It was with trepidation that I stepped out into the cold this morning, with Yak Traks stretched over my running shoes. It was a beautiful morning though. The clouds were burning off and blue sky was taking over.
family stuff, running, recipes, random ramblings and a little of everything else
Showing posts with label snow. Show all posts
Showing posts with label snow. Show all posts
Saturday, January 30
Sunday, December 21
Snowdog
Who's black and white and goofy all over?
Divot! She just loves the snow, and will go out to play in it every chance she gets. She loves catching snowballs, digging up her toys, rolling in it, and just plain running around.
I think she is enjoying our rounds of storms more than anyone else in our household. Glad someone is having some fun!
Divot! She just loves the snow, and will go out to play in it every chance she gets. She loves catching snowballs, digging up her toys, rolling in it, and just plain running around.
I think she is enjoying our rounds of storms more than anyone else in our household. Glad someone is having some fun!
Sunday, November 30
Sunday, May 11
Pansies
Yesterday afternoon I noticed that some very brave pansies made it through our long, snowy winter and have started to bloom! Pansies are my mom's favorite flowers and whenever I see them I think of her so it was nice timing for them to make an appearance since it's Mother's Day weekend.
Today we spent a few hours doing some spring cleanup in the yard. The kids helped me pull weeds and I cleared some of the dead stuff away. Scott even fired up the lawnmower. There is a LOT of bunch grass in our flower beds and it's a real workout to clear that junk. While pulling I found even more pansies coming back... hooray! It looks like even though the tulips and daffodils put up some nice foliage that they aren't going to bloom well; there are only a few buds and they are very small, it was just too cold I guess! There are a lot of other perennials coming back from last year, including monarda, poppy and goblin flowers. Spirea is starting to bud, lilacs are growing like crazy, and the rhododendron looks good. Not doing so well is an azalea and there's no sign of the lupines coming back. Oh well!
My excuse for not finishing? It started snowing. We scurried to put things away and hustled inside to get warm. It didn't last long, but by then I had washed "outside" off and changed clothes... so there is work to do some other day. I can hardly wait to get some annuals planted, and get some more color in our flower beds!
Today we spent a few hours doing some spring cleanup in the yard. The kids helped me pull weeds and I cleared some of the dead stuff away. Scott even fired up the lawnmower. There is a LOT of bunch grass in our flower beds and it's a real workout to clear that junk. While pulling I found even more pansies coming back... hooray! It looks like even though the tulips and daffodils put up some nice foliage that they aren't going to bloom well; there are only a few buds and they are very small, it was just too cold I guess! There are a lot of other perennials coming back from last year, including monarda, poppy and goblin flowers. Spirea is starting to bud, lilacs are growing like crazy, and the rhododendron looks good. Not doing so well is an azalea and there's no sign of the lupines coming back. Oh well!
My excuse for not finishing? It started snowing. We scurried to put things away and hustled inside to get warm. It didn't last long, but by then I had washed "outside" off and changed clothes... so there is work to do some other day. I can hardly wait to get some annuals planted, and get some more color in our flower beds!
Monday, April 21
Tulips
I like flowers. Not necessarily the kind sent in a bouquet. Usually the kind that I can enjoy in my yard, and occasionally snip to bring inside. I wish these were from my garden, but they're not. I bought these at Trader Joe's (only $2.99 a bunch!) about a week ago. I think tulips are at their most interesting and beautiful just before they drop their petals, like these!
Yes, you read this right. It's still snowing in Bend. In April. Even for Bend, that's late for there to be snow in town. My poor tulips don't know what to do. Mine are only a few inches tall, and started to lose hope that they will ever bloom this year. One day, it's 60 degrees and spring-like outside. The next day (or two or three) it snows again. At this point, I don't dare hope that they will find it in their little flower souls to bloom this year. If I were them, I would be pissed too.
On the other hand, the lilac bushes still seem to be doing OK. They are somewhat sheltered, against the South side of the house. They are growing, spreading, and putting out new leaves. From what I have heard lilacs like a good, cold winter. I wonder how they like a good, cold spring?
