04-26 - 05-whenever. - End of Fargo Days

Actually Moorhead.  We stayed at Eliza and Brett's for a few days to help with the kids while Eliza popped her final one out.  Then it was home to Petersburg to get settled and start working.  We had afew things in April and I will be posting about them.  Meanwhile, a new baby, Dashiell Charles, and many pretty sunsets.While we were in Moorhead, Gypsy found all manner of places to lounge.

Mimi and the new one

South Fargo from Eliza's room.

Christmas! - Christmas! - Christmas!

It's Christmas.  What is there to say?

Laurie cooked another amazing dinner, very very very excited kids, family, presents, football, horrid cold weather, cuddling and lots of fun.

Laurie and I made a run to the store and Brett and I did later.  Included here are some pics of a trip we took home later.

Some Presents and Stockings

The tree on Christmas morning

A veritable plethora of goodies

"C'mon, Mommy, start passing out the swag!"

The expression of delight

Big boxes

Mimi helps assembly

Frigid cold in Fargo

Sun dogs.  This only happens when all the moisture in the air is frozen.  It was -43 degrees.

Our driveway

Amazing sunset due to cold air.

Happy boy

Pile on!!

Lurkers

Finishing things.

I may be wrong about all this, but here's how I see it.  you have an air mass moving east from the coast. it moves that way because of the earth's rotation.  when this air hits the Rocky Mountains, it gets compressed.  Then it passes past the Montana/Colorado/Wyoming etc. border and opens up to the northern plains. This air, due to compression and passing partly across Alaska and Canada is of a different temperature and pressure than the air sitting over the plains.  when it hits the other air mass, during this decompression, The results is violent, rain, hail, tornadoes, etc.  Welcome to my world.  I'm coming out of Grand Forks on a couple of days, and there are these really "cool" looking clouds to the west and south.  At some point, I'm traveling through hail and intense rain.  This is normal here, but something I never experienced in California.  Hopefully, the farmers here don't get their crops torn up too badly...

Evening storm coming in.  Sometimes the air is a funny color.

windy, rain starting

You don't get to see moving masses of air in California

Now, we're rocking

Oh, Summer snow from the cottonwoods

Pretties in my yard

May 15th - Critters Everywhere

Walking in my yard, or driving down gravel roads, the array of wildlife is surprising sometimes.  One morning a hawk flew right in front of my truck. Just right there.  Too cool, and too fast to stop and pull out a camera.

We have a garter snake that lives in our yard.  I've seen it a couple of times.  I picked the cute little bugger up once.  The gophers I hate.  I have finally rid my front yard of them, but like the zombies of The Walking Dead, they are always out there, somewhere. 

One morning, there was a pair of pheasants walking just off the road.  They were just strolling across the field, and I was able to photograph them.  

And then, every once in a while, a deer will hang out in our yard in the daytime.  I see a lot at night, but not too many in our backyard during the day.

You don't get this in the city. Right?

Our resident garter snake

Pheasant

The pair.  Husband and wife?

A backyard visitor

End of April - 20th to 30th

We got home and opening the house.  It's like opening a package when you don't know who sent it.  We have to check for running mice, broken pipes,  and whatever damage might have happened from the winter without heat.

Did not see mice running around.  there was evidence, but not too  much.  When I got the water on, the only new leak was at a fitting on the cold water feed to the washer.  I'll need to tighten that up.  I had installed a valve during a previous repair, so I can shut off that flow in between washes.  The dishwasher started to fill with water when the water was turned on.  It shouldn't do that.  It must be a bad solenoid.  Toilets are both okay and all in all good news.  There weren't even any ew problems under the porch with the yard faucets.

The heater wasn't working quite right.  We had to call out the heat/air guys.  They had to replace the old gas burner set a the breakers for the electric.

Lawn mower started, motorcycle started, and my weed whacker started.  Haven't tried the chainsaw yet.  I'll look at the dishwasher and I'll need to order that motor for the dryer.

We started back to work as well.  She at her home hospital and me back at Bee's.

Home, Sweet, Home

ND sunset

Welcome home. "Oh, you thought the snow was over?"

Gypsy meets snow

Lilacs are waking up.