SNOW!!!! 18" of SNOW!!!!!!

It's 10 pm Sunday evening. I'm tired, so this will be short. Remember me saying what a beautiful snow this has been...how badly we needed the moisture....blah, blah, blah. I think I hate snow!!!! All reports now are that we've had 18 inches of snow...18 inches!!! I don't remember if I've ever seen this much snow before..maybe when I was a kid (or maybe it was just that I was shorter then!)
I've shoveled more snow in the past two days than I have in my entire life...and I still can't get out of my driveway. I have a place in front of one garage that's probably big enough to park my car...and a walkway from the porch to the mailbox that's now about 3 shovel widths wide. While I was out shoveling today a good Samaritan on an orange Kubota tractor came sailing around the corner, buzzed over and moved about 4 or 5 scoopfuls of the icy hard snow that the road grater had piled across my driveway up onto the parking. I was so tired I wasn't thinking and when he took off, he waved and I just waved real big. Why didn't I run out there and $$$$$$$Stop him?!?!?
It has all really begun to melt...but it's still deep. I can now see the entire seat of the green metal lawn chair...and most of the planter that's right beside it (if you look at the picture you can barely see the rim of that planter.) Still haven't been able to get out the back door..maybe tomorrow. There about a 5 foot drift on the north side of the house so it'd be tough going around...plus, because I have a pool, the gate's locked on the inside.
I'm really hoping for warmer temps tomorrow. Today was great, but tomorrow's supposed to be even warmer. I'm still working on counting my blessings, but I've struggled with it today. (Pratt, about 70 miles southwest of Hutch, had 28"...) Rest will help! Stay warm..

A few more.....

Just decided to go out to the sunroom and take a look....hmmmm...seems to me an intelligent person would have known the wind was from the north and put the hard door in the doggy door. I have a drift INSIDE the sunroom.











And this second one is the other inside corner of the backyard.....









That little dark spot out there the other side of the pool (which should be plenty full by now) is an old metal lawn chair....the seat's completely covered!!!









I bragged about putting the lawn chairs and table out one nice day a week or so ago...maybe it was a little too soon. YA THINK!?!?!?!

We Needed Moisture.....

I'm trying to think like a wheat farmer with no livestock, or maybe an incredibly good tractor and lots of warm clothing...and with a larder full of good food. This is no longer funny....enough already!!!!
You'll probably notice all my pictures have line through them....that's blinds in between the two panes of glass in my windows: I'm NOT going out to take pictures at this point!!!! It's about 10 am Saturday..this is supposed to stop about noon. It's going to have to stop pretty abruptly however, as it's still coming down BIG TIME!!!!
The first picture is to show you the snowdrift that comes up to the TOP stringer on my 6' privacy fence.
With the second picture I was trying to capture the huge shelf of snow that's hanging off the eave....it's obviously already "relieved itself" once...the bushes below it are covered and disrupted.














The third picture is shot out the front door (which was blocked with snow) at my neighbor's car and the drift between me and the rest of the world.






We really needed moisture...this is wonderful. And it's beautiful! And I went to the grocery store Thursday and have absolutely no reason to get out. I said this morning if I was a paperboy, this is the day I'd call in and say, "I QUIT!" I don't find a paper on my porch, but I'm not willing yet to go out and dig around. Surely they didn't deliver papers.
Just now Schiz started barking and I went to see "what at"....someone in a red truck was crossed up in the street. They finally got loose and started backing up...must have decided they'd gone as far as they wanted to!
Well, no livestock to feed or worry about, the larder's stocked, Spring will be back soon...this is terrific moisture. I'd love to get a picture of my forsythia but that would require me going outside. Not that important to me.
Schiz has a piece of old basement carpet in the garage that she knows is ok to go on, so I don't have to let her out even.
All's good...SMILE......I've got electricity (so far)...cable tv..computer...food...running water...a roof over my head...and plenty of Diet Coke....and two and a half bags of chocolate chips!!!! Count your blessings!!!! I do!!!

