Winter continues

Part of our preparation for going anywhere in the car necessitates cleaning off the driveway so that ice won't form under compacted snow. The snow shovels (mine is ergonomically configured) go into the back of the van, so that if it has snowed while we are gone, we can clean it off again. The paper boy leaves the morning's papers in the mail box, and we have to trudge out to get them, rather than just open the front door to pick up the papers lying just outside the door. This is the first day since before Christmas that we have not had any snowfall. We've been told to prepare, though, for snow during the next 10 days. At least the snow storage in the mountains is adding up in a more satisfactory way. Living in a desert climate makes us very aware of the need for extra snow in the mountains during the winter months, so we're not supposed to grumble too much at daily snows during this time of the year.

Our Resident Pheasant Comes to Lunch

As I wrote before, Ron has put a piece of plywood on top of the children's picnic table we have on the patio, and clears enough snow from it to put plenty of birdseed for the tiny birds (sparrows, chickadees, and finches) that winter over in the evergreen trees that ring half of our lots. Occasionally the greedy doves come and scare them away, but yesterday we looked out to see that our resident pheasant, who lives with his harem under the evergreens had flown up to the table to partake, too. He does seem to have a voracious appetite. Pickings on the ground have to be scarce with the abundance of snow all around. He was not disturbed by our movements within the house as the little birds are. He appears more in silhouette than in actual color. Photographing him against the white snow (and through the patio door) screens out the beautiful browns and the iridescent green gloss of his head.

Be sure to click on the pictures so that you can see part of the colors.

Isn't winter fun?

This little garden figure that holds a frog is huddled against the garage, wearing his cap and shawl of snow. Looks almost like mistreatment, doesn't it?

Coming and going - the snow in the driveway doesn't look so thick because some friends came yesterday afternoon and shoveled it out once. There was still enough wind blowing this morning to have Ron looking like a snowman when he came in from cleaning the part of the driveway we need to back the car out.

The Big Snowstorm

We awoke on Christmas morning around 7a.m. to blowing snow, and it didn't let up until about 9:30 p.m. We were just happy we didn't have to go any place, but felt very snug celebrating Christmas in our house. The report was from 12 to 20" of snow. (I think we got the 20") The south windows were coated over with the blowing snow, and it was deep enough to go inside the big boots, not stay on the outside. Beautiful this morning! Some big animal invaded the yard in the night - we live near Creamery Hollow, and sometimes the deer, and even a moose or two have been known to invade, being driven by the snow. When you see the blue skies and the glittering snow the morning after, it makes one happy to be alive.

The sundial wears an even bigger cap.

Ron puts a piece of plywood on the little picnic table on the patio, scrapes off as much snow as he can, and spreads a banquet for the little birds. Sometimes the pesky doves come, and occasionally a bold magpie shows up, but we discourage him from the feed.

More White Christmas

The snow makes our neighbor's apple orchard look like an etching. We never tire of the scenes we see from our home. The Bear River Range of the Wasatch Mountains to the east constantly changes as clouds billow up from the east, or the sunlight causes canyons and peaks to be highlighted, or the shadow cast by the mountains themselves makes them an icy blue.

However, it is lovely to view the cold, snowy scene from within our warm home. And this particular stained glass piece looks very Christmas-like, and appropriate for the season. Merry Christmas, everyone!

Santa and the three Gage girls

This picture is the epitome of sweet innocence. Julia, Andrea, and Jennifer, looking totally enchanted with Santa, who must be promising them all of their Christmas wishes. What a Christmas Classic!

Christmas in Laramie, 1968

We made our own Christmas in 1968 in Laramie student housing. Dorothy and Sara created the ball and the gold Christmas tree, and the boys made candles. I'll never forget the day I came home from school and work, to find that Brig had decided to go ahead and melt some parafin to make another candle- the whole thing was spilled all over the stove, floor, and himself. Fortunately, the jeans were thick and he was not burned - and everything cleaned up. We did have a very slick kitchen floor for a while. My friend from the art department, Eleanor Carrigan, came to dinner and took these pictures. Remember to click on the pictures to see them enlarged.

Dorothy

Christmas 1961 Dorothy was a very intense baby. This glittery silver Christmas ornament hung above her crib, and she really wanted it. She would have been three months old when this picture was taken. Wasn't she an exquisite baby girl?

Winter Wonderland

The sundial that Julie & Mike gave us so long ago is our indicator to measure to see how many inches of snow fall at a time. It wears it's cap of snow proudly. The twisted branches of Harry Lauder's walking stick (actually a filbert tree) is a marvel of modern art.

And one of our few outdoor Christmas-winter decorations wraps itself around the light pole and almost becomes our snowman for the season. We expect more snow in the morning, just to keep life from being too boring.

Nativity scene #2 - Another of My Favorite Things.

I started collecting the charming tiny Petersen-made mice some years ago, choosing figures that reflected our lifestyle. It's been many years since I filled my little display case, but I find that this little nativity set is one of my favorites. (These Petersen figures are about the only way I like mice.) The figures are tiny - the stable is the largest at aobut 4" high; the taller wiseman and shepherd are about 2 1/4" tall, so this scene doesn't take up much room at all.

Merry Christmas!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

The Nativity

Since the birth of Jesus is the "reason for the season", I love the depiction of the creche that various artists have done. This is one that we made in Relief Society in Tumwater. I say "made" as a loose term of the word, because all we did was clean the greenware, and go through the steps to the final glaze. This is one of the treasures that I put out for each Christmas season. I'll be showing some of the others that I have as the season progresses.

Thanksgiving

This picture is just to prove that Tony did come home for Thanksgiving. He dislikes having his picture taken, so I had to sneak this one by. Nice not to have to use flash! He was very intent on something on his laptop - Just have to be quick on the draw to catch him.

Oh Tannenbaum, Oh Tannenbaum

When Tony was here for Thanksgiving, we got the tree all set up - with his help, the chore was easier! It's hard to realize that some of the ornaments on the tree are 30+ years old. Mostly, those older ones date back to our 1976-78 years in Germany, and have become real treasures over the years. In the "olden" days, when we had live trees, the magic date was around the 10th of December, so that the tree (or trees) wouldn't get too old before Christmas. We miss the scent of the live trees, but are thankful that we don't have safety issues with artificial one that so perfectly graces our living room this season.

Christmas is just around the Corner

There are so many aspects to the atmosphere of the Christmas season. One is amaryllis. Mother (Grandma Blood) often had several amaryllis plants. After nurturing the bulbs through their growth, bloom, and dormant stage, she would set them out, water them, and here would come the amazing stems and blooms. I have some in the garage that are still dormant - I will bring them in soon, but in the meantime, I picked one up at our local grocery store (the only one in town), and green is already beginning to show at the top of the bulb. Maybe, just maybe there will be a bright red flower in a few weeks? Anyway, now that we're officially in December, the signs of the joyous times are all around us.