Wishes

As the year winds down I look fondly back at all of our chats and laughter, tears and joy.  I look forward to what's coming next and I know that with God all things are possible.  Wishing you all the best that life has to offer in the coming new year.  Blessings, Diane

A Sigh of Relief

Today was Cathy's last day of radiation treatment.  She doubled up on the treatments two days so that she could have it over with by the end of the year.   I'm so proud of her for going through this and getting to today.  Hopefully that will be it and she can begin to feel better from the radiation and her life will return to normal.  A sigh of relief for all of us!                          Diane

Chinook

Right now we're experiencing something that we haven't for a long time.  I left these pictures exactly as I took them, with the dark, brooding sky.  The temp about an hour and a half ago when I took this was about 50 degrees.  Warm wind, water running everywhere. 

All the snow on the west side of our house is gone.

Ice melting. 

Now it's raining - hard and the wind is howling. 

It's a chinook.  To partially quote Wikipedia chinooks occur in the interior West of North America, where the Canadian Prairie's and the Great Plains meet various mountain ranges.  The original usage is in reference to wet, warm coastal winds in the Pacific Northwest. 

Chinook is claimed by popular mythology to mean "eater"but it is really the name of the people in the region where the usage was first derived.  In this case it refers to a strong Chinook which can make snow one foot deep almost vanish in one day.  The snow partly melts and partly evaporates in the dry wind.  The winds have been known to raise the temperature from 20 degrees below to as high as 68 degrees above for a few hours or days, then temperatures plummet to their base levels.  The greatest recorded temperature change in 4 hours was caused by Chinook winds on January 15, 1972 in Loma, Montana where the temperature rose from 48 degrees below to 48 degrees above. 

I remember these from my childhood.  Very interesting...........and slick!!!             Diane

Bighorns

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills,  from whence cometh my help.  My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.   Psalm 121: 1-2

There are some beautiful views of the Bighorns between here and Buffalo where I grew up and our mother is
in the care center.  This shot was taken last Saturday.  I never get tired of looking at these mountains.  Diane

Some Christmas Things

 Our neighbor's Christmas mailbox......................

 Catherine's handmade ornament.................................

Swag on the back porch.  I'm loving this new camera. 
O.K., so this one isn't a Christmas picture but you might like it anyway.

                                                       Blessings, Diane

Christmas 2011

 I'm hoping that Christmas was a wonderful day for you.  Ours was quiet, quiet's good.  It was full of lights, music, food, peace, beauty and the satisfaction of knowing that you've done your best to make it a good Christmas for others. 

 On Christmas Eve day we went over to see Mother at the care center.  She was tickled to see Leonard.  Usually I go over and spend time with her but Leonard is a special occasion.  He brought her some of her favorite treats and she was happy.  That evening him and I walked around the neighborhood and took pictures of the neighbor's Christmas lights.  We have lived on this street for 24 years and never have I seen it lit up like it was this year.  Everybody had some kind of lights and each was as individual as the people who lived there. 

And guess what...................I got a new camera!!!  This picture of Rascal is one of my trial shots.  My old one is a Canon PowerShot A550 and this one is a Canon PowerShot SX150IS.  From 7.1 mega pixels to 12x optical zoom!  There's no stopping me now!!                    Diane 

Merry Christmas to You

A Belsnickle and Six Tiny Reindeer

This little tiny red sleigh rests in my pink tree.  I didn't make it, it was found once on a trip to the thrift store.  I have to share it with you. 

You can see it's tiny....it's made out of one egg holder from an egg carton.  It's very old, the runners are made out of some kind of old silver pipe cleaners I think.  The little Belsnickle (Santa) just fits in it, both are very fragile.  I found a team of 6 tiny reindeer that are the same proportion to pull the sleigh through the pink Christmas haze.          Diane

Decking Out the Back Yard

Stars already hanging in the sanctuary............I was hoping that the weather would hold out long enough so I could hang stars from our Canadian Red Cherry tree and it did. 

 And apples hanging from the old pine tree for the birds.  Now we're really ready for Christmas.  

                                                                                                                       Diane 

Christmas Joy

                      This is the message of Christmas: We are never alone.   - Taylor Caldwell

Sentiment and the Peanut Man

If you took away the sentiment I don't think I'd have any Christmas decorations left.  Everything means something.  This snowflake with the jewel in the middle was made by Mother probably 18 years ago.  It has a tiny music box inside and it still works.  When I press the center it plays a medly of Christmas songs.  Rascal hears the tiny sound and lifts his nose and "whisper howls".  He howls very, very quietly.  The crocheted snowflake laying on the branch is one of a dozen that Catherine made for me long ago, too.

The peanut man was made for me by my granddaughter Lindsay when she was small. 

I know your ornaments and decorations are sentimental, too.  That's what makes our Christmas trees so special, bringing back all those sweet memories every year.                   Diane

Shine Your Little Lights

My little Charlie Brown tree.  The little lights are rice lights and they've been everywhere in my house.  Very tiny little lights but they're so cheerful and pretty.  This little tree is on our back porch to greet everyone.  Seems that everybody comes to the back door except for solicitors.  Christmas sparkles to you.......Diane

My Reason For Christmas

Late on a sleepy, star-spangled night, those angels peeled back the sky just like you would tear open a sparkling Christmas present. Then, with light and joy pouring out of Heaven like water through a broken dam, they began to shout and sing the message that baby Jesus had been born. The world had a Savior! The angels called it "Good News," and it was.
                                                                                             Larry Libby, Christmas Stories for the Heart


Diane

The Last Rose of Summer

Enchantment

 Come into my enchanting little cottage.  The lights are on, there's hot chocolate in the mugs and a little fire in the fireplace.  We're just waiting for you. 

