Fogged in again

Dense Fog December 30th.

I don't DO driving in dense fog or freezing fog now that I don't have to punch a time clock. One time I had to drive home from work in dense fog like this. It was over 10 years ago. I rolled down the window on my ancient car and drove at idle speed so I could watch the center line below me.

That was simply the most exhausting drive I'd ever done. I'd gotten off from a midnight shift and once I hit the ridge I couldn't see past my hood. Now I avoid bad weather and I am glad I can.

So instead of complaining about the weather and the fog, I went hiking again and again.

These were short hikes of only about 40 minutes or so to explore the forest floor and look at the mystical ... magical ... fog that everyone dislikes -- especially
when it happens
for days on end!

At about 9 am yesterday, it lightened up when I went to for one of those walks and I thought I'd be able to run some afternoon errands.

It was quite pretty with the freezing fog on the trees.

But by noon we were socked in again with weather alerts about not being able to see past 25 feet or 1/4 of a mile in areas. I figure with my depth perception being nil, it was another good day to stay off the roads.

By this time I was going stir crazy staying home safe and sound. There were quite a few accidents but nothing major.

I texted Olive to see if she wanted to go for a walk on our road out to the blacktop road and back. She jumped at the chance. Everyone in her house is still recovering from after Thanksgiving Colds and croupy coughs and all those fun colds that come from pre-school and daycare.

This way we could get in a visit and walk at the same time in the mild temps and fog and avoid trading germs. [We are extra cautious for hubby.]

Picture below...walking through the 'neighborhood'.

Well here it is. The last day of the 2024 year. 
Rory turned 1 year old on the 27th, we got to do a live time video with her and watch her play thanks to her wonderful parents.
We had only two visits to the ER for hubby and a pretty quiet year.

There are no plans to celebrate New Year's Eve. I did that when I was a youngster, now it is no more than just another day other than changing the calendar and remembering to end the date in 25 now.

From my Lego friends to you...

Happy New Year

That year end thing...

 We all do it. Talk about what we may think we want to accomplish in the next year, or state resolutions for the next year.

There are even key words for the next year. I used a 'Free Word Generator'. I clicked on it and...

it gave me the word:

Play

Wow. Okay.
Um.

I went no further than that word. There were all sorts of suggestions on the -- Interweb.

Travel inspired words
Healthy inspired words
Uplifting
Career focused
Words of inspiration, kindness, self love, and so many more.

The word that was given to me by some random bizarre generator was fine with me.

Play.

We all know that just by changing the year's ending number, nothing really NEW starts. We do what we have to do each day to get along and that is simply the basics of living a life.

I have a lot of things I'd like to do and like to say I'd do. But it really boils down to. 

One
day
at
a
time.

Last year I promised myself that I'd find a way to go camping for just one night. That didn't happen. Still, I'd like to do it just once.

I am setting up a photo challenge which I am almost certain I can attain.

A 365 Photo challenge. Theme suggestions that I may be able to do. 

Legos, Toys, Nature... 

I'm pretty sure I can fulfill the Lego-toy challenge. I wonder if I could fulfill a daily nature photo.

Men at work:

Ninebark bush, clumps of seeds.

The decision is still out. But I best make one soon.

I will probably do the photos on Flickr and not annoy anyone who reads this blog....or will I?

Hmmm.

Toys? Legos?
Nature?
Play?

Ideas?

Fun fotos...

Just because...it is after Christmas and I have a bunch of fun fotos from the month of December.

Santa's Relief Driver????

My all time favorite
ornament!

...I collect horsey ornaments. This may be
the most photographed ornament I've ever had.
I've had it for over 30 years. 
It was a cheap plastic one I picked up in
some second hand store so 
many 
years ago!

A much newer addition to my collection...

My tiny Button jointed Teddy Bears I made

years ago. Still up to no good!

Even Dragons celebrate Christmas?

I can't help it.

I think Dragons are cool.
New addition to the dragons!
A Baby Lego Dragon!

And then there was Mini-me
and Charlie doing last 

minute errands in the Village...

Little Bear and his wooden friends gather on

Christmas Eve at the Chair.

[These are old toys gifted to me

over the years.]

My ever changing toy display next to

the Christmas Chair.
It is made up of Vintage Boxes 

and

an old nesting box for hens.

I really didn't want to take down my cheery fun 'display'. I've had so much fun with it this year. 

But eventually the party ends, right?

I took down the Christmas Chair, the North Pole, and the Christmas Village and traded out the Lego buildings for the Medieval Village. I wanted to take a break from Lego so...

...before the rains hit, I grabbed some of my of my action figures and headed out. 

Ailie and Rabbit came out to play. I added the snow in post.

Time for a change up...

Fog Magic

 The weather that just keeps on giving.

I feel like the past week has been full of beautiful surprises.  

A snowstorm, an ice storm, extreme cold, and now intense fog, which will be followed by rain. A lot of rain.

That means the dry runs will fill with water and run over the boulders into the valleys.

