Let's talk about the weather

It's 17 degrees outside today. There's a woodpecker right outside my window that is tapping and it kinda sounds like ice slowly melting and dripping off the slate roof. Perhaps that's just my hopes running off with my imagination. It is still nice to look outside and even though everything is brown and white, the little red headed woodpecker is working over the old apple tree for it's winter breakfast.

Today, I kinda feel like I'm always pushing the seasons to change faster, like the four seasons should be condensed and not drag on for so long. Perhaps it's just that winter doesn't seem so exciting after the holidays.

The first snow that pummeled down on in the new year lent well to building giant snowmen in the front yard. My sister and Travis made a huge snowman in browns gear and a green snow gator. Jason and I made a very disproportionate snowman (we forgot the proper way to roll snowman balls) with a huge center and a tiny base. We made a little snow dog for our snowman to stand next to with one ear up and one ear down, just like pepper.
The snowmen have been up for weeks, with their facial expressions changing as their pine branch eyebrows were moved by the wind and their bodies started to slump over in that brief warm spell, making them look like they are peering through the windows.

My new thing is sitting on craigslist and seeing what people are getting rid of. Recently, I got a little rabbit for free along with a couple pairs of silkie roosters from a 4H project who recently discovered that there's not always a 50/50 chance that you'll hatch a girl.

It is amazing what people are getting rid of... One man's trash is another mans treasure --- or at least something to do until it warms up outside.

winter is plodding along

So I'm actually surprised to find that winter is plodding along at a decent pace. It's the 13th of January and i feel like the sun is slowly pulling us closer to summertime. Granted, it's still dark by 5:30, but at least feel like I'm getting a bit of Vitamin D during the day.

I put the garlic in the ground in the snow, Siberian, white striped, red toch, music pink, and another type that's escaping my mind today. I know you're supposed to plant them in the fall,

but life eternally gets away from me and the fall time is for falling back and making a game plan... and of course watching the Sunday afternoon games. I feel like just now, I'm starting to get a handle on where we're going with this year, and yes, it does take me the whole month of January to make up my new years resolutions.

We also made some cider before the holidays swept us away, pretty much just clearing out the old apples after the snow had knocked them all down. The shock in our hands was frighteningly painful, but we are all happily working up a sweat under ten layer, just thinking of hard apple cider, apple brandy, and whatever else we can do to make it deliciously alcoholic.

It turned out to be quite a process, but with a lot of people helping, is seemed like more fun than work. Well... at least for the people who weren't washing the apples with freezing cold water. and yes, that is snow in the pictures.

So far, I've already put in an order of peeps to be delivered Feb 16th and an order of seeds to come at the end of January. Soon we'll be starting the pepper and celery seeds and I'm happy now to have my sister home from Florida, albeit freezing here with us, but happy to help with the gardens and other events around the park.

This is going to be a great year. I can't wait to get started!