The Bright Side Of Our Week

Massive amounts of snow,

icy roads and white-out blizzards

have prevented anyone from coming to the 

farm for many winters now! 

AND 

 with 10 inches of snow 2 days

before their arrival,

I was worried they weren't 

going to make it in this time either!!

Luckily the worst had passed, 

some rough icy roads in Iowa

delayed them, but they finally

got here!

Our New York kids
arrived safe and

all got to build a snowman at the farm!!

Little Wyatt had a blast in the snow!

He helped with the snowman

It was a family project...

a snowman greeter!

SUCCESS!!!

Max was a little disappointed

it couldn't actually throw his favorite green pig

for a little game of fetch!!

 Wyatt was off to explore other things...

Max was determined to wait

for the snowman to THROW!

A little venture around the farm... 

You don't get to do

 this in New York City!

Building Snowmen,

winter walks and sharing snow with Kitty...

F - U - N

at Grandma and Grandpa's!!

CHEERY-O!

(note: that was on Monday...

by Thursday evening Mr. Snowman

was a heap of slush!)

It's 71 degrees here today!

Hope you are enjoying some spring time weather

where ever you are!!

Family Ties

I dedicate this post to our kids...
Molly
Anna
Emily
and
Eric

Last week turned very sad for our family.

Sall's step-daughter's husband was killed in a car accident.

A loving husband to Molly and a wonderful father of

two little boys ages 4 and 3.5months. This young family's loss is heart-breaking!

When I met Sall, all of his
kids were out on their own
pursuing their own lives
spread out across the U.S.!
In fact, the first time I went
to his house in the Black Hills,
Sall was just returning from Anna's wedding in Seattle,
Molly was in Eastern South Dakota
and Eric and Emily were in Missouri.

Two step-daughters, a son, and a daughter...

Eventually I got to meet them all,
but never have we all been
in the same part of the country
ALL at once!

They all have children now...
they all have their own busy lives...

It's sad that such a somber occasion brought us all
together...

Sadly, that's how life has to be!

I came home thinking about everything...
how life is so fleeting
one day everything is wonderful,
the next day your world gets turned upside down!
How these kids grew up together...
 and how they've stayed together...
bound by love and childhood memories...

Although the proper ancestry term
would be "step"-brother/sister
these kids call each other
sister and brother
because that's just how they
feel about each other!

When I got home I had
to dig out their old pictures...


Some sweet memories
for some sweet kids...

My hubby raised some really good kids...

They went through a lot together as kids...

and as adults they are still there for each other...

You make us proud

when we see you reaching out 

to each other in times of need!

We love you all!

"A happy family is but an earlier heaven."

                                                                                         ~George Bernard Shaw

Simply Barny

Is it Monday already?

Time flies

when you are too busy...

I need to simplify!

Enjoy your week...

Hugs,

Playing along with Mary's 

Mosaic Monday Theme again...

and

Barn Charm is another great place to be!

Join the party:)

Happiness Begins With a Clean House

Where we love is home,

home that our feet 

may leave,

but not our hearts.

                                                             ~Oliver Wendell Holmes

Doing a little house-keeping today...

I always like a clean house for the weekend,

don't you?

 T.G.I.F.

linking with Potpourri Friday 2805

Friday Fences

After the snow....

Yesterday A.M.

the garden...

fence...

and fresh snow....

Me and my Panasonic Lumix Point-and-Shoot

have such a wonderful,

easy-going and fun relationship

But I do get a little green 

when I see the wonderful photos

on other blogs....

Theresa at The Run*A*Round Ranch 

can zoom in on the the most

beautiful Texas birds!

Brian at Hey BJK Outdoors

can catch birds in motion 

like none I've ever seen

Nancy at A Rural Journal

makes still life an art form

not to mention

some pros like...

Lisa at Lisa Gordon Photography

Mary at Little Red House

Tricia at Bluff Area Daily

These are just a few photo

blogs I love to visit 

for inspiration...

I'm trying out a used Canon EOS Rebel T2i

what do you think?

Buried Fence

I love the extended zoom lens!

55-250mm

Useful Fence

Crisp, clear pictures!

Footprints and Fence

The camera is a year old and belongs to a friend.

I'm ready for a step up to an SLR, but know nothing

about cameras!

I know the camera doesn't make you a great photographer

but, I'd sure like to be like one!

Anyone have any advice for a real amateur?

I'll be deep into a Canon

user manual all weekend...

Enjoy your weekend!

