Popcorn x 3

Spring here is CRAZY!  Today it reminded me of this song - in more ways than one.  By the way, these photos were taken about 4-5 hours apart.

Last year I went crazy over these trees.  I learned from the guy at the nursery that the "trees with little purple flowers all over the branches" are Red Buds.  I have anxiously awaited their arrival this year.

Last year I didn't notice the funky mini bouquets on their trunks.  They remind me of sea urchins.

I also found out from the guy at the nursery that "those trees with all the pink tulip-looking flowers" are Black Tulip Magnolias.

He warned me against having one in my yard because the blooms don't last very long and they're a mess to clean up.  He told me they're called 'black' because a frost will turn the flowers black.  I'm still not sure if all the cons out-weigh the pros.  They are gorgeous!

I thought this was going to be my post for the day until I heard weird sounds on my garage door this afternoon and thought someone was trying to break in.  I looked out the window and what did I see?  Hail!

I'm so disappointed that I didn't have a movie camera.  There were all kinds of little hail balls dancing on our lawn.  It looked like popcorn popping.

It looks like we have diamonds in our bushes!  By the way, we're thinking about planting a Red Bud in the middle there.

Here's the hail collection on the deck.  So, I can't figure out why I craved and 'just had to have' popcorn tonight.  Can you?

Flash Floods and Hail and Tornadoes, Oh My!

It didn't take us very long to figure out that a 75-degree forecast in winter is NOT a happy thing in Nashville.  Today it's supposed to get up to 79.  Wonderfully warm winter days are usually the opening act for Severe Weather, a 'group' that makes a lot of noise and can potentially wreak havoc in your neighborhood.

I don't think we realized that we lived in 'tornado alley' until our first spring here.  We heard a loud siren and wondered if we were under attack.  We had to call some friends to find out that it was the tornado warning siren.  I think Howard did a quick google search to find out that we should hide in a small, windowless, first floor, interior room.  We ended up in the powder room - that's what they call the guest bathroom around here.  It was a better choice than the closet or the laundry room.  In the bathroom there's one built in seat and room for a folding chair, there's water, and there are other important facilities.  Go here for more information on tornado safety.

We're much better prepared this year thanks to Howard, who very carefully keeps track of severe weather.  He got a Twitter account JUST so he could follow this guy.  He also bought a weather radio to wake us up in the middle of the night if necessary.  I hope he doesn't turn into one of those tornado chaser guys.

Apology Accepted

It appears that Mother Nature is trying to apologize for last night's fury.  She's so fickle!

We often have sunrises that look like this too, except they're on the other side of the sky ;o)

Sleepy in Nashville

Here's what went on during the wee morning hours here in Nashville.  I'm learning that warm air in January isn't something to get excited about.

Did I ever mention that the thunder in Tennessee shakes the house and rattles the windows?  I don't remember it doing that in other places we've lived.  Come to think of it, the washing machine is shaking the house right now.  Hmmmm...

Snow Day - Really!?

Hey all you friends who live in snowy places, are you ready for a good laugh?  Here's what last Friday's snow day looked like in Nashville.  It was even wimpier than some of last year's snow days.

Below is what a snow day might have looked like in Wisconsin.  After it snowed like this, we'd often see three snow plows in a row come tearing down the street for a quick and efficient clean up.

This is what happens when it continues to snow in Wisconsin and the temperature stays below 32 degrees for about 5 or 6 months.  We fondly called this Mt. Walmart.

White Christmas

Here's a bit of Nashville snow trivia that I lifted from this site:

First White Christmas Since 1993

We have already seen a snow fall this winter cause problems on the roadways, but this is only the ninth Christmas with measurable amounts of snow since snowfall record-keeping began in Nashville back in the winter of 1884 and 1885. The last time measurable snow fell on Christmas Day in Nashville was in 1993 when three-tenths of an inch was measured.

Trace amounts of snow fell on Christmas in 2002. Statistically there is only a 7 percent chance of measurable snow on any given Christmas in Nashville. The most snow ever to fall on Christmas in Nashville is 2.7 inches in 1969.

Our friends in Boston and Wisconsin are probably laughing at this, but snow on the ground here is a serious problem.  I ventured out on a recent school snow day and saw lots of cars in ditches.  There are lots of narrow windy country roads with no shoulders and big ditches, so it's kind of scary to drive on them even if it's just raining.  Yesterday they canceled church and we got to stay home and play with all our Christmas presents!

Narnia?

Look what I found behind Walmart!

We had icicles like this in Wisconsin, only way thicker!  I could never take a picture because they were along a highway where there was no safe place to stop for a Kodak moment.  So, I was pretty excited to be able to finally get a picture of some.  When I see them, I feel like I've been transported to some exotic fantasy land.

I'm pretty sure these icicles are flowing off of (or through?) limestone.  There's limestone everywhere around here - it's one of the first things I noticed when we got off the plane.  In fact, there's so much limestone here in Tennessee that in 1979 it was declared the official state rock.

Snow Day

Here's the view out our back door.

Here's the view out our front window.

They say it rarely snows here.  So when it does, everything shuts down because the city isn't equipped to take care of snow.  I'm especially nervous about backing out of the garage and down our steep driveway.  I just know that I'm going to slide right into Charles' and ?? (don't know his wife's name yet) front yard.  I'm pretty sure the schools are closed today.  Some friends were telling me that they close the schools even if they think it's going to snow.

Weather Report

Check out this week's weather forecast for Nashville.  If I didn't know any better, I would say this was a forecast from the Bay Area in California.  So far, October is my favorite weather month here.  I hope I didn't just jinx it!