It is the first long post of the new month, so I’m sharing my March calendar page; the venue is Sweden.
This calendar page, with its profound statement by naturalist John Muir, would have been perfect for a woodsy trek, but my sole purpose for visiting Lake Erie Metropark on Sunday, July 31, 2022 was to check out the progress of the American Water Lotuses. It had already been a hot and humid Summer and, as luck would have it, the Lotuses were blooming earlier than usual.
There are two American Lotus beds at this park and they encompass two acres and five acres respectively. They are considered “protected plants” thus people are forbidden to pick the delicate blooms; even plucking one elephant-ear-sized leaf, or removing spent seed pods is a no-no! So, these Lotuses are merely eye candy, (unless of course you are a certain critter who desires them in their diet – that scenario will unfold in this week’s Wordless Wednesday post).
The quote “a picture is worth a thousand words” was first uttered in 1906 by playwright Henrik Ibsen. I decided, instead of my usual 1,000-plus-words post, I’d give you pictures, a slideshow and 200 words.
Enjoy!
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
I enjoyed your slideshow, what a lovely, bright, sunny scene that must have been to see. Summer beauty, indeed. ☀️
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Glad you enjoyed the slideshow Barbara – I was happy I stopped by because generally mid-to-late August is the peak flowering time for these Lotuses, so I lucked out. Hard to think of such a bright, sunny scene when it is, once again, gray and gloomy, not to mention precip again.
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Ah…what a fun treat to see some bright flowers and sunshine! I loved all the photos, especially liked the 8th one – the rule of thirds shines through in that one! I love John Muir’s quotes too. 😎
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Yes Shelley, I agree. It is difficult to remember how last sunny and bright Summer looked after gray skies and gloomy-looking days. Our Winter weather advisory for this morning was cancelled about an hour ago, so no more ice and snow today, just rain and thunderstorms later on. I went back to look at picture #8 – yes, I was lucky to line up the rocks at Cove Point and get some Lotuses reflecting on the water as well, plus the tall Lotuses. For some reason, the slideshow did not work in Reader, just a bunch of similar-looking photos. one right after the other. with no white space in between – no words! I like his quotes as well!
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I’m guessing we’ll rejoice in the warmth as soon as it comes and be willing to break our rules about not complaining about the extra hot days!
Our weather has been goofy too – I’m hoping that’s a strong indicator that winter is giving up the fight and ready to let spring take over!
I’m with you on the no words for WP right now!
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Well, we’ll hold each other to that Shelley … no complaining about the heat or humidity (ya right). The El Nino pattern that will bring a scorching hot Summer will make us forget the words written here in record time. 🙂 Sometimes it’s just all too much for learning new stuff or dealing with stuff that is broken. My ISP changed the platform the other day. I went on it to go to e-mail and it was all different, couldn’t find e-mail. So had to noodle around there to find it and I will check out new things later.
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I should write this promise on the calendar so we can count how many days it took us to feel the heat and complain 🤣
It does seem that many platforms are ‘tweaking’ things lately. 🤔
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Yes, really you should do that calendar notation Shelley, because you know we both will be complaining big time once it starts. The only advantage of Summer weather is you can plan better than this weather. They have upped out Friday snowfall to 4-6 inches from the original prediction of 2-4 inches and it will be the heavy, ice-laden snow again … ugh. Not happy about that. Twitter is constantly doing things to their platform as well. Can’t say it is for the better!
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So noted on a post-it note next to my computer. I’ll take a picture of it in July! 🤣
Our weather predictions keep changing too!
I’ve never been on Twitter – sounds like I’m not missing much! 😉
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I liked Twitter better before Elon Musk messed with it. One day I logged on, maybe a month ago; they tweaked it and instead of the few people and parks/nature sites I follow, everyone I followed along with people/entities THEY followed showed up in my feed. I decided that I was not going to wade through 50 items to find my items and instead I would unfollow everything and just check sites by searching for them. Just then I saw someone make a comment about all the new stuff in her feed – too much and where did it come from. Someone gave her the hint about what to toggle and you’d get no “extras” – thankful I found that hint and did that. We’re 4-8 inches south of Detroit, so my day will be likely shoveling twice. Michigan acting like a Wisconsin wannabee again!
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Interesting, I’m assuming while they fixed the blocked algorithms it also affected other ones in the process. I’m glad to read you found a workaround that helped you see the posts you want to see.
