Is it Snowing yet?

View from the top~

Today it sure feels cold enough for the snow level to drop down to us!  The wind has a bitter edge to it & at one point we had sunshine, rain pelting down sideways & the wind that was driving it!   Farah always wants OUT!  Full of energy & with spring in the air besides, yearlings on the run, Eagles mating in the huge Cottonwood on Dean's farm - it's all pretty exciting!  (The first time I've seen Eagles mate!)  

She wanted to gallop up the hill, no - we did a nice trot.  Worked some circles both directions, then let her graze for a while.  We took the loop that goes close to the edge of the river where the little waterfall comes out of the hillside.  Instead of her usual spooking & attempt to whirl - she tucked her head & pranced by :-)
I'm hoping we get a break in this weather soon so I get get both the mares out to do more than stretch their legs!

Road Trip~

Tree's down north on Burn Rd.

After I mentioned we'd managed to keep our power, at 11 a.m. this morning - it was out!  We decided to take the Bronco & head up to Arlington.  We made it about 3 mi. north on Burn Rd., when we came up on flashing red lights.  A tree limb had brought down a power line & the road was closed until the power company could arrive.  We turned around, headed south to Getchell Road & on out to Hwy 9.

Snowplow - where's the driver?

Once moving north on Hwy 9, we found the first snowplow we'd seen, partially blocking the southbound lane, no driver in sight.  The highway wasn't too bad, with a lot of fresh snow over the ice & compacted snow.  Sheryl was in her shop & ready to cut my hair!  What a girl!  Steve & Butch talked, while Sheryl worked on me - then Butch & I went on to have lunch.  Arlington Hardware is one of those "mandatory" stops when we're in town.  Now they've opened the upstairs for clothing & some tack - it's fun to see what they have in.  

Farah in her new halter!

 Guess what I found? :-)  A really pretty new halter for Farah!  I'd been looking for a while, just hadn't seen anything I thought would be right for her - until now.   New "Graphite" color hardware.   It fit perfectly & she seem very pleased.
We decided to try Burn Rd. for the drive home.  The snow our direction is much heavier than what we saw in town.  Our road hasn't seen a plow & with no shoulder & deep ditches, we took it easy.

Heading Home~

 The lights were back on!  Yippee - power had been out for three hours.  More shoveling, chores & back inside to get WARM!
 
We're looking forward to the trip to Portland tomorrow.  A stop at the Pacific Northwest Endurance Riders convention - mostly to visit the trade show & check out saddles, then an overdue visit with our good friends the Campbell family!  Maybe a game of "Stones" thrown in with a few good beers!  Beer is always better with friends!  :-)

Late Afternoon Clearing~

Butch with his shovel~

Butch had been shoveling most of the day, I went out later in the afternoon when it stopped falling from the sky!  He shoveled path's to the dog kennel, Cottage etc.  While we were working away - the clouds parted & a gold orb appeared to the Southwest! 

Snow on Deer Mountain

The Sun, the Sun, the Sun!  In a matter of seconds, the light transformed a gray snowy day into a picture postcard of amazing light on snow covered trees!  A hawk sailed by overhead - probably hoping we'd scare up his dinner!

Yes! We have SNOW!

The Cottage

The Weatherman has been saying the four letter "snow" word for a few days now - but today he was serious!  Tonight the "big" storm is supposed to move in with wind & even more snow!  Butch tuned up the generator, so it's ready if we need it.  Shoveling is under way - since our driveway is a long one!  
I made a batch of Ginger Snap cookies yesterday; they went great with our latte's this morning!

Barn under a blanket of snow~

 It's like living in a picture postcard!  I'm thinking hot buttered rum tonight! 

Visit to Duvall~

The Grange Cafe, Duvall

When we woke up to a white world of snow, it looked like a good day to take a trip south & visit the Peters family.  The roads were worse than we expected, but only in some places.  After seeing several cars in the ditch & two overturned on Hwy 2 - by the time we were a few miles out of Monroe, the road was only wet.  Once in Duvall - it was snowing - beautiful, but still wet until we climbed up the hill to the kids house.

Hogwarts Castle!

The grand-kids had worked to put their castle together & it's really something!  Every little detail that you can imagine!  Cassidy had fun showing me all the "secret" hiding places & Mason was busy cutting out pictures of the characters from a sticker book.  We watched a slide-show of the recent trip to Disneyland for New Years!  Even with heavy fog, the fireworks were pretty amazing.

We left at 5:30 p.m. arriving home by 7 - most of the way in 4-wheel drive.  Fun!  Snowing more today & more on the way!

Big Fluffy Flakes~

Big fluffy flakes!

This is the sunshine that we were told to "enjoy" before the next front comes in?  OK! 
The beauty is outstanding -- so must enjoy!

It's very few winters where I'm not outside working most of the time - if I'm not riding!  But this winter is different!  I'm going to be drawing up a new "name" sign for our next granddaughter!

You know you grew up in Colorado... if...

You go outside on a crisp 20's, sunshine morning to take pictures in your crocks & barefoot!  I remember hanging clothes out to "dry" i.e. "freeze" in the middle of winter, with just my flip-flops on as a kid!  Mom still hangs her clothes out year-round!  No dryer & she still irons!  I wonder why?  :-)  Anyway, it's just so drop-dead gorgeous out there! 

I hope to go see Dean's new filly & help get photos uploaded to his blog for all to see!  In the meantime, caught Rascal in a full run to Khari's stable.  He saw that Kitt was in there & she just "might" be getting something he hadn't found!  Love this boy!

What a Difference a Day Makes~

Cottage on a snowy morning!

From sunshine to snow!  A wet, drippy, gray morning.  A good day to work on inside "stuff" that needs to be done! I do want to post another link from the National Wildlife Federation;  http://www.nwf.org/gardenforwildlife/certify.cfm?campaignid=WH10A150  

Entrance to the Woods

This gives you the opportunity to actually apply & promote your backyard or property as a "Certified Wildlife Habitat".   Ours is #24029!  Years ago, they posted a list of Habitats on their web site, complete with photos, but I can't find that now.  You can order a sign to post on your property that promotes the program too!