Snippets and scenes from a wintry few weeks

Happy New Year!!

I haven't been good about posting much lately, but it's certainly not due to a lack of things going on. The crazy, snowy weather of late really threw us all into a bit of a dither - so much so, in fact, that between being snowbound, being electricty-less, and having various holiday and family events cancelled or postponed, it's hard to believe that the holiday season is actually over and the new year has begun. Time to move on, right?

Well, as I try now to get caught up to it truly being January 4th, 2009, here are a few highlight/lowlight shots from the last couple of weeks.

December 21st, the first day of winter. Normally, there are bushes and gravel paths and benches and things. Oh yeah:

The coop. I love this shot. It might look cool framed and in black and white:

My husband, digging his way out to the car. You can just barely see our holiday lights on some of the bushes under the snow:

One thing is for certain: we've learned how to quickly transition from having power to being in the dark:

This is what I would do every morning for almost two weeks: Carry a really heavy water bucket filled with hot water down the steep hill to unfreeze the water in the chicken coop:

Wait! Not just water. Hot water *and* hot oatmeal:

The hens were always grateful:

Even when I sometimes substituted rice for oatmeal:

I put holiday lights on my metal rooster. Nobody noticed 'cept for my son's girlfriend, Alana. I really like her:

Here he is in the daylight:

Right about the time we made the call to cancel the big family Christmas Eve at my house and I was feeling really low, I got this in the mail. It was a wonderful surprise reminder that I've got friends out there, even if I can't get to them. This cute, handmade postcard came from my blog friend, Robbyn, of the Back Forty (sorry, robbyn, the snow kind of smeared some of the pretty ink):

Can you see my chickens all toasty under their chicken coop heatlamp? Spoiled birds:

This is my husband decorating our the tree. It's an artsy shot that was a complete accident:

Then the electricity went out again.
Here are me and Jim making the best of it:

And here are my new best friends. Yes, indeed, the technicians from Portland General Electric are *the* folks to know when your house goes dark. Our power came back on about an hour after this picture. Yay:

So, we were warm and well-lit on Christmas Eve. Plenty of lights to light up Roxy while she opened her present from Marcee (Fancyin' the farm life) and family:

Then it was my turn. You see, Marcee likes me, too, and not just my dog:

Oh, oh! I got new placemats for my table. Special, made-to-order, one-of-a-kind placements. Anyone care to venture a guess as to who the incredible artist/craftswoman on these was? (I *love* them):

Of course, Jim got something from Marcee, too. She knows how much he hates onions, so she got him his very own plastic one:

As if that wasn't funny enough, this onion came filled with his favorite dark chocolate!:

Of course, my husband knows the way to my heart is with all things "donkey". He gave me the newly published and ultimate resource on donkey care:

My son, Aidan, knows how to tickle his mama, too:

Uh oh. And then with the slightest of flickers to warn us, everything went dark again. Here's me after the seventh time in five days that the power has gone out. Check out that expression on my face. Priceless:

So, I suppose it's worthwhile for me to introduce you, then, to my second new best friend. This one has proven himself more trustworthy than the electricity *or* the PGE people. I think I'll call him "Truman" (Coleman is just his last name):

So. There's my recap. Almost up to the New Year. I'm signing off now, but before I go, here's Roxy in a basket: