Preparing for Thundersnow

I really don’t care for that term, but that’s what the weather service is predicting for our region beginning late tonight.

It seems that everyone is preparing for the impending weather. I love these two “yard buddies” side by side, gathering fallen sunflower seeds. Mr. Squirrel was fixin’ to take off…

I am editing and updating this post to add some music from our son, the Fiddler and friends. Hope you enjoy. We’re all putting on our Snowshoes here!

Be safe out there, friends!

Bugs & Blooms ~ And a Prayer

They’re back! The Periodical Cicadas, that is! I spied our first emerging “Thirteen Year Locusts” this morning in the front yard.
Left Behind – the Shell…

The Cicada ~ Kind of pretty in their own little creepy way…

A Gathering of Cicadas (the first of many gatherings, I’m sure)…

The noise level hasn’t picked up yet, but soon it will. Buzzzzzz… bzzzzz… bzzzz. Some sounds you just don’t forget!
A collection of blooms and plants around the yard this morning, after my locust-observing.


Bee Hive check today: discovered that we have bee babies in the making!! Hooray!! An amazing amount of larva already (a good thing). The Queen has definitely been busy, as well as the rest of the occupants. Another hive will be added on top soon. Sadly, my camera battery ran out, so no bee photos today!

Finally, our hearts, thoughts, prayers go out to the victims, families, rescuers, and all affected by the devastating tornado in Joplin, Missouri. We traveled through Joplin several times while the Fiddler lived in Dallas, Texas and found it to be a friendly town, and certainly a welcome rest stop along our way. It’s hard to imagine the devastation they have experienced. The death toll, at the time of this post, stands at 116. Unbelievable. The company that the Fiddler works for is sending a big trailer with donations by the residents of our local communities. We’re all gathering items now to load and send on Wednesday.
Heartwrenching.

A Joplin resident carries his wide-eyed daughter through the wreckage looking for family just after the tornado hit on Sunday evening, May 22, 2011.
Photo Credit: Joplin Globe
Hope all is well in your neck of the woods. More crazy weather to come in our neck of the woods this week. We’ll all breathe a sigh of relief when this unsettled weather clears out!

Barn/Cottage Update ~ We now have a modern convenience…

It’s called… Electricity!!! Thanks to Mr. W and his blacksmithing/retired electrical expert friend Melvin, we have 6 working lights and 3 double outlets. And even 3-way switches in my area of the barn for my convenience per Mr. W. Why, I feel just plain spoiled. Woo hoo!

We also were given this comfy, stinky, stained, 3-legged couch… but hey, it was FREE! And a 6x6 fixed the 3-legged problem for now. So now we have an official relaxation station inside the barn (just be sure to hold your nose).

Our county is also under a tornado watch tonight. I will drive Mr. W even crazier than usual tonight. Tornado watches and warnings make me twirl around in a circle, turn on every possible source of weather information, plot potential tornado survival scenarios, and babble incessantly. Boy, is he in for a fun evening! This is the only thing I do not love about living here in the great Midwest. Here’s a look at our current sky:

A tufted titmouse is grabbing some sunflower seeds before the storm sets in. I just love their big eyes and chattiness.

Off to batten down the hatches for the outside critters!!