Warm Sunny Weekend Equals Weary Back and Muscles

FINALLY. . .beautiful weather in Arkansas. Thursday and Friday were gorgeous days with temperatures reaching into the 50s. It seemed like a major heat wave after so much snow and blistering cold. I had a renewed energy and plans for the weekend.

When I got in Friday afternoon from school, I began immediately on my weekend house cleaning chores to get the inside tidy and the dust out. That left Saturday open for other chores and spending the day outside. I was not disappointed; the day dawned with sunshine and as the day progressed the temps crept on into the 60s. Collin and I were outside most of the day either working in his shop or as in my case, cleaning the yard. Armed with snippers, rake, and wheel barrow, I went to work pruning and racking the leaves from all the flower beds and the foundation of the house. In the late afternoon, our neighbor saw us out working and came over with his lawnmower to help bag the leaves.

Well, my yard looks great for February, but by day's end, my back was screaming "ABUSE, ABUSE!" Thank goodness for a Jacuzzi tub and lots of hot water. You should see all the jonquils though; they are ready to burst into yellow. I can hardly wait. I'm expecting this. . .
just any day now.

Marcia

Season of Love

Last week turned into to another one of those busy blurs. Tuesday, we stayed home for day number 7 of snow, so Wednesday, when it was back to school, I hit the ground running. For all the things that were on my Monday/Tuesday to-do list, I still managed to accomplish everything by Friday.

As Valentine's Day fell on the weekend, Sunday, to be exact, Collin, my forever sweetheart, and I celebrated several days. Friday night, we had haircuts at 5:30 and we planned to eat at Shortie Small's after we finished. It was getting so late that we were starved and we thought our meal was fabulous. We both ordered a steak with cheesy fries.

Saturday morning we were up early and on the road by 8:00 to Little Rock for the day. We traveled with Dennis and Regina to an RV show which was housed in the State House Convention Center. We had a great time touring camper/trailers/motor homes all day. Since we love camping and are quite the enthusiasts, it was exciting to see the newest models for the season even though we are very pleased with what we have. We had lunch at a very nice Mexican restaurant and headed home shortly after 6:00.

Sunday morning, we were up early and off to church. As the day came to a close I thought about how blessed we are and how much love we have every day--not just one time a year. I thought about all the different types and kinds of love we had shared over the weekend. I have the love of family, a wonderful husband and three children. I was fortunate to share time with both Collin and Bryan and took time to send Micah and Rhyne a note expressing my love. We have many wonderful friends at church and those we know from other avenues which fill our lives with happiness. We have parents to share special moments as we did Sunday at lunchtime, and we have the love of our heavenly Father as we worshipped Sunday with fellow believers.

Love does make the world go round and what a lonely place it would be without it.

Happy Valentine's,

Marcia

Winter Blast--Day Six At Home

Home again! Some 3 to 4 inches of snow fell during the night and we awakened this morning to yet another beautiful white blanket. It is a different snow from the last one--more like powder with less ice and the timber is gorgeous. The scenery looks like something you'd see on a postcard. They tell us that more is on the way. We may be out of school by July 4.

We've had a great weekend. Saturday, Collin and I drove with friends to Mountain Home. They needed to pick up a boat and pull it home. It was good to get out for the day even though this isn't the best time of the year for a scenic drive. We had lunch at Colton's; my selection was soup and salad. Warm soup hit the spot on a damp, cold day.

And then, the Super Bowl game. We came home from church, fixed up chicken strips and fries, and had our own private party. We have become Saints fans by default since we have a direct connection to New Orleans and we sat glued to the TV. I was worse than Collin; he sat with the computer in his lap multi-tasking, but I didn't want to miss a moment. We were so excited! Micah called almost the instant the game ended. She and Rhyne went out into the campus and driving around town to see all the celebration. Now, without a doubt, everyone knows "Who Dat" is.

Go Saints,

Marcia

Six Weeks of More Bad Weather

It's GROUNDHOG'S DAY. . . and in Punxsutawney (puhnk-suh-TAW-nee), PA, the traditional site of the scientific experiment, the groundhog did, indeed, see his shadow, and we can expect more of winter and no sign of early spring.

I had time to research this tidbit and include it today in my post since I am home, again, yet another day from school due to snow. Although it is wonderful now to be home on these cold, chilly days, I see a repeat of last year's makeup. I have a feeling I will not see a Memorial holiday as I will probably be in school that entire week to makeup the 5 snow days we have missed thus far this winter. And. . .it could get worse. What if we get more snow? Remember, the persimmon seeds are "spoon" shaped.

All that aside, I've been outside with the camera and I wanted to share a few snapshots. Snow is beautiful on the ground after a fresh fall. Collin thinks we probably got about 10 inches at our house.

We've also been bird watching again. Filling the feeders seems to be a continual task and it is just birds; the squirrels have disappeared. We have an unbelievable number of feathered friends who have taken shelter with us over the last 5 days and a number of new additions to the ones mentioned in an earlier post. A red-headed woodpecker has joined the clan. I have tried numerous time to catch a good picture of him, but alas, he is a tricky fellow and either gets on the back side of the feeder or flies away before I can catch him. If I get lucky, I'll post him later. He is a rather handsome fellow. We also have at least 4 doves who have come along as well. Yesterday, we actually saw 1 robin.

