A Hint of Spring

Today, the weather in my neck of the woods has been absolutely fabulous, like 73 or so. It's a good thing I had my back to the window during a librarians' meeting at our district's central office or else I'm sure I would have been busy daydreaming instead of concentrating on the topics at hand - common core, research, summer reading and internet safety.

This afternoon, John and I took a little walk around our yard, Ren took a little run around the farm and John-Heath took a little walk upstairs for more conquests, via his computer game "Age of Empires". Even though I love snowy winter days it's obvious Snow Bird has overlooked us this year, so I'm ready for spring and summer to go ahead and get started. Speaking of summer, wouldn't it be nice if the temps would float around the mid-seventies during J, J, and A?

Of course, the downside to such a lovely February day is the possibility of storms when a cold front inevitably moves in. Here's hoping for a peaceful night.

Has the Mason-Dixon Line Moved?

video by RookiexLee

Gee whiz, people. The last time I checked Tennessee was still considered a southern state. Well, it sure doesn't feel very southern today. I was going to take a picture to post - it's so snowy and gray and cold-looking - but, as luck would have it, my camera battery needed recharging.

So, I guess we'll hunker down again tonight and enjoy an evening of movies, popcorn and cookies. My children have grown up to believe you cannot watch a movie without popcorn and John-Heath has now added cookies to the movie-watching menu, though there are times he just can't have his way on this one. I mean, seriously, he can't be eating a plate of cookies 3 or 4 nights a week. Well, he could - but he shouldn't.

I remember a time when Ren was little and I took her to the movies. I asked what she wanted to see and she replied, "Toy Story 2." I reminded her that her daddy had already taken her to see this particular movie only a week or so earlier. To this she said, "Yeah, but he wouldn't buy any popcorn."

And just what's showing tonight at the Tire Swings Theater? Well, we plan on watching Rocky 3 on AMC at 7:00 (Ren is a new Rocky covert) and may follow that up with Scary Movie - the first one. I've never seen any of these and Ren is trying to convert me.

Stay safe and warm, friends.

P.S. 10:01 p.m. Okay, I'm not a prude. In fact, I have a healthy sense of humor, but Scary Movie just isn't going to happen. I made it to about the 4 minute mark and already felt as if I had fewer brain cells, not to mention several moral objections. Nope. Just not gonna happen.

Though I Love Them...

...snow days are growing a little tiresome. There. I said it. Now, all you who know me personally may take a minute to pick yourselves up off the floor.

I do love snow. I always have. And I love snow days, just not when we have so many together. Why? Because I have two children who cannot be in the same house with each other for very long at all before all heck breaks loose and I turn into Momma Witch #1.

So, while these days are beautiful...

I am kinda looking forward to seeing this...

What about you? Are you ready for some sunshine, blue skies, and green grass?

All Good Things Must Come to An End

Thanks to a weather system that left us with a few inches of snow in our area we were out of school yesterday and today and have been enjoying some snow days. But the sun has been out a lot today and the roads are mostly clear so it seems we will be heading back tomorrow.

As I pleaded in an earlier post, don't laugh because we get out with just a few inches on the ground. It's not that we're looking for an excuse to be out of school, but rather that we are not well equipped to do much with it. Thus, it is safer to be out for a day (or two). With temperatures in the teens, I would hate to think of children freezing on a school bus that has become stuck in some ditch on a rural back road, waiting for a tow or replacement transportation.

I can't pretend that it's not fun finding out that you're out of school/work for a day, though. It's nice to have a day to just lay around and be lazy, play in the snow with the kids (although this snow wasn't so great for that. The wind was blowing so much while it was snowing here that the layer on the ground wasn't consistently thick, rather there were just large drifts in spots), watch movies, play games, eat some delicious soup and drink lots of hot chocolate.

Of course, if you really think about it we are not really getting any time off. The system in which I work and my kids attend have what are called "built-in days", meaning that we go longer each day to accumulate more days. That way, if we are out for inclement weather we don't have to make up that day. Unless, of course, we have already used up all our built-in days. Then it's into June we go, and that's not such a great thing!

One of the best descriptions I've ever heard of what it feels like to find out you're having a snow day is in an old episode of Designing Women called "Julia and Suzanne's Big Adventure". Mary Jo, in describing it to Anthony, mentions how excited she was as a child to find out Franklin Elementary was closed. I always thought this was neat because it was a reference to Annie Potts' hometown, Franklin, Ky., which is not too far from where I live. Potts was, of course, the actress who played Mary Jo. You can find this episode on YouTube. It just happens to be one of my favorites.

It's been nice to be home but I'm hoping we don't have anymore this week. John-Heath has his Christmas musical performance at school Thursday night and I would hate for it to be cancelled. He's playing Santa, you know. :>)

A Lot of Random Thoughts On a Cold, Snowy, Sunday Night

Well, friends. I got my wish. Snow. And lots of it. I would say we have close to 4 inches at our house here in northern middle Tennessee. Now, to my friends in the north and at higher elevations out west, 4 inches is just child's play, a mere few flurries. But in any part of the south 4 inches is just short of a blizzard. Well, maybe not a blizzard, but it's enough to cancel school for a day or two. Remember, our road departments are not as well equipped to handle snowy conditions as some in other parts of the country. Plus, our drivers are not as use to driving in it. So, it's just safer for everyone if schools are closed.

