Life in the Bristolwood

After this latest deluge of snow, I was thrilled beyond words when I looked at the weather and saw that the temperatures are going to *soar* into the 50′s today! The sky looked rather pretty this morning….not dark and foreboding! We are fortunate that in this late snowstorm none of the trees near the house look to be badly damaged. As soon as the snow melts, we will be doing a lot of yard cleanup as there are little branches everywhere!

When the snow came down, the ground was warm and as it fell, it melted. Thus, I guess it would be better to say we received almost a foot of “slush” than snow! The Scotties and I had a blast going out in the morning. NOT! On Monday, the snow was so deep, the boys made *me* walk in front to make a path for them! By Tuesday morning, enough snow had fallen after being cleared away that it was up to their shoulders. (OK, so Scotties have short legs, but there was a good 4″ of snow there!) I am grateful for warmer weather ahead, as shoveling in April seems like such a tiring task!

Last night, Michelle had her Bible study. I dropped her off at the church and then went to the lake. This town is located about 16 miles northeast of us, and they have no snow! What a contrast to see vibrant green! I drove around near the head of the lake and it was so beautiful. People were walking everywhere! As soon as the weather makes a turn, people get out!

I stopped by Wendy’s and got a Frosty (Lisanne, are you reading…I didn’t get the float,though.) and sat by the lake just enjoying it and the peacefulness around me. The sun had come out yesterday afternoon, and it gave the lake an almost “hazy” surreal look as it streaked through lingering clouds. I could have sat there a long time but I went to Lowe’s and looked around instead.

This morning when I took the Scotties out, music filled the air! Birds are chirping and singing so loudly. I am sure they are also happy for warmer kinder weather! Last week, I was so excited as I spotted an Eastern Bluebird in a tree at the end of our driveway. Since we are in the woods, a bluebird is an unusual sight, but I know that people further up the hill have nesting boxes for bluebirds in their open fields.

I am anxious to get out and take pictures of something other than snow with my camera! I think it is time to get some *colorful* pictures, as opposed to monochromatic ones!

I have finally reconciled myself to the place that I can talk about this.

Several weeks ago, I was in the Dollar Tree with the kids. I was just looking around and I remembered that I wanted to buy the Tylenol equivalent as I thought it might be a good idea to alternate that with the ibuprofen that I had at home.

I rarely ever take anything. I am of the mindset that when sick, it is better to let one’s system go into overdrive to rid any illness than to cover it up with meds. Having said that, when I get a head-throbbing, cannot concentrate headache, I need to take something to get rid of it. I do not have the luxury of lying down until it passes. (and frankly, lying down usually does little more than make it worse!) So, while at the Dollar Tree, I grabbed a bottle of acetaminophen and brought it home, placing it in the linen closet.

A week ago this past Sunday, one of those headaches struck. I woke up with it. After a few hours of thinking it might go away on its own with no success, I grabbed the little box out of the closet and opened the bottle, mindlessly taking one of the pretty blue caplets.

After taking the pill, i noticed I was having a terrible time trying to stay awake. I did manage and as the headache subsided, then left. I forgot all about this.

Move ahead to Tuesday. We had to run to the city, and while there, we stopped at Carly’s to drop off a dresser. I mentioned in passing that I had this annoying rash on my elbow that was driving me nuts. I also had little red pimply spots showing up on my body…mainly my extremities. Carly said she had hydro cortisone cream, but I told her that stuff never helps. She said she also had some Claritin that I might like to try as it sounded like an allergy. I thought a bit, then took one of the pills.

After taking one a day for three days, the rash finally quit appearing and by Friday, it was actually getting better.

I kept wondering what caused this rash, but couldn’t think of anything. No new detergent. No new soap. Nothing new.

It was only a couple of days ago that I thought about that acetaminophen. I grabbed the bottle out of the closet and alas! It was a PM version with a sleep aid. I told Carly about it later and she went nuts! Right away, she KNEW that it contained the same substance that Benadryl contains. Huh? I have been allergic to Benadryl for many years! And, every time I tried to take it (only twice) I ended up with a terrible rash! The dosage for Benadryl is usually 50-100 mg. The pill I took only had 25 mg. Carly scolded that I should never take “that stuff” again.

So, from now on I will try to remember to READ the label….IE, I WILL take the reading glasses out and be assured I am buying what I *think* I am buying! And, I will order a medical alert tag saying that I am allergic to Diphendydramine AND penicillin.

So, as the saying goes, “read the labels”! Might I add, “know your enemies, as well”!

You cannot stop spring from advancing! So says my lilac bush from under its heavy burden!

I think I would have turned cartwheels! I love snow for Thanksgiving or Christmas. But this…well, it is a bit hard to swallow……

I decided to wander out for a few pictures, as it seems that people living only a short distance from me have not had the pleasure of dealing with this wet, heavy snow!!! So, here goes!

