Quarantine

March started out for us in a normal way.  It came in like a lamb and we enjoyed our warmer days.

There are usually a few Fridays with no school, and we had the boys over night, Zane alone for a weekend and Barry and Christian after one of Barry's basketball games. 

I guess Barry is ready for summer.

Bubbles

Checking things out with Papa.

Christian tried on my grandpa's glasses, from a long time ago.

They enjoyed bag kites on some of those very windy days.

It took nearly all the blankets we had to build this fort. 

And then, normality ceased.

The coronavirus came knocking on the door and the country went into panic mode.

It is a serious virus and needs to be taken seriously.  However, I think that most of what is published in the main stream media is exaggerated, taken out of context, and some blatantly untrue.  I didn't ever intend for my blog to be in any way, shape or form, political; but in this season of our country, they are inciting panic where reason is needed.  

We are not panicking in this household.

We are staying home and obeying the rules. 

We had toilet paper enough to get by on for a few weeks.  Even so, about a week in to the panic mode of everyone buying out the toilet paper, one of our employees called Jim, "They're stocking toilet paper!" So he went in and got some. 

Snow -- March 9

Truffles with sprinkles from the Netherlands.

Hail -- March 13

The boys have had to adjust to a new way of living, during this quarantine.

With no school they have a schedule of chores, school work, playtime and snacks. 

They are having to learn to get along.

They spend most of their time in their family room in an enormous blanket fort. 

We don't get to see them, because I am in the "more risk" category.

Three-Square

Study time

Teacher Parade

April's News

Last year I was looking after Lorene's boys full time, so I don't have as many stories and photos.  I keep up with the boys are doing this month, by snitching photos off facebook.  

And watching their football games.  We like to support our grandchildren, but the first football game we were able to watch was in 40 degree temperatures and 30 mph winds.  You couldn't wear enough clothes or have enough blankets to be really comfortable.  Christian was so miserable, 

he and I watched in their van at a distance.  

During that time, it was just as enjoyable to watch Barry play, alone with a football, his own game.  I could tell by his actions; his tackles, passes, catches and touchdowns.  I don't know if beautiful is the right word here, but anytime I see a kid playing with only his imagination, it stirs my heart.  

There are a lot of interesting things you can do in this life and obviously one of them is watching ostriches race.  I never heard of such a thing, and especially not in our state, but here is proof.  

I wasn't the one watching any big racing birds, but my grandkids were.

Spring is here, more or less.  It's been chilly, warmish, windy, snowy, cloudy and rainy.  

I sure would like to see a bit more sun. 

These Scilla are some of the earliest flowers that come up.

We like to buy small trees from our NRD, they are less expensive that way to plant in the windbreak/screen we are making on the south side of our property.  Jim bought several red oak trees this year with the idea to plant some at the farm to eventually replace the green ash trees that eventually will be killed by the emerald ash borer. 

So, we went out to the farm to plant trees.

We also planted several acorns, burr oak, I think.  

The following photos don't really show what I saw and what I wanted to tell. 

This first one is a picture along the dry creek on our farm where we planted most of the little trees. 

We had major flooding in a large part of our state due to snow, frozen ground and lots of rain.  We didn't think our property was affected, but you can see trash caught in these trees.  The creek is about 6-7 ft. deep and the grass in the branches is above ground level. 

Water running through here must have been 3 ft. deep judging from the trash clinging to the branches of that fallen tree. 

Jim cuts wood here and then tosses the small branches in piles near the creek bed.  We don't realize how powerful water in until we've seen what it can do.  We've got a little dam going here. 

Same place, same idea.  That's a nice sized log that the water tumbled down the creek. 

Jim planted a peach tree last fall, and it is blooming.  We are hoping for a few peaches this year, but we've had several frosts while the blooms were on, which kept Jim rushing out to spray the tree with water before sunup. 

I kept the drawings on this white board for a good 5 or more years, because it was cute.  It makes more sense to use a white board as it is intended so I took a photo for posterity's sake. 

Boys.

And more boys.

And chicks...

...which we need more of like a cat has two tails.  

We already have about 20 hens and get anywhere from 12-16 eggs a day.  

