So far, so good. The sap seems to be flowing, and we have over a gallon of it collected after just one day. Not sure how much syrup we'll get when it's all said and done, but it's a fun, new experience!
Showing posts with label weather. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weather. Show all posts
Something New
We get a little bored around here this time of year, so this year we are trying something new...
We have a couple large maple trees in the yard, and after talking to a friend at church on Sunday, we decided to tap our trees and make maple syrup!
So far, so good. The sap seems to be flowing, and we have over a gallon of it collected after just one day. Not sure how much syrup we'll get when it's all said and done, but it's a fun, new experience!
So far, so good. The sap seems to be flowing, and we have over a gallon of it collected after just one day. Not sure how much syrup we'll get when it's all said and done, but it's a fun, new experience!
Making It Easy On Me
The weather is certainly making it easy for me to get excited about leaving!
I can almost hear the waves already!!!! Seven days!
I have no problem giving up this white stuff...
For this white stuff...
I can almost hear the waves already!!!! Seven days!
It Is Time
Dear Winter Clothes,
I know we have had a long, on-again/off-again relationship, but I am growing weary of your company of late. I know we have spent many days snuggling together with a cup of hot tea or reading by the fire, and I have enjoyed those times immensely, but I think it is time for me to move on. Quite frankly, I find your covering me from neck to toe to be quite constricting. Not to mention, my tattoo hasn't seen the light of day in well over four months now. I partially blame you for the extra five pounds I'm carrying around, as you make it far too easy to hide the extra pudge. Lastly, you bore me. Where is the variety in jeans and a sweater?
I hate to break this to you, but I will be starting a relationship with someone you have met - Summer Clothes. I won't be seeing him often initially, but I hope the relationship will grow quickly. He is exciting and colorful. He likes walks on the beach and lazing around in hammocks. I hope we can still be friends, you and I. Maybe I will feel differently about you in a few months - eight, to be exact.
Stay in touch,
Barb
I know we have had a long, on-again/off-again relationship, but I am growing weary of your company of late. I know we have spent many days snuggling together with a cup of hot tea or reading by the fire, and I have enjoyed those times immensely, but I think it is time for me to move on. Quite frankly, I find your covering me from neck to toe to be quite constricting. Not to mention, my tattoo hasn't seen the light of day in well over four months now. I partially blame you for the extra five pounds I'm carrying around, as you make it far too easy to hide the extra pudge. Lastly, you bore me. Where is the variety in jeans and a sweater?
I hate to break this to you, but I will be starting a relationship with someone you have met - Summer Clothes. I won't be seeing him often initially, but I hope the relationship will grow quickly. He is exciting and colorful. He likes walks on the beach and lazing around in hammocks. I hope we can still be friends, you and I. Maybe I will feel differently about you in a few months - eight, to be exact.
Stay in touch,
Barb
Winter 2013/2014
Now that we are midway through this winter, I thought I would offer up a little synopsis of how it's going....
When it's not below zero, it's snowing.
Oh, and let's not forget blowing.....it's doing that in both of the above conditions!
Take today for example...
Hmmm, we're dishing up plenty of the latter this morning (four inches here already -with lots of blowing, let's not forget the blowing), followed by the former tonight.
When it's not below zero, it's snowing.
Oh, and let's not forget blowing.....it's doing that in both of the above conditions!
Take today for example...
Scratch That
Last May I wrote a blog post about my theory of Minnesota weather. My theory was that global warming was a myth, and here in Minnesota we were experiencing something called Seasonal Shift. The theory was based on the fact that it was snowing in MAY. Therefore, in my brain-of-limited-capacity, I determined that the seasons in Minnesota had in fact all shifted by two months.
The downside of this theory was that it was SNOWING in MAY, but the upside was that summer would linger gloriously into November.
Well, today, I would like to officially declare my theory a bunch of BUNK! Lo and behold, it is not still warm and toasty here in Minnesota. NO! Instead, I woke up this morning to single digit temperatures, and we had snow on the ground last week!
Seasonal Shift is a myth! There! I've said it.
My new theory?
My new theory is that summer in Minnesota lasts approximately three weeks. There is a week or two of fall and a week or two of spring and the rest of the year is WINTER. Yes, that's 45 weeks of winter. That pretty much sums it up.
Ponder that for awhile as I go bury my head in a down comforter!
The downside of this theory was that it was SNOWING in MAY, but the upside was that summer would linger gloriously into November.
Well, today, I would like to officially declare my theory a bunch of BUNK! Lo and behold, it is not still warm and toasty here in Minnesota. NO! Instead, I woke up this morning to single digit temperatures, and we had snow on the ground last week!
Seasonal Shift is a myth! There! I've said it.
My new theory?
My new theory is that summer in Minnesota lasts approximately three weeks. There is a week or two of fall and a week or two of spring and the rest of the year is WINTER. Yes, that's 45 weeks of winter. That pretty much sums it up.
Ponder that for awhile as I go bury my head in a down comforter!
Scratch That
I've been waiting since May to post a blog entry entitled Three Reasons Why I Live In Minnesota, now, due to unforeseen circumstances, I need to scratch the whole thing.
