And it kept snowing!

We got more snow last week. On the 13th we got hit with around 8 inches. WOW! The railing tells the tale.

And then it turned sleety. B went out to snow blow and did a great job - and then there was more snow so we still had to dig out.

Just the other day we got snow then sleet then snow. AGAIN!!

Well, we are now in a "warming" trend. Up here that means that today it was up to 32 with the sun out. But not too much melted. The SUV is filthy again.. and it wasn't warm enough for B to clean it.

We went to Sam's today to get some fish (frozen) for our Christmas Eve family party here. It is a family tradition that B's family does NOT eat meat on Christmas Eve! When his mom passed, we took over the Christmas Eve get together. Fish is not a favorite thing for the family to eat. I had salmon last year along with talapia and breaded cod and flounder. The salmon was a flop - cod and flounder was good and so was the talapia. Well, this year we are trying some new things. It will be breaded cod and fish sticks. We had tasted the fish sticks and they were really good. And, not too big. So, people who don't like fish can slather them in cocktail sauce and really not taste the fish! "sounds like a plan".
I'm also going to make vegetarian chili with black beans. I know everyone likes chili so it should be a go. Then there will be shrimp and scallops and the family brings things too so there is no concern that we won't have enough food! The only question is... WHAT WILL THEY LIKE AND WHAT WILL THEY NOT EAT?????
Dessert should be good - I'm making chocolate chip sour cream cake (thank you Doris) and Ron's bring pie and I'm not sure what else will arrive. Kim usually makes cookies and I'm sure there will be some other things.
The house is ready - the tree up the presents wrapped and bowed and mostly clean (need to do some last minute things over the weekend)

And so we more toward the end of December. And we still like it here!!!

Ice Storm Sunday Night

We expected ice... and we got it. It rained and then froze. I heard the rain last night. When we woke, it was 31 outside and really didn't look too bad. So, we looked at the TV. Local school was 2 hour delay We are in the "northern tier" and had gotten hit with ice after the snow. There was no one on the roads but it was still early. I got my coat on to go out to take pictures. B said they had just changed the school announcement from 2 hour delay to closed. Well, as I got to the porch I could see why... slippery!! The pictures I took at 7:15 are too dark to just upload.. I'll have to fool around with them.

So we spent the morning home - had coffee and bagel - and got the Christmas Cards ready to go. I packed up the book I sold on Amazon and we were ready to hit the trail. By noon the temperatures were up to 33 and the roads were fine. After the post office we went to lunch at Fluff's and then came home. Then I went out again to take these pictures before the ice totally melted.

This is toward the little stream taken from the back driveway.

And this is on the septic mound looking back into the woods.
Really lovely and it was nice to NOT have to go out until the roads were better.
Retirement is nice!!!!

Snow/Sleet/Rain/Snow

Yea, well, that's what we got. Now it's Monday night and it's just cold and very windy. Right now the temperature is 28. We expected snow... and we got it Sunday. And it was really pretty.. light and only about 2 inches. Now yes, I said "only" because up here, two inches isn't much. B went out yesterday to deal with the snow. It was light and fluffy, so he first "attacked" it with the leaf blower. Now, before you laugh... this really works!!!! The leaf blower is really powerfully and he blows the snow off the driveway and the cars. He later went with the snow blower but the leaf blower cleared the cars which was a BIG HELP. This morning, we could see very little new snow and there was ice on the car... thus the sleet rain part.... We had to scrape the car windshield off but the ice wasn't that thick. When we came home from breakfast, the temps were 36 and up so when I went to the Library around 9:45 there was no problem. We are supposed to get more something... it has been very windy all day.
We are doing well. The sun came out off and on and the day was really OK.
I have to say I'm enjoying this... we are safe, warm, and doing well. What more can you ask for??? I am thankful every day for how we are doing... both of us healthy, and enjoying what we do... which is, WHAT WE WANT TO DO. Boy, is that nice.
More snow/sleet/rain/snow in the forecast... we shall see. We watched the weather over the US and are glad we don't have to deal with the West coast's concerns.... And with that, we bid you "good night".

