As Our Life Goes On

I am usually a somewhat reserved person. Rocking the boat is not my thing. Today I broke through that reserved, mostly quiet, non-confrontational person that I am. I had a coupon to use at the grocery store. It was worth up to $4.00 on milk with the purchase of two of the specified cereals. The coupon did not specify brand or size of the milk. I put a half  gallon of Lactaid milk, priced at $3.98,  into my cart with the two required cereals. I read the coupon again to make sure that I had complied with the purchase requirements.  When I got to the checkout the clerk challenged my coupon. She said that it did not apply to Lactaid brand milk. The coupon said only "milk" with no other stipulations. She called a supervisor who said that a gallon of their milk is only $3.09 so that is all I could use on the coupon. I pointed out that the coupon said milk and did not specify the brand or size and that this was only half a gallon. It was a high priced half gallon at their

Frigid temperatures are here to stay for a while. It will only get colder today. Lake effect snows are causing temporary white outs as the cold wind blows across Lake Erie lifting moisture from areas of open water.  A black squirrel on the ground under the hanging bird feeder and a bird on the side of the feeder seem intent in their efforts to gather and eat the black oil sunflower seeds that have been provided today. We will continue to feed the wildlife until the weather improves. There are predictions of below zero temperatures next week. There have been no breaks during this cold Winter. 

One day of sunshine with over 40 degree temps brought forth these few little daffodil sprouts. The rest of the daffodils around the yard are still covered with snow and ice. It makes us happy to see these small signs of Spring but more snow and single digit temperatures are due here next week. It is probably good that the remaining daffodil bulbs are hidden under the snow that remains around the yard. A walk around the slushy, snowy  and icy yard tired me out. There are large puddles of water in some spots. The wind was blowing fiercely and it did not seem very warm. We are looking forward to daily walks as soon as the weather stabilizes. 

We are seeing some of the ground today for the first time in a couple of months. The slightly warmer temperatures have melted some of the white stuff. The snow cover has been constant so the ground is a welcome sight. The woodpiles along the woods on the East side of the property are growing smaller as is the woodpile at the rear of the yard. Single digit temperatures are expected again next week.  As I walked around the yard I looked for the smallest tip of  a daffodil leaf poking through the ground but it has been much too cold and the snow cover has been too deep.  The birds and squirrels seem to be frantic in the their feeding habits at the feeders. We have seen a lot of wildlife tracks but did not physically see any deer at the feeders until just before dark a few days ago.   A large buck limped into the yard to find the remnants of feed that were left on the ground under the feeders. His right rear leg joint was so badly swollen that he was not placing that foot on t

Here we go again! Another 8" of  fluffy white snow fell overnight. The driveway had to be cleared again. The heaps of snow on the vehicles had to be swept away also. I'll have to say that there may have been a few cuss words flying through the air as Russ shoveled the drive again. He was very tired after shoveling but when the neighbor called for help he met the challenge. He shoveled out two cars that were stuck in the drive of one of our 89 year old twin neighbors. What a great guy!

The weather channel has offered up some hope for slightly warmer weather in our area next week. Apparently it will not be much warmer than it is now and that warmth will last for a few days before the temperatures plummet. It is 21 degrees as I write this and tonight the temps will be in the single digits again. The warm up that was promised for this week failed to materialize. I tried to walk around in the yard but found that every step I took on the top of the crusty snow sent my foot down through 8 to 10 inches of fluffy snow underneath. This does not make for easy walking so rather that tax my old body by trudging through the snow I decided to come back inside the house and tend to some inside activities. We are still hoping for warm weather in Ohio!

My positive thoughts  Have not changed this cold weather Into a Spring day.  Are there daffodils waiting To poke through the frozen ground? -Caroline

The heavy crunchy snow was not easy to walk in this afternoon. Each step in the snow left a slushy footprint underneath. These spots will surely freeze into icy prints in the next few days. Ice droplets on the pine trees shine in the light. It is really quite pretty but we are ready for Spring. The Ohio groundhog, Buckeye Chuck,  did not hesitate with his prediction on this dark day. Yes! Six more weeks of Winter await us.