Snow

It snowed on Saturday, bringing happy cheers to skiers and snowboarders.
Cars driving past the house were sliding from side to side so I remained indoors.

It was a good time to play with the new camera.

The new windows upstairs are frozen shut--perhaps not such a bargain after all--and I miss leaning way out to get a better shot.

January Garden

This is the trellis garden last summer, full of transient horseradish and any other greenery brave enough to fight their way in..

Here it is today, having a winter rest.

So what is this? Well, on top of the shed is the retired bird house with its roof hanging ajar.

The raised beds are waiting out the season and those bags, ah those bags. they are stuffed full of mulch and waiting for the moment when they come into play.

In a perfect world I would have stored them in the shed but (a) they're too heavy to move around and (b) I lost interest in moving them.

I like seeing them each day when I look out the window; they're ready for that moment when the bed is popping up shoots and  need a little protection from the sun.

And we all know that if company is coming and you want to put on a good garden face, a spreading of mulch will hide a multitude of garden sins.

In my younger days I would have hauled mulch back from the woods but now I buy it in bags.

Just as long as it gets the job done....

Kwan Yin

This is Kwan Yin, considered to be the goddess of women everywhere. This is the Thai version, a gift from my sweet daughter-in law Aw  and in her country the goddess is called Kuon Eim.

The story varies with each culture but in all she has the deepest love and compassion and would sacrifice herself for others.

When Aw's English gets a tad more advanced, I will learn her version of this goddess's powers. There is a place for incense sticks (you must only burn three, says Aw).

The jar in her hand is for  pure water and the green stalk is a willow branch.

Aw and I learn from one another; I tell her about the gods worshipped here and she tells me more of her Buddhist gods.

In the meantime each morning I greet this special porcelain lady when I come downstairs and I feel stronger in her care.

Snow

We had a fitful snowfall yesterday and the way the winter has been going, any snow is unusual.

The wind made the best of this one and it was a good day to observe it all from indoors.

After nightfall, .I ventured outside in my jammies to see how the new camera would behave without a flash and I liked the results.

The street look rather lovely, which is a first. That's a porch  mirror on the right.

The porch light was on for this shot.

Camera and I are getting to be good friends

Winter, not so much

Something New

Ever since my small glass-topped kitchen table exploded last summer, I've been searching for a the perfect replacement.

I concentrated on finding a glass top that wouldn't blast apart because of frequent heat and cold and apparently laminated glass is the answer.

There seems to be a general consensus among furniture dealers that people do not live alone, therefore rendering small tables unecessary,  besides  taking up valuable floor space. 

That kind of thinking made my quest really annoying, especially since I do not like to shop. I know what I want, so show me and I can get out of there.

Then I happened in one of those everything- you- don't really- need shops  and there it was--a bistro table and stool; I hadn't thought of that but the table was just the right size to hold a plate and a book.

Okay, I didn't ask about the quality of the glass but it's plate glass and I'll hope it remains steadfast.

I can sit at a normal level or hike the chair and table up to cocktail serving size. I stopped drinkling cocktails and other hard stuff a few years ago but my diet coke looks just fine perched up there..

The best part of this is that I don't have to go into any more stores until the next calamity and the new furniture gives a nice hard edge to my black and chrome kitchen.

Winter Mist

 

Still Life

If snow piles up on the deck I can't get out to the back so I took advantage of the winter lull to check out the pond. Everything is lovely and still .

The fish are hunkered down at the bottom waiting out the season and the pond pump is purring away to keep them happy and breathing, fish-style.

A Confused Peach Tree

I took the new camera out to the back forty this morning  (forget acres--it would be stretching it to think forty feet).

 I wanted to check out the budding trees.

 The peach tree is looking more like a pussy willow right now.

                Enjoy the respite while you can,  guys--winter will catch up with us.

Our Winter--So Far...

This is the way things looked on the deck this morning; everything swaddled tight and ready for snow, ice and anything else that's cold.

This is the way it looked on the deck a year ago.

Here's the view from the front window this morning--a smattering of snow left.

And a year ago.

I suspect that deep down we all know this is not a good thing happening to our planet--wild weather changes and winter sometimes turning into spring.

In the meantime, I will take guilty pleasure in the dry roads and non-treacherous path to the mail box.

THAI NEW YEAR IN CANADA

Aw performed her wondrous cooking for Thai New Year, celebrated in Kitchener, Ontario.

Our time is twelve hours behind Thailand time, so we gathered at Aw's house at 11:30 in the morning and at noon the festivities began.

She Skypes the relatives while we're making the food evaporate and she tries to get used to the way North American eat; apparently we eat a lot. It's her fault--she's a fabulous cook.

Shortly after she arrived here I took her to a mall food court to check out Thai meals Canadian style . I sat her at a table and brought back the food and the look on her face was a study.

She marched to the food counter and said indignantly to the server, "That's not Thai food."  

Now that was a lost cause because the server had never eaten Thai food although her roots were from that area.

That's okay Awesome--you're maintaining the tradition in Canada and we are only too happy to act as your faithful slavering critics.

Another bonus for this early celebration is  that if you are really young and like noise, shouting, loud music and excessive alcohol, you can still make the party that evening.

The rest of us kick back in front of the telly in our jammies, eating the last of the chocolate rosebuds before it's time to knock off the extra Christmas weight.

Happy New Year to you.