Light Snow is Falling

 Folks who have lived here for many years told us that don't be fooled by the very warm weather because once you get used to it, changes are inevitable. Perhaps I wrote about it last year? Booming thunder woke us from sleep twice overnight, with heavy rain accompanying it. Since the beginning of the year I have been keeping track of the daily weather around 8AM during my time recording the birds from the front porch. Off by about twenty minutes, the thermometer read 59 degrees at 8:20. By noon it had dropped to 40 and is expected to plunge to around 20 overnight! The heat has just come on. Speaking of the heat, holy cow propane is expensive! Lest you think I am exaggerating, on Dec. 31 we got a call while we were driving back to Murphy that they were filling the tank and it was $350 and about six weeks later another $470 was delivered. I'd oftentimes heard of people struggling to pay their gas bills and now I can surely see why.

My heart breaks for those who have to choose between the gas bill and being warm. 

On a happier note, Spring, aside from the next few days is on the move. Your favorite blogger is thrilled to report that her radishes are thriving!

I've also planted more seeds using the toilet paper roll method; in this tray there are zinnias, marigolds, green beans, peppers and tomatoes. One they are strong enough I will move them into the ground.

I move it around to the sunniest spots, however, for the next few days it is on the bookcase just behind me under the big window, not that there is any sun today, but there is light. For sure the zinnias are sprouting along with the one beside it, but for the life of me I cannot read what I wrote! Time will tell as it always does. Next time I will write on the tubes before they are planted! 

Continuing with the exciting sprouting front, the carrots have finally begun showing life. We read it can take two weeks and I believe it was just a day or two shy of that. The sprouts are about as fine as a strand of my hair, so it will be so fun watching the development. Something else we read to do is cover the seeds with 2x4s until they sprout. I have no idea how that works, but it did, so score one for YouTube. How did we do anything before YT? Speaking of root vegetables, there are potato chunks under the dirt and straw in the same place that cucumbers grew last year. I figure if I had zero knowledge last year and things grew, I am a little more educated this year so surely we will have some success?!

Weeds in the thin grass mark the spot. I read that it is best to cover your garden with straw so that's what we did. A bale cost about $9, information I am including because who knows, I may want to know in a few years! All the plants are doing well so far.

Around the yard things are looking good with shoots in the ground for the peony bush, hyacinths of the big variety,

and cute little grape hyacinths popping up all over the place. Note the end of our wall that is filling in nicely with the new phlox Bruce planted last year.

Which reminds me that I wanted to mention that it was two years almost to the date that we spotted our home and one of the things that made me notice it was the wall with the creeping phlox. I remember once we bought it, and had to wait for 45 days, that when I was on my walk I would go by the house and there were beautiful Swallowtail butterflies that presumably will be showing up soon? We dreamed about Bruce having a shop and being able to plant anything we wanted anywhere we wanted to which may sound silly to some, but when you live in a condo, they make the rules! While I am typing Bruce is in his shop using a new toy that we bought for his upcoming birthday. A drill press, one of the few big tools that he was missing down there. 

Remember all the paint color samples I had taped up ages ago for the front screen door? 

Navy was not one of them, but over the weekend Hale Navy by Ben Moore it is. I am thinking of painting the little plant stands navy, what do you think?

I left off forsythia from the yard tour which is a shame because that shocking yellow is a welcome sight after months of only brown and green.

I can see through the front windows that the snow and wind are picking up big time. Let me go see what the temperature is on the porch. 4:30 PM and it is 38, although with the wind chimes going crazy, I am sure it feels far colder. That said, I see a tiny bit of light coming into the sky so who knows what will happen next?

Look at this!

The tiny little strawberry is so cute.

Bruce told me my last post was long and for that I apologize but I can't help my enthusiasm with every thing I see! Like our new town signs that Laura worked on with Chad our city manager. We just love them.

There are three of them along the "four lane" and I feel it gives us a little more modern look. 

We did have a lovely week which included a trip to our neighboring town where we roamed an antique mall that I reminded Bruce we stopped at on our very first trip to Murphy. What is it with me that I am drawn to strange women figurines?

Made in Switzerland is stamped on the feet.  The other acorns and stuff are from a hike and the dried hydrangea came from last year's bloom. See, I love everything!!

Obligations for one thing or another have kept us from roaming around but on this trip, after eating lunch at a place Cobby and Diane recommended, called Hoke Poke,

we drove back to Murphy on a road we'd never been on before. Oh man, I sometimes forget how lovely it is here.

Everywhere you look there are blooming trees.

Yup, Cherry Farm began in 1900. A few readers are from Europe so that may seem very recent but in this part of the country it is old. Before the TVA, development was very much a slow going affair.

We drove up a hill to a church that overlooks a valley and small lake which is also no very common here. Creeks, rivers and streams are more numerous. In fact aside from the lakes created by dams I can't think of any other natural lakes.

How about these pretty cows?

It's an exciting time here and even more so once we get past this cold front that is taking its' toll all over the country. 

Snowing again. 

Fallon sent me a video this morning and Christian said bubble. Bubble!!

your friend,

Gail