It's been a busy week for me. I feel behind on everything. So, I am hoping to take advantage of a day off tomorrow to clean up the house, finish decorating, and type up a Christmas letter to send to our out-of-town friends. See. I told you I was behind. Everyone I know has probably already prepared their Christmas cards and letters. Not me. :>(

This past week was our school's book fair. Since becoming a librarian I have always tried to have one each year at my schools. They help raise a little money for our library and give students the opportunity to see all the great new books that are out there just waiting to be read. But they can be a lot of work. Sorta like having a yard sale that lasts a week. I am always glad to see them end.

John-Heath has been doing the eye thing again. We've been noticing it for a couple weeks now. We try not to say anything to him about it, so as not to draw his attention to it. I took him to his pediatrician this past Friday. He seems to think it is just transient tics and that he will outgrow them in a few years. I really feel it was the bump on the head that caused them in February, but I have no idea why they have started again now.

By the way, it was this pediatrician who first called my son the name by which he goes. We knew his name would be John Heath, but I had not reconciled the fact that we would hyphenate his name. It was Dr. K who first called him "John-Heath". We love Dr. K. It just so happened that he was the pediatrician on call when John-Heath was born and this is where we first met him. I knew right then that I wanted him to be my little boy's doctor. All the physicians at the clinic are great, but Dr. K is our fave.

Tonight was the Christmas get-together for my mom's side of the family. Several were unable to make it - due to the weather - and a few had to eat and run- again, due to the weather. So, even though there was somewhat of a hurried feeling to it this year, it was still nice to see loved ones I've not seen since this time last year.

Well, that's about all the randomness I have for the moment. Goodnight, my friends. I hope you are all safe at home and enjoying some beautiful winter scenery of your own.

Wishing the Rain Would Just Wash Me Away

The weekend that began with such promise has taken a turn for the worse and I am not speaking of the rain. I like the rain. Well, not when we have it on days off from school or if it lasts for days on end. But, in general, I am fond of the rain. Rain makes lazy people, moi, feel better about themselves because on rainy days every one is lazy and we, I, don't stick out like a big ole sore thumb.

And who doesn't love a thunderstorm? Bill Hall, a former local weatherman, once said in an interview that it's gotten to where "you can't even enjoy a good thunderstorm anymore." He was speaking of all the latest advances in meteorology. Of course, those advances do, thankfully, save lives when it comes to reporting tornadic activity but sometimes I think weathermen get carried away a bit and just like to see themselves on t.v. and so they interrupt my time with some Desperate Housewives to tell the entire broadcasting area that at 3:43 large clouds will pass over Chipmunk Road, followed at 3:47 over Sugar Hollow Lane and 3:51 above the Rattlesnake Ridge community and while telling you this they show computer images of just how tall these clouds are in an effort to outdo the other local news stations and it just gets to be TMI - too much information! Did I happen to mention I also love a good run-on sentence?

So now you know that the rain and impending thunderstorm are not the reason for my gloomy state of depression. Yes, folks. I know it's hard to imagine but I, too, can get down in the dumps. Many things can cause this kind of funk. Today it is the missing checkbook.

The last time I used it was on Thursday evening registering Ren for the pageant. I distinctly remember writing it, handing it to the woman, and then stubbing it. I think I remember putting it back in my purse but, since it is obviously not there now, this memory may be imagined.

John brought its absence to my attention today. I hate it when I do something that opens the door for a good reprimand by him. I pride myself on always being right. I may allow him to hold onto the notion that he is smarter - he is older- but I am always right. I would honest-to-goodness rather have hot pokers plunged into my gut than admit I made a mistake. I am in a state of almost surrealism that maybe I have slipped up here.

Well, I'm 40 now. I guess I've got to make a mistake at some point in my life.

Postscript @ 7:37 p.m. - wondering what the chances are of one being struck by lightning while on a plugged in laptop. It's gotten really dark and windy in the last little bit.

Winds-day, April 7

In Winnie-the-Pooh lingo today would definitely be considered a blustery day. We have had the windows thrown up and the doors thrown open and nature has provided instant aeration of the house. We are, so far, loving this spring break.

If my hair were longer you would be able to see just how blustery it was.
John-Heath had soccer practice today. His practices are 5-6 on Wednesdays and 5-6 on Fridays (Yuck). John took him today and I showed up about 15 minutes before the end. He was a goalie. To his great delight all the grass around his goal was gone. This dirt patch provided on-the-spot entertainment for him for the periods of time when a ball was not in play anywhere around him - and, come to think of it, whenever a ball was in play around him.

Watched The Blind Side tonight with John and John-Heath. There was a scene with a train in the background very early in the movie and John-Heath kept wanting us to rewind to that spot. We told him there would be more trains to come and to just keep watching. So, every 4 or 5 minutes he would ask when the next one was coming.

