Photos of a freak hail storm....

View through the storm door- we couldn't open it due to the hail falling diagonally and hitting the glass.

It all started with the intense lightening striking and then it got really dark all of the sudden. Typical for summer but this is early spring. It wasn't long before we heard slight taps on the windows which quickly turned into pounding.

Most of it was about marble size with an occasional bigger one close to quarter size.

Not only did it hail, the rain poured and poured. This is what the back yard looked like after it was all over.


Quite a bit of the white stuff built up pretty quickly. Amazing. I guess you can figure what we will be studying tomorrow in school.....

The First Sign of Spring and The Tiny Snowman

This is it. I have proof. Spring isn't far off. These daffodils rising out of the leaves is solid proof. Mind you that daffodils usually bloom in late February/early March anyway but, hey, it means that winter is on the way out. After the 60 degree temps we have this coming week, I would suppose that these little beauties will be in bloom very soon.


Could this poor, little snowman be labeled, "making do with what you have?"

The day after we discovered the daffodils coming up, the weather man actually confirmed that we were in for some wintry weather again. I think this would be the 4th (I think, could have been the 4th-1/2- I'm just not sure now- I lost count....) snow that we would get this year- very, very unusual for us. It snowed all day but didn't stick until just before dark. Can you say, "disappointed kiddos?" We made the best of it though. Even though there was a scant amount of the white stuff on the ground, we were determined to make at least one snowman this year. (All of the other previous snows had been covered with sleet or were a dry snow which made it impossible for snowman construction.)


This is the final product. This little guy took up almost all of the area's available snow in the yard but he was worth it. The kids worked together to give him some personality- (via some asphalt rocks and sticks).


This photo is what he looked like the next morning, unfortunately. His little face fell off and he lost an arm. Poor little guy.

Maybe next year we'll get to build a gigantic snowman but for now, I'm content in knowing that, we at least made do with what we had and managed to produce a tiny snowman in the end- even if he didn't stick around for very long.

Stationary Yard Critters In The Snow

We managed to get about 3 inches of snow during the quick little winter storm we had several days ago. Believe it or not, there is still some snow in the shady areas of the yard still. I grew up hearing that if snow lies on the ground for a week, another snow will come to cover it up. I've always wondered if that was true. This is the south so I'm just not sure how much merit that old saying holds. I do know that when I was little, I counted each and every day that snow was still around- just hoping that that new snow would hurry up and cover the old snow. Come to think of it, I don't think it ever worked. The snow always melted just shy of 7 days. Oh well....


Here is our favorite tree dude, Melvin. He is sticking his tongue out at the snow. He is saying, "Nah, nah, na, boo, boo, you can't bother me you, you white stuff!"


I came upon these funny little guys in the front yard. Imagine that you are a frog in the snow, holding up a basin filled with snow. Yeah, just like that. Now realize that you are nuts because you are not a frog in the snow, holding up a basin filled with snow. HA!

Poor little guy. He's cute though, with all of that snow drifted on his little nose.... kind of looks like he told a lie doesn't it?

It's snowing again!

The snow is coming down as I type. We will have quite the winter wonderland by in the morning. The kids are thrilled and I am too. I've been to the store. We don't have to go anywhere tomorrow, and the hot chocolate is in the cabinet, so, I guess we are ready for a day of fun in the snow tomorrow!


This is the first object that the snow started to pile up on, outside our front door.


It wasn't long before it started sticking on the ground and trees.

It's funny to think that these bushes were partly covered in water just a couple of days ago with our "flood". They are still "kind of" covered in water if you want to be technical.....

The snow started coming down pretty fast. I love how it looks on the Leyland Cypresses.

After dark, I let the kids play for awhile (until their hair got wet...) because they just couldn't wait any longer. It was quiet except for the snow crunching beneath every one's feet. You know, there is something familiar about that "crunch" of snow underneath your feet. I guess it reminds me of childhood. I haven't heard that "crunch" in a number of years so it was a nice treat to hear it. I know, that's weird.

I'm actually looking forward to playing in the snow tomorrow!

Winter weather in our neck of the woods....

The shear mention of ice or snow in the south causes massive shortages at the grocery stores. You know, bread, milk, peanut butter, and toilet paper. Don't ask me why but those are the things that are generally missing from the shelves right before, during, and several days after a winter storm. Maybe it's a southern thing. Maybe not. Who knows?

I even find myself scanning the pantry shelves when the weather man starts all of this pandemonium. Thankfully, we didn't run out of the necessities during our recent 2 day wintry mix.

These are just a few scenes from our sleet/snow mix.

