No snow

The weather man keeps saying no snow except up in the mountains. A record amount in the passes. No snow in Stanwood---and there is no snow in Stanwood. I know I live up by the woods but we have had snow since Christmas. It has snowed everyday since then and you guys who are used to having snow and maybe wish it were gone well I know how you feel. It is sorta pretty though and only 1 mile away there is absolutely NONE. Imagine that. Nobody believes we have snow because they don't. Just Weird.
PS. I don't care for the pink background, I didn't put it there it just appeared and I want the black back. I think blogger is messing with me.

Another day already

I didn't forget this posting earlier it is just that I have been sorta busy. A nice thing. First my youngest came over so her dog could play with my dogs and while she was her My oldesr grandson came over and when Jolene and pup went home Mike and I went up to Burlington to the mall. We roamed the mall for a while and then went for an early dinner. A new Italian place in Burlington that I can't think of the name now. But I am FULL!! I had Shrimp Scampi and it was GOOD. Mike just went home a few minutes ago and I thought I have to do my daily posting so here I am.
Sue I think I will do this for 2008 also. Now to find a picture hmmmm.... I know!
this house is in Ritzville and it is for sale for 185,000 dollars. It was built in 1905 and has all the original hardwood floor, stair railing, etc. It looks like someone was restoring it.

From the barn

This is the sky from the barn this morning. Regular and zoom. So pretty. I love the sky, there's always something going on up there. My daughter and family are coming today from Ritzville. It will be good to see them all.

Remember Bingo

Remember little bingo? Well he has GROWN. He was 8weeks old I think the end of August or the first part of September and now 3+ monthes later here he is---He doesn't fit on the Gator seat though he still rides with me. He is sleeping on the blanket my daughter Richelle made him for Christmas. She made blankets for everyone's dogs and cats. And there he is playing in the snow.

Could Spring be next?

Look what I found when the snow settled down and started melting. A true harbinger of Spring. YAY!!!

Some of my favorite things

We had a very nice almost quiet Christmas. Everyone, except my daughter and family in Ritzville, showed up. We had a nice dinner and a nice opening of presents time.
I threw the turkey in the oven at 8:00 and then dashed out to get my Mother over on Whidbey Island. I made record time I left at 8:09 and was back by 11:30. Whew!!
So it was nice to visit with everyone and we had a light dusting of snow to have a white Christmas and its still here today. It's wet stuff and SHOULD be gone soon. I hope! I took Mother back to here home, she could have stayed the night but it is always nice to sleep in your own bed. A few pics here. I love the dish towels one of my daughters gave (of course I love everything). And then a picture of Kylee with a big grin on her face (Ithink it's new boots in the package) and her mom and mom's friend. Then a picture of the boys, Brett and Bradley, in a blur, opening, opening, opening.
So there ya are. MB

ENJOY

HARK THE HERALD ANGELS SING,
GLORY TO THE NEW BORN KING.

Work is never done!!

Horses, fences, horses, should I go on?

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Work is never done!!

I QUIT!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

'Tis the Season

If I don't hear from or see anyone until after Christmas I want to wish you all:


MERRY CHRISTMAS

Madness

Today will be spent cleaning the house for the holidays. Aw Ma, do I have to?
The pond is full again so the waterfall is looking pretty. Maybe I will be outside working around the pond instead of inside. hmmmmmm
Isn't this gnarled old apple tree a beauty? MB

Laurel Burch Quilt

So off I went to see my Mother (91) yesterday. She is such a LaureL Burch (look her up and see was she does) fan and is in the middle of making ANOTHER quilt with some of her images. This time it is cats. Earlier I pictured the huge one she made me (with a horse, of course) and the smaller crib quilts she has fashioned. Remember these are just pieces she has to finish and put together.
BTW Laurel Burch died this past year.

Klondike Mansion

This is the closest I could get to view the house. You can only see the top part of the house. From the back I can see scaffolding and ladders around the house so I see they are restoring it. Good!!
There is a rather sad story. H.C. Anderson who had many fingers in the early Stanwood pie built the house for his wife Ida. As a young man he came to Stanwood from Norway in 1887. He farmed and became an important person in Stanwood. He founded the First National Bank of Stanwood among other things. In 1913 he built the large white mansion on the hill east of Stanwood. He and his wife Ida never got to live in it. Their son became ill and Ida fell under the spell of a 'doctor' and nurse who believed in starvation for a cure. Their son died and Ida, not well herself, continued to follow the starvation regime and died in 1913. HC died a year later. And that is all I could find. Who took ownership of the house after that I don't know, but it is still called the Klondike Mansion. HC was called Klondike because he had worked in Alaska. (so the story goes)
I am off to visit my Mother. MB

