Sorry March, I forgot about you...

Well March, sorry for completely forgetting about your existence. I'd like to say I was really busy, but I can't really think of any watertight excuses to back that statement with. That being admitted, however, I can say that my 'short story ideas' folder, is quite plump, my pile of reading material all mostly read and my current works in progresses are all receiving a lot of my attention lately. I know I said you would see more of me after my last manuscript was finished... I guess I lied.

The truth is, this winter is taking so dadgone long that I fear I've slipped into a creative fantasy dream-land, not much unlike a hibernating bear awaiting spring. However, I think my daily walk, drinking sap, smelling the woodsmoke of the maple syrup, hearing the gurgle of the creek again and  the general chatter of life returning to the barnyard and woods, is helping me to wake up.

 Here's some pictures:

Recent spring snowstorm. Pretty ...but I struggle to admit it. ;)

Theresa's curly mare is expecting a spring baby!

 

 And pray tell, what does this butt belong too?

Yay! Two very colorful baby goats! So fun. :) 

And the best part? They're sisters; both girls!

 And they like cats. :)

The scene of my daily walk. I have company on most days, but even those days when the weather is really bad, Kady is always faithful enough to accompany me and her puppy playfulness and enthusiasm helps me to find joy in every kind of weather. :)

The sap season has been frustratingly on and off this year. We have a good week and then another cold week, then it warms up and flows again. But through all the on and off, it's looking like a good year.

 We've already put up a few gallons and we're still burning.

End of the season hat fashion show got the rest of Annie's inventory of newsboy hats listed.

 Check out all the pretty hats, girls and cats in the new hat listings HERE. ;)

The warmer days offer us the opportunity to make music in the studio without needing to make a fire to heat the room first.

Plugged-in ear protection allows Andrew to play full-out on his drums while allowing us to still hear ourselves and preserve our hearing. It's pretty wild fun stuff, that happens out there... :)

Rockstar warning... Coming back to the house with 'da bass'.

Easter was a knock out day for my sweet tooth, so I guess that makes it a success right? Annie and I put together baskets of homemade gifts and goodies for Johnny and Donna (in our typical fashion, we didn't begin work on them until Easter...).

 The shop work continues...

Mike's carving out one of his Lord of the Ring's swords. When he's finished, Annie will wood burn the Elvish runes on it, somebody will wax it and Dad will package and ship it to a lucky new owner!

 Steven has been reintroducing his calf back into the pen with the big girls in order to empty out the barn stalls for the expectant Mommas. I swear, his interaction with his big-eyed calf would melt the stoniest heart. ;)

Cat friends.

 

Flying baby goat.

"dis a' my barn!"

For those of you who didn't see this back when I shared it on facebook, this is one of many shirts I re-fabricated for Donna's new wardrobe. It's really fun and satisfying to recycle clothes (I'm also working on a quilt and a rug with recycled materials), but just so you can't say I didn't warn you: recycling can also be overwhelming and time consuming. But look at that proud smile...

 

The faithful farm watch dog watches the sun set on one of those 'false-spring alarm' days.

 Okay, that's all for now. I've got to go work out the climax on my latest work in progress. Somebody wake me up when spring gets here, okay? And this time for real... getting downright tired of all of these false alarms. :-P
 

The House is Sinking!

This is the time of year when it feels like our house is sinking as the snow level rises outside the windows. The steep pitch of the roof can suddenly place a huge bank of snow in front of our house within the space of a few seconds.

The other morning, Stephen stepped outside with his camera and his gentle closing of the door was just enough to send the snow off the roof, and his quickness with his camera resulted in these cool pictures!

(Note the dog running in fright! haha)

The Kids walking past with their farm chore buckets are now missing their heads, unless you crane your neck in the window to look up out at them. And that five second fall of snow can add quite a bit of shoveling time!

I remember back when a sunny winter day would bring out all of the sleds. Not anymore. This year it's snowboards. The curious ponies watch from the sidelines as the kids practice on one of their slopes in the horse pen.