We got 3-4 overnight and snow is due to taper off by 9 am. Sigh. Yeah, it’s like there’s some competition going between our two states! I’ll tell WI to back off if you’ll tell MI to do the same 🤣
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Yes and I hope that’s the end of issues for a while Shelley. It seems like it is and I can close the help ticket. I do think we are competing with Wisconsin … we got 4 inches of heavy, wet snow here in my city. I was lucky that it got above freezing while I was shoveling so anything else didn’t really stick. It made a mess for nothing and tomorrow will be very cold and they’re warning of refreeze on the roads, so I am not planning on walking. Last week’s snow was all gone and now I hate to ask but … are you getting snow next Friday as they are saying next Friday will be the fourth Friday for a snow and/or ice storm. We need to back off bigtime! 🙂
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Sigh…yes, we’re getting more snow right now, and more expected this coming Friday! UGH!!!
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I was all dressed to go out and walk and stepped outside and it started snowing hard, so I ran the car and came back inside. Just as well as I just finished up this whole tax project about 6:00 p.m. More snow tonight. Sigh.
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We had snow ALL day yesterday. Big huge fluffy flakes and then some freezing rain too. Sigh is right! Glad you got your taxes done!!!
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Oh goodness. I will quit whining about our snow … you have got me beat. And freezing rain to boot. It is snowing now but doesn’t look like it is sticking … good for that as two of the last four days, I’ve looked outside, looked okay, got ready to go out and it is snowing like crazy.
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LOL! Yeah, and this morning we woke to -13 below. WTH?! At least there isn’t any wind. I keep wanting to not have to bundle up in 6 layers to walk outside. We’ll get more snow and rain on Thurs/Friday. March better go out like a lamb!!!
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That’s terrible Shelley – WTH is right! We had 23 when I went out this morning, but I never intended to walk as I saw snow on the street and sidewalk, so poked around getting outside, then got outside and saw it was light snow and decided to just walk. Packed up the critter food … big mistake, some ice under the snow and I have no idea if it was icy at the Park or not as they don’t plow/brush the path anymore, so I went back home. I’ll set out again tomorrow. I will whine silently – 23 versus -13 below. No wonder Aaron Rodgers needs that big bushy beard. 🙂 I hear about 10 more days of winter-like weather, then it feels like Spring. Yes lamb-like weather is what we need, though we entered March like a lamb. Hmm.
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Way to be smart and safe! We tried to walk, but it was humid which made it feel like frostbite cold. We’re tired of having to bundle up so much, even if that routine is part of the exercise. It’ll be more fun to just put on shoes and head out the door. I hope I remember how to do that…it seems like we’ve had to wear winter clothes a lot longer than usual?!
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I really wouldn’t have tried it if it wasn’t for the critters Shelley because having a dusting of snow and not seeing underneath just isn’t safe. It is not the first time I didn’t make it past the cross-street. I also had concerns what it would be like at the Park. Today was much better, the snow was gone and I was on my way. I’ll get a walk in tomorrow, then rain for a day and a half, even a thunderstorm. Snow showers over the weekend and very cold! You’re right – it seems like we’re in Winter clothes into April now. There is nothing like that first time you go out in a jacket and loop it around your waist before you get home.
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What a yo-yo weather forecast – it’s 43 degrees right now and rain on the way and then like you said frigid cold after that. UGH.
I love that feeling too…………….ah, reading those words about the jacket around the waist warmed my heart!!
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We’re getting that rain tomorrow, then very cold and a little snow late Saturday, but supposed to be a bitter cold weekend, but maybe a warm-up next week. Yay for that (if it happens). I wonder when that first day with the jacket looped around the waist will happen? In Northern Michigan, in a weather office, someone keeps track of when the last snow melts and it has been in May some years.
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We’re in the bitter cold and high winds phase…. 😭🥶
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We’re in for bitter cold too and some snow, but not as bad as you will have.
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We’ve been very cold…at least the sun has been shining.
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That’s definitely a plus – it has been very cold here – yesterday was a real feel of 10 and 20 mph winds and not much better today, but I walked both days as it was dry after the Friday snow blew down the street. We had sun all weekend – it helped even out the rest. Spring tomorrow, on the calendar anyway.
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Good for you to keep walking! It was so cold and windy here we stayed inside by the fireplace.
