Ol' Man Winter

I love winter. I love the snow and I love the brilliance of the white reflected in the moonlight. I love sitting in front of a warm fire with a good book, wrapped in a cozy blanket and enjoying a cup of hot chocolate. Okay, so I don't drink hot chocolate very often, but you get the picture.

I gaze out the window and the branches are bare, with the exception of a few foolhardy leaves that refuse to fall to the ground. They may still be there come spring, struggling against the strong winds that are soon to come.

In some ways, we are like the leaves, struggling desperately to hold on, afraid that if we touch the ground, we will be blown along with everyone else. We try so hard to hang on to what we have and are sometimes afraid to reach out and let go and try something new.

Change is good, although we may not see it at first. It takes time to absorb change and to force ourselves to focus on the positive aspects of change. Even the seasons are in change. Soon, ol' man winter will be gone and we will dive into spring, with rains that refresh the earth. We will dry out in the summer heat, only to begin the cycle again in the fall, when the leaves once again touch the earth.

Ol' man winter, stay with me awhile and let me enjoy the beauty of winter for it, too, will soon be gone.

Say Cheese!

Snapping a posed photograph of one grandchild can be a challenge. They never really want to do what you want them to do. Then add two more grandchildren into the mix and they all have their own ideas of where to look - everywhere except at the camera! So how do you finally get a good photo of three grandchildren all looking in the same direction at the same time. Simple: You take lots and lots of photos (105, to be exact) and, if you are lucky, one will turn out to be the perfect photo.

The first challenge is to get them in the same place at the same time. They all have different nap schedules, so when one is up, the others are down and vice versa. And then there are cranky times, teething, and just plain stubbornness, both on the part of the grandchild and, I dare say, on the part of the photographer. Short attention spans are also a problem, and the grandchildren start to wander off. Parents chase them down and put them back into position. In the process, one of them disappears.

The end result? A lot of absolutely hilarious photos and, maybe, a few really good ones.

And, ultimately, the best ones usually turn out to be the ones you took earlier in the photo shoot.

Camping in Coeur d'Alene

Since we hadn't camped in quite a number of years, with the exception of a weekend camping trip with Ruth to a campground in Glenns Ferry, we weren't sure how the experience was going to turn out. Here are some photos of our campsite.

Have you ever noticed that when you buy a tent, it comes in a compact little bag. Then when you set it up and take it down, you stand back and ask yourself, "How is that going to fit into that little bag?" Les demonstrates how to make it work.

Coeur d'Alene

After nearly 20 years of living in Idaho, we finally took the time to visit northern Idaho for a few days. We discovered a land that was absolutely gorgeous with blue skies and beautiful lakes. We found a campground that was located a few miles east of Coeur d'Alene (Wolf Lodge Campground) to make our home base. From there, we spent three days traveling around the area and enjoying the sites.

Train ride at Silverwood Theme Park

Mackenzie River Pizza Company (very good!)

Boat cruise on Lake Coeur d'Alene

Waterfall into Lake Coeur d'Alene

Chickadee nesting in a tree trunk next to our campsite.

Mr. and Mrs. Owl and Family

For several years, I have driven down the same road to and from work. One day this spring, before the trees started to sprout leaves, I saw something that looked like two large nests in a tree on the side of the road. As I looked more closely, I realized one of the objects was an extremely large nest and the other one that looked like a nest with actually a very large owl.

Sitting on the nest was a beautiful female Great Horned Owl. They don't really have horns; it's actually tufts of hair. In the nest, being kept warm and safe by the mother owl, were two white, fluffy baby owls.

Sitting on another branch a few feet away was the male. As we walked closer to the tree, he would fly off to try to lead us away from the nest. They were both very attentive to the protection of the nest and the babies. As we walked around the tree, they remained alert to our every move.

As I did a bit of research on these owls, I learned that their habitat includes all of North America and much of South America. They usually "steal" nests of other birds to use for laying their eggs. They are also very solitary, spending most of their time alone except during nesting season.

These birds are HUGE! I would guess they were 18-24 inches in height. They were certainly an awesome sight to see, both sitting in the tree and soaring across the landscape.

Coloring Easter Eggs

Here are some important guidelines for coloring Easter eggs with a three-year-old:

#1 - Be sure the child is covered from head to toe in something that protects their clothing. They have a way of getting stuff everywhere.


#2 - Make sure the adult who is supervising the child is covered from head to toe in something that protects their clothing. They have a way of getting stuff everywhere.


#3 - Use only hard-boiled eggs for this project. Raw eggs create a real mess, especially when handled by a three-year-old being supervised by her grandpa.


#4 - For extra safety, ensure that someone is supervising the adult who is supervising the child. That way, you have a responsible adult to clean up the mess.


If you are lucky, you will end up with beautifully-colored eggs like these AND a clean kitchen.

Flowers

I have nothing really extraordinary to say as my thoughts are very simple today. I'm home from work and just trying to relax after such a frustrating week at work. So I pulled out my camera and looked at some of the photos I took this week.



Ronnie brought these beautiful, yellow tulips to me on Easter Sunday. They are absolutely gorgeous. It's amazing how soft and fragile they look, yet they are able to stand up against wind and rain.



The pink chrysanthemums were given to me by Les last week. Their color is brilliant and the flowers look great sitting in front of the fireplace in a clear glass vase with a pink bow around the neck of the vase.