I Hope Spring Marches In

Snow on the mountain, 

Chill in the air.  

Looking for Spring. 

She ain't anywhere!

I've been hiding behind my poetry since winter keeps me in.  She wraps her icy fingers around me. I don't want to go outside or very far from the fire that warms me.

There are many things I could do or should do but I sit and crochet.  I think that is my winter sport.  I deliver my sister's mail and quickly come inside again.

For those who have really suffered through horrendous winters this year and still are, I am sorry.  I'm a wimp when it comes to cold.

We remain a personal care facility.  Maria still cannot walk but will have her screws removed from her infected foot next week.  We just go from there.  I know she is as anxious to continue her life as we are for her to heal.  Sadly, the man who caused the accident had no insurance so there is nothing to be done for her lost wages, car, and health.  She will have to start over again.  We all know that is difficult.  This has been a personal, medical and financial strain for all of us. May she heal quickly.

Snow again although the weather man said no.  Not too deep but enough inches to be bothersome,   I know it will melt but my patience is wearing thin.  Again to those who have REAL snow, I apologize.

I have noticed a migration to Word Press.  Is there something I need to know?  Where is the best place to blog and should I pay for it?  I'm in the dark here, please share.

I wish you warmth, good health, joy and a blessed Sunday.

Valentine Sunshine And Fudge...

Best ever Valentine's Day.   Thought I would rub in the fact we have sunshine share our wonderful morning.  It is 67 degrees as I write this.  The temps will begin to drop this afternoon as the storm gets closer.

Today we were able to explore forgetting all those neck deep in snow while sending wonderful spring thoughts to those in the heart of this horrible storm.

Sunshine, rocks, trees and dogs were all part of our adventure as the soup and casserole cooked itself at home.

Visiting places I haven't seen in a long time on the back side of the farm.  

Guess what I found?

Amazing beautiful rocks

steep hills I refused to ride up

I walked while Hubby drove.

Blue skies promised us spring was close.

The exploring ended as we returned to the valley with a feather, a bone and a bucket of beautiful rocks.  I had not burned lunch which we enjoyed.  Marcy brought us homemade fudge for our valentine.

The wind is picking up as the front is heading our way.  Off to top off the water gardens and enjoy the beautiful weather before we get iced in.

Happy Valentine's Day!  Stay safe and happy.

Hope of Spring

Winter's cold-blooded coils
tighten
chilling me to the bone
I peer from inside
my carefully donned layers
Remembering Spring
I smile

For Poetry Jam's Tis The Season

Seasons for Open Link Monday

For Open Link Monday

Imaginary Garden With Real Toads

Swirl, wind, swirl
leafs fall
floating in all directions
that end in down

Icy breath on green
paints in shades of brown

Soon, soon
shades of white
will cover
all around

Rest well, things green
store the sun's power deep
and prepare
to greet spring

Festivals with Poetry Jam

Festivals with Poetry Jam

There are many festivals

That I know is true

The one I celebrate

Brings life back anew

Every thing's connected

Each in it's own way

Rain brings growth

Sunshine makes hay

We all have a Creator

No matter what She's named

We should respect all of them

No One is to blame.

Down and Dirty On Easter

Many know we have live water from springs.  This is pumped into the house for our convenience (I have carried many a buckets from this spring).  Our water is far better and sweeter tasting that any city water I've had.  The rock circle is where the pump sits suspended in clear spring water.  My grandpa and Dad made this years ago.  

The bad part about all this is we have to clean and flush the spring at least twice a year according to conditions.  Well we missed last year (Hubby's and Marcy's illness).  Our water remained clear and sweet but this day of work was long over due. 

This is not a one man job.  So we invited family with the lure of Marcy's cooking and they went to work.

First you make a plan.  The culvert for over flow was removed to flush out the area removing moss and two years of natural deposits in the bottom of the holding pond.

Then you jump in and start moving the mud.  The more mud moving out the better.  The blanket moss goes out with the current.

Basically it is like making wine.  You squish the mud and work it down stream with your feet.  Andrew kept us hydrated.

Second grandson Jake ran to get whatever we needed, sometimes driving the Ranger or running as fast as he could go.  Andrew and Jake played some foot ball

and then they deserted us.

