I wiped away the weeds & foam. / I fetched my sea-born treasures home... Ralph Waldo Emerson







Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Depths of Winter




Hello everyone! Here at the beach we've been in the depths of winter, a roller coaster ride of dark and windy and dismal days. Probably not too different where you are [except of course Hunter and Kel, and Lisa if you're reading...].
This weekend Was So Cold...[how cold was it? Lemme tell you!]


Zero! The weatherman says it hasn't been 0* here since 1993. Look at that windchill, 20 below! Mo wore his pj's all day.




Saturday and Sunday were almost too cold for me and Mo to go out. Mo had to wear his hat so his little velvet ears didn't get frostbite.



Indoors we had a lovely Valentine's Day. I got flowers, look! So pretty....









Mo got a new Puppia. Quilted leather with soft furry trim and lining. Puppia Farren harness HERE



And a little fire hydrant to teach him to ''go'' at my friends' yard's designated spot.





I kind of love really cold days, I'm crazy I know. Despite the worry of what to do if the power fails, I enjoy a brisk single digit day. I love layering my bed with flannel sheets and my puffiest down comforter. I put a fleece blanket between the fitted sheet and the mattress cover, then add extra throws on top of the comforter and flannel blanket. Of course if Mo was allowed to sleep in my bed I wouldn't need all this . But he is banned sill.
Okay, so. Cold. But by Monday the temps were in the 50s and  monsoon rain was falling, washing most of the snow away, but left floods, potholes and puddles.
.

The storm cleared briefly at sunset, you can see the break between the two storm fronts.



Mo and I ventured out, looking for signs of spring. A few daffodils, so hopeful.





Mounds of snow here still. Pink in the sunset.


The back lane is so sad. And empty. No charm at all.



Onshore gale winds blew all day Monday and Tuesday, gusts around 50 MPH. The beach has eroded terribly. This giant old dune area survived H Sandy but it looks very damaged as I peer through binoculars. The entire dune seems gone except the last high tip at the beach side.
 Wow.


How the dunes usually look. It is an odd formation at right angles to the upper dunes, like a peninsula. Maybe 30 feet high, old, lots of birds and wildlife live here. The following pix are summer of 2014 and 2015.







The big trucks have been working frantically to my east, trying to shore up the--uh, shore.
The birds are upset, they've been wheeling about all day. I don't know if their roosting space is destroyed or if they are afraid of the giant earth movers.


My own beach is hidden by the big dunes, so I can't tell what happened nearby. I hope to get out there tomorrow to see.


Indoors I am working on my sawtooths.


It's tedious, I only do a few sections each day. The little tips that I snip off have migrated everywhere in my house, prompting endless Dustbustering.



More soon....

love 

lizzy

gone to the beach.....

PS Auditioning borders. The black stripe is the original plan. But which way do the sawtooths go?

yes



Other choices







11 comments:

  1. Aloha. Miss you. I'm sneaking a few minutes from work to peek in and see how you're doing.

    Mo has quite the wardrobe. Much better than mine. He's so cute.

    Your quilt is gorgeous.

    We're still sharing our new office with boxes. And three of our desks are still in boxes. It's great here, though. Much quieter.

    Back to work for me. Thinking of you.

    Hunter

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  2. It does look a bit chilly at the beach I have to say. I like my points facing in towards the centre if I have a sawtooth edge and the 'yes' looks good.

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  3. I hope the dunes by you are faring better! Poor birds, they'll be trying to find nesting spots before too long.

    I like Mo's new harness, it looks sturdy.

    "Dustbustering"?? LOL, it was us making up words that kept our poor exchange student completely confused when she was here. That, and she burst into giggles the first times we said 'pajamas' and 'tsunami', both of which are Japanese. I told her we steal words from everyone all the time, that's why American English is so strange.

    I'm going to disagree with Dorothy - I like the sawtooths (sawteeth?) points pointing away from the center, but I also like the dark strip fabric best!

    When I was out today it was one of those days when bare arms (short sleeves) was too cool, but a sweater was too warm unless you were in the wind. Crazy weather!

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  4. That Mo is such a stylin pup!! I like the sawtooth border facing down away from the center. And I love the dark stripe border the best! Your project is really moving along!!

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  5. Wow! So cold. It's been downright balmy here- well mid-50's and breezy.
    I'm seeing signs of spring as well!!
    I like the darker borders and I like photo 2 for your triangles. I know whatever you do, I'll love.

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  6. I love that Mo lets you dress him up and photograph him! My G gets a look of utter disdain when she is approached with anything which isn't a neck ornament of some kind.

    Whichever direction you put the border on will be perfect!

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    Replies
    1. You should ignore her expression and just put the clothes on her. And as you know from seeing Pug Halloween costumes and parades, pugs love to dress up.

      The trick is teaching your dog this command: Be a Good Boy. Hold a treat in your left hand and the garment in your right hand [or whatever is easiest]. Have the dog Sit, show them the treat, say Be a good boy. Hold the treat just above their eye level while you put the clothing on. Once it's on give the dog the treat and use both hands to finish buttoning or clasping while they chew their reward. Velcro closures help. Do the same in reverse for removing.

      Be a good boy is useful also for brushing or washing faces, feet, ears, nail clipping. If your dog is reluctant, use special treats like deli turkey, only to do this one trick.

      Never give the reward unless the dog has done the trick. If he / she refuses and you feel bad about no treat, wait a few minutes, do a simple command and then give a regular treat.

      *Never give something for nothing. Dogs like to learn and perform.*

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  7. Ah jeeze, my computer is broken and I sure do miss it. Just wrote a comment using a tablet--hit a wrong button and pffft, it's gone.

    To sum up--love the first pic, love MO in his pj's, also your flowers, your little 'Lizzy' on the quilt, and the hydrant thingie who knew :)

    Don't love the bleak looking lane, or the cold temperatures you were having. It does sound cozy though. (I'm taking blankets OFF the bed.) Your tip for putting a fleece under the fitted sheet is great.

    Better go before I mess something up again!

    Kel

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  8. "Bleak" is the perfect word.

    Oh no, computer probs? Is this a new tablet, like you wanted? Or a loaner. Good luck.

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  9. Denver hit 75F yesterday--75 in February! I think we were warmer than Florida, good grief.

    L

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  10. Lise? Hi! Did the warm weather ruin the skiing?

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