Jan 9, 2013 January Chinook



Later-setting sun last Friday at 4:00 pm





Front door to the winter
critter condos














When we awoke Monday morning, it was 19, snowing and very windy.  Often hard to tell if it was still snowing or just blowing off the trees.  Must have been snowing most of the night as we had received 3" when JB measured at 11:00 am.  The wind turned out to be our annual Chinook which usually blows in sometime during the first or second week of January.  The snow was really too solid for any drifting, but by the end of the day there was definitely some melting and the trees were finally green again.

JB baked cinnamon-raisin scones and it was actually painful to have to wait until they were cool enough to eat!  I much prefer scones to cake, as they have more body and crunchy crusts.  Then he went outside to shovel the pathways, but I do NOT like to go out in the wind so it was a good excuse to stay in and make cards.  The sun was shining so it was no problem to do embossing.

As much as I enjoyed watching "Mama Mia" more than a week ago, I still have that song ringing in my head.  And as much as I like Abba, this is getting a little irritating. . .

Sandy sent me some great articles on sleep aids that I will certainly look into.  Nothing to ingest, more likes scents, which sounds delightful.  I'm very sensitive to a nice aroma, despite the fact that neither of us bathe as frequently as we did living Down There.  But JB's observation that I tend to have sleepless nights after days with little exercise seems to be right on.  If I don't get outside and do some serious work or hiking, I usually have a hard time sleeping.  OK, I can take a hint. . . maybe.

Our son calls at least once or twice a week and keeps us up-to-date on his family and the antics of our grandchildren.  I usually don't keep a history of them in my blog, but since this is a diary, I may start.  Right now: Last week he was telling me about our five-year-old granddaughter.  She's a pistol!  Always has been.  Seems now she talks incessantly.  Our son said, "She must breath through her skin because I never hear or see her take a breath between words!"  They have had to institute a no-talk time in the car when she is picked up from school or dance class until they arrive home.  Neither he nor our daughter-in-law can concentrate on driving while she is chattering.  Fortunately her eight-year-old brother is quite the opposite.  He's actually the perfect big brother any girl could want.

All the snow and ice on the east end of the north side of the roof finally crashed down.  Not as noisily as when the middle did, but enough to make Dinga run for the bedroom.  The west end is still hanging on, but the south side was slowly melting in the 33 degree temperature.

Tuesday morning was grey and overcast with a temperature of 25.  Amazing the difference it makes with all the snow gone from the trees.  The wind had died sometime before my bladder got me up at 3:30 am, but more snow began falling a little before 8:00 am and we had two more inches by 11:00 am.

We both enjoyed JB's scones for breakfast with puddles of melted butter on them.  Mmmmm. . .

I forced myself to go outside.  No excuse, since it wasn't windy.  JB shoveled the main paths and I cleared the one to the garbage shed.  Also cleaned the snow off his Jeep and brought in the firewood.  Later I took the dogs for our afternoon walk while JB cooked marinara sauce with Italian sausage for dinner.  Was delicious on rigatoni and with a glass of wine.

As far as books go, I am back to The Cat Who . . . .  Yesterday I finished #18 of 28.  Ten more to go.

Thought for the day:  Life is like riding a bicycle.  You don't fall off unless you stop peddaling.  Claude Pepper