Arctic blast

The west side of Washington state remains in the icy clutches of an early winter storm. Folks in the metro Seattle area were stranded for hours and had to abandon their cars on the freeway when the roads became impossible to navigate due to the snow and ice. Due to the infrequency of such storms, we simply lack the resources to cope with severe snow and ice.

We fared well, though! No power outage, no trees down, nor did the gate mechanism at the facility freeze!

This morning, I dressed warmly and ventured out into the winter wonderland. No sooner had I filled my bird feeders than the birds appeared, making happy noises. (Either that or they are scolding me because the feeders were empty in the first place.) The sun is out and the snow is glistening!



I spent last weekend 'fussing'. Glynn and I host Thanksgiving dinner and I do my best to get organized ahead of time so I can enjoy the day, too. Part of the preparation involves decorating the house. If it wasn't for Thanksgiving dinner at my house, I would be one of those people who take down Halloween decorations and begin decking the house with Christmas spirit. Alas, I must keep Christmas toned down so the 'harvest arrangements' stand out!

I went ahead and set up our Christmas village so my nieces and nephew can fuss with it.


I hope Santa remembers where he took off his boots last year....

I've finished a little project I call my gratitude journal. Recently, I listened to Dr. Amen who wrote, 'Change your Brain, Change your life'. Amongst much good information about how to improve our health, he tells of how simply being grateful can change one's outlook on life. Even while enduring hard times, there is always something to be grateful for, he says. Dr. Amen challenges us to daily jot down five things to be grateful for. By day 20, we should feel a positive change in our mental health.

Here is my gratitude journal with an entry from this morning wherein I expressed my gratitude for the beautiful snow!


I won't blog again until after Thanksgiving.... I wish you all a warm, happy and tasty holiday spent with friends and family.