Tag Archives: spring

spring has sprung

by Nebraska Wheatie

Our brief, but eventful, weekend ended yesterday.

We left Lusk about 8:00 am “their time” or 9:00 am “our time”. I’m certain the Graham family has a love/hate relationship when the Z’s come to visit. They are always so good to us and take care of us so well. And we ALWAYS have a grand time with them – ALWAYS! BUT…when it’s time to say goodbye, I know they are secretly thinking, “Oh no, here we go again”. Goodbyes are never easy for me. The tears come easily – they always have so I can’t even blame it on getting older. And then there’s the dreaded hugs. I know not everyone is a hugger; however, I am. And if you’re going to be someone I care about…you’re going to get hugged – at some point!

We left after the hugs (there were no tears…well, none that were visible to the Graham’s anyways). Taylor behind the wheel and Callie sitting shotgun. I took the backseat for two reasons. 1. The car we drove has awful front seats even though it’s supposed to be a “luxury” car. All they do is create more of a lower back issue for me than I already have. 2. I figured the sisters would have a good time being able to chat. Taylor was on a mission. We needed to get to the Kearney Archway in plenty of time to go through the exhibit and it closed at 5:00 pm “our time”.

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It’s ALMOST Spring…

by nebraskawheatie

20130317-234359.jpgAny guesses? Hint…it’s not snow.
I saw a sign of spring in our “neck of the woods” on Friday. The snow geese have made their way through on their journey back to the northern country. It’s always a welcome sight…as is the return of the Robins. Know what I miss the most during winter? The song of the birds!!! The past couple of weeks, though, the songs have returned. I have to wait till the end of April for my favorite-the “Jenny” wren.

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Another sign of Spring? Prom. Taylor attended her senior prom Saturday night.

20130317-234952.jpgI went to her friends house to take pictures…still not feeling 100%. But, Taylor convinced me she didn’t care about how bad I may look so I went. I’m so glad I did. Her very last class “fling” forever. I started feeling the tears well up in my eyes as I drove away from the school. How could it be that she and all these friends that I have grown to love be nearly grown up and leaving? I’ve been pretty close to several of her classmates since they were in kindergarten. The years go WAY TOO FAST! I’m sure those tears won’t be the only ones I shed this spring!

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Chocolate Bunnies, Colored Eggs and Hotdogs

by nebraskawheatie

The day actually started the night before.

Brooklyn and Jillian came to our house to color eggs with the girls – minus Jamie and Curt – on Easter Eve. Once again…a tradition that started a LONG time ago! I remember sitting in my Harvest Grandma’s little kitchen (which actually seemed REALLY big as a little girl) coloring Easter eggs with her. I have a picture of the two of us somewhere and would love to find it.  The girls try to make each egg different from the others by using crayons, rubber bands and great imaginations. The artistic abilities come out in full force. Sometimes, the artistry is so good that it’s hard for me to even throw those eggs away after they’ve been sitting out for days (and beginning to smell). By the time all five dozen eggs were colored, we had multi colored, polka-dotted, a bumble bee, a Mocking Jay (Hunger Games), a cross, and many, many more.

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Spring? or Summer?

by nebraskawheatie

It’s 2 degrees short of being HOT today in Eastern NE. The past three days the temp has reached at or near 90 degrees. Although I am loving this heat, the flowers that I have waited for a year to return are not. When it’s spring, the flowers like the cool weather so much better. With the past three days of heat and wind, the flowers are suffering. The crabapple trees, cherry tree, apple tree and the redbuds are nearly done gracing us with their beauty. There’s been previous years where the flowers last quite some time before drying up and blowing away.

 A few of my most favorite flowers are beginning to “pop” – the iris. The miniature guys are first to show their beauty and the intermediate are beginning to sprout their bloom stocks.

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Wheat Harvest Preps

by nebraskawheatie

Well, as I’ve mentioned in prior posts, our family seems to view the year by events rather than days on the calendar. The harvest convention is nearly a month ago and Easter is right around the corner. The weather has been stupendous and our little piece of the world is beginning to take on colors – green trees and grass…yellow/red/pink and purple flowers are in the mix throughout the yard. My very FAVORITE season!! I love driving through the countryside and watching the baby calves run, jump and play with each other. The winter world is waking up in full force this year – about a month early.

The past couple of days I’ve heard a noise that I haven’t heard since last fall…lawn mowers. Jim’s mowing our yard as we “speak”. USUALLY, we don’t even think about mowing until Jenna’s birthday (April 23). The last sign of spring that I am oh so anxiously awaiting is the distinct sound of the house wren. When I hear her shrill song (which sounds more like scolding than singing) I know spring has arrived!

Along with this kind of weather comes the beginnings of the wheat harvest preparations. Jim is done working his “real” job and is now spending time thinking about what needs to be done to the trucks and combine in preparation of the 2012 harvest season. Trucks will start showing up in the yard and it will become a “mini” farm/equipment dealership. We don’t farm and we don’t own a shed of our own so it’s a lot easier for Jim if his equipment is right outside the backdoor. Unfortunately, when it rains, there’s not much he can do and the day is spent doing other things. How I wish we would have just bought some land and built a shed 20 years ago. Life happens too fast!

Our “summer cottage on wheels” has been purchased and is in the process of being built. It should be coming off the line around April 10… hopefully. Somehow, I have a feeling we’ll still be biting our nails wondering when it’s going to be in the driveway so we can get it packed.  Am I anxious? YES! Harvest is always something our family looks forward to each year. We’re ready to go – but for now, the daily preparations and the beginnings of pre-harvest stress are about to begin. Stay tuned…