On a snowy day over 60 years ago, Momma bundled me up in my snowsuit, Daddy grabbed his camera, and my black Cocker Spaniel named Flop and I went out to play in the snow. We posed in the back yard for the first of many photos that day. We went into Jesse Gile's (our next door neighbor) yard to build a snowman and snap another series of photos. That snowman is as tall as I am!! Yesterday I walked down 6th Street to the house that I grew up in to capture a memory. Holding that old photo in just the right position proved more difficult than I anticipated, but I still got the shot I was hoping for. I spent the first 7 years of my life in that little white house in the background and I love living on W. 6th Street once again. Have a wonderful weekend everyone and take a bit of time to go back to the snowy days of your childhood. It will bring a smile to your face and warm your heart too!
The snow started about 7:00 p.m. last evening as predicted. We knew it was coming, but the big question mark was how much we would ultimately get. Given the range of 3 to 10 inches in different parts of North Carolina, all we could do was wait and see what daybreak looked like. By New England standards, three and a half inches isn't much of a snow, but for this Southern chicklet it was perfect! And pretty I might add. Waffles for breakfast, beautiful scenery through the windows, and a second cup of coffee . . . the perfect way to start off a snowy North Carolina morning!
When Miss Murphy hopped back in bed this morning with wet feet, I knew something was up. There was a chance, late last night and into the morning, of snow, but I didn't give it too much thought. Then when Cousin Rob announced it was a "biscuit and bacon morning" on Facebook, I knew it was the real deal. Here's the proof . . . Yeppers, Spring is definitely on hold!!
Last evening I joined a couple of my church friends, Linda and Susan, and a bunch of their friends for several hours of fun at a local painting studio called The Freckled Frog. With lots of patterns to choose from and just as many colors, it was up to us to do the painting and the staff would do the glamping! Letters, flip flops, bird houses, and Easter crosses were the most popular choices in our party, but as you can see in that photo up there, I chose a coffee cup. Surprise, surprise. When our pieces were dry, they were taken in the back where glitter, ribbons and bows, details, and lettering were added. We were all anxiously awaiting the finished project. I couldn't believe how stunning mine looked and everyone seemed to like it too. Plus, it gave me a chance to talk about camping and Sisters on the Fly. I didn't stay long enough for a group photo because I got really cold sitting in front of the big street-front window. Here's the group photo of the gals when everyone finished . . . I know I will go back again because there's a teardrop camper that I just gotta paint for Splash! Zip HERE for a link to their Facebook page to check out the details.
Have a great weekend everyone and I'll see ya on Monday! If I were still teaching, these last two days would have been called "snow days". Instead, they are just normal retirement days where the schedules of folks around me are interrupted. C.O.R.E Fitness was closed yesterday, schools were closed yesterday and today, our church activities for Lent have been cancelled . . . stuff like that. Today I've watched it snow while the sun is shining, washed clothes, worked on the Blue Ridge Rally, sent emails to friends, made posts on Facebook, worked out, worried about the single digit temps that are rolling in tonight, enjoyed having Wendy home from work, read with the pups on my lap. Nothing extraordinary, but very satisfying on these snow days of retirement.
Stay warm, be safe on the roads, and enjoy your day whether it's a snow day or not. The front yard, sidewalks, and streets are covered in sleet today. We did not get the anticipated snow yesterday and into the evening, neither did we get hit with freezing rain and ice. Even though there's not a huge accumulation out there, it's enough to close schools and slow down life around here for a bit. Yesterday was clean up day for the big hemlock tree in my front yard that fell during some high winds Saturday night. I chatted with the fellows doing the work and when I saw a chunk of wood sitting on top of the stump, I knew right away that I was going to get a bear. Brad, the guy wielding the chainsaw, is the Newton bear artist who always leaves behind a bit of whimsy. I have one of his creations in the side yard when I lost my flowering cherry tree last year. He is also the man up in the bucket truck that got the tree off the power lines Saturday night. I told him I said a prayer for him while watching him sway in the wind, in the dark, in the cold! Without further ado, here's my Hemlock Bear . . . Thanks for my Newton bear Mr. Brad and thanks again to the City of Newton Utility Department for taking care of me!!
