An open letter to Mother Nature

Dear Mother Nature,

It’s Mid April. Is there anyway you could send us some warm weather? I know the akitas around here love the snow, but some of us aren’t covered in fur and a few sunny days would be really welcomed.

Thanks,

Taylor

With a grumble and a smile

Yes, those are my feet. You’ll notice I’m wearing boots…and, more importantly, there’s some white stuff on the ground around my feet.

That, my lovely, gentle reader, is snow. Snow. Yeap. Here. As in it was so cold we didn’t get rain, we got snow.

In April.

I do have some better things to share with you though. Here, I took this picture a day before the ‘s-word’ arrived.

That’s the top of one of our evergreens. We planted them a couple of years ago and it gives me a ridiculous amount of pleasure to see them grow a little more each year.

See that lighter green bit at the top? That’s where the new growth comes in.

I know! It’s so exciting! Love trees, love them!

Yeap. This is us today

I’m calling it

I’ve had it with winter. The first snow always seems lovely and beautiful and wonderful…but after too many months of the icy, cold mess, I’d like spring to arrive. So, when I looked at this week and saw that our temperatures are going to be on the plus side and not below zero, I was elated.

My Canadian friends still grumble that there is more snow on it’s way. But I’m done with winter. Daring to go against the wrath of Mother Nature, I’m putting away my boots and calling it an early spring.

Bring on the sunshine!

If we were having coffee

(credit:Church Designer Magazine)

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you hubby is due back today and…well, Ocean might have snuck onto his seat on the couch, but otherwise, the house hasn’t fallen apart without him.

(credit: Natural Health 365)

I tried baking cookies yesterday and substituted brown sugar for molasses…well, the resulting cookies are heavy enough to fill a hungry bear for an entire winter. And that’s just one. I ate three yesterday and I though I was going to die. 24 hours later and I’m still digesting them.

If we were having coffee I’d tell you that I haven’t touched the snow on the driveway and it’s a good thing I drive a Jeep because it’s getting up there in places. As in up there to my waist! The even better news is that we have everything from snow to freezing rain coming today. Hubby is going to take one look at our driveway and get back on the plane.

Yes, my dogs have been up to their usual tricks but things have been pretty mellow around here.

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you that work has been insane. I’ve seen coworkers cry and quit (Not exactly what you’d call an endorsement for my job). I haven’t quit or complained but I’d love an easier work week…or if spring started early.

If we were having coffee, I’d ask you how you are. How was your week? How is work? Did you have time to do some fun things this week? Do some self-care? I didn’t get to the bookstore yet, but it’s on my to-do list.

A huge thanks to  Eclectic Alli for hosing Coffee Share and to you, my lovely reader, for reading!

 

If we were having coffee

(credit:Church Designer Magazine)

If we were having coffee I’d tell you that we have snow…and our two akitas couldn’t be happier. I have yet to see them express that amount of happiness at the sight of us or food or their beds. Snow holds an incredible amount of glee for our two fluff-balls. They simply can’t get enough of the stuff.

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you that lately, work has been actually fun. I work with the public and while they can be demanding, contradicting and maddening, they can also be cute, endearing and hilarious. I had a week where I spent most of my time at work laughing. Laughter, in my book, is one of the best things.

If we were having coffee, I’d share that my lovely, British hubby is obsessed with a restaurant and we’ve been going religiously to it every weekend since September. After two and a half months of the same food, I’m starting to look like the menu. If he suggests it next weekend, I might kick him in the buttocks.

How was your week? Is there anyone you’d like to kick?

Coffee share has found a new home.  Eclectic Alli is hosting it. Come see what everyone’s saying.

 

Something wicked this way comes

So cute!

 

Signs of the season

What? Do I have something on my face?

I’m super clean and ready to come inside!

The first snow fall

The first snow fall always catches me unaware. Ridiculous, I know. I mean, we get snow every blessed year. I should be used to it by now.

I never am.

The first snow fall usually comes with a nasty, cutting wind and this year was no exception. It’s the type of wind that makes you realize all others were just jokes. This one means business. It cuts into your cheeks and ears with sharp little teeth until you don’t care one iota what the hair is going to look like, you put on the hat. It slides, biting into your fingers while you fumble for keys and numbs all exposed surfaces instantly.

Was the wind always this cold? This year, the wind was flying by at 50km/h. At that speed, it was cold enough to suck the breath right out of you and leave you gasping in seconds. Trying to see is pretty futile. Not only are your eyes watering like mad to keep away frostbite, but it’s pitch black in the morning.

And was driving in the stuff always this tricky? Did my hands always hurt like this? Were mittens this useless? When is summer coming back? This is going to be a long winter.

My dogs too are in shock. They run around the white stuff as if they’ve never seen it before. They drive into drifts and roll around in mounds of the stuff. They stick their heads into it and sniff, trying to find scents, then they run around delighted.

I can see that they too have forgotten what snow is like but for very different reasons than mine. Was the snow always this soft? Did we always roll around on it and jump around? Was it really this much fun? How long is this going to last? This is going to be a long winter.