Snowed In

A post with no time for talking. I do have a few photos of the blizzard we've had for the last two days. It snowed yesterday but not today but the wind was 60 - 80 km. per hour both days and the drifting was severe. My driveway was plowed out twice since this since this morning and sis in law had a terrible time leaving here after that. My son can drive through anything and will get down, then plowed out again before he gets up in the morning.



The above show approximately the same spot in around twenty six hours. It is still blowing like crazy as I write this thirty hours later.

Most of the ground was bare before this 'spring snowstorm'. Poor man's fertilizer, I explained in 2007. Ha, I found out I talked about it in 2006 as well. Anyway, we really got walloped this year, I think.





The music tonight will come from the past. Nothing new.

• Life Is So Peculiar - Louis Jordan & Louis Armstrong
• Gospel Plow - Old Crow Medicine Show
• Cold to Colder - Sasha Dobson
• Emotional Weather Report - Tom Waits
• Breathe - Sia
• Come In From the Cold - Marc Broussard

Letters From the Past

I'm having a very nice day today. I had a To Do list but didn't follow it. Instead I did what I wanted at each given moment. I got lots done, just not what I had planned. There's always tomorrow, eh?

I wrote my grandson a letter. He didn't know what a letter was so I told him I'd send him one. Can you imagine? Any of us over fifty certainly knows what letter writing is about because letters were vital parts of communication in our past. Emails have taken over but they're quite different. I have saved years of correspondence and went through it all one weekend probably 10 years ago when a friend wanted to explore some old books I had. While he was rummaging through the books I was holding and remembering all those letters. I moved to Toronto from Massachusetts at one point and have awesome letters from friends, and groups of friends; sometimes big sheets of paper laid out during parties that were later mailed to me. It's possible my grandson will never get another friendly letter, only business letters. Amazing to comprehend sometimes.

Today's music is for Tom Waits fans. Here's Christmas Card From a Hooker in Minneapolis and Telephone Call From Istanbul. I was tempted to play some dance songs but these songs go better with letter writing. I had my dance early today - before I even got dressed and dance music has been in my head all day.

Emotional Weather Report

I am reading a great book. It is so engrossing that I completely forgot to post this afternoon. The book is Beach Music by Pat Conroy and truly is a book that I can't put down.

Went out walking this morning and it was wicked cold. It was ok in sheltered spots but in the open the wind was biting. The temperature was minus 15 but with the windchill, much, much colder. We are heading for a warming trend with Tuesday being plus 8 and rain. That's ok with me.

Tom Waits has music for every occasion. From his 1998 album, Beautiful Maladies, comes two weather related songs, Strange Weather and Cold, Cold Ground. Didn't realize I already had posted Strange weather so will add this great live cut, Emotional Weather Report from Tom's 1975 album, Nighthawks At The Diner. I love his live, talky songs like this. He's a wonderful performer who I would love to see live.

TGIF Again

Would you believe my cat is here again bugging me while I attempt to one-hand type. She never does this at four. I really have to get back on schedule or this blog may become too much for me to handle. Whew! Holy cat hair!

We are getting some weather tonight after our wonderful January thaw that followed a week with four storms. We are getting it all and in this order: A few flurries or ice pellets changing to freezing rain this evening then to rain near midnight. Snow and ice pellet amount 2 to 4 cm. Rainfall amount 5 to 10 mm. Fog patches developing overnight. Wind becoming southeast 20 km/h gusting to 40 this evening then increasing to 40 gusting to 60 overnight. Temperature rising to 8 by morning. Cloudy and showers in the morning. That was cut and paste. Lazy with this weird schedule change.

Calls for rainy music because I don't have ice pellety music. Rain Dogs by Tom Waits and Fourteen Rivers, Fourteen Floods by Beck just might fit the bill.

