Snow Day!

Yippee! We woke up to the first snow of 2011! This was actually our second snow of the winter. Some of you may wonder what's the big deal...well, here in the southern part of North Carolina it is very unusual to get even one snow during the winter season. Last year we managed to get several measurable snowstorms. I wonder if our weather pattern is changing.



This was the view from my front porch this morning.



What does a young country girl do when it snows?



Doughnuts on a four wheeler! That was Carson's idea of fun.



My idea of fun was a little different. I kind of liked sitting by the fire drinking my coffee.



And when I got tired of that, I sat in the sunroom drinking my coffee.



Then, I did a little garden daydreaming.



After that, I heard the kitchen calling my name.



There is nothing like ending a snow day with a bowl of delicious mushroom and potato soup.



Snow days in the south are glorious! Since we are so unprepared for clearing the roads and sidewalks down here everything seems to stand still for a day or so...and that's not a bad thing. What do you do on snow days?

White Christmas...Almost!

As the clock struck twelve, saying goodbye to Christmas day, there was a cold, light rain falling here in southeastern North Carolina. Our hopes of a white Christmas faded away as we snuggled warmly in our beds. Little did we know that while we were sleeping God was busy with plans of his own. The morning light dawned on a landscape beautifully covered in snow. Now, I know that for some of you that is not a very big deal, however, when you live where I do snow is a welcomed sight...especially this close to Christmas Day. Although I love sitting in the sun room watching the snow gently fall, I couldn't resist venturing outside for just a few pictures this morning. Enjoy!


I just love the beautiful view from my front porch.


The barren branches look lovely when dressed with snow.


Do you think the birds would like to bathe in this?


It does come with a water view.


The pine warblers were especially grateful for their breakfast.


The little chick a dee preferred to take his with him.


I think that they all look pretty sitting in the American holly.





The little junco just had to be different!


My porch decorations were much prettier with a little help from above.


The snow may not have come on Christmas Day, but it wasn't far off! I pray that Christmas brought joy, peace, and God's blessings to all.

Merry Christmas!

I just wanted to take a moment to wish all of my wonderful blogging friends a very Merry Christmas. I pray that this special season finds you all healthy and happy. I know that many of you have probably seen enough snow; however, here in the southeast, we would love to see a white Christmas. There is a possibility of that wish coming true tomorrow evening. I am sure that there will be many children (and adults) saying a little prayer for some of that beautiful white stuff tonight. I'll keep you posted. May God richly bless each and every one of you this Christmas!

Stopping By the Woods (Repost)

Now, I consider myself a "summer" person, however, it has been unusually hot here in North Carolina for most of the summer. The things that I enjoy about summer, like morning walks along the dewy paths and evenings spent on the front porch swing, have been next to impossible in this heat. Without these inspirational activities I seem to be experiencing writer's block. So, with that little confession out of the way, I thought I would repost one of my winter favorites. I think that I am hoping that reading this will somehow remind everyone that "this (hot weather) too shall come to pass." Enjoy! :)


Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.



My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.



He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.


The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.



John, Carson, and I went for a walk in the snowy woods this morning. I couldn't help but to recall one of my favorite Robert Frost poems. "Stopping By the Woods."
The snow was blowing off of the trees and glistening in the air like glitter. John said that it looked like glitter from angels' wings. I would have to agree with him.

What Wintry Mix?

Living in the South, I've come to expect all kinds of weather. For instance, today it is 61 degrees and absolutely gorgeous outside. Tomorrow, however, the forecast is calling for 30 degree weather and what we southerners call a "wintry mix." That's the weatherman's way of saying I have no clue what you are going to get, but something is coming. Of course most everyone is hoping for snow, except for the wonderful people who work for the NC Department of Transportation. My first favorite man in the world used to work for the NCDOT. When I was little and the weatherman was calling for snow, I would go to bed knowing that if the phone rang in the middle of the night and my dad had to go to work, school would be cancelled. (You know everything stops in North Carolina if we get a little snow.) If the phone didn't ring during the night I would wake up regretting the fact that I didn't do my homework because I thought it was going to snow. My daddy did not like getting that overnight phone call to go to work. Several years ago when he retired, my brother stood up at his retirement dinner and asked just one question-"Dad, is it okay if it snows now?"

I remember being a kid and loving the snow. We would go out and play in it for hours, only coming in to take off the frozen jeans and multiple socks we were wearing. We would lay them across chairs near the wood heater in our house, warm up with hot cocoa, and then head out again. We never had snowsuits. It never snowed often enough to justify the cost. We would go sledding with our neighbors on the hills beside our house. That worked out perfectly as long as we bailed out of the sled before running into the barbed wire fence at the bottom of the hill. We worked so hard pulling the sled back up the hill. My children have never experienced the hard work of sledding since their dad drives the four wheeler down the hill to pick them up after they have completed their run. Children these days have it made!

I guess my favorite thing to do when it snows is to just sit and watch it fall. There is nothing more beautiful and peaceful than the gentle drifting of snowflakes to the ground. It is like heaven opening up to reveal a small portion of the beauty that must be kept in storehouses somewhere up there. Maybe this time we will get lucky and our "wintry mix" will not be a mix at all, but will be little flakes of heaven's beauty falling softly on our southern soil. Do you think it will hurt the daffodils and crocuses that are starting to emerge?