A Canadian Winter For Sure!

Bill arrived to shovel me out where the big snow blowing plow cannot.
The generator & the propane tanks needed to be unburied, wow what a lot of snow.
I asked Bill to fly the drone up to see what was happening on the roof, walking around the property is nearly impossible with the snow drift heights.
Here are the photos he took, enjoy!

 So happy to see the black asphalt in the parking lot out front! The sun is getting warmer & the days are also getting longer. In one week we'll be 'springing forward' with our time change for spring!

 The laneway has some black stone showing through too!

 The snow drifts were high around the house, this is the backyard waterfront area.

 I'm so happy to see those evergreens with all the winter white that surrounds us.

 The dining room window & deck door & windows have disappeared!

 Bill & I have traded parking spots as the snow gathers in my area & not his! He parks his large truck outside on the side of the garage.

 The great room window has a huge drift & the sundeck is part of that drift too!

 It's hard to show just how high the snow is but it is a wall!

 The sun & no wind is so welcoming. See how high the snow is!!

 This was Bill's big job, to dig out the two propane tanks & a walkway to get to them.

 This is the beginning of the walkway to the propane tanks from the parking lot area.

 This is the walkway to the propane tanks, great job Bill!

Baxter & Bridget just loved being outside with Bill & playing stick with him. It's so cute that the two Boston Terriers run in tandem with the stick.

 Then the job of finding the generator under all that snow!

 The clothesline is so close to the snow that it is impossible to air anything on the line.

 Bill was happy that the generator just fired up when he tested it.

 There's the top of the propane tanks, I use them only for an emergency when we have no electricity.
And they have been a God sent to have & we do have power failures all year long. Winter with ice & storms & living in a hurricane area.

 Bill put his snowshoes in to walk in front of the drift in the backyard.

 There's snow up under the bedroom window too!

Thank you for visiting & viewing all the snow that Hardwicke New Brunswick has received this winter season.
I'm so happy that it is now March & soon we are going to turn the corner with this season of winter.
Till then, we're bracing for another snow storm tomorrow. Now there's a surprise!! lol
I'm ready for the 3-snows, 1) smelt snow, 2) Robin snow, 3) grass snow. I read the weather lore book Grandma Says by Cindy Day & now it is March with the three flurries of snow!
Tomorrow will be the 'smelt snow' with two more to come!

Seven weeks from now,  the family will be here for Easter & I'm hoping to be able to see the grass out front & the blue Miramichi Bay's water flowing in & out with the tides.

Have a great week wherever you are.

Cynthia

Staying Busy To Pass The Days Of Winter Away

This season has to be the longest! Snow started in October & accumulated in November then never left! I've been doing my best to stay busy & focused into spring. Although U is for Unicorn has not been touched, this snow weekend is going to be a productive one working on just that quilt of 42 blocks of extensive applique & embroidery... focus!
Easier said than done.

 Back in early 2000, I was presented with this one of a kind fused glass Degas styling ballerina by Bison, a company that we did importing for through our company Richardson Acess Elevator Inc. I knew the artist, Marilyn O'Keeffe of Consent England, she was most helpful & I always enjoyed visiting her shop when I was in England on business.
This treasured piece had a bit of an accident when my son Nicholas swatted a fly on the window & the ballerina when flying through the air & hit the ceramic floor & became many shattered pieces.
This week whilst working with several of my students the idea came to me...
I'll foil the pieces back together! I had saved all the pieces to place her into a cement stepping stone for the garden but this idea seemed much more fitting & I had all the pieces!!!
I've started to grind the sharp edges & will show the next step of foiling next week.
Some things just have a way of working out!

And some a way of digging out!
Here is my winter wonderland as seen from inside the house.

 The great room garden doors to the sunporch, look at the height of snow on the outside deck through the 54" x 54" windows! No view out those windows till spring thaw.

 The great room window looking east. The snow pile is on the blueberry bush that is beneath a sandwich board for protection.

The dining room bay window that overlooks the Miramichi Bay, spring thaw will bring that view into place too. 26 days till spring!

This is a view from the laundry room door to the side pen that was made for Baxter & Bridget. They cannot leave the dugout area of the porch & now run where the plow has opened the parking lot out front of the house. It is a winter wonderland here & more snow on the way this weekend!

Day Dreaming of Spring's Sights & Smells
 

 On grocery day I put these two hyacinth bulb plants in the grocery cart, a glimpse into the future.

