the beauty of an ice storm

I am taking bets on how long until this sheet of snow slides off the library bay window. The piece on the nearer side of the copper roof already crashed down. It is quite explosive as it hits the ice surface on the ground.


Ice encrusted branches and seed pods are so sparkly and pretty. My second counselor's 4 year-old told me Heavenly Father had sprinkled glitter on the snow outside his bedroom window just for him. So precious!

How about a bid on the rent for this lovely nest? It is a little cool right now, but it is in a great neighborhood!

A SNOW DAY!!

I am just as excited as kids when there is a wonderful day just to celebrate snow! I am sure the Philly side is enjoying it, too. And it took Dad twice as long as usual to get to work in New Jersey.(Okay, so it took 18 minutes instead of 9, but who's counting??)

I was reminded that there are people whose jobs get harder in this glorious weather. First, when this storm was predicted, we got a notice from the US Post Office reminding us to clear a path to our mailboxes and front doors or we would not get mail. (What about "neither snow nor rain..."?)
Then, I got a robo-call (funny how we all know what that means now!) from Waste Management apologizing that our trash pickup would be delayed a day because streets were too icy. Actually, I hadn't even bothered to try to drag my container out to the street because we had 1/2 inch of ice on top of 3 inches of snow.

I put on boots and a scarf and mittens and heavy coat to go out and do the required shoveling. A snow plow had come up our street and left a ridge almost 18 inches high along the edge of the street and across the driveway. I knew the mail lady would not be able to get to my box with that. It took me about 30 minutes to move enough of that pile away from the mailbox, and another 15 to shovel the sidewalk to the front door. I did not even consider the driveway. I am going nowhere until Dad gets home Friday, so I will be patient and see what Mother Nature does in the next 48 hours.

For a brief moment while I was shoveling, the thought passed through my mind that I wished I lived closer to grandchildren who might come help with this in exchange for sledding fun and cookies and hot cocoa. Then I quickly amended the thought to just having them come for the fun and treats because I was going to be just like my grandma and do my own shoveling until I was 95!! That's why we moved here in the first place!

So now I am heading downstairs to listen to the drip of icicles off the deck and work on a great sampler quilt in the studio. Life is wonderful! Blessings to all of you.

Whose woods these are...

They are mine! But what a difference a couple of hours makes. It has been a beautiful day watching these "woods fill up with snow".

I had taken a page out of Debi's blog and began to really reclaim my space ( Christmas is still everywhere!). So I was starting with the morning room when the outside called me. There were fat little birds in my naked birch tree outside the window. They were huddled up and looked at me as if to say, "So, where's the seed?" Of course, I had to go out and fill the feeders. No one seems interested in the holly berries at the front door, but they were so pretty dusted with snow.

The rest of the day I spent on Maddie's quilt and getting fabric ready for the "Block a Month" enrichment group that starts on the 29th. This will be my first sampler, and it is all lavenders--a change for me. Winter is a great time to quilt--just the thought of layers of batting is warming.

(Someday I have to get the whole picture placement thing figured out :( )

What melts in your mouth and not in your hands??

And the answer is.....(click on the label attached to this basket of goodies.)

This was on the porch when we arrived home from San Francisco.

Dad started on Monday at Hackettstown, NJ, and called me each night from his hotel.


It was rather funny that each day was "the best day ever--even better than yesterday!!"

I am so happy for him.

July 27, 1983, to January 9, 2008

What an amazing experience we have all had.

Everyone of you children has spent time working for this company, in one way or another. Perhaps you measured labels for See's bars or you melted candy bars and counted almonds. You might have spent time in the lab at the Burlingame plant, or you listened to endless audio tapes and transcribed customer contacts into Q&A. Or maybe you just traded bags of chips for Fritos at lunch or bribed teachers (or friends) with big chunks. You might have used the bars as thank you gifts or teaching aids as you grew older. And there is no counting the masses of chocolate chip cookies you have baked.

Well, everything changes, and this is the biggest one yet for our family. We won't say anything more about the week Dad and I spent in San Francisco. We held each other a lot, shed a few tears, and reflected on good friends and good times spent in a place that always smelled like heaven (to me, anyway!)

Now, the adventure continues. A while back at PF Chang's Dad got a fortune cookie that said, "Be prepared to accept a wondrous opportunity in the days ahead!" Here we go!!

No, I didn't leave my heart, but...

(I wish you could hear the haunting music and rich voice of Glen Yarbrough singing this Rod McKuen classic)

So long, San Francisco,
Now it's time to leave,
Though the fog is all around me,
A'tugging at my sleeve.

I've overstayed my welcome.
Now it's time to go,
So, I'll just say,
"So long, San Francisco."

It's always hard to leave a lady,
Hard to know what to say.
When you love a lady like I love San Francisco,
Words don't mean anything, anyway.

So, so long, San Francisco.
Remember, if you will,
I'm in love with every street
On every single hill.

The whole, wide world's a highway,
And anywhere you go,
The roads lead back
To San Francisco.

Where did the last 2 months go???

Well, let's see:

Decorate for Christmas one-handed, literally (with Dad home to help), in 1 week

RS Christmas party at our house for Linus Project Activity (finished 25 blankets)

Quick trip to Jen and Ed's for Dallin's concert and time with a sweet family

Ward Christmas Service Project (with attendant baking and delivering baskets and bags)

Wonderful trip to Tricia and Dan's to share more concerts, cookies, lights, TWILIGHT, shopping, and hugs.

Sharing our own Christmas presents of finishing (sort of) the unpacking of the storage area in the basement, including 17 shelving units put up and 13 shirts ironed--yes, old people are weird

Having Kennan and Austin here for a couple of days including a wild trip to New York and Radio City Music Hall's Christmas Extravaganza and Planet Hollywood and M&M's World and lots of crowds!!

Flying to SFO with the kids on New's Year Day (getting up at 2 am--not so much fun) and seeing Bill before driving down to LA to be with Tom and Heather (with lunch at Andersen's, of course)

Disneyland with them on Friday--more crowds--but great fun till almost midnight (and yes, the hyenas were still there, and the kisses were still sweet!)

Seeing Tom's amazing workplace on Saturday, and sharing some powerful spiritual moments as Tom gave Dad a special blessing for the days to come and helping dedicate Grandfather Munt's gravesite at the Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Westwood before we drove back to San Francisco up 101 saying good-bye to the beautiful coast

All of that was enough to strengthen us for the next big week.
Thanks for all the family prayers and support.