We had Zane overnight in April and I made chocolate waffles.  I've been making up some recipes I've saved that I actually thought I would want to use.  This recipe is a bit fiddly, having to separate eggs and whip egg whites.  The finished product was beautiful, but deceiving.  People expect chocolate things to be sweet.  This wasn't.  It is supposed to be treated like any other waffle, with syrup or whipped cream.  Zane treated his with ice cream and sprinkles.

Our resident turkeys.  I wonder if they will be a nuisance in the garden this summer.

Snowy February

February is nearly over and I am sitting in my favorite place, the couch in front of our huge picture window with the fire burning on this cold day.  

Outside our world is white.

These pictures taken a couple weeks ago are before our two days of 6" snows, plus another 4" earlier this week and another 2" last night.  

It isn't as cold as it has been.  Earlier this week we had lows and highs in the single digits.

We've had more snow this month that we've had for the last couple of years I think.  

We were expecting another snow dump today but it isn't happening so I see Jim driving around the neighborhood in his skid steer cleaning off the neighbor's driveways.  

A very little color in the landscape.

Hoar Frost. 

It's a Blizzard Out There!

We are having a regular blizzard today.  

When it's windy like this we can hardly keep the place warm, so much cold air comes in around the windows, so Jim and I are sitting in front the the fireplace.  

I was knitting and Jim was napping, but now I'm blogging and he's video watching.  

He can find all sorts of things to watch, from building houses to cooking food to restoring

"B" John Deeres.

We may be in but the birds are enjoying the feeder. 

This is just the right kind of day to make doughnuts.  

But, I won't.

There aren't enough people in this house to eat them anymore and I don't want to risk anyone's life to take them anywhere or have people come to get some.  

The days are gone now when all the kids were home on a snow day and we would eat fresh homemade doughnuts until we were sick.  

Or, at least I would.  

My dad was a teacher so a snow day meant all of us were home together.  

That's where I learned to make, and eat, doughnuts. 

Making doughnuts now means planning a time when we are all together or a day when I can deliver them.  

I think Jim and I will make candy instead. 

It's Snowing Today

It's snowing today.  

It's been snowing since we got up in the dark.  

We are expecting a a big storm resulting in lots of snow.  

I was out early.  I couldn't resist.  There wasn't much wind and the it was snowing heavily.  

I went out and scooped a path to get the paper.  I scooped the very wet half inch of the stuff off the sidewalk and a shovel width to Jim's shop, just for fun, since he had joked about it.  '

There isn't much to do outside at my age.  The snow is too heavy and wet to even think of attacking the driveway, unless I want to be laid up with back problems.  

So, I walked "around", which is what we call the half mile circle running through our little neighborhood.  

I have always enjoyed being out in the snow, especially when it's "perfect," which is was this morning.  Heavy snow, little wind, 33 degrees, perfect. 

If that temperature dips a little more, there will be a mess out there.  

Ice, covered with who knows how much snow.  We are getting predictions above 8".  

The storm seems to have settled in above us to snow itself out. 

The wind is picking up a bit and snow is falling off the trees which is a good thing, as the evergreens have been sagging under the heavy, wet stuff. 

I came in soaking wet to hang my coat by the fireplace.

Jim likes this way to spend a snowy morning.  

He has since gone out to out shop to paint tractor parts. 

A Square Deal

There's something going on with square photos these days.  

The first ones I remember were square.  That's 50 plus years ago.  

When I had my first camera my photos were square.  

Then 3.5 x 5, then doubles, then 4 x 6, and now the digital size is different all together.  

Now, we are having square photos again.  So much so, that the printing places have to be able to print square ones, or does anyone print photos anymore?  

I guess what goes around comes around.

We had snow last week.  It was the sort of snow that is light and fluffy.  It fell in the night when the temperature was 18 degrees or so.  I know it fell in the night because I when I woke up at 2:30 am, I noticed the snow light in the bedroom.  The snow came softly down all morning, not enough to add to what we had, just to enough to add charm to our black and white world.

After awhile, I couldn't stand to be inside, I had to be out in it.  

So, I shoveled the driveway.  

We had a rather large driveway and I only shovel it under the above conditions, plus no wind. 

A black and white world.

Out of my kitchen window. 

Barry and Zane have started wresting.  

Paislee is 6 months old, crawling and shouting and eating solid food. 

I tried out some new cake decorating tips today.  They aren't hard to use.  They require very stiff frosting and patience.