Snow Day!

It started snowing yesterday morning and didn't stop for the next 24 hours!  Those of you who know me will remember that-

I LOVE THE SNOW!

Yes, if there is still snow on the ground in March it might start to wear a little thin but particularly with the first big storm of the season-

I'M JUST LIKE A LITTLE KID!

I do have one request of Mother Nature though... do  you suppose I could have longer than 24 hours between when I'm mowing the lawn and raking leaves and shoveling snow?

Now I have the ability to read the weather report or listen to *Fritz* and be prepared for this kind of severe mood swing that Utah weather is famous for, but my Japanese Maple didn't get that memo! I went out twice yesterday and knocked the heavy, wet snow off of her still foliated branches. But this is what she was wearing this morning. I shook, pushed and gently removed as much snow as possible and she looks none the worse for wear. (I got to shovel lots of red leaves with the snow)



Unfortunately, not all of my neighbors were as lucky as me... there was the buzz of chain saws cutting up downed limbs as I shoveled the walk.

Now, I'm going to brag about where I live (again)! My neighborhood was teaming with neighbors out helping neighbors clear the 11" of new snow.



We are so blessed to live here with so many kind and caring people. While Craig Pickering was plowing the snow from my driveway Denise spied him out *from up on top* and called my house to tell him she could see Heidi stuck in her driveway! Her message was, "Go right now and help Heidi!"

And not only are they caring... they are very creative...



I caught this out of the corner of my eye and though, how nice, they have a blade for their 4-wheeler... then I noticed it was Samuel... with a shovel.

Yes, it was a happy snow day in my neighborhood!

363- Willow Bowl

Last August my globe willow splintered in a thunder-storm and needed to be cut down. Our sweet neighbor came over with his chain saw and helped us cut it down and then cut it up. He took a piece of the stump home with him, which isn't unusual since he is a wood worker.

A couple of weeks later I cut off the rest of the stump and put it on my porch to remember my sweet willow.



Imagine my surprise when Kip called the other night and asked if he could come visit (yikes! he is a member of the Bishopric and that sort of call always smacks of a new-calling or give-a-talk) he brought us a present! He'd turned a bowl from our sweet-girl willow!  It is as smooth as silk!

Isn't it beautiful? I will be able to treasure it for years to come.

362- Snow Buddha

I've blogged about this neighbor previously... Most winters he will make these fun snow sculptures.

I've seen the characters from Madagascar, Thomas the Train, a giant frog, a nutcracker (scare, scare) and others I can't remember.

But this year is different. The snow sculptures always used to be out on the sidewalk formed around the mailbox... this year it is built up the driveway and leaning against this trailer. I think this way they might last longer.

347- Christmas Cheer

I live in one of the most wonderful places in the world. Tonight we had our annual neighborhood Christmas sing-a-long and bonfire in lieu of gifts between neighbors we donate to the local Kiwanis or other charity. In years past we've even had Chestnut Roasting on an Open Fire! (They might be good if they weren't burned!)



Here are some of the wonderful folks in out ward/neighborhood.



One of our organizers, the Bowns.



Angela,Phoenix and Judith.



This little guy was just a toddler when we move here and now look at him, he is singing to all of us. (Colton's been on my blog before!)



Clark Rick's folks just happened to be passing through so they came with them complete with banjo and guitar for accompaniment.



And here's cute Brother and Sister Ricks singing *Suzie the snowflake (or snowman)*.



Ann, another of the organizers, joins Candi... aren't these such cute girls?



More cute girls, Kristi and her daughter Ashley



Karen teaches the singing in Primary. She had these four little brave little girls sang one of their songs for us... in a round!  (Ashley, Abby, Brenna, Sierra)



Here with their pretty mama are *Peanut and Newt*!



Don't you wish you could have as much abandon as little Hannah?



Lastly, Karen and Debra.



We sang, we ate, we bonded... it feels like Christmas to me!

315- Quakies

When they first built our tract of homes nearly 20 years ago one of the popular landscape trees was the Quaking Aspen... sadly at our low-4800 feet elevation (do you catch the sarcasm there?) the quakies don't do well, get diseased or insect infested and have to be removed. (It seems silly that 4800 feet isn't high enough, but, there you are, it's not!)

Most of the homeowners have had to remove their dead and dying quakies; we did back in 2006... all 8 of them!

BUT... my friend down on the corner, who happens to love quakies, just planted some a couple of years ago. What a treat to see these beauties. I took a little explore in the 20 minutes that the sun decided to peak out this afternoon and captured them.



Winter is trying very hard to move in... but I'm still enjoying the glorious fall colors.

