Good Mornin , Y'all.

Good Mornin' y'all!

Hope all our family and friends

are doing fine !

We are well and have enjoyed

a pretty nice week or so..

The weather here had

me going for a few days...

The sun seemed to shine more than usual

the temps actually got above the freezing point

a couple of days in a row..

some of the actual ground was showing..

Thoughts of warmer greener weather

slipped into my dreams!!

Knowing it is about time

for the daffodils to be in bloom

has really haunted me...

I think of Chloe

walking along smelling them

and then just laying down amongst their yellow

crowns of fragrance

(Chloe ..2005)

Alas, Old Man Winter opened his eyes and blew another cold reminder..

that he was still a force to be reckoned with!

But, not to be out done..

this Southern soul needed

and I repeat

"needed"

some sign that spring is

indeed around the bend..if not just

the corner!!!

So off to the local nursery..

here in Rye

it is the "Potting Shed"

owned by a sweet young North Carolina couple

and their dog..Angel.

note:

You have to watch Angel..

she will run out and get in the car with you...

she loves to ride!

Chloe road with me that day..

she also loves to ride in her van!

So with my procurement from the "Shed"

we went back to love lane..

found some small trifle bowls

put some rocks in the bottom a little water

and some bulbs to "force".

My spirits are raised...

in other words..

I have tickled myself!

Paper Whites

***

On Valentines Day

Michael and I road over to

Kittery Maine

for lunch..

then on up Hwy 16

to a little area covered in shops..

A Christmas Shop, a General Store,

Gift Shop, Quilt Shop...

We each enjoyed a piece of "GREAT" candy..

mine was a scrumptious "turtle"!

The ponds were frozen as was most of the

river up that way ..



a day for playing in the snow..

children sledding

***


Miss Bo-Bo loves for the fireplace


to be lit..


With some melting and the ground showing

around the edges of the yard

deer came out to get a sample..

I tried to take pictures..

Its always about dusk and hard

to get..

the first day or two..

it was a picture of blackness

and pin pricks of light from their eyes!!

So if you look hard

you can see them on this side of the granite fence..

Chloe was showing signs of worry!

Her snow seemed to be getting

smaller and no fresh storms

were replenishing it!

(she loves to be toweled off..when wet

from rain or snow.. she will wear her towel

for hours!)

Mr. Boo-Boo

***

The weatherman called for snow

on Wed.

We dodged that bullet...

he did not call for it on Thursday..

Thursday night

I was looking at the Rye Beach web cam

...was that snow?....

Turning to look out the sliding door...

there I spied Chloe ginning

as snow fell all around..

and on her !!

Friday morning we had about 3 inchesof new snow...

It had "snuck" in and covered the ground again!

Some have asked me about

the "Weather Stick"

in the kitchen window...

thinking it might be a broken window...

following is an explanation from "Wikipedia"

Weather stick
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Also known as a Maine weather stick ,

the weather stick is a balsam fir rod,

generally about 40cm (16") long which when

mounted outside twists upward with the onset of good weather

and downward as inclement weather approaches.

These sticks were first used by the aboriginals of the American northeast

and the Canadian east and southeast,

who noted the behavior of dry branches prior to the arrival of weather changes.

The weather stick is a rare example of a weather prediction tool

which predates the mercury barometer.
Left: dry air, Center: increasing humidity,

Right: very humid
Experimentation shows that this device is a generally accurate

predictor of weather change.

An experiment was done in which a weatherstick

was placed beneath an overhang to protect it from direct precipitation,

while allowing it to be affected by all other atmospheric conditions.

Measurements of the amount of light,

the air temperature, and the relative humidity

were taken over a two-week period,

and of the factors considered,

the only one of significance in the bending of the stick

appeared to be relative humidity.

Don Ross, a New England researcher, has found that,

in a controlled environment test,

weather sticks show a strong response to relative humidity.

Ross also constructed a weather stick over seven feet (210cm) long, which,

when mounted horizontally, has a travel of its own length

between dry and extremely wet weather.
Dampness causes wood to twist or warp.