Take a peek at these two beauties. We have 2 couples of red birds. I have named them Fred and Wilma, Barney and Betty. We've seen all 4 of them at once, but again, they are not cooperative for the camera so I had to catch them individually.

Well, perhaps there will be more melting today and I'll back in school tomorrow.

Marcia

Snowy Days Are Here Again

Another winter blast has hit in Arkansas--good enough for us to manage another school day spent at home. The sleet started around 9 or so and continued throughout the night. By 8 this morning the snow began to fall. We are told it will snow all day and some tomorrow leaving us with a 5 to 8 inch accumulation. Albeit that wouldn't impress many of our northern state neighbors, that's a lot of snow at one time for we southerners.

I've spent a lot of time gazing out the window at this white blanket; it's beautiful falling, but I have also done a few productive things this morning. I get such few of these types of opportunities that I want to enjoy it when I get the chance.

Of all the folklore that predicts the harshness of the winter and stirs many a conversation about the weather, I heard a first this year. Now I'm familiar with the "black wollyworm", "if the corn has thick shucks", the fogs in August, but new to me, "the shape of the persimmon seed." It seems if the seed is shaped like a spoon, we can expect to shovel a lot of snow. This year, you guessed it, the seeds are spoon shaped. I'm inclined to believe there is something to these earlier forecasting methods by studying nature's signs. One thing is for sure--we've got snow today.

I also wanted to share a few photos today. It just wouldn't be the same if I didn't have a picture to share. I do quite a bit of photography work at church. We are always having events and activities and I try to capture the history. Still recent and not to long ago, WSBC presented the Living Christmas Tree as a gift of song and remembrance of Christ's birth to our community. I made photos and I'd like to share them with you. I had good intentions in December, but didn't get to it. Since it is a cold wintry day, I thought it just might work anyway to share these seasonal photos. I hope you enjoy. If you've never had opportunity to visit us during this wonderful time of the year, start planning now. I think this is already on the church calendar for the weekend of December 10, 11, 12. If your life is anything like mine, it will be Christmas again before you know it.

Marcia

Back To Business--Photography Business That Is

The weather has warmed considerably this week. Some days have been rainy and some have been sunny. Either way, it was nice to be in the double digits and out of the single. Monday was MLK Day and I managed to get a day off from school. With warmer temps I was motivated so I got some house cleaning chores done, washed two loads of clothes, and even did a little work outside. It was most productive and I felt I had accomplished something going back to work on Tuesday. I could get used to four day work weeks.

Over the Christmas break I had opportunity to do some professional photography work which I thoroughly enjoy. In the last couple of weeks I've worked to edit these photos, send and receive them from my lab, and get them ready for presentation in an album. Yesterday, I gave them to the family and the wife/mother was very pleased. They were tremendous to work with and I enjoyed the challenge. And was it ever a challenge. It was extremely cold and about the time we were ready to begin, the wind picked up. We managed though and before we finished, the wind laid. When family members are scattered and Christmas is the only time to catch everybody, you just do what you have to do. These were made at varying points around their home in the yard. Please take a look and enjoy.

Marcia

Baby, It's Cold Outside

. . .but it is nice and toasty in our house. We have a wood burning insert in the family room and it sure has felt good these last few days.

It didn't take long for the weather to take front and center stage this new year. We got in three days of school just to wake up yesterday morning to a white blanket of snow and chilling temperatures. School was dismissed and I took the opportunity to sleep in just a bit and then, I spent just about all day gathering, organizing, and sorting tax receipts and papers. And the kicker is, I'm an organized person; I have folders and files designating special places that I put things all year. When you operate two businesses out of your home it is a must; otherwise, I don't know how long it would take me. At any rate, I felt quite a sense of accomplishment along with taking care of a load of laundry and preparing our evening meal. Of course, being the shutter bug that I am, I couldn't resist bundling up to make one or two snapshots of the snow. Although it doesn't look very deep, the roads were icy.

I thought we would be back to school today, but I think the single-digit temperatures and wind chills kept a lot of us home again. With this second day of vacation, I tackled a few other odd jobs and some house cleaning chores. Just about all the remnants of Christmas have disappeared at our house with just a few things remaining visible to keep a reminder of the holiday season.

Many of you know how fond I am of snowmen. I have quite a collection that I display for Christmas, but I also reserve a few things for the month of January. Since that is actually the time we get snow, I like to save my snowman cookie jar and some place mats to enjoy in the bar area where we eat. He was a Christmas gift last year from a dear friend and how I do enjoy him and a couple of other little secondary pieces.

I can hardly stand to throw out anything that has life so I also am enjoying the last days of my poinsettias. They won't make it much longer, but they surely add a bright spot in the dining area.

And finally, even in winter, I get much enjoyment from our pergola and patio area.

We've hung two bird feeders and we are visited frequently by wren, chickadees, blue jays, and my favorites, the red birds. We stand in the french doors endlessly looking out at them. And yes, my unwanted squirrels are still here, feeding, as well.

Well, I think I'm headed back to the fireplace and having a hot cup of cappuccino.

Stay warm,

Marcia