What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

We had sun in spurts yesterday but today we are back to a white world out there both sky and landscape. It has continued to snow a lot- small flakes but they add up. The saying at home was "small snow, big snow" and when the snowflakes were large...."big snow, small snow". This has been a winter of small snow building up. The dogs love it all of course. I'm so happy that having obedient Petey, who comes when called, join us has meant Ned stays close too and no longer needs to be on a leash. This ...

 Below is Ned on a trail we only get to walk on in the winter so it is a little bit special to be there.This is the wetland area that is usually under a couple feet of water. I imagine all the peepers, frogs, toads and other critters that are snoozing below our feet when I tramp along there. 

The lone rabbit is still hanging around. I glanced out the kitchen window and ears caught my eye amongst the old vegetation.

 This is an Eastern Cottontail and he will stay mostly brown/grey all winter. I wish he would move on into the forest but there are so many places to provide sheltar for him here; I understand why he wants to stay ...

I got up at 6 this morning and went right out in the garden by myself which has so many rewards. (But left two pouting dogs to do so.) Instead I had my shears with me on this walkabout and did a little snipping here and there. I disturbed three turkeys who I think must have overnighted somewhere nearby. I sat by the pond and reminded my body how important it is to relax. It is hard for me to sit and do nothing...by the pond like that early morning is the closest I can come. But even then ...

We have a Phoebe nest on the abandoned sound box on the back of the house and a robin's nest on the front veranda. I tried to discourage the robin because, years ago, the last to nest there came to a sad end. But my banging about out there didn't work. How I wish she had chosen the light on the wall just opposite her. Last year's robin family did quite well there. 

This was a good week for me and here are some of the things that made it so. 

 #1This bird below is another first ...

 The birdsong alone is worth a very early morning start to the day. A switch has been turned and it's like cue the sun, the birds, and all the growing things too. Here Ned is amazed by the sprouting leaves that have appeared seemingly overnight. 

Note the fallen trees and branches; ice storms are very hard on old trees.

Pouring down rain lately made for a couple of  drab mornings. One of those mornings, I used my thrifted umbrella, the one that is kind of useless as it doesn't really keep the rain off just sort of but I love the shape and colour. I bought it years ago and it remains my most unusual and probably most impractical thrift buy. 

Do you know what this is?

One morning, I crept about because a Canada Goose was taking a nap on the far side. Like the little squirrel in the last post, I feared there was something amiss seeing it flat out in the grass like this. 

 From reading blogs, I'm quickly realizing I'm not the only one thinking February flew by. The weather outside my windows is back to frightful so nothing is indicating a new spring like month. Here March is an in between month anyway and can go either way, keep us snowbound or bring on rain and melting. Weather is not that important to me. I would never move somewhere just for weather though I might avoid some areas because of the kind of weather they have. I don't think I'd do well where there is high humidity a ...

I've just made myself a nice decaf coffee with frothed milk made from sweetened almond milk. I think of this as a tiny treat- this time after picking up a load of sticks to use as fire starters while walking Ned. Toting the bag and with Ned on the leash made the going a little rougher especially as our trails are still not flattened. A good little workout though. The cute appliqued bear placemats were found at the thrift store, still in their original ( I thought) box, which was quite crushed, but they were completely unharmed. Finding such makes ...

 I'll speak of weather and get it out of the way as it were. We got advance warning of a winter storm so I was able to fill the feeders, get in my bit of firewood to start the fire and have an extra long walk in the evening thinking I wouldn't get out the next morning.

I woke up to a temperature of -28C windchill outside yesterday but the good news is it quickly warmed up to -12 but that means one thing here...snow. Yes, we got a mini snowstorm with a freezing drizzle warning for the afternoon. I'd had plans to go out for a grocery shop but that had been postponed till later. The forecast is for more of the same today. Meanwhile, we are hunkering down by the fire, well Tony is. For me, as soon as I post this, put away the darks laundry, tote another load of wood up ...

 How are you?  January always seems like a long month but here it is done. Here is Ned on the trail having a sit and a think about how time is passing by so fast. He's thinking one day I was a puppy and next month I'm going to be 4! 

And so we move on to February and blues, but not the moody or sad ones, over at Angela's RSC Party. There always seems like a lot of blues in my stash and they never get depleted. If I did a poll, I bet a lot ...

Thanks for the lovely comments about my veranda views. I miss Newfoundland very much but I certainly can't complain about where I'm living these days. It is beautiful and I enjoy all the critters so much too. Of course, those photos don't show the mosquitoes or the heat. However, no sun this morning; it is rather gloomy with promised thunder and lightening today.  So it goes.

Our busy week is over that included two medical appointments for Tony. And we did take Ned to the vet and now he is on two drugs and has a special ...

Everything is about the garden these days here in our tiny patch of the world. I tried to think of a word to describe ours and came up with lush. I was exclaiming how the heat has encouraged so much growth; the front area is full and almost overgrown looking so early in the season. Tony pointed out that I've been adding to it each summer for the eight years I've been here. Of course, everything has grown taller and wider over those years. At this point, I won't be adding any more plants/trees to the ...

Just like that, our world outside is a million shades of green.

Tony and Ned on the side lawn

We are kind of holding our breaths re the weather. Still no snow. Is it possible we could slip into April without another snowfall. Here is the backyard view this morning; not a flake in sight, and sunshine streaming in.