This is a maple tree located about 20 feet from the front porch. I have never seen the branches hanging down so low. When we bought this property, we experienced the ice storm of 1991. The branches of trees were encased in a glaze of about 3/4″ of ice. It was terrible and we lost a great deal of treetops. This storm, I do believe we will also lose many branches, as they cannot hold this much weight. Ususally, by midday, the snow has fallen to the ground, but the wet snow just keeps on coming, and the branches are getting heavier and heavier. In spending a couple of hours outside shoveling this morning, I heard many sounds of splitting trees in the distance.

The term “whiteout” has taken on a new meaning! *Everything* is white out!!! I was going to venture further down the driveway to take a broader view of the house, but after shoveling through several inches of what felt as heavy as *stones*, my energy level was vastly diminished!It is easy to see that everything is now white!

When I awakened this morning, the trees were swaying back and forth as though the winds were gusting heavily. Praise God, they have lessened and it is rather still outside right now. We are so grateful to have received *only* about 8 inches of this snow, as we were told the potential was for amounts of 2 FEET! Considering the great effort Mark put forth to clear our driveway, I think any more than we had would have been nearly impossible to clear out with the ATV.

As I looked into the woods, it seems like I was surrounded by a sea of white!

I got to thinking about those pioneers who came to this country to settle it so many years ago. Today, with our Doppler Radar and (fairly) accurate forecasts, I cannot imagine how disheartened those folks must have been to see a day such as this. Just think….if their firewood supply was running lean, how would they have felt, wondering if they might freeze to death as they could not get out to cut? The burden of shoveling this messy snow today was greatly lightened by reading the forecast…..highs into the 50′s by Friday, and into the 60′s on Sunday!

This is looking into the woods where I photographed the deer late yesterday evening. It changed so much in just several hours!

Lastly is the lilac bush in the side yard. Poor little bush looks so forlorn as it sags under the weight of the snow.

So, if you are one of the fortunate ones who did NOT have to shovel your way out the door today, consider yourself lucky! And for those like me, well, brighter *warmer* days lie JUST ahead!

This morning, I was barely able to post the pictures of the snow coming down because of issues with my laptop. The processor was running out of control, and it took forever to even TRY to do anything. Since then, my computer guru hero, AKA my hubby, Mark, took care of business and I am once again *in* business!

I wanted to post a picture I took yesterday of a little Junco bird that was nestled in the lilac bush on the side of the house….

And, I was excited to tell about a new soap I unmolded last night! One of my Scottie friends I met online is from Arizona, and she ordered some Lemongrass Soaps made with my Scottie mold. She had fallen in love with Lemongrass while visiting in London. I decided to add a little of the herb to the soap as well, (just a tiny tad) and it gave it depth, texture and character….I love it and the scent is so fresh!

So, that was my unfinished business from yesterday! Last night was such a bust, as the Sabres lost to the Islanders. I was so bummed, but the Sabres were outplayed AND the refereeing STUNK! I always smile and tell Mark the refs always SAY they are going to call everything………against Buffalo! Yes, I am biased, but even were I not, I think anyone can see that many of the refs just do not want Buffalo to win.

Today was spent lazily lounging about. Yes, Mrs. *Busy* took a day off! I am so tired. I think I didn’t sleep well or rest well because of the game last night. Mark keeps telling me not to get so worked up…hehehe

I made Zatarain’s Cheesy Jambalaya for dinner tonight. There is a recipe on the back of the box for stuffed green peppers using two boxes. Well, since I only had one huge green pepper, I cut it into small pieces and added it. The recipe on the box also calls for sausage, which I detest! So, I use ground beef and I used Habanero pepper instead of the jalapeno it called for. This is one of those recipes that is guaranteed to clear sinuses, but if you like *hot*, it is SO tasty!

As I was cleaning up in the kitchen, I caught sight of Doe, Re, Mi, and Fa out on the back hill. I was so excited because they lingered on and on for some time….then, they actually bedded down for a bit.

You can see the size difference here….Doe is on the right, and one of her youngsters is on the left side. It was difficult taking these shots because, 1. once again, I had to shoot through the french doors, and, 2. it was snowing like crazy! I just knew that were I to open the door, the youngster definitely would have bolted into the woods. Doe is much more at ease with humans!

Here is Doe lying in the snow…..

And here, Doe got up to graze a little bit more while her youngster remains resting.

A closer look at the youngster. This was such a wonderful way to end a lazy day!

I live in the woods. When we turn off the lights, it is very dark. Last night, however, when I woke up in the middle of the night, I could see outside, so I knew it had snowed or was snowing.
This morning when Murphy insisted it was time to get up, I opened my eyes to a world of what looked like black and white. I decided to just open my window and take three pictures, each in a different direction…..

Hey, wait a minute! These pictures all look the SAME! Yes, they do, and yes, it DOES!

We are being blessed with *really* heavy wet snow right now. In looking at the radar and maps, it looks like the east coast is going to be getting the brunt of this beast. I imagine lines will be going down, as this is seriously heavy stuff, and we are only getting the fringes of it!

It is hard to believe that yesterday I was outside taking pictures in my flip-flops! This morning, I had to grab my Crocs with no holes in them before taking the boys out. Those flip-flops would have left me with FROZEN toes!

