Windy Hill

Spring Peeks Out

2011-03-27T09:30:00.001-05:00

It's still cold here, but there are a few signs of spring. Here they are, as snapped with a retro camera app. Hopefully there will be more signs of spring to follow soon!

Another beautiful sunset here in Iowa.

2010-11-06T18:12:00.001-05:00

Asters and goldenrod in the wildflower prairie

2010-09-29T13:53:00.000-05:00

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Apples are coming down and heading right into pies!

2010-09-06T14:30:00.000-05:00

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A beautiful sunset tonight.

2010-08-17T20:11:00.000-05:00

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Last, but definitely not least: fresh peaches!

2010-08-06T15:20:00.000-05:00

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All in a day's harvest.

2010-08-06T14:18:00.000-05:00

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Blackberries of ususual size.

2010-08-06T13:50:00.000-05:00

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A view from the middle of our prairie.

2010-07-16T14:28:00.000-05:00

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Just discovered that the green beans are ready!

2010-07-10T13:25:00.000-05:00

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The waning of a beautiful sunset.

2010-07-08T20:54:00.000-05:00

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Just hanging out in the dining room.

2010-07-04T12:53:00.000-05:00

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Five jars of homemade cherry jam.

2010-06-27T14:12:00.000-05:00

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Blue, I'm blue...

2010-06-19T15:54:00.001-05:00

Well, the hydrangea is blue.
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The raspberries are HUGE this year.

2010-06-19T15:41:00.000-05:00

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Summer in the midwest

2010-06-18T19:16:00.000-05:00

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Our first blueberries!

2010-06-16T15:58:00.000-05:00

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Homemade strawberry shortcake!

2010-06-12T19:19:00.001-05:00

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Just harvested a few cherries.

2010-06-12T11:16:00.000-05:00

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Mr. (Or is it Ms. or Mrs?) Turtle

2010-06-11T15:44:00.001-05:00

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A turtle paid us a visit this afternoon.

2010-06-11T15:39:00.001-05:00

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Hide and sleep.

2010-06-10T22:39:00.000-05:00

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A Homegrown Bouquet

2010-06-02T19:17:00.001-05:00

It's hard to believe that it's only June 1st, and yet the yard is absolutely full of flowers already. There are so many blooms that I decided to bring some inside. Here is a picture of one of the bouquets I made. This one features Lady's Mantle and Catmint (different from catnip) blossoms, along with some native fern fronds. Now we just have to hope none of the kitties try to eat it!
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A Lovely Day

2010-05-18T15:20:00.000-05:00

Perfect weather for sprawling out on the patio with a little catnip.
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More Spring Photos

2010-05-09T16:22:00.008-05:00

Have I mentioned we're having a beautiful spring here this year? Everything is blooming abnormally early, and it seems like every day something new is bursting into bloom. New this weekend: the Korean lilac (which smells absolutely wonderful), the Star of Jerusalem, and the rugosa roses in the hedge along the driveway. Would you like to see them? Well, like it or not, here they are!

Up first, the Korean lilac bush:

Even the bees are enjoying the lilacs!

Next, the Rugosa roses, which I still can't believe are blooming already.

We have both white and deep pink roses in the hedge along the driveway.

And finally, the Star of Jerusalem that are growing in my Emily Dickinson garden. I always forget that these are planted in with the crocuses. Once the crocuses are done blooming, I think that's it for the bulbs in the border, and then up come the Star of Jerusalem. They are quite a lovely surprise, though.

Hope you are all having a lovely spring, too, full of the wonder and beauty of nature.

Sunspot friends

2010-04-29T14:08:00.000-05:00

'Tis better to share a sunny spot than to have no sunny spot at all.
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More Photos from the Yard

2010-04-23T11:34:00.006-05:00

There are so many little wonders here in our yard this spring, and we are happy to share them with you. Enjoy!

Apple Blossoms

Blossoms on one of our two crabapple trees.

The small crabapple tree in full bloom.

The lilacs are starting open!

This lilac has "Sensation"-al flowers (that's it's name).

Buds on a clematis vine with chartreuse foliage.

The flowering almond shrub in bloom - this is it's first year in bloom.
What amazing little flowers!

A pair of fern fiddleheads dancing in the shade garden.

Violets in the grass. They make us feel bad that we have to mow the lawn.

Today we are finally getting some rain, so there will probably be many more May flowers to follow these April showers.

Our first asparagus harvest.

2010-04-17T13:04:00.000-05:00

Now we know what we're having for dinner tonight.

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A Few Spring Photos

2010-04-13T10:36:00.004-05:00

We're having a beautiful spring here in Iowa. For those of you who can't be here with us, here are a few photos from the yard. Enjoy!

White Hyacinths

Purple Hyacinths

Daffodils

Cherry Blossoms

A Bee Visiting the Blossoms on the Maple Tree

The catnip is growing

2010-04-01T14:39:00.000-05:00

Friede was having a great time in the catnip that is beginning to come up, so I though I would see if I could send this from my phone for you all to see. The photo may be a little blurry, but this is just a test. So, I hope this works!
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Spring Arrives

2010-03-30T18:18:00.004-05:00

The snow is gone, the grass is starting to turn green, and the sun feels warm on the skin once again. The peepers are singing, the goldfinches are turning yellow, and the crocuses are bursting open. Of course, the weeds are growing, too, but for now we'll concentrate on the happier side of spring. Here are a few of our crocuses to add a little cheer to your day. Even the bees are enjoying them!

