I know you're not going to believe this, but I actually enjoyed the weather this weekend!! :-) Especially yesterday! It was so sunny and nice! And things were melting....Wait! Okay, so the melting was a bit of an issue...Hubby was worried that all that snow and ice in our backyard was going to break down our patio door and try to sneak inside! :-))
We kept hearing little crashes outside the window every once in a while, all day long! And if you look close at the header photo you can see why...Remember, this is what this tree was looking like on Thursday.
All of the other ice, except for the piece hanging on after the wind redirected it, has melted off. This melting was happening all along the roof edge and everything also! As a matter of fact, there has been a whole lot of people in our surrounding towns that have had to evacuate their homes because of roofs caving in...or they were hearing the creaking of them about to cave in and thought they'd better head for safer accommodations!....I think that most of the roofs around here were made to hold about 5 to 8 inches of snow, but not 15!!
But just so you can see that we still are conducted business as usual around here, for the most part, I had hubby take some photos of the area..As you can see, snow hasn't ACTUALLY buried us...even though it feels like it sometimes! ^_^ This is a little Strip Mall near our house. (A Strip Mall is a bunch of stores connected to one another, side by side) See! We can still walk up the little sidewalks to get to the Supermarket...
...and there's hardly any snow where you have to park out in front of it..
You just have to dodge the snow banks around the gas station, and the Kentucky Fried Chicken place...And NOT go to the Kentucky Fried Chicken place early in the morning.....without gas. ^_^
But you can easily get to the yarn store!...
And the Dollar store...
....and isn't that all that counts anyway?!! ^_^
The main roads and stores are really good about making sure people don't hurt themselves trying to get to their establishments, but in your individual homes....you're on your own! ^_^ And around our home this is what we're dealing with!
Ice....and snow on top of ice!...YEAH!! I know you heard it before people!!! LOL
(The crocheted square rug is a reflection from INSIDE the house!) And all around the outside of the house is a wall of snow and ice, hugging the building like a monkey baby hanging on for dear life!
I know it's gonna let go soon. And when it does.....I'll STOP talking about it!!! ^_^ ... In the meantime, I amuse myself by saying: "Hey! At least it's not this bad!!" LOL..."Beep! Beep! Cars coming through!!!"
This, apparently, is Newfoundland! YIKES!! ^_^
Just When You Think...
Just when you think you've got it bad
you see someone that's worse!
You complain: "My aches and pains, Oh boy!",
but some folks need a nurse!
Just when the weather's got you mad
and the snow's too deep to run,
you see the melting everywhere...
You look! and there's the sun!
Just when you think I'll just move on,
and find something else to do,
there's another blog post about snow...
and another poem too! :-]
(Friendship Sisters Painting Art Print Block-Together We Were Strong by Sascalia)
I saw the news this morning in our local area and they were showing the photos of a B-I-G baby that was born yesterday. The baby was 22 inches long and weighed 13 pounds!!! Yes, I said 13 pounds!!!!...and some ounces. But the extra ounces don't even matter...Well, to ME! (I'm sure the baby's mother would disagree! LOL)...because he weighed 13 pounds!!! The only thing I could think was "Us women...we sure are strong!!"
This reminded me of a poem I wrote many years ago, based on Proverbs chapter 31, in the Bible. (I'll leave it below)...So, on this quiet Sunday morning I'd like to give some "Big Props" {Much respect} to women. You do it all to make life easier, more organized, healthier, balanced and fun for all of the people in your lives!! Woot! Woot! to you!!
From sun up...
...{and F.Y.I. this was the REAL sunrise here in Holyoke this morning}........till sundown...
...women are waking everyone up in the house, cooking, wiping runny noses and getting smudges off of tiny faces using their own spit and shirt sleeves...{just saying!} Not to mention carrying babies for 9 months, while diapering other babies, breastfeeding, sitting and waiting while little Johnny learns to use the potty for the first time, running errands, dropping kids off at school, at work, at their endless number of recitals and ball games, making lunches, and helping hubby find......whatever it is he's lost or misplaced this time! LOL
Then she goes to her secular job where she makes sure her boss and co-workers are put in first place, filing, making calls, and being a listening ear to whoever wants to complain about whoever, coming home to homework, snowed in driveways, raw meat that needs cooking, and hubbies who need lots of attention and love....WHEW!!!
