I've been busy uploading pictures to our flickr account and found these wintertime scenes I thought you'd enjoy.
Showing posts with label winter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label winter. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Thursday, January 22, 2009
A friend forwarded this to us, and I thought it was pretty cute. HOWEVER, I will say this - we Iowans are not as tough as our neighbors to the north - Minnesotans, Canadians, Alaskans etc. :)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
_COLD IS A RELATIVE THING. . . . . . .
65 above zero:
Floridians turn on the heat.
People in Iowa plant gardens.
60 above zero:
Californians shiver uncontrollably.
People in Iowa sunbathe.
50 above zero:
Italian & English cars won't start.
People in Iowa drive with the windows
down.
40 above zero:
Georgians don coats, thermal underwear, gloves,
wool hats.
People in Iowa throw on a flannel shirt.
35 above zero:
New York landlords finally turn up the heat.
People in Iowa have the last cookout
before it gets cold.
20 above Zero:
People in Miami all die.
Iowans close the windows.
Zero:
Californians fly away to Mexico .
People in Iowa get out their winter coats.
10 below zero:
Hollywood disintegrates.
The Girl Scouts in Iowa are selling
cookies door to door.
20 below zero:
Washington DC runs out of hot air.
People in Iowa let the dogs sleep indoors.
30 below zero:
Santa Claus abandons the North Pole.
Iowans get upset because they can't start the Snow-mobile.
40 below zero:
ALL atomic motion stops.
People in Iowa start saying...'Cold enough fer ya?'
50 below zero:
Hell freezes over.
Iowa public schools will open 2 hours late.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
_COLD IS A RELATIVE THING. . . . . . .
65 above zero:
Floridians turn on the heat.
People in Iowa plant gardens.
60 above zero:
Californians shiver uncontrollably.
People in Iowa sunbathe.
50 above zero:
Italian & English cars won't start.
People in Iowa drive with the windows
down.
40 above zero:
Georgians don coats, thermal underwear, gloves,
wool hats.
People in Iowa throw on a flannel shirt.
35 above zero:
New York landlords finally turn up the heat.
People in Iowa have the last cookout
before it gets cold.
20 above Zero:
People in Miami all die.
Iowans close the windows.
Zero:
Californians fly away to Mexico .
People in Iowa get out their winter coats.
10 below zero:
Hollywood disintegrates.
The Girl Scouts in Iowa are selling
cookies door to door.
20 below zero:
Washington DC runs out of hot air.
People in Iowa let the dogs sleep indoors.
30 below zero:
Santa Claus abandons the North Pole.
Iowans get upset because they can't start the Snow-mobile.
40 below zero:
ALL atomic motion stops.
People in Iowa start saying...'Cold enough fer ya?'
50 below zero:
Hell freezes over.
Iowa public schools will open 2 hours late.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
EGADS it's cold.
How cold? Check out a pic of our neighbor's* thermometer this morning!
So the projected HIGH today is -5. It's approximately -15 right now. as soon as I finish this blog post I'm going to pile on several layers of clothing and attempt to start my van. BECAUSE *drum roll* Donna just called and said her driveway has just been cleared. So we can get to work! and hopefully get the computer set up with a minimum of swearing.
I'll let you know when we're up and running. Meanwhile, bundle up everyone.
*Miss Effie actually lives several hours away, but in the "country" sense, a neighbor is anyone you are neighborly with - or neighbor with. (Yes, it can be a verb. trust me.) Also for the purposes of the international internet community, she is our neighbor in that she lives in the same state as us. Heck, I consider our customers in Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin, etc. to be neighbors too. So, howdy neighbors!
How cold? Check out a pic of our neighbor's* thermometer this morning!
So the projected HIGH today is -5. It's approximately -15 right now. as soon as I finish this blog post I'm going to pile on several layers of clothing and attempt to start my van. BECAUSE *drum roll* Donna just called and said her driveway has just been cleared. So we can get to work! and hopefully get the computer set up with a minimum of swearing.
I'll let you know when we're up and running. Meanwhile, bundle up everyone.
