The buds on the lilac bush are starting to pop out, finally some really good signs of spring, unfortunately we are expecting some snow tonight up to 2-4 inches, so I'm not sure how that's going to affect the buds.  I am so looking forward to warmer weather and getting the garden ready for planting.  I have some herbs growing and my melons and squash are doing great.  But with the predicted snow coming and cold temps staying for awhile, it's looking like the garden will have to wait a bit longer.

It's been over a week since we've gotten home from Texas, and we're adjusting to the colder weather. Luckily the temps haven't been that bad and with them being in the 20's and 30's I can handle that.

Our walks these days are very different. So very different with our beloved Sadie not here. Winter I believe was her favorite season, she loved snow and playing in it. We miss her terribly, but life goes on and though we continue our walks without her she is on our mind, especially when we come upon multiple coyote tracks on the lane. 

We have ventured out snowshoeing a few times, which always makes for some really pretty photos.

January is coming to a close and sugaring will be starting up again soon and that's when our life will get even busier.  

I absolutely love this time of year.  The sunsets and sunrises are just spectacular here in southwest Wisconsin, as I’m sure they are elsewhere.

One thing about sugaring season is that it gets us out after being stuck in the house after what sometimes seems like a long winter.  There’s no snow on the ground at least where the sun shines, you’ll still find snow tucked in places where the sun doesn’t hit it to melt.

The buds are starting to appear on my lilac bushes, which got me so excited to see.  I’m also getting excited to start getting my plants going for my vegetable garden...it’s that time of year.

Well the ice storm did hit us but not with the vengeance that most people around here thought it would, tho schools were closed, businesses and events as well were closed and cancelled. Mr and I did not venture out off the ridge, and when I say not with a vengeance we have had in the past really bad ice storms. 

Now with February almost half done we are getting antsy for sugaring to start up again. I’m seeing posts from the northeast where sugaring has started and seeing those jars filled with that luscious maple syrup is really getting me excited.  

So hopefully I’ll be posting about sugaring soon, but first we need to start warming up a bit.

It's peaceful up here in the Midwest, we have cool weather just a bit of rain now and again, but nothing compared to what our kids who live down in Houston are experiencing, where hurricane Harvey has hit them with Tropical Storm Harvey.  We have been in contact with them and so far they are safe and dry, that could change since the storm doesn't seem to be ending any time soon but let's hope not.

So if you could, say a little prayer for all the hurricane/flood victims.

Walking around the yard the other day taking photos of the fruits of our labor, I also took photos of signs that summer is coming to an end.  Some of the flowers still looked good but most were already starting to dry up.  I don't know about you all but I love Queen Anne's Lace. 

But who's ready for fall/autumn?  I know I sure am.

After getting back from Texas we went looking for some more sap buckets and found some that an Amish man was selling for a cheap price.  Seems like most people and now the Amish are doing away with sap buckets and going to tubing.  Anyway, after getting the buckets we drove through the hills on our way home and found this old place.  We couldn't quite tell if was actually lived in, it almost looked abandoned but then you can see the decorations on the fence.  This old log home was awesome, the corners of the logs were dovetailed and just simply beautiful.  This was back in February and there was snow on the ground in the valleys and on the ridges.

Then it started to warm up.  It seems like the sugaring season is backwards, usually we get the darker syrup at the end of the season when the weather starts to get warmer, but we had the warmer temps in the middle of the season so when we gathered the sap from the buckets the sap was warm.  Now, the temps are more like when it's the beginning of the season with the temps being absolutely perfect.  And, we gathered over 150 gallons of sap on Sunday so there will be more boiling this week.  We made this past weekend 3.625 gallons of what we call golden amber delicious syrup.  The two boils before this we got darker syrup which is fine I use it for cooking/baking and now to make maple sugar.

We got what we call a sugar snow that froze and reset the sap run again.  We are definitely not done with sugaring and it all started with a snowstorm.

The weather has changed a few times.  No calves born yet, at least not live ones, our neighbor had a calf born too early and it didn't make it, that was sad to hear.  Even though they are not our cattle we see them pretty much everyday and we have gotten kind of attached to them.

Can you believe we are still making syrup?  The sap is still running, slowly but still running.  The 4H group came and had a wonderful time, I'll try and do a post about that.

I've been wanting to make maple sugar since we starting making maple syrup.  So when our son and dil and the grands came we made some.  I thought I'd give the maple sugar a try and looked for a maple cake recipe and Martha Stewart had a maple cake recipe on her blog.

I like a bit of cake with my whip cream :)  Instead of frosting this cake I thought I would put whip cream on it...YUM!

I don't know about you but I'm ready to see some flowers blooming again.

I am here, I am doing fine.  Vee asked if we have been traveling and yes and no.  I've been traveling back and forth a few times to Illinois.  It's just been crazy busy around here.  My cousin had an estate sale that I helped with and was gone from here 5 days.  We had deer hunters come for about 5 days in November, that was fun, but no-one got a deer.  Went on a quilt re-treat over by the Mississippi river.

Did a bit of Christmas baking with my mom's recipe of butter cookies, and my grandmother's recipe of Finnish prune tarts is next on the baking list.

I am so excited to show you our new mailbox post.  Mr got an old walking plow from an older gentleman who wanted it to go to a good home, and since we were needing a new mailbox post after the plow hit it last winter, I wanted something different and Mr came up with this.  It looked pretty with the mailbox swag and the freshly fallen snow that came overnight.

Heading to breakfast at our favorite spot on Sunday mornings and crossing the Wisconsin river.

I've also been busy putting things in a booth that I've rented in a shop in town.  Our daughter and son-in-law from Spokane were here for a few day right before Thanksgiving, then they left and we headed to Illinois for Thanksgiving.

Whew, I think that pretty much sums it up, I know I've probably forgotten a few things that I've done.