Yes, you read this right. It's still snowing in Bend. In April. Even for Bend, that's late for there to be snow in town. My poor tulips don't know what to do. Mine are only a few inches tall, and started to lose hope that they will ever bloom this year. One day, it's 60 degrees and spring-like outside. The next day (or two or three) it snows again. At this point, I don't dare hope that they will find it in their little flower souls to bloom this year. If I were them, I would be pissed too.
On the other hand, the lilac bushes still seem to be doing OK. They are somewhat sheltered, against the South side of the house. They are growing, spreading, and putting out new leaves. From what I have heard lilacs like a good, cold winter. I wonder how they like a good, cold spring?
Sunday, April 20
Bounce
Christopher Robin: You're next, Tigger. Jump!
Tigger: Jump? Tiggers don't jump. They bounce.
Bouncing... it's not just for Tiggers. Or for toddlers and "little kids". Today, we all bounced. Sometimes, we bounced up high. We bounced on slides, steps and mushrooms. We bounced in castles, elephants, and an obstacle course. They bounced balls, bounced on hippity-hops,
hula-hooped, and balanced on pogo balls.
The kids bounced for close to three hours. I took many, many breaks. It turns out bouncing is hard work!!
Therefore we are all very, very tired.
Wanna see the rest of the photos? Click here!
Tigger: Jump? Tiggers don't jump. They bounce.
Bouncing... it's not just for Tiggers. Or for toddlers and "little kids". Today, we all bounced. Sometimes, we bounced up high. We bounced on slides, steps and mushrooms. We bounced in castles, elephants, and an obstacle course. They bounced balls, bounced on hippity-hops,
Therefore we are all very, very tired.
Wanna see the rest of the photos? Click here!
Wednesday, April 9
Spring?
It's been a rough spring, weather-wise. No... I am not necessarily complaining. And I am not surprised either. But after a "warm snap" in February caused us to cancel the ice skating portion of Boo's birthday party... you can definitely say the weather is keeping us on our toes.
And I am SO glad I haven't attempted to "put up" the winter clothes yet. Just to give you an idea of the roller-coaster ride we are on...
In between the sporadic snow days, Scott is finding lots of opportunities to play golf. Since temperatures are supposed to reach the 60's and 70's by this weekend he already has a couple of tee times.
I am taking golf lessons in two weeks. Wanna take any bets on what they weather will be like by then? Yeah... me neither!
And I am SO glad I haven't attempted to "put up" the winter clothes yet. Just to give you an idea of the roller-coaster ride we are on...
In between the sporadic snow days, Scott is finding lots of opportunities to play golf. Since temperatures are supposed to reach the 60's and 70's by this weekend he already has a couple of tee times.
I am taking golf lessons in two weeks. Wanna take any bets on what they weather will be like by then? Yeah... me neither!
Friday, March 28
Nothing
Today, I am doing nothing.
I could have gone to work, but why? I already have the day off, so that I could drive to a quilter's retreat at Camp Cascade. I was finally going to finish Q.P.'s quilt and get some work done on other projects. But apparently Mother Nature doesn't agree with my quilting habit, since it's dumping so much snow on the pass that chains are required and they are discouraging anyone from traveling that doesn't have to.
So... instead of heading off to the office I am "doing nothing." And it feels pretty good. Actually, it's a lot of work to do nothing. Since the kids were planning for me to be gone I let them take over the living room as planned (including the "good" TV with the DVR and Wii) and stayed in bed late to read a book. That's right, I had some quiet time to read for fun. Bliss!
A little later Shannon mentioned that they were going to head over and check out the new Trader Joe's. Ordinarily I wouldn't go to an eagerly anticipated store on opening day but heck, why not? Q.P. decided to come with me, while Stinky stayed home to enjoy some "alone time" with the Wii. Yes, it was crowded. But we picked up some good stuff (some needed, and some just because) and for the most part everyone at the store was friendly and happy. Say whatever you will about Trader Joe's... but you have to admit that their price point on a lot of "staples" and produce can't be beat elsewhere in town. And I love the little mini gingersnaps and dark-chocolate-dipped "Joe Joe's". We used to stock up on those when visiting friends in Portland or Scott's daughter in Eugene... it might be a little dangerous now that I can just drive to the north end of town for them!
