More Snow

We had another snow storm the other night.

It added another 14 inches of snow on top of the 24 inches we already had.

My Christmas wreath sure does look pretty though.

I should probably take that down at some point.

The kids and the neighbors decided to do some snowfort making on

the huge mound of snow in front of our house.

They dug a whole in the top.

I went out and took some pictures while they completed their project.

My patio table looks like a big cupcake.

The kids were still working and shoooed me away.

They dug a tunnel through the snow.

After a few hours of work they broke through.

I could tell by all the whooping and yelling.

They rock.

Our gutters are very heavy with ice and snow.

I hope they don't pull off.

See how much snow we have?

This is the path to the chicken coop.

And our picnic table can't be seen from the deck on the back of the house.

Even the tire swing was grounded in snow.

The chickens did not want to go out and play.

On a brighter note, most of them have regrown their feathers after moulting.

Perhaps now you can lay me some eggs girls?

Chippy says no.

Looking from the coop back to the house.

The shed is not yet dug out.

My four foot garden fence is about 2 feet tall now.

And that's our pool. It's also 4 feet deep.

Or it used to be before we got 3 feet of snow.

The kids played outside all day.

This sidewalk used to be shoveled.

Morgan used to have a lower body.

Getting out of the tunnel took a bit of effort.

Push Morgan! Push!

Who else is in there?

I think he needs some help.

It's Pooh Bear-stuck in the hole!

No, it's just Tae!

He was laughing so hard the other kids had to pull him out.

We may have lost a few in there somewhere.

It took a lot of searching.

Till finally they thought it was a lost cause.

And the thoughts of hot chocolate filled their heads instead.

And half a body came out the top of the hole and half a body came out of the bottom of the hole. Things were quite a mess.

Or so it seemed.

How much snow are you buried in?

The New Addition to the Family

The teen has been saving his babysitting money and guess what he got?

A Gecko.

A Gecko that eats live crickets and mealworms.

This is Nyla. She's a girl.

I know this because the teen made me look.

Did I mention she eats live crickets?

She likes to ride on shoulders. Or backs.

She's a bright yellow here.
We've had her a week and she's moulting and turned a very dull color.
And now my counter has a cricket keeper and
there are meal worms in my spare refrigerator.

Did I mention she eats live food?

She's grown on me.

The crickets and mealworms......not so much.

The Important Things

Like many, it has been hard to get the Arizona shootings off my mind. I have been watching those recovering in hospitals and those that have been laid to rest. Several of my friends are also "stuck" on the story of the shootings. It's hard to move on when you feel helpless and don't understand circumstances or the full story. I feel much like I did after September 11th.

Disbelief, uncertainty...being unsettled.

Several years ago, I did a sermon at church on Organ Donation. I told of a younger woman that had died, of her family and how her organs were donated. Work in the ICU was not always easy. With those that healed from injuries, there were also those that passed on. Working with the patients and families who were donating organs was some of my most fulfilling work.

It was hard and sad and joyful.

Making decisions such as donating organs when your own grief is overwhelming you, cannot be easy. I wonder if I would have the strength to get through my grief in such circumstances and to see the gift that Organ Donation is.

Today, I am keeping Christina Taylor Green in my thoughts.

I will hold her family and their grieving for their daughter in my prayers.

Christina's family made the decision to donate her organs after

she died in the Arizona shootings.

The article was posted on the Washington Post.

I will hold the families that received her organs close to my heart knowing that they have been given more time with their loved ones through the grace of a 9 year old girl and her family.

May her family know what a tremendous gift they have in their daughter.

Girl on Saturday

Thought I would put a shout out for my friend Karen and her new blog:

Girl on Saturday

http://girlonsaturday.blogspot.com/

Karen has many children and I love her writing about real life parenting.

Stop on over and give her a shout out.

Stupid Dog

This dog that I love with all my heart

is going to be the death of me.

Stupid Dog.

This is what Homeschooling a teen looks like.

Short dog must find the smallest place to cram

his NOT svelte figure into.

Stupid Dog.

Today I came home to find short dog limping and screaming in pain.

Stupid Dog.

He jumped off the couch to greet us and got hurt.

Now one might say "How in the world did he do that?"

When you are half English Bulldog and half Dachshund

and your legs are 3 inches long...

it's pretty darn easy to injure yourself.

Poor Harley could not put any weight on his leg.

Stupid Dog.

See that left crooked leg? It's more like a flipper.

Think NEMO.

Think of me, walking with my cane and my teen trying to get the dog in the

car to go emergently into the Vet's office in a panic.

Stupid Dog.

Think about me leaving my 11 year old home in charge of the

6 year old while

I blasted out the door in fear that

short dog's leg was busted.

Stupid dog.

Think about how the dog was perfectly fine by

the time we got to the Vet's office.

And they gave him cookies too.

Stupid Dog.

Think about this perfectly ridiculous dog.....that greets me with kisses and tail nub wags and eats my shoes and must have his head buried behind me when laying on the couch. Think of this dog that get frostbite on his belly 'cause it drags on the ground in snow storms.

Stupid Dog.

I'm very glad you are okay.

January Snow

More snow pictures from the snow storm.

The chickens were snuggled all...

no, wait, that's another story.

The chicken rotisserie....I mean heat lamp.

Splattered chicken on the wall.

The chicken coop buried under snow.

Actually the heavy snow made it quite warm in the coop.

This is my compost pile.

Snow laden pine tree.

Larry plowing the driveway.

It only took about 4 hours.

24 inches of snow at the last count.

Does it much matter after 12 inches?

The front of the house.

Halfway thru the driveway.

Pine boughs.

Stewie in the plowed path to the chicken coop and barn.

Stewie loves the snow.

Birdhouse on the garden fence.

Buried barn.

Larry calls it the shed.

The buried chicken coop.

The old treefort and tire swing.

Frosty windows.

The bluebird house.

Buried Adirondack chair.

The Willow Tree.

Snow on the Jacuzzi roof.

From the deck looking toward the pool.

Look how much snow.

The view from the deck looking out toward the backyard.

Flower boxes filled with snow.

The tool shed and vegetable garden.

Drifts on the roof.

The berry Christmas wreath that I forgot to put away.

Hope you are staying warm and dry this winter season.

Bev