A Frosty Day

2010-01-19T15:12:00.006-06:00

The combination of fog and freezing temperatures has left everything covered in a heavy, furry frost. Once the sun came out, too, I knew I had to take some pictures. So, here they are, for your viewing pleasure. I need to go rest my poor eyes now, as they're tired from all the squinting. Too much glare!

The view from the back porch.

Our prairie and the neighboring countryside.

Our fruit trees in the orchard.

A frosty Korean Lilac

Some ornamental grasses

Greetings from Germany

2009-10-27T09:09:00.002-05:00

I write to you today from our little apartment in Wittenberg, Germany. I apologize for not posting the second part of our tour, but with Kim leaving for the term in Germany, things at Windy Hill got rather crazy. I did manage to dehydrate some veggies and herbs before I joined Kim in Germany, and I filled up the fridge drawers with apples. Hopefully they haven't all turned to mush. We are enjoying our time in Germany and looking forward to our trip into Austria to spend some time in Vienna. We bought a new camera before leaving for Germany, so we will have lots of pictures to share when we get back. And I mean lots. I recently realized that I've taken almost 400 pictures, so you've been warned! Hope all is well with all of you stateside. Get ready for those pictures...

Windy Hill - A Tour (part 1)

2009-07-17T20:06:00.008-05:00

Greetings from a rather cold Iowa. Our high temperature today was 64. In July. Crazy! Since it's a little cold outside for yard work, I thought I would share some pictures of warmer days this summer. In fact, I am arranging them to make a virtual tour of our place. So for those of you who haven't visited, here is your chance:

As you drive along the gravel road you spot a mailbox at the top of the hill. Sure enough, there's the Vivian name. This must be the place!

You turn into the driveway, where you get a glimpse of the house in the distance.

But wait, what is that rock doing there?

As you get closer, you see the front of the stone:

Well, that explains it. The leaves on the stone even match the leaves on the trees along the driveway. How clever. Nice dragonfly, there, too. As you continue up the driveway, you take a quick glance back at the stone and the gate at the entrance.

Then you continue on your way up the driveway, and notice a shade garden on the right hand side, tucked away under the tree line.

Those ferns are obviously content there. Once you head up the drive past the trees, the view opens up. There is the house, with the little orchard to its right.

You pull into the driveway in front of the garage and climb out of the car. The first thing that catches your attention is the orchard. (It's right there, after all.)

And then you notice there are cherries on one of the trees. Too bad they're not quite ripe yet.

Since it's your first visit, you're not sure if you should go to the front door or the back door. You opt for the front door, following the sidewalk lined with lavender. Yes, the Vivians do love Provence.

After stopping briefly to sniff the lavender, you head up the front porch stairs to the door, and knock loudly.

Oddly, no one answers. Not even a kitty. Where are they? Could they be in the yard somewhere? You glance down the porch toward the gazebo and wonder if you should check things out down there.

You head down the porch toward the gazebo. As you look around the corner, you are surprised to see. . .

What? What is it? Well, you'll just have to wait until next time to find out. The kitties are hungry and will continue to claw my legs if I don't feed them soon, so you can blame them. Stay tuned to find out what happens to Batman and Robin, uh wait, that's not what I meant. Stay tuned for more adventures of the Iowa visitors! (Wish I could remember exactly what the narrator said on those old Batman and Robin shows, but I can't and I don't have time to check YouTube. My leg may be bleeding now.)

Until next time. . .
(Ow, ow, ow! I'm coming, I'm coming, you little furballs!)

Something Unexpected

2009-06-16T09:50:00.006-05:00

We've been having problems lately with the raccoons getting into our bird feeders and eating up all the seed. We'd get up in the morning to a bent pole and empty feeders, so we started putting them in the garage at night, since the coons only seem to come out at night. Yesterday we'd been working in the yard for a while, and before we came in I filled up the bird bath, which is located by the feeders. The feeders were getting a little low, but there was certainly enough seed for the rest of the day. About an hour later, I glanced out the windows and noticed that the birds were sitting on the railing like they usually do when the feeders are down or empty. I walked over to the window and saw that the pole was bent and two of the feeders were down. Had Kim hit it with the mower? I asked him, but no, he hadn't. "Since when do raccoons raid the feeders in broad daylight," I grumbled, and out I went to pick up the feeders. They were broken into bits, which surprised me. The coons usually just knock the feeders down and eat the seed. Plus the two suet cakes were gone. Did the coon carry them both off? Odd. I picked up all the pieces and went back inside.

A little while later I was in the kitchen making dinner. Clara was sitting at the back door looking out into the yard. She loves to watch the bunnies and birds out there. Suddenly Clara turned and ran away from the door as fast as her paws would carry her. I thought maybe it was the UPS guy because he always puts our packages on the porch there, and I was expecting a package. I did think it was a little weird that Clara was so freaked out, though, because usually only Oskar and Wolfi get scared by the UPS guy. Maybe she'd been entranced by a bunny and had been surprised when the guy came around the corner? So I went to look for my package.

Away to the door I flew like a flash,
to pick up my package in a quick little dash,
when what to my wondering eyes should appear,
but a cute black bear — what's a BEAR doing HERE?!?!?

"Holy (expletive)," I shouted, "Kim, there's a bear on the patio!!!!" The bear sniffed around a little and then turned and headed out toward the garden. Kim grabbed the camera and ran out to take a few photos while I called the sheriff. I was surprised to learn that the bear had already been spotted wandering around in the neighboring county, so the dispatcher told us to just leave the bear alone (duh!) until it had wandered off. I didn't mention that Kim was out there taking pictures. Sounds crazy, doesn't it? Well, here's the photographic evidence:

See that big black blob with legs? That's a black bear,
but in case you still don't believe me:

Yes, Virginia, there really are bears in Iowa.

