THAT Day is Upon Us....

Our Gallant Civil Warrior is off on Friday to Iraq to join his Cavalry unit.

He who flies fearlessly acrosss the battlefield with Jackson through the roar of the cannons and the smoke of the gun fire

He who is admired by teenage women;

Idolized and imitated by his nephews;

And adored by his Mom.

In fact, the Pacific NW will be a dull and lonely place for the next many months without him here...

We love you Daniel.

Be safe, remember your cavalry training and come home to us soon! Our love and our prayers go with you.

Our hero, our brave warrior, our gallant, rowdy Rebel Gentleman.

As It Should Be

The usual rhythms of winter
Returned to the NW today
The rain is back now, soft and warm
And it’s washed all the snow away
The winds blew hard all through the night
But eased with the first light of day

It’s good to have things back in place
The wind, the rain, and now the breeze
The squirrels and jays out my back door
And branches broken off the trees
The wind chime dancing as it sings
A Saturday designed to please!

Christmas Morning 2008

Christmas Morning dawned cold and cloudy...
but it cleared quickly...
"And the glory of the Lord shone around them... "

Christmas Eve by the Water

Cold and windy down by the sea
Dark the water, white the tree
Bitter the wind and blustery
Lost in winter, down by the sea...

Outside the snow piled higher and higher...

But inside it was all warm and toasty!

Doesn't It Just Look Cold?!!!

Believe me, It Is! I've heard one news station say that this is the worst snow storm to hit us in 12 years. Another said 30 years. Either way, it is amazing to those of us who go through most winters without ever seeing snow. Or, if we do get snow, it rains off later in the day.

Yeah... Al Gore has some explaining to do! :)

Trees that didn't break in the high winds of our usual winter storms, did crack and shatter under the weight of the snow and freezing rains.

And how deep did the snow get?

Take a look at how high it is piled in the chair on my neighbor's deck where the wind didn't hit it!

Frozen Beauty, Simple Blessings

As the snow continued to fall through the day
And pile up

Some beautiful surprises appeared;

Like the thin layer of ice between the snow and the tree limbs

Or the warm brown pine cones nestled between the deep green and the frosty white

However, I am perfectly willing to go back to the rain and the warmer weather now....

And More Snow...

Yesterday afternoon it started snowing again...
And it snowed

and snowed all night


I don't know if you can tell how much is piled on my neighbor's roof...

And I'm a little concerned about who who stole my driveway...

Somewhere in the early morning the snow turned to freezing rain and locked everything into a stiff confection of white...



Did I mention the icicles on the roof?


And here's that tree out by the back deck again. All of that snow is frozen solid. The squirrels and birds ran all over it without leaving a mark!!

As I had been putting out peanuts for the squirrels and the Stellar's Jays and seed for the smaller birds, I had a late night visitor checking to see if there were any leftovers to scrounge. I guess I'll have to set some out tonight for the coons, too.

My breakfast guests:

A Winter Blessing

Look who came to dinner...

well, lunch actually!

Right out my front window!!!