A holiday weekend of winter

 Dear Polar Vortex, thank  you so much for the snow you have dropped on Eastern OR. Not everyone is as thrilled as they might be. However, we do thank you for keeping us from the crazy freezing temps. Scooter (the dragonfly) is having enough trouble under snow! 

Even the pond is still burbling under the layer of white. 

Jon spent the weekend taking care of his rabbits. This is from Friday when we had a nominal amount of fluff. It got deeper, but wasn't wet. Just nice and pretty. 

On Saturday there was a stunning sunset. 

Tried to capture the lights on the icicles, because pink ice was so different. Alas, just managed to get pretty lights instead of colored ones. You can sure tell how old and uninsulated certain houses are in town by the amount of ice festooned across the roof edges!! This one is definitely in that lineup. 

Steve and Jon spent Saturday working on several different things (Steve had to go to town) and moving snow. 

This is about the only cat who was outside- The vortex coated the lawn sculpture with lovely ripples and shades and layers. 

 Schultz was hidden until Monday. It seems a squirrel tried to land on him and took off the very tall layer of snow blanketing him! 

Godfrey was doing fairly well, he's in the way of the ice falling off the roof on Monday. Hoping he doesn't get wiped out! 

Buford Buckshot provided a lovely spot for the birds. He, too, was finally brushed off on Monday. He was also quite a bit closer to the snow around his legs, so perhaps the squirrel jumped on him, too! 

Meepette was completely covered by Monday. Up to the tip of her curved tail!!!! She does look a bit disgruntled in this photo. 

Sunday was spent cooking and moving snow. Steve had a chance to take me for short drive and it was so beautiful! The locust trees were gold and black calligraphy on the parchment skyline and along the banks of the creek, those trees wrote stark lines about the hardship of winter's storms. You really couldn't see that much, there was so much white for miles and miles. We spied a few magpie and a ring tail hawk, and cows! 

These two bulls made us laugh for quite a while. Steve thinks the only not snowy bit on their pelts was where their foreheads were meeting. They scooted each other all over in the field while we watched. True stubbornness!! 

Rain is expected, hopefully the snow you dumped won't create flooding like last Feb. That was really horrid! The snow and ice falling off the roof today (those photos are still on my camera) are a bit startling from inside, am sure it would be impressive if I was on the sidewalk. Had to move a great pile of snow from the porch, there is a lot still left. As I type, can also see there is a wind picking up. Drifting snow isn't as much fun as plain fluffy stuff, I'm just thankful we aren't in OK or places where you have dumped severe winter storms. Thank you for the brief visit with winter and next time  you visit, well....I'd rather just have a normal winter of snow and not a from a vortex! 

Hearts and Hands

 The last week I was in Alaska, I was incredibly busy. So were a great many who opened their hearts and their hands to me. I will probably miss some of them in this post. I'll do my best to name as many as I can! 

The weekend Julie B came down to help, I took part of Saturday and visited Soldotna for a hazardous waste dump day. There were a LOT of people who went. 

I got rid of a great deal in the shop. Some of them dad had opened and left on shelves!!! 

There was a lady from one of the thrift stores who came out a couple of times, Julie B, Kim (who never managed to get photographed except when I snapped it as she helped load the wooden work bench in the truck a few posts ago), Kari M with some dear folks from North Star helped empty the shed, and Pastor April took a few things for me when she visited the house. Kari was one of the most efficient persons in my life over the last years. She sorted music and took books and found homes for so many things from clothes to furniture to a doll that mum always meant to fix and I finally did..even though, I wasn't sure where the woman it belonged to was! Kari has found her. I only hope it was the right doll!!! 

The neighbor's were amazing. Kim is one of those and Karen C and her boys did a great deal for me up until the moment I left. 

Janet and Lee came and got many things from mom's. Her room was one of the last to get emptied because it was so easy to put things in. 

Sweeping was a huge chore! This is my old bedroom after it was completely empty. 

Jim took apart mum's bed I'd been sleeping on after he finished hauling more stuff away and helped get rid of mom's organ that was in the garage until AFTER I left! This guy was so helpful, I should have gotten him more than one meal out! 

Elaine cleaned walls and cupboards and swept and was a blessing. She  and her husband even drove me to ANC the day I left North Kenai!  

My last day out north was incredibly busy. I cleaned and talked to so many people and cried and was so very blessed by so many. I stayed that night with Audrey J, almost stayed with Steve B. and his parents, and am very glad I went to Audrey's. No one knew she'd be gone in a few weeks and then Steve's dad died a bit later. No one knows how long we have. We must enjoy and be thankful for those moments we have and the people who are a part of them.