Countdown

 

Over the top weird and creepy vintage cards...

Ready or not, here comes 2022. Happy New year!

Enough, already

 

 

Several inches more fell last night and the "prettiness" is starting to wear thin. Today will finally be slightly above freezing, moving us into grey-slush-in-the-city stage. 

Homeowners are legally required to clear their sidewalks, but most people don't own snow shovels, much less are hale and hearty enough to actually do it. Just taking a simple walk around the block is a dicey proposition with fresh snow on top of trampled down ice.

I don't enjoy being marooned at home and the dark days are quite long. On the other hand, we're in our comfortable house with plenty to eat and not experiencing firsthand the nightmare at SeaTac Airport. For two nights in a row, it was mentioned on the national news as having the "worst airport delays in the world." 

Go, Seattle. 

Winter wonderland

 

I love how snow transforms old yard stuff into something magical. We haven't been above freezing in Seattle since Christmas. More snow tomorrow, then it finally starts to warm by Saturday. Plain cold rain to start the new year.

The kids took over this nearby hill for round-the-clock sledding parties.

Seattle only has a handful of plows and thousands of miles of streets. Only the main roads get cleared-- a good thing, because they typically plow shut alley entrances on the side streets and people get trapped.  Seems like almost everyone in Seattle drives an SUV, but most folks just stay home, especially during a holiday week.

Compared to the other side of the state, it's like summer here. The Methow Valley has barely been above ZERO this week. Amanda sent this picture yesterday taken at the confluence of the Twisp and Methow Rivers in town. The smaller Twisp River almost frozen over, and the Methow filled with large chunks of ice. Quite a sight floating by our house. As long as the jam keeps moving. 

She also checked inside and everything is OK. We left water dribbling in the faucets as insurance, and the furnace, set at 55, is running merrily round the clock.  A nice big electric bill to start the new year, but nothing compared to burst water pipes.

Speaking of electric heat. Tom put a light in the hen house to give the girls some warmth. They are acclimated to the cold, fluffing themselves up and roosting together at night. Amazing that they're still laying through the cold snap, although you have to gather the eggs fast before they freeze solid.

Winding down

 

 

"Profile of Time" by Salvador Dali

It seems like 2020 and 2021 morphed into a single big old lump of a year. The NBC website had a quiz testing your memory of what news events happened in which year.  I gave up when realized I was flunking. Maybe it doesn't really matter anyway.  

New Years should be about anticipating a bright future, but January sure looks grim, with so much sickness and more disruption. Anyway, off we go into the wildlands of 2022.

We're still frozen solid in Seattle and no relief until Thursday at the earliest.  In the past, I'd haul pots into the laundry room, cover up tender outdoor plants and generally fret. Maybe I'm numb. 

Let Nature run its course and take care of some garden housecleaning. Now that I have two yards to keep up, I need to simplify the work anyway.  We'll see what's what when February rolls around. Four weeks of hibernation sounds pretty smart about now.  

Dispatch from the frozen north

 

18 degrees this morning. We won't get out of the 20's until Thursday. Seattle is well and truly frozen. From major freeways to side streets, the roads covered with ice and snow.

Pretty, that is, if you don't have to travel. The birds are flocking to the feeder like their lives depend on it, which is true.

Ah. Nothing nicer than a new flannel comforter cover to snuggle under. Thanks, Dad. I slept long and hard last night. Wonderful as it is, a big Christmas sure takes it out of a person.

And some handcrafted tea bedtime from Twisp.  Thank you, girls! Lovely and thoughtful presents all around.  How lucky we are.

Nova and Nana with our matching "shackets" from Costco. The family is headed back over the mountains today-- a long and snowy drive. Think Seattle is cold? Way below zero this week in eastern Washington.
 

The more things change...

A sweet picture of John and Maya, conked out on Christmas afternoon way back in 2015.

And Grandpa 2021. And I do believe wearing the same old red sweatshirt. Now Maya, long past afternoon naps, is at the park trying out her new battery operated remote control truck. 

We had a beautiful morning opening presents and then sat down to a big ham lunch. Sandwiches and pie for supper tonight and I predict early bedtime for the elders.

We're on snow watch in Seattle. Maybe three inches by morning? Very cold tonight.

All is calm, all is bright

 

Amanda, Tom, Nova, Maya (and Nica) arrived safely this afternoon. A snowy drive most of the way but no problems. No better Christmas present than that. I hope you have a peaceful and happy holiday. 