164- Gerbera Glory

Earlier this week, on one of our sunny days, my neighbor saw me working with gloves on and asked me what I'd been planting. I told her Gerbera daisies. She glanced around and asked where? I replied, "In pots on my deck." She told me I needed to share...

So this is where I will share them... right here on my blog. I captured these shots between thunder showers. I just love the rich, saturated colors of Gerberas!



As I've said before... they are such happy flowers.


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158- Snickers

Can I just say for the umpteenth time... I JUST LOVE WHERE I LIVE!

Today I was sewing away up here (with Harry, of course) when I saw my friend go jogging around the corner and into the cul-de-sac with her HORSE!! Yeah... as in jogging with your dog! But this little filly is a miniature horse. How cute is she?



I grabbed my camera and hunted her down (like the wild dog that she is) up by the pond. We sat a visited for about half an hour while Snickers edged the lawn. My friend was telling me that they are now using miniature horses for seeing-eye-companions; they live longer than dogs.

Check out this video here. What a kick!

119- Ruffled Cherry Blossoms

One of my friends here in the neighborhood lives down by the pond at the end of our cul-de-sac. The back of her house is a wall of windows that looks out onto the beauties of nature. But some prior gardener add to the beauty by planting this lovely tree right outside one of the windows.



This evening just before dark Jeanie called me and shook me from my Women's Conference induced catatonic stupor and said, "Joanie, you need to come see my tree!" I grabbed my camera and Ann and I took a trot around the corner to take advantage of this photo-op.

I love where I live.

103- Through My Window

I spend much of my time here in my *play-room*. I love the fact that I can watch what is going on outside: deer running down the street, children playing in the neighborhood, the sun dancing with the clouds, MY mountains. I love it all!

I awakened to grey skies and rain but after I'd been working here for a couple of hours I saw the sun break through the clouds and dance across my mountain. What a beautiful sight.

087- Miniature Daffodils

"...not the honking ones that Sprout's got, nice ones."

Every spring I've noticed these teeny-tiny daffodils in my neighbor's yard. Today after choir practice I took my camera across the street to capture them. You have to see them to believe how tiny they are. The little *honking* part is about the size of a pencil erasure! The whole plant only stands 4-5" tall! They are so precious. I can only imagine how beanie the bulbs are!


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016- Sisters and Friends

This afternoon I went out on a photo explore (you'll probably be treated to some of those next week). Quite unexpectedly I had company; many neighbors were outside washing cars (what? is he on crack? yikes... it would freeze my fingees off!), some off for a drive, but my favorites first appeared on bicycles, NEW Christmas bicycles! Then I found them walking with DeLoris.

These sweet little sisters live just across the street from DeLoris and didn't want her to walk alone. I joined them and we made a merry party trekking up around the corner and back again.

First they demonstrated their prowess at crab-walking...



But the sweetest part came when they didn't even know anyone was looking and took each others hands walking happily and contentedly towards home.


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Sisters are the most wonderful blessing... there is nothing like a sister for really loving and understanding.

I'm so grateful that I have sisters (who prayed for me!) who *walk* with me.

357- Birdie Condo

This fun little birdie condo lives in my neighborhood. I love the way this turned out in B&W.

344- Tracks in the Snow

On Monday and Tuesday this week I went outside to *blow-snow* (boy, that sure is easier than the back-breaking shoveling). We live on a corner lot (again... what is with me and the corner lots?) and are responsible for snow removal on the sidewalks around our property (yeah... and cleaning off the road so the mail-lady can get to our mailbox).

But I digress! I have this whole sequence of snow blowing so I only have to move it once instead of twice. I often wonder why I clear off the sidewalk that runs up the side of our house that no one walks on except me. Today I found out why... it is for me... and for the neighborhood deer. There are only my tracks and the deer. (my track is in the upper left corner)



As I was out for my walk today I noticed a fat little quail walking on the snow but it wasn't until my return trip that I saw he'd left behind little quail-snow-angels. I love how you can see his walking tracks, then he started to use his wings, more, more and finally... take-off with one last little faint wing print and little foot print. How beautiful!!



Finally on my way back into the house, there on the deck steps, one last little set of birdie tracks... what a fun explore in the arctic air.

339- Incognito

My backdoor neighbor's sons trimmed his fruit trees and a few branches fell over the fence into my yard. I dutifully picked them up (no, I didn't even consider chucking them back across the fence into his yard). As I was walking them to the trash I looked at them and said, "Ha! Reindeer Antlers!" And I just happened to have a willing model.

Doesn't he look so cute?



If you want to read more about my little friend go here.