OK, so I don’t really want to be a daffodil, but how about resilient like a daffodil? I worried so about these miniature daffodils as they were frozen solid last week. They were rigid and even looked freezer burned! But, alas….they are FINE! Now, THAT is resilient!

I took this picture of the little stream….I loved the little bubbles!

Last night, I was so excited about the Sabres game! Yes, it is Stanley Cup playoff time and the Sabres played their first game of the first round against the New York Islanders. The game was so exciting as the Sabres just played so well and scored over and over.

During the last five minutes of the game, I told Mark I really had to run and take a bathroom break, as I felt as though I was going to burst! He told me to go ahead….he has a DVR, so he could record the last few minutes and we could watch it together. Ben was in the dowstairs bathroom, taking a shower, so I bounded upstairs.

Since I was in such a hurry, I only pulled the door behind me, not latching it. Within a few seconds, the door came flying open, and there was Murphy. Not too far behind came Angus. As soon as I was done, I grabbed my camera, as these little boys meant business!!!

Can we PLEASE have a drink of water?

By the time I came back with my camera, Angus was actually IN the tub! He loves to go in there and have someone “drizzle” the water out for him. He happily laps it up, saturating his little beard and paws!

As I took his picture, Angus decided he was going to have to possibly SIT down and wait for his drink of water! He sat there looking at me!

In the meantime, Mark commented he wondered what took so long!

The Sabres won this game 4 to 1! If they could just play like this throughout the playoffs, they would definitely win the cup! Each round is potentially seven games….whomever wins four advances to the next round.

Gooooooooooooooooooooooo Sabres!!!

On a less *stellar* note, as I listened to the radio this morning, I just found out that we are expecting a Nor’easter this Sunday and Monday! And yes, they are saying this is going to be a “juicy event” with lots of snow. Hmmmm…..isn’t this April? Yikes!

Well, no not really….

I was sitting in the truck while waiting as the family was in the grocery store. I just thought it was so cute the way these sparrows were playing in the parking lot! Sorry the pictures aren’t that great. I was disappointed with the gadget bag I got with my Nikon, so I sent it back and was awaiting the new one. In the meantime, I wasn’t about to carry the new camera without a case.
So, I was using my old camera….

And, when I got home, the new case was there!

Yay, I am finally back. Yes, perhaps you didn’t know I was gone, but I was! I tried so hard to submit an entry to my blog last night and this morning, and my poor laptop would just freeze up and the hard drive spun so loudly, it sounded as though it might just lift off the desk!

Yesterday, I was so discouraged by the cold. Every time I looked out the window, there was a fine snow filling the air. It never amounted to anything but it was just becoming, well, depressing! After seeing my poor daffodils and tulips lying down on the ground as though they had fainted from the bitter cold, I decided I could choose to bemoan the damage, or, look for the beauty….

And so I grabbed my camera and went on a little hunt. I honestly didn’t need to venture too far, as it seemed as though beauty was calling out to me! Just look at these little Columbine plants. I do believe they are bigger than they were last week!

If you look at the frosty snow surrounding those little diehards, you can see it is that sparkly, icy cold kind of snow that is *so* cold!

As I walked along the banks of our drainage ditch where water runs down across our land, something caught my eye….perhaps it is the bit ‘o Irish in me, but the intensity of the green called out to me! As I moved in closer to observe, the ice that had formed from the unusual cold snap we have been experiencing was drip, drip, dripping ever so slightly onto the bright green moss underneath it. Such a contrast was so beautiful! And the green just makes the heart hopeful for the good weather that is just around the corner!
And although nearly all of our hearts are longing for fresh spring breezes and warming temperatures, this little formation of ice caught up on the grass is undeniably beautiful!

Last week when we enjoyed some warm and delightfully great springtime weather, the sheets of rain that accompanied that weather caused the volume of water running in the ditches to increase enormously! As I walked along, I couldn’t resist photographing this little “bowl” that was created in that massive overdose to the little ditches that usually carry just a small amount of water!

I was so happy to enjoy all of the beauty that is ours for the looking! By going out with camera in hand, I really did feel so much better!

Last night, just before the sun was setting, Angus went totally nuts! He growled and barked and basically made me feel crazy! I called for Michelle to take Angus upstairs, as in looking out the french doors, I saw nothing unusual. A little later, I did see Doe, Re, Mi, and Fa partaking quite zestfully of the new blades of grass that have poked through the earth.

Angus positioned himself at the top of the stairs and began to take his singing to a new level. At this point, he was inconsolable, making so much noise, he was really driving me crazy. The hair stood up on his back and he eventually moved his way down the stairs. Michelle came and grabbed him to lift him up and in so doing, looked out the window. Surprise, surprise! Yet another visitor to add to our ever-increasing menagerie of wild critters! No wonder poor little Angus was getting so stirred up! He sensed this fellow barging in on his territory!

I went out on the back deck, much to Michelle’s dismay to chase this masked fellow off! I hissed at him and commanded he leave the premises at once! He turned and looked at me, then slowly moved away into the woods!