I posted earlier about the 4th day of ice............well..........on the 5th day...........

Mother Nature threw her hardest at us, making the woods icy and magical...........

until...............

the power went out..........for 24 hours.........

and the trees started groaning and breaking.

This is the large tree in front of my vintage shop.

Small limbs and big branches........fell everywhere.

We have a total electric house.........so with no power.......no running water, no heat.

We do have a wonderful fireplace and we tossed what dry wood we had to keep it going. It made me reflect , as my husband and I sat in the quiet darkness, how simple the late nights were for those

"back in the day" when there was no electricity.

All over the grounds......tree branches are lying, 

even some of the stoutest and biggest trees snapped

each wrapped in inches  of ice.

we were fortunate that our power came on after only 24 hours. There were others who were without power for days. As we drove on a trip to Lubbock we counted 30 telephone poles in a row.....all snapped. I was very worried during our outage about my chickens and my greenhouse.

My chicken house has a layer of plastic over it with heating lamps inside. My greenhouse has a layer of plastic over it with a heater inside. I was just hoping that all would be okay after the heat went off.

The chickens were comfortable in the nests........slightly chilly however,

and my greenhouse flowers were still green and blooming.........

what a relief! 

and then..........

the power came back on...........

and the sun said hello and smiled it's warm smile through the ice coated trees........

and if it couldn't get any better.......

my son flew in on leave for a short visit

 and brought us a fresh pineapple

from Hawaii!

I decided to make an upside down pineapple cake..........

in my iron skillet!

If you would like this recipe, click onto the link below to go to my cooking blog!

My Country Kitchen

Hope this finds you all safe and warm!

I don't recall ice and snow lasting this long in our part of the country...........

this is the 4th day.......it started Tuesday, Dec. 30th.....

.Everything is covered in inches of ice......

still and quiet.

From the trees........that creak from the ice in the frozen breeze......

to the long prairie grass that froze as it was swaying in the midst of it all.

The thorny cactus........

and the tall pine tree........

covered in white stillness.

The road that is usually busy in the week with gravel and oil haulers

has become a long ice skating rink.

Our front gate greets visitors......if there were any.....

with an  icy welcome.

Icy limbs loom high in the cold snowy sky.

We got another ice storm in the wee morning hours of this day......

every one's home is covered in ice!

I am in search of the sun.......it seems to have disappeared......have you seen it??

I am hoping it will show it's bright face tomorrow and return the warmth to this frigid land.

How about you? Are you under a blanket of ice or snow?

Are you enjoying warm sunshine through your window?

I would love to hear!

The morning sky pulled me out of a warm bed

and completely captivated me 

as it showed it's brilliant colors for an introduction of a pretty day.

The next morning, I once again ignored the cold chill as I watched the sun sit on top of a covering of fog across the prairie........

The next morning.......the sun stayed in bed, while Sophie and I  braved the spitting of snow  , 

We got a little snow..............

I really mean.........."a little" snow.

Just enough to make a tiny snowman.

and not enough to make this hungry Cardinal stay away from the feeder.

Now we are getting the "Arctic Blast" sweeping across parts of the country, leaving the trees and what is left of their leaves, coated in ice.  

And now this year is fading away and a new year will be shining through , 

filling me with hopes of more beautiful sun rises and serene sunsets. 

Here's wishing you a very 

happy new year filled with the same!

Happy New Year!

May Peace be your gift at Christmas and your blessing all year through

Christmas is forever, not for just one day,

for loving, sharing, giving, are not to put away

like bells and lights and tinsel, in some box upon a shelf.

The good you do for others is good you do yourself...

~Norman Wesley Brooks (U.S. design engineer, 1923–2002)

Merry Christmas everyone!

I have posted a wonderful Christmas cookie recipe on my cooking blog

just click onto this link

Cherry Almond Snowdrops

Moonshine is keeping me out late at night..........

The moon was so huge tonight that all I could do was  just stare in awe...........I 'm hooked..........

it's intoxicating!

and I wanted to share my moonshine with you!

Have a great weekend everyone!

There is an oak tree in the back yard

that is  dressed in it's finest and colorful dress,

shimmering in the sunlight

and looking breathtaking against a clear blue sky.   I t wont be long however before these leaves fall to the ground, brown and dry......and the tree sleeps it's cold winter sleep. 

Once again, the long limbs grow from the bottom of the tree's trunk.........no matter how much we have tried to stop them......so once again the limbs get trimmed away.........

Instead of tossing them into the compost.......I take them in and place them in vintage vases to decorate the dinning room table..........

the various rooms 

\

and bathroom counters.  Just these simple twigs and leaves bring such beauty to a space......

don't you think?? 

Out in the greenhouse the flowers are completely unaware of the cold weather that is whistling around the corner........the snap dragons from this spring are in full bloom

as well as the various containers of moss rose. 

The geranium that had been so tired and frazzled from the past hot summer is budding and growing taller.

The tomato vines that I planted in large containers just for the greenhouse 

are giving me a wonderful bounty each week as I visit.

The cyclamen that stay in the greenhouse during the cold night, go out into the window boxes during the day when the sun pleasant this time of year. 

The migrating Sand Hill Cranes fly and call to each other in the late evening sky as they head to their roosting place in a wet land pasture a few miles away.

The evening has turned chilly and it is perfect for sitting around a fire and talking with my sweet one about the tapestry of our life that we have weaved for ourselves. We both wonder...........

where have all of the years gone??

It has been a sweet life and we reflect on that, as the fire crackles and glows.

How about you?

Are your trees showing off their brilliant colorful leaves?

Do you like to sit around and evening fire........inside or outside?

I would love to hear!

Wishing You A Wonderful Thanksgiving