Spring has WHAT??????

Well, folks...here's the view from my front door today!!! So much for Spring! I've heard forecasts anywhere from "trace to 1 inch" up to now they're saying "up to 12 inches". We've got high winds..gusting into the 50 mph range. It's lovely here!!!

I'm usually a person that gets out of bed and gets around, takes a shower, gets dressed, and acts like the day's going to continue. This a.m. I went out and got the newspaper, read it, did the puzzles while sitting in bed. Then I dozed. The dog woke me up at 10:30. It's now 2:35 pm....and I'm still in my housecoat! I'm not going anywhere...no one's going to get out in this...why bother to get dressed? Well, so far, a young man trying to convince me to take him up on his offer of a free carpet cleaning, and then about an hour later my neighbor gal came over because she'd lost her phone and wanted me to call her. Who knew? I wasn't expecting company!

I've ran the dishwasher, "vinegared" all my glasses and coffee pot, dusted everything above the cupboards, and all the ceiling fans. I'm currently doing laundry. I've played WAY more games of Text Twist and Sudoku than any human should. I'm bored... so here I am. A friend and I had planned to go to the Fox this evening to see the movie, but we've decided it's too yucky to get out. So.....last week was gorgeous....next week will probably be gorgeous. It's Kansas! Probably won't have to shovel snow...a tornado will probably blow through...or a dust storm. We need the moisture so badly it's hard to complain...ok...maybe not THAT hard!!! Stay warm and dry ... and be patient!

Spring has Sprung in Kansas!

March 23 and the forsythia is in full bloom. Lots of iris and day lilies beginning to show up all around the edges of my yard. The grass is getting pretty green and I've already mowed one time. Tornado watches and warnings are prominent. I heard on the local news that part of Hutchinson's Main Street between 1st and 3rd streets was closed to traffic today because of debris falling from the buildings; 70 miles per hour winds were clocked in downtown Hutchinson. Three semis blew over on I-70 west of Salina. Yeah...spring has sprung. In Kansas, you get the good with the bad, and vice-versa. But....Spring has Sprung!!!!

Yard Work & Cinnamon Rolls

As mentioned in the previous blog, I was wanting to get my yard mowed. I did that the very next day...and also trimmed the "spreaders" (cedars) at the south end of the pool. Why anyone would EVER plant those things stumps me...and then, to add insult to injury, they put lava rock around them!!! Well, I gave 'em a good haircut and then spent quite a bit of time cleaning up the mess I'd made. And I raked out flower beds and edging ruts (where all the leaves accumulate) and in general tried to get ready for Spring. I even moved a table and four chairs out of the garage back out onto the deck. Then I mowed both the front and back yards. Didn't get much grass, mostly little sticks and dead leaves, but it surely looks better. Also watered for 45 minutes and that probably helped most! But "Come On, Spring... I'm ready!"
And then, the next morning I woke up with a sore throat, which I fought for two days. I'm a believer in vitamin C...so popped 2 or 3 of those a couple of times, ate oranges, ate pico de guyo (I'm sure ONIONS and peppers and tomatoes help too!) I figured I didn't have to worry about giving my sore throat to anyone because a) I think it was a "dirt and dust" thing, and b) who'd want to get close enough with all the onions and pepper breath? But, anyway, today I feel pretty normal again..well, normal for me!
Today is my friend Mary's 66th birthday....only Mary claims she'll never be more than 9!!! Recently she and her hubby were written up in the local Hutchinson magazine for their bicycling habits. She certainly doesn't look 66....and she CERTAINLY doesn't ACT 66...she is 9!!!! This morning we went out to the Dutch Kitchen west of town for a cinnamon roll. Friday...9:30 am... I was amazed at the number of vehicles in the parking lot!!! Saturday...or early morning...or noon...yeah, but not Friday mid-morning!!! But we got right in and waited on immediately...and the food was, as always, delicious! Mary had a cinnamon roll and I had the biscuits and gravy...but then we each left with a cinnamon roll in hand as well. Hey...we're gonna ride those calories off!!!! Sure we are......
Not much more happening here...the forsythia is in full bloom and the Bradford tree is about 1/2 in bloom. It's surely going to be Spring soon!!!!! Have a great day...and be sure to count your blessings!