November almost over

It's hard to believe November is almost over... until you look at the stores and see the decorations - makes you feel like Christmas is next week. Some of the stores had Christmas things out at the end of October.
I remember as a kid Santa came to town on Thanksgiving. Until then, no one decorated - not the stores nor the houses. We had a big parade and Santa was at the end and got off at his "Santa house" which was a little enclosure kinda like what you wait for a bus in. And all of us kids would line up to tell Santa what we wanted for Christmas. The main street of town was decorated and referred to as Candy Cane Lane as we had large candy canes on the lamp posts. Then decorations went up.
Somewhere along the line, I think in the early 60's, my parents got this aluminum tree that was rather short as it sat on a table. It was lit by a wheel thing a ma bob that spun and sent different colored lights onto the tree.
Several years ago we got a white tree. Up until then we always did the green tree. Sometimes fake sometimes real. The advantage of the real tree is it smells good and you don't have to store it after Christmas. The disadvantage is you have to string it with lights and remember to water it. So now we are into a white tree that is has the lights already attached. I have a better understanding as to why my parents switched to the fake tree. Much easier!!!!
It's cold and feels like November... and we are just about done getting the decorations out. The tree is in the living room ready to put up. And, we got our first Christmas card yesterday (I don't even have our cards started, yet) So, let the holidays begin... we are ready!!!!

Day Before Turkey Day

Wednesday, already! After the snow we now have WARM weather. Right now (1PM) it's 53 outside and most of the snow has melted. We are still melting on the roof which means we have water dripping around the house but as I look out toward the little stream, there is no snow. Tomorrow is to start out warm but then move to colder with showers that could turn to flurries. Well, that's why we have a 4 wheel drive up here.

We got a replacement propane heater for the lower level yesterday so I've been cleaning and rearranging things. Moving stuff around, changing where I store things. Right now I'm pooped! So I'm taking a break.

Still have to make a cheese cake for dinner tomorrow. The sun is shining right now and it's a good day. Happy Turkey Day to all!

We got SNOW

We knew we were going to get some snow.... but really, not this much!!
We woke around 5:30 and when I turned on the outside light... all I could see was snow on the railing. WOW... they were calling for an inch or more but this was clearly more than an inch. We had plans to go to Scranton as the red car needed work on the rear defroster. We were scheduled to be there early... and this just wasn't gonna happen.
I put the coffee on and we kinda regrouped. Checked the TV - yep and more snow due. Also the local school district had closed school. Wonder if this had anything to do with today being the start of bear season???
So, we had breakfast and then B started up his supper duper snow blower and I got the shovel and did a little bit of shoveling and such while he cleared off the driveway.

NO, this isn't the supper duper snow blower. Yes, he has lights but this is the guy that does the roads in our little community and he was out early as the snow kept falling.

You may not be able to see this very clearly, but we did get over 7 inches of snow. This is on the railing off our bedroom. The snow was very heavy - the kind that is great for snowballs and snow men. (we didn't do either, darn!)

And it kept snowing!!!
We did get to the dealers. The roads were rather bad. We left around 9 AM and the community's roads were much better than the County. We passed several cars that had experienced problems... off the road or in a ditch. But, we went carefully and really did OK. By the time we were in by Throop the snow was not as great and the roads were clear. We dropped the red car off and got a loaner, hit Target and Sam's and came home. Roads clear all the way home. We went out to lunch and then home.
It was a really pretty snow and it's still lovely to look at. Roads are clear and we have one car (the loaner) cleaned off. They are calling for warming by Thursday and then rain so what ever is left should be washed away.

Rain and Rain

OK, it's evening and it's been raining all day. We had a drought earlier this year. And it made me thing about how I use water. I have, since we moved here, been aware of what water I use as we have a SEPTIC system, which is new to this "city gal". I try not to do too many loads of laundry one after another and try to shorten the shower. Anyway, it was raining ALL DAY. Started last evening and all night long and into the day. B went out to "power blow" a thing I believe "guys" have. And he did make headway and cleaned up the leaves that appeared. Where they came from I don't know! He has been keeping up on the blowing and the trees looked "empty" for want of a better word.... but we peeked out this morning and LEAVES all over!!! Well, he got a lot but it's still raining.
The stream at the side of our property is really moving... I can see it from the kitchen window when the ferns are gone... and boy, it's galloping!!! The Lake appeared to be up and as we drove around the little streams were not little any more.
The good news is we don't have any roof leaks after we got the roof cleaned. Also, it isn't SNOW.... which we may get overnight. Right now it's 36 outside... and was in the lower 50 this morning... so who knows.....

