COLD DRAGONFLY

This is the view from our office window. Again, I love the look of the intertwining branches and never tire of trying to figure out how it all connects together in space.

My watering can seems to have acquired a taste for a new job description - snow shaker!

I bought this plasma cut steel dragonfly in Montana last fall at the last farmer's market of the year. It has looked so neat in our hosta bed, but now it looks like an airplane ready to take off. This dragonfly looks really cold. I guess it needs some de-icer.

CABIN FEVER

I love the lacy look of trees with snow on them. I especially like looking into the depths of the branches and seeing the patterns they create as they interlock. The icing of the snow just makes it a special treat for me.
Beignet has always loved paper. I have called her my personal paper shredder. No batteries, no electricity, just plenty of good food and clean water. She has been practicing up for the Holidays. This is the paper that has packed our belongings. We have unpacked, folded, put away, repacked, unpacked again, folded and put away so many times that I begin dreading opening a box because it will have MORE paper in it. We should be done in a couple of years:).

Google is sitting in one of his new favorite spots - in front of the window. It was out this window that he pointed out two deer in our yard the other day. Note the length of Goog's tail.

I hate to be all Scroogish, but who needs a Christmas Tree with THIS out the window. We have really been enjoying the appearance of the little forest we live in with its transformation from the snow.

Google loves to find the warmest, coziest spot around. He burns off so much energy with his racing around the house that we work at keeping him fed well enough. He is a rather thin cat, but all muscle. The boxes from our moving have become a favorite hideout for him - nice insulation, quiet surroundings and nobody to find him, unless I'm around with the camera. What a great cat he is. His sister Yahoo is pretty neat, too, but she disappears when the camera shows up.

It isn't too hard to tell that we have cabin fever around here. For goodness sake, I'm taking pictures of birds shredding paper and cats hiding in boxes and he doesn't exactly look pleased about it!

DECEMBER 18 SNOWSTORM

This is Queen Anne's lace all covered with a crown of snow

The sign post to where we live is all wrapped in a bow. All of the mail boxes have wreaths on them that are now completely invisible.

This would be my Christmas card to all of you. It just exudes Christmas to me.

Oh my, look at the height of these trees. That is what you get when you live in old growth forest.

I believe this is a duplicate of the trees, but I don't know how to delete the photo, so hurray, you get a second look at those tall trees.

I have to give my husband Bob credit for these photos. I was a wimp today and stayed in. After living in the North most of my youth, I'm happy to just look at the snow from a warm window.

I wish a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a delightful start to a new year to all of you and your kin and friends.

THE GOOD FATHER

Oh how I would love to post a photo tonight. My computer doesn't want to allow it, so it is time to use creative language. I have an image burnt in my memory. It is of a man kneeling by his son and wife, caressing them in adoration. It is what I have always felt that the image of the heavenly father should be, one who is caring, attentive and ready to meet my needs. That is what I saw my son (in-law) doing the other night. I had walked down the hall to the guest room and turned to ask a question when I saw him kneeling at the bedside of his wife and son. It is so dear to me to know what a good father and husband he is.

Sam is a fortunate son and Aimee is fortunate as well to have such a man in their lives. We all have physical needs such as food and shelter, but to have emotional and mental needs met so well is a great gift. I'm thankful that my daughter and grandson are recipients of that gift.

We are not always blessed with the people our children choose as life partners, but John is like a real son to me and I love him dearly. I wish I had the photo of him to show, but perhaps that image was just for my eyes so I could put it into words. Memory is all we had before cameras and memory is a wonderful thing.

AMAZING GRANDCHILD

Amazing, amazing and again amazing. I've become a grandmother and his name is Samuel Robert. He arrived weighing in at an amazing 10#4oz. and has not one roll of fat on his body. He has chubby baby cheeks and a lean well-muscled body with feet that will make his Mamma and Daddy want to start saving for custom sized shoes. His foot prints went outside of the lines, so at an early age he has learned to not color too much inside the lines (as an artist I'm so proud of this). I loved him the moment I saw him and he dazzles me with his awareness at such a tender age of three days. He is wearing the afghan I knitted for him over four year's time. Enjoy this glimpse of him at less than 12 hours of age.