By 3 p.m. the kitchen was cleaned and the tree down and put away for another 11 months. I put it up the day after Thanksgiving and I'm always ready to put it away and watch winter go away. Although it's several months away, I like seeing the daylight come through the window earlier in the mornings and last later into the afternoons. Since the tree sits right in front of the window, putting it away now lets in more light.
I looked out late yesterday afternoon and could tell by the softness of the street lights it was snowing - and boy was it ever! It was coming down fast and steady. I go back to work tomorrow, so I thought I'd brush the four new inches off the car today and get a head start. It is somewhere between 15 and 20 below, so I got a bit chilled, but warm boots and coat really help. It was the gloves that took the worst of it.
I brushed the snow off the bird feeders a week ago when I filled them. Looks like one needs new seed already, but there's still plenty there.
Buddy just told me he wanted to go out, so off we went. As soon as we hit the porch, he pulled off all four booties, as he does all the time. Here he is after about 5 minutes, wanting to come back indoors because his feet are cold. Notice the two front feet are not touching any snow. I think if he could figure out a way to get all four up at once, he'd do it. He just cannot seem to figure out those booties keep his feet warm! It was hard to get a good sharp shot as he was shivering and moving. I figured I should put him out of his misery and bring him back in. Note how his breath frosts his beard.
Several years ago my friend Mae and I drove to the Salcha River Rec area just for a short ride. My granddaughter Maddy has a habit of picking up stones and rocks wherever she is, and I guess some of it rubbed off. I saw an interesting stone at the water's edge and put it into the car. It barely fits into my palm and I can't close my fist over it. It has a reddish-brown color over much of it, but there are spots where it looks as though it was once white. I thought it might be quartz that had spent a lot of time in some water rich in iron. The rock has cracks all over and Saturday I decided to wiggle the loose end to see what's inside. I was surprised to see a deep red color covering much of the inside. It has some white marbeling and some very tiny, sparkly gold-colored flecks - almost like glitter. Very pretty. My brother-in-law, a rock hound in Arizona, said it sounds like an agate. I emailed a few photos to a professor at UAF with whom I've worked a few times to see if he might be able to identify it.
Stay warm everyone.
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