Another Gorgeous Day...Another Beautiful Ride

Once again, Kansas is proving itself! What a beautiful day!! Carol and I met about 9:30 this morning, rode south over the K-61 overpass and met Mary at G Street and K-61 about 9:45. From there the three of us trekked through Careyville, down Airport Road to Illinois Avenue and headed east. At the intersection of Illinois and Buhler-Haven Road I had 13 miles, but we decided to go on just two more miles so I'd have a 30 mile day. (Double those miles...ya gotta ride it back as well!) I haven't talked to Mary since we got back, but I think she probably had 3 or 4 miles more than that. It was an absolutely perfect day. And great company to ride with always adds to it.
I got home about 12:30...ate a bite (or twenty), and went out and added chlorine to the pool. Needed to get that done. I've been thinking seriously about mowing just to get rid of the dead grass on top, but decided today wasn't the day. Maybe tomorrow.
Hope your day has been as fun as mine was!

New Toys for All

It's Sunday...I've slept and can think somewhat more clearly than last night. I did just get back from a 19-mile bicycle ride, so I'll probably have a nap a little later (like when I'm trying to work the crossword puzzle or Sudoku!) But...I put my new chair together earlier. Lots of pieces but very good directions and it was easy to assemble. I really like this chair.

Yesterday late in the Monster Garage Sale, the gal across from us was trying to give stuffed animals away. She didn't want to haul them home. She was carrying around a huge armload and offering them to anyone who'd take one. I wound up with one for Schiz. She already has LOTS of toys...but none quite this large. Jude was sure she would be afraid of it. Ha Ha Ha!!! Not hardly. She dive-bombs it!!!

Monster Garage Sale at Fairgrounds

Today was the Hutchinson News' Monster Garage Sale at the Meadowlark Building on the Kansas State Fair Grounds. Jude (my sister) and Pat (a long-time friend) and I rented a booth together. Jude makes sterling silver jewelry with stones, Pat makes beautiful creative greeting cards, and I have sterling silver jewelry and some pen-and-ink drawings.

There's Jude in the black sweater. The blue table cloth area was her stuff.

Jude came from Joplin yesterday morning and in the afternoon we made a trip to Wichita to go "rock shopping". Then last night we went up to the fairgrounds to take extra tables and chairs and just check it all out. WOW!!! Lots and lots and lots of stuff! We came home, went to bed early, and got up early to be up there by 6 a.m.

We got all set up and ready, having heard last night that at 7 a.m. they open the doors and a "throng" of people come in. About 5 minutes til 7 I looked up at the doors, and I kid you not...there were people crammed in the front entrance like sardines!!!! Incredible!!! Did you know people get up that @?#&%$ early to go garage saling??? Well, when they opened the doors they did this incredible thing: the first people came in and immediately stopped to start looking at stuff....so the crowd is still trying to get in. How dumb!

Here's a shot of my side of the booth.

Now, all in all, I had a GREAT day! But early on when someone said, "Look at all those people!", I had responded with, "Yeah...and 90% haven't had a shower or brushed their teeth!" And they hadn't! But, beyond that and numerous times witnessing the absolute most perfect reason for birth control, we had fun and did very well. Pat and Jude didn't do quite as well as I did...and from the threats I was hearing, I may have to pay for it later. I did have a really good day. I had told myself earlier this week that if I did well, I'd treat myself to a nice new computer chair. A good friend of mine has a chair I just love, so today, after Jude headed back to Joplin and I had unloaded my car, I went out to Office Max and bought a new computer chair. I've sat on an old wooden straight chair for far too long. (However, I'm still sitting on it while typing this!) The new chair is still in the box in the middle of the kitchen floor. Tomorrow, with fresh eyes and rested brain, I'll attempt putting it together!

