Hope Springs Eternal

This lovely crocus appeared in my yard immediately after the 20+" of snow melted!  The robins returned from the south.  Such a dramatic March.... and today "The Ides." 

"Hope springs eternal in the human breast;
Man never is, but always to be blest:
The soul, uneasy and confin'd from home,
Rests and expatiates in a life to come."

~Alexander Pope, An Essay on Man

Settling in without Electricity... again!

Following the initial storm last weekend with all those 20-ish inches of snow, the power came on for a couple of days, then went off for two more days.  We again stoked the fireplace, lit the candles and hunkered down.  I rather enjoyed the routine of knitting by the fire each morning, getting my simple chores done, reading for awhile and back to bed to stay warm.  I suppose if your attitude is adjusted, this way of life would be like the "good old days." 

The snow is melting fast and today we are expecting 60.*  We saw our first robin while walking the dogs this morning.  My husband just popped in to say he spotted sprouting daffodils while hauling some of the fallen tree branches.   I took advantage of the nice weather and photographed this chenille patchwork quilt I listed for sale in my Etsy shop.  More quilts to come. 

Here are some pics of the ranch I have been visiting Friday afternoons.  It was so cold and windy this past Friday, we didn't want to stand around brushing horses so we hauled the broken pine boughs to a burn pile.  The horses were so curious.  They had to check us out.  We accomplished clearing out the area under the trees where the horses like to congregate.  The activity warmed us up so that we then felt like grooming the horses after all.  These are mostly rehabilitated rescued horses who become wonderful for rehabilitating kids and adults alike.  It's a joy getting to know them.

March came in like a lion.

This is not my usual weekend pot of stew.  I gathered kettles packed full of fresh snow to melt on the stove for a bit of French Press coffee, for watering the dogs and cats, for tea and for brushing teeth.

We had quite a storm beginning Friday afternoon and found ourselves without power for 24 hrs.  My gas stove will light with a match and the fireplace in the living room kept the house warm enough ... that is if you wear your long underwear and layers of wool and/or fleece!

We received 18" to 24" of heavy wet snow in our region.  Lots of tree limbs came down taking power lines with them.   Here four deer were happy to find this maple branch down in our driveway.   The clusters of leaf buds were especially sweet.

Our hero arrived this morning.   Our driveway is steep and a tough one to plow.  This fellow had been plowing for 29 hours straight with more drives to clean out after leaving our place

Here's a view looking out across the lake.  These twin birch trees suffered no damage and straightened up after the snow fell off the branches.  Luckily there was little to no wind.   Lots of people still are without power, some roads are impassable and schools are closed tomorrow.  I know there have been some wicked storms across the country and hope you and yours are safe.

New Energy, Old Ideas

 Life is beginning to settle down again following the birth of Ruby.  I enjoyed spending time at my sewing machine this past week and put together these three ruffled clothes pin bags.  The lovely vintage tablecloths that are never quite perfect for daily use are super for fancy cutting and repurposing.   These bags, as well as my pdf patterns are available in my Etsy shop.

 This large size vintage French laundry hamper is one of my favorite possessions.   A project for this upcoming week is to make a liner for it.  I love this colorful striped heavy cotton tablecloth I found who-knows-where and think it might sew up nicely in liner form.

This is an old friend ~ a vintage birdcage.  I have the cast iron stand as well.  Such character these oldies have.  Almost makes me want a canary.  This cage sat in a consignment shop all winter... it was one of many larger items I placed for sale in the shop so I'd have room to park my car in the garage.   Most items sold, but I kept hoping this one would not!   One lady actually took it home on a trial basis but it did not work out for her real live birdie!  I brought it back home a few days ago.

Hope you are feeling some new spring energy, too!

New Blessing

Here is our sweet new granddaughter, Ruby Amelia, with her big sister, Emily.   Ruby was born February 3rd ~ healthy as can be and seemingly of a very mellow nature.  She looks a lot like Emi did as a newborn and her eyes are already becoming a pretty blue.  It's been a roller coaster ride of excitement here the past few weeks.  We are so happy for the new family and so blessed to be a part of their lives.

Wordless Wednesday

Linked to another wordless Wednesday.

After the Storm

This was the view out my windshield today on the trip to my favorite quilt shop.   You can't get there from here so the route is all snow-covered back roads.... typical of this area, but always worth it in the scenic department.   4WD is a must!