Springtime And A Guest!

 It is surely if slowly getting to be spring in our area...A whole week without snow! We even had some sunny days. But as this is being written, we have a rainy day. Oh well, the flowers to be need it!And while petcretary was at her work, it SNOWED! Huge fluffy flakes swirling in the strong winds we were having...but at least it all melted as it hit the ground...too warm at ground level. Sheesh...But when she was on her way home, it was very clear and she could see all the stars and visible planets.

On Friday, petcretary saw this dude checking out our feeders...an uncommon and rare sight around here, they prefer the real woods...

This is a Pileated Woodpecker, aka Woody'! Sorry for the poor quality, it was taken through a screened window...and then he was gone!

Other signs of spring in our yard:

Tulips

Snowdrops

Perwinkle Purple! That works for The Annual Purple Day for Epilepsy This is hosted each year as a blog hop by 5 Sibs.

Taken at 1030pm, so the lighting did strange things to Benji...

Looks much better in Black and White!

Dalton found some daffodils trying to show up...the background was very messy, so we took it out...

Look! I found some daffodils!

Now you can see the daffodils, and I, Dalton thought I looked good in a mountainous region...BOL!

We are springing and hopping in the Sunday Selfies Blog Hop, hosted by The Cat On My Head. Thanks Kitties Blue!

Post St Patrick's Day Selfies

 Winter has struck once again! It seems to have no regard that  Spring arrives tomorrow...sigh. The fourth consecutive weekend with bad weather.

Petcretary drove to a retreat for women from her Church Federation, about 60 or so miles north of where she lives. On Friday March 17th, the weather as good...no problem!  It was chilly, on account of wind, but above freezing. She woke up on Saturday...the temp was 14F,  the wind was howling, and the snow was at least 4 inches deep. She drove 5 miles from her hotel room to the retreat  venue, and that took her a good 20 minutes, because not only were the roads snow covered, she could hardly see where she was going, it was the dreaded whiteout conditions,,,that come with with lake effect snow. If it was away from the lake, it would be have been called a blizzard...

Petcretary left that place about 3pm. The roads in the town were improved and the highway traffic flow maps looked a lot better as well...so off she went. Arghhhhh! She had to drive at about 35 mph (On a 70MPH highway), and with her 4 way flashers on... because here and there it was impossible to see a thing...just barely the edge of the road...and still there were peeps who had to drive and go past her into that snow wall...either they were crazy, stupid or they have xray vision. Well, a lot of others were driving with their 4 ways on, so at least she knew *she* wasn't crazy! When she got to the second highway it was better but right away she saw an accident being cleared up...at least it was on the other side of the divided highway! So the next 18 miles or so were not too terrible, but just before she got off at her exit, the whiteouts started again...Yikes! Well, she just drove slowly...and the traffic was much lighter on that road.

The road she travels at night on her way home from work, was surprisingly good...it all depends where the wind wants to make a mess! She got home around 6pm...a drive that should only have taken just over an hour in good conditions! Phew! She prayed a thank you for the safety she had... 

Us pups were overjoyed to see her! But of course!! Pawppy took good care of us, but...well he's not petcretary, BOL!

So we will be kind to our tired Petcretary and show you some selfies that we made before Friday's (art work) post.

And we will cut her some slack about visiting everyone...but eventually she'll be back!

Let hope that when Spring arrives officially, the weather will begin to cooperate! Did you hear that weather??!

Ya'll have a great week ahead!

We are in the Sunday Selfies Blog Hop. The Kitties Blue at The Cat On my Head are the gracious hosts! We love them and they've been at it a LONG time! Thanks, Kitties Blue!

Happy St Patrick's Day!

 Today everyone is Irish, right??!

So are we...at least for today!

Begorrah!!

Happy St Patrick's Day, 2023!

Here are our three Angels as Irish as they could be.

Minko sure was intent on some bird outside! (ca 2010)

Pipo was thinking Ho Hum...LOL! I had to work on his eyes...since they were terribly red...but since its not Halloween they had to go to Photoshop to be 'fixed', LOL! (ca 2010)

The original Red Eye version...

MrJackFreckles was being quite the debonair dude! (Ca 2016)

 We are going to join the Feline Friday Hop, since we had those oldies and goodies to share...we promise our pups will not cause a ruckus!

Feline Friday

Sunday Selfie Time; and We Are Sleep Deprived From Losing a Whole Hour...Spring Forward...sigh...

