He's been doing that for several days now," he told me.  "He's ready to do it when I'm not with him."   

Whew... that IS a good thing!  But, I guess it just snuck up on me.  Then I realized that at that moment I had one son in town visiting with a girl and one son driving the tractor.  What happened to Tonka trucks and Blues Clues??

Jonathan is a cautious and careful driver.  Marvin and Daddy do a great job of teaching the boys how to respect machinery.  (Honestly, Jackson is a safer driver on the roads than *I* am!)   

So, we captured photos of a big day in Jonathan's life.  A rite of passage.  This Mama is ready... I think.   :)

Snow Days

You know, we joke around here that we don't take snow days off from school.  That is basically true. But, snow days like we have had yesterday and today require an awful lot of work just to manage the daily chores!  Considering this is the 2nd snowstorm to hit us in less than a week, we are doing pretty well.  But, I am done with snow.  I am not enjoying it anymore.  It may be pretty, but....   :)   I am not sure what the official total amount of snowfall is for this storm, but I would say it looks like at least 15 inches.  Actually, I feel like I am being a bit modest with that number.  And that is on top of the 6 or so inches we had last week!

Daddy did manage to get Julie to town for work this morning, but just barely.  They aren't sure they can get back home.  They will be attempting it soon, but may end up having to go back to town and spend the night there.  (*Update - they just now made it home as I am finishing writing this post!*)   We can't even get past our own driveway.  Yesterday we had it clear but the additional snow overnight, plus the never-ending wind up here on this hill, formed some pretty substantial drifts.  Marvin tried to plow it this morning but ended up getting the tractor stuck!  He and Jackson were able to dig the tractor out and I was grateful to see them decide to park it back in the barn.  The snow removal can wait another day.  This stuff is dangerous.  (My heart aches to hear of a dear local man passing yesterday while removing snow...)   The fact that this snow is SO moisture laden and heavy means that it is compacting and getting solid.  Kind of like trying to move soft cement.  Hard to do.

Marvin and Jackson digging out the tractor.

Marvin and the boys are keeping busy caring for the animals.  Weather at either extreme makes that a more difficult job.  But, at this point, I am ready for the difficult part at the warmer end of that spectrum!!   :D

I took this video yesterday when I thought we were nearing the end of the storm.  What did I know!? :D  (and sorry for the purple/blue hue...)



Snow Feb 2013 from Laura M. on Vimeo.


Below are photos from the last 48 hours.  And here is a link to many more photos, if you are interested in that sort of thing.   :)

Yesterday during the initial snow.

Grandpa clearing the driveway.

We can't open the door from our mudroom to the porch.

Looking out the back window of the mudroom.
Always fascinated by how the wind blows drifts and leaves bare spots.

Jonathan and the dogs enjoying some time in the snow.

Marley, Mac and Declan.

Marvin let the horses out of the barn for awhile.  

You can see the piles of snow inside this arena.  That is a 4 board fence, by the way.  

Poor Marvin had to clear off the trampoline.  This snow is so heavy it was weighing it down.

Daddy took this photo in town today.  

Marvin venturing out today - after the additional 3 or so inches of snow fell last night.

Hope that snow on the barn roof doesn't come off on top of Marvin!

Pretty, but....    :)

Regarding the storm...

Much of this week has centered on the anticipation of the coming snowstorm.  We had a few specific concerns revolving around family members and travel.  Mom and Dad headed out by car to NC for James' graduation from training.  They left well ahead of the storm so we knew they would be okay.  Julie and Anna, however, needed to fly out from St. Louis this morning.  Thankfully, the storm slowed, providing them with a window of opportunity.  They were on one of the last flights to leave St. Louis this morning and have since arrived in NC, greeted by my parents and James (who we are all quite proud of, by the way!)   :)

At this same time my niece and nephew, Rachel and Stephen, were packing up their belongings and saying good-bye to Tallahassee, Florida to make their way up to their new home (and Stephen's new job) in Cedar Falls, Iowa.  They left Florida yesterday driving their big U-Haul pulling their car and bravely headed north towards the storm.  They got as far as Mount Vernon, IL last night, then were able to re-route more north and east through Peoria and Davenport, staying ahead of the storm system all day.  They literally just texted me as I am writing this paragraph to say they have arrived safely in their new hometown.  :)

My friend Donna had been planning for a month to come up yesterday and join me in attending the Lyceum series presentation of Biloxi Blues performed by Montana Reparatory Theater.  While we thoroughly enjoyed the play, we had looked forward to hanging out today as well.  Crazy weather interrupted our plans and Donna got out of here bright and early this morning, ahead of the storm, so that she wouldn't get snowed in up here.