Ren spent Tuesday night at my parents and is spending tonight with Megan at Jon and Jessie's house. They are in one of the Carolinas visiting Jessie's sister and new baby and Megan is house-sitting. I am a little nervous, afraid the weather will turn bad. It was actually 4 years ago today a tornado hit part of our county and killed several people. I believe that was on a Friday. We were still in school, which was kept in session until about 5 o'clock that evening to wait out the storms.

So, just in case, I think I'll sleep with an eye and an ear open.

Now the very blustery night turned into a very rainy night. And Pooh kept his lonely vigil, hour after hour, after hour - until at last, Pooh fell fast asleep - and began to dream.

Hurry Up, Summer!

Tagging along behind his big sister.

A flower for mommy - held by two of the most beautiful, dirty hands ever!




Stripped down...his favorite way to be!



Looking at all the work needed to be done to our yard.



We are wanting to landscape around this little grove of trees. John-Heath has another good idea for its use.

Guess What?

UPDATE: The following post was, as you tell, written in February. Well, I thought I would add it to the blogging bloopers list Susan has started at Between Naps on the Porch. For the blooper, just read. You'll find it. And, if not, I'll tell you at the end.

I can hardly believe as I sit to write a few things about our most recent snow and the fun we had on our days off it is snowing again. Oh, how I love the winter! If it has to be cold out I want it to snow.

Last week the biggest snow this area had seen in many years blanketed our countryside. Students - and teachers - were treated to 4 snow days. John measured a spot in the front yard that was 8 inches, with the drifts around the house much deeper. Overall, most areas on our lawn were right at 6". This snow was not necessarily a good one for snowball fights and snowmen as it was a very dry snow, but we were able to make a nice track for sledding off the western side of our yard. With skillful navigating we were able to keep from sliding off into the pond. John-Heath needed only one trip down with John to decide he was big enough to do it on his own. Ren had a good time that first day with Mark, Paula, and Makayla being pulled around on a sled behind the 4-wheeler in front of the Old House.

All said, we were able to enjoy two good days and one fun night of frolicking.

More snow memories

Snow Cream

( a bowl of snow -make sure it is clean snow - , some sugar, milk and a little vanilla flavoring) YUM!

John realizing he's not a spring chicken anymore after attempting to snow board down the hill. Can you spell Chiropractor?

John building John-Heath a snowman after a little melting had occurred. This was John-Heath's first-ever snowman.

John ruining one of the heating elements on my glass cook top while cleaning boiled over hot chocolate - a costly little mistake.

Oh well, considering I stripped the transmission in our car two weeks ago by throwing it into reverse and trying to exit the garage at the same time I can't say much.

Going supersonic off the hill with Ren and making it past the 'ditch'.

This just in...Sumner County Schools will be closed Tuesday, February 9 due to inclement weather in the county. I have come to love the sound of Jeremy Johnson's voice.

P.S. Did you spot it? The blooper? Or should I say the costly little mistake? What I didn't tell in the post was that the reason the hot chocolate boiled over to begin with is that I left it unattended to check my blog's dashoard. Yikes! Oh, and let's just keep this a secret between us ;)

A Lazy Day

9:30 a.m.
Finally awake after playing spades into the wee hours of the morning. John thinks he may have time to take much of the old fencing wire to the county recycling center before the weather gets bad. Looking forward to the big snow! Forecasters have predicted a 90% chance for 5 inches of snow to hit our neck of the woods. For us middle-Tennesseans that's a lot. John-Heath is watching cartoons enjoying his extended break due to having had the the flu this past week. Thankfully, he's much better. Ren complains (that a large breakfast feast has not been prepared). She's 14. When is she not complaining?

10:30 a.m.
John decides not to take his little trip and goes to the local grocery store instead. Comes home and decides to surf the web. I decide to improve on my terrible rating in spades. No snow yet.

11:30 a.m.
Spades rating is worse. Still no snow. Time for some Raisin Bran.

12:00 p.m.
Ren comes down for the stress relief bath therapy gel. Oh, the aches and pains of the young. John has headed to the local farmer's store for his newly sharpened chain saw blade. John-Heath has crawled beside me on the bed (where I sit as I write). His eyes are closed. Time for a nap. So sweet. I have now counted 23 snowflakes.

1:00 p.m.
I decide to roll myself into a hot shower.

1:05 p.m.
I quickly get out of the not-so-hot shower. Ren, it seems, has mostly drained all the hot water from our 85 gallon hot water heater during her therapeutic bath/shower combo. Luckily, I was able to rinse the shampoo from my hair prior to the water turning completely cold. At least some more snow is starting to fall.

6:00 p.m.
John-Heath has been awake from his nap for about 3 hours. John and I matched wits in two highly competitive games of Skip-Bo. I won the first. I'm feel certain he must have cheated during the second game or else I would have won it also. Vegetable beef soup is on the stove for tonight's dinner. Heavier snow is finally falling.

10:56 p.m.
John and John-Heath watched "Up" in the media room. After trying to teach Ren how to play spades on Yahoo and further damaging my rating I have decided to give it up for the night. A thick blanket of snow has now covered the ground. I don't want to jinx anything but it looks as if we might just get another snow day on Monday from this most recent gift. Good night. Sleep tight.