Happy Solstice!!!

At last - the shortest day of the year and the longest night. From here on out, little by little, the days get longer! I am such modern day wuss. It's not like I've been living in total darkness, lit only by firelight or candlelight like the ancients endured. But still, we seem to be hardwired to welcome this day and the annual return of the light.  I know I do!  

21 F out there right now. I stepped outside in nightshirt and flipflops (only as far as the porch) to take some photos of the trees that are now frosted in white. So pretty!

The Japanese Snowbell Tree in front of my house.

A detail of the lights in the Japanese Maple.

One of the Hawthornes in the neighbor's tree belt.

They're still saying we'll get freezing rain on top of this, but if it holds off long enough I really want to go out and build a snow cat!

Okay - that was just practice snow

Now we've got the real thing! It's been snowing since last night and we've got about 4" here in the city. Much more up in the West Hills.

My little Japanese Maple decked out in Christmas lights.

The back yard.

The snow is still coming down!

It might even keep snowing until Christmas!  My Nephew in Law missed his flight from Atlanta this morning and is now stuck in Dallas.  Trying to get him onto a flight to Eugene (probably via San Francisco or L.A. - there's almost no flights direct to Eugene) instead of Portland so that he doesn't have to get there from here.  It's just rain in Eugene - 110 miles south.  

Snow!!!

We got our snow!!!

They're not the usual sploshy wet flakes we get here in Portland.  They were teeny little things when I woke up at 7ish, gradually getting bigger and accumulating a little more than a 'dusting' and less than an inch.  The tops of the grass still stick out.  Fairly easy to sweep off of the porch - which I did twice - too cold out there now.  26 degrees and still windy.  

I ran out to take pictures an our or so ago.  There was a robin sitting on the sidewalk.  Thought she was ill or too cold to fly so I went in to get a small towel to pick her up in but she flew away when I came back out.  I hope she's okay.  I didn't think to get birdfood when I was out grocery shopping yesterday in anticipation of the snow. I'm leery of putting out food anyways.  There's rodents and raccoons out there.  And squirrels.  They've totally destroyed my birdfeeder.  And don't robins eat bugs, anyway?  I suppose I could put suet out.  Squirrels won't eat that, will they?  

   Raccoons came through the yard early this morning.  Tried to get a picture of them.  They were so businesslike as they moseyed out of the across the street neighbor's fenced patio, down her drive, up across my front lawn to the chain link fence and over it to the neighbor behind.  I tapped on the glass to get one's attention and it just looked at me like "Whut?"  and I swear posed for the picture.  Too bad it came out totally blurred.  Maybe it was simply hoping I'd open the window and toss some food out.