And then the bear wandered off,
presumably to raid someone else's bird feeders,
since ours were now empty.

Obviously it turns out that coons don't raid bird feeders in broad daylight and smash them to bits in the process. Black bears, on the other hand, apparently do. Good to know.

I wonder if anybody makes bear-proof bird feeders.

Spring Blossoms

2009-05-08T11:19:00.004-05:00

Spring finally arrived to our area, and we have been working (seemingly) non-stop in the yard since then. Weeding, mulching, and planting new shrubs, trees, and flowers. The other day I took a few minutes to photograph some of the things currently blooming so we could share them with you. Without further ado, here they are:

Crabapple Blossoms

View of the crabapple tree and the house

Apple Blossoms

Lovely double lilac blossoms
(Wish you could smell these!)

This clematis was a present for Kim's birthday
last year, and it is already blooming!
(Thanks, Mom and Dad.)

When I was a kid, the family always got together around Mother's Day to celebrate, and to celebrate Grammy's birthday. There was a place behind Grammy's house where we always
went to pick violet bouquets for all the ladies. Now I have a place to pick my own, so here they are:

For Mom, Aunt Sharon, Aunt Kathy, and Grammy.

With spring flowers come spring showers. Although we haven't actually had much rain lately, the other day we caught the edge of a storm. It was sunny with a brief downpour, which resulted in a lucky rainbow. Hope it brings you luck, too.

A Few Spring Blossoms

2009-04-25T14:41:00.006-05:00

Spring finally seems to be settling in here. The crocuses are just finishing up blooming, and the daffodils and hyacinths are starting to open up. We've been working away in the yard, trying to get out all the early weeds and get everything cleaned up and mulched. We are also planting some new things in the yard this year. So far we've planted two different gooseberries, two flowering almonds, and a pussy willow. We also have a blueberry waiting to go in the ground. When I was scoping out a good spot for it, I noticed the raspberries are all starting to come up and bud out. Mmmmm, I can't get enough of those fresh raspberries. Grow, plants, grow!

We have also been working a little in the vegetable garden, planting sugar snap peas, lettuce, and broccoli. The broccoli is starting to sprout, and the lettuce shouldn't be far behind. The rhubarb is up and thriving, and when I checked on the asparagus this morning, I found a few that were ready to be harvested. We're still finishing up last year's crop, so we'd better hurry and get it all eaten. In a few weeks we'll probably have more than we can handle.

Since none of you can be here to see our early signs of spring, I, of course, took some pictures to share with you. So, here they are:

Crocuses, obviously

A big, fragrant hyacinth.
Had to wait for the bees to leave before
I stuck my nose in there.

A more open, white variety of hyacinth.

Our wide variety of daffodils makes a lovely bouquet.

A little daffodil close-up.

Seems like spring now, doesn't it? Now I'm off to feed Minne. She keeps giving me THAT look. Hope you all are enjoying your spring.

An Update

2009-04-03T20:01:00.007-05:00

Hello family and friends. Oh, what a crummy winter we have had. Sadly, it's still cold here. We had four to five inches of snow last weekend, and we are expecting several inches this evening. If you see Spring, please send her our way. We need her.

Since it has been quite a while since I posted some photos, I thought I would share with you some photos of the kids, especially Clara. Several of you have asked how she's settling in, and I think these photos will show you. She still has an enormous amount of energy, which means she's always getting into things. She's very willful, too, which means I'm constantly telling her to "get down" from some place she shouldn't be. She has calmed down a little over the past few weeks, so I am hoping she is becoming more subdued. She wears me out.

So, here are the photos:

Everyone loves the heated throw.
Funny, though, because I thought it was for me.

Do we seriously have five cats? We must be crazy.

Birds of a feather. Didn't I tell you to get down?!?
Sometimes I wonder why I bother.

Snowfall

2009-01-10T15:52:00.000-06:00

Another winter storm just dropped 8" of snow on us. The wind blew the snow into huge waves of snow across the yard and around the house. The sun has come out now, making all the fresh snow glisten. We did shovel the snow off the walk and off of the concrete part of the driveway, but we'll leave the rest to the plow.

Now we are recovering from our shoveling efforts by lounging around in the living room while watching the Ravens/Titans game. Kim had three kitties in his lap, while he was also trying to grade papers, until Oskar got annoyed with all the papers touching his head. So now there are only two kitties in Kim's lap. Wolfi is curled up in my lap with his tail curled up around his head. Good thing we're having leftovers tonight - nobody really wants to move.
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The Last of the Summer Tomatoes

2008-12-31T17:53:00.000-06:00

I tried to post this about a week before Christmas, but I accidentally sent it to the wrong address. Here it is now in its entirety:

While in previous years we have had tomatoes ripening into November, this is the first year we have had them this late in December. Another reason to like the Juliet tomatoes. We decided to cook them lightly with some garlic and carmelized onions and serve it over pasta. Then we discovered some olives in the fridge and some baby peas in the freezer, so we threw those in as well. It was a delicious way to enjoy our last fresh tomatoes. Now we'll have to start working on all the frozen asparagus. We must have around ten pounds, if not more. I don't really see that as a problem, though. Yum!

I also just baked two apple pies with some of our last apples. There are a few still left, so we may dehydrate those. Then we can use them in oatmeal cookies or in muffins. Or we could just eat them by the handful, since they do make a tasty snack.