*Miss Effie actually lives several hours away, but in the "country" sense, a neighbor is anyone you are neighborly with - or neighbor with. (Yes, it can be a verb. trust me.) Also for the purposes of the international internet community, she is our neighbor in that she lives in the same state as us. Heck, I consider our customers in Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin, etc. to be neighbors too. So, howdy neighbors!
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Mercury is retrograde. *sigh*
So, here is the most important thing you need to know: Our computer crashed and we're snowed out of or shop. SO, rest assured - we will get back to normal tomorrow (We think) but if you have emailed us in the last few days, we are NOT ignoring you, we just are having some temporary technical difficulties, and we thank you for your patience!
Now, the long-winded version of that announcement.
Tuesdays are always busy days for us, because we are closed Sundays and Mondays, so we have lots of orders to process and pack, phone calls to return, emails to answer, etc. So it was quite a shock to our system to show up on Tuesday (yesterday) to find that our computer had mysteriously stopped working.
Now, it probably shouldn't have been a surprise. Our Gateway is 4-5 years old, and is a WELL-USED machine. See, our business runs pretty much entirely with that machine. We use it to pull orders, answer emails, process credit cards, and print labels. Without it, we grind to a halt pretty much immediately.
So, we spent the morning trying to trouble-shoot, and fix the durn thing. (Those of you who know Donna and I are now laughing hysterically at the idea of us trying to fix a computer. We can use the things just fine but fix them - um, no. Lots of "um, errrrr"''s were muttered, heads were scratched, toes were scuffed, swear words invoked.
A note: The weather yesterday was dreadful. COLD, and we had had loads of snow and blowing the day before. We had to brave snowdrifts up to our butts (yes, literally) to tromp through to get from the house to the shop. (Necessary, because house has food and a bathroom and our shop does not).
We eventually decided to give it up, and just buy a new computer. So the search ensued. We figured out what we wanted to spend and poked around online, then decided Maggie should just drive to Des Moines and buy one.
Off I go in my van to Des Moines, to visit 3 different stores. Meanwhile, it starts snowing. ALOT. and then some more. Oh, and look - the wind is picking up! Great. By the time I visit 4 stores to figure out what we want, and actually make the purchase, we have a little mini-blizzard going on. I head home. Wine was consumed.
This morning, we woke up to big snowdrifts. For those of you who haven't visited our farm, lemme 'splain. The setup is thus: we have 2 acres (almost) of land. Donna's house is on the land, as well as our shop and various outbuildings. It is on a gravel road, surrounded by cornfields, pretty much in the middle of nowhere. The part of Iowa we live in is very, very flat, and when we get blowing snow, we can easily get drifts several feet high, making it impossible (impassible?) to get around. So even a few inches of snow, combined with high winds, can REALLY screw things up.
So, Donna is currently ensconced in her warm house, surrounded by large snowdrifts. The winds are still howling. The HIGH temperature for the day is 2 degrees. The low? So glad you asked. A balmy -14. The winds are holding steady at 15 to 20 mph with some gusts up to 29 mph, giving us a delightful windchill factor of -20 or so. Eventually, the winds will slow down. At some point after that, the county trucks will plow out her road. And at some point after THAT, our nice snow guy will come plow out or driveway so we can get to the shop.
Until then, the new computer waits patiently in my van, 30 miles away, and Donna waits, not at ALL patiently, for her new computer to show up. You folks have NO idea how much it is bothering her that she can't fill your orders and answer your emails!
So until then, stay warm y'all.....we'll be in touch with tomorrow...hopefully......
So, here is the most important thing you need to know: Our computer crashed and we're snowed out of or shop. SO, rest assured - we will get back to normal tomorrow (We think) but if you have emailed us in the last few days, we are NOT ignoring you, we just are having some temporary technical difficulties, and we thank you for your patience!
Now, the long-winded version of that announcement.
Tuesdays are always busy days for us, because we are closed Sundays and Mondays, so we have lots of orders to process and pack, phone calls to return, emails to answer, etc. So it was quite a shock to our system to show up on Tuesday (yesterday) to find that our computer had mysteriously stopped working.