Lost

Well, I have a tale to tell. I was lost in the woods yesterday with a friend. We were on her land so she knew that we would come out eventually somewhere recognizable but it was scary. My friend has a serious heart condition and she was very, very tired - extremely tired. I was never so glad to come out of the woods. We had walked through swamps so our feet were soaked and I thought that pretty soon she wouldn't be able to go any further. We did get to see her beaver pond of which a beaver run is pictured above.

This is the same friend who went into quicksand last week. She always has adventures like that she says. Hard for someone like me who does not like unplanned events to take place to that extreme. Lost in the woods!

I had planned a walk to the beach today but needed a day at home. I have a beef stew cooking and it smells wonderful. I was invited to a dinner and an overnight at a friend's but have bowed out gracefully. Don't feel like having a tired day tomorrow. I want to take that walk to the beach. It is forecast that Sunday is bringing another severe storm.

A song I really like and have already put up is Walk Around the Lake by the band Lost In the Trees. Out of the Woods by Sinead Lohan is a song already have in the music pages as well. They both have appropriate titles for today's post. For new ones today it's Martha Wainwright with Whither Must I Wander and good old Tom Waits with A Sight For Sore Eyes from his 2001 album, Used Songs 1973 - 1990. Tom always has an appropriate song.

A Little Rain Never Hurt No One

It's Friday, my favorite day of the week. Always has been. It was when my gang of friend hung out because we all had to babysit for our parents, who went out on Saturday night. I have the weekend off and plan to enjoy it.

I just had a couple of friends drop by and I may go out myself later. We've had steady rain all day and it is supposed to continue so I'm not crazy about going driving tonight. I have to go to the grocery store to get some baking ingredients to make a dessert for a gathering on Sunday. I was going to pickle too but have changed my mind and will do it this week.

This is the first time I've had a reason to play those rainy songs that I promised on Sunday (I think). I have a pretty good collection. Live Stevie Ray Vaughan is my treat for you if you like the blues. This piece, The Sky Is Crying, is superb. For something completely different, acoustic Tracey Chapman sings Let It Rain.

By the way, the eagle photos are my brother's. He should have a photo blog.

It Goes On

The photo is of a pre-emerged sunflower. This link is to the mature flower. Pretty cool. Mature was the topic in Moody Monday - linked on the side. The asparagas was also considered in choosing the 'mature' designation for the entry.

Just finished supper and watched the many photos of waterspouts and rainbows yesterday on the evening news. It was pretty wild around here. After my post yesterday following my hike, we had rain, torrential rain, thunder and lightning, hail which was pretty widespread, and actual snow ( in Harrington). I had company in the afternoon and they left in the midst of heavy rain. My son was in hail twice, at his dad's and driving. Wild!

My neighbour is mowing a second crop of hay, clover really, at this moment and the smell is coming into the window in front of me. Hmmmm.

Music: I feel quite free now in choosing music because it doesn't matter if I put it up before. It's probably gone so I'm just uploading it again. Weather like yesterday's should be celebrated or at least acknowleged. My library has a million versions of Stormy Weather. Here's one by Dinah Washington. I posted a different song from her on the Shutterchance blog this weekend and was well received. I like this version a lot. Strange Weather by Tom Waits fits for yesterday as well. Maybe I'll celebrate weather all week.

Super Women

My, my, it's been a whirl wind around here. I've been invaded with twenty-somethings and it's been fabulous. I've been having a blast. I've had my own friends here for the weekend as well, so we've been partying pretty heartily amogst us all. We've been very physically active along with the festivities with a bocce ball game last night and the above display of athletics this afternoon. My friend and I spent the afternoon at the beach. Again, that was glorious. Everyone has had a wonderful weekend. We leave for Halifax tomorrow for the convocation ceremony. Exciting times!

A big bonus to spring this year and quite early actually is that we have day old ducklings in the pond. I only discovered them this afternoon when the light was not good for photos. I hope to get a couple of shots of them soon. There are one day old teal I think, though they could be mallards. Last year we had a Mama who finally gave up after several attempts at sitting with a raccoon or fox, probably, always getting her nests. This is a great treat.