Snowboarding off the peak of the garage roof marks this winter as a very snow-y one. This feat has only been accomplish-able once before in our seven years living here, so this is pretty cool! :)

From the peak, you could go either left or right and end up by either creek bottom. 

 

 Even the girls are into this crazy sport! Only Donna and I have enough sense to stay away form it. ;) We stubbornly continue to scooch down the hill in our little sled, soaking our pants on the melted snow and having a grand ol' time. ;) Actually, most often we go for walks. I've been attempting to train Kady, (our dog) how to pull and she now singularly pulls Donna in her sled. Score!

Our shops have been blessedly busy, employing everybody for their different skills for a few hours every day, but still leaving plenty of time for snowboarding, music making, and the evening board games. We were gifted with the opportunity to play at the Porcupine Mountains Snowburst Fest in exchange for free lift tickets, which was a big thrill for the kids to be able to snowboard all those big slopes and not have to walk back up them after each descent! :)

 Playing, singing and dancing. :)

 Valentine's day, I pulled out my bag of craft supplies and set the kids up to make cards while I wrote up a scavenger hunt. I used their cards as the clues and hid them about the house, ending with a few simple gifts. Some of their favorite clues were: "2nd shelf, 25th book from the left, pg. 72" (answer: the opening sentence was 'Papa went out to milk' and yes, the milk bucket held the next clue!).

"23 today" (answer: eggs. Sure enough the egg basket had a heart in it!)

 

Prizes! I probably had more fun putting this together than they did doing it! :)

 Despite the continued snow piling up outside, our minds are turning to spring. Plans are swirling in my mind with the same veracity as the snow pounding against the windows, demanding admittance during a blizzard. Where to put the potato patch this year, the new fencing for the smaller animals and the extra strawberry runners. So much to think about and plan! Sometimes the planning can become overwhelming, and it is those moments that help to squelch my impatience. We are very grateful for the off season to rest, plan and, of course, snowboard. ;)

Michael's crush: (it's her long eye lashes).

Our igloo grows with every snowfall and shrinks with every thaw, but continues to stand thick and strong. It's become tourist attraction for younger kids in the neighborhood, which we're happy about since the constructors don't feel that our youngsters use it enough. ;)

And, hey, just a note to say if anybody wants to follow us on Facebook, I am finding it's a lot easier to share short updates and pictures over there, so another way to stay up to date with our weird family and more convenient for me. :)

Warm today. Boys are going to stick a few taps into our bigger maples and see if we can taste the first sips of spring yet! Crossing fingers! :)

That's all for now--thanks for visiting!
 

Game Night in an Igloo

Hey Lovely Readers!!

 Sorry for my silence. Thankfully, I have finished writing my book (though the huge task of editing lies ahead) and a faster computer is coming to replace my very sluggish current one (which makes blogging a real bear). So, those two obstacles overcome should result in your hearing from me more often in the upcoming weeks! Are you happily smiling or grimacing and groaning at that news?? ;)

Anyway, I have some sweet pictures to share, of my silly siblings crafting a giant igloo and proceeding to play their nightly game of "the Settler's of Catan" out in it in it's a toasty 40 degree dome. T-shirt weather of course! ;)

Sorry for the crummy pic quality and crummy background. The mobile is a sore sight for pretty eyes!

A really warm day with very packy snow spurred the inspiration for this project.

Shovelfuls of snow produced solid bricks for building with (note Andrew's head inside).

 It froze the next day and is now a solid structure in the front yard, probably until spring...

Just tall enough for Andrew to stand in and 7 kids to play a board game inside.

Passing bricks inside to finish off the top.

The board game was Mike's Christmas present and it still sees nightly use (I can hear them playing as I type). Some blankets and cardboard base for the game made the inside cozy!

Shelf for the lantern--the only light needed when the surface is so reflective!

Shoes left out in the entryway tunnel.

Creepy cat says 'thanks for droppin by' and Annie says 'peace out ya-all!'

How it looked the next morning with a dusting of overnight snow...


Have you ever built an igloo??