Now, it probably shouldn't have been a surprise. Our Gateway is 4-5 years old, and is a WELL-USED machine. See, our business runs pretty much entirely with that machine. We use it to pull orders, answer emails, process credit cards, and print labels. Without it, we grind to a halt pretty much immediately.
So, we spent the morning trying to trouble-shoot, and fix the durn thing. (Those of you who know Donna and I are now laughing hysterically at the idea of us trying to fix a computer. We can use the things just fine but fix them - um, no. Lots of "um, errrrr"''s were muttered, heads were scratched, toes were scuffed, swear words invoked.
A note: The weather yesterday was dreadful. COLD, and we had had loads of snow and blowing the day before. We had to brave snowdrifts up to our butts (yes, literally) to tromp through to get from the house to the shop. (Necessary, because house has food and a bathroom and our shop does not).
We eventually decided to give it up, and just buy a new computer. So the search ensued. We figured out what we wanted to spend and poked around online, then decided Maggie should just drive to Des Moines and buy one.
Off I go in my van to Des Moines, to visit 3 different stores. Meanwhile, it starts snowing. ALOT. and then some more. Oh, and look - the wind is picking up! Great. By the time I visit 4 stores to figure out what we want, and actually make the purchase, we have a little mini-blizzard going on. I head home. Wine was consumed.
This morning, we woke up to big snowdrifts. For those of you who haven't visited our farm, lemme 'splain. The setup is thus: we have 2 acres (almost) of land. Donna's house is on the land, as well as our shop and various outbuildings. It is on a gravel road, surrounded by cornfields, pretty much in the middle of nowhere. The part of Iowa we live in is very, very flat, and when we get blowing snow, we can easily get drifts several feet high, making it impossible (impassible?) to get around. So even a few inches of snow, combined with high winds, can REALLY screw things up.
So, Donna is currently ensconced in her warm house, surrounded by large snowdrifts. The winds are still howling. The HIGH temperature for the day is 2 degrees. The low? So glad you asked. A balmy -14. The winds are holding steady at 15 to 20 mph with some gusts up to 29 mph, giving us a delightful windchill factor of -20 or so. Eventually, the winds will slow down. At some point after that, the county trucks will plow out her road. And at some point after THAT, our nice snow guy will come plow out or driveway so we can get to the shop.
Until then, the new computer waits patiently in my van, 30 miles away, and Donna waits, not at ALL patiently, for her new computer to show up. You folks have NO idea how much it is bothering her that she can't fill your orders and answer your emails!
So until then, stay warm y'all.....we'll be in touch with tomorrow...hopefully......
Sunday, December 07, 2008
It's damn cold here - especially for this early in December. The other day, we had rain, followed by snow and rapidly dropping temps. You know what that means - ice. Urgh. :( The only good thing about it, was this gorgeous ice sculpture that appeared. The rain ran off the metal roof on the barn, down onto this bit of chicken wire - then froze. John got a great picture of it just as the low, late-afternoon sun was shining on it. I guess there is always beauty - in any kind of weather!
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Well, it appears that winter is on it's way.
We had snow already, which I find disgusting beyond belief. It actually snowed all day last Friday. The ground was warm, so there was barely any accumulation - a mere dusting of snow that melted on Saturday. But STILL. snow. :(
It's been grey, overcast, windy, and cold for the last few days. I think we narrowly missed an ice storm last night. This morning my deck, grill and fence were covered with ice, but the roads and driveways are fine.
It always surprises me how many people assume that our farm closes for the winter, or that we get to our "slow season" after the harvest is done. HARDLY! During October, as the harvest and garden work is winding down, we make a concerted effort to start stocking the store. See, we make, package,and label darn near everything in our little shop - which takes an awful darn lot of time. Not only do we do that, but we of course have to make sure all our herbs are dried and stores, and that we have FULL stores of all of our essential oils, butters, containers and labels. Plus keep the website updated, blog, and write a newsletter. All in all, our days are quite full. And as we get nearer to the holidays, we just get busier and busier. The time from October until the end of December is like running a marathon - it's a long haul, and we get really really tired (and a little loopy as we get nearer the "finish line").