Joining Jan and Jer

for Friday Fences 

A Winter Walk

They say a picture is worth a thousand words...


I grabbed the camera this morning
and in the time it took for 
my fingers and toes to get really cold,
I snapped these photos....


It took a lot longer to 
make this little slide show, however!
(God, I'm gonna miss Picnik!)


 Follow along on our little 
walk around the farm 
and
did I tell you how glad I am
you stopped by!

The tractor cometh,

looks like we'll be getting out today!!

Have a splendid day

and Happy March!!!

"Snow Tour March 1 2012"

Create a free slideshow with Picnik!

Happenings At Fort Sall

We finally got our blizzard!

The winter we never had decided 

to make it all happen on Leap Day...

The snow is still blowing here

winds are expected to die down this evening....

We haven't been snowed in all winter...

until now...

Remember?

When snow piles were forts?

and Making igloos...

Snow days were spent defending the fort

and sledding....

Dad would pull us kids around the pasture behind his truck...

No helmets required,

snacking on snow was a necessity....

Snow days rocked!

"Isn't winter the best?"

"It is when it happens on Leap Day!"

Now days...

Snow days are good for reminiscing 

and catching up on sleep!

What are you doing on this Leap Day?

I'd love to hear about it....

(unless you'd rather nap)

I'm linking this post with Marty's "A Stroll Thru Life"

for Tabletop Tuesday

the last image is a vignette of old family photos

I proudly display in the bedroom.

Blizzard Alert

While there have been several sightings

of Robins out there in Blogland...

We have yet to see any here

in eastern South Dakota!

The sparrows were all very busy yesterday

and this morning gathering and prepping

for today's blizzard....

That's right, there have been 

teams of meteorologists spreading 

the word, and warning pretty much

everyone in the state to get prepared

for a major blizzard!

Schools were called off, 100's of cancellations

across the state!

This morning?

Nothing! 

Sall stayed home from work

to avoid any snow-filled, ice-packed predicaments!

Nothing!!

Then finally at noon...

this is was what we saw... 

Okay, the huge snow flakes were melting

when they hit the window, sorry!

I'll open my window....

First came the rain,

now it's huge snow flakes...

Allright, maybe those weathermen

know what they are talking about

after all! (maybe they started listening

to the birds?)....

I'm brewing up some hot cocoa,

want to join me?

Winter ain't over yet folks!

WINTER Poem...

It's winter in South Dakota

And the gentle breezes blow

Seventy miles an hour

At thirty-five below.

Oh, how I love South Dakota

When the snow's up to your butt

You take a breath of winter

And your nose gets frozen shut.

Yes, the weather here is wonderful

So I guess I'll hang around

I could never leave South Dakota

I'm frozen to the ground!

                                                     ~source unknown

Keep warm and stay safe my friend,

Please leave a comment saying you'd like

a chance to win our giveaway...click here!

Flower Power

Some calm before the storm....

This little flower above 

my kitchen sink

has been hanging on 

for weeks!

Is it for me?

Does it know how

I'm longing to plant flowers?

While I'm washing the dishes,

is it reading my mind... 

seeing my visions of

lounging in the hammock,

smelling the fresh grass?

I think so ~

this little flower

gives me hope

of what is to come

and I'm grateful!

Peace my friend...

Waiting for the storm,

and sending calm thoughts to you,

Please, join us for Texture Tuesday today...

My flower image was enhanced with

Kim Klassen's texture, Canvasback

in Photoshop

then brought over to Photoscape 

to add text and frame.

The Beauty Of Winter

I'm not the only one

anxiously waiting 

for Spring!

But, we'll just have 

to wait it out...

A blizzard is in 

our forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday!

The beauty of it is, 

I will be 

enjoying some time at home

doing things I love to do...

like playing with photos on the computer

reading a new book, 

crocheting on a blanket,

maybe even do a little more baking!

We've been so blessed 

this winter...

mildly cold temperatures...

no major Blizzards...

and an open road to town all winter long!

the kind of winter I love...

Just enough snow for 

pretty photographs...

Just enough cold air 

for a good hot summer remembrance!

Just enough winter

for me!

I can endure a little blizzard at the end of February,

because, I know spring is just around the corner!

I hope you are prepared for whatever 

comes your way this week!

Have you registered for our giveaway yet?

Please do!

(click HERE to leave your comment)

I'm linking with Mary's Mosaic Monday...

won't you join us?

Happy Monday to you!

linking with Barn Charm 

please check it out!