Laura and Donna

As it turns out, SHE had far worse weather at her house than we did - 12 inches total - while I believe we only had about 6 or 7 inches.  Looks like this storm shifted a bit south of us and I can tell you I don't mind one bit.  After the storm we had in 2011, I really don't need anymore big 'snowed in' events.  We haven't even had to get the tractor out to clear the driveway with this one.  The wind has been blowing so much that most of the driveway is completely clear.  Crazy.    :)

One thing about this storm, though, is that it came on very, very quickly.  Literally, within 15 minutes we went from having no snow at all to having huge flakes that were coming down fast and resulting in fairly decent snow cover (for such a short time).  The good news, though, is that our snow is super dry and powdery.  Combine that with the high winds we have had (35 mph) and the impact is nothing like they had south of us at Donna's or along I-70.  Again, I can deal with that.   :)

Here are just a few random photos that I took today.  Because I am fascinated by stuff like this.  Sorry.   :D

When it first started.  Can you see the big snowflakes just starting to fall?

Pond had some pretty significant icing already going on...

Backyard view again - just 20 minutes later.... You can tell the winds were blowing from the east!

At this point the wind has drifted the powdery stuff in some areas.  

The snow was literally swirling down.  Looked like a tornado of snowflakes.  

Late this afternoon.  Isn't that strange?  Drifts right next to a clear table and patio.  They look like we have swept them clear, but the wind did that.  Weird.  

Drifts - except for that spot of grass showing where the wind blew the yard clear.  :)

Soft and squishy...

What is soft and squishy you ask?  Well, sadly, the answer is 'me'.  :(  I am afraid the last couple of months haven't been stellar for me regarding health and exercise.  I blatantly and with malice in my heart ate lots of decadent food throughout the holidays.  As I told Marvin, I truly MEANT every single bite!  Then the second week of January I had a medical procedure that was supposed to be 'easy recovery'.  In all actuality, it truly WAS.  But, for some reason I have had a few little issues that have kept me from bouncing back completely.  Not enough to really warrant sympathy, just enough to be low functioning.  :(  Add in a couple minor bouts with a virus (again, not a big deal in the scheme of things) and I have let myself go.  That formula that I know so well - that works like clockwork, 'eat less and exercise more'... well, I am finally back on it.  :)  This week I have felt strong again and have gotten back in the groove of exercising more.  Now, I just need to get my food intake a little more regulated and I'll be set.  I won't be soft and squishy for long!

Speaking of exercise... today on my walk I noticed the sap rising in some shrubby areas.  That gives me such hope and joy!  Plus, have you noticed how the light is different?  Not only is it staying lighter longer, the light is somehow softer... more springlike.  That, to me, is wonderful news!!

see the red??

I came home to find this...

Jackson and Marvin trying to change out a light bulb in the lights on top of the truck.  I never really thought about that before, but those are a bit tricky to replace!  :)   Jackson was SO pleased that I captured these moments.   :)

Then I found Jonathan outside working on one of his projects.  He is creating a helmet for one of his costume ideas.  I think we are all feeling the pull of spring - even if it IS only 40 degrees (with a stiff 18 mph wind!).  Mind over matter?

Our family went to lunch together yesterday at a chinese buffet and I actually chose the right fortune cookie this time.  :)  

I have been alternating reading and listening to a book by Susan Cain called Quiet:  The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking.  Wow.  This is an impressive book.  I would highly recommend it to everyone to read!  Now, I typically think of myself as an extrovert, although I have to say that as I get older I am finding that I have more introverted tendencies popping up.  However, I am a mother to an introvert and am married to an introvert.  I like to consider myself an appreciator of introverts.  (don't we ALL like to consider positive things about ourselves?... whether they are true or not...)  But this book is certainly helping me to have a deeper understanding of introverts and not only their strengths, but ways that I can really help (or hurt) them.  Again, picturing my son during some of the chapters makes me cringe with the realization that I have attempted to 'help' him 'overcome' some 'issues' that aren't really issues at all... they are just him!  The author makes a case that in the 1900's we, as a nation, changed from a 'Culture of Character' to a 'Culture of Personality'.  That is a powerful argument and one that I will be ruminating over.  I encourage you to check this book out of your library or simply purchase a copy.  

Finally, there are lots of other things going on at the moment that give me great joy.  They aren't quite blog-ready yet, but they are such hopeful, positive events that show me again the power of faith and family and timing.  As my sister says, "How is it that we so quickly forget how God puts us in places and situations that bring such good - even when we don't see it coming?  Why are we always surprised?"  Cryptic, I realize... but just smile with me.  All is well.   :)