looking for some spring cheer?

the view from the living room - lots of yard work to do when it warms up

Are you looking for some spring cheer?

Me too!

It's still boring out there.

No pretty green.

No leaves or blossoms on the trees.

No snow.

Wait!

There's no snow!

Well that sure makes me feel better!

{we still had a lot of snow this time last year}

Oh, but I need some warmth to the air.

Some warm breezes from the south to touch the earth

and make those little green grass shoots spring up.

Not the cold northerly winds blowing off the Bay of

St. Lawrence and sweeping across the province.

green and yellow ~ sigh

I even like dandelions and weeds in the grass.

Well, there is one bright spot in the landscape.

Crocuses!!

Crocus in bloom last week.  The earliest in years!

The only thing is, I have to bundle up in a toque and heavy

winter jacket and go around the house to enjoy this site!

And only when the sun is shining as they close up in the shade.

I guess I shouldn't complain.

It could look like this...

April Fool's Day snow storm last year!!

{I sure hope we don't get this much snow again until December!}

I guess I need to think positive and count my blessings

don't I.  It could be a lot worse.

And, the sun is shining!!

I made a craft today which I may show you soon.

I'll see how it looks hanging on the bedroom wall.

Take care and have a blessed weekend!

Hugs,

Pamela

bunnies on the loose

china hutch

My china hutch is all decked out for spring.

I changed a few things and added some bunnies

and a nest in a teacup.

Can you see the white dog hairs?  They were shed by our dog, Marshall.

I've actually watched sparrows collect his hair in their beaks for their nests.

Isn't that the cutest?

I love flowered china!  The large oval platter has some

bad cracks but I love the pink roses so I can't throw it out!

The Bridal Rose teacup holds a real bird nest.

The cut glass milk pitcher holds dried lavender

from the garden.

The antique ironstone creamer I found recently is holding some pretty silver spoons.

The brown and white transfer ware plate was found in a shop.

Do you see the little tiny chickies?  They are really old.

Two more bunnies hopped over to the antique oak commode stand.

The table runner is vintage as is the hand painted flowered plate and basket.

It's looking like spring and Easter inside but outside it's still

looking like early spring - brown grass, bare trees and mud.

It's snowing tonight as I write this post so we make awake to white on the brown grass.  Good fertilizer.

I hope you are having a wonderful week.

I am joining Kathy at A Delightsome Life for

Home and Garden Thursday

Have a great day!

Blessings,

Pamela

barns of Kings Landing

A few of the barns at Kings Landing Historical Settlement.

The barn with the sky blue doors.  My favorite.

All photos taken March 18, 2012 at

Kings Landing Historical Settlement

www.kingslanding.nb.ca

I am joining Tricia at Bluff Area Daily for

Barn Charm

Blessings,

Pamela

water through the dam

The St. John River (headpond) above the Mactaquac Dam. (the dam is on the left)

It's spring runoff and flood season here in New Brunswick.

The St. John River flows from northern Maine down through

New Brunswick into the Bay of Fundy at Saint John.

All the snow melts gradually and sometimes, as in

the past week, very quickly filling up the brooks, streams

and smaller rivers that flow into the St. John River.

As with any spring melt there can be flooding.  The river

was frozen over and the force of the water pushed the ice

into ice dams that forced against islands, land, bridges etc.

blocking the flow of water.  The water then backs up and

floods low lying areas. 

That is what has happened in the

small village of Perth-Andover which is about a 2 hour drive

up river from here.  The main street area of both sides of this

village is under water.  A state of emergency has been declared

in this village as basic services have been cut off.  Homes,

businesses, the funeral home, and the hospital have been flooded.

It's a sad situation for hundreds.  Please pray for those affected.

The Mactaquac Hydro Electric Dam

This dam controls the flow of water from the upper basin

of the St. John River.  When the spring runoff occurs, some

of the gates are opened to relieve the water pressure on the dam.

Water pours through the gates.

This is quite a sight to see.  Tons of water forcing through

the spillways of the dam.  There are 3 gates opened on this

part of the dam.

This is farm land below the dam.  The water came within 2 feet of the road then receded.

Thankfully, the weather has turned cooler and the water has receded.  Most of the snow is gone.  After a week of above

seasonal temperatures in the low to high 20's (70'sF) we

are back to normal cooler spring weather.

There were a few visitors in the back field last week.

I watched 7 deer just after sunrise as they fed on the green

sprouts pushing through the dead grass behind our property.

These two posed for me.

That snow is gone!

How is spring blooming in your area?

I'm seeing lots of pretty flowers and blossoms around blogland.

I hope you have a wonderful week!

Blessings

Pamela

Kings Landing Sugar Bush Weekend

Maple candy on the snow.  This lady is pouring hot maple syrup

onto the snow and rolling it onto the end of wooden sticks.

Yummy!

It was Sugar Bush weekend at Kings Landing Historical Settlement last weekend.

My friend, her 2 children and I went up on Sunday afternoon.

 

It was sunny and very warm, almost hot, weather -

very unusual for New Brunswick in March.

The weather has broken records all week so I'm not

complaining.  It was actually 28 C on Wednesday!

The snow is pretty well all gone.

Just look at that mud...

...and the water flowing everywhere.

Poor Mrs. Joslin had a lot of dirty floors to clean after

everyone tramped through her farmhouse!

The kids loved playing in the rivulets.

You may have heard of 'hoofprints' ice cream....

this is just hoofprints in the mud.   :)

Spinning class - 1800's style

{Mrs. Joslin and her daughter}

St. Mark's Chapel and The Perley House

A view of the beautiful St. John River.  The ice is covered with

water from melting snow.