Music: Drinkin' songs: Well, about drinkin' anyway. This is a very old one from when I was a teenager. Spill The Wine from Eric Burden and War was a popular song in about '69 or '70. Willie Nelson's got a song for the country lovers.........Cath.....Willie's doing I Gotta Get Drunk. A Jockey Full Of Bourbon from Tom Waits is a third selection and my favorite of the three. It's from Beautiful Maladies from 1998.

No Crowing

Ooh, those fruits, cheeses and herb crackers! I'm making a habit of it. Company does it; makes you bring out the goodies and treats.

I just had a very serious fire warning. A friend who was visiting was just leaving and a smoke alarm went off in my house. Apon investigating we found a charred mantlepiece in the room where we had, just a half hour ago, been dancing and having a wonderful visit. A Mexican "lacey" pottery candle shelter was the culprit. The heat inside got too intense and charcoal was forming. It gave me a good scare since it is only six months ago that I got this smoke alarm functional after having none for a year or two. A good warning.

Music: "Rude awakening, guess it's time we all woke up," are the lyrics from this Ron Sexsmith song, And Now The Day Is Done and Tango Till They're Sore from Tom Waits' 2000 - Live In Seattle album. Both those songs are figuring into my night.

Goodbye Big Guy

My son goes off tomorrow, back to university for his last term. He graduates in the spring. Time has just flown by but probably not in his eyes. He works very hard and gets good marks. Back to all that hard work.

It's been raining for a couple of days and the temps are about 12. The ground is completely saturated and the weather is all everyone is talking about. Two big ski resorts have closed in Ontario in the winter for the first time in their 65 year history. Golf courses are booked solid instead. Very disturbing really. It was showing on the news that people have been finding live grasshoppers on their lawns.

Music today: From Tom Waits' Unreleased Studio Recordings, I'm Crazy About My Baby for my son. From Tom Waits', 1992's Bone Machine, here's, Little Rain.

Yeah To Coffee

This is a photo of Inky, a friends huge fluffy black cat. Her eyes look very spooky in this photo.

I drink only one coffee a day but find it absolutely necessary to wake me up. I had to have fasting blood work taken and finally did it this morning. Phlebotomists aren't on duty till 7am and since I get up at 5:30, I'd kept putting it off. Anyway, I went in this morning and truly, without that cup of coffee, I'm hardly safe on the road. Twice I found I was way over the center line, kind of daydreaming, certainly not awake and alert. Caffeine is magic!

The temperature is eleven today and is going to be thirteen tomorrow. This is so fantastic, especially when the rest of Canada is having very cold weather and huge snowstorms.

Music: Please Wake Me Up and for the last day of this month, November, both by Tom Waits. Both songs have weird sound effects.

For a link, a very cool video about billiards and dominoes.

Live and Not Live - Would That Be Dead?

This is the photo of my brother's that I meant to upload last week. Another one he'd sent got up there instead.

It's been a great day off. No napping unless you call going back to bed at six am napping. I slept till nine. I had another step in letting go of Clarke today. He left a muddy footprint on the kitchen window the day after I last cleaned it. I washed it off today. I still call for him every day and have not given up hope that he'll be back but I do have to let him go in case he doesn't. Clarkie!!!!

I made a vegetarian chili today to use up some chanterelles and some tomatoes a friend gave me. S came out for supper and brought some nice bread and some new Reeses chocolate bars for dessert. Yumm. A good day off when it ends with chocolate!

A couple of Tom Waits selections for the music page. His very cute, live version of Better Off Without a Wife where he takes himself out on a date and takes advantage of himself. More appropriate to today, Chocolate Jesus from Mule Variations. I also have his live version from Live in Seattle. It's two whole minutes longer but it too is fun. I'd like to see Tom live because his live albums are always fun.