Here is Melvin. If you follow my blog, you have probably seen him in all of the different seasons. Last winter he even had a runny nose. (The remnants can still be seen here, unfortunately) This year, he fared a might better. The tree to the left of him had a run in with another tree recently but, Melvin's tree persevered.



The roads weren't too bad. (Well, if you can call this slushy mess, not too bad) OK, compared to up north, they weren't too bad. Down in the south, it was shear disaster. There.

The snow plows went up and back down the highway twice that second day. The third day, they came by too, but that trip didn't make much sense to me. They came by scraping bare pavement. What a noise that made! I'd imagine they need new snow plow blades by now.

Red berries (sorry I can't spell their name) Poison- stay away. But they are pretty with sleet and snow on them.

I thought that this looked like an ice flow.

This is the end of the fence that usually tries to claim a victim or two when the sledders slide down towards it. Thankfully, no casualties that day....sort of....


I take a lot of my pictures for my Etsy shop on these rocks. Hey, I even took advantage of the change in scenery and snapped a few that day too. (Mental note, upload new Etsy items...)


These are the trees in which our satellite dish calls home. (It's on the other side with a clear view of the sky so don't worry) Usually when something is on the branches, such as ice or snow, they lean in, and obstruct the dish. Kids panic, parents panic- you get the idea. This time, the branches didn't lean (very much).

Last but not least, I had to include a photo of the two young men in my family that snowboarded down the driveway (or should I say, attempted to snowboard down the driveway). (Notice the snowboard at the feet of Go Cart boy- on the left) I'm not sure if one was snowboarding and the other slipped in front the other, or if both of these nuts were trying to snowboard at the same time. Regardless, our elderly neighbors probably stood at their kitchen window smiling and laughing at their antics for hours!

We are supposed to get a less exciting version of another storm so we'll just have to see what happens next.

I bet the grocery stores are still out of bread, milk, and toilet paper at this very moment......

Add mine to the cold weather complaint list......

This is the bottom portion of our back yard right now. Technically, there is a little bit more ice down there now, than there was yesterday, when I took this picture.

So, do you think it's cold in the south right now or what?

The snow is supposed to make it's way into our area starting in a few hours- TODAY. I didn't do the typical southern snow preparations (you know, buying the following: toilet paper, bread, milk, and peanut butter). Currently I think we have those essentials so we are good to go, I guess??

In the mean time, while I'm waiting for the white stuff to start falling, I think I'll work on my mystery project seen in the photo below.

Here is the beginning "knittings" of the plastic bag-( er...uh.....) mystery object that I'm working on right now. It's not very pretty but it's coming along. I just wish I knew what it was (or will be). I'd love any suggestions. If it turns out to be something interesting enough, I'll put it up for sale in my Etsy shop. I'm serious, ok, maybe not.......

The Winter Weather that Was....and Wasn't

Well, this is what we woke up to Saturday morning- a light dusting of sleet. Hey, it was enough to cause pandemonium in the south I tell you! Just up the road about 10 minutes away, I'm told it was a winter wonderland of snow. Just yesterday (Sunday), I passed two cars in the road that were covered in the melting white stuff. Here are a few pictures of what we saw when we looked out the windows....


This is the front walkway- complete with the magic tricycle. I say magic because if you saw what 8, 9, and 10 year old boys did with this thing, you would realize that it's a miracle that the poor thing is still in one piece. The 5 year old that rides this thing has to listen to the constant pops and creaks that her brother and neighbors caused. Maybe Santa will do something to fix that little problem.

Not much to see but you can tell it was cold....

This is the view out the back door. I'd imagine there was quite a bit more of this sleet before daybreak. Do you see Melvin, the tree spirit, in the right hand side of the photo. He got so cold, his nose started running again- just like last year.

The last thing I heard was that we were to get more frozen stuff Christmas Eve- I don't believe it though. This is the south- we don't get frozen stuff on Christmas. You know how it is, the weather men get too excited and start wanting to predict frozen stuff every week....either that or the grocery stores are in cahoots (is that a word?) with them and want to make some extra sales or something.... makes you wonder.

Handmade Sleet Balls

Yes, freezing precipitation has arrived in my neck of the woods. The public schools let out at 12:30 from what I'm told. I knew it would happen, but, I was not prepared for what would happen INSIDE my house during the winter storm. I wasn't prepared for the droves of children stomping muddy sleet prints through the kitchen and across the living room carpet while simultaneously begging for hot chocolate. I wasn't prepared for mine, and the neighborhood children, begging for hats, gloves, and coats- ALL AT THE SAME TIME. I wasn't prepared for "SLEET BALLS" being pelted at every door and window either.

Speaking of "Sleet Balls", I have personally determined that sleet balls are more evil than snow balls for sleet balls can house any number of foreign objects and mostly, MUD!

