I’m in Upstate New York...This bitter cold goes on and on. Looks like at least another week...than it slooooowly begins to warm.
Good Morning to you!
And the last of my amaryllis are coming out. Flowers on the center two not open all the way. They have put on a great show for us. I've repotted the first four already. 
Tonight we are going to the Pecatonica River Valley Coon Hunters Dinner. Our dog, Emma Jolene is winning a trophy! She is a Nite Champion, which is one notch below Grand Nite Champion. We're hopping she can qualify for that soon, but she's not getting any younger - and neither is Beau, LOL!
Here she is, relaxing in the summer sunshine:
Here's another recent award of hers:
5-gallon bucket of Popcorn we grew this past season. 'Puffy Pop' was the variety:
'Good Mother Stollard' beans I grew last season:
Eating from the garden/pantry/close to home: This morning I made a Quiche with our own eggs, bacon from the neighbor's hog, broccoli frozen from last spring and milk & cheese from local cows...that I don't know, but trust. ;)
I'm going to have a 'Use It Up' garden this season and grow out whatever I have on hand. I did purchase a few new-to-me tomato varieties because it's a sickness with me, LOL! I am also doing more FLOWERS and fewer Peppers this season. The only thing I really NEED to can this upcoming season is V-8 Juice and Tomato Jam; we are well stocked on Tomato Soup and Salsas. I also purchased 10 Asparagus crowns because I had some fail in my patch, so I'm going to beef that up this coming spring.
Last but not least, Beau passed his Stress Tests with flying colors. The Doc is certain he has no blockages based upon the test results and the x-rays they took. His heart is functioning as well as anyone who is 65 years old. So, BIG RELIEF that we don't have to deal with any age-related issues...YET, anyway!
The End.
Waiting here in OK for Armageddon (a/k/a winter’s latest, scariest “Arctic Blast”), and preparing as well as I can. The jungle of rosemary is covered by tarps, which is the only thing big enough that I had on hand. Hopefully, when the single-digit and sub-zero temps subside (just a few days if the forecast is accurate), it’ll still be alive when I lift the tarps to let them have some sunlight before covering them again for the overnight.
No snow here, just rain today. To keep things from getting too boring around here, flooding & high winds are the forecast for tomorrow. We may get a big snowstorm the 19th & 20th.
This past week, snow came in Wednesday around noon, then we got freezing rain overnight. There was another shot of freezing rain Wednesday, then regular rain before dawn Thursday. The sun came out Thursday & the temp made it to 59° .... I would say 95% of the snow was gone after that.
Wednesday evening I came down with whatever bug mom got the week before. Head congestion, coughing, sneezing, & feeling run down. I did a Vitamin D Hammer (50,000IU) on Thursday & slept most of the day Friday. I definitely feel better today, but still have the cough (& sore ribs) plus I keep a roll of toilet paper handy for the sneezes & nose faucet. We had to pick a poem to memorize & recite in front of the class in the 5th grade - I picked this favorite of mine & it came to mind today since I have the ‘sneezles & wheezles’ (except I am not trying to amuse anybody)!
Sneezles by A.A. Milne
Christopher Robin
Had wheezles
And sneezles,
They bundled him
Into
His bed.
They gave him what goes
With a cold in the nose,
And some more for a cold
In the head.
They wondered
If wheezles
Could turn
Into measles,
If sneezles
Would turn
Into mumps;
They examined his chest
For a rash,
And the rest
Of his body for swellings and lumps.
They sent for some doctors
In sneezles
And wheezles
To tell them what ought
To be done.
All sorts and conditions
Of famous physicians
Came hurrying round
At a run.
They all made a note
Of the state of his throat,
They asked if he suffered from thirst;
They asked if the sneezles
Came after the wheezles,
Or if the first sneezle
Came first.
They said, “If you teazle
A sneezle
Or wheezle,
A measle
May easily grow.
But humour or pleazle
The wheezle
Or sneezle,
The measle
Will certainly go.”
They expounded the reazles
For sneezles
And wheezles,
The manner of measles
When new.
They said “If he freezles
In draughts and in breezles,
Then PHTHEEZLES
May even ensue.”
Christopher Robin
Got up in the morning,
The sneezles had vanished away.
And the look in his eye
Seemed to say to the sky,
“Now, how to amuse them to-day?”
I’ve had more winter than I can stand. I’m ready for spring. Now. lol
Previous repairs to livestock fountain are holding so far.
Red Menace is in the body shop - torn down, inspected, and parts are on the way. No damage found to frame or suspension components. I should have it back good as new in a couple weeks if RAM brand has all of the required parts in stock.
Nothing going on in the garden, but I’ve been thinking about it.