Well, the pies are probably cool enough now to put away, so I'd better go do just that before the kitties help themselves.
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It Worked!

2008-11-22T09:31:00.002-06:00

Well, obviously my mobile posting experiment worked. I like how Verizon got in their little advertising there at the bottom - that was not in my message. Oh well. I'm just glad that the post showed up properly. Now I can blog even when I'm buried under kitties, as long as my phone is within reach.

Speaking of the kitties, Clara is in the "big house" for the day today. She is happy to have some company. We're trying to teach her all the rules of the house, like no kitties on the countertops. Of course, since Oskar refuses to accept that rule, I'm not sure she ever will. She does seem to be learning "no," though, which is a start. One day at a time.

Oskar the Grouch

2008-11-21T17:25:00.001-06:00

Since I now have a Blackberry (love those toys for grown-ups), I thought I would try out mobile blogging. I have no idea how this will work, so consider this a test.
Now, on to Oskar. He has not been happy the past few days because little miss Clara has come inside for a visit. Each visit has gone a little better than the previous one, with a little less hissing and growling on Oskar's part. When he dared to come out from under the sofa, he moved in slow-motion, which was pretty entertaining to watch. Today he seems to be doing a lot better. He isn't hiding from her anymore, nor is he stalking her. He's still a little grumpy, though. Change is hard for a sensitive little kitty like Oskar. Hopefully all will be well soon. Now let's hope this mobile blog post works...
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The Latest Addition to the Family

2008-11-03T15:38:00.005-06:00

Yeah, we're suckers. This time, though, it really isn't our fault. Our neighbor had recently come over to ask if we had seen her little black and white kitty. We hadn't, but we promised to keep an eye for her. A few days later, on a very cold and windy day, we discovered a little black and white kitty trying to take shelter in the asparagus hedge. We were sure it was our neighbors cat, so we called the kitty, petted her, and took her into the barn. Eventually we discovered that she was not our neighbor's cat, but by then we'd already given her shelter, and we knew we couldn't just chase her away. So, she's here to stay, and we've named her Clara, for Clara Schumann.

Actually, she has turned out to be a little darling. She is very affectionate, and purrs non-stop. She even purred part of the way through her bath, so that tells you a bit about her personality. She gets her first check-up on Thursday so we can make sure she's healthy before she meets the other kids. Wolfi and Friede have both seen her through the studio window, and neither of them seemed to really care much. Oskar will probably be a different matter, but these things always take time. We're hoping that since the new kitty is a girl, Oskar won't feel a need to be competitive. We shall see. Keep your fingers crossed all goes well at the vet.

Our House

2008-09-05T08:35:00.007-05:00

. . . is a very, very, very fine house, although there are actually four cats in the yard. I realized that many of you have not seen our house, so while the wildflower fields were in bloom, I took some photos to share with you. First, though, is a map of the yard. It's not really drawn to scale (The barn isn't quite as big as the house!), but it will give you a good idea of where everything sits on the property. (Note that north is actually on the right side of this map.)

Now, here are the photos:

Front of house seen from the path through the front field.

Front of house seen from behind the west side of the butterfly garden.

Gazebo as seen from the butterfly garden,
showing some of the ornamental grasses
and the black-eyed susans

North side of house seen from the wildflower field,
showing goldenrod, sunflowers, and a few asters.

So, there is our happy homestead. I'm off to harvest more raspberries.

Bountiful Berries

2008-09-03T09:49:00.004-05:00

Raspberries, anyone? The other day it took me about half an hour to harvest all of the ripe raspberries. Here's what we've picked over the past few days (yes, just a few days), with my hand in there for scale:

We eat raspberries on cereal, raspberries with yogurt, raspberries on ice cream, raspberries as a morning snack, raspberries as an afternoon snack, and even raspberries as sustenance while harvesting raspberries. One for me, one for the bowl, one for me, hmmm. . .that bowl is looking full, two for me, one for the bowl, three for me. . .

Since we only started with three plants which cost us less than $15 total, I guess we've gotten our money's worth. Now I have to go figure out what I'm going to do with all that raspberry purée. Like I said, raspberries anyone?

Garden of Plenty

2008-09-02T11:40:00.004-05:00

Since I mentioned all the harvesting we have been doing, I thought I would show you what we we had grown this year:

These photos don't include the eggplants, potatoes, onions, shallots, and German radishes that we also grew this year. Now you know why our summer went by so quickly. The fertile soil here makes it easy to grow all sorts of things. We have so much produce that we have been joking about starting a CSA. Instead of paying, though, our members would have to come out and weed. (Or maybe sand spindles.) For now, Kim is taking our extras to Augie, where everything disappears in a day. We can only eat so many cucumbers.

Oskar keeps trying to type on the keyboard, so I think someone needs some attention.

Where Have All the Summer Days Gone?

2008-09-01T11:07:00.002-05:00

I can't believe it is September! We've had such a busy summer that I haven't posted for months. First there was the springtime yard cleanup, then there was weeding, planting, weeding, mowing, weeding, mulching, traveling back and forth to Germany, weeding. . .you get the idea. Having six acres is a lot of work. We've also been refinishing the back portion of the porch railing, since all the paint was peeling off. Having a huge wrap-around porch was always a dream of mine, but I never considered having to sand and paint all those little spindles. Ugh. At least the weather this summer has been quite pleasant. We've only had to run the air a few times, which is good.

I still have a ton of pictures I need to post (considering that no one has seen pictures from Italy!), so I will try to get to that soon. There just aren't enough hours in the day, especially when it's harvesting time in the garden (and because our dial-up connection is unbearably slow). Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go process several pounds of green beans. I'll try to post again much sooner than the last time.