Shoveling muck is fun.  Now maybe we won't have to clean it again till next spring...hopefully!

We scrubbed everything, dug muck and pushed water.  We've done this since childhood but it was all done by hand then.  We would dig grass from this branch all the way to the creek.  It was an all day job for four generations.

 We rescued critters

and moved them to a safer place.  Our plan was to bleach the main spring to kill the blanket moss but not the live things.  The bleach will do its job and it will dissipate before it reaches the pond or creek.

Boots were no good.  

All was work was done barefooted.

Melissa, my oldest daughter,

captured a mother/daughter portrait.

The work continues and the water level lowered.  Melissa said she never saw any pictures on my blog of her.  I wonder if she will be proud of this one!  Bev, my sister, is working that mud so it can move on out.

Marcy, my oldest sister, came over to tell us she had cooked a feast.  Toni, my nephew, did work although I have few pictures of it.

We chlorinated while Hubby dammed the creek.  We ate a mouth watering belly filling delicious dinner at Marcy's and returned to the spring.

Busting the dam.

Replacing the culvert with Toni looking like a Highway Department employee we are nearing completion.

Now we are back in the pure water business again.

As the world celebrated the Resurrection

we resurrected our water source.

Looking Spring In The Eye

Marcy's many tulips were nodding their pretty heads

as the wind blew the bees away.

The family lilac survived.

For a time I had my doubts.

The flowering almond has crowded the Bridal's Wreath

while the second butterfly of the year

tasted the Money plant.

Stop

and enjoy the arrival of spring.

 

Snow Crocuses 

Spring clean up has been going on a while and the green has not arrived in full force yet.  The brush piles are growing and gardens are plowed.  Onions, radishes and early crops are in the ground waiting for the perfect day to rise to the top.  

We are late this year because the snow enjoyed it's visit far too long to please me. We are blessed. Although we had unusual amounts and long lived snow and ice we had nothing compared to many places. This winter has been rough on all.

I have been randomly planting sunflower seeds from last year.  I know they clean the soil so I am planting them in places I have already forgotten.  I will be pleasantly surprised when those smiling sunflower faces greet me later in the season.

The spring calves are doing well.  The cattle can find winter grass again.  The last few bales wait in the barn to be enjoyed before the grass comes in full.

I think the birds are singing louder this year.  They, too, were tired of ice.

The Cardinals...

breathe deeply and dream of spring.

For Two Shoes Tuesday

I Tried...

to take a walk to my favorite spots.  It did not take long for the wind and the temps to discourage me.

Here is our main spring deceptively looking shallow.  The water is "boiling" up from underground where the white sand is.  Yes, this is our drinking water and supplies two households with no strain.  This water is better tasting and cleaner than most treated water in municipalities.

The rocks you see surround where the pump is.  We must clear the extra sand twice a year.  The first spring surround was a barrel.  No one knows who placed the barrel. When cleaning I found remains of old iron rings. Grandpa laid rocks and Dad added a ridge to walk around.

From here the spring flows down a stream into a pond.  From there it joins the creek.  We are the head waters of  Lunenburg Creek.

I continued my walk to a clear spot after collecting Beggar's Lice...the small seeds you see clinging to my pants.  This plant is a favorite for the deer to eat.

Had some trouble with my shoes so I left them and continued bare foot.  Part of this was still frozen and the rest was very liquid.  No arrow heads today but very cold feet.

Washing my shoes and feet in icy water from the outside faucet finished me off for a taste of the outdoors.

I've got to find some rubber boots!

Through My Window...

 Old Man Winter is not being gentle this year.

Our snow is gone

but the North gate is still open.

All kinds of winter records are being broken.

The ice grows

And I dream of spring.

I wish you warmth.

Spring Tulip

May your weekend be colorful.

The Cave

The cave lay close to the top of a dry creek that cut through the mountain side.    The solid rock bed held perfect circles where grind stones had been cut and removed long ago.  Traveling for at least a quarter mile up to the left the cave became visible.

No one knows how long this cave has existed nor how long it has been used.  No one tried to guess. It has been known longer than my father's grandfather knew.

It was an outing for the family to screen for artifacts along the strong creek bank, picnic in the grass, explore the cave shelter and even swim.