I was quite surprised this morning when I heard a chainsaw about 8:30. Two fellows from the City were back here working on my tree. I thought maybe it would be my responsibility to clean up the mess, but they got right to work cutting off limbs, chipping up the debris, clearing the sidewalk, and sawing the trunk into chunks. Before heading off to work out, I snapped some photos through the windows of the progress being made. Looks like I am on my own from this point. Maybe someone will stop by and offer to cut the rest of the two trunks in exchange for the wood. I don't know what hemlock wood is good for, but anyone that wants it is welcome to it!
TWO HOURS LATER: I heard another chainsaw out front about 1:30 and much to my delight, the City fellows were back and had finished what they started this morning! The two trunks were gone, all the little debris in the street had been swept up, and a leaf blower did quick work to clean off the sidewalk and my front walkway! The mayor lives just two blocks away and you better believe I'm going to sing the praises of our City crews to her!! I also want to send a thank you card to the utilities department. As an added bonus, I got one of the famous Newton bears! Come back tomorrow and I'll introduce you to my Hemlock Bear! I'm not a superstitious person, but I've lived enough life to know that things happen in threes. I've had this niggling little feeling that was about to happen once again. Murphy's health issues, needing a new hot water heater, and ???????. The pups and I went to bed kinda early last night. Everyone was spooked by the wicked winds we were having. A bit after 11:00 in a pre-sleep haze, I heard a tree fall down. I looked at the clock and knew the power was still on, so that was a good thing. Throwing on some clothes, I went down stairs to investigate. The minute I got at the foot of the stairs I looked out the foyer window and realized I couldn't see the school across the street. That meant only one thing . . . my huge V-shaped hemlock tree had fallen. Then it dawned on me that it had fallen away from the house and not on my bedroom a mere ten feet away! Upon closer inspection, I could tell it was hanging on the power lines and was out in the road. A quick call to the police department had a cruiser in front of the house in minutes. Then came the fire truck and rescue squad. For the next three hours, the City of Newton crews (3 trucks) are up in their buckets, swinging in that wind, taking care of business! Of course I am roving from window to window to window watching everything. My intersection is blocked with vehicles, red truck lights are going round and round, and I can hear men's voices shouting instructions to each other. Way up high in a bucket, a man starts taking out limbs with a chain saw and foot by foot the tree comes down and off the lines. Waking up every neighbor around me, the chipper/shredder goes to work cleaning up the debris. Finally the men up in the buckets restore the power lines and at 2:30 a.m., they all drive off with a job-well-done. Peace and quiet and safety has returned. Now it's time for the photos . . . Who knew that one of the trunks was completely eaten away inside by ants. That and some vicious wind combined for a pretty scary scenario. I'm mighty thankful that God was watching over me last night because it could have had a much different ending!!
Stay tuned for the follow-up story. You know the saying . . . "if it's not one thing, it's another." That's pretty apropos for my last 24 hours. I discovered yesterday that my hot water heater was leaking. Not a big leak, but a drip, drip, drip nonetheless. My old one was a 2005 and I'm told that 10 years is about the life expectancy. Well rats! I spent the better part of yesterday afternoon talking to Charlie my plumber and trying to track down the right sized replacement water heater. I finally found one at Lowes so I went there first thing this morning and bought it. Charlie followed just a bit behind me for the pick-up. About two hours later, the old kaput one was out and voila, the new one was installed. You just gotta love hometown heroes like Charlie who can fix a plumbing problem in less then 24 hours!! In case you are wondering, Becky and I will not be heading to Florida to join our Swamp Cabbage Peeps. I weighed all the pros and cons and decided that I need to stay home with Miss Murphy. She is doing well and I thank you for your continued kind words and best wishes. I think we have turned the corner.
Since my last Postcard with a Murphy update, we have had some good days and bad days. I had to take her back to the ER last Friday due to more vomiting. We changed her meds and food, and she didn't react to it very well. Yesterday was another bad day, but today her stitches came out and she's having a great day. My Florida trip is definitely up in the air at this point and there's a good possibility that Sister Becky will be traveling with Husband Roger instead of me. Heavy sigh… In the meantime, I'm concentrating on my Blue Ridge Rally to-do list. Becky and I made a trip to Lowes last Saturday to get plywood for the Make 'N Take signs. I have a boatload of them to make this year! I spent the day pulling out trailer templates and transferring the designs to the plywood. The next step will be to pull out the circular saw to rip the 1x4s into 12" pieces. From there, each camper will be cut out with my Dremmel saw. I will give you another peek at the process at that time.
My life with Murphy will be one day at a time, hoping that the good days far outnumber the bad ones. I'll chat with you soon. |
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