Category: Weather

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Thunderstorms and Puppy Jake

Last weekend I found out our 7 mo. old puppy Jake, is terrified of fireworks. He doesn’t even have to see them, just hear them and he freaks out. I had wondered if he also would be afraid of thunderstorms when I was looking at the skies early this morning. My body felt a storm coming on and I think the dogs knew something was going to change weather wise just by the way they were acting.

Sure enough, it started getting darker and the skies looked a grey black. I saw the first bolt of lightening and counted to three… BOOM! My poor puppy went ballistic. I felt so sorry for him. He nearly flew under my desk, spinning my chair around and I almost tipped over. He was under there shaking so hard I think I heard his teeth even clicking. I went under the desk to him…which was hard to do even if I’m small. Jake is just a pup, but he is BIG and it was a tight fit under there for both of us. Still, I held him and kept telling him everything was okay. He didn’t stop shaking though.

So, now I know Jake is terrified of thunderstorms and fireworks. I’ll bet he’s afraid of gunfire also. Living around here, all of these sounds are like an every day experience. I’m going to have to find a way to teach him that these things aren’t going to hurt him. Bless his heart!

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Winter storms and power outages

With the winds blowing fiercely and ice, snow and rain that continued to become layered in a very dangerous way for travelers. With temperatures in freezing mode, it seemed like a ghost town in the small village as blizzard conditions and treacherous ice took away any forms of communication and transportation.

Inside the small house, a fire in the hearth burned making a soothing crackling sound while keeping the lower rooms warm with also the help of the wood burning stove. The lighting of oil lamps and candles, produced a serene, cozy glow that looked enchanting, making one want to bask in it for the night…

NOT!!!!! Okay truth be known, after the power went out and I saw and heard branches breaking and power lines going down, I did light the fires and also the oil lamps and then placed candles in where I knew they’d put out the best light yet be safe from tipping. It actually did look nice and rosy in the house. But I was also in near panic mode since my sons were in town practicing music for their show and we live off of a very dangerous road in the conditions as we had last night and today, so last night I was fretting too much to give it more than a few minutes of liking said warmth and rosy glow. I can’t wait until summer and we don’t have to go though this stuff again for a time.

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Sunny skies but looks are deceiving

The sun is finally shining and all the snow and ice has melted, but it indeed is chilly outside. Much more cold than it actually looks, but one can dream that flip flop weather will soon be here. (Phil didn’t see his shadow, right?)

With the high winds we’ve had over the last few weeks, there is going to be a lot of clean up in the yards to do. My neighbor’s tree is nearly dead and the branches keep falling and then are literally blown into my side gardens. The neighbor just moved in last fall, and I rarely see her, but she should learn neighborly consideration. Of course she is indeed young, but that doesn’t mean she can’t pick up a few branches.

My yards are going to need the usual clean up, but with new gardens that will be dug and put in, I’m sure I’m going to be busy playing more in the dirt and  have the guys here do the clean up work for me. They’ll earn money doing it, and every year they do a really great job, so that is covered. Just seeing this sun shine makes me antsy to get out and plant things, but in the mean time I’ll stick to starting my seeds

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Shopping for PTAC Units

Last summer when we had exceedingly hot weather and a drought, our air condition unit decided it didn’t want to keep us cool anymore and the motor basically exploded. It was an old unit and we are fortunate it didn’t start a fire, but this has led us to do some early shopping for various ptac units, that we can afford. When I was younger, the heat didn’t bother me at all, but I have found for the last few years, I get overheated and of course without the air conditioner, it gets so hot and stuffy in the house that even the dog would rather be outside under a tree where he may get a hint of a breeze. My family gets miserable, and then I have to hear the complaints. I’m not going to go through that again this year.

While shopping, I looked at Amana ptac units and from what I was told by the expert helping me, they would save money and also work well in my home. In the long run this would be less expensive than running just plain fans, and would regulate the air in the house and keep it at a cool temperature that we all could handle. Not to mention, we wouldn’t just be stirring the hot air around like floor and ceiling fans do.

I’ve also talked my mom into checking out these ptac units, since she has a two story house and I stay in the upper part while I am there on most weekends. To say it gets hot up there, is an understatement. Despite the fact that she indeed has central air conditioning, her unit isn’t large or heavy duty enough, to cool the upstairs, due to the size of the rooms I have up there. To even try to cool the upstairs is so expensive, I’ve been depending on fans and a cross breeze with the windows open. A new until would not only save her money, but also make it comfortable enough to actually get a good night’s sleep!

 

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Flip flops and T-shirts to heavy duty winter coats

One extreme than another. Yesterday while I was wandering garden sections in stores, wearing flip flops and a french cut shirt with jeans, made me feel like I NEEDED to plant something, do a spring project. I felt literally released from the winter blues. Then… Whamo! The temps dropped, it rained and froze and then out came the long johns and Carhearts again.”We will survive…” and all that.

