Wisconsin Barns and Good Fences

I decided that, although right now there is no snow on the ground (Hallelujah!), we never know when we'll get more. Our SkyWarn 13 TV weather isn't exactly reliable. And really. Sky Warn?? Any weather condition now seems to be a threat. Snow. Rain. Sunshine. There's something to scare everyone. Anyway, a couple years ago we had our final snowstorm on May 6. I'm sure I've told you about it  - the 18 inches of snow and the power going out? It was interesting. I'm glad we have a wood range. At least when I had gathered enough sticks I could boil water for a pot of coffee. With all that in mind, I thought  I would be safe in posting a few more winter photos of barns in our area. This one is north of Tilden, about a half hour away. It is seen in the background of the next photo.

Another barn, this one with an attached stone milkhouse.  I'll have to drive down there in another month or so to get more photos when there's green grass and the trees have started leafing out. There is nothing more beautiful than Wisconsin in May, although England, anytime, might be a close second. :-)

 View from our deck on this gray day, March 30.

But May is coming...

I hope it's been a good day where you are.

***

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***

This post is linked to

The Barn Collective

Rubbish Tuesday

and

Good Fences


 

Tune My Heart to Sing Thy Grace

Ely Cathedral, Cambridgeshire, England

O Lord, open thou our lips.

And our mouth shall shew forth thy praise.

Come Thou fount of every blessing
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace
Streams of mercy, never ceasing
Call for songs of loudest praise

O Lord, King of the Universe,

You who are merciful and quick to rescue and forgive

All who call upon your name.

This Day,

'Let the words of my mouth

And the meditation of my heart

Be acceptable in your sight,

O Lord,

My Rock

And My Redeemer.'

Psalm 19:14

Have a blessed Lord's Day, friends!

 

P.S.

We did get home from a fantastic trip to England, and I am sure that over the next weeks I'll be sharing more about it than you ever wanted to hear. The above photo is one out of a couple thousand that I took with my camera, and Mr. C. took about a thousand with his, so we have plenty of visual reminders of a wonderful time spent.

With enough dark chocolate and strong coffee, my body has slowly adjusted once again to Central Daylight Time, so I hope to be catching up with your blogs in the next week. :-)

Leaving On a Jet Plane

Who wouldn't want to be in England during lambing season!

Mr. C. and I will be leaving next week to spend some vacation time in beautiful England during the month of March, a good time to get out of Wisconsin. Although some people like to escape Wisconsin in January or February instead, that's not for me. I don't want to return to more winter! The nice thing about being gone in March is that often we can count on spring weather, rather than sub-zero temperatures, greeting us upon our return. Not always, but often. I hope that's true this year. In the meantime, the long-range forecast for England during our stay is mid-50's F., usually sunny. That would feel nearly tropical to us, who've been experiencing  weeks of waking to below-zero F. temperatures. Yesterday morning it was minus 23 F. We're not counting on the 'usually sunny' part of the forecast, but it sure would be a nice surprise.

We will be joining our daughter and SIL in London for a week of our vacation. We are so looking forward to that!

Rather than renting a car this time, most of our travel will by tube and train. It should be interesting. Since we each travel with only a carry-on bag, I will not be taking my laptop with me. Cranberry Morning will be on hiatus until I return to Wisconsin. It will seem very strange to go that long without blogging. Do you think that blogging is a type of obsessive-compulsive disorder?

York Minster Quire and Son-in-Law

We hope to catch at least three choral evensong services in cathedrals and lunch at three historic pubs.
By the time we return, we should have made many wonderful memories and have enough photo fuel for several Cranberry Morning posts.

NOTE:
 
HomemadeSoapnSuch.Etsy.com and HomemadeSoapnSuch.com will be closed from March 8 through March 26. Any soap orders placed between those dates will be processed on March 26.

Any orders placed before March 8 will be processed and shipped before we leave.

I will be taking a sketch book, a glue stick, and a fine-point Sharpie pen with me, in order to journal each evening. It will look something like this:

It's a bit messy, but great for dredging up the memories.

The next few days are going to fly by. I hope you have a wonderful couple of weeks and that the snow melts, especially for those of you who are sick to death of the stuff and had way more than your fair share this year.