 

The Grist Mill (on the left) and the Saw Mill.

The water was flowing over the mill dam.

An oak bucket hanging on a tree spile gathering the sap as it drips.

Boiling the sap in iron pots over an open fire.

The above wooden trays are for making maple sugar candy

and the man is showing a collection of wood and metal spiles.

Would you like to go on a wagon ride to the sugar bush?

If you live nearby you can go this weekend.

Don't forget the big breakfast on Saturday and Sunday

mornings.  The money raised goes to the local

Search And Rescue organization.

Thank you to all who visited and commented on my last post

for the Greeting Card Photo Meme this week.  That was a fun

linky to do and I enjoyed visiting around with the

other participants.

Also, I would like to welcome all my new followers!

Thank You!!!

Our 'summer' weather has ended.  We are back to more

typical March weather now but still above normal

temperatures.  The high temperatures have caused the snow

to melt and ice to dam up causing the rivers to flood their banks.

In one community homes, businesses, a school, a church

and a hospital have been inundated with icy water and

a state of emergency has been declared.  I feel so badly for

all those affected.

This flooding usually occurs in April or May so it's very 

early for it this year.

We wonder what the rest of spring will bring weather wise.

It's nice to have beautiful warm sunny days but

it has it's downside as well.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a good weekend!

Blessings,

Pamela 

note card photos ~ a new meme

lilacs in a basket

My dear blog friend Vee, at "A Haven For Vee",

has challenged us to choose 4 of our favorite photos

that could be used for note cards.

Join me for a Note Card Photo Party at Vee's.

ticking stripe straw mattress at Kings Landing Historical Settlement

This was a real challenge for me as I have thousands

of photos to choose from.

These are just a few of my favorites.

birdies in the garden

I use a lot of my photos for greeting cards that I make

from card stock and envelopes I purchase.

It is inexpensive to print the photos at a print machine

at a local store so I save a lot of money making my own cards.

sunrise at Myrtle Beach

Thank you Vee for hosting this party today.

It was fun to take part.

Please drop by and visit Vee for a

Note Card Photo Party

Blessings,

Pamela

springtime tea party

                                   Sandi, at Rose Chintz Cottage, is hosting a
                                                  Spring Tea 
                                          for Tea Time Tuesday.


We have had some glorious spring weather here and are looking forward to more this week.  I'm afraid it won't last as it's
just too early for it in our area but, I will enjoy it while we have it!

Spring weather brings thoughts of new life ~ trees bursting into bud, spring flowers blooming, and green grass.  The birds are returning from down south and new babies are arriving on the farm.  The snow is melting and the rivers and streams are opening up from winter's icy grip.  It's a beautiful time of year!  It's a season of hope and expectation.

 I enjoy having friends for tea and love to use my pretty china cups.

I have set my table with an assortment of teacups in

greens and blues.

My teacups are all Royal Albert.

The blue one is un-named, the second one is Lily of the Valley,

the third one is Forget Me Not, the fourth is Trillium and

the one in the foreground is Debutante Series - Charm.

spring tulips from the grocery store (and from PEI where Sandi lives)

shortbread cookies are my favorite

ruffled edge pedestal plate from Pier One

pretty paper napkins

a sweet bunny all ready for spring

I love the pastel colours of spring.

Thank you for joining me for tea today.

I hope you will join Sandi as she hosts this wonderful

Spring Tea.  You will find a lot of other tea parties

over there.

Have a beautiful day!

Blessings,

Pamela

I am also linking with these other tea related memes:

A Return to Lovliness

Tuesday Cuppa Tea

sunny Sunday

It was a glorious sunny and very warm weekend here.

It was 19 C. today! 

My friend, her 2 children and I went to

Kings Landing Historical Settlement

this sunny Sunday afternoon as it was Sugarbush Weekend.

This lady was sitting in a sunny window and teaching children

how to knit a dishcloth.

I like the play of sunlight on her dress, hands and the cloth.

the water was flowing and there was mud everywhere

I'm joining with Sunlit Sunday # 11

at My Little Home and Garden.

I'll be posting more photos of our afternoon at

Kings Landing later in the week.

Don't forget that Sandi is hosting a Spring Tea

for Tea Time Tuesday starting Monday.

~ And ~

Vee is hosting a Greeting Card Party on Wednesday.

To join choose 4 of your favorite photos you would

use as a greeting card and post it on her linky.

The links for these are on my sidebar.

I'll be joining both of these parties.

See you soon!

Blessings,

Pamela

spring is in the air

the deer are yarding on the hill

There is definitely more than a hint of spring in the air

here this weekend.

Today it's sunny and about 10 celsius (50 F) and this

weather is going to hold for about 5 days.

sunset Friday March 9 ~ deer on the hill

I counted at least 24

We always get a huge snowstorm around St. Patrick's Day

and this year it came on Wednesday night.

We got about 20 cm. of wet snow which made a

winter wonderland of the landscape yet again.

snow cones ~ March 15

{snow on hydrangea blossoms}

This afternoon I can hear the water running through

the eaves trough and down the gutter.

The melt is on.

the end of the downspout drain ~ water, seeds,  needles, melting snow, green grass

I hear it may go up to 20 C. next Wednesday.

daffodils poking through the leaves ~ there was a drift of snow on them yesterday

So yes, spring is definitely in the air.

I hope it stays.

I am looking forward to the many greens and then the burst of colour in the blossoms that will follow.  I can't wait to feel warm breezes and sunshine on my face and smell the spring smells.

I have noticed a few more birds that are returning from

their winter vacation too.

What a grand time of year!

Wishing you spring in your heart today!

Blessings,

Pamela