On a school day when I was not allowed to go Dad and Uncle Bill decided to explore.  In the cave they moved a large flat rock thinking maybe it had fallen from the ceiling.  They soon discovered it was a carefully placed stone covering a lone burial spot where a man sat upright with arms around knees that hugged his chest. They carefully respectfully replaced the stone, notified an archaeological department within a college and guided the archaeologist to the site.

Dad's only request was a report of what they discovered.  He only wanted the knowledge of the time, the tribe, the man.

No word ever came.  We never visited the cave again since it seemed disrespectful to do so.  The days along the creek ended and our knowledge of what lay above the beauty gave us pause to visit.

I shall not name the cave, nor the creek, nor the road.  The land has been purchased by a company that gobbles land like cookies, crumples the empty bag of what once was and abandons it with no regard for what they have destroyed for gain.

I may be the last to know where the rocks turn toward the cave, the last to know what once was.  I will not tell.   May the memory be buried with time since the place may already be covered with sand.  To the one we disturbed, forgive us.  To the one who removed him, may the kept knowledge rot your brain.  To the ones who raped the land, may you know the feeling of being stripped and exposed to the world.

When we are gone and the land has healed may someone discover my secret and honor the past as we have done.  May you listen with an open heart and discover the story the lone member of some forgotten tribe tried to tell us.

I Watch Too Many Alphabet Shows...

and I'm not talking about Sesame Street (is that even on any more?)  I'm talking CSI, NCIS, SVU.  Shows like that pull me in not for the death and gore but for the mystery of who done it and how we gonna prove it.  I watch Bones, too.  Although not really an alphabet show, the title is short and only has five letters so it lands right after NCIS.

I love a good mystery and they are hard to find today without the gore so I endure gore for the thrill of the hunt.  Do you really think they can track spores that only grow in a certain place to find a killer...it stretches my imagination but it still pulls me in...hopelessly hooked.  Then I never remember the schedule.  I think I'm at least a year behind on most of them.  Thank goodness for the channels that have the reruns.

I don't do a lot of tv but that's okay.  I can catch up anytime. 

The beauty of spring calls me outside.

The alphabet shows will be there when it's cold.

Toosday's Tidbits..

Two shots, too late, too tired to do anything but too mortified at my laziness to just sit.  That was my Tuesday.

A steroid shot, a B12 shot, nasal spray and meds may have this crud on the run.  Doc thinks it's the record high pollen count in our area that has everyone under the weather.  Yesterday, I had trouble breathing and that is too scary to think about.  I've been sleeping very little and when I slept it was almost in an upright position made with mountains of too many pillows for a bed.  I'm not a patient sick person.  I refuse to accept rest may be the best thing.  Since Horehound Candy (although it did stop the coughs) and Vick's salve didn't cure it, I had to seek medical attention...and that gets my goat!  I, the stubborn, the know-it-all should be able to cure myself but humbly I submitted to real medical treatment.

Hubby waits to be scheduled for his pacemaker/defibrillator thingy.  We hope the schedule accommodates us before it is too late.  Does he sit and worry?  Nope, out building fence.  Good man. 

And the very things that cause my malady bring me such pleasure it is hard to be mad at Spring.

I did restock cleaning supplies while I was out but for the life of me as much as I have waved my arm at them not one bottle of cleaning stuff has started doing the job without me.

I have spend my afternoon lazily reading the talent posted at The Mag.  It is so amazing how every one has the same picture and yet seventy-five different, talented tales with poetry and prose are posted.

I hear the grass growing.  The dust bunnies are having a party while the spiders are busily spinning their intricate traps for food as I write this yet something compels me to ignore it all and rest...

Spring...

...Danced wildly.
Blown curtains of cold rain
Battled with the warm air of yesterday,
Creating tornadic anger.

Spring danced wildly
And winter stood,
Touching the dance floor
Wanting one last dance.

I'm Gone...

but, hay...just thought I'd show you around

At The Farm.

This is one of our main springs.

This one supplies more than enough

 for all our needs.

The water is crystal clear

 and tastes better than sweet tea.

White Tail deer sneak into the orchard

while Spring is trying on her new colors.