The sun did help, though.
Yep, Spring is here. Now the weather just has to confirm it!! 🤣
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Yay Spring – it got warm this afternoon, but not this morning when I walked and it was windy. One more nice day, then a slew of rainy days, then light snow Friday into Saturday. Mother Nature has a bee in her bonnet for sure. The fireplace sounds warm and wonderful!
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But…it’s officially Spring! How will we convince winter to go off dejected until it is supposed to return?
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Calling Winter names and cursing at it won’t help … been there and done that already!
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Me too!
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Beautiful photos of the lotuses, Linda! That must be quite a sight – acres and acres of stunning flowers surrounded by those huge green leaves. I would love to see it sometime. Ahhh…summertime!
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Yes it is really beautiful to see Laurie and I was lucky I stopped that day because normally I wouldn’t have gone to look for them until mid-August. I talked to some walkers who told me they saw one area of Lotus beds on the Cherry Island Trail that had already bloomed the week before. Unusual, but everything about the weather and perennials is wacky this year. Snow Drops have been up and in bloom since early February – two ice storms, five inches of snow and they still look great. Some trees are budding as well. As to the Lotuses, once the bud opens, it only blooms for three days unfortunately … all that beauty disappears quickly. I thought we all needed a boost with the Summery photos. If I were you, I’d have stayed put in paradise, but I suspect you are home by now.
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I am home now, Linda. Weather here is not too bad – daffodils are blooming and we heard our first spring peepers yesterday – but it’s not the wonderful, warm, sunny weather we enjoyed in Hawaii.
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I’m sure it was difficult to leave Laurie. With two weeks until Spring, your state is much further along than we are. Snow Drops are all I see, not even a crocus or other colorful Spring flowers or singing frogs yet.
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I love lotuses but they take up a lot of room. I couldn’t fit them in my pond at my last house. Beautiful pics.
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Yes, they do Kate … their leaves are huge and the bloom only lasts about three days, so you’re left with the big leaves until they get dry and eventually blow away. Thank you – glad you enjoyed them and I’m glad I stopped by two weeks earlier than usual to check them out.
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I enjoyed seeing the flowers.
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Glad you liked them Anne – they are quite stunning to see. To get up very close, you need a boat because the shoreline is rocky and we’re not allowed to swim or wade in Lake Erie.
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Wonderful green of Summer. How nice to forget winter for awhile and see a season we all love. These are beautiful photos and I enjoyed them all.
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Thanks Peggy – glad you enjoyed them. Yes, we all need a boost of Summer right around now. These are stunning to see when they are in bloom … they only bloom about three days, so timing is important. I’ve gone mid-August and there were only buds. Most of the Lotuses in the large bed (alone the rocky shoreline) bloom at the same time; the smaller bed bloom time seems more staggered … at least that is what I have noticed over the last five years of visiting this park.
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Beautiful pictures Linda and I love the quote!
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Thanks Ruth – lots of beauty to behold here … if you time it right and I lucked out for sure. I’m so glad I copied your calendar idea; another wonderful quote about nature and the woods.
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So wonderful photos of white Lotus, I like, Linda! Acres and acres surrounded stunning flowers. Beautiful photography green leaves in white Lotus. I like quote, Linda.
Nice you sharing you March calender page. Beautiful natur pic.
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Hi rajkkhoja – glad you liked the Lotuses. They are quite a sight to see when they are all in bloom. Those are huge leaves too. Unfortunately they only bloom about three days and that is it until next year. I like that quote too – it is very true and nature is a wonderful escape from reality and the hard times our world and its people are enduring.
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You are most welcome!
Really true & nature is wonderful.
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Yes it is rajkkhoja – worth stopping to take a long look around you to enjoy the beauty.
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Yes, I enjoyed long look around the beauty, Linda 👍
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I wouldn’t have guessed “Sweden” from the calendar photo (esp. this time of year), but then again my only impression is from a single day in Stockholm. My favorite photo is the second one in the slide show, with the lotus looking like a ball on a stick. What a shame the blooms only last a few days. Like tulips!
