Snow stick Winner and a Robin

April 8 was a very warm day with a breeze that melted snow to beat the band.

I kept checking throughout the day.

By evening Chance declared it snow free!
The winner is Terri @Backward B Ranch who guessed April 7th.  Congratulations Terri!
Recently I finished a few more carvings.

I painted them just the other day.

This is the one I chose to send to Terri. It will be in the mail soon.
Now for the rest of you.  We will leave the snow stick in place and if it gets more than three inches of snow we will restart the contest with the same guesses.  Your guess can be found here.  It is Minnesnowda after all, spring can disappear any moment in a snowstorm.
A Robin appeared in our yard on April 9th in the evening.

It was way high up in a tree.  Eventually after calling and calling it took off toward the lake.  We usually have a pair that nest here, perhaps one of them is late arriving.  I am certain that “She who sees robins first” has already had robins in her yard.  I will graciously let her win this year because she had surgery on her arm yesterday.  My other baby brother is taking good care of her. 

Snow and Swans

It snowed a little more.  It snows and melts and repeats daily.  Not exactly spring like.

The snow stick is stable at 9 inches.

We went for a ride.  Trumpeter Swans, Canada Geese, Wild Turkeys and Sandhill Cranes are visiting the cornfields.  Very little water is open for them. 

You can almost play “find the swans” in this photo.

 

The Monday blizzard went north of us, and the one predicted for Friday is supposed to go south of us…we must be incredibly lucky.

It rained

It rained yesterday and some of our snow melted! 

The snow stick still had eight inches of snow just before dark last night.

It is supposed to turn to ice and then snow.

Rain was different.  Better than snow, it washed off the car! 

Snow is melting around the tree trunks…a snow free oasis of sorts.

I turned in the museums computers and all the files I had here at home…I am officially retired.  I love that I am not under a time restraint to do spring house cleaning, I have all of May when it might actually be spring.

IT SNOWED:

This is no April’s Fools joke either, it turned cold and the rain turned to snow and the wind is blowing like a banshee.  This photo was taken a 9PM last night out the front door.

April List of Projects:

Finish Jen’s afghan.

Photograph a Robin in my yard!   I saw one in the cities but couldn’t get my camera out fast enough to photograph it.

Spring clean the furnace/laundry room.

Clean up some old sleigh bells for a project.

Contact one old friend through the mail.

About Time

It was about time that I wandered through the house and picked up all the Christmas/Winter decorations and put them away.  The silk poinsettias were replaced with red tulips. Everything found a storage spot! With all my organizing upstairs the Christmas crap one of a kind decorations were reduced by one entire Rubbermaid tote!!  Some people may measure progress by other parameters, my yardstick is totes!

The red lights and sleigh were put away and a bunny is now the star of the outdoor wreath.  I turned the lights on over Valentines Day…but golly that was a month ago…how time flies by.

Somehow a bunny doing the splits makes me smile.

For now this flying goose replaces the pine cone wreath on the other side of the door.

Nothing like a bit of warm weather and a lake in your yard to make you think about spring.

I am sure we will get more snow, it would be a really early spring if this weather continues.

The snow stick stands at 12 inches…we lost another three inches in the past couple of warm days.  Last year we had 24 inches at the snow stick this time in March.

Snow Stick Contest 2014

Yes, I am all set for the snow stick contest!  You can enter by guessing the date and morning or afternoon that the snow will be totally gone from the snow stick.

There are 17 1/2 inches of snow at the snow stick.  When will it melt?  Here are previous melt dates.
2011 April 8
2012 March 13
2013 April 30 
As you can see we have about a six week window.  So guess away…guess the date and morning or evening.
The winners..there might be more than one will get a bark carving.

These are my last three creations, none of mine ever look alike, they are all one of a kind.  These three are Linda in Colorado Johnson’s Cottonwood bark.  It is a lighter bark than we have here in Minnesota. It carves beautifully!
They have joined the rest of my carvings in an old shoe box awaiting homes.  I give some away, and occasionally I sell a few.  They can sit on shelves or they can be fitted with an eyehook for a ribbon and become a Christmas ornament.

These are not huge carvings…the pen is for a reference.  I like carving them as they fit comfortably in my arthritic hands.
I have a few more in the works…so you never can tell which carving you might get.  I carve at least one afternoon a week.  Sometimes more…Minnesota winters…ya you betcha nothing better than an afternoon spent with sharp knives. 
This is one of my favorite bark carvings.

I will probably keep this one for myself as it has a very fragile back…bark is what it is and I like the tree that the bark told me was there.
Guess away.  I will add the guesses to the bottom of this post.  Guessing closes Sunday night March 9 at 9PM.  Those of you that are bashful can email me with your guess, my email can be found by clicking on the yellow flower on the left sidebar.


Guesses:
March 29 Evening Kathy
March 30 AM Linda P.
April 3 AM Muffie
April 5 Susan in Glyndon
April 7 Terri @Backward B Ranch
April 12 PM Nancy Wyoming Breezes
April 13 L.D.
April 13 PM Elaine Sanders
April 14 PM Terry and Linda
April 15 AM Iggy
April 15 PM Kathy b
April 16 Am Alvina M.
April 16 PM Deanna Fort Worth
April 17 AM DJan
April 17 PM Red
April 18 PM Marlys H. Seattle
April 19 Pm Lisa J. Bemidji MN
April 20 Leah
April 21 PM Shirley
April 22 PM Barb B. Hoople ND
April 23 PM Furry Gnome
April 24 PM Jess Noling
April 25 PM LindaG
April 26 PM Phyllis Pritchard
April 27 PM Kay Lloyd   Kansas City area
April 27 PM Sandy B. Ada MN
April 28 PM Karen Wyndson Farm
April 29 PM Wendy Danielson
April 30 PM Country Gal
April 30 PM Linda M
April 30 PM Francine Primitive Stars
May 1 ladyfi
May 1 Grandma Barbs This and That
May 1 PM Linda Reeder
May 2 Ryker
May 3 AM Mildred Blackberry Lane
May 3 Karen M. Wisconsin
May 7 PM Rita
May 10 PM Cathy Monroe
May 13 Judith Bell ( It better be gone by the time she returns to Tamarac or she will be unhappy)
May 14 Evening Robin
June 1 Cynthia ( a fellow pessimistic Minnesota gal)

Goodbye Cold February

So long, farewell  goodbye…GOODBYE!