320- My Friends, the Trees

You have, of course, heard me rant on before over how much I love trees. They are just so beautiful, diverse and useful. (Sounds a little like the schpeel Smokey the Bear would give you, doesn't it?)

When we moved to Utah I became acquainted with staghorn sumac aka Rhus typhina. My neighbors have several in their yard that they got as a start from her Grandmother. So one spring evening in 2006 when Brad was out working in his yard, digging the suckers up out of his lawn, I had him give me some starts. He did give me the warning that they like to spread... But I just love their majestic look. They've grown so beautifully. This is the first year they've gotten these "showy clusters of red fruit" which means that they are female trees! (Girls rock!) They are called staghorn sumac because the resemble the horns of deer when they are in velvet. See all the little prickly hairs.



When I planted these little starts they were only about 8" tall... now look at them! The largest must be about 15' tall.



And I just love how long my shadow is at 4:40pm... we are headed towards that shortest day of the year!

182- Cherry Pickin' Time

Last week my neighbor asked if we'd like some cherries; their tree is loaded! I glad accepted the offer to pick cherries. I called the Fruit-Bats that live up north and asked if they'd like to come down and pick some as well.

Are these just the cutest, cherry-pickin' fruit-bats you've ever seen?

168- Rainbow

6:21pm
I looked out my wonderful *playroom* window and saw my neighbor's little 6-year old granddaughters playing in my puddle! (I'm going to be so sad when the city fixes this section of road and my *Lake Lewis* is gone!) I ran out with my camera in hand... and, of course, they were willing subjects for my photo-op.



6:35pm
I've finished mending a bag for *grandma*-neighbor and we walked out the front door so I can get shots of the monsoonal rain. What a beautiful sight. (I haven't had to run my sprinklers in over a week!!)



6:37pm
I dash to our bedroom window and take the screen out so I can get shots of our beautiful, vibrant, Hobble Creek double rainbow.



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152- ... And a ____ in a Pear Tree

We all know the song 12 Day of Christmas. Well, today I didn't have a partridge in a pear tree but a QUAIL!

These fat little cow-lick-birdies have frequented our neighborhood since we moved here. I've watched them walk all over the place (parading in single file like they are playing "We're following the leader"!

Yes, I knew they could fly... but I just didn't expect to find one up in a pear tree!



I was out sitting on the deck taking my late lunch break from yard work when I heard that silly quail proclaiming to the neighborhood that he was up a tree! I watched him for a while. He was very cooperative and let me take lots of pictures of him (32 to be exact). He couldn't quite figure out the shutter sound. When he turned his back on me after about 5 minutes and I spoke to him he flew off to a more distant tree and continued his calling.

What a treat!

142- On the Street Where I Live

I've said many times what a lovely place Springville is. In so many ways it has felt like moving home. There is such a feeling of community, belonging and neighborhood here. As a funny aside we had a meeting last night to form a neighborhood watch and I came home from it saying... that is what we already do... we watch out for and take care of one another.

There is one lovely family that lives at the end of our street (2 doors down) in their backyard is a beautiful spring-fed pond with enormous trout (that they feed dog kibble!!!) Because if it's beautiful location many people ask them to use their backyard (that adjoins 3 other beautiful yards) for weddings and/or receptions.

Tonight was one of those nights. A dear friend's son got married and I went for the reception. I loved the colors the bride chose... bright turquoise and lime green. One of the first things I say was this pair of heels deserted on the deck! The image just caught my imagination...



Not long after that I found the owner of those cute shoes... the very cute (and talented) sister of the groom who took the photos AND made the wedding cake!



How cute is this cake???



And last, but certainly not least on their happy day... the happy couple.




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118- Creamcicle Tulip

Have I mentioned before what a wonderful neighborhood I live in? (Maybe only a dozen time times!) One of my nice neighbors told me that these tulips make her think of Creamcicles and she wants to lick them! (Apparently there are other tactile-licking-people out there! Wait, that didn't come out right... we don't want to lick tactile people... well... just weird I guess...)

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I've been working in the yard for the last several days (Thursday, Friday, Monday and today) I am always amazed at how fast my stamina comes back. I have the front yard all set for spring, except edging the lawn... that job is always good for arm cramps for the next few days... where do those muscles go?

I've planted Dahlias and Clementius. I am excited for them to grow! I love the wonderful colors. I also have some orange trumpet vines that volunteered in my backyard last year (shoots from the neighbor's plant). I've put them on the fence on the north side of my lot. I am finally getting things down to a science with where I want my plants and where they will work. Sometimes I laugh and think I should put zippers on my plants because I keep changing them!

Ah, spring... what a beautiful season!