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I wouldn’t have guessed it either Dave and I wish they would have named the city as it could be any old woodsy area. I also went to Sweden, spent about a day and a half in Stockholm as part of a three-week, four Scandinavian countries and USSR tour. Additionally, we spent the good part of a day traveling from Norway through Sweden’s countryside by train, which was about a 400-mile trip. I took a photo of an ordinary brown cow in an ordinary field with a house, but it was the style of home that won me first prize for a photo representative of the trip. I was pretty excited because I submitted other pics of cathedrals and such, but this simple picture won. It is a shame as to the Lotuses – brief beauty only and then they’re spent, just like tulips. It’s amazing how the buds are so tightly wrapped, they unfurl and are huge, as are the leaves.
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Were you blogging when you took the trip through Scandinavia? I’d love to read about it. I’ve learned enough about those countries that I’d gladly sign up for three weeks of tour. My own visit was part of a several-countries Baltic Sea cruise; only day trips through Helsinki and Stockholm. Norway is still on my to-see list and I’m told it should be an itinerary all of its own.
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Hi Dave, no I took this trip in June 1983 and didn’t start blogging for another 30 years (that statement makes me feel so old). That was a wonderful and very well-organized trip and I Googled “Maupintour” to see if they had a similar itinerary now and learned they were purchased by another company. The three-week tour was extremely well organized and we had a seasoned guide the entire time, plus a local guide for each of the countries we visited. The people on the tour were very friendly and as a solo traveler, I will say that people on these tours always welcomed me to sit with them on the bus/train/plane or for meals – this group was especially nice and I kept in touch with some of them for years. I did take many photos on this tour and I have scanned in all my photo albums, but these need a lot of tweaking as the album page was bigger than the Epson flatbed scanner, so I had to finagle to get the page lined up right. Another project for retirement. And then I’ll do a post. Maybe I should do it this year to mark the 30th anniversary?
We crossed the Baltic in a one-night cruise, spent a day in Helsinki then traveled to Russia by train. I did write a post which mentions my award-winning cow photo and I have a photo of me on that Baltic sea ferry. I was going through my treasures in the basement and took a few photos of those treasures for a post back in 2017. The photos I mentioned are about halfway down. I’ll put the link in a separate comment in case it goes to your SPAM filter.
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Here is the link Dave. In 2017 it was a year of misery in the basement after three incidences with water from contractors, plus all-house insulation which made my basement and garage a nightmarish mess. My post with the two pics I have from the Scandinavian trip is here:
https://lindaschaubblog.net/2017/09/19/tuesday-musings-29/
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Beautiful flowers! I like the quote on your calendar page
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Thanks Susan! I was so lucky I chose that weekend to visit. All the heat and humidity helped those Lotuses to open earlier than usual. I like that quote too and I should have used a woodsier walk, but I had already mentioned the Lotuses before looking at the March calendar page.
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Lost among the lotuses! Beautiful photos!
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Glad you like them Anne – the larger beds where I took all the pictures stretches out as far as the eye can see. I don’t think I could have counted how many blooms were there on that day!
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Marvelous!
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Sometimes less is more.🤗 A lovely preview of greener things to come.
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Yes, this is true Eilene. I’ll be happy to see some color added to our very blah landscape – the Spring early blooming crocuses and daffodils are still underground as I write this.
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Beautiful photos, Linda! You picked a perfect day to visit and take photos. They do put you in the mood for warmer days.
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Glad you liked them Rebecca. It truly is something to see when they are all in bloom. I was lucky I timed it just right as the blooms open and are gone within three days. After a mild Winter, this series of wintry precip has kept our landscape looking very blah and boring.
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Lotus are so attractive! You took some beautiful pictures, and they make we wish for warmer, summer days. The slideshow was a bonus.
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Thanks Esther – glad you liked the Lotus photos! They are very beautiful and I took the photos near the largest bed. The smaller bed had more “in-progress” Lotuses. I thought the slideshow would be nicer than putting them in a row but the slideshow on Reader made the photos run together for some reason.
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Miss Linda……………………………thank you for telling me where to find this “eye-candy”…………………………..is located and when to go and see them…………Now I know!!
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Ann Marie – I will let you know if I go there and see these beautiful blooms, so you and Steven can take a tour yourself. You can park at Cove Point and they’re not too far from there.
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Absolutely beautiful! I’ve never seen a yellow lotus, only pink ones.
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They really are so delicate and beautiful Joni. They only have the white variety here – I have never seen the pink ones. I wish it was Summertime and I was not dreading this four-to-eight-inch snowstorm coming Friday.
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With the sun shining on them they looked yellow to me in your photos???
