February Should Look LIke This. . .

Yes this is what it should look like outside right now. I took this almost exactly a year ago when one of the Bald Eagles was in the tall tree outside the house. It should not be snow covered outside! The snow is lovely but after weeks of dealing with it in December and then watching the flowers begin to bloom, I'm just not prepared for it. I suppose too with Lent beginning yesterday my thoughts are looking towards Easter and all the Springtime loveliness that it brings with it.

Winter comes again!

Saturday was a very quiet day here. I was actually enjoying it and I truly hate to admit that as I spent much of it ironing. The ironing board was set up in front of the large bank of picture windows that over look the water, so at least I can take comfort in what I was enjoying was really the view. The Quail visited Saturday, as did a Bald Eagle, and then finally just before sunset the Deer. I noticed that the Primrose were in full bloom around the apple trees as well. The idea that Spring was upon the area was so enjoyable.

This photo above brings us to the present, Thursday morning, and I'm left asking where did Spring go?? Did she head to Mexico for Spring Break? Take me with you, please.

Books and Reading

Two things I dearly love, books and reading. I enjoy simply looking at shelves filled with books. The colors of the covers and the smell of the books make me almost giddy. Bookstores are dangerous places for me as I love to own books. When I read a book and enjoy it the world within the pages becomes real to me and visiting it again is much like returning to a favorite vacation spot. It is a chance to spend time with characters that feel more like old friends.

Lately I've been on a classics kick. Started with Shakespeare and then I moved on to Austen. Now I'm starting a new book by Andra Di Robilant called Lucia. The author is the great-great-great-great-grandson of the subject, Lucia. He tells her story based from her letters starting at the time that Venice fell to Napoleon through her becoming a widow many years later. I'm very much hoping this book becomes a favorite.

One of my favorite 1980s movies

I caught a stomach bug earlier this last week and so much of my time was spent watching DVDs. I remember everytime I watch this movie how much I really like it.

New Music

Erin McCarley - I'm loving her voice. I downloaded her CD just after the first of the year after hearing a clip at Amazon.com. This is a new version of one of the songs from the CD. Enjoy.

January brought some tough stuff

4 days after my birthday celebration my brother had a heart attack. It was a massive heart attack. My family was in church at the time except for my wonderful husband who got to come to the church and grab us out of worship so we could rush to the hospital ER. What looked like it was going to be a calm Sunday very quickly turned into a fight for my brothers life. Our small town doesn't have the ability to care for cardiac patients long term so once they had him fairly stable, my brother was loaded into an ambulance for the 2 hour drive into the city. What a tough drive that was. No idea what would be waiting for us once we got there. Praying he would be okay. By the end of the week he would be okay. My brother, Paul, had open heart bypass surgery on January 16th. The doctors were repairing damage to vessels that was apparently caused by an illness that was undetected when my brother was a child. It was a long surgery, but very successful. By the next day Paul began to feel strong again and now two weeks later except for a scar on his chest and a very sore leg he looks like himself only better.

In the days that followed the heart attack I was again reminded how wonderful my friends and family truly are as prayers and support surrounded us. It was a difficult time, but I'm grateful for the reminder not to take our loved ones or our time with them for granted.

Through it all we didn't loose our sense of humor either. As Paul was getting ready to go into surgery they put a cap over his head. It was called a bouffant cap. When I came in the room and found this out we started joking about him having a bouffant hairdo and he asked me to snap a picture as it would be the only time he would have one!

Here he is with his "bouffant" hairdo!

January brought some great stuff

January has been a roller coaster ride of a month. The month began with a most wonderful surprise from my husband. For almost a year I've been talking with a fellow scrapbooker who lives several thousand miles away. He flew her in for my birthday. I thought I was headed to my very favorite mexican place for dinner with family and friends to celebrate and received a HUGE surprise.

Here are some photos from the night.

Nice hat isn't it?!

Selena laughing on my Mom's lap. Isn't she just about the cutest!

And a photo of Steph and I goofing around! Well as goofy as you can get in my office!

Catching my breath

 

After the holidays were over this year my husband and I took advantage of the time off to drive west and enjoy some of the beauty of the area. A great time to catch my breath before moving into the new year. I think I would have paused just a bit longer and breathed a bit deeper, if I had known what was waiting for me and my family just after the first of the year. This photo, taken where the Pacific Ocean and Hwy 101 meet, now serves as a reminder to really enjoy those moments of quiet when you can catch your breath. They are a gift from above.

Worried

I'm amazed at the expressions that are visable on the face of a dog. I snapped this photo while playing with Rom, our almost 10 year old Rottie mix, in the back yard the other day. I had the camera in one hand and a newly formed snowball in the other. Rom was afraid I wouldn't be tossing the snowball anytime soon. Sometimes he is more human than I am.

Could It Be A White Christmas?

Oh could it be? I'm almost afraid to get my hopes up. Last night we had our second snow fall of the week and the temperatures don't appear to be warming up so it just might stick around. The blanket of snow is lovely to look at from the nice warm house with a cup of hot chocolate in hand.