And speaking of enchanting, this is one of the little fawns that I posted in the fall.  I took this shot yesterday.   he has his winter coat grown out and he's very interested in Rascal.  I don't know if he think's that Rascal's another fawn or an enemy but he's very curious. 

Thank you for your kind and loving comments about my post about Cathy. Bloggers are the best friends ever!                              Diane

Update on Catherine

We had a little Christmas celebration with Catherine and
her husband on Sunday and it was so nice to see them and share
some time together.  She's heading towards the 1/2 way mark of the
radiation treatments and I'm so proud of her, she's working as much as she
can every day and dealing with it as something that needs to be
done and over with.  But I also know that this is one of the
roughest things she's ever been through and it's very hard on her. 
I'm thankful that the cancer is no
worse than it is but somehow cancer is cancer in my heart and mind. 
I'm proud of my son-in-law, too, for helping her
every step of the way. 
Thanks for letting me talk about this, as a mother it's so hard to see your little girl
(and you still are little to me, Cathy), go through anything like this.

Well, thank you for letting me talk about this thing and being good friends.

Blessings, Diane

Tatum Found That Guy

My granddaughter took her son Tatum downtown for the Christmas parade in Billings.  They were going to see Santa but didn't get to so from then on whenever Tatum saw an image of Santa he would say "I'm gonna find that guy!"  Well, as you can see, he did. 

Then I messed the picture up because I unknowingly had some glitter on my scanner.  I got most of it out of Santa's hair but Tatum has a glitter moustache!                 Diane

Trimming the Tree

This treetop angle has survived many of my life's ups and downs and several moves and she's still as beautiful as ever.  Leonard puts the tree up, puts the lights on it, finds the angel and places it on top and he's done with his tree decorating.  I've had her so long I have no idea where I got her, probably the dime store. 



All decorated for Christmas.  Diane



Christmas Bells

Bells and Christmas just go together, don't you think?  Jingle bells, church bells, sleigh bells - they all sound like Christmas.  One Christmas Eve several years ago we were coming back from spending the evening with my parents.  As we drove past St. Peter's Episcopal Church  bells were ringing for the late services.  A light snow was falling, bells ringing, hot chocolate at home.......a perfect Christmas Eve.      Diane 

Our Christmas Lights

   When the two big Colorado spruce trees were small enough we decorated them with Christmas lights.  But soon they got way too tall and Leonard decorates the fence instead.  I love the garland around the front door and the little red wreath in the front wreath is one like my grandma had.  It was the first thing she hung up every Christmas. 

Here the welcoming committee of one is greeting you at the front door. 

Have you ever thought about why we brighten up the winter nights in December with Christmas lights?  I'm glad we do, they're so cheerful and pretty and take away the gloom of the cold winter nights in the darkest time of the year.                      Diane

Paper Whites

My own little garden of them in my art room.  The window faces west and they love the beautiful light that comes in there.  I do, too.   Speaking of whites, this little snow baby hanging from the lamp is called My First Star.  



I'm hoping that your home is full of comfort and joy.                                 Diane





Time Out

Not really.  That's just the name of this figurine.  Apparently the little Snow Baby has done something naughty and has to sit on the stool and have time out.  I can't possibly think of anything that could be.....can you?

Like you right now time out is impossible.  But it might be a wonderful idea if you can find a few minutes to steal away to one of your favorite places for a few minutes in spite of the rush of activities this time of year.

Sometimes I forget to thank you for your kind comments on my blog.  I really appreciate hearing from each and every one and do not take you for granted.                Have a lovely day.    Diane

Will It Snow Today?

That's the name of the center Snow Baby figure.  The little penguin and walrus are trying to help the little sweetheart figure out the weather report. 

We always love to get them out. Their cheerful little faces and chubby roly poly figures can't help but bring a smile.   Blessings, Diane

Black and White

 Wearing my black hooded coat today as I walked Rascal I felt that his blondness was the only patch of color in the world.  Everything, it seems, was black or dark brown and white. 

Then as I rounded the corner I saw that the neighbors were flying their flag on their new flagpole.  Old Glory stood out beautifully against the dark trees.  Diane

Busy Time of the Year

Just like you I have so many things that I'm trying to do right now that it

just makes Rascal worn out.  Here he is trying to catch a little dog nap. 

Diane

Toasty

Come and join me for a cup of hot chocolate in front
of a roaring fire.  It's been cold today and our wood stove
has sure felt good, especially when coming in from a frigid walk.
Diane

Pheasant

Mr. Pheasant lives in the south forty, too, but he's very camera shy.  Occasionally I'll see him sprinting across the lot or he'll let out that blood curdling honk if he feels threatened but I don't see him much.  Today I saw a movement in the bushes and was able to capture several shots of him as he made his way out of camera range. Caught you!!   Diane