A Patio for All Seasons

2008-05-03T09:55:00.006-05:00

The patio project is done, so hopefully our water problems are over. For those of you who hadn't seen the old patio, it sloped toward the house. So did the air conditioner pad, which had sunk even lower than the patio. So, all the rain washed toward the house from two sides. After spending 3-4 days mopping up water in the basement (twice) this spring, we knew we had to get all of that fixed. The new patio visibly slopes AWAY from the house. How novel.

So, here are the pictures, starting with the problematic old patio:

Ugly concrete patio

End of day 1 - concrete gone!

End of day 2 - fixing the slope.

Luchtime day 3 - ready for stone.

End of day 4 - lovely new patio.

And look, the air conditioner is actually level!

Patio inspection.

Detail of the stone.

I suppose I will get used to it at some point, but right now I still can't believe that's our patio!

It's Always Something. . .

2008-04-25T11:02:00.004-05:00

What a crazy week we have had. We discovered that the original survey on our land was incorrect, and off by one acre to the east, which would have moved our property line to right behind our outbuilding. Luckily, our neighbors who own all the property around us don't want to change the current boundaries, so hopefully everything will work out and we will be able to keep our property as is.

These spring rains have been such a pain. Every time we had a heavy rain I was running down to the basement to make sure we weren't having any more seepage problems. Everything still looked dry after the storms this morning, but more storms are expected this afternoon, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. It has been way too wet to get any work done in the garden, so our onions and potatoes are still sitting in their boxes waiting to be planted. As if the heavy rains weren't enough, there is now a chance of a hard freeze on Monday night. As the title reads, "It's always something." I'm hoping we don't get a freeze because all of the bulbs in our new "Emily Dickinson" garden are opening up. I may be out on Monday with lots of sheets and bricks.

On the positive side, our patio project is supposed to begin sometime next week. We are hoping that fixing the grade around the house will solve some of the seepage problems in the basement. Right now, everything is angled toward the house, which isn't really ideal. I took some "before" pictures of the patio, and when the job is finished I'll post them along with the "after" photos. It should be really pretty when its done.

Well, Minne is wandering around in the hopes of being fed, so I had better go take care of her before Oskar jumps on her.

Best wishes to everyone.

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

2008-04-11T10:19:00.003-05:00

Come again some other day, so Lupus Girl can rest today!

I thought I was tired of the snow, but this rain has been even worse. We've had over 2.5" of rain in the past two days. Since the ground never really had a chance to dry out after all the snow melted, the recent rain just ran right through the soil and into our basement. The odd part is that it seeps in on the side where the garage juts out from the house. Had I been quizzed on the subject, I would have thought that the position of the garage, and the complete lack of water in the garage, would help protect that side from seepage. Sadly, that's just not the case. So last night (after one day's worth of mopping) I put down all the towels and old blankets we could find, and hoped for the best. Kim mopped up some of the water before he left for school, which was a good thing. As it was, there was still quite a bit of water, and , BTW, sopping wet blankets are incredibly heavy.

Since I knew that the clean-up would, well, suck, I decided to grab my phone, for which Dad had bought me a memory card so I could use it as an MP3 player. I thought having some music would help me. I had my music set on shuffle, and the songs that came up were so funny that I had to share them with you. (When water is coming into your basement, you too will have to find humor in odd things.) Just remember the adage "truth is stranger than fiction."

The clean-up began accompanied by "I Can't Get No Satisfaction." Later, "Good Day Sunshine" began and, seriously, this was the moment when the sun chose to peek up from behind the clouds for a few minutes. After a few Cure songs, I was able to sing along to "It's the End of the World as We Know It," "and I feel fine. . .Right? Right!" Or maybe "uh, oh, overflow" is a more appropriate line. This was immediately followed by "Just Like Heaven" (a bit ironic, no?) and the song that was playing as I was dumping out the last bucket of water was, wait for it. . .(and keep in mind that I had been vacuuming up water for an hour and a half), "Let's Go to Bed." I may be an English major, but honestly, I couldn't have made that up.

Anyhow, the point is that with a sense of humor, we can all get through some unpleasant situations. I am writing this as I wait for the towels to dry, which will hopefully happen before the other ones get soaked through. There's a chance for more rain this afternoon, so I am fervently hoping that they are scattered enough to miss us. Oddly enough, the rain is supposed to change to snow tonight. As I said before, I really thought I'd had enough of the snow, but as I told Kim this morning, I will happily take an inch of snow over an inch of rain.

Before I go check the towels, I'll tell you one more funny thing regarding the cats. At one point, after lugging up quite a load of drenched towels and sheets, I decided to lie down on the floor for a few minutes, as much out of a moment of frustration as anything else. The boys couldn't figure out what was wrong with me (I guess I was laughing a bit hysterically - I just had to in order not to cry) so they both came over to sniff me and lick my face. It may not sound funny, but it was.

Well that was my bit of excitement for the day. Now I'm going to pour myself an icy cold glass of Pepsi. (Hmmmm. . . it's noon somewhere in the world, isn't it?) Keep your fingers crossed for us - no more rain!

Earth Hour

2008-03-28T08:34:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow is Earth Hour, which is being sponsored by World Wildlife Fund. For one hour tomorrow night, citizens, businesses, and corporations are turning their lights off. To participate, all you have to do is turn your lights off for one hour at 8PM (your local time). As the WWF website notes, "every light makes a difference." Have a candlelight party, or go outside to gaze at the stars. For more information, you can visit the Earth Hour website, earthhour.org, where you can sign up and get more information. Wouldn't it be cool if you could watch a satellite view of the earth at night, and see some of the lights go out as Earth Hour moved from one time zone to another? Maybe that's not likely, but there are major cities participating, like Chicago. So, add to the lights out by participating, and then post a comment about how you spend your Earth Hour.