The pictures were taken before the doors open...that's why no crowd. After the doors open none of us could leave the booth for quite a while. Well...except Pat...who found a way to entertain us by modeling a goofy hat from a nearby booth! Fun day! I enjoyed it...but I'm sure ready for a good night's rest tonight.

63 Miles in Three Days!

Another beautiful day in Kansas!! Carol and I got out relatively early this a.m. and I got in nearly 21 miles. That makes a total of 63 miles in these past three days! Feels really good! I told Carol that I was going to turn around about the 10 mile mark today. (She normally rides longer rides than I do and I wanted her to know that I didn't want to "hold her back".) So when we reached a little over 10 miles I said that I would head back at the next corner. I haven't talked to Carol since to find out how many miles she did today.



We had a wonderful ride...including seeing a young fox..in a most unexpected place. We were headed out to ride Illinois Avenue (a mile south of Highway 50 and running parallel with hwy 50). We went up over the viaduct and then headed east through the south edge of Careyville. Being cyclists, we notice dogs. We both saw this small to medium sized "dog" at the edge of the road..right in front of a house in Careyville. When it looked up I thought it kind of looked like a fox 'cause it had big ears. Then he saw us, hopped in the air, pivoted and went down into a culvert under the people's driveway. It was then we both saw the bushy red tail and kind of simultaneously said, "Look...a fox!" As we got even closer, of course watching the culvert, he stuck his head and front shoulders out and just looked at us! Carol and I agreed that he looked pretty young. I've seen fox (foxes?) in town before, but not recently and usually they were at dusk. This was about 9:45 a.m. He was a real treat to see!

A kind of funny thing happened on my ride home. I was on College Lane, less than two miles from home, when my phone rang. It was Patsy. She wanted to know what I was doing and when I told her, she said, "Gee, if you're out exercising I almost hate to tell you why I'm calling." She was thinking about going to Roy's (wonderful, delicious Roy's...yummmmmmm) and wanted to know if I was interested. Interested, absolutely...but I knew I had to have a shower and it would take me quite a while before I would actually be able to go, so we decided to do Roy's another day. So...dear Patsy, I had an orange and a granola bar for lunch. Just how yummy does that sound!?!?!?! I'm still craving Roy's!!!!

After getting home and cleaning up, I took Schiz to Dillon's Nature Center to walk. She's never been there before and WOW!!! were there ever a lot of new smells to absorb! She was "plum tuckered out" :) by the time we got back to the car...in fact I even carried her for a little ways. But I didn't feel guilty about leaving her at home a little later when I went to run a few errands.



I've been searching for sewing machine cabinets...or parts of sewing machine cabinets. I've hit most of the antique and junk stores, the Salvation Army, Goodwill, even a used furniture store. Today a friend suggested I try Allied Painting, so I went out there. Sure enough, he had exactly what I was wanting. (Plus we had a great conversation...turned out I know his wife very well..but I didn't know he had Allied Painting.) He had the framework (with 3 drawers even) for drawers. Here's what I'm doing with them. I did these first three several years ago (several like in "more than 25" years ago) and now am trying to do some more to sell at the Hutchinson News' MONSTER Garage Sale on March 14.

It's hard to take pictures of these newer ones as the glass isn't connected to the frame yet. They are pen and ink on glass. The "frame" is the part of a sewing machine that the drawer sets on...the framework of the drawers I guess. The ones I bought today are a little different than these...the top and bottom of the frame are a little wider..about twice as thick as the side piece. I brought them home and spent some time dismantling and scrubbing and sanding and steel-wooling them. Tomorrow I'll take them out and touch them up with a little stain and hopefully by mid-week they'll be ready for some glass.