Pictures later...I'm going to be pretty busy for the next 24 hours.

Two years ago

 

Christmas 2019

The last time we had a family Christmas at our house. How the girls have changed; how we've all changed in two years. I just have to look in the cruel morning mirror. Ha! 

We collectively gave up so much to improve things, only to see them get worse again. It's no wonder people are giving up-- traveling, socializing, gathering in crowds.

Yesterday I delivered cookies to a friend in the University District, and the 7-mile trip took a full hour each way. Not just gridlock traffic to contend with, but angry and aggressive drivers, dystopian scenes of trash and homeless camps along the freeway, beggars at intersections. Poor Seattle. What will 2022 bring?

OK, got that off my chest. On to more pleasant subjects. A final trip to the grocery store early this morning, then get the downstairs set up for company again after a long absence. We're still thinking positive Amanda and family will make it over tomorrow, although travel through the mountains looks pretty dicey. We're fine with whatever they decide.

Enjoy your last minute Christmas preparations-- anticipation is often the best part of the holiday. 

Bitter cold

I puttered around the yard yesterday, raking up rotting green figs and thinking about what to protect, if anything, from the bitter cold expected next week. Seattle will get down into the teens for several days in a row, which is quite unusual. 

And in Twisp? Most certainly well below zero. (Oh god of water pipes, protect us from freezing.) Add to the cold misery, several feet of snow falling in the Cascades tomorrow and Friday. So a travel nightmare is shaping up for the holiday weekend. 

Amanda assures her worried mother they are watching the pass forecasts and won't take chances. Much as we would miss them, it simply isn't worth it when things get that bad. It's a long enough journey in summer weather.

This lovely red camellia "Yuletide" blooms in December when no one is outside to appreciate it-- except the lone hummingbird yesterday, attracted to the only scraps of color in the garden.

"In no heart is there total darkness"

 

Today is the shortest day of the year and the longest night in the northern hemisphere. The beginning of the end of the Big Dark. 

We've lost over six hours of daylight since June, but this week we start gaining back a few seconds of light each day. The solstice is one of the oldest celebrations in human history, going back 30,000 years.

"Some ancient peoples believed that because daylight was waning, it might go away forever, so they lit huge bonfires to tempt the sun to come back. The tradition of decorating our houses and our trees with lights at this time of year is passed down from those ancient bonfires." Writer's Almanac

A Winter Solstice Prayer

The dark shadow of space leans over us.
We are mindful that the darkness 
of greed, exploitation, and hatred
also lengthens its shadow 
over our small planet Earth.

As our ancestors feared death and evil 
and all the dark powers of winter,
we fear that the darkness 
of war, discrimination, and selfishness
may doom us and our planet 
to an eternal winter. 

May we find hope in the lights 
we have kindled on this sacred night,
hope in one another and in all 
who form the web-work of peace and justice
that spans the world. 

In the heart of every person on this Earth
burns the spark of luminous goodness;
in no heart is there total darkness.

May we who have celebrated this winter solstice,
by our lives and service, 
by our prayers and love,
call forth from one another 
the light and the love
that is hidden in every heart.
Amen.

Then and now

Yes, there's a deck under there-- the same view in June and December. 

It snowed heavily on Saturday, but fortunately we were off the roads and tucked up watching it through the picture window. 

On Sunday, when the sun came up, a truly spectacular sight on a 7 degree morning. I'm glad we got in a short visit, but hated to leave after just one full day at the house. But so it goes in the winter.

 

We came back to Seattle yesterday to avoid the next winter storm coming in today, which can extend the already long drive by many treacherous hours.

It was a rare sunny afternoon on Snoqualmie Pass yesterday and beautiful with the trees frosted in snow.  It looks like we have the freeway through the mountains all to ourselves. Ha ha ha. The usual rat race of cars and trucks-- why are people so frantic to get ahead of each other? And at the same time clump together like a herd of deer?

Talk about then and now. To give you an idea of how quickly the weather changes, this stretch of highway just the night before was covered in snow and ice, and closed in both directions for hours due to multiple spin-outs and accidents. I just looked, and chains required this morning and up to 10 inches of snow expected today.

Glad to be home. So, here we are, just five days from Christmas. 

Enjoy the moment. 