Unfortunately, due to a very full itinerary, we had to cancel tea with Cora, Robert, and Cousin Violet. Ah well, maybe next time. 

***

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I have many spring soaps ready to go!

'French Lilac & Lavender'

Natural, Handcrafted, Vegan Soap

...and more! Check out all my handcrafted soaps at

HomemadeSoapNSuch

and at

Our ETSY Shop 

Where's the Beef?

I don't know if there's any part of the cow that isn't eaten in the country in which my wall art was manufactured, but in Wisconsin, no one I know eats the udder. Oh well, this little cow, about 2 1/2 feet long and made out of corrugated aluminum, was the cutest thing and I thought needed to hang from my stove wall.

Yes, I should have cleaned off the counter and removed the items from the top of the cookstove before taking the photo, but I was in a hurry.

The following photos were taken at the shop where I purchased the cow. It's a fun and quirky place called 'Evolutions in Design' in Wausau, WI. 

That's a waterfall behind the bicycle

 Granddaughter and daughter looking at jewelry

So if you're ever in Wausau, it's a fun place to visit!

***

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Although I usually forget to do it, there is a chance that this post will be linked to one or more of these great linky parties:  Amaze Me Monday and Inspiration Monday and Mosaic Monday and The Barn Collective and    Treasure Box Tuesday and Vintage Bliss Tuesday and KatheWithAnE and Rubbish Tuesday and Our World Tuesday and Tuesdays at our Home and Tuesday with a Twist and  Knick of Time Tuesday (vintage)  and   Tweak it Tuesday and Vintage Inspiration Wednesday and Ivy and Elephants Wednesday and Adorned From Above  and Artsy Corner Thursday and  All Things With Purpose and Home & Garden Thursday and Good Fences on Thursdays and  Time Travel Thursday and Freedom Fridays and Vintage Inspiration Friday and Simple Saturdays Blog Hop and Saturday's Critters

Barns of Wisconsin and Good Fences

 Wisconsin Barn, Southwest of Rice Lake

I see that little dog house and think, 'Wow, our dogs have it made!' They get to live in a house with their people, sleep on soft beds, get yummy treats, and don't have to deal with the harsh realities of winter in Wisconsin. I wish they'd show their gratitude by keeping their hair to themselves. 

This is how it works around here: I wanted to lie down and talk on the phone with our Texas daughter, but the dog was on the bed. She was not the slightest bit inclined to move, but I lay down anyway. She still didn't move. We shared the bed.  Everybody happy.

 Wisconsin Barn southwest of Cameron, WI

There is a roof on this barn, but you can't see it because the snow on the roof is the same color as the sky.

 Granddaughters and a boyfriend

The granddaughter on the left is staying with us for a while. The granddaughter on the right, along with her boyfriend, spent the weekend with us. It's fun to have the young people around. I enjoy the conversation and I enjoy cooking for them. Really.

***


THIS POST IS LINKED TO:

THE BARN COLLECTIVE

and

GOOD FENCES


***

Check out my handcrafted, vegan soap!

Buy any 5 or more, Get 1 FREE

'Morning Brew'

Natural, Handcrafted, Vegan Soap

...and more! Check out all my handcrafted soaps at

HomemadeSoapNSuch

and at

Our ETSY Shop 


 

Although I usually forget to do it, there is a chance that this post will be linked to one or more of these great linky parties:  Amaze Me Monday and Inspiration Monday and Mosaic Monday and The Barn Collective and    Treasure Box Tuesday and Vintage Bliss Tuesday and KatheWithAnE and Rubbish Tuesday and Our World Tuesday and Tuesdays at our Home and Tuesday with a Twist and  Knick of Time Tuesday (vintage)  and   Tweak it Tuesday and Vintage Inspiration Wednesday and Ivy and Elephants Wednesday and Adorned From Above  and Artsy Corner Thursday and  All Things With Purpose and Home & Garden Thursday and Good Fences on Thursdays and  Time Travel Thursday and Freedom Fridays and Vintage Inspiration Friday and Simple Saturdays Blog Hop and Saturday's Critters