Frost on the Holly

We had a heavy frost this morning and the holly bushes by our front steps were just beautiful. As you can see, the frost enhanced them.

I used the macro setting on the camera to get the close up pictures. The drops were frozen.
I think I'm going to use this as a new screen background.

We should warm up a bit this week. Mid 50's for several days. Right now it's 37 outside.

We Got Snow

The weather guys were right - we got snow. It was a nice snow as it was pretty but didn't stick to the roads as it was not really cold enough. The trees were decked out in white and the roads clear. It's now just raining (11:15 AM)

On the way to breakfast this morning (7:25 AM) we stopped to take some pictures at the Lake. It was gloomy and at this point a fine mist was falling - not really snow nor rain. There was snow on the grass and it was really damp and cold.

I turned to my right and took this picture over the lake. You can see the snow. The Lake was misty and foggy as you looked out. Kinda made you expect to see Wally, the monster :)
So, we have had our first official snow. The first of HOW MANY?????

Uploading pictures for the last post didn't work... so here is one of the pictures again. This tree is right off our upper deck. The leaves were so beautiful this year. The colors were bright and vibrant.
The weather has been getting colder. Right now, at 8:08 PM it's 28 outside... ouch... cold! And really, about time! We used the warm weather to our advantage and really cleaned up outside. All the furniture is "bedded" down for winter - stacked or covered. The flower pots have been moved so they aren't visible and the decks are clean, except for the leaves. B is out every day blowing with his supper duper high powered gas blower. Really does a great job. While there are lots of leaves, it isn't nearly as bad as South Jersey where we had both pine needles and leaves. Plus, we didn't have the blower - just rakes. At this point in our lives, we don't have the energy to do all that raking and why do it when this power blower works so well????
The local weather people are calling for snow showers tonight. Hope that is all that we get!

October 2007

It was sooooo warm in October. However, that does not excuse the fact that I've not posted for quite a bit. This summer was very busy. You know, when I retired, I was concerned that I would be idle... what would I do??? Well, that really has not been a concern!
After organizing things at home, I got involved with the local library. I have found that this is really fun. As well as being involved with the Friends of the Libary, I've been selling books on Amazon that are donated to the library. Since the Friends have taken over the sale of books, I've been given the oportunity to help the Friends by going through the donated books and listing some of them on line. It's fun and facinating... though it does take time. We are doing quite well! That's how I've been keeping busy along with the normal stuff we do.

Some people leave home to see the beauty of the Fall leaves... we look out the window and around our property.
We are so lucky!

The leaves were quite beautiful. I don't know if I missed it last year or if this year was more vibrant... but to just go to breakfast or the mall we so enjoyed the beautiful leaves.

And as October moved on, not only did the boats come out of the water but so did the dock. So you know it's really Fall.
Now that it's November, we can expect SNOW.
According to Joe, the local weater person, we have always had snow in November.. the only question is, WHEN????

From HOT to cool

It's 6 PM and it's 55 degrees outside. We had the air conditioning on earlier this week as it was hot and muggy. What a change!! Weather channel has us at 54 with tonight's temps to be in the low 50's
We had rain, rain, rain all day and last night. Before we were hot and muggy.
The tomatoes are doing great! We get about 5 to 10 of the cherry tomatoes each day and one or two of the regular ones. The yellow tomatoes are not too impressive - I felt they were smooshy. The Roma tomatoes are starting to turn and I have picked only one. We sure aren't canning tomatoes but we do have enough to use every day both in sandwiches and salads. I don't do this to save money... You sure do spend time tending the plants and doing all the stuff you need to do to get them to grow. However, the rewards are the feeling that... hey, I GREW THAT!! This is also humbling as I am having little success with zucchini which, supposedly, EVERYONE can grow..... not me :)
Having fun... hope you all are, too.

Salad Days!

Couldn't show pictures of the plants (next post below this one) without showing the "fruits"! The salads we have been having look aand taste great! While the lettuce is not ours - the tomatoes and beans are. So is the parsley. We are really enjoying eating our salads.