Since we were in that neck of the woods anyways, we went to Target next. I knew that at least one child was in desperate need of socks, and we still owed Burger an iTunes card for babysitting earlier this month. There is some mystical force at work inside Target, and I can never get out without buying lots of extra stuff. But it's usually stuff that is so marked down that I can't resist. There was still a lot of Easter merchandise, and all of it was marked down 75%. Can you say "score"? One of the best things about post-holiday clearance is the stuff that is only marginally holiday related. Like the sports-themed baskets, socks, and dishes that we picked up in addition to jelly beans and Reese's peanut butter eggs.
After all that shopping (and looking at candy) we were hungry. I love crepes and have been wanting to try Batter & Beans in downtown Bend. Q.P. was intrigued by the idea of crepes and agreed that was the place we should go for some lunch. We took the owner's suggestion to order one "savory" crepe to share... so that we would have room for a sweet crepe for dessert. I let Q.P. pick the fillings for both. We had one with ham and cheddar (and added tomatoes on my half) then one with bananas and caramel. (After which I ran home for some migraine meds, since bananas are a MAJOR trigger. But it was just too good to resist!) Yummmm... we will definitely be back. I want to try a crepe filled with spinach, mushrooms, bacon, and cream cheese. The one thing they are missing from the "sweet" menu is cinnamon apples. I think a sweet crepe with cinnamon apples and caramel would be perfection!!
And now... back to my not-regularly-scheduled day of doing nothing. I highly recommend it!
I could have gone to work, but why? I already have the day off, so that I could drive to a quilter's retreat at Camp Cascade. I was finally going to finish Q.P.'s quilt and get some work done on other projects. But apparently Mother Nature doesn't agree with my quilting habit, since it's dumping so much snow on the pass that chains are required and they are discouraging anyone from traveling that doesn't have to.
So... instead of heading off to the office I am "doing nothing." And it feels pretty good. Actually, it's a lot of work to do nothing. Since the kids were planning for me to be gone I let them take over the living room as planned (including the "good" TV with the DVR and Wii) and stayed in bed late to read a book. That's right, I had some quiet time to read for fun. Bliss!
A little later Shannon mentioned that they were going to head over and check out the new Trader Joe's. Ordinarily I wouldn't go to an eagerly anticipated store on opening day but heck, why not? Q.P. decided to come with me, while Stinky stayed home to enjoy some "alone time" with the Wii. Yes, it was crowded. But we picked up some good stuff (some needed, and some just because) and for the most part everyone at the store was friendly and happy. Say whatever you will about Trader Joe's... but you have to admit that their price point on a lot of "staples" and produce can't be beat elsewhere in town. And I love the little mini gingersnaps and dark-chocolate-dipped "Joe Joe's". We used to stock up on those when visiting friends in Portland or Scott's daughter in Eugene... it might be a little dangerous now that I can just drive to the north end of town for them!
Since we were in that neck of the woods anyways, we went to Target next. I knew that at least one child was in desperate need of socks, and we still owed Burger an iTunes card for babysitting earlier this month. There is some mystical force at work inside Target, and I can never get out without buying lots of extra stuff. But it's usually stuff that is so marked down that I can't resist. There was still a lot of Easter merchandise, and all of it was marked down 75%. Can you say "score"? One of the best things about post-holiday clearance is the stuff that is only marginally holiday related. Like the sports-themed baskets, socks, and dishes that we picked up in addition to jelly beans and Reese's peanut butter eggs.
