Spring is springing all over the place 3-25

When I left off over a week ago we were in the midst of a stormy week.  By the time it finished we had gotten 8 inches of rain and the last night had to dust us with snow.  After the snow melted that morning we had cold, clouds, rain and hail the rest of the day.  We've gotten a few peeks from the sun this past week, but the last couple of days have brought back torrential rains.


I made the decision to pack it in on torturing myself over learning/doing watercolor painting.  I had a lot invested in supplies and workshops, but still hadn't really taken the time required to practice and improve.  I decided to pack it all up and take it to Michelle who wants to get back into it.  I figured if I hadn't gotten comfortable with watercolor in 15 years and after carting the stuff all over the country with us in the trailer it was time to move on.  Now I can quit worrying about it and I may someday try another medium or just devote myself to the stuff I really, really love and have been doing since about age 10 like photography, knitting, crochet and gardening.


This past Thursday we were all set to meet Michelle in Yreka to snag Seth but northern Oregon had gotten over 7 inches of snow and the roads were a mess, and as no one really wants to make that long of a drive torturous when the next day was supposed to be bad-weather free we decided to meet on Friday.  We were all glad we had waited because a 12 hour day on the road doesn't need to be made any longer.


So we have Seth until this Friday when we get to hit the road again.  We are having lots of fun.  I played chess for the first time in about 37 years with Seth.  He is a very good teacher...because surprisingly I won.  I told him I liked learning from him...he didn't make me cry.  Learning from my step-Dad was not fun....only after all this time have I had the patience to try and remember what all those funny shaped little pieces are supposed to do.


We've been out taking pictures, playing Wii fit plus....lots of crazy fun games on that and wandering around outside enjoying nature.


I am making wonderful pilates progress.  I am still going three times a week and yesterday seemed to turn a corner.  I am mostly out of pain, have built up enough muscle to finally feel like I have something to actually build up, can move easier and my bones and joints are moving into proper alignment.  Yesterday for the first time I was starting to feel stronger and pushed myself more than I ever have...woo hoo.  I'm finally starting to feel "normal" again instead of 90 plus years old.

Glub, Glub 3-14

Poured rain since about 9:30 yesterday morning.  It let up a bit by late afternoon today, but we got over 4" of rain by then.  The yard looked like a lake most of the day.

Gray Gloomy end of Winter 3-13

Saturday morning as it was clouding up.

I'm glad I thought to get pictures of the plum and pluot tree because it has started raining and is supposed to be raining or cloudy for the next 10 days.  I'm sure somewhere in there the blooms will start raining off the trees.  The asian pear has started blooming but as it is slower we may get to see it in all its glory after this spate of rainy weather.  


The daffodils are sublimely nodding in the wind and rain, their yellow faces bright spots in the gloom.  If they start to look like they are going to get hammered into the ground I'll go out and pick them and bring them inside.


Larry got crazy and dug some steps into this steep hillside.  They are close to the oak and a few of its roots are exposed now...it didn't know it needed a manicure.  Larry used the dirt to reinforce the edge of our path and it looks like a crazed gopher was out there.


I am still doing three Pilates classes a week.  I am making progress.  As I get stronger and a teensy bit more flexible I learn that I have so very much more to work on.  The instructor will introduce a new move that I would never have been able to contort into back in the beginning...I can now manage, BUT find that I have extreme weakness in certain muscles.  It is all extremely fascinating in spite of the challenges.  The day after I might wonder what the hell I was thinking and entertain the idea of backing off for a bit.  But I go the next day and sure enough, feel really good for having gone.  Dag blame it!!!!  The need for exercise just ticks me off.  


Though what else I think I might be doing I have no idea.  I have been in a state of doing nothing much.  I don't feel like reading, painting, knitting, crocheting....I move from room to room....napping doesn't even work...ha ha!  I must be processing and fermenting.  I'll call it resting, like a loaf of yeasty bread...I am getting ready to raise up into some new    exciting form/project.  NOT that I want to expand like the bread...I could tell Uncle Gene was thinking some nasty comment...tee hee!


Okay, I am done babbling for this week.  Off to go stand by one of the windows and watch the wind blow and the rain fall...

Larry hooked the computer up to Gigantor TV!
My photos are fabulously fun to see this way!!!

Our very expensive picture frame!!!!

This is a baby lizard that I have been watching grow up.
It lives under a stair and has doubled in size since last spring, though it is still smallish.

Craziness 3-7

As a reminder...here was our "seedling" TV.

Yesterday this 3 yards of 3/4 crush gravel was delivered.  I took this at 10 a.m. before
I left for Pilates class.

That big bare dirt spot in the sun is where the rock is going.

This is at noon, 2 hours later...I said to Larry...."What, you
took a break?"  I was not surprised to see most of the pile gone in the time I was gone.
I would not have been at all surprised to have seen it all gone, but Larry said
it was really heavy...so it must have slowed him down.

This is where the rock ended up.  It is the base that
our new Tuff Shed will rest on.  Larry wants it above the wet mud in the winter.

Just another spring shot of the plum tree.

Ta-da!  This monster arrived last night.  I don't know what we were thinking, but it is 1080 thingy's that
Larry felt was important and it was on sale.  We seldom watch movies, we seldom play video games,
we can't stream anything on the internet because we have SLOW, limited satellite internet, but
we now have GIGANTOR TV.  We can see this thing from the other end of the house.  Going from teeny to this
was shocking, but now I'm used to it....47", so I guess we can toss the box.
The base on this is as big as the TV we had been using from the trailer.

Almost Spring 3-4

Poppy

The weather was all over the place this past week.  A few days ago it was freezing cold and raining and today was sunny and in the low 70's.  At least we didn't get any snow.  For a couple of days a big male turkey was hanging out hoping for a hand-out I think, Larry was thinking he was hanging around for an opportunity to sit in our oven.  The deer have been scarce, the bucks have gone to where ever they go to shed their antlers and wait for the new ones to grow in.  Just the two does and last years babes that call this their home have been about.  The birds give us a symphony of song every day with all their courting.

oak blooms

plum tree

Plum tree

violas