I could go on and on and on....but I won't. I would love it if you would add to my list with your own comments below........But I just want you to know today, that your hard work, effort, and enthusiasm, while you do all of these things with little sleep and little appreciation, are noticed!! :-)
I personally have been married for almost 29 years, and I've never been pregnant. But I have cooked regularly, dropped off and picked up my husband...at 2:30 in the morning, I might add...when he worked for the Bread side of his company. I had to drive 40 minutes back and forth. I did it on lots of mornings with a huge coat (in the cold and snow), flip flops, and no bra!! Just because I was half awake when he woke me up and said: "Okay Dear, COME ON! I'm gonna be late!!" {I take a little while to wake up!...but thankfully in those days I drove on automatic. My conscious mind knew the way! LOL By the way, I would NEVER do this now!! I'm older, smarter, and REALLY wouldn't go anywhere outside of the house without my bra!! ^_^}
I also was the legal guardian for 4 of my siblings for a while, and had to do a lot of the things I mentioned above, including braiding hair and forcing them to brush their teeth and put on deodorant. And that took place every morning before they left for school! (Long story!)
What I had to do in later years, with only my one 6 foot "baby" to care for, is nothing compared to what many of you do every day...day in and day out...whether you want to, have time to, have energy to, or not!!
So, from this married woman, with no kids and a husband who is as easy-going as easy-going can get (meaning he doesn't REQUIRE much at all!), I say to you: You are some STRONG women!! And I say Woot! Woot! to you!! And I leave the poem below as appreciation to you, and acknowledgment to you, for all you do.
First though let me just say to all of the Football fans here in the U.S. who are about to sit with your popcorn, hotdogs, and various chips and dips, and enjoy the Football Superbowl.....GO Pittsburg Steelers and Green Bay Packers!!!!! {I'm not rooting too heavily for either team this year. They're both seemingly very evenly matched, but they are no Dallas Cowboys!! ^_^ But since the Dallas Cowboys didn't make it this year, I'll respectfully just enjoy the game....and eat!!!...TOUCHDOWN!!! ^_^
Wife-Mother-Woman
A capable wife is hard to find,
says proverbs, chapter thirty-one;
And if you find her, hold on tight.
Because her value's next to none.
You can put your trust in her
as a mother, woman, wife;
and if you do, she'll reward you
with only good for all her life.
She works well with her hands
at making clothes and other things.
She'll search hard for a bargain.
What you need is what she brings.
When anyone is sick
she'll check on them throughout the night-
bring chicken soup and juices,
from sundown til morning light.
She's good at making deals.
She'll buy a home and get a bargain;
And when the home is bought
you'll find her working on a garden.
She's the 'weaker vessel',
but she can be as strong as men.
If you try to hurt her babies
that's a fight you will not win.
As wife, mother, woman,
it is priceless that she is
in subjection to her husband-
and her goals are always his.
She is also there for others,
whether needy, or the poor.
The encouragement she gives
just makes her family love her more.
Her husband's name is known,
because of how she makes him shine-
By her deep love for Jehovah,
and the love she's shown, in kind.
Her mouth she has opened,
with the wisdom of God's word;
She's applied that loving-kindness
from all the principles she's heard.
She's watching all the goings on
outside, and in her house;
But she's not a meddling gossip.
She's as quiet as a mouse.
While charm may be false
and prettiness may be vain,
if she really fears Jehovah,
her husband's praise is what she'll gain.
All her works of love
will praise her-one upon the other;
and her husband and her sons
will love this woman, wife and mother.
Everyone who knows her
will pronounce her happy too,
as a capable wife and mother
and spiritual woman through and through.
Surprised you, didn't I?! There's not a snowflake in sight on today's post!... ^_^ Unfortunately, that doesn't mean there's no snow in the Massachusetts vicinity! At noon, or so today, we're getting more snow! 3 to 6 inches more...WHATEVER!!! I'm gonna just keep my head down and continue to crochet!
The header photo is part of my latest creation. I'm gonna be doing different combinations of colors on my slippers. This crochet flower is going on the front of it. Tell me what you think of these colors together...
