Snow Photo's

I took these pictures before I went to school this morning.  I was going out to get the shovel and went back in the house for the camera instead.  The sun was shining down at a nice angle and the snow was absolutely pristine.  Even if you are unhappy about more snow you have to admit that it is gorgeous.

Another shot of the peaceful landscape.

I cannot stop taking pictures of this cardinal.  He stands out so beautifully against the snow.  I almost got a nice picture of the female but she got shy and flew off.   I know there are 2 females but I'm not sure how many males there are as I've only seen one at a time.  Hopefully, there are two!

Free shopping bag

Visit ebfarm.com and take a short quiz to get a free grocery shopping bag.  You have to get a 9 or 10 to get the bag but it's fairly easy and they have links you can read if you're stumped.  The fact that amazed me was how many resources we'd save if people used a re-useable bag just once per year!   Thank you, Shari, for telling me about this website.  I love my Trader Joe bags.  Sometimes I forget to put them back in my car though.  I don't see a lot of people using their own bags in my grocery store, do you?  I did ask a clerk and she said people do use them and they sell them in the store too.  I see Target has them and Walmart is going to give away millions one weekend in April.  I hope people will use them.

Got Snow??

The snow started at 11:30 and at 5, we have close to 4 inches I'd say.  Not sure if we're done yet.  I talked to Mom and Dad and they have no snow, which surprised me.  Then there's Shari who reports a foot of snow last night alone.  She was going to post a picture on her blog so check it out if you're curious.  The birds have been crazy at the feeder and sadly I am very low on sunflower seeds.  Big Kitty is having a very active afternoon chasing the birds away from the window feeder that is posted above.   

I like the picture that shows the tree full of birds.  If you look closely you will see 3 different kinds/colors.  I just missed the goldfinch or it would have been even more colorful.

That cardinal knows that he looks beautiful against the white snow.

Did you get snow at your house?

Kingfishers!

I've been keeping my eyes peeled on the way to work and back for this guy.  There have been many red-winged blackbirds but finally on Saturday morning I spotted the first kingfisher at his post above the Pomme De Terre river.  These birds are so much fun to watch along the shore.  They nest in holes in the abundant clay banks on our lake.  They perch on overhanging tree branches or sweep the shore looking for small fish.  When they find one, they bring it back and whack it to death before they eat it.  Watching them grab a fish is cool too as they use their strong beak like a dagger.  I'll see if I can find a video to post.

So, on Saturday, I worked at the thrift store.  I spent most of my time picking through large piles of sweatshirts and tshirts in the holding area for prettier spring pieces to sell up front. There were some fun items and many of them sold right away. There were many shoppers, it has become a pretty popular place.  Luckily, still many volunteers or it would quickly become overwhelming.

Warren, Ann, & Sarah came over for dinner and the final 4.  Fun to grill again.   We enjoyed watching the Mn player (Cole Aldrich #45) from Bloomington on the Kansas team.  We watched him play David's team last year so that was pretty cool. 

 Yesterday was so beautiful, I actually enjoyed washing windows.  We opened up the screen doors to the deck for a few hours, can't wait to sit out there again.  Today is much cooler and we had some rain last night, nothing this morning, just very gray, better than snow!  

Fun Tents

I ran across these tents at MaryJane's website. You can actually rent these tents by the night for around $150.  Aren't they great?  I wonder about wind though.  Wind can really put a damper on things in Mn.  One summer a few years back, I put a twin bed down in the screen porch but the idea of a mattress with all that humidity didn't seem appealing.  I did spend one night out there until the middle of the night and then chickened out and went back to bed in the real house.  Have a good weekend everyone and enjoy the spring temps until Sunday anyway!

Joey's Room

Nancy did a pretty fancy paint job on Joey's room!  Even though he said he wanted his room to stay white when they first moved in, he loves his new walls.  Very cute, Pottery Barn look.  The wall stick-on comes from Upper Case Living.  Nancy says they are very easy to apply.

Vintage Apron

Shari got her package in the mail the other day and posted a picture of it on her blog.  Check it out.

Red-winged Blackbird

Yes, another migratory bird has returned...this morning on the way to school, I spotted the Red-Winged Blackbird.  Stay tuned for further bird sightings this spring.

Another Bird Sighting!

I saw my first Great Blue Heron of the 2008 season.  I just read in the Strib that they usually come back in March but thought with all the ice they may be delayed.   Well, there it was near the open culvert water just as you turn onto the Golf Course Road from 79.   I spied another robin near our house today today too, only the second one so far.

Chilly and gray here today.  I'm making my easy tetrazzini and carrot cake.   Mom shared a recipe with me so I'm giving it a try.  

Another sign of spring....the Twins opener is Monday night, 6:05!!!

More fun pic's!

All these pictures are from the Smith Christmas 2007 at Jim & Shelly's.

Fun Pic's I neglected to post!

Harold and Margaret

Shari reminded me that I had a great picture of Harold and Margaret from Royce and Lynn's wedding.  I cropped it for this post and it really is nice.  Shari has this photo and is going to send some copies to Harold and his kids.  I went to Margaret's funeral this morning with Mom and Dad.  It was very nice and well attended.   I think the most touching thing that I noticed  was that her flowers inside her casket said "Honey."   She had a birdhouse with flowers and hummingbirds popping out of the flowers....a lady after my own heart.  

Tribute to Jon Hassler

The Literature Lovers (my book club) met today to discuss Staggerford by Mn author Jon Hassler.  Sadly, Jon Hassler passed away last Friday after a long struggle with Parkinsons.   If you haven't read any of his books you should try Staggerford as it was his first and introduces you to some characters such as Agatha McGee who is a prominent character in my favorite Hassler books Dear James and A Green Journey.  Despite his illness, he wrote up until the last days before his death.  I read that it is an autobiographical novel, Jay O'Malley.  That will make it a very interesting read whenever it's published.  Jon Hassler is one of my favorite authors and I look forward to reading the few that I have yet to read.   Thanks for the great stories Mr. Hassler!

Margaret

In yesterday's post I mentioned seeing our Cyrus neighbor Margaret on Strange Foods with Andrew Zimern  and just found out that she passed away last night.  She was 81 and had been in poor health the last couple of months.  She was just the nicest lady, very kind and always interested in others.  I wouldn't have posted this but since I had just mentioned her it seemed like I should.

Andrew Zimmern

Did you catch Andrew Zimmern's Strange Foods in Minnesota on Tuesday night?   The lutefisk dinner in Cyrus was featured close to the beginning.  Did you see Harold Kjeldahl right away?Margaret was just barely in there.  There were many others but it was neat to see Mom and Dad's neighbor right off the bat.  Pastor Smith who married Nancy and David stood right in line with Andrew.  There were lots of folks I recognized and I will have to go back and watch it later so I can freeze the frames and search the crowd.  The whole show was very interesting, fun and a nice look at our state.  Was that Marilyn Syverson from Morris teaching him how to polka?  It also looks like Jere Solvie dined right next to him.