This guy/gal stopped by for an hour or so. I've been seeing Baldies this week. This one perched close to the house so I kept Charlie inside mostly because he is no bigger than a cat.

It looks like this Eagle had been doing some scavenging, his/her head feathers were pretty dirty.

The fog promised to hang around all day so I decided to go out and see the forest and perhaps I'd get lucky and see something interesting.

The fog was like a light mist. Enough to think about, but not enough to avoid. The water droplets on tree branches at the edge of the forest were beautiful.

I found these tiny fruits on a sapling scrub apple tree.

And then I stood still and listened. I heard birds, but couldn't really tell where they were. Once I spotted them I was so pleased. I didn't have my good zoom lens on so I walked a bit closer and stood still.

They were feasting on Honeysuckle berries. I used arrows for them because they are so hard to see. There were more of them, but I couldn't get them all in frame.

I did manage to get just a tiny bit closer without scaring them off. Finally, one little bird! And I don't know if anyone can see it, but he has a berry in his mouth.

I don't know what it is about fog that makes me smile. Maybe it is the hush it seems to bring over the forest or perhaps it is because no one likes to go out in it because it is dull and yucky looking.

I don't thing it truly is. Fog is one of Nature's Ways of creating Art. 

Maybe we just have to be able to see it to appreciate it.

Christmas Surprise!

Charlie and I went for a hike in the forest. We eventually wandered down to the first valley and the creek bottom.

Part of the way down the very steep hill.... I thought I heard some birds squeaking out soft calls.

When we got to the creek, I stood still and let my eyes wander through the brambles and trees.

I thought I spotted a Blue jay, but to my surprise. It was a Blue Bird! I called Charlie to me and we both sat in the snow and watched the surrounding woods. More Blue Birds! I counted at least 20 of them.

While standing in the creek [water proof boots], I carefully scanned the thick brush. There was another bird I could just barely see across the creek.

It looked like a sparrow but the markings were different from the ones I see in the yard. If I have my ID right, it should be a white throated sparrow. 

When I got home, I looked this bird up and listened to its song.  I do hear this bird in the spring and they are very hard to spot. 

This bird wasn't singing, it was landing in the creek area and seeking food.

Such a well camouflaged bird!

This was cropped rather tight... hard to spot! But he is there and very hard to distinguish from the leaves.

And then there was this guy....

The birds left the area with Charlie trotting through, so I decided to go home and feed lunch to the hubby and come back out later in the afternoon. I carried a small camp stool to sit on so I wouldn't get soaking wet sitting on the ground or on logs.

This Acrobat was the first one I saw on the edge of the woods before I headed down towards the creek for the second time. 
Red Bellied Woodpecker? Right?

It was near the one of the springs that I settled down to wait. I could hear the Blue Birds, Chickadees, and Nuthatches in the area. So I thought I'd just sit and wait.

Some 20 minutes or so later, the birds came back to the area. 

The Blue Birds put on a delightful show.

I stayed there until the sun started to exit from the valley, then I climbed up and out of the valley and rerouted my hike to go through the large meadow towards home. I didn't get any shots, but I watched as a Baldie got chased by crows.

My afternoon hike was more of a ... few steps... stop ... listen .... walk a bit more .... stop ...listen and look around.

Even more fun. I unfolded the camp stool and sat in the warm afternoon sun and just watched the Meadow.

Even in places you don't think there is anything interesting, one can find something intriguing to look at.

It was a fine Christmas Day. What could be more perfect?

Dear Dad...

 I wrote somewhere before that I used to talk to my Dad on Christmas Eve when my [ex] husband was on duty as a Firefighter/Paramedic.

One of us would call the other and I'd sit in front of the Christmas Tree and gaze at it while we talked. I'd tell him about our latest Charlie Brown Tree and he'd laugh. We usually got a tree we could stick in the corner and not decorate around the whole thing. It worked for us. One Christmas my ex sliced through his ring finger--> down to the bone while using a sharp knife to cut the tree from the top of the Isuzu Trooper.

That warranted a trip to the ER. Neighbors watched the kids, I watched them sew ex hubby up in layers. That was a memorable Christmas. We didn't have much money then and things were pretty tight.

But the thing was, we wanted to make Christmas magical for the kids. Always. 

Still, I'd have a glass of wine and talk to Dad. I described the tree and what we did for the gifts. We discussed his life, my life, and everything in between.

I sat and sipped with the phone cradled on my shoulder [it was attached to the wall! Remember that? That was before they even made cordless phones!] . 

The tree lights twinkled and I admired the colored paper chain that the boys had made in school. The boys' had decorations they'd made in grade school that graced the tree. At the time I don't think I appreciated them as much as I would now.

We talked of life. We talked of marriage. We talked of love. Dad had an undying love for Mom even if she didn't reciprocate. That's life. He told me about his mistakes and regrets he had in his life. I told him about how much my boys meant to me. I told him about my relationships with the horses, goats, and chickens we had.

We talked for a long time. 