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I went back and looked at other posts (and, in doing so, I think I should skip a year or so as I had multiple Lotus posts which all looked the same to be honest). So, yes – they look the same color, more of an off-white, not as white as a Pond Lily which are stark white. I hope I get to see pink ones one day. I’m sure they don’t do anything to the two beds to fertilize them. After the flower goes, the leaves turn brown and the stalks remain. I’ve been there in late Fall and all the dark brown stalks with the seed pods still on them resemble periscopes.
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I must be color blind then, as they look a pale yellowish in this post, but I remember them being white in your previous posts, so I just assumed they were a different type. My neighbours only have the pink ones.
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I have a post on Monday that will have some Water Lilies in them. I was amazed how white they look compared to the Water Lotuses. It could have been the sun also that was making them look yellowish. How did you fare with the latest storm Joni? We had four inches of heavy, wet snow. Thankfully I shoveled and it was done the rest of the day and just like last week they never plowed and the slush went away. It was heavy as it had so much water in it. They say it will be cold with a refreeze possible, so I am not planning on walking tomorrow. We have another storm next Friday per the TV meteorologist, but the online weather reports do not say this. Hopefully they are wrong … they were joking it would be our fourth Friday that we endured a snow and/or ice storm.
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We had about 4 inches too, but it had melted off the road when I went out to get the garbage cans in. I didn’t walk though as the temp was around the freezing mark and I wasn’t sure how icy it was. But I just looked out now 11pm and the road is all covered again, another inch or two, and the forecast says light snow or flurries for the next 4 days. The long range says rain for next Friday as it will be 46, so I hope this stretch is it for the snow. It’s March break next week so the kids are off school but not a very nice week for them. Behind in reader again, but not as much, but I’m going to bed! Have a good weekend!
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The weather is wacky – I am hearing the same as you for light snow or flurries all week, starting tonight. I hope that storm next Friday is just rain. I didn’t walk today – it was clear on the street mostly and I could have walked around it, but they kept saying that there was refreeze and to be careful, so I figured the Park might be bad, so I just ran the car and came in. Worked on compiling the tax stuff … that took about five hours and tomorrow I’ll do a chart for him to go with the back-up docs. Going to take it before we get bad weather again. Is that a Winter break for the kids – I think some colleges were off last week and this week. The kids here get a mid-Winter break, the week of President’s Day which was February 20th … the whole week. I don’t recall ever having a mid-Winter break in all my years of school.
I am going to do the comments and go to Reader where I left off (March 1st). I had a digital credit from Amazon that would expire on March 15th so I watched a movie for the book I read over the internet outage (“The Art of Racing in the Rain”). It is written as if from a dog – interesting and different. Kevin Costner narrated the part of Enzo (the dog). I took Friday off … I decided I was going to take one day off a month and schedule it in advance, so if the weather was bad, so be it – I have a lot of things to do inside believe me. I wish I had a week off – maybe I could accomplish more … soon it will be Spring and stuff to do outside again (as in chores).
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That’s funny…..I’m in the midst of compiling the tax stuff too. I worked on it Sunday afternoon and plan on finishing it today so I can take it in tomorrow. I don’t have a chart, but a master list of documents which I update every year. It’s funny we have to do so much of the work for the accountant, but if you don’t they miss something, and I know they hire accounting students to do some of it, as they messed up two years in a row when I retired. I hate doing financial stuff, plus I have to do mom’s too. Took last night off and watched the Oscars – it was long but good. I haven’t seen many of the movies, but Jimmy Kimmel was funny and I like looked at the dresses. Snowing here a bit too, but just flakes. The winter that’s never ending….
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Great minds think alike once again Joni! I hate financial stuff too and next year I’m going to streamline it and just give him my downloaded bank and medical premium info instead, but still do the chart. Before blogging got so busy, I updated the chart every time I wrote a check or sent an electronic payment … I usually always have to do a co-pay at the allergist office. So when any check cleared, I put the check number/amount and date of the check onto my chart, so I only totaled it up when it was tax time … of course I was more organized with everything back then! My mom used to do both our taxes and get them ready to go to the CPA, both when she went with me, then in later years, when I took both of ours in together and stayed for the meeting. I’ve been just dropping it off now about 8-10 years. But anyway, she got everything ready and said “one day you will appreciate me doing this when you have to do it yourself.” I had to compile both our taxes when I went in 2010 … my first time and I “got” what she meant. My parents always took my taxes to be done when they did theirs while I was still in school, so I’ve technically been a customer for 49 years! The original CPA is retired and his one daughter runs the place; his son-in-law is not a CPA, but he usually does my taxes.
