Surprise Snow!

 

On Monday morning fat flakes of snow drifted slowly downwards. Rain mixed with snow later on made for a chilly day. Last night the snow began in earnest with temperatures dropping down to just below zero (Celsius).  

This morning it looks like a formal occasion in the garden with everyone wearing top hats. It's a little odd in that many leaves are hanging onto their branches, and a lot of them have not yet turned colour.

An odd year all around. Record high temperatures long into October followed by a couple of weeks of autumn sun and rain, and now this! 

From my writing desk perch I see the dog next door romping through on the snow-covered grass. Dark-eyed Juncos flit in and out of the lilac tree branches, and a bright red-headed House Finch perches on the swaying cedar hedge. Are they as baffled as we are? 

A big pot of pumpkin soup is simmering on the stove on this chilly morning, and I'm on my second big mug of tea with honey. It's a good day for staying home and that's what I've got planned. Temperatures will rise today and all of the snow will disappear, but this early taste of winter has me wondering what the rest of the season will hold. 

Any weather anomalies out your way? 

Suspended in mid-January

 

We're halfway through January. How has it been for you? I feel like I'm in a waiting room, but I don't know exactly what I'm waiting for. Or perhaps I'm waiting for a number of things - the end of the pandemic, retirement (2.5 weeks away), sunshine - things that I can do nothing to hurry along. At the same time, I'm content and go through my days with a smile on my face. I'm just drifting along, suspended on the current of time.

We've been walking most nights. We eat dinner, clean up, and Tim does email for an hour or two, then he gets up, opens the front door to check the weather, and suggests a walk. We've walked in some steady rain this week, squelching on muddy trails that are hard to see in the dark. A few times we've seen glittering stars shining through the trees. I sometimes dislike the idea of putting on raincoat, boots, and hat, but once I'm outside, it feels good to move and I return home feeling quite virtuous! 

Soft fairy lights still glow in the evenings here, creating comfort and coziness. I've finished three books this year so far, and began the fourth last night. The book most recently finished is "A Fifty-Year Silence" by Miranda Richmond Mouillot - "Love, war and a ruined house in France," in which she tells the true story of her grandparents, Jewish refugees from France. The story is like a puzzle that Miranda puts together, trying various pieces to see if they fit, without having a picture to go by. Fascinating.

Storm after storm has blown in across the Pacific bringing lots and lots of rain. On Tuesday night wind arrived, too, battering the house with loud gusts that woke us from a sound sleep. We did not lose power as our lines are underground, but others did. Because the ground is so saturated just now, many trees fell and damaged cars and houses. Today, all is calm and there are a few patches of blue sky that we must enjoy before the next storm arrives.

Tea-drinking, reading, stitching, and walking are about the extent of my activities beyond the daily routines of teaching and home-keeping. I'm thankful for technology so I can stay in contact with family. Tell me, how are you putting in these mid-January days? 

Into November We Go

On Sunday afternoon (after our tea at the Abkhazi Garden mentioned in the previous post), we met up with our eldest daughter and her family for a walk. 

This is the time of year when Pacific Salmon return to their birthplace to spawn the next season's fish, and then die. 

Tall cedar and maple trees line the banks of the Goldstream River. They crowd out the sun and dapple the light on the water. Occasionally, looking up through a clearing, one sees the burnished shades of autumn against the blue sky.

The salmon run is late this year, and although we saw a number of dark silvery fish hanging out in quiet deep pools, they have not yet laid their eggs nor turned red and begun to die. 

Leaves drifted and swirled down from the trees along the pathways, mesmerizing to watch. They came singly at times, or in great flurries when a breeze passed through the branches. 

Here's the November 1st birthday girl hiding behind a big leaf. (edited to add - My birthday is at the end of October; our daughter's on the first of November.)
The golden days of October shifted dramatically with the turning of the calendar to November. Sun and warmth have given way to chilly temperatures, wind, and cold rain, with snow at higher elevations. Most unusual this early. A portent of things to come? We'll see.

How are things in your corner at the beginning of November? 

Wind and rain

Wind and rain have cancelled ferry sailings so while waiting for the storm to abate I'm using the free wifi at the terminal to figure out mobile blogging with my I phone.

Hmmm. It's wet out there.  

Hope your Saturday is more profitable than mine.