Pictures of roadtrip

Well I did take a small road trip. I went across the Skagit flats and saw a bunch of eagles and hawks and proceeded up the Chuckanut Drive which follows the salt water bays. Went to Bellingham which has a wonderful historic downtown area with many beautiful houses. Has a late breakfast at Ferndale--very pretty up there.Went to Birch Bay which is a resort town, to Semiahmoo which is a very posh resort town and on up to Blaine where the border crossing to Canada is. Didn't go to Canada. Took all the back roads--no boring freeway. I wanted to take a good picture of the yellow house and I was at a light that had just turned green so I had to drive and take a pic so that is why there are lights, cars, wires etc. The beaches were very rocky. It was fun. MB

Tragic Event

I am speechless. Darn dog!!

Roadtripping

A friend and I are going on a one day road trip. We are going to head North and West and find a beach. Of course it is typical wet Washington weather. But hey if you're not going to drive in the rain out here then you are never going to drive.
So I will take some pictures and hopefully soon write about the Klondike Mansion.
Here is a pic of one of my favorite ornaments. It is a girl and her pony carved out of wood. Old timey.

Decorating

The elves have been busy decorating out in the yard.
I always put seasonal flowers in/on Mother Goes Shopping
The tree is a little live Fir I will plant for Dave.

By the way I found out some interesting information of the Klondike Mansion (rummaging through my books) Now I have to take a picture of it. I see myself scaling the hill in front of the house. Onward and Upward. MB

New Found Farm

I am still researching the Klondike Mansion an Stanwood and I keep reading about Thomle Road and Thomle Bridge that crossed the Stilliguamish river separating Stanwood and Florence. Back in the early 1900s the river rose cutting off the two towns, even washing out the bridge on numerous times. Well Florence no longer exists except for one old store front and I already posted about the little town.I have never been down thomle Rd. mainly because I no need to and it is a dead end. So I dared to go and look what a treasure I found. I will be visiting it more this summer when they have food.
Sign
House of owners.

The Parsonage

I cannot seem to find much info about the Klondike Mansion in stanwood except it was owned by a H.C. Anderson who had a lot to do with early Stanwood. So here is a house down the road. This was a going concern town back in the late 1880s. It was called Pleasant Ridge. Not much left but the oldest cemetary in the area (and all the old timers) An old school and the Parsonage, the church is gone. The sign in front of the house says 'The Parsonage' built in 188 and I think the next digit is a 6. Also here is the valley view the look at, sitting on the front porch. Nice. MB

Swan song

The Valley's are alive with the wintering birds. I usually talk about the Skagit Valley but here i am in the Stillaguamish Valley--where Stanwood is. These are Trumpeter swan in a farmers flooded cut corn field. I'm sorry if there are too many pictures of the same but I didn't know which to put on and then I didn't want to delete any. Sorry dial-uppers. I been there too. MB

The frost is on the pumpkin

Yesterday across the pasture and this morning frost on the pumpkin. I am going to make egg nog cake today. Yummy.

Little Niblet

We have had Niblet two monthes now so she must be maybe 4 monthes old. She still is so little and sometimes sweet. I like the picture in the dark. MB

A cold day

Brrr!! It is cold today-mid 20s--cold for here. We had some snow yesterday and everything froze last night. When I took Kylee to her school bus stop I hardly made it back up the hill. zzzzzzz went my tires, but I perservered and made it.
The pond has a touch of ice. Here are the dogs, this morning, checking stuff and snow on the waterfal.

Urban sprawl

Yesterday was a cold sunny day and I thought I would go to the new Michael's to pick up some craft stuff. A new 'mall' was opened about 12-15 miles down the interstate. I've got time I can do it. So off I go and it is so sad to see the farmland getting gobbled up by commerce. It seems the whole state of Washington up the interstate will be one long strip mall. No demarcation for towns. I digress--
Here is a picture of one side of the freeway by the new mall and the otherside of the road. It is actually a park called Twin Lakes, very small,very pretty. It will soon be gone I suppose. I think it would be considered a wetland. Hmmmmmm......MB
PS. Today it is cold and snowing.

Got nothing today

It is a beautiful sunny and cold day. Just like I like. Blue sky, all frosty outside and gorgeous sun. I've got no motivation. So I am going to pinch myself 'til I MOVE it on outside and breath in that good almost pure cold air......and then what? There was a beautiful sunrise that should make anyone leap up and appreciate nature's handwork and get busy. but.....
So i will leave you with two pics for today. One of the sunrise and one cutsy one I copied from somewhere, then I am going to research the Klondike Mansion. MB