I was listening to some of the Oscar acceptance speeches on the news and I heard some of Jimmy Kimmel’s lines – he was funny. We had snow again this morning – snowing hard and sticking, another lost walk, so did things around the house. I hope we transition soon.
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I got it done finally,but it took 4 hours. I have a master list of documents and check things off as I go through the papers and write this years amounts in a different color ink, then I re-write the whole thing and photocopy it for next year. Today was mom’s birthday (97) so we had takeout Chinese food and carrot cake for dessert. Snowed here a bit too, so I think I’ll wait until Wed. to take income tax in as it looks like another day of flurries tomorrow. I need to get back to blogging, as I hoped to have a book review post up this week but not likely.
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My tax prep this year has been a debacle. Spent hours and hours last weekend and today I learned from Robb’s CPA that there was an error in the W-2 form and she has to send another one – she is in Boston and they had that nor’easter and when I asked for tracking info, I never got an answer back. We have until April 18th this year, but I have never waited this long to file. So it will be next week most likely when I go over. See you have a certain way to do things too … my chart makes it easy for them but I used to do it through the year and I’m going to return to doing that as spending all that time on this was ridiculous – it takes him 20 minutes tops to do the entire filing. Happy belated birthday to your mom – my mom would have been 97 on Valentine’s Day as you know since our moms both had us at age 30. That was a nice dinner for both of you – and you got to have a break from the kitchen. I had to forego a walk this morning. It was just a dusting of snow and I planned not to go except to run the car when I looked out when it was dark, then looked out when it was light and figured I’d be okay, so got peanuts and sunflower seeds ready, changed into a heavier coat and set out. Got to the cross-street and slid on a little patch of ice, so went back home. The snow is gone, so I’ll try again tomorrow. My next post is about Emily Frank Gardens – lots of flowers and I originally intended to use it for around Valentine’s Day, but had the blogiversary post, so pushed it off a few weeks. But I just did Lotuses last week. Oh well. I have one more week of photos to use, then have to sort pictures again. I’ll be in September photos by then.
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It will be nice to see some flowers! That must have been scary – slipping on the ice. I live in fear of that, as my last bone density was so bad. It was milder today, but I haven’t walked for a few days as I had to take mom’s hearing aids in yesterday to adjust the ear grip, and again today, as she lengthened the extensions on them. It was a different person, So I just booked a hearing test for next week, so we can get her hearing tested again, as maybe it needs to be dialed up a bit. I posted last night, (before it got too spring like and my title didn’t make sense) so had to do comments today, so am behind in reader again, but will read your interview tomorrow.
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I am glad I don’t have that tax prep and chart to look forward to this weekend, that’s for sure. I am hearing snow squalls and one weather forecast says 1-3 inches of snow Saturday into Sunday. Sunday may be dicey. I caught myself so I did not fall, so turned around and went back home. I wasn’t keen on walking with the dusting as I didn’t know what was underneath – should have gone with my instinct. Well hopefully the hearing aids can be adjusted properly for your mom. My neighbor got them years ago and could not wear them as he said everything was too loud after being hard of hearing for many years. His wife was happy as he turned up the TV or radio really loud to compensate for not hearing properly, so she thought she would get a respite, but nope, she did not.
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I think we are just getting rain, but it feels cold enough for flurries. Thanks for the St. Patrick’s Day card! It was cute! I’ll show it to mom tomorrow – she’s gone to bed. They put shorter extension wires on the hearing aids, but mom says the one side is still intermittently cutting out, so we have to go back for a hearing test appointment next week again. For the price they charged $6400 I’m sure it can be fixed. She doesn’t mind wearing them, but they started her fairly low, so I’m thinking the volume needs to be dialed up a bit. Some people never get used to them, but she doesn’t complain about them. I have to insert them though, she can’t do that herself.