I thought I'd try something different, crocheting the sole black and using the brown for the rest of the slipper.
I made the flower with the same brown, and a contrasting mixed yarn. Then I put some antique buttons on them, for a little character.
What do you think?!...Well, believe it or not, that's it people!!! LOL I don't have anything else to talk about!! It's a slow moving Saturday morning, and I'm feeling kinda mellow. Maybe it was too much sleep. You know how rarely that happens!!
Or maybe it's the music I'm listening to..."Lovely" by Sara Haze. If you haven't heard it, and you really wanna feel good about being yourself, go to Youtube.com and take a listen! {If you wanna hear a cute, bouncy, fun song, with a message for people trying to control you, take a listen to "King of Anything" by Sara Bareilles. The video is so fun!...Music really does soothe, doesn't it?! :-) }...And I know! I know! You've seen this poem before....but I've got crocheting and music listening to do!! ^_^
Its The Beat
The syncopated rhythm
of the tapping of your feet,
and the snapping of your fingers
to the systematic beat
make the music that you're hearing
(that you think is kinda neat)
motivate your body's swaying,
and you have to leave your seat;
Now you're dancing back and forth,
and causing rising body heat.
And it's all from a beat-
Yes, one syncopated beat!
I Know! I know! You're sick of me complaining, moaning, joking, spitting, spouting, and kvetching about....SNOW!!! But I can't help myself! Every time I look out of a window, it's all I see!! Maybe I should call this blog Poetesswug's SNOW Blog!! LOL
The header photo is my backyard!...*sigh*...Remember what it used to look like?
Now all of the green grass and flowers are buried!
And the pool is buried!
When I look out the window early every morning, hopeful that some miracle has happened overnight and all of the snow will be gone!...or at the very least, that the mounds and mounds of it are only just a poetic dream...because boy Oh boy! have I been writing poems about it!!...What I keep seeing is this...
And the more I look...
...the more I'm longing for the 'good old days' of sneezing, wheezing, itching, scratching, sunny...
...SPRING!!!! :-)
And I don't think I'm the only one longing for Spring either! Croatian_Latina, over at the blog Croatia, is trying to fight the winter blues too! She's in Iowa, in the U.S. right now, and this is what they've been dealing with!
Look familiar??!!! LOL
But, on a good note, I'm still smiling! And the reason is....first of all, a lot of prayer and good association....and then, because people, including you all, keep giving me reasons to smile! :-) I was smiling first thing this morning when I went to my Wuglyees etsy shop and found that I had made 3 sales overnight!!
One was the black men's slippers I custom made; One was the brown butterfly necklace I crocheted with the red wire; And one was the multi-colored brooch I made with the Czech glass fly attached to it! It's nice to see some of my more creative and different items going out of the shop now. It kinda gives me fuel to keep creating, and keep thinking out of the box! :-)
Speaking of 'BOX', I got another reason to smile, in the mail last night. I'll let the pictures tell you the story.
I'm tempted to tell you the who, what, when, where, and how of my getting these chocolates....but I didn't get permission from the sender to do that. So, just let me say that SOMEBODY was VERY happy with something they received from me!!...And that SOMEBODY put a gigantic, humongous, Cheshire Cat smile on my face when the mail came! ^_^
I don't know how they taste...yet! It was late when I got them, and it's not even breakfast time now, but they smell DELICIOUS!!! And...truly...there's not many chocolates that I've ever met that I didn't like on some level!!! ^_^ So thank you 'Special SOMEBODY'!! You made my evening!! :-) And made me know that a repeat of this poem was a must today!!
Chocolate
A snow storm on the way,
finding out you're hard in debt.
Somehow it's not so bad,
if you have melted chocolate!
Bad news everywhere,
want to throw your T.V. set.
Thankfully there's music
and some deep dark chocolate!
Doggie had an accident,
another long trip to the vet.
A waiting room with lots to read,
but you can nibble chocolate.
Grocery shopping too.
While you run in their to get
dinner for the evening
you can grab some chocolate!
Okay, you know what's coming.
Are you sick of this poem yet?!
If you are, just roll your eyes,
and sit and eat some chocolate!