Every individual really can help preserve our planet.

Bird Watching

2008-03-21T10:48:00.007-05:00

This winter we decided to leave our bird feeders up and filled with sunflower seed. The result has been a great deal of bird traffic, providing endless delight for the kitties. Oskar, in particular, likes to watch them and make what we call "birdie noises" at them. He barely opens his mouth and makes quiet little noises - it's very cute. The cardinals have particularly enjoyed the bird seed, and many times they were waiting in line for a spot on the feeders. Here's a picture of one of the longer lines:

Seven cardinals, some waiting so patiently.

The birds sometimes come around onto the back porch (the feeders hang on the north side, but the back door is on the east side), which gives us all a better view of them. Here's a cardinal who may have been taunting the kitties. "I'm out here eating seed and you can't get me!"

Hahahahaha, you'll never get me!

We are also visited several times a day by our resident downy woodpeckers. They thoroughly enjoy the peanut suet. We also see lots of black-capped chickadees and finches. We're glad to know that we are providing adequate habitat for so many different birds.

We're having a very windy and gray day today, but thankfully it looks like the heavy snow is going to stay to the north and east of us. Lucky for us, but not so lucky for Madison and the Chicago suburbs. Nonetheless, we'll probably spend the day inside trying to stay warm and cozy.
Spring must be on the way, though, because the backyard has been full of robins. Let's hope spring isn't too far off.

Last Snow Storm (hopefully)

2008-03-14T09:32:00.007-05:00

Although spring seems to be on the way, I thought I would post some photos from our last storm, which brought us about 10" of snow. The snow was so wet that it was falling in clusters almost the size of quarters. We've never had a storm quite like this one. I took quite a few pictures, but here are some of the highlights:

Huge flakes, see?

Lots of snow in the air.

Snow in the butterfly garden.

Wintry Wonderland

Nighttime in the snowy orchard.

Snow blowing across the back yard.

Well, that's probably enough photos for now. I'm sure you get the idea. Now, of course, most of the snow is gone, although the snowplow piles will probably be here for quite a while. At least they're getting shorter now. Their height was quite impressive, which reminds me. . .

Mount Snowplow

That would have made a great sled hill if there had been a slope down the driveway. No such luck, though. It would have been one short ride. Anyhow, that's what winter has been like here. Now that all of this is melting, there are all sorts of flooding problems on area rivers. Last night an ice jam caused the Rock River to rise 4 feet in 4 hours. Living on a hill distant from any rivers can be beneficial.

Today the sun is out and the high is supposed to be near 5o degrees. The recent warm spell has
brought out the snowdrops planted in the beds along the driveway. Sun, flowers, and birds singing gaily - what cheer. Hooray for spring! (At least until all the yard works starts.)

Winter Weather Photos

2008-02-22T13:38:00.006-06:00

What a crazy winter we have all been having this year. The snow and ice never seem to go away. Here are some photos of what this winter has been like here. Most of these are photos from the ice storm in December that left at least 1/2" of ice on everything.

Oak leaves after a heavy frost

Trees drooping from the weight of the ice

Grasses bowing to the storm

An icy lilac bush

Icicles on the maple tree

The frozen maple

Icicles on the birdbath by the now-weeping elderberry bush

That was a brutal storm. We were glad to hear the forecast for warmer temperatures this weekend. This snow and ice is getting old. It's a good thing spring isn't too far away (hopefully!)

Wolfi's Warm Coat

2008-02-11T10:37:00.000-06:00

This winter has been rather brutal with all the snow and below zero temperatures (our high yesterday was 0.1 degrees!). While it easy for me to bundle up for the conditions, this is a little more difficult for Wolfi, who always insists on accompanying me to the studio. To protect him from the cold, I whipped up a little fleece coat for him. He doesn't mind wearing it at all, and it does seem to keep him warmer. So, as promised, here he is in his little coat:

My cute little baby. Kim joked that I needed a baby sling for Wolfi, because I have to carry him over my shoulder on our way out to the studio. He does not like snow on his paws. The first time he tried to walk through the snow, he just kept picking up his paws, trying to figure out where he could go without being in that cold white stuff. Then he started crying for help, so I had to scoop him up. No more walking in the snow for him.

More snow expecter later today. The forecast is currently calling for another 3-5 inches, so we'll see what happens. At least it's not 14 inches like the last time. The 2-3 foot drifts were not fun to shovel. A few inches will be much more manageable. For now, we're just trying to stay warm here.

More Christmas Photos

2008-02-05T09:44:00.001-06:00

As promised, here are the last of the Christmas photos. First up, a photo of the lights and decorations on the front of the house. You can just make out the candle lights in the windows upstairs, and you can sort of see the lit Christmas tree through the living room window.

Next, the photos of the tree itself, one showing the decorations, one showing the lights on the tree and on Grandpa's tree stand.

As a bonus, here are some photos of two of the cardinals that have been visiting our feeders lately:

Next time, photos from some of the ice and snow storms, along with a picture of Wolfi in his little fleece coat that I made for him to wear out to the studio. There may be some new snow pictures, too, since we might get 9"-13" of snow tonight and tomorrow. Only time will tell.

