Friday, December 19, 2008

Oops, I Did It Again......

No, I'm not talking about any pop-princess drama.  I just waited too long to post again.  

It has been simultaneously busy and not-so-busy around these parts.  The busy part is, of course, getting ready for the holidays and keeping the kiddies busy for an extended winter break.  The extended winter break caused by the "Arctic Blast of 2008" as the local news shows are calling our winter storm.  The winter storm has caused the not-so-busy schedule of no school and sometimes no driving.  I have no problem with sitting on the couch in my jammies with some knitting in my hands and a movie in the DVD.  A little boring for the kiddies.  The Incredible Digit Boy and Girl have been having loads of fun in the snow, though.  We're expecting a large dose of snow and freezing rain this weekend so that should give them a little more entertainment.  


I was very lucky that my Mom arrived for a visit before the snow.  While she thought the snow was pretty she really had no desire to walk around in it.  This was as far as she wanted to get.  

We moved to Southern California when I was a baby so those New England winters are a long forgotten memory for her.   We had a lot of fun while she was here.  I wish the visit was longer.  I was not-so-secretly wishing that we would get more snow on the day of her departure.   

We have had some other visitors.  The local little critters and birds have been partaking of some water from the fish pond.  I always leave the little bubbler fountain on so the water has a bit of fresh air.  So, even though the 22" deep pond is covered with a 4" layer of ice, there is still water bubbling out of a small opening at the top.   This morning I saw two finches standing on the ice and drinking out of the bubbler.  Plus, there's been a few larger birds and the ever-present squirrels hanging around.  I figured I'd better add some bird seed out, too.......kind of like a round-the-clock Vegas buffet.  

I do love how the neighborhood looks in this weather, though.  It makes all the houses look like little colorful packages in the snow.  When we had our house painted a little over a year ago, we chose a kind of bright shade of green.  I wanted to see a happy shade on the house....especially during our sometimes (mostly) gloomy winters.  That choice has paid off this past week.   The green walls, red door and colorful lights have made me smile every time that I am outside.