When Will Winter End Wednesday chat 3-26-14

It's kind of cool here this morning but probably not as cool as your area, Tina.  Pouring down rain right now.  Yay!  

Jackie's rain is headed our way.  Tina,  it's almost time for warmer weather everywhere.  It has been getting very cold here at night but is supposed to start warming over the weekend.  

MMMKay who wants to come to my house and help me get organized?   I am getting overwhelmed  trying to clear out the stuff we don't need, don't use, collected and don't wanna dust, cant wear  etc.  

I read a really good article on HOUZZ, about de-cluttering and organizing....now I just have to do it.   I have been trying to get Ron to put some stuff on Craigslist, ebay, etsy but so far all he wants to do is look for bargains and buy more stuff,,  

Our grass is green, and I have daisies bloomin on the patio that bloomed all winter despite having one night  at 27, couple more at 29, and lots of nights between 32 and 35--and that is COLD down here on the mid Texas coast..  We spent 7 years in Akron, Ohio and I could NOT live up in that cold again.  And I never rmemebe any snows this late in the year up there like they are having now.  I am hoping and praying all you ice burgs get to thaw out soon and the snow melts away and green grass and flowers are everywhere.

I was inOhio once in what they considered winter.  When we left MN, it was about -10F at the airport.  We got off the plane carrying our coats, because it was about 30F, and all the natives were complaining about the cold.  Perception is everything.  They had a 1 inch snow fall as we were getting ready to leave, and the state closed.  Four lanes of concrete divided highway doing about 1 mph in the clear spots. Daylight.  Snow had stopped.

Hit the WMA down by the river.  Hoped to see the beavers, but the pond was still frozen over. You can see where they had holes through the ice, and branches sticking up through the ice marking their winter larder.  Pup had a great time running through the brush, hurdling down trees, smelling deer spor (must be a lot of them). He smelled out a piece of road killed deer that the coyotes had drug back in.  

It is hard to spot the little beast when in the woods.  Pipers white coat showed up really well.  His brown is almost camouflage, and he likes to run in stealth mode.

Definitely  is time to start formal "come" training.  He knows that he can outrun me.  Little snot!!.

Rain here today, too.  At least it's not as windy.  Yesterday the gusts were a bit scary at one point in the afternoon.

GingerP -- if I lived closer, I'd come over to help you organize.  I love doing that for other people because I don't have the emotional attachment to things, so it's easier to purge!  We need to do some of that in our closets and kitchen cupboards, but it's harder to let some things go when you know the "history" behind them.  My biggest problem is wanting to keep things because they were gifts from special people who are now deceased, even if those things are no longer of practical use, or they are totally out of sync with our decor, etc.   

Another problem is keeping decorative things we don't like because people who are still alive gave them to us (namely, DH's sisters and mother), and I know they'd wonder why those gifts aren't displayed somewhere.  

When we do purge, we donate things to our shelter's thrift store, but we've got a couple things that are worth a bit more (like DH's bike he never rides).  I just have to get motivated to get those things on Craig's List or Ebay one of these days.    

AHHH we had some snow this morning.....spring, spring where are you....that's all I got today....

Have a good afternoon everyone!

Tracy that is exactly some of the things that were discussed in the Houzz article.  Things that people give you....loose the guilt...they gave it to you so now it is yours to do as you wish. :)  Yes it sounds good now I just need to put that to use.   Just like collections;  as soon as anyone knows you have 2 or more of something they think you collect that thing....until soon you have a house full of that thing, lol.

@shadowsgin

 Just like collections;  as soon as anyone knows you have 2 or more of something they think you collect that thing....until soon you have a house full of that thing

And THAT is why our utility room is "decorated" with black and white cow prints and figurines!  I had a couple cow things in the kitchen of my first apartment in 1987, and a few people went nuts with gifts from then on!  

Funny story:  Years ago my friend and I were talking about  this dilemma, and I told her about this pink lady figurine that my grandmother made in a ceramics class a zillion years ago.  She looks kind of like Little Bo Peep.  It's quite tacky and not something I'd display, but I can't get rid of it, so it's in a closet.  When we moved to CT, that same friend gave me a "goodbye" gift of a ceramic boy wearing blue, to be her companion.  She said, "I know you won't get rid of it because I'm giving it to you as a gift."  It was so funny.  She was kidding, but when we moved back to OR sometime later, she was shocked to learn I still had BOTH pieces.  To this day, they live in a closet upstairs, side by side, in the dark!

A balmy 27 here today.....until you factor in the wind which makes it feel like 12.  The one sort of southern state that appeals to me is NC because it tends to have fewer extremes......NC is sounding pretty darned good to me here lately.

I am questioning whether winter will end! Very cold here today with ridiculous winds. ENOUGH!!

And yes Doug it is perspective but see here we don't have true winter coats LOL

So I have been happy all day. Well for a while. It's a wonderful thing really.

Today I am especially happy because it was a year ago today that I drove up to Virginia and had Bugsy operated on and he began to heal.

here's a video of him this morning

http://youtu.be/RCVmidAYmjk

It wasn't easy to find the right place or know it was the right thing but it has turned out right. Smile along with me!

Okey dokey things to do

Karen, I love the video.  :)  I'm smiling with you.  Give the big idiot a kiss and some ear rubs from me.  

Tracy, I like frogs.  Unfortunately, family and friends decided I needed something frog related at every gift occasion.  I recently gave a lot of them to Goodwill.  Gift or not, I decided they would be better off being rehomed.  Someone will love them. :)  I told everyone not to get me anymore frog themed gifts.  Now I get candles.  I never burn candles unless the electricity goes out.  lol  

Jackie, I'm going to send you a frog-shaped candle next Christmas!  

Karen, what a great video.   Bugsy is looking healthy and happy and like a young pup!  When he's moseying around and suddenly does a little pause and then picks up steam, does he do that on his own, or because you say something to him?  Sometimes Ruby will be sniffing along in the yard, then suddenly pause, and then run a few steps.  It's like she sniffs something special that excites her into moving faster.  But, we also can make her do it if she's pausing, and we say, "Readyyyyyy . . . go!"  and she does a zoomie or two.

Your yard and neighborhood is just lovely, Karen.

Hey, typing "moseying" made me think of Kate and Mosey.  Anyone heard from her lately?

@tacran

 To this day, they live in a closet upstairs, side by side, in the dark!

The news tonite out of Boston had no news other than the nine alarm fire on Beacon Street in the Back Bay.  One of the final things they did share was that one firefighter had been confirmed dead.  There are some saying this was arson.  So 8 families homeless, almost 20 injured and at least one dead, because someone wanted to be a jerk?