Showing posts with label House. Show all posts
Showing posts with label House. Show all posts

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Barnalanche

You weren't planning on going anywhere, were you?

The J crew came to the rescue and tackled it, just in case we needed more mint chocolate chip ice cream in a hurry.
Another avalanche: Snow from the roof of the house.
This is the front porch after J shoveled. When the snow kept coming and coming, we got lots of new cracks on the walls and ceiling, and ominous noises were coming from the roof. Some of us were spooked and decided to sleep downstairs until the roof was cleared of snow, while others (okay, it was just one of us), were unperturbed. We have many debates in our house about such matters, and let me just remind folks that it is not the pessimist's house that collapses under the weight of four feet of snow, but the optimist's.
Despite all that hard work, the roof still sprung a leak above my closet, where ice got under the shingles. Getting ice off of a roof is a tricky task. Some try to melt it off with a blow torch. J used a hammer to dislodge it. We will have to deal with roof repairs in the spring. Oh winter.

The weather is wild, and everyone is exasperated. Roofs are collapsing, and snow shovels are breaking from constant use, and good luck finding a new one. The chorus around here is, "so much for global warming!" But to the contrary, I see this strange weather as an indication of something out of whack. Of course I keep my mouth shut. Because I'm a good girl. And a big chicken, braaak, brraaaack!

The bird feeder - this is what our house must have felt like under all that snow.

The tractor is still in the shop.

After weeks of snow, now we have a dramatic twist - the pineapple express is here, from Hawaii! Rain and howling wind hammer the house at night, keeping me awake. I like it, it's a nice alternative to the white death blanket. The blanket is receding, which is the good news. The bad news is that it's leaving an ice rink and slush in its wake. The driveway is very tricky, I think I may have killed the car trying to navigate the mountains and valleys. Oh, fun!

And we all thought that last year was crazy. I don't know what the snowfall total for our area is, but it's well over 6 feet for Spokane, so I imagine we've had 8 feet or more!


The kids have had several snow days. They went back today, which is why I have time to write this. What surprises will the weather bring us next?
This all makes me think of that wonderful book by Arnold Lobel, Owl at Home. "You must go, Winter! shouted Owl. Go away, right now!" I believe it is time for some tear-water tea.

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Lovely July

This is the best month of summer, it's full of life and color and SUN! The beans and squash have sprouted in the greenhouse, 7 days after planting. Yesterday I lifted the flaps at the bottom and that made it a lot cooler in there. The weather has been hot, but we got some relief Tuesday night with a thunderstorm and rain. The beans in the fenced garden are growing well, but the squash still has not come up. The lettuce and cabbage are finally over transplant and cold weather shock.


The peas are ready. I put them and bok choi in ramen, and miso is a healthy substitute for the flavor packet.

Bug update:
The mosquitos are terrible, and the rain will help them stick around; but chewing fresh garlic is a great repellent, and it repels people too, as an added bonus.
The grasshoppers are big enough to eat now and Coconut is well fed again. They like to eat the mullein by the back door, which is handy for a quick Coco snack.


Feng Failure
The fountain is in its new home in the missing "wealth" area. Ignorant in the ways of Feng Shui when we built our house, we made a terrible error. Making "L" shapes where two sections of a house meet and there's an indented space in the floor plan can be disastrous. In our case, it was in the wealth section, big surprise. Not only that, but we have glass front and back doors lining up, so you can see right through the house, the"money in--money out" set up. Tell me about it. But there are remedies. Mirrors, fountains, crystals. And remember guys! Put the toilet seat lids down if you don't want your money to get flushed!

Flower power
Oxeye Daisy and Coreopsis


Foxglove

Neon Cowboy Mini Rose

Tidy Tips
Moje Hammarberg Rugosa Rose (smells yummy)


Slammy's Gourd

Sage and English Lavender
Pinks

Honeysuckle
It's 81 degrees, partly cloudy at 12:00 pm.