Winter is almost over - get ready for Spring

I know that some of you still have snow on the ground so it is difficult to think of Spring but pretty soon the flowers will be poking their heads out of the dirt and in one more month everything will be jumping in the garden. I think Spring is my favorite time of year.

Nana and I have been busy getting all the outdoor furniture ready for the Spring. I've been repairing broken chair pieces that need to be replaced and we put a fresh coat of paint on everything. I put a new swing up on the patio so the next time you come you can try it out. I painted that too so its bright and shiny.

Another job I did for Spring was to make this new big bird box which I hope will attract a Screech Owl. We have owls in our area and I would like to help them out by providing a nice home. Maybe when you come this summer you will be able to hear an owl with its very eerie oooooooooooooo sound. We'll have to stay up late to hear it, because they only talk at night.

Here is a neat picture of a Pileated Woodpecker that was looking for bugs on our tree in the back yard. I can't understand how he can bang his head against a tree all day and not get a headache.

Last night Nana and I went to a talk from a women who was an expert on Foxes. She told us that foxes are everywhere. Maybe even in your backyard at your house. You hardly ever see them because they are very good at staying hidden and they only come out at night. Its good to have a fox around because they like to eat mice and rats. One way you can check to see if you have one is to look for their tracks in the snow. They look like dog foot prints but they make a straight line across your yard. Dogs like to sniff and wander around so their tracks go here and there. Some people think that foxes are bad because they carry diseases but its not true. Only  a very small number (1%) are ever found with a disease. One bad thing to do is to try and feed them or put out your garbage can with out a lid on it. We never want foxes to learn to eat food from humans. 

News Flash - I read on Facebook from Aunt Jennifer that Donovan's Basketball team won a game on Saturday and he scored two baskets at the game. I hope that Donovan sends us a picture of his team so we can all see it. Congratulations Donovan.


Here's an interesting picture I saw on the web. It's a picture of Noah's Ark.  Really!A man in Hong Kong China has built a copy of Noah's Ark using the directions that are listed in the Bible. He also made lots of animals out of fiberglass and put them coming out of the ark. He has a restaurant in the ark so people can come an see it and then have lunch. Its a good thing the animals aren't real because it would be a smelly place to have lunch. Noah's Ark is a story about how God punished people by causing a great flood that covered all the earth. It rained forty days and forty nights. He assigned Noah the task of saving all the animals and his family because they lived a good life. Many people believe that this event really happened and many other people believe that it is an important story to tell people how to live, but it probably didn't happen. You will have to decide for yourself. It would be fun to see this Ark if you ever go to China.

So Winston has been busy reading your answers to his questions and he appreciates your advice. He would like a cat friend but Grandpa had to say no. This week he has another Question

WINSTON HAS A QUESTION

 Winston can't make up his mind about what is his favorite meal to eat for dinner. Sometimes he likes fish with gravy out of a can and sometimes he likes dry nibbles out of a bag. Sometimes he eats it, sometimes he doesn't . He would like to know "What is your favorite food to eat for dinner and would you like to eat the same thing everyday"?  Give him your answer below in the comments section.

Have a great week and look for those flowers sticking their heads out of the ground, Love Grandpa.

Hi everybody! What an exciting week it has been. 

First of all some pictures have arrived from Connecticut of the big snow storm. Scott reports that there was almost 30 inches in some places. The Governor of the State closed the roads and ordered everyone to stay home. This gave Annalise and Audrey a lot of time to build a wonderful snow house. Here's a picture of Annalise in the doorway of her new snow house.

 Being inside nice and cozy gave the girls a chance to play quietly in their new playroom. Here is a picture of Audrey playing quietly on her drums. No, you think she was quiet? I don't think so! Next time we see her maybe she will play us a drum solo.

On Valentines day weekend Grandpa took Nana to hear the Charlottesville Symphony Orchestra. We both love to go there and listen to the beautiful music. They played music from my Favorite composer, Johann Sebastian Bach. He wrote music over 300 years ago and people are still listening to it. What songs do you think we sing today that will last 300 years? I think I know one..."Rudolph the Red nose Reindeer!"Its very rude to take pictures during a concert so I took this one before they started as everyone was tuning up.

On President's day Nana, Auntie Louise and I took Liam to the Lynchburg Children's museum. It's really a good one. They have a climbing tower that is four stories (floors) tall and kids can go in it all by themselves. They have lots of other stuff too. Here is a picture of Liam milking a make believe cow. Her udders really squirt too. I think it would be fun to milk a real cow. I remember doing it once when I was a little boy at my Uncle's farm in Pennsylvania. The barn was very smelly. This cow didn't stink at all.

News from the Outdoors!

Here is a picture of a new kind of bird in one of the bluebird boxes I made last year. Opps! That's not a bird. That's a tricky squirrel who has taken over my birdhouse. I will have to shooo him away.

Do you know that I put up 6 bird houses and it was time to clean them out for the coming of Spring. Four of the houses had bluebird nests in them so that was really good. Do you know that Bluebirds used to live everywhere in America and were seen all the time. Years ago they started to disappear because they couldn't find places to build nests. They liked to build their nests in wooden fence posts that had rotted and people weren't building fences out of wood anymore. A group of people who like birds started a program encouraging people to build bird houses and hang them at the height of a fence post. So many people like Grandpa did this that now the Bluebirds are increasing in numbers again.