Why, you ask?
Well here's the post....
Well, with the current lack of beautiful weather, I will need to modify the post to The Two Reasons I Live In Minnesota.
Why, you ask?
Well here's the post....
Three Reasons Why I Live In Minnesota
June, July & August
Well, with the current lack of beautiful weather, I will need to modify the post to The Two Reasons I Live In Minnesota.
A New Theory
This global warming theory isn't working for us here in Minnesota this year. Hard to believe in global warming when it has snowed every day so far in MAY!
Climate change? Well, the climate has indeed changed.....and not for the better. Climate change is not giving me good feelings, either! I'm thinking we need a new theory, and I've come up with it!
Seasonal Shift
Yes, seasonal shift. Here's how it works: all the seasons shift by about two months. This would explain the winter weather we're now experiencing, right? Now for this theory to work, summer will have to extend into November. That works for me!
Anyone else with me on this one? I'm voting for seasonal shift!!
Climate change? Well, the climate has indeed changed.....and not for the better. Climate change is not giving me good feelings, either! I'm thinking we need a new theory, and I've come up with it!
Seasonal Shift
Yes, seasonal shift. Here's how it works: all the seasons shift by about two months. This would explain the winter weather we're now experiencing, right? Now for this theory to work, summer will have to extend into November. That works for me!
Anyone else with me on this one? I'm voting for seasonal shift!!
Dear Spring
Dear Spring,
Thank you so much for visiting our fair state the past few days. As always it was a pleasure to have you here. I wish you didn't have to leave so soon. Please come back again REALLY soon!
Love,
Barb
Thank you so much for visiting our fair state the past few days. As always it was a pleasure to have you here. I wish you didn't have to leave so soon. Please come back again REALLY soon!
Love,
Barb
Couple inches of snow predicted for Thursday. Really?! Snow in May?!
Winter Wonderland
Okay, I know it's April, and we in Minnesota are VERY tired of the snow that just can't seem to stop falling, but...
this morning was just plain beautiful! So, while most of the country is basking in springtime, we get to continue to enjoy the beauty of snow-flocked trees. Btw, I am totally NOT being sarcastic here (strange for me, I know).
I love my yard no matter what time of year it is (except, perhaps, when I have to rake leaves in the fall), but snow makes it look downright magical!
this morning was just plain beautiful! So, while most of the country is basking in springtime, we get to continue to enjoy the beauty of snow-flocked trees. Btw, I am totally NOT being sarcastic here (strange for me, I know).
I love my yard no matter what time of year it is (except, perhaps, when I have to rake leaves in the fall), but snow makes it look downright magical!
So today, on April 23, 2013, I am thankful for a yard full of white stuff!
That About Sums It Up
Upon waking this morning, Marcus looked out our window and declared, "Outside looks like a whole new winter!" And that pretty much sums it up!
At least it's pretty!
At least it's pretty!
And now, for your listening enjoyment...
At least it's pretty!
At Least It's Pretty
I've decided to take a new approach to the current weather condition (4 inches of snow and counting)....I will now continually say, "At least it's pretty," whenever I feel like complaining about the fact that it is snowing 6+ inches on April 18.
"At least it's pretty!!!"
"At least it's pretty!!!"
Time Travel
Given the current weather situation here in Minnesota, I thought now would be a good time to indulge in a little time travel.
I'm not going far. My first stop will be April 2012 - just one short year ago...
Oh, look!! A little girl playing at the park in shorts and a short-sleeve shirt. I believe she is barefoot, also! She doesn't appear to have a single goose-bump on her! Look how smiley and happy she is because she can go swinging!!
Hmm, What is this color I see?? Green?? So much green!! Hmm, and more people looking quite comfortable wearing very few clothing items. Not a boot or a mitten in sight!!
I know, I know, the spring of 2012 was an anomaly - outrageously pleasant for Minnesota. Maybe I should travel back another year to see how our current situation compares.
Here we are, April 2011. Hmmm, look!! Clothes drying on the clothesline! Not a flake of snow in sight, green grass...I can almost hear the birds chirping just looking at it! More of that green stuff, too!
Just a little further back...
April 2010. Well, now I'm just getting myself downright depressed!! Look at the leaves on the bushes and the plants coming up in the garden. More shorts. More green stuff. I love the color green! I think the color green is my new favorite color!! I think I'm going to paint my bedroom a lovely shade of grass-green...right now...
Attitude Adjustment
The current forecast has forced me to come up with a new coping mechanism. I've decided to do a mental calendar adjustment. I will no longer acknowledge that it is mid-April, I am now going to adjust my mental calendar to February.
****DONE****
My what a really lovely warm spell we're having! I wish every winter was as mild as this. And look! Some fresh snow to brighten things up, too! I couldn't ask for a lovelier February!
See how nicely this little mental calendar adjustment works!
Boycott
It's April. I will no longer shovel any snow that may fall out of the sky. I am boycotting shoveling! If you come to visit me, you will have to walk through whatever has accumulated on our driveway.