Timing is everything

 

A Christmas card scene when we got to the house yesterday afternoon.  Lucked out on the mountain passes and made pretty good time.  It snowed a few more inches, and this morning town is a winter wonderland.

We have a full day ahead. The plan was to head back to Seattle on Monday, but the weather looks much better tomorrow. Hate to leave early, but...the snow calls the shots this time of year.  We'll see everyone in Seattle anyway later in the week.

Another pandemic year

 

Our sad December calendar from last year-- not a single invitation, concert or holiday event. Surely life is better? We are certainly busier now. But just when things were truly looking up, a new surge is just around the corner, with many unknowns.

It was exactly a year ago when Amanda and her friend drove to the hospital in Omak to get the first vaccinations for health care workers. We thought they were very brave, and so sure it marked the beginning of the end.  Not so fast, says the virus.

Well, one day at at time. As for driving conditions tomorrow, looks like we'll luck out on the mountain passes. Nothing much falling from the sky and the highways should be clear except for some slush and ice in places. 

We bought chains for the new Honda, even though it's all-wheel drive, you're required by law to carry them in the mountains. Besides, once you spend good money on chains you'll probably never have to use them. Which is just fine.

Snow pictures coming soon. Enjoy these last special days before Christmas.

Winter

 

 Town of Twisp under a blanket of snow

Eastern and Western Washington have radically different winter climates. Close to the "warming" influence of Puget Sound water, Seattle stays fairly mild in the winter. 

Yes, it's wet and gloomy, but the temperature seldom goes below freezing at night. The grass stays green and spring comes early. Fortunately, heavy snow is rare, because it shuts down the city. I know that sounds cute, but you have to experience a Seattle snow event first-hand to appreciate it.

 

Anyway, over in Eastern Washington, snow is no big deal and it piles up into March. In places like the Methow Valley, the first snow is embraced with excitement as the start of the winter recreation season.

 

Ice skating rink in Winthrop

 

 

Over the years, we've made several winter trips to Twisp. I'm looking forward to seeing our house this weekend in the snow, and reassuring myself that everything works in sub-freezing temperatures.  

 

The first winter of long-distance home ownership is a bit nerve wracking. But what treat after a long day of winter travel to unlock the door, turn up the furnace and be at home. Fingers crossed the neighbor plowed the driveway and water comes out of the faucets. 

 

We all wanted to take a horse-drawn sleigh ride at Sun Mountain Lodge. They start up this weekend, and the reservations were already filled. Darn. Now the girls are talking about maybe ice skating in Winthrop.

 

I was a pretty good skater as a kid, not to brag. Of course, my ankles were considerably younger then. I should still be good for a few sedate turns around the rink, as long as I don't start showing off :-) 

 

We learned to skate on the frozen creeks and ponds in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Later, living in Colorado, the mayor of our small town flooded the tennis court with a garden hose at night, and the ice would be smooth as glass the next morning. Hard to imagine such a sweet thing now. What fun we had-- a bunch of rowdy teenagers playing crack-the-whip. Winter was really winter back then.

 

Slow news morning

 

How about an adorable picture?  "Children Surprised by an Owl" taken by Moscow family photographer, Elana Karneeva.

Favorite cookie?

 

 

 
Cute picture of Maya, doing a fine job cutting up butter for cookies. In the old days, we used mostly shortening and margarine for baking. Butter was too expensive and saved for special occasions. 

 

Do they even make that stick "oleo" anymore? The FDA decided that artificial trans fats were unsafe to eat, and it was banned from the food supply in 2015. Of course, that doesn't mean everything out of a package is healthy. But a pound of real butter costs less now than a tub of "spread" made with vegetable oil.

Anyway, what's your favorite cookie? I love fresh shortbread-- crispy and not too sweet. Perfect with tea. Martha Stewart, the Queen of Complexity, comes up with simple recipes sometimes, like brown sugar shortbread cookies with chocolate chunks. After the dough log is chilled and hard as a rock (just about pure fat) you brush it with egg white and roll the outside in coarse sugar, which gives a nice crunch.

The secret to shortbread is slow and low baking. It crisps up after it cools. Shortbread is white, but the brown sugar gives these some nice color. 

I messed with her recipe on the second batch and used chopped almonds and almond extract instead of the chocolate chips and vanilla. Don't tell Martha, but we liked it even better.