Today. . .

Today, the Ponderosa can't decide. . .

Is it winter?

Or is it spring?

Sunday's Blast from the Past Photo(s)

As a teacher I'm usually all about snow in the forecast, but today with the predication for as much as five inches and the fact that we have used all our snow days at school, I find myself thinking, enough with the snow already! These pictures are from snows in the past when we all lived in Rolling Acres and snow meant fun all day and into the night. I can see the sledding tracks behind the Simmons house in the second picture. There were some major snowball fights and everyone in the neighborhood gathered on the hillsides or sometimes on the roads to sled and "tube". Just lately we've all been playing like that again! And it was fun while it lasted, but I'm ready for spring!

Sunday Sledding

Parker has become a master sledder.

He learned some of his skills from P-pa who is a master sledder from way back!

He can sled backwards.


He can do tricks.

He can handle both kinds of sleds.

And if you will hold your tongue out just right, you can really go fast.

Parker and P-pa were having so much fun I decided to put the camera down and join in. After all-- these were the same hills I had spent my whole childhood playing on. Parker took the plastic sled and I had the wooden one. As I sped down the hill, I was ten again just having fun in the snow. Then, the sled came to a stop and I tried to get up. And I started back up the hill and the shortness of breath brought me right back to reality! Ten year olds run back up the hill, but not nanas!

Bring Shovels

In times past we have needed to chainsaw our way off the Ponderosa, and just last week end we had to ford a raging stream that had formed across the driveway, but today we are going to need a plow to find our driveway! What a difference a week makes. It's under there somewhere.

Confession

I made a little confession on the K-8 Moms blog. If you haven't read it click here!

Sunday's Blast from the Past Photo(s)

I love books. I've loved them as long as I can remember. My mom says that I refused to lie down and sleep in my crib if my little stack of Golden Books was not beside me! The book shown above is my all time favorite, really. I've had it since I was five! It's volume 1 of the Childcraft, called Poems of Early Childhood.

See, its been used a lot. Look, there is tape and crayon marks. My little brother is responsible for the crayon marks, I would never have abused a book in that way! The pages of this book have been turned hundreds of times, not just by me, but also by my children.

It begins with a section on nursery rhymes. Look at the illustrations, I think that is one reason I love this book so, because I don't think I could read when I first got it. They don't make books like they used to!

I liked this page, it's the story of the gingham dog and the calico cat!

Stephanie loved this page, she could recite this whole poem before she went to kindergarten. Look at it, what kid would not love a story about a tree full of candy!

Oh, and I loved this page too!

And this was also one of my favorites, isn't that exactly what Little Bo Beep should look like!

And this page too, it's about little fairy houses in the woods. Don't you remember thinking this stuff might be real!

This is the reason I looked for this book. This summer Parker loved to get in Pa Lyle's garden and hide under the green bean vines. I made photos of him peeking out and they reminded me of this poem and illustration. I wanted to scan this page and combine them with his photos for a scrapbook page. I didn't have to look far. The entire set of Childcraft is still in a bookcase in my parent's home. I am so glad they saved it.
So, once again I'm turning the pages and remembering what used to keep me busy, long ago, before the internet when there was only 3 TV channels and instead dvds and video games we had outside, where we made our own fun sometimes by reading a book in the backyard under a tree!

Good Lord Willing and the Creek Don't Rise!

The Ponderosa is flooded!
When we left for supplies today we had to "ford" the driveway!

It's 26 Degrees and We are Outside!

One little boy wanted to go outside and try out one of our Christmas presents, so when the temperature got up to a warm 26 degrees, we blew up our Bear Foot sled, put so many layers of clothes we could barely move and out we went!

He loved sledding!

The dogs even got in on the fun.

Of course you have to get the snow on you for the full effect.

And you should practice your driving skills in the snow.

Be sure to know how to operate all types of vehicles.

We had to take the sled to the "forest."

Parker pulled P-pa and Nana on the sled, which exceeded the weight limit and caused the sled to explode!


But Parker could still ride.

We took a little hayride in the snow. . .

Until one of us just fell over from all the fun!

Brrr

The latest addition to the Ponderosa is this lovely ice skating rink courtesy of Mother Nature.

Snow Day Agenda

Play Bejeweled

Eat Lunch

Take a Nap

Watch Days of Our Lives

Play more Bejewled

Maybe cook some supper

Watch TV, read a book, or play more Bejeweled

Snow Day

Just when I thought vacation was over our first snow day unexpectedly arrived!

What's IN your fridge Monday?

I thought I had put everything Christmas away until I opened the refrigerator door and saw this in the back!