Another Bitter Cold February~

 It's strange how when I think of the month of February, I always seem to remember more mild days than cold ones! I conveniently forget the days of bitter, record-breaking cold that usually dominate the month!

4:08 p.m. 2-12-25

Butch had been home & was gone again, driving on his birthday.  Wednesday, in the early dawn hours, our first real snowstorm of the winter season blew in.  It deposited about 4" of incredibly beautiful powder snow.  It was also incredibly cold.  We were in the negative digits & only warmed into the single digits.  We received about three 1/2" dustings of snow on top of the original 4".  Shoveling it was a breeze.

10:44 a.m. 2-12-2025 

When I went out back to blow the walkway, for at least the second time, I saw a black spot up in one of the trees along the edge of the woods.  I used my little Canon with the zoom lens to capture the photo above.  I've named him Blackie!  We probably have Blackie I, II & III at least, but who's counting?

11:52 a.m. 2-13-2025

Sunshine the following day made it seem less cold.  I went out to blow the walks again & pretended it was as warm as it looked.  The weatherman said the following days would be even colder.  When I could no longer feel my fingers through two sets of gloves, I'd just finished.

Valentine's day, 4:48 p.m. Tinkle Branch Trail~

Finn & I usually take our walks in the afternoon.  Once the temperatures dropped to single digits, we decided sitting in front of the fireplace would work for us!  We're both missing the walks we've found good days for in prior years.

2-19-2025, 9:51 a.m. 

This morning, we broke the record low temperature going back over 100-years.  Finn has amazed me with his toughness!  He goes out every day & sits in the sun on the deck for at least a few minutes - no matter how cold it is!  Yesterday afternoon we took our walk & ended up at the Cabin.  The heaters were keeping the chill out of the air.

The fifth day of record cold~

The sunshine is wonderful, but I'm ready for some warming!  I finished my latch hook project & my germanium starts are ready to go in pots.  The mother plants are taking up all the window space in the craft room.  Besides taking a few cuttings, I haven't cut them completely back yet, experimenting to see how they do.

A little bloom!

Butch came through today; Finn & I drove up to Sapp Brothers.  Finn started talking the minute we took the exit ramp!  He acted as guard dog in the warm semi while Butch & I had lunch.  Now, Butch is on his way to IN & Finn & I are looking forward to the much-anticipated warmer weather!