Out and About

Mother Nature has been teasing us with little outbursts of Spring.

While yesterday would have been a nice day to ride, we had some things on our to-do list than needed doing.

And today’s weather is supposed to be even better. So we decided to get the chores out of the way on Saturday, leaving Sunday wide open for FUN.

The first big thing on the to-do list was de-winterizing the WV Place. Mike had decided to shut off the heat and water for the winter,  hoping to avoid another ugly, very inconvenient, and costly freezing of the pipes incident.

Notice I said “hoping to”? Apparently, enough water lingered in the shower valve that it froze, causing the shower valve to fail. So, when he turned the water back on, the shower wouldn’t turn off. Crap. Not a huge deal, just another inconvenience.

We also had to move a dresser from the VA house to the WV Place. If it hadn’t been for that, we would have taken the bikes. Alas, taking the truck meant the dogs could join us.

It was a real treat for them, they LOVE the WV Place.

Can you tell that they’re happy? K, aka The Huntress, was so obsessed with whatever critter was cowering in the woodpile that I literally had to drag her away to get her to come home. Crazy mutt.

While Spring appears to really be settling in here in VA, it’s just barely starting to make an appearance near the WV Place, which is about 100 miles northwest of here and at a somewhat higher elevation. We thought for sure some of the Redbud and Dogwood trees would be in bloom. We thought wrong.

I did see some evidence of Spring.

I can’t remember what those flowers are called. They’re only two to three inches tall, with blooms about half an inch across. They may be tiny, but at least it’s evidence that Spring is on its way, albeit very slowly.

It’s always a relief to see the WV Place surviving without out us.

I can’t remember whether or not I told y’all we had not one, but TWO signed contracts on the place last year. Signed, as in we thought it was a done deal. Buyer number one had some sort of family emergency. The second buyer had “buyer’s remorse.” We could not believe that was their actual excuse. Bastards.

So it’s still on the market. Sigh.

The dogs did seem to enjoy the brief visit. Even if K spent almost the entire time glued to the woodpile.

At least it was a pretty day for a drive. I even spotted a barn quilt along the way.

I know that’s a crappy picture. I thought for sure we’d spot others, since Hampshire County now has a barn quilt trail. It would have been helpful had I remembered before we left. Then I would’ve been equipped with a map. They’re not as easy to find as one would think. And cell coverage is so painfully slow in those parts, that trying to use my phone to locate them was frustrating me more than it was worth.

That was our Saturday.

Imagine my chagrin this morning when I looked at my weather app to see this crazy-weird report. There was a frost advisory, current temp was 36 degress (F), with a forecast for a high temperature of 70 degrees.

That’s Spring for you.

Now, I need to go plan a route for today’s ride. I hope you all enjoy your Sunday.