Tomorrow's supposed to be cooler and much windier so I doubt I'll get in a bicycle ride...but it's Saturday and it's warm, so I'll find some garage sales to go to!! I love garage sales!!! They're fun! I went to several today...bought a old walnut picture frame that's gorgeous..for 50 cents! Think I'll look into getting a mirror put into it. And a brand new brick red hand towel for a dollar! ??? I dunno..I just liked it!

Well...enough for now. Hope your day was a pleasant as mine! More than once today I thanked God for giving me the opportunity to do the things I can do. Beautiful weather, beautiful scenery, great friends, good health...and it goes on and on.

Bicycle Rides and Elmer

It's been a busy couple of days! My friend Carol called Wednesday morning and wanted to go for a bicycle ride. I couldn't because Schiz was at the groomer's and I didn't know when they'd call and say she was ready. I ran around and did errands, went to Kathy's house for the first time and got to see her neat place, and about noon went to Wally-world. Just as I was leaving there Mary called and wanted to go for a bicycle ride. I said I needed to wait until after I could get Schiz home, so we decided on 1:30ish. Right away the groomer called and Schiz was ready to go...she got a summer haircut...she looks so little and clean now!!!

Anyway, I met Mary on the bike path and we rode it down and around the park, then out towards the highway and back. Wound up with 18.06 miles. After a shower and fighting off a nap, I went over to Pat's to see what she's been doing. She makes creative cards...they are just wonderful!!! She made some boxes to put the cards in...I should have taken pictures! They're really, really cute!!! By the time I left there it was well past dark, so I came home and IRONED!!!

Then at 10:30 this morning I met Carol and we went out for a fairly long ride (for this early in the year!) We rode the bike path down to the old Main bridge, over and through South Hutch, and out west on Highway 61/50 almost to Whiteside. By the time we got back I had 24.28 miles. I was still feeling really good...but this evening I'm really tired. However, just a short while ago Carol called and we're going again tomorrow morning!!! We just don't get enough of these gorgeous days in February and March...we have to take advantage of them when we can!

After the ride and getting cleaned up, I needed to run a couple of errands. When headed to the post office I saw Greg shooting photos of the memorial just west of the post office. (Later he showed me some of the shots he took...he really has talent! Lincoln with the flag behind him was a really beautiful shot!) After picking up my mail I drove back that direction and he waved me down. He said, "I want a ride in your car!!! Patsy tells me I need to have a ride in your car!!" So he hopped in and we rode out East A to K61 and south to about the park entrance. I love expounding on all the things I love about my little roller skate of a car: Honda Fit Sport....I LOVE IT!!! It's fun and economical and ZIPPY!

After that I decided to go to Yoder (long story, won't go into it here)...but came back past the town of Elmer. I don't know if I'd know where Elmer is if I wasn't a bicycle rider. There are two houses at Elmer...but I think at least one is empty. Mainly it's just the grain elevator. I stopped and took a few shots. In case you're curious, go south out of South Hutchinson on Highway 17, and as it curves and 17 goes south, and 96 east to Wichita (Crupper's Corner)...instead of going south on 17, go north on that little road. Within about 1/2 mile, you'll be in Elmer!! And within about 5/8 of a mile, you'll be out of Elmer! It's a great road to bicycle ride...very little traffic and so far, no dogs.

All in all I've played hard for the past couple of days and have thoroughly enjoyed it! Love this weather!!!

Historic Home - First & Plum

Isn't she gorgeous? This house at First and Plum in Hutchinson has probably been there longer than I've been in Hutch (since 1950)...I've probably seen it a jillion times, but for some reason recently it's really caught my eye. I'd love to see the inside and see if it's been kept in it's original style as well. I highly recommend a drive by there, as the pictures don't do it justice. Beautiful house..complete with a carriage house or servant's quarters behind it (seen in smaller photo). Nice place!!