 And they look & smell heavenly too!

 With St. Patrick's Day coming up next month I started working on green outfits for the geese on the porch. I used Mary Maxiums Goose pattern & modified it by adding stripes & arms put into pockets.

 This is the knit sweater that is being used this time of the year. It was purchased in London ON where the cement geese came from but they've gone out of business. This is knit & I've crocheted the green one, it took two full green Briggs & Little skeins to make the sweater & hat & two other skeins were used as accent colours.

I'm going to make a dress & scarf hat with this t-shirt knit fabric for the other goose, I have some green beads to accessorize with this outfit too! lol
They have not had a green St. Paddy's Day outfit, till now.
My Irish Grandma, God Bless Her, would've had the biggest smile seeing these! XO

 The Regatta is now left to just hooking the blue water & it's more difficult to get the tightness near the ends. This is so close to being done for the summer days ahead in the sunporch.

 My very talented friend Deb painted this picture & gave it to me for Christmas several years ago. It was packed away with the move out east & last week Bill & I were unpacking one of many boxes & when I saw it I couldn't believe how wonderful it was going to enhance the great room's new teal colour of velvet drapes. I showed it to some of my girlfriends & one of them got goosebumps looking a the picture in the great room & how it was just meant to be! Great talented find from a great friend! XO Sure feels like home!

Thank you for the visit, I hope you have a wonderful safe warm weekend wherever you are.
We are bracing for another snow storm this weekend & I can be found in either my sewing studio or my stained glass studio, either way, it is KYROTIME!!

"To be an artist is a privilege. To ignore artistic urges is immoral."
                                                               John Hubbell - human artist, sculptor, architect

Snow Is Piling Up!

Today was another snow day & did the snow ever pile up & snow will continue into the morning.
The good news is Bill is snowed in at the Baltimore Airport & will be arriving tomorrow sometime to help dig me out of this winter wonderland.

The snow is now passing the fence height in the Boston terriers pen!

Bridget is not enjoying herself outside & Baxter wanted in on that fun, he likes outside!

So sorry Bridget Loree but no one can control the weather & I'm happy that you can control your bladder till you get outside!

It was two years ago today that Bill & I drove through a huge storm to pick up the Boston Terrier puppies in Keswick NB.

 Bridget Loree 8 weeks old.

Baxter Loree 8 weeks old.

The snow drifts around the house are really starting to pile up!

Bridget & Baxter watch out the dining room bay window.

The backyard is piling high with snow too with more snow overnight!

The snow at night looks like a white-sheeted ghost looking in, I close the thermal lined drapes!

The first beginners' stained glass class finished their glass project. It's so spring like!

And together they look like a beautiful tulip spring garden! Great job on your first project ladies!!

This year I took the time to make this Valentine Hanging that Liz had but the trunk for me. It was one from Whitehorse Yukon Canada at Bear Paw Quilts & their motto 'compassionate care for the quilt-addicted'. That motto makes me laugh every time I read it!

The needle punch Regatta is now afloat in water. I stitch this summer scene in the evenings when it's dark out & think of warmer days ahead.

An idea I'm trying to bring to life.
I was looking on the Hudson Bay website at a beautiful red with black stripe blanket coat & thought that's what I need here on the northeast coast then I glanced at the $795 price tag & knew that would never happen.
The more I thought about it, it's a pure wool blanket coat & I have an old woollen blanket that the dogs were using. I washed it & dried it in the dryer & it was lovely. The only problem was the holes that were chewed into the middle.

It's not the Hudson Bay stripe but an east coast stripe of greens & the body of the blanket is a creme colour. I placed the pattern pieces on it & there was enough for the front, back, hood, & if I slim the wide sleeves down it fit, so I cut out the woollen jacket.


With only this much of the $4 blanket from the Thrift shop!
Tomorrow is another snow day so I will make it a 'Sew Day' till Bill makes his way home later in the afternoon.

Thanks for popping in on this snowy day in the northeast coastline, with more snow ahead winter is coming in still & next month is March with the beginning of spring. That is so hard to believe when you look outside on days like today but I know what lies under that snow & it is going to be exciting to watch Mother Nature come to life again!

Something to think about.

Dreams and dedication are a powerful combination.
                                                                                                             William Longgood

Have a safe weekend, stay warm & cozy wherever you are.
Cynthia