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You are the only Irish person I know Joni, so I looked for a card and that one was perfect for both of you as your Mom paints. Are you Irish on your mother or father’s side or both? It is horribly cold in the kitchen – I have the cupboard doors open to warm the pipes. I looked outside this morning when it was dark and it was squalling and there was snow on the driveway and street, so I decided to just run the car when it was light. There was snow when I went out, but by the time I ran it about 15 minutes and the exhaust cleared etc., the snow had blown away. It was 20 mph winds and 10 windchill. I didn’t want to take the car as they said it would be squalling, so I walked to the Park and it was brutal out, but it never snowed again. I will go tomorrow if it’s good weather – thankfully it will be a little warmer. I got whole house insulation in 2017 and you would not know it – it is very cold in every room. I would think for that amount of money, they should be able to be fixed. Luckily your mom doesn’t need to replace batteries all the time as she just charges them. There is a plus to that.
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Mom says thanks for the card! I showed it to her today, and she was tapping her foot to the music. I’m Irish on my dad’s side….I’ve posted a few times on my Irish ancestors back in 2017/18 when I started the blog, but only posted about my mom’s Dutch side once as I never knew any of those ancestors as they were back in Holland. It was flurries here, but so cold – minus 3 that I could not walk, so I did my walking in the grocery store. I haven’t walked all week, as we were in town two days, and yesterday mom had company all afternoon, so there the week went! The wind today would take your breath away – I sure hope it warms up. Will answer you gmail tomorrow, midnight again….good intentions to go to bed earlier.
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I know you have mentioned that you were short like a leprechaun and owed that to your Irish heritage. Glad your mom liked the card – I thought she would because of the painting. I raised the heat in the house yesterday – I couldn’t warm up after walking yesterday. They had said we were having squalls and anywhere from an inch to three inches of snow, so I wanted to get down to the Park. We got no more snow after I came home, but there was a bad snow squall in Michigan that caused a 150 car pile-up in Ionia, Michigan during the whiteout conditions. I just looked at the story to tell you … I can’t imagine this: 150 total vehicles were involved in the wreck, 84 of which were damaged. The other 66 were undamaged, only sliding off the freeway, officials said. I’m ready for Winter to be over. Take your time as I thought I owed you a Gmail from a while ago. I have been good about getting seven hours’ sleep. I had hoped to catch up more here today. I have to start at March 11th when I get to Reader. I’m behind in my book – good thing I had several books read during my internet outage. I picked some smaller ones I had put aside. If I don’t get cracking, I won’t make that goal. My goal was to shut down an hour earlier every night (Dr. Sanjay Gupta suggested no device for an hour, not just a half hour before bedtime, but if I did, I’d be even more behind in Reader).
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That’s a crazy snow squall. I read they were predicting storms for certain areas, but we didn’t get anything yesterday other than a few flurries. I did walk today, it was sunny but not quite as cold, but certainly not spring yet. Hopefully this week will be better.
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Yes, the pictures were pretty incredible too. We had something like this happen a few years ago and it was such bad whiteout conditions that semi-trucks were barreling down the highway and plowing into cars left and right. It was amazing to see videos some people had made from the other side of the highway (across the median) which had no whiteout conditions. It was cold and windy today, third day in a row, a tad warmer. Those gulls down at the Park are nerve wracking with their shrieking and there has to be close to a hundred of them. It will okay tomorrow, a lot of rain for 2-3 days and maybe turning into snow showers or light snow Friday into Saturday.
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After basking in the warm sunshine of these photos, I am cold again already! These are (or were, I guess) beautiful.
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In the depths of Winter, sometimes it is difficult to remember just how wonderful Summer really was. They are beautiful flowers JP, but only last a few days unfortunately.
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I can’t tell you how bad I want to reach in the water and grab a couple of them for my ponds. Then I see the wild water plants in the south that grow like weeds and I used to pay a fortune for. I would buy five plants for each pond and by summer I had to throw some out every few days because they multiplied so fast. Then at the end of fall, when I winterized my ponds, I threw them ALL away. 🤣 At least your beautiful pictures can last forever.
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They are amazing looking Diane. So tall and those beautiful blooms on top of the stalk. Too bad they only last a few days and that’s it for the year. Yes, I can think Summer thoughts by looking at them! I planted Forget-me-knots many years ago as I had some bare spots between the bushes, so there was a little color before other plants came up. It was the first and only time I used seeds – they grow like weeds, long and straggly and I have pulled them out by the handfuls and they still come back. Most everything else has died, but there they are every Spring, turning up like a bad penny. They are actually pretty if they weren’t so leggy.
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