After all that shopping (and looking at candy) we were hungry. I love crepes and have been wanting to try Batter & Beans in downtown Bend. Q.P. was intrigued by the idea of crepes and agreed that was the place we should go for some lunch. We took the owner's suggestion to order one "savory" crepe to share... so that we would have room for a sweet crepe for dessert. I let Q.P. pick the fillings for both. We had one with ham and cheddar (and added tomatoes on my half) then one with bananas and caramel. (After which I ran home for some migraine meds, since bananas are a MAJOR trigger. But it was just too good to resist!) Yummmm... we will definitely be back. I want to try a crepe filled with spinach, mushrooms, bacon, and cream cheese. The one thing they are missing from the "sweet" menu is cinnamon apples. I think a sweet crepe with cinnamon apples and caramel would be perfection!!
And now... back to my not-regularly-scheduled day of doing nothing. I highly recommend it!
Labels:
Bend,
ponderings,
Q.P.,
snow,
Stinky
Wednesday, March 26
Precipitation
Right now, the kids are out of school for Spring Break. Which means I am trapped at home with the little rapscallions, trying to get my day job and my other job done. How do you think that's going? Yeah - you are probably right. Anyhoo, the "spring" in our "break" is not stopping the winter weather. It's still cold and crisp... and we got more SNOW!
It wasn't much snow - barely half an inch. But it has been spitting flakes off and on all morning, so I am sure there is more to come. To celebrate our endless winter I am taking the kids to the pool so they can go swimming. Meanwhile I am going to find some coffee, maybe a cupcake, and some much needed "grownup time" with some girl friends.
And yes, it's an indoor pool. I'm not THAT mean. :P
It wasn't much snow - barely half an inch. But it has been spitting flakes off and on all morning, so I am sure there is more to come. To celebrate our endless winter I am taking the kids to the pool so they can go swimming. Meanwhile I am going to find some coffee, maybe a cupcake, and some much needed "grownup time" with some girl friends.
And yes, it's an indoor pool. I'm not THAT mean. :P
Labels:
snow
Saturday, March 15
Sprung
It's not exactly Spring here. It snowed again last night, and it's still below freezing almost every night. Scott has plans to play golf today, and I think he's nuts because the weather is still a bit "iffy". But this morning there is blue sky, and my yard is showing signs of waking up from a long winter's rest.
We have tulips:
And my new lilac bushes (planted last July) didn't die!
We have tulips:
And my new lilac bushes (planted last July) didn't die!
Saturday, February 16
Benumbed
My toes are still cold. Maybe by tomorrow they will be thawed... Maybe. But it was well worth it! RHPB, Stinky and I made the trip up to Swampy Lakes Sno Park to watch the Ice Crit again this year. Where were you?!
The weather has been darn nice lately so we wondered how that would impact the race. All the ice and snow were gone from the pavement, so the organizers added some of their own. When we arrived they were busy digging snow off the "walls" and spreading it around the course. It looked iffy in some spots and downright dangerous in others.
Across from the finish line, a jump was erected with a fire pit in the middle. There were several small fires (in portable "pits") along the sidelines to keep spectators warm as well.
Not too long after the jump fire was lit, the race started. There were probably ten racers, and some of them wore costumes. The crowd cheered for all of them... and cheered louder when they made the jump!
In the end, of course awards were given for first, second, and third place finishes... but there were also trophies for "Best Wipeout" and "Best Costume".
It was a good time, and nice to see a little bit bigger crowd than last year. The good folks at Cog Wild seem to be stepping in to support this event so hopefully next year it will be even better!
Great job to all the racers... we are already looking forward to next year's event! If you want to see more pictures click here!


Across from the finish line, a jump was erected with a fire pit in the middle. There were several small fires (in portable "pits") along the sidelines to keep spectators warm as well.

Not too long after the jump fire was lit, the race started. There were probably ten racers, and some of them wore costumes. The crowd cheered for all of them... and cheered louder when they made the jump!

It was a good time, and nice to see a little bit bigger crowd than last year. The good folks at Cog Wild seem to be stepping in to support this event so hopefully next year it will be even better!
Great job to all the racers... we are already looking forward to next year's event! If you want to see more pictures click here!