With little “bugs” that make one miserable hanging on and on, this needs some watching and attention. I have been hit twice, so please have those so called colds checked out.  I just got a taste of spring though, so now Ladies and Gents, it’s time to start making plans for your yard, home and garden! I’m so exited for spring to begin, but in the mean time, I’m glad for my long johns and big time heavy duty coats!

I don’t know what I would do without the snow gear type coats and leggings, also full suits. I hate the cold and snow. At least I’m somewhat warm enough for me to venture out, so it says it all. Ya’ll keep warm and safe.

 

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Great Movies this Year for the Holidays

Going to the movie theater is something that I seem to have gotten away from and today I just realized how much I miss it. There is nothing like watching a movie in a big, dark theater with a hundred other people enjoying the action of the big screen with Dolby surround sound. I think it is cool to hear others gasp in surprise or laugh at the funny scenes. It adds to the viewing experience.

This year there are a lot of movies that sound really good scheduled for release in December. I guess they want to get people who are home from college and out of school for the holidays to spend some of their free time and money in the movie theaters. The one that I really want to see is the new James Bond movie, “Skyfall.” And of course I want to see “The Hobbit.”

If we don’t have a lot of bad weather this year I hope to make the trip to town a few times just for fun and watching movies. I won’t risk wrecking the car on snow and ice covered roads, but if the roads are clear I feel a big urge to get out of the house this winter and be around people and having fun. The movies are a great way to get me motivated and if I skip the popcorn and over priced sodas, I can budget for a couple of new release films and maybe invite a girlfriend or neighbor to come along with me.

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A Chance of Snow Tonight

Its been cold for a couple of weeks but we have not had snow yet. But I just heard the dreaded four letter word on tonight’s news – there is a chance of snow tonight. I don’t mind the cold weather, but I really do not like the sleet and snow that comes this time of year. I try to avoid driving in the bad weather and just stay home if there is any way to arrange things to allow that.

Last year we only had snow on the ground for a few weeks. It never caused any big problems for my house and my neighborhood, thank goodness. Sometimes we have bad snow storms that leave people stranded in their homes for several days, as shoveling heavy fresh snow is very tiring and not always productive when you spend hours out in the cold clearing your car and then a snow plow comes along and shoves a wall of snow back into your driveway or around your car. That always makes me very angry, and yet I know the snow plows need to keep the streets clear. I just wish they would remove or melt the snow instead of just shoving it over and packing it around the cars parked on the street.

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Fall is in the air

The leaves haven’t started to turn yet, but the smell of fall is indeed in the air. There is a crisp feeling outside that this season brings, and at night it’s been getting down right chilly. No frost yet, but it’s to come sooner than normal, I have a feeling.

Though I love colors of fall, I don’t like the fact that it means summer is over and that winter is just around the corner. It seems like we didn’t have much of a summer, despite of the drought.

We’ve been doing some home improvement around the house and outside in the yards. There were some walkways that needed tending to, as the stone was starting to get loose in places, so I hauled in some extra that I had saved, and made it fit where the loose ones were. I should say they aren’t really stone like most would think. These are actually flat rocks that the walkway is made of, and I’m glad I had the foresight to keep some back for just the purpose I needed them for.

All of the storm windows are now up and the glass windows are washed, the covered with padding and put away safely. Gutters will continue to be cleaned as the leaves come down and nearly all of my flower beds have been put to sleep for the winter. It sort of makes me sad, but it is what it is.

There of course is a lot more to do in order to make the house winterized and toasty for the winter, but I’m getting to it slowly but surely. Winter is not a good season for me, since I really hate snow and the cold, but if I have to live where we do indeed have lots and lots of snow and the temps get down below zero, I at least want a home that is warm and the next step is to start my winter survival shopping.

 

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Yard cleanup and missing summer

Every year when I clean up my yard and put all the summer things away, I get a dreadful feeling about winter weather. I love summer and since I despise winters here, I know I’m living in a place where I feel totally misplaced.

Already I’ve raked leaves in the front yard. Granted, not to many but they are falling off the big tree. I also have been collecting seeds, and pulling up dead annuals.

Closing the pool isn’t happening just yet, as my kids swim even if it is chilly out. The water has stayed semi warm but the air still has a chill to it that is obvious when they get out of the pool and have goose bumps all over their bodies. I’m going to miss summer so darn much I’m thinking about buying a heater for the pool

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Gathering seeds and doing household repair

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been gathering seeds from what I call, my “blown out herbs and flowers” so I can put them in packages, mark them and then plant again next year. I love having herbs, flowers and other plants that I have grown and then gathered the seeds, and planted again the next spring. Generations of plants, so to speak.

I’m also getting the house ready for the winter. There are some repairs needed to be done on the outside of the house, due to the drought and yet also the terrible storms that passed through when we did get rain.

All of these things I love to do but need help with, and I have to admit that my kids have been wonderful about helping me with the a lot of the things that need to be done. This gives me peace of mind and also knowing that I am going to be prepared (sort of) for the winter and also have the spring seeds to plant, will save money and help me to keep from a great deal of worry.