But it's FUN too, cuz, see - we're like Santa's Elves. We make things that make people happy - nice smelling, happy gifts for people to give to the folks they love. People that come into our store are deliberately avoiding the "box" stores and the malls. It's relaxed, it's fun, they're happy to be out of the crowds and commercial gross-ness of the big stores, and we're happy to help them. We take time to do custom gift baskets, and gift wrap for free. We are grateful to our customers, because they allow us to do what we love - live and work this land, make fantastic products, and enjoy the seasons. So, it's a lot of work, and we do get tired at the end, but it's also a joy.
Speaking of work. I have about 150 lbs of bath salts to make. Those will go to three different stores, and our shop. Then, I have to make about 10 batches (around 100 bags) of milk baths. But first, I do want to take a moment to rave about a fellow small business owner.....
....Aroma Artisan. See - we've been working around essential oils and scents, professionally, for about 10 years now. And the longer we work with scents....the pickier we get. You have to work HARD to impress us with a perfume, or scrub, or bar of soap. But Aroma Artisan has set the bar VERY, VERY high. In short, her products are AMAZING. She makes absolutely divine handmade, small-batch, essential oil perfumes, which I cannot recommend highly enough. I have several of her perfumes, and each one is divine. Visit her etsy site and do NOT hesitate to order from her - I've yet to have anything from her that is not top-notch!!!
We had snow already, which I find disgusting beyond belief. It actually snowed all day last Friday. The ground was warm, so there was barely any accumulation - a mere dusting of snow that melted on Saturday. But STILL. snow. :(
It's been grey, overcast, windy, and cold for the last few days. I think we narrowly missed an ice storm last night. This morning my deck, grill and fence were covered with ice, but the roads and driveways are fine.
It always surprises me how many people assume that our farm closes for the winter, or that we get to our "slow season" after the harvest is done. HARDLY! During October, as the harvest and garden work is winding down, we make a concerted effort to start stocking the store. See, we make, package,and label darn near everything in our little shop - which takes an awful darn lot of time. Not only do we do that, but we of course have to make sure all our herbs are dried and stores, and that we have FULL stores of all of our essential oils, butters, containers and labels. Plus keep the website updated, blog, and write a newsletter. All in all, our days are quite full. And as we get nearer to the holidays, we just get busier and busier. The time from October until the end of December is like running a marathon - it's a long haul, and we get really really tired (and a little loopy as we get nearer the "finish line").
But it's FUN too, cuz, see - we're like Santa's Elves. We make things that make people happy - nice smelling, happy gifts for people to give to the folks they love. People that come into our store are deliberately avoiding the "box" stores and the malls. It's relaxed, it's fun, they're happy to be out of the crowds and commercial gross-ness of the big stores, and we're happy to help them. We take time to do custom gift baskets, and gift wrap for free. We are grateful to our customers, because they allow us to do what we love - live and work this land, make fantastic products, and enjoy the seasons. So, it's a lot of work, and we do get tired at the end, but it's also a joy.
Speaking of work. I have about 150 lbs of bath salts to make. Those will go to three different stores, and our shop. Then, I have to make about 10 batches (around 100 bags) of milk baths. But first, I do want to take a moment to rave about a fellow small business owner.....
....Aroma Artisan. See - we've been working around essential oils and scents, professionally, for about 10 years now. And the longer we work with scents....the pickier we get. You have to work HARD to impress us with a perfume, or scrub, or bar of soap. But Aroma Artisan has set the bar VERY, VERY high. In short, her products are AMAZING. She makes absolutely divine handmade, small-batch, essential oil perfumes, which I cannot recommend highly enough. I have several of her perfumes, and each one is divine. Visit her etsy site and do NOT hesitate to order from her - I've yet to have anything from her that is not top-notch!!!
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