Wednesday, January 9
Snow
Just like many other bloggers in Bend, we have a lot of snow in our neighborhood. By the end of the day yesterday (Tuesday) there was about six inches. That's apparently a LOT for the East side of town. So we made the most of it and enjoyed it!
Divot loves the snow. The highlight of our trip to Eugene last month for her was stopping at the top of the pass so that she could run and roll around on it. She loves it when anyone throws snowballs at her. Her favorite thing to do is try to catch them in her mouth and then quickly crunch them into little pieces. She would chase snowballs, big and small, for hours. What a weird dog! Scott started making huge snowballs, and lobbing them high in the air for Divot to catch. Like the one in the photo to the right - which was taken just moments before it smashed onto her nose, and broke into tiny pieces. Still, she wanted moremoremore! Long after we went inside for the night, she sat by the window looking out at the snow.
And yes, of course the kids love the snow too. They bundled up in their snow pants, boots, hats and gloves and headed outside. The roads in our neighborhood are just steep enough to slide down, and they started packing a sledding hill at the park across the street, too. Some other kids from the area were out playing too, and the shrieks and giggles could probably be heard for miles.
Meanwhile Scott and I shoveled. And shoveled some more. And some more. We don't have a long driveway by any stretch of the imagination. But it took the two of us more than an hour to clear it, as well as the sidewalks. Yes, today I am soooore!
It was starting to get dark, but the girls wanted to build a snow man. They did a great job and now we have a "stranded Mt Bachelor skiier" snow man in our yard. Complete with (really old, pointy) skis, poles, and lift pass. How cute is that? My favorite part is the hat.
Happy snow day!



It was starting to get dark, but the girls wanted to build a snow man. They did a great job and now we have a "stranded Mt Bachelor skiier" snow man in our yard. Complete with (really old, pointy) skis, poles, and lift pass. How cute is that? My favorite part is the hat.

Friday, December 7
Inservice
Today was an Inservice day, grading day, or some obscure holiday (Pearl Harbor Day?) so the kids didn't have school. But Scott and I had to work. Boo is off at her dad's, but I planned to work from home anyways because we have many stashes and caches of Christmas loot around the house. I didn't want to give Q.P. and Stinky the opportunity to dig around. Then last night Q.P.'s friend (we'll call her Miss M) spent the night, and she ended up spending the day here as well.
Which made "working from home" more like "referee between emails". I didn't accomplish as much as I would have liked, but I probably still got more done than if I had been in the office.
It was actually pretty quiet until about 11 this morning. By then everyone was up and milling around, and wanting to watch cartoons or whatever. Stinky was hanging out in the living room, and made some paper snow flakes. Q.P. needed to clean her room and get her birthday party invitations ready. After the room was sufficiently un-messed, the girls ran over to Miss M's to pick up some supplies. When they came back we had a quick lunch and they got to work. They made some really cute invite's that look like flip-flop sandals. They also made a big, crafty mess.
Next they all gathered around the table and I took a break to teach them how to make these really nifty 3-D snowflakes. This kept them busy (and quiet) for about an hour. If you have older kids (probably 9 and up) this is a really fun way to keep the kids busy for a while. And who doesn't have paper, tape, and a stapler (I recommend the red Swingline model) around the house? Okay... so I couldn't find our stapler, so we borrowed Miss M's. But I know that I will find it some day.
Miss M hung hers around Divot's neck. Doesn't she make a nice model?
Finally it was time to clean up. And then a wrestling match (girls vs. boy of course). Miss M and Q.P. had Stinky pinned to the floor in no time. Then time to finish cleaning. :) Just as they were done Scott got home, and admired their handiwork. For once he thought one of our cheezy day-off-school craft projects was cool. He wants us to make some ginormous snowflakes to hang around the house.

Stinky, Miss M, and Q.P. are snow flaky.
Which made "working from home" more like "referee between emails". I didn't accomplish as much as I would have liked, but I probably still got more done than if I had been in the office.