Well it was another busy week here...and then on Thursday evening it started to snow...again. When we got up on Friday morning, the snow was about 7 - 8 inches deep...and again it was heavy and very wet. By the time or pawrents got out there too start the cleanup, there was a lot of water under it all. At least there was no ice layer like the last two times. And more snow is forecast for today and Monday. We hope they're wrong!

No pics this time...but the poor snowdrops are buried once again, as well as the tulips which are trying to hard to grow...they must be hoping for spring to come as much as we are!

Anyways, Petcretary is working and the time change means we all are cranky form sleep deprivation. We here wish we could just stay on Standard Time...the way God made the tine to be from the sun going around the earth...

So we're just showing another set of non-snow selfies, they are from a very warm day last October.

 

 

 

Kitties Blue are the hosts for this fun and much loved Weekly blog hop. Almost at 450 selfie hops!! Amazing!  We love them, and we thank them too!

 

 

 

Selfies...And the March Lion!

After a few amazing days..the March Lion struck here with a big roar on March third...with ice, wind and about 7 inches of heavy wet snow. What a mess...and just over a week ago we were dealing with all the power outages from that terrible ice storm. Sheesh. Talk about yo-yo weather. Our snowdrops were beginning to bloom...such a welcome sight, and the tulips were coming up, as well the tips of the daffodil leaves, but they all got buried and none were visible. Petcretary was out on errands before that storm started, but when she got back home (safely!), it was dark and the snow was deep...and crunchy, and when the wind whipped it up, it stung on her face. Us pups were not amused to woof the least. 

She got a couple of bad pictures from inside her vehicle  but Saturday morning, when she got up, the sun was already bright and the temp was about 41F. So the thick coating of icy snow was almost gone from the fence and trees. It was a horrible mess to shovel, as the snow thrower decided it could not deal with the packed up stuff, it acted like a giant shovel, building up huge piles. So the regular shovel did a much better job...except it was very heavy work. Good thing petcretary can still do that, she is used to heavy lifting from her work at the nursing home. Pawppy is good with the snow thrower, but since he had that back and hip surgery, he shouldn't be shoveling...its time for us peeps to look into a snow removal service, LOL!

These snow images were taken in the dark, so the lighter ones were 'enhanced' to reveal more detail.

Wow, we have a new privacy fence??

View from the drive way, to across the street. Pink tones from the car's rear lights, which are red...

More pinkness on the dogwood and fence.

This image was made to  be B & W, and now you can 'see' the darkness and all the whirling snow.It was NOT fun driving in that...

Well here we are, too...but dry and warm, BOL!

Hi, Petcretary...whoa, that is a really close close up!!

I am really tired after running through all that deep snow...but thanks for the treat!! Don't worry, Benji got one too!

We are sorry if we have not visited you in a while. It seems each time she sits down to do that, she gets a few under her belt, and then she has to stop, for any number of reasons...sure, excuses, excuses...but we have not forgotten our furends, we are just very behind...if we miss some, its because we are trying to get caught up!

Sunday Selfies are Hosted as always by the Kitties Blue at The Cat On My Head. Thanks so much for hosting this fun blog hop for SO long!

Happy Birthday Dr Seuss!

 March Second is Dr Seuss Day, because that was his birthday. All of us of a certain age likely remember reading many of is books. Unfortunately some of them have been banned...such is the culture of our day...however if you came to our house, we still have almost all of his books!! We had fun re-reading them to our sons when they were small...sheesh, that was SO long ago!

Happy Birthday, Dr Seuss!!

Here is a funny, silly 'Seussical' poem...since we love that Cat In A Hat....we think!

Its Dr Seuss Day
Today’s his Birthday!
We’ll celebrate
And play.
As Dr Seuss would say:
Our work is play
And its fun.
When we’re young
Or even old.
Play
Is soul’s gold!
So
Get out your hat;
Sit
On a mat.
Whether you’re skinny
or fat.
You need a plan.
So:
Make a wish,
for some fish-
In your dish!
Not a fan?
Well, then,
You can…
Just  enjoy,
And do not annoy
That special Cat,
Known as:
The Cat In A Hat!!

Dr Seuss Day

 We are also thankful...for many things, but we watched/heard our petcretary shout with glee when she recognized the Tuesday Teaser image at Teddy's Tuesday Teaser Class...she'd been there, so she quickly confirmed it...she was a double winner, being one of the first to 'get to class', and the first right  guesser.