You were a cold miserable month.

 

Your brilliant blue skies yesterday looked warmer than –2 F.  The wind made it much colder.

The snow banks grow taller and taller.  North Dakota must be sharing their snow with us.

Here in the yard at the snow stick the measurement of 16 inches is holding.  Notice all the bits of bark that landed on the snow during the big wind.

Two people froze to death Wednesday night or early Thursday morning, a six year old girl in Bemidji and a 36 year old woman in Motley.   It was a bad week for area news, there was a murder in Park Rapids at the old High School which is now apartments. South of us there was a murder/suicide near Alexandria.   Is the cold weather becoming too much for some people…perhaps.

I am a sleepwalker, so I can understand how a six year old could make it outside and never make it back inside the house again. The wind chill was –40 F to –50 F that night with temperatures in the –30’s. I used to worry about our girls when they were little, once kids can reach the door knob they can leave the house on their own.  I used to stick a butter knife sideways flat against the door and angle it into the door trim.   It made for a good lock…they couldn’t reach it.  I recall my parents doing the same thing to keep me inside the old farmhouse when I was little.  A simple thing as an everyday butter knife can save a child’s life.

I have my fingers and toes crossed that March will bring warmer temperatures …but I am not holding my breath.

New snow and old toys

We got five inches of new snow at the snowstick.

Fun. 

I worked upstairs most of the day.  Sorting “stuff.”  Here are few old toys that I found recently!

This is a wooden cube puzzle from about 1960.  It has Disney Characters, originally it came in a plastic case and it was made in West Germany.  It is a six sided puzzle and a real treat to put together.  There are some sheets of paper that show the completed puzzle. I bought it at a garage sale a few years ago for $5.00

This is an old rocking horse with storage under the seat.  I bought it at a sale and our Grandkids used it, it is a safe rocking horse because it was closer to the ground if they fell off.  It was made in Michigan.

I thought there was just one kind of logs…Lincoln Logs.  Not so… these are Vintage Halsam  American Logs.  They have the hand hewn look.  I should have built a house or something…maybe another day.  These would have originally came in a old cardboard container with a tin cover.  I am not sure why I have this set.  I had several other new sets and the grandkids loved to play with them as did lots of other little kids when they came to the Greenhouse with their parents.  I had two drawers full of toys for little kids.  The only thing I can think of is that I bought this set to go with the others and it never quite made it there.

Blizzard

I am not sure if they named this last blizzard or not.  The wind was raw.

We ran an errand to the neighbors and went to the end of the driveway to take a photo.

This was at 1 PM it was pretty dark and dreary. School was two hours late and I didn’t hear if they got out early.  If I had been in charge the weather conditions would have made me nervous for the school busses.

There are two roads out there, we didn’t see or couldn’t see any traffic.

Back in our yard the snow stick measures about 12 1/2 inches of snow on the ground so far this winter…that would be the compacted number.  That is more snow than last year at this time.

I stayed outside for a short time watching the birds.

This Downy Woodpecker didn’t mind me sneaking up on him.

The Wild Turkeys were here the other day, one of them pecked at our kitchen window.  We have corn for them and will set up a feeding area for them in the woods where they can poop and eat to their hearts content.

We saw a huge Buck complete with a set of impressive antlers near my brothers driveway.  I have never found a shed antler in Minnesota…that would be a real treat. Usually they shed their antlers in Mid Winter December – March.

October Happenings

The weather has turned cold and damp.  Bone chilling dampness that makes your body hurt all over.  I got out my snow boots.  I should have gotten out my parka too. Hindsight is twenty twenty or perhaps I am delusional and think it will warm up.

The snow brought out the Juncos to the grass under the feeders.  The Blue Jays are passing through too, I hope they don’t stay. Squirrels and Blue Jays can be within a foot of each other and still not be bothered.

There are still a bunch of leaves in the trees.

There is a Red Bellied Woodpecker in that tree.

Our usual birds are still here; Nuthatches, Chickadees and Woodpeckers…Downy, Hairy and Red Bellied.

This is a female Downy Woodpecker…they have a shorter beak than the Hairys.

We put the snow stick up yesterday.  We will have some fun with that and have a snow stick contest like last year and the year before.  This year the stick has larger numbers…for us older people.

As you can see there is some snow on those leaves.  I hope it melts so we can mulch the yard at least one more time.

Far Guy got the Wild Gardens all mowed down.

Someone got some snow on his ears.  It is that time of year that makes dog owners nervous.  The skunks are out.  The other night we saw two running along the road and there are sail skunks ( dead as a door nail flatter than a pancake and uber smelly) on the roads…and we all cheer…well Chance would cheer if he could.  I take Chance out at night on leash only.  Far Guy is braver and goes outside and barks and then takes Chance out off leash.  I question that…better safe than sorry I say…but they are males and I am out numbered. It will almost be a relief when we finally get a foot or more of snow on the ground and the skunks go into their semi hibernation state. It will be warmer once the snow blankets the ground too:)