Snow, blowing snow, weather, play

We had some rather interesting wild weather on Friday with the winds. I walked to the ridge to see if the snowfall was drifting across the ridge roads.

It was.
I cancelled my CrossFit work out because. Well, because I could. I don't have to drive in poor weather anymore so I can relax and just watch the snow pile up and the winds create beautiful drifts.

Our road looked like this:

The winds were picking up the snow and blowing it into fantastic shapes in the roadside ditches.

I talked to a friend of mine who had said they'd gone to town and the roads on the ridges were drifting and visibility was not good.
I figured that because I could barely see across the cropland on top of the ridge.

The winds were whipping the snow like crazy. Video length about 20 seconds of snow-nadoes!

I walked off the ridge and just into the woods. 

It got quiet and peaceful without the roaring winds. Charlie and I walked down into the wild meadow where I picked up sticks, mosses, pieces of bark, and some grass. I felt that I'd probably be spending most of the rest of the day indoors and I felt like making something creative.

It sure looks like a mess, but I had ideas for a diorama of sorts.

I had some quiet time to myself so I got to work with my free materials from the woods.
Sorry, my cell phone takes awful photos in dim light. But I used and old cookie sheet to create a scene just for the camera.

 I thought it would be funny to have a Lego Robot and a Squirrel working in a garden together. 

Hey, IT could happen right???

And after all of their hard work, they decided to have a picnic.

An Acorn for the squirrel and a pizza for the robot. The Robot is the Nanny Droid, IG 11. He stars in Disney's Mandalorian episodes. I thought he was just weird enough to use in this scene.

The fork he is holding actually is an extra piece that was included in the Orchid build. 

It looks like the pair is happy with their work of planting and watering.

After I cleaned that up I wondered what to do with all the extra material I had from the woods.

I had clay, a glue gun, sticks, and moss...

And I heard that Acorn Guy was looking for a little place to live. He didn't like Lego Brick homes, he preferred more wild-like things....

...stay tuned....

We don't stop playing because we grow
old
We grow old because we stop 
playing.

George Bernard Shaw.

Play on!

Winter Skidsteer Polar Vortex Storm

Well, that should cover just about all of it. At least what I am thinking about this morning.
Winter.
Well there it is. Winter is here. I would have preferred the snows without the storms and predicted subzero temperatures.

It was -25 F and calm yesterday morning. The sunrise was beautiful with purples and pinks. By 9AM it was only 14 below [well, that is what my smarty pants phone said as we no longer have an outdoor thermometer...which I will fix today..]. I did chores and Charlie went with me for part of the time. I must say, he is a sturdy little dog. But he is young too.
Dixie didn't want to come out of her hay bale igloo in the shed. I poked my head in there and it was pretty warm. 

By mid afternoon I got a text from Justin. He said he wanted to come down and put the skid steer tire on. 
Well we got the tire on. However, in order to put the tracks on, we needed to start it and lift it with the bucket and set it down...well, I won't bore you with the details but all of the rest of the work hinged on starting the skidsteer. 

I had it plugged in. It wouldn't start. We figured it was the battery. I'd recalled that Rich had said at one point that he probably would need a new one? Rich didn't recall that. 
His memory is fuzzy about most things these days. The last time he was in the shed he was frustrated because 'something' wasn't there that he had put there. I found the items in his truck later and told him ... well, that didn't go so well either.

[I have to keep recalling that Rich's anger that get's directed at me is not really his normal. It is the frustration, the pain, the feeling of helplessness from all of his illnesses that he can only express his frustration in the tone of anger. He used to be able to stomp out to the shed and fix everything himself. Not any more.]

Anyway.

The conclusion was we'd have to wait for better weather. Justin could open the battery compartment and charge the battery and we could finish the job. But it would be a while. 

Justin promised to plow us out during the next storm. He wouldn't take any payment, relaying that when they needed help, I was always there and I took care of all of their chores when they went on vacations. Even up.

So the skidsteer is stuck right there in the way. I can't get the big old truck out to get small square bales, but I have the monster bales to use.

It looks like a very cold wintry week coming up. 

And the Vortex is coming!

The Skidsteer saga continues. I told Justin at this point I'd rather hire someone to plow this winter. I'd get the skidsteer parked and send it in come spring time to get overhauled or just sell it.

Next Saturday it looks like it may get up close to 30 degrees. That will be the day to start the skid steer, charge the battery and finish putting the tracks back on it. 

For today, I'm getting the usual things in town and then parking the 'Ru in a spot to make it easier for Justin to plow after the storm. 
One day at a time.

Wicked Wicked Weather

And it is not letting up!

The winds are howling and roaring above the house in the trees making hollow resounding noises above me. I can see a birch tree across the way in the meadow swaying hard. I imagine if the trees had been full of leaves many of them would be losing branches.

Yesterday it started with thunderstorms, lightening, and 3 rounds of hail.

The mules headed for the woods after the hail started...

Before 10 am yesterday, about 2 inches of hard rain fell. There was too much lightening to walk down to the creek and watch the water rage down the bottoms.

I could see the water rushing down the side of the driveway.

It let up in the middle of the day. There was enough time to get Charlie out for a quick walk in the sodden grass before the winds and more thunderstorms came marching across the land.

All night the winds howled and rain/sleet sliced sideways in the east winds.

I woke up periodically to listen to the roaring noises above us and wondered what it would be like to listen to it on the ridges. Or for that matter, to be in it on the ridges.
Wind gusts are being recorded at 37 to 51 mph. Sustained winds at 22.

It wasn't quite so bad when I did chores this morning. No one looked cold, all the animals had plenty of hay to eat and could get out of the worst of the weather. Some of the Dexter cattle were laying in the fodder bale pile chewing their cud as if they didn't have a worry in the world.

I decided to do some Still Life photography. The light coming in through the south windows was very subdued yet it would work if I used a white sheet to shoot against.

Our photography group is working on Lines and Shadows this week. I stood a vase of 'sea glass' that I'd collected with my Kenosha Gang folks on an old night stand. I tossed an old white sheet on it and used a chair to hold up the fabric behind the vase.

Of course that wasn't the only shot. If I set up for one shot, I generally do more.

Paint time:

I dug out the brushes two days ago with the intent of painting an old small vanity that we took out during remodeling two years ago. I desperately needed a piece of open backed furniture to put the WiFi and phone hook ups in. I took the old vanity and cleaned it up. 

When the weather breaks I will paint it and add something inside it for storage, but for now the ugly electronics are no longer sitting on the floor.

It is a bit tacky looking. But it will work for now until I can what I want for that corner to keep everything organized. I would paint it now, but Charlie is a bit too willing to help on these projects.

So until I can do it outside, I guess it will be in the corner hiding all those luscious looking cords from Charlie's teeth.

It actually helps organize a few things for right now until I get the trim on the wood in the eating area. It holds the phone, the calendar...and ... 

well here it is...

What I have in mind though is another thing entirely!

Something like ... this....

So I got out my old cracked cup and saucer and messed around some with the sea glass.

I took a few shots and tried a few things.

Oh ... How did this happen? Somehow I never feel like I've done justice to Still Life unless I put something odd into the photo.

Star Wars Figurine/Sugar/Coffee Cup/Spoon

Soldiers and Ponies

Okay, they really don't go together at all! But over the years, I've accumulated some odd things from the children I know.

Creepy Baby and Friends

I think I'm going to grab a few more things from my 'toy' basket and see what I can do to brighten this wicked dreary day.

And let the wicked weather do as it wishes outside.