Wine isn't bad either :)

Harvest Time!

The veggies are looking good. The first to get ripe was the cherry tomatoes. I've been picking several every other day. They are sweet and jucy and there are LOTS on the vines. These are a keeper to repeat next year.

The cucumbers are rather strange looking. Almost like a balloon that is being blown up! I've picket three so far. They taste good... I clean out the seeds and peel strips of skin off. They add to a salad and there aren't enough at one time to do more than that.

Last night we had tomatoes... not cherry just regular tomatoes. Very good. The dark red one here and another vine that had a red one. They first turn kinda a blush.. then the light yellow-red and then darken. Taste GREAT

The peppers are growing but we have't picked any yet.

The weather is so different here from Jersey. Our nights are so much cooler - mostly in the 50's so far. It does warm up and has generally been in upper 70's to low 80's. We had a heavy downpour yesterday evening... boomers and lots of rain. More rain forcast for the next several days and it's humid (not as bad as Jersey).

The day... A keeper

It was one of those beautiful days you talk about but don't often have!! We have been having muggy hot weather... felt like we moved back to Jersey. Then came the thunderstorms and cooler weather. It was in the 50's when we got up and out to breakfast... then in the upper 70's with some breezes and soooooo nice.
We have been working on the garage... cleaning out and organizing. I had no idea that there were so many different types of nail and screws... and B must have every last one of them!!. I wiped off the boxes (well, yea, Lynn, it is a garage) and sorted stuff out and asked questions... it's weird the different types of nails and such.
That was the afternoon's "job". and included a visit from Bob first and then Sheila. We then did another chicken on a beer can... a definite "keeper".
So it's still just lovely outside and tomorrow I believe we are expecting rain.
The garden continues to do well... the tomatoes are getting bigger and one has the tomatoes ripening.. I took pictures and hope to post tomorrow. And I HAVE ZUCCHINI.... yea, they are growing... thank you Sheila's Dad!!!!!
Well, nice day. And that's what it's all about.. enjoying the moment and realizing how lucky we are. Hope you are all doing well!!!

Some heavy rain and hail

We had hail and heavy rain the other night... and the hot humid weather changed to less humid and cooler.
The round "things" are the hail....

Lucky we had no crop damage.... I'd move most of the plants toward the house and under the roof overhang! dumb luck!!!

Veggies Keep Growing

These are tiny little cucumbers.. so cute!!! There are LOTS of them. The zucchini, on the other hand, are not doing well. I moved them to get more sun. Today, however, there was not much sun... so don't know if that will help!

The tomatoes are doing well... lots of little tomatoes. This is a plant that produces lots of little tomatoes... as you can see, it is doing it's thing.

more tomatoes... these should be larger and I think they will be yellow

And finally, the yellow beans. The green beans are doing well and now the yellow beans are "coming in". Another day or two and we will be eating yellow beans.

We are really enjoying our garden.. I check the plants at least once a day. I swear, you can see some of them grow! I'm already thinking about next year and what to add or not do. Radishes - will not be planting them next year. I do think I'll try several types of basil. I'm growing 2 this year. Planted seeds for a bush basil that's interesting. I'll have to check out other options next year.

The weather is still somewhat cool. It was overcast most of the day and felt muggy but not bad as it was only in the 70's. We are expecting warmer weather tomorrow.

Plants are doing good

I harvested the first of the beans and peas last week. Here they are!! Today I got enough beans to serve for tonight's dinner.

The zucchini is blossoming but the flowers are then falling off... and people say anyone can grow zucchini! Yikes~~what am I doing wrong? Will try to move them to where they get more sun. Hope that helps. The cucumbers are doing well and you can see little cucumbers.... Well, we both like cucumbers and only I like zucchini, so maybe that's why :(

The "garden" is flourishing. We had torrential rain last night with high winds and the plants are still upright. I do have cages on many of the tomatoes.

It has been a beautiful couple of days - in the 50's at night and low to mid 70's during the day. Except for when the storms come, the days have been clear and bright. We have eaten outside several times and today I had lunch outside while I read a book. Stop to smell the roses - or in my case, stop to enjoy the garden.