Christmas Photos

2008-01-30T16:10:00.000-06:00

Hello everybody. I promised some Christmas photos, so here they finally are. I may have to do them in a few batches because it will probably take a long time to upload them. I will start with some of the decorations we put up in the living room. We decorated the fireplace mantle this year for the first time, and we put up our crazy-quilt stockings that Grammy made for us. They are on either side of the fireplace. The banner in the middle was made by Kim's grandmother.

I also fixed up a pine cone/nut/natural materials Christmas wreath that was also made by Kim's grandmother. We added a few of our dried milkweed pods for a personal touch. They are the pale colored things sticking out in different directions. I even tried to hairspray some of the milkweed seeds and fibers into the pods so that the fuzz would stay in there. It worked for this year, but we'll have to see how long that lasts. If you look hard at the one on the left side, you may be able to see this in the photo. The wreath turned out so well that we decided to leave it up as our winter wreath.

Isn't it pretty? Kim's grandmother was a crafty lady. Speaking of crafty, there is something about Christmas that inspires me to make things. So here are the photos of a few of the Christmas treats I made. Some of the cookies went to a Christmas party at the foreign languages building at Augie, but I held back some so that we could enjoy them, too. They are spice cookies decorated with plain icing. It made my hands very tired, but I was pleased with the results.

The last picture for this post is our Christmas pumpkin pie. I told you I was feeling crafty!

Next time I will post the photos of our tree and lights, and maybe I'll eventually get caught up enough to post a few of our Italy photos. Don't hold your breath, though! It might take me a while. Now I have to go figure out what to have for dinner. If only I had a chef. . .

Christmas Decorations

2008-01-04T08:54:00.000-06:00

Although Christmas has already passed us, I thought you might enjoy seeing some of the decorations we put up at our house this year. We had planned to have a German Christmas party here for some of Kim's students, but the weather refused to cooperate, so we had to enjoy the decorations ourselves. Sadly, I have been having problems with Blogger, and it won't let me add any pictures right now, no matter what browser I use. It's always something, right? I will try to solve this problem so you can see the house decked out for the holidays.

I can't believe how quickly the time passes. . . the holidays just flew by. We still have some of our Christmas cookies left, though, so we can drag out the holiday a little longer. Besides, we always celebrated until Epiphany, so I guess that means we have a few more days of Christmas lights.

Although it has been painfully cold here, the weather will soon be turning warmer. By Monday, all of the the deep snow here will be melted away. I just hope that the warm weather doesn't last long enough to confuse the plants and trees.

The birds have been plentiful here this year. We have seen many different birds at our feeders, including two pairs of cardinals, lots of black-capped chickadees, finches, and a female downy woodpecker who has been chowing down on the suet. The birds all line up and wait in the nearby elderberry bush (which we have contemplated moving, but I guess we won't now). We all (including the cats, of course) enjoy watching the birds come and go. I like knowing that we are providing a habitat for the wildlife here. Now if only the deer wouldn't eat up our hostas.

New Blog and Store

2007-12-06T13:48:00.000-06:00

Today I have started my Windy Hill Fibers blog and my Etsy store. I have added links to both of these on this page under the "My Sites" section. If you visit either of the sites, please let me know what you think.

On a completely different note, we are expecting more snow this evening and another round of freezing rain and snow over the weekend. Since the last ice storm knocked out our power for just over 12 hours, we may have to bottle some water before the storm starts. That's one downside to being on a well: no power = no water. At least we can use the fireplace to heat the house. Of course, if the power were out for very long, cooking might be an issue as well, since our cooktop is electric. I guess I'd have to whip out the cowboy charcoal and fire up the grill.

We were also disheartened to see how our pretty dried grasses were just flattened by the ice. Only the Giant Chinese Silver Grass is still standing upright. For a while the maple tree looked like it was made of glass, and Kim said that the ice on the pumpkins made him think of candied apples. (Hmmm. . . those sound good.) Lupus Girl spent a bit too much time and effort scraping all the ice off the patio and the driveway (while Kim was at work and couldn't object), and was gently reprimanded for being so stubborn. Me, stubborn? No way. Besides, I feel great, except for the aching in all of my shoveling muscles!

Other than the weather, there isn't too much excitement right now. Kim is trying to get used to his new hectic schedule at school, along with all of the work for the job search (for another prof. in the department). I have been spending my time listening to Christmas carols, working on my sites, and working on Christmas secrets. Don't bother asking me about the secrets, though, for my lips are sealed.

Hope you are all staying warm and cozy in this cold weather (it was 6 degrees here last night).

Back in the USA

2007-11-27T09:52:00.000-06:00

Greetings to everyone. Sorry I haven't posted for a while, but we got pretty busy with preparations for our trip to Italy. I didn't even have time to post my pumpkin photos from Halloween, so here they are now:

I haven't carved a pumpkin in a very long time, so I picked a simple, yet appropriate, design. We kept the seeds and roasted them in the oven, and they were definitely better than anything bought at the store. I also cut up the excess pumpkin flesh and cooked it down. We then used the cooked pumpkin to make our Thanksgiving pumpkin pies. Can't beat homemade! Luckily, there was some pie left over, so we will be able to enjoy it for a few more days. There certainly weren't many mashed potatoes left, though. That's what comes from a great crop of Yukon Golds (and a family that loves Thanksgiving dinner).

As for the trip to Italy, I haven't started editing the photos yet. Dad had to work to recover a number of our photos because some clumsy person dropped the camera in about four inches of snow. Since my family seems to have a history of dropping cameras, it is clearly not really my fault. I'll blame genetics instead.

