Welcome to the year of the Fire Pig …
Things have been a tad strange at Casa Scully on this first day of January. We awoke to find a light crust of ice over the house, car, and driveway. I had been hoping we might find an excuse to drive in to town for a nice breakfast, but with all the ice, it made more sense to scrounge up something at home. Just as I was about to scramble some eggs and make some toast, the power went out. Without our electric range, we had to put the meal on hold. Fortunately, we had a few home-made biscotti left over from our trip, and the coffee had finished brewing.
After a light breakfast, we decided to go on our first snowshoe expedition of the season. Rick and I would have preferred to have four feet of snow on the ground, but with the warm winter we’ve had so far, we decided to take advantage of the five inches we did have. We tromped about on our property a bit, found some animal tracks (most likely rabbits and deer), and then proceeded to trespass on our neighbors’ fields. By the time we returned home the power had been restored. The lights on the porch were a welcome sign as we made our way back up the steep, icy driveway.
Sometimes, you have to improvise or jump in to a situation even when conditions are not exactly what you’d like them to be. This year we have a lot of plans that we want to try to put into play, and we’ll most likely need to be flexible in order to have success. Here’s hoping that at least a few of our ideas will come to fruition.
He Followed Us Home. Can We Keep Him?
A bit of a confession… When we agreed to doggie sit for the cute little feller in the ransom note above, we were under the impression that he barked a bit much, begged all the time, and was a little high-strung. However, what we failed to include in the intelligence that led up to this position is that every time we have seen Fox it has been in a social setting—and usually one involving barbecued meat. What we have found is that His CutenessTM is a very well-behaved, sweet little dude who has been one of the best house guests we have ever had. As much as we would love to keep him, we know he misses his family. Glad we will still be able to visit him… as well as Lori and Josh too, of course.
This is what allergies will to do you …
Though she was only 25, she had already begun to manifest the first symptoms of Old Lady Bedside.
A good snow job …
By nature snow is both beautiful and treacherous. It can cover the earth in a blanket of white, creating an unscheduled holiday for children, adults, and more importantly, an already edgy community. Plus, it makes sledding much easier. It can even make folks think they are better drivers than they really are. It forces us to stay put, then taunts us until we must get out!
This, to me, is when the beauty of a snowstorm occurs: as we dig out. As we collectively make our way out of our snowy cocoon, like baby turtles emerging from buried nests. When neighbors join together for a group archaeological dig, that feels like an old-fashioned block party, and in the process become both acquainted and reacquainted with one another.
Overall, it was a wonderful birthday blizzard.