It was our traditional Christmas Eve chat.

I even continued it in my second marriage and move to this little farm. 

Dad got a kick out of hearing the fact that I'd go out and talk with the mules and donkeys on Christmas Eve and celebrate their birthdays on New Year's Day.

It has been many years since I've talked to him. But in my mind I still call.

Dad.
I collect horse ornaments. They are beautiful. Not as beautiful as the paper chains.

Dad.
I still go out and talk to the mules on Christmas Eve. I only have a few of them now. They like their carrots.

Dad.
I think of you on each Christmas Eve even though it has been many years since we talked. I imagine what our conversations would be like now.

Dad.
I still miss you even if it is almost 20 years since you died.

Dad.
Since I still miss you. I will have conversations in my head every Christmas Eve and I will tell you what is on my tree.

Dad.
I am happy and content. Did we ever think that would happen? Well it did.

Dad.
I still miss you every day.

Merry Merry.

Christmas Eve Magic....by Sunshine

🎄

 

She says she heard of a story that the animals can talk at the stroke of midnight on Christmas Eve. The animals are able to rejoice at the miracle that happened on that night long ago. Her Grandmother used to tell the story about the hen who talked to the rest of the animals in the barn....

Or...was it is simply Christmas Magic.

Her Grandmother was right you know. We can talk for a moment at the stroke of midnight. But we can talk at other times if our humans care to listen carefully.

She came to us all bundled against the chill and the damp air this night. She opened that gate and stood quietly under the moonlight. 

I walked up.

She pulled her mitten off and reached for my neck. I moved in close and breathed softly on her shoulder and then put my muzzle next to her ear.

"Believe," I whispered, "Believe." She sighed and slowly put her arms around my neck and gave me a long endearing hug.

She may have murmured something into my fur. It sounded like, "I do." 

We stood like that in the silver light for a few minutes. Clouds moved across the sky and the silver light blinked out. I heard her catch her breath and then she stood back.

The spell was broken and I blinked and snorted. 

But she KNEW. She knew. I saw tears of joy in her eye and I know at that moment our souls had touched and we'd always know.

The Animals’ Christmas Eve

In the barn on Christmas Eve, after all the people leave,

The animals in voices low, remember Christmas long ago.

One small hen, upon her nest, softly clucks to all the rest:

“Little chicks, come gather near. A wondrous story you will hear.”

The Animals’ Christmas Eve, a Little Golden Book, by Gale Wiersum and illustrated by Jim Robison.

Wild Weekend! Sort of!

We had 7 inches of snow on Thursday through Friday morning. It was up to Charlie's neck. That is how we measure snow around here.

Thankfully, around 9am on Friday, Frank showed up in his old beater pickup truck and plowed us out. I was in the middle of cleaning when he showed up and stuck my head out to thank him so much for his work. Yes, I pay him $50 for each time he plows, but IT is worth it for me not to fret about it or try to tackle that long hill on my own.

Just after Frank cleaned us out, I got a text saying that Dennis [18 yr old Grandson] was on his way to come and spend the weekend with us.

Saturday morning it was below frigid. It was 5 degrees below 0 F or -20C.  I waited until it was just above zero to do chores. Dennis wanted to take a hike through the woods. 

Charlie wanted to go but it was too cold for his paws so for most of the 2 mile hike through the forest, we took turns carrying him. Dennis actually dressed for the weather in his new Carhartt's. He has just landed a full time job doing finishing work in construction. It sounds like it is a good trade to learn and he'll always be busy. His finishing job is doing trim around doors, windows, and floor boards.

I may hire him to finish up what hubby couldn't do when he had his stroke.

We had a wonderful visit with his parents. Rich's daughter is an amazing cook and she prepared Prime Rib and all the fixin's to perfection at our house. We had an early supper and enjoyed each other's company.

They left, Dennis stayed as he wanted to go see the Ice Caves and give Grandma a ride in his new to him Truck.

Getting to the caves this time was a bit harder with the snow hiding all of the rough footing underneath. However, we got there. 

Infrared photo of the ice caves:

We bypassed going into the second set of 'caves' and headed instead to admire the ice along Weister Creek.

Hey! A shot of me with Charlie in front of one of the most beautiful places at the Reserve in the winter. Dennis took this for me.

The creek in IR:

Not IR

See that hillside behind me on the other side of the creek? There are a few 'sketchy' trails that go right above that ice and head further east of the creek. We went there to go see this...

There is a cable that runs across the bottom of the ice here. I've never figured out what it is for in the 10 years I've been visiting this spot. What was it for? Where did it go?

The water here is too deep to try and follow it out across the creek. It seems to end in the rock. 

Here is the same scene in IR unprocessed. Wild right?

Eerie! 

With channel swapping which basically swaps the colors nearly opposite of what they are. There is more to it than that, but this is the simplest explanation.

I'm fond of the cool blue tinted ice. 

...and now?

Onto the next phase of this week. Some fun and some quiet.

Santa is inrtoduced to his relief driver!