Melting on the Middle of the Week....

 Before isn't that big but it is a snowbank leftover from the 27 inches of snow last week.

The after shot looks like this as the drift keeps shrinking. We are going to get up to 58° F. again today so it may even disappear. 

On the southern side of the yard you can see that alll the snow is gone. It really doesn't look like spring as our daylight is gray as we have overcast skies. 

The Christmas tree on top of the chest is gone and the glassware is migrating back.  I have a lot of vases of various sizes and colors that I store on a shelf just outside on the garage shelf.  It makes it handy for selecting something when I buy new cut flowers. I also can pick out things to use to decorate the chest or shelves. The green tumbler is one of my mom's which there is a set of six of them. I guess she got them during her early time of marriage but she never used them once. I guess she might have put flowers in one on rare occasions. I guess shore stems of lilac fit into them.

On the shelf are just things on display. Objects in our house always have memories of times or people.  I bought the middle tea pot and smaller creamer at an antique store in Ames, Iowa. The are Czech and the glazes are really bad on them.  It was less expensiive and fun to have them because they are old. The platter is a fond memory of my wife's late friend.  She loved buying stray items at thrift, junk, shops when she needed something for a meal she was serving for guests. The platter was needed when she served roast to us at one time. It is fine china with a great pattern on it.  We we closed down her apartment there were all sorts of things, one of a kind, that she had picked up for a buck or two. 

Thanks for checking in today.

Tuesday's Things.....

 

I brought my burro and cart up from the basement.  It is an old planter. I remember it sitting on the kitchen table on a big crochet doily. It was in the 1950s and the table was a formica topped table. As a young boy it seemed pretty wonderful. It is over 70 years old now and the burro keeps on pulling the cart very well. 

 

 I received a new bird feeder for Christmas from  my wife. It has taken me a while to figure out the tech part of the camera but I did get it figured out. The camera turns on when it detects motion, that includes me when I am filling the feeder. It is going to be fun. When I get the rest of it figured out I will share a video of a bird at the feeder.  I am working on converting their movie to play on my computer. 

My birdhouse decorates my nook in the plant stand. It is one of my favorites that I made during covid lock down in the winter time.  The plant amazes me as I bought it as a three of four leafed plant. It is a pepperomia plant.  I always have to look up the spelling of it.  I remember when the plant was sold as one to put into glassed in gardens back in the sixties. Terrariium is the name I had to search for also.  The plant has grown abundantly in that big pot. I really never dreamed that it could be a plant that would like that.  I have a hard time keeping it watered. 

I had an appointment this morning for a hearing aid check-up and then I went for some groceries afterwards. I found coffee pods in a large box that cost only thirty two cents a piece.  That was a good deal considering how more expensive that they are in smaller boxes.  I can use up a hundred of them in a couple of months as I do make coffee in my big maker each morning. I use two a day with an afternoon coffee and an evening coffee. The math then means I have fifty days worth of pods. 

Thanks for stopping by today.

Taken Down......

 

Our weather conditions continue to gives us these great sunrises. If I were sleeping in I would miss it for sure. 

 

 

The tree is out and the robot is in to clean up the floor.   Our son gave us the robot vacuum and it does a great job of getting up the surface stuff.I had fake tree needles  everywhere and Hazel, we call her that, did get all those green things up off the floor.  I have vacuumed after it and the thing isn't doing a deep clean but it is good and saves my back when I am tired. 

 

 

The tree went into three boxes and are now in storage for the rest of the year.  It is good to get it done and move on through our winter. 

After it was all taken apart and put in the box this one lone ornament lay on the floor.  My mom use to sit and create patterns of ornaments from her imagination.  I have stockings that also were crochet like grannie squares and formed from them. 

Our snow is melting at 52°F today. It is good to see it gone but it isn't all gone yet. Thanks for stopping by today.

 

Sunless Day....

  The indoor garden is doing well.  I need to high grade some of my plants and take out some that are just tired from being in their pots. I have windows downstairs where I can move things that are less healthy. 

As a kid I found pine cones magical. Southern Iowa did not have many pine trees at the time. We had nothing on the farm that put out cones. The cedar trees that grew like weeds didn't do pine cones. I loved traveling to Colorado as a kid and picking up pine cones. My parents traveled a lot after I left home and my mom had collections of very large ones from their travels.  This new wreath is one of my favorites as it has these pine cones. 

Our last tree is down and we now have a large open space back in our sun room.  My wife's village will be next to be deassembled.  I usually bring up a few boxes each day and take it down gradually. It makes it more pleasant to take it easy.  We are home now from church and eating out a meal.  We will take it easy for the rest of the day. Thanks for stopping by today.

Recorded Progress.....Melting.

 My barometer that I have for melting snow progress is my neighbor's snow bank.  It filled the front yard over there and as the warm weather it keeps shrinking. Year after year I have watch that guy's yard to think maybe spring is coming. 

I can watch the snow melt in my own yard too as that area is slowly shrinking.  The wind blows through the area and you can see where the biggest drift was created.

 

 These are really not photos of greatnes.  They are more informal shots of everyday happening. I do remember the top set of stepping stones were very hard work as I moved them from their diagonal location to the one you see new. It was hot while digging them out and digging new holes for them to be set into for a new path. Summer projects ban be so hard to do and then one soon forgets as the seasons change. 

In two different working sessions my wife and I have removed all the ornaments from the big tree.  I removed the lights on my owned and a third of the tree branches are in a box.  I am taking a break to blog and will return to take down the last of the branches.  It has been a good run for our Christmas decorations and now it is done. Actually in ten months we could start all over again.  My outdoor tree on the deck came down on the first of February and my neighbor John then didn't turn his house Christmas  lights anymore.  I smile to think he is watching me.  I do put that tree up for our enjoyment but I like to think John's two boys can look up and see the tree every night. Apparently John too is seeing it. 

Thanks for stopping in today.

Friday.....

 Looking out the downstairs bedroom window I can see winter in decline.  Its not a big deal as I know February can be our hardest time of winter. I really feel lucky to have inherited this blue spruce as it takes me farther away than just living in Iowa.  The neighbors two trees gives us a forest feel. 

In another room downstairs is the trundle bed area. I made this from the young boys two twin beds from a long time ago.  The youngest son is 45 years old so you know the beds are old. The quilt top fits here well. The curiosity of the quilt top will remain unanswered. People who lost their moms who were quilters would give my mom their unfinished quilts. When we closed down the house I found this one that is a great traditional pattern. It is just the top and was never put into a quilt.  I too gave quilt pieces to one of my friend's wife that she could use for creative things. 

 

 Pick a chair to use if you have a doll. We took down some of the dolls and haven't returned them. It is Friday and thanks for stopping by today.

Thursday's Sky,,,,,,

 

A warmer day means a great sunrise.  It was so full of color as the sun reflected off of the clouds.  unfortunately the clouds are still hanging around causing us to have a dull day. We are 50° F. at noon and won't get much higher.  It is helping to take off the snow inches at a time. 

 

 The oxalis is happy to get more light than normal winter light. It is a pot full stems and leaves that let me know right away if they are out of water. 

The sun room shelves are always cheery looking with the different collected items. My wife's painting of the seagull fits right in with all that is sitting on the shelves.  We are having a quiet day today.  I have been sorting tax papers and calling my pharmacy for some billing mistakes.  I didn't get a straight answer as to why they hadn't applied insurance to the bill but they did refund me half.  It was a very large sum so it is good to get half of it back.  I do have more meds to pick up but I will wait until tomorrow.  I feel like I am visiting the pharmacy excessively but it is what it is..

Thanks for stopping by.