In Like a Lion

This is where we were a week ago. It was my birthday and March blasted in with our only snow storm except for Halloween. I prefer at this point in my life to count backwards for my birthdays. I just wanted to share with you the beautiful cake that Greg got for me.

All said and done we got around 4-6 inches of heavy, wet snow. It was a two day event and made the weather announcers go spastic, it has been a slow season for them. I had to work that day so it took a little longer to get in.

The picture above was from this storm and the one below was from last winter. What a difference a year makes. It’s like we didn’t even have winter this year. I think we had less than 10 inches for the whole season. I keep wanting to put away the shovels but am afraid to jinx everything.

One of the interesting things after a fresh snow are all the animal tracks in the yard. The above photo looks as if an entire herd came through.

I always enjoy watching the birds. This was from last week. Last evening while we were watching TV we heard a crash, there was a big raccoon on the deck. He had knocked the feeder down. I can’t ever remember them coming out of hibernation this early. Today we got into the high 60’s. I was able to open the windows and enjoy an outdoor bike ride.

Making Space for the New Barn

Above is the before picture and below is after. Last Sunday one of Mark’s friends and a buddy that work for a tree company came over to take down three trees. Our usual tree guy has been busy so Mark got a hold of these guys. Because Mark and Greg have become Harbor Freight junkies they have outgrown the existing barns. In fairness the barn in this picture is the original and over 25 years old now.

It always amazes me when we have trees removed that once they’re gone I hardly notice the difference because our property is so heavily wooded. They did open the skyline up a little and we’ll appreciate less leaves to rake in the fall.

It really is amazing how fearless these guys were. It was quite windy and they didn’t seem to mind. As you know every job needs a foreman and Mark excels in that position. He is also available as the ground gopher.

Greg’s 4 wheeler really helped with the cleanup. Mark’s buddy enjoyed riding around on it too.

Head’s Up! The trees shook the house when they fell. Everyone manned the Stihls for the cutting.

We’re going to have a heck of a burn pile this year. Most of it is behind the pine so you can’t see how high it it. This morning when I looked out our window there were three deer nibbling on the buds from the downed branches. There are two in the above photo. See if you can find them.

Too bad we don’t have a fireplace. This is stage one of the barn project. To be continued…

Winter in New England??

Yes this has been an awesome winter if you don’t want to shovel or deal with the elements. I know I’m jinxing all of us by writing this, especially today, as we are getting snow tomorrow. They are predicting 2-4 inches for our area and calling it a storm. I suppose in comparison to what we’ve had (which is basically nothing) this will be a huge storm.

Typically Mark is laid off in the winter because its pretty tough to landscape at this time of year, but this year his boss got a sizable logging job which they started in November. (had to follow town logging codes) He has been able to continue working. As a matter of fact Monday, Feb. 6th was so mild I was able to go for a bike ride and I paid him a visit.

Mark’s boss fells most of the trees with Mark’s help and on occasion one of Mark’s friends that is a professional tree guy comes in to help. Above is one of the piles of logs.

Mark’s main job is to do the splitting and stacking. He estimated the above to be about 10 cords of wood split so far. Long story short, weather permitting they should be busy right up until the normal landscape season starts the end of March.

This time of year Mark goes into full Grizzly Adams mode with hair and beard. It helps to keep him warm. He’s gone to work on some pretty cold mornings.

It’s a good thing he’s always enjoyed being outdoors. I don’t think he’d ever be happy with a desk job.

The above compressor is one of the things Greg got Mark for his birthday… or.. did he get it for himself. We may never know

Derek recently interviewed for and got a job as a substitute private drum lesson instructor. He was referred by his percussion instructor to a former student that started his own percussion studio in Newburyport. It has been growing over the years. Derek is very excited about this and has some work in March and hopefully more opportunities will come from this. He is a master at networking. The owner has invested in steel drums and has asked Derek to join his band. They play area gigs in the summer.

Emily continues to juggle her studies and being an RA. She’s very conscientious and we couldn’t be more proud. She’s often too hard on herself but I understand where that comes from.  She has also taken a shine to Zumba and working out in the gym.

Work continues to keep me and Greg busy. At my place in a few months 2 will be out on maternity leave, another having surgery in March and will be out at least 6 weeks and another is currently out with a back injury. Working short is a constant fact of life for me and most nurses.

All Bunnies Go To Heaven

Joseph passed away Saturday evening around 11 p.m. Greg was with him. He was almost 10 years old as far as we could figure. He came to us in the Spring of 2002. Mark got him for his girlfriend at the time. Her family was allergic and when they broke up we got custody. He had run of the house and was litter trained. The kids really loved him. Emily used to compare his growth to the stuffed bunny she had.

He had to endure a lot of ‘loving’ when the kids were younger. He loved Christmas and the winter when the outdoor plants came in. I think it felt like a woodland habitat to him.

Joseph really did well until the last 3-4 months. He couldn’t stretch out anymore, he became a finicky eater, lost a good deal of weight and had more difficulty getting around. We know he is in a better place and we have lots of good memories.

Christmas 2011

This post is a little after the fact but with everyone home it’s been a little crazy.

The stockings were hung with care, no fireplace here.The packages were wrapped, remember as they get older its more about quality versus quantity and the coffee caked had been baked, a delicious batch indeed.

Emily is always up first followed by Mark and eventually Derek. No one is too enthused about pictures as they get older, me especially. Even though we couldn’t be with family in person, Skype allowed us to share some Christmas festivities with Greg’s family. It was almost like being there…  We wish for you all a happy, safe and productive New Year and all your dreams come true…

Christmas Cookies

One of our annual traditions is making Christmas cookies. Mark and Emily really enjoy helping. Derek cruises in and out primarily sampling the cookies to make sure they are up to our standards. He’s our quality control guy.

Everyone is getting older and will eventually go off on their own (I think) so I really treasure these times. Hopefully if our kids have kids of their own they will carry on this tradition.

The cookies look fairly descent, taste great and are usually gone in a few days.

The Bird Whisperer

A few weeks ago while we were relaxing in the family room we heard a thud on the front window. I didn’t think my windows were that clean but apparently this little guy did. He lay stunned on the front porch. I picked him up and gave him some comfort until he felt ready to venture out on his own.

He took a short flight and landed on the kissing ball on the end of the porch. He stabilized for a few more minutes and was off.

Now if I could figure out a way to discourage the squirrels…