It was actually pretty quiet until about 11 this morning. By then everyone was up and milling around, and wanting to watch cartoons or whatever. Stinky was hanging out in the living room, and made some paper snow flakes. Q.P. needed to clean her room and get her birthday party invitations ready. After the room was sufficiently un-messed, the girls ran over to Miss M's to pick up some supplies. When they came back we had a quick lunch and they got to work. They made some really cute invite's that look like flip-flop sandals. They also made a big, crafty mess.

Miss M hung hers around Divot's neck. Doesn't she make a nice model?
Finally it was time to clean up. And then a wrestling match (girls vs. boy of course). Miss M and Q.P. had Stinky pinned to the floor in no time. Then time to finish cleaning. :) Just as they were done Scott got home, and admired their handiwork. For once he thought one of our cheezy day-off-school craft projects was cool. He wants us to make some ginormous snowflakes to hang around the house.

Monday, November 12
Bus-iness
Good news today!
In a previous post I lamented the apparent closure of the former "Bachelor bus" park and ride lot, off Simpson and Colorado.
According to an article in today's Bulletin the new owners of the lot have agreed to let Bachelor use the lot for one more season. Obviously this is good news... especially for all the folks who had already purchased season bus passes. And it was the right thing for the new property owner to do, IMHO.
Happy skiing and snowboarding, all!
In a previous post I lamented the apparent closure of the former "Bachelor bus" park and ride lot, off Simpson and Colorado.
According to an article in today's Bulletin the new owners of the lot have agreed to let Bachelor use the lot for one more season. Obviously this is good news... especially for all the folks who had already purchased season bus passes. And it was the right thing for the new property owner to do, IMHO.
Happy skiing and snowboarding, all!
Labels:
Bend,
cool,
nablopomo07,
snow
Saturday, October 20
Thursday, October 11
Bus-ted
In my travels the other day I noticed a large sign announcing that the Mt Bachelor Park & Ride lot is CLOSED effective October 8th. This is the large lot off Simpson and Colorado, where the Mt Bachelor shuttle bus has picked up and dropped off people heading to the ski area in years past.
I checked the Mt Bachelor website and didn't see anything about the shuttle service changing, and the site still states that they are selling bus passes. Currently the site states:
If anyone from Mt Bachelor is reading this... what's up? I have friends that have already purchased their season bus passes and they are steaming. Is there a plan in place, or did they waste their money?
I checked the Mt Bachelor website and didn't see anything about the shuttle service changing, and the site still states that they are selling bus passes. Currently the site states:
You can catch the Mt. Bachelor Super Shuttle at the Bend Park-N-Ride on the corner of Simpson and Colorado on the west side of Bend.Since ski season is still 4-6 weeks away hopefully this information will be updated soon. If you have purchased or are planning to use the shuttle to get to the mountain I suggest you keep an eye on their webpage for updated information.
If anyone from Mt Bachelor is reading this... what's up? I have friends that have already purchased their season bus passes and they are steaming. Is there a plan in place, or did they waste their money?
Tuesday, January 30
Friday, December 29
Friday, December 22
Snowboarding
This year when I asked the kids to write their Christmas wish lists, Stinky presented me with a piece of paper with exactly one thing written on it:
SNOWBOARDING
So... he got his Christmas wish. Today was the first day of Christmas break for his school, so I took him up to Mt. Bachelor and he took a full day lesson (at Sunrise Lodge). He was a little nervous on the drive up. When I picked him up he said he had a great day and wants to go again!
Since I wasn't on the slopes today, no action shots. But I did catch him as they pulled in to the parent pick-up area:
SNOWBOARDING
So... he got his Christmas wish. Today was the first day of Christmas break for his school, so I took him up to Mt. Bachelor and he took a full day lesson (at Sunrise Lodge). He was a little nervous on the drive up. When I picked him up he said he had a great day and wants to go again!
Since I wasn't on the slopes today, no action shots. But I did catch him as they pulled in to the parent pick-up area:

Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)