Blur

Yes, even digital cameras can burp. I had my flash turned off and a speed setting on and Blueberry just attacked. It was cute. Not an intentional photo, but a bit what I am feeling. Their childhood is whizzing by in a blur and the more that I try and capture it, fumble with settings, and sit down to type the faster the jig gets played and my shoes are falling off trying to catch up.

Winter Bliss

Winter means digging through the summer harvest and making things with STRAWBERRIES! This is a pineapple upsidedown cake that I used strawberries for the pineapple. I was not sorry that I did, it was amazing. I will post the recipe soon.

Winter means Lil'Bug getting frustrated that baby Blueberry keeps getting into everything and then Mama insists on taking oodles of pictures.

 

And finally, winter means that everyone gets cabin fever so very terrible that they volunteer to clean the play area. Playing with vacuums is a lot of fun kids! If I could add a soundtrack to the pictures I would, the kids were boogie-ing to Havalina Rail Company's Grass Roots and exclaiming, "Jesus come and take me home!" with an accordion and fiddle playing. Sometimes Lil'Bug will request, "some of that accordion love!"

Speaking of, we got our fiddles but the snowstorm may prevent us from trekking northward to our first lesson tonight as Dearest took the truck and I am on pipe duty- not to mention the windchills are -35 or something. Despite the cold, we are holding up well, the vistas are breathtakingly beautiful, and we are patiently waiting for Spring. I've got some new projects rattling around in my head thanks to E. at MamasMelodrama and the Simply Food blog is really taking root too. Winter is a necessary season and we'll all be more ready for Spring because of it.

Still, I miss my mama friends both near and far.

Shedding Old Skins

The snake shedded. Have I mentioned we got a snake?

Shedding is pretty cool. The entire skin was intact. We got the snake, Oreo, from the Iowa Reptile Rescue- a very cool organization run by a very cool family.

I've been thinking that sometimes we all need to shed old skins to make way for the new too.

A bit on the chilly side . . .

But it warmed up, so I decided to take a walk on the pond.

I did say "on" the pond . . .

There are feet afoot!

View across the pond to the west.

Another view from the dock.

I can see my house from here!

View from the hill at the north west corner of the pond

These critters used the buddy system.

I think this was a neat tree or something . . . it was really really cold . . .

The hill we hope to have a cabin on someday . . .

I walk all zig zaggy apparently.

Not sure what this was - a bunch of critters were up here tearing apart hedge apples it appears.


Heading back towards the truck . . .