The shovels have officially been put away until November!!!!
Thankfully, last weeks snowfall is almost melted, just in time for tonights ice and snow! Oh, joy!
The Difference A Day Makes
Apparently spring, summer, and fall have been bypassed and we're back to winter again - and this is just the beginning 5" - 10" inches predicted for tonight.
It Could Be Worse
Feeling a little cold around here today, so I thought I'd compare temperatures from where my readers hail from and here. Let 's see...
St. Paul, MN (close enough to me) 4° F (-15° C for my worldwide readers)
Lethbridge, Canada 9°F (-12° C)
Nashville, TN 52° F (11° C)
Monmouth, UK 32° F (0° C)
Palo Alto, CA 52° F (11° C)
Islamabad, Pakistan 46° F (7° C)
Dubai, UAE 66°F (18° C)
Okay, maybe it can't be worse! Apparently all my readers today live in warmer places. Hmm, let me search the list. Surely SOMEONE is colder than I am....
Hmm, not Norrköping, Sweden....not Dollard-des-ormeaux, Canada...
Apparently it couldn't be worse! Even Crystal in Alaska is warmer than we are today. I'm going to go crawl in a hole now.....
St. Paul, MN (close enough to me) 4° F (-15° C for my worldwide readers)
Lethbridge, Canada 9°F (-12° C)
Nashville, TN 52° F (11° C)
Monmouth, UK 32° F (0° C)
Palo Alto, CA 52° F (11° C)
Islamabad, Pakistan 46° F (7° C)
Dubai, UAE 66°F (18° C)
Okay, maybe it can't be worse! Apparently all my readers today live in warmer places. Hmm, let me search the list. Surely SOMEONE is colder than I am....
Hmm, not Norrköping, Sweden....not Dollard-des-ormeaux, Canada...
Apparently it couldn't be worse! Even Crystal in Alaska is warmer than we are today. I'm going to go crawl in a hole now.....
It's About Time
While I'm no fan of winter, I do like a white Christmas. After today, we here in Minnesota are virtually guaranteed a very white one this year. We've got about eleven inches so far, and it's still coming down.
The Name of the Moon
Now, I know that I did a previous post on a book called The Name of the Wind, but do not be confused. This post is not about a book. It is actually about...the name of the moon! Imagine that.
Unbeknownst to me, until two days ago, the moon (at least when it is full) has a name! My eldest son, who is a walking encyclopedia, not only informed me that full moons HAVE names, he then began to recite those names to me.
Without further ado, for your edification and education, I present to you the names of the full moons according to the Farmers' Almanac.
Unbeknownst to me, until two days ago, the moon (at least when it is full) has a name! My eldest son, who is a walking encyclopedia, not only informed me that full moons HAVE names, he then began to recite those names to me.
Without further ado, for your edification and education, I present to you the names of the full moons according to the Farmers' Almanac.
• Full Wolf Moon – January Amid the cold and deep
snows of midwinter, the wolf packs howled hungrily outside Indian
villages.
• Full Snow Moon – February Since the heaviest snow
usually falls during this month, native tribes of the north and east
most often called February’s full Moon the Full Snow Moon.
• Full Worm Moon – March As the temperature begins
to warm and the ground begins to thaw, earthworm casts appear, heralding
the return of the robins.
• Full Pink Moon – April This name came from the
herb moss pink, or wild ground phlox, which is one of the earliest
widespread flowers of the spring.
• Full Flower Moon – May In most areas, flowers are
abundant everywhere during this time. Thus, the name of this Moon.
• Full Strawberry Moon – June This name was
universal to every Algonquin tribe. However, in Europe they called it
the Rose Moon.
• The Full Buck Moon – July July is normally the
month when the new antlers of buck deer push out of their foreheads in
coatings of velvety fur. I
• Full Sturgeon Moon – August The fishing tribes are
given credit for the naming of this Moon, since sturgeon, a large fish
of the Great Lakes and other major bodies of water, were most readily
caught during this month.
• Full Corn Moon or Full Harvest Moon – September
This full moon’s name is attributed to Native Americans because it
marked when corn was supposed to be harvested. Most often, the September
full moon is actually the Harvest Moon, which is the full Moon that
occurs closest to the autumn equinox. In two years out of three, the
Harvest Moon comes in September, but in some years it occurs in October.
• Full Hunter’s Moon or Full Harvest Moon – October
This full Moon is often referred to as the Full Hunter’s Moon, Blood
Moon, or Sanguine Moon. Many moons ago, Native Americans named this
bright moon for obvious reasons.
• Full Beaver Moon – November This was the time to
set beaver traps before the swamps froze, to ensure a supply of warm
winter furs.
• The Full Cold Moon; or the Full Long Nights Moon – December During this month the winter cold fastens its grip, and nights are at
their longest and darkest.
Now don't you just feel smarter by reading this? I thought so.
In Minnesota
Sand is in short supply, but snow will do....
Actually, snow is in short supply as well, but there was still enough yesterday to bury a small boy!
Actually, snow is in short supply as well, but there was still enough yesterday to bury a small boy!
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