Here is a picture of a Bluebird at my feeder last week. He is a soft color so he can hide in the woods but in Spring he will get really bright blue and have a red chest. He is an example of how we can  help Nature.

WINSTON HAS A QUESTION?

Winston's been a little lonely and he's been thinking about getting himself a pet. He thinks he would like a Mouse but Grandpa says NO it would be too tempting to eat it.

What kind of Pet would be good for him to play with?

Put your answer in the comment box below.

That's all for now. Make sure to have Mom or Dad send me a picture and you tell me something fun you've done this past week. Lots of Love Grandpa.

Well our New England family really got hit with the snow over the weekend. At 30 inches this will be a storm that they will tell their children about someday. The Blizzard of 2013. I hope everyone had fun in the snow and enjoyed their day. Send me a comment or picture about what you did in the snow.

Here is a picture of Joseph in his warm house playing at conducting. Do you think he is conducting the choir or the band? Uncle Gordon and Aunt Catherine really do that best but it looks like Joseph has a future in music. Audrey has a new set of drums and she is learning to play them. When we are all together maybe we can have a band and Joseph can conduct.

Over the weekend, while the North was shoveling snow, Donovan in Florida was practicing with his new Basketball team. He wears the number 21 and I bet he is very good. When I was there last month I saw that he has a basketball hoop in his driveway. He uses his driveway hoop to get lots of practice. We will all look forward to hearing about how his team does and how he is enjoying playing.

I want to share with you a picture of an Opossum that was in a tree right outside my house. It was night time and when I shined my flashlight on him he froze...or played dead. These animals sleep during the day and come out at night. Do you know that an Opossum is a very special animal. They have their babies and then put them in a pouch, just like a Kangaroo. They are part of a group of animals called Marsupials which are animals that carry their young. He is the only animal like this in America. I don't think this guy is very friendly. In fact if you pester them they can give a nasty bite like all wild animals. Best to keep your distance. Some people in the Mountains of Virginia like to hunt these animals and make a stew out of them. No thank you...I'll stick to Chicken.

Here's a new part of my Blog which will appear from time to time. Its called:

WINSTON HAS A QUESTION!

Winston sits around all day and worries about the electricity going out.

He would like to know what do you think is the most important thing to have in the house when your electricity goes out in a snow storm or a hurricane? Enter what you think in the comment section below. 

Well, I'll say goodbye for tonight. I would love to hear from you. Have Mom or Dad help you write a comment. Have a great week.  Love Grandpa

Wow, a really big snow storm is heading to Joseph's, Evan's,Nora,s Annalise's and Audrey's House. It could be as high as 2 feet 21 inches. The biggest storm I've ever experienced in my life was 21"  in 1978 when I lived in Connecticut. The Army had to be called out to remove it. I hope you all stay safe but have fun with the snow. Get your new sleds ready and get prepared to make a good snow house.

I want to share with you a picture I got from Nana's niece in England. She visited the Shetland Islands and saw this baby Shetland pony. Someone put wings on it to make it look like Pegasus. The story of Pegasus is a very old Greek story about a magical horse that could fly.

Enjoy the snow! Email me a picture of you in the snow and I'll post it for everyone to see. Love Grandpa.

January was a busy month for  Grandpa and Nana 

During January we got to spend some time with several of you guys. First we went to Disney World where we saw Uncle Gordon, Aunt Catherine and Joseph. We went to Florida on the Auto Train. It is a train that has beds and you sleep over night on the train. You also take your car with you. Here is a picture of our car (the gray one) being loaded into the train.

Here's a picture of Nana with Joseph and her favorite Character "Winnie the Pooh". We got to go on the Winnie the Pooh ride too! Pretty exciting for a Pooh Fan! What Character do you thing Joseph is dressed as?













After visiting Joseph we went to Miami where we spent time with Donovan, Jessica, Wyatt and Uncle Jose and Aunt Jennifer. The weather was really warm  - 80 degrees.  We had a fun time and got to meet their new dog.








When we were in Florida we saw a Banana car. Crazy huh!. I think it is very "A PEEL-ING" don't you?

One Day we went to the Fairfield Tropical Gardens in Coral Gables. It was a beautiful place with lots of interesting plants and animals which were very new to Grandpa and Nana. Jessica and Donovan participated in a Scavenger hunt to look for various things, like lizards, water birds and special leafs






When we got home Liam came to see us. During the weekend we went to see the Lollipop Symphony at the theatre. It was a wonderful orchestra which played music that told the story of the 1001 Arabian Nights!

Before the concert the Orchestra had a "Petting Zoo", not with animals but with instruments. You could walk around and try one of the many instruments. Here Liam is trying the Violin.


Well that's all I have to report now. Click on the comment box and tell me what you did that was fun in January. Hope to hear from you soon, Love Grandpa.

Good Morning to all my Grandchildren. This Website is an opportunity for me to share pictures and stories about what is going on here at the Lake and interesting places I've visited. From time to time I will ask your opinion on things and you can post them here on the "Notes from Grandpa Blog". This way we can keep in touch with each other and see what everybody's been "Doing".