Twelve days straight

It rained for twelve days straight. I'm feeling very low on vitamin D. BUT... Today started out overcast which has now given way to sunshine! 

Sunshine means one thing, and one thing only, on the manor - time to get outside, see what needs to be done, and get moving on it. 

There is a strip along the edge of the driveway, close to where I park, that anyone and everyone who comes to my house lacks the ability to STAY THE HELL OFF OF!!!! Seriously. How hard can it be? I manage to keep my tires on the stones, but I know how to operate a motor vehicle. But I digress.

I repaired the mudhole by adding some topsoil in preparation of reseeding. Then I added a thin add of gravel to redefine the edge. Suffice it to say, I won't be ordering anything from Amazon for quite a while because those drivers are the absolute worst. 

With that done, I turned my attention to the old tractor path. The entire top broke out of a maple a few days ago and there is some okay firewood in that. I cut the leafy bits off and took those to the burn pile and set aside the bits that are suitable to cut, split, and age for the 2025-26 season. After being trapped inside for twelve days, I was more than happy to be outside and moving around. 

I may be done for the day, but I'm far from done. There is still the mess the well drillers left behind, but a few more days of sunshine will make that easier to scoop up and drop in the corner of my property where it won't impact anything or anyone except the deer. In time the clay will disappear, claimed by the weeds, leaves, and greenbriers. 

Sunshine is rejuvenating. It imparts renewed energy not just to the land, but to me as well. I've been grouchy these past days even though in our modern world we still find things to do in the rain. I had lunch with friends, did some writing, did a bit of promotional work, and gathered up Ron's Civil War books for his youngest brother. It's not that I want to dispose of those books, but he asked for them since he shared Ron's interest in the Civil War. 

Tomorrow's weather should be much like today's. I'd like to get outside early and see what is ready to be done. Or what I'm ready to tackle on my own. There is that to consider.

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor/The Hideaway

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, rural living, country lifestyle, sunshine, John Deere 1023, woodland, energy reserves, Civil War books, rain, a writer's life, romance fiction

Dreary days

It's a given that our Mid-Atlantic January will be full of dreary days. We had a day of sunshine yesterday, but we knew this storm system was coming. I'm grateful it's rain and not snow, although I am seeing the occasional odd snowflake. 

We're warm and dry. The woodstove is cranking out the BTUs, but since the Lord of the Manor isn't feeling too well these days, we've cycled the heat pump to bump it up a notch. 

We doggy-sat Sadie this morning, and I think the weather brought out an entirely different side of the dog. She was not her usual nice little girl. Ohhhh, no. She paced the floor, refusing to sit or lie down, and trying to use telepathy on us. She stuck her head through the cat port to try to get to Loki's feeder and getting her loose wasn't fun. I took her outside for her outside activities, and she almost pulled me off my feet. It was so bad I did give her a yank, which she ignored. 

But not even Sadie was a diversion from the weather. I spent some time writing, and then an hour or so doing some promo while I had that "forbidden" third cup of coffee. The wind is constant, and my sunroom office gives me a good view of the treetops swaying back and forth. So far, only one dead stick has hit the ground. The rain is good for the trees, though. 

With the rain beating on the windows, I got this notion I should take a picture of the raindrops. It was harder than it seemed, but it's a good record of this dreary January day. 

It does make one appreciate the sunny days even more.

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor/The Hideaway

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, rainy days, winter storms, January weather, rural living, country lifestyle, a writer's life, sunshine, high winds, maple trees, coffee