A Christmas to Remember

This was certainly a Christmas we won't ever forget. We have had record snowfall for the past two weeks and what's more, from 5:30am on Christmas morning to 7pm that evening we were without power and heat. Drew and his family managed to make it here on Christmas - thanks to his heavy duty Dodge Durango. However, when they arrived the house was cold due to no heat and there was no dinner cooked because of no power. Inovative as we are, we fired up both fireplaces and lit all the candles in the house. Dinner ended up being hotdogs cooked in our wood burning fireplace and eaten by candlelight. It was definitely an unusual Christmas for us. I heated some rocks by the fireplace to put in the beds, so we could at least get into a warm bed, but the heat came back on at 7 pm, so we didn't need them. It continued to snow every day Drew and family were here and so we didn't get out much. We totaled about 30 inches (75 cm) of snow before it started to melt yesterday. We spent our days sledding on the steep hills around here, playing board games and enjoying the time together. It is rare that the 7 of us are together any more, so it made for a great Christmas.
We are definitely ready for the new year!!

Record Snow and Cold

This is unlike any year we have had in the 32 years we've lived here. The snow just won't seem to quit and the temps haven't even gotten to 30 degrees Fahrenheit (-2 degrees Celcius)in quite a while so nothing is melting.
Our local lake, which is great for swimming in summer, is partially frozen - we've never seen it like that. The ducks are still there, though.
We also have more icicles than ever before. We've measured one at more than 47 inches (1.3 meter) and it is still growing! Some are about 2 -3 inches (5 cm)in diameter.
We did make an interesting discovery with all the snow. We found out that a raccoon is living under our deck. We saw the footprints and the secret was out.
Our neighbor discovered that the little Oregon squirrels we have here actually dig tunnels to get around in the snow. He also has some hummingbirds that come and feed is his feeder. He is hard pressed to keep it thawed enough for them to feed when the temps stay in the 20's all day.
We are so thankful Mark got home when he did - the news recently referred to the Seattle airport as "Camp Sea-Tac" because of all the stranded people. There are very few flights going out or coming in.
This, too, shall pass.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas......

We have been hit with a lot of snow and very cold temperatures this week. We barely managed to get Mark home from the airport on Wednesday. We got almost home before we got stuck in the snow and just could not get up the last hill. So, at midnight, we got out of the car and trekked the last three-quarters of mile to our house. The next day we retrieved our car with the help of a good Samaratin. Today, two days later, we had to chain up the car, so Mark could get to an appointment he had to make.
Because there is so much snow everywhere, we noticed that some racoons living under our deck. We only found this out, because we saw their tracks in the snow.
More snow and wind is expected tomorrow, so we are hunkering in for the next few days. John has lots of wood ready for the fireplace. We are planning on a power outage - that seems to be standard when winter wind storms hit.
It is time to get a pot of soup made.
More updates as they happen...

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all of you. We have a Christmas card for you.
Click on the link below to view it.

http://www.jacquielawson.com/preview.asp?cont=1&hdn=0&mpv=3150446

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr........

Our winter arctic blast hit just in time for our grandson's birthday party, which we once again missed due to weather and driving conditions between here and there. Hopefully next year we'll be living closer to them and it won't be a problem. He did call and tell us all about the party and what great presents he got. He said 8 was the best age to be and he that he wants to be 8 forever!

As I looked out my window yesterday, lamenting the missed birthday party I saw a deer walking though our property foraging for something to eat in the midst of all this cold and snow. Then today the sun came out and the day was bright as could be.

As for now, we are having temps in the 20's during the day and teens at night.The pattern is supposed to stay with us all week. On the eastern side of the Cascades the temps are even lower, getting down to 0 degrees Fahrenheit. It does put us in a festive Christmas mood with the sun shining and making the fresh snow sparkle.

We have all our decorations up, our Christmas cards written, and ready to mail tomorrow. Mark is due home Wednesday and then we will really be ready for Christmas. Drew and his family will be joining us this year. How great it will be to have us all together - healthy and happy - at the end of this tumultous year.

Let the Christmas Season Begin.....

Late yesterday a beautiful Christmas wreath arrived at our door. It was a gift from my sister, Tara. She knows how much we love wreaths. Years ago when our sons were still living here, we would spend most every Thanksgiving week-end making and selling our own wreaths. The boys would gather the greens, shape them on a form we made and I would make the bows. The boys would sell them to earn their Christmas money. We did this for 12+ years, but since the boys are grown and gone now, that tradition has fallen by the wayside. We haven't had a wreath adorn our front door for several years now, so when this one arrived we were thrilled and it brought back all the memories of those days gone by.

This wreath was hand made in Maine using fresh greens and arrived in perfect condition - still very fresh. The company that makes them is Whitney Wreath. If you want a wreath for yourself or to have sent to someone else, check them out. We highly recommend them. It even comes with a small bell and a brass tag with the year on it. We will keep our bell as an ornament for future Christmas trees.

For us, once the wreath is on the door, the merriment of the season may begin!!