Here's the image that was presented:

It was a guest image sent in by Grannie, from Angel Whisper (Peachy and Stippie)

 

Here is the picture that Petcretary made when she was visiting the same place, way back in 2008! Sheesh that was long before we were around...

This is Brugge (Bruges) in Belgium

So Petcretary got three badges as her reward:

Yay for ME – I was one of THREE First Commenters on the Teaser post of February 28, 2023!!

I was the FIRST RIGHT GUESSER on the Teaser post of February 28, 2023!!!!

I was a DOUBLE WINNER on the Teaser of February 23, 2023. I was a FIRST COMMENTER and I also was the FIRST RIGHT GUESSER!!! WHOOPEEEEEEE!

Professor Sammy's Poetry Day

Here is a poem we penned for Sammy's Poetry Corner...also in a 'Seussian' style, so we're including it here as well...

Here is the photo prompt:

I am not
THE cat in a hat.
But
I am Cat
That
Sat
In my chair…
With quite
A Debonair
Flair!

Thankful Thursday, Dr Seuss Style!

What a Week!!

Yes it was quite a week, with excitement we'd rather not ever have again, BOL! 

Monday was pretty nice, and even Tuesday was quiet, except for marauding starlings who gobble up all the bird food in about 2 minutes...sheesh. Oh, wait, Tuesday was Mardi Gras!! What craziness!! BOL!

Pawppy got the OK to drive again...hooray! That was a long 6 months of taxi service that petcretary did for him...

Wednesday started out quiet, but dismally cloudy..and in the afternoon it started...sleeting...which turned into ice pellets and eventually freezing rain, almost 1/2 inch accumulated on everything. Including trees and powerlines...and down they came! Crash! That was the neighbor's tree...boom, another neighbor lost a huge limb...and on that went all night...and just before 9 pm, the power went out. But we have a generator that turns on by itself when the power fails...well on it came and our little world was A-OK...and off to bed we all went...only to wake up to a cold dark house because the generator had given up...OMD!

So petcretary did a 'cat wash' with a washcloth and a waterbotttle...and went to work...the roads were covered with all kinds of debris from the trees...the heavy ice on them is what made them collapse or fall right out of the ground...and many were on power lines, so that the way to work was all kinds of go-arounds...and road closures...but she got there on time. At least the ice was gone of the roads by then, thanks to the busy overtime work of road maintenance crews...and a warmer temp.

When petcretary got home from her work our generator had been repaired...phew! And the house was cozy once again...but the repair dudes said the 24 year old machine was no longer reliable and we should likely get a new one...yikes, those things are expensive...but worth it!

The peeps that monitor the power outages said our power would  not be back on till at least Saturday morning...but miracle of miracles it came back on around 11 am on Friday! YAY!

Meanwhile there are still a lot of peeps who do not have their power back on yet...including the town about 25 miles from where we are...and the church we attend there is also in the dark. No restoration of power until the 26th we are told. Our services had to be cancelled...its about 42F in there, and of course no lights, etc...and the parsonage is also powerless...I heard in the news, that that town had thicker ice and way more damage than our town and village...

We can control many aspects in our lives, but weather is not one of them...nature can be very unforgiving and  viciously ruthless.

We sure hope all still without power will soon have it back on, and that they might find warm places in the meantime.

Just look at all that ice!!

Chickadees, Mrs Cardinal, and can you see the curious woodpecker!!

A BlueJay and a Mourning Dove eating leftovers that fell on the ground All that white is not snow; its ICE!

Red Bellied Woodpecker enjoying some peanuts...and pausing for a brief selfie!

We were so bored when our yard was all icy.

So we just hung out in our nests...

We sure that doesn't happen again!

I am hoping  for an early spring and no more bad weather.

On Tuesday at Teddy's Tuesday Teaser Class, petcretary was one of two first commenters, so she got this reward badge.

Oh boy! I was one of TWO FIRST COMMENTERS on the Teaser post of February 21, 2023!!

 

And she was a right guesser, but not first, LOL!

Well darn – I did guess the TEASER correctly but I was NOT the FIRST RIGHT GUESSER. Still – I was RIGHT – so there!!

 

Last Sunday Selfie Blog Hop For February! See all the others by clicking this caption.