One of the many "sleet balls" I encountered on or near the front porch.

The good thing (and boy, howdy, am I lucky) the neighborhood kids all like me or else I would have been a "goner "when I stepped outside to take a few pictures. Thank goodness that they all value the hand that feeds them all!

The winter storm isn't over yet so I'm sure I'll be steam cleaning tomorrow and the next day, and the next day, and the next day- you get the picture! The main thing is, the kiddos are having fun (even though I'm overwhelmed at the impending house cleaning) and they are safe.

Hey, this is the south. Frozen stuff doesn't happen very often so we have to enjoy it while we can! The weather man is predicting snow on Christmas Eve. Can you believe that? I'll believe it when I see it. In all of my years, I've never known snow on Christmas Eve or Day. If the weather man proves himself right, things might get interesting!

Signs that the Seasons are About To Change

This is a picture of what is left of the garden. We grew a bumper crop of grass this year. (If I had a sharp sling blade, I would harvest that bumper crop, come to think of it....) I took a stroll through that knee high grass and peeked around to see what might be left. I actually found three okra pods and a half eaten (no thanks to Mr. Groundhog) zucchini squash. Uncle Bubba has some watermelons that look pretty happy though. You can't see them here but they are at the end of those corn stalks in the little clearing that you can see in the top right of the photo. The peanut plants (that are left of the grass in this photo) seem to be doing quite well. We'll just have to see what happens with those guys.


I visited my mother's yard and took some photos of flowers that mean summer is on the way out. Here are some of them for you to see.


Mr. Dogwood has red berries- fall is coming for sure....




Mr. Brother-In-Law bush has purple berries on it. I don't know the technical name for this bush but Brother In Law bush is what my uncle calls it. He says that he is allergic to it and as long as it is next to the front porch, my mother's brother-in-law can not expect a visit from him any time soon.


Lastly, here is some fall crocus that popped up just recently to announce that summer is almost over. Mr. Butterfly was seen taking advantage of these beauties. See him? He is a tiny little guy on the middle right of a crocus bloom.

Bananas, Spiders, Fog, and Muffins

It all started with these three bananas. They came from Whole Foods Market. Bananas from Whole Foods Market taste really, really good compared to bananas from other stores. This threesome was purchased about 3 days ago. They kind of ripened faster than I had hoped they would.

Being the thrifty mom that I am, I do not let anything go to waste these days. These three bananas had to be made into something soon. I peeled them, whipped up a little something, put that "little something" into the oven, and threw the banana peels in my compost "jug" that I keep on the counter I then proceeded to go outside to dump my compost "jug" into my compost "bucket"-with the intention that one day, I will, once again, dump my compost bucket into the compost "pile". The compost pile will be the dirt I plant my seeds into next year.

Now that we are straight on that little fact, back to the story at hand. I've got to blend this tale of bananas, spiders, fog, and muffins all together.


When I opened the back door, it was obvious as seen in the photo above, it was- f-o-g-g-y.



Here is another view of the fog. It doesn't look too bad but I tell you, half an hour before that, you could hardly see the picnic table. (I didn't think of grabbing the camera a half hour before so you will just have to take my word for it.)


The volley ball pole had been visited by some spiders the night before. Ok, it could be one spider, I didn't ask to see exactly how many spiders there were on that pole and rope.

Are you following me, so far, I've touched on all three aspects in the title of this blog post: bananas, spiders, and fog. See, they make since together after all, don't they.
As I walked closer to my compost bucket, I noticed the shiny web of another spider. It had made it's little home under the seat of a bicycle.



I glanced up before I walked under the volleyball net just to make sure a spider didn't drop on my head and I noticed this little web here.

I looked down and saw the web on the spokes of the bicycle.

I looked up again and saw another web like the one above.

When I walked back into the house, these guys were ready to be taken out of the oven. MMMM, yummy. What kind are they you say? I think I'll call them Foggy, Coconut, Banana, Spider muffins.

A Wordless Wednesday (almost)

What's worse, the fact that you are a tree and your nose is runny, or the fact that you are a tree, your nose is runny, and you have snow in your eye brows?

Dedicated to Grandma,Papa, and those "warm" people in Arizona

The "J" crew

I wouldn't want to meet up with the looks of this fella on a dark night

Big brother was still sleeping- they actually pulled one over on him by sneaking out before he woke up

"Angels" making snow angels

"Quick, smile before you run off!"

"Look mom, I'm standing in a mud puddle!" "Did I get the reaction out of you that I wanted?"

A stick in the snow is worth,.......... well, nothing.

The snow plow driver was confused as the road was already cleaned off hours before.

This is what happens when one person is sliding down a hill and another gets in the way