The wood used to construct a weather stick is from a tree whose branches differ in density between the top and bottom of the branch.

Wood, as the product of a living organism, is made of cells.

In green wood, these cells are filled with liquid.

In dry wood, however, the cells have lost their moisture,

shrunk, and left air pockets between them,

the reason why a dry piece of wood is

much lighter than a green or a waterlogged piece.

Differential swelling is what causes the branch to bend

- under certain conditions, such as a change in relative humidity,

the top of the branch will swell to a different degree than the bottom,

forcing the branch to bend in an arc

with the less swollen part of the branch on the inside of the arc.
Weather sticks may be constructed

from any of a number of varieties of fir,

though willow sticks are common in Russia

and there are reports of birch being used in North America.

Whatever material is used, weather sticks appear durable,

with usage times reported in the range of decades.

Users also report that,

as well as being good predictors of inclement weather,

they are excellent conversation pieces.
***

This user also reports that our weather stick

even tells you if it snowed..

see how the snow will just lay right on top of it?

***

We have been discussing the

different tracks we have been

seeing in the snow..

this is a picture of the ever elusive

snow princess,

Chloe.

Oh, look!!

Its Wilbur's mini -me!

***

That day the deer came back..

I tried REAL hard to get some good pictures

even going as far as climbing up on the kitchen counter

and tippy toeing..

trying my best to get over that

dadgum bush...

I thought about how my step stool on

top of the counter would probably

be just the right highth..

and then I thought of how my

gracefulness would more than likely

interveen and if I lived through

it..

Michael would want to give me

that

"Did you loose your ever loving mind?" look..

and he would never quit "coaching" me about

how not to "stack-up" things and climb...

so sometimes the bush

is in the way...

***

I hope Dee-Cee will not mind that I

post these..

they are just to cute not to share..

and we are so happy..

Our little fellow drank with

a straw!

Now, some of you might think this a small feat..

but, do not forget he has had the cleft palate

since birth only having it repaired this

past fall...

so, in other words..

he never knew how to suck on a straw..

(they took these with their cell phone)

Yeah, Michael !!!

***

This past week we got a call on the web-cam

while Joseph was over to visit...

Michael loves playing with his big cousin!

Ask Michael "How old are you"

now he will hold up 2 fingers and say

"TWOOOO"

***

http://www.nhtourguide.com/live_webcam_rye_beach_nh.htm

click on the site above and go to the
Rye Beach webcam

***

This past Friday we found ourselves

just south of Portland, Maine

@

We have eaten at "Famous Daves"

in Virginia..

It was very good...

don't get me wrong now..

its NO "Dreamland"

but then look where we are!

I had the baby back ribs...

Michael has always told me

I look good in my food...

it was sticky and lip smacking good..

The ambiance was just right..

a warm room with piped in music..

..the blues..

and do not forget

the late great

Stevie Ray Vaughn!

I had a wonderful time on our

"date"
***

time to start another project

***

Yesterday, Michael and I went

to the "Widow Fletchers"

for Sunday brunch...

he had to go to the job site..

tearing up and rebuilding cath labs calls for

a close watch..

on the way

a couple of Clidesdales live

***

They have been calling for a

"Nor-easter" on Sunday night

Michael had to go to Charlotte N.C.

for a presentation for his company..

so Monday he flies out of Boston..

Charlotte NC

***

Since, Michael is not here...

B-B-Q

index

this would not slow Michael down..

me on the other hand

I am thinking ...

..dumplings..

yep, boiled biscuits!

the nor easter only brought us 4 or 5

inches of new snow.

but, its a very wet snow

kinda gloppy looking

what do you hear girl?

Tom is here to plow the drive way..

not got this side yet

None of those hands happen to

belong to a certain

Great Pyrenees...

Why this morning she was so

happy with the new

snow

she "wallered"

***

I suppose for now I will

continue to hibernate..

and peek out ever so often

over the horizon..

watching for the arrival of

spring...