Now that I'm caught up with the Halloween photos, I will work to get some of the Italy photos up soon so we can share some of our adventures with you. Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving.

Blog Action Day

2007-10-15T13:35:00.000-05:00

Today is Blog Action Day, and all bloggers have been asked to focus on the environment today. I registered my blog as a participant because I believe this is an important topic. Our planet is so beautiful, so full of diverse life, that we must appreciate it, respect it, and preserve it.

Out here in farm country, environmental concerns are often an issue due to all the herbicide and pesticide run-off, and the huge hog lots. This is part of the reason we buy as much organic food as we can. Some things, like organic cheese, are difficult to find around here, but whenever we have a choice, we buy organic. While the long-term effects of ingesting these farm chemicals is often debated, it cannot be wise to continue polluting our ground and water supply as if these chemicals are harmless. By supporting organic farmers, we can all work to protect our planet and ourselves.

There are, of course, many other ways in which every individual can make a difference. We all know about the importance of recycling, using compact fluorescent bulbs, and installing a programmable thermostat to reduce energy consumption. Switching to reusable grocery bags is another easy way to contribute to the health of our planet. For a couple averaging six bags of groceries a week, this would be a reduction of 312 plastic bags over one year. Imagine trying to store that many plastic bags in your closet or garage, and you will see the significance. Many grocery stores now sell reusable bags, and some will even give you a small discount every time you use them. Just stow a few in your car, and you’ll always have them ready for those unexpected stops (or cravings). For an ever greater impact, buy bags made from organic cotton. Visit the website reusablebags.com for more information and to see the types of bags available now. Even these simplest of changes in our habits can have a positive impact on the environment.

We all actually can make a difference, and the more we try, the greater the impact can be.

Last Harvest

2007-10-11T09:17:00.000-05:00

The heat of summer finally has left us, and tonight we expect frost. Yesterday we made our last harvest, picking a few peppers, green beans, and the last of the cherry tomatoes. We also had to bring in all our tender herbs, like basil and parsley, for chopping and freezing. These herbs will be a nice taste of summer in our winter dishes. The cold weather has encouraged a desire for hearty soups and stews, so we are planning to dig up some leeks soon to make a big pot of potato and leek soup. We also have quite a number of pumpkins to harvest. We had already picked 5 or 6 that were ready about a week ago, but there are still more on the vines. I think we will have enough to line both sets of steps to the house, in a celebration of autumn.

Corn Kitties

2007-10-01T09:42:00.000-05:00

A few days ago, when my lupus was acting up, I decided it was finally time to go through all of the kitty photos that were still sitting on the digital camera card. Our little feline children are constantly entertaining us, so there were quite a few pictures. I settled into my chair with the laptop and started looking through the photos. Cute kitties, more cute kitties, and then suddenly I was laughing so hard that my eyes were tearing up. This summer we had discovered that Friede and Wolfi really like corn on the cob, Friede especially. Wolfi ate his in a very dignified manner:

Friede, on the other hand. . .

Look at that face! Since she is the smallest of the kitties, her ferocity can be surprising. That picture still makes me laugh, so I just had to share it with all of you. After that photo was taken, she practically tore the corn cob right out of Kim's hands. He tried to take it away from her, but she did not want to let go - she takes food very seriously. As I said, our kitties are entertaining.

Dog Days

2007-09-24T13:00:00.000-05:00

How do two cat people end up with a dog? Well, that's the puzzle that was presented to us this weekend. A sweet old dog, clearly lost, took up residence on our back porch Saturday evening. Luckily, he was quite well-behaved, hardly ever barked, and mostly just slept on the porch:

Sunday morning we contacted all of our closest neighbors (closest out here in the country meaning those within 1 mile), but no one knew anything about the dog. We knew he had a home somewhere - he was too well-fed to be a stray, and he desperately craved attention. On Monday morning I decided to call some of the neighbors who lived further away. Happily, an old pickup truck pulled into our driveway Monday evening, and the dog let out a gleeful bark. His family had been found. Our new friend, Sparky, had run away while his family was out, and he ended up so far away from home that he didn't know how to get back. We were glad to get him home.

As for the cats, they couldn't wait for the big black beast to disappear. Oskar kept turning into the prickly, hunch-backed cat pictured on Halloween decorations.

Kaspar and Minne, on the other hand, couldn't have cared less, as long as the dog didn't interfere with their feeding schedule. At 19 and 20 years old, respectively, they know their priorities. Now that Sparky is back home, though, everyone has their happy ending, brave little Oskar especially.

First posting

2007-09-19T09:38:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my new blog. I thought this might be an efficient method for keeping friends and family informed of the happenings here at our home - Windy Hill. It always seems that there are very few exciting things to talk about on the telephone, and yet every day is filled with little events, moments that are easily dismissed as "uninteresting" or too ordinary to mention. I hope to record some of those little events, and share them, so they won't be overlooked.

While I was typing, the back door was open to let in the cool morning breeze. The sliding screen was closed, but our cat Oskar managed to shove it off the track and let himself out. He's getting quite proficient at this move, and can clearly pull it off quickly. He immediately ran across the porch, leapt off the side, and ran underneath to roll around in the dirt. When I finally coaxed him out (by shaking the bites container), he was beige and orange instead of white and orange. Once I got him inside, he did tolerate a baby wipe bath, but he definitely expected some bites for putting up with such an indignation. At least I didn't use my own spit, although since he's a cat, this might not have bothered him.

I'll introduce all the other cats (yes, there are more) at some other point. It's about time to go close up the windows upstairs before it gets too warm.