An Eclectic Winter.

This Winter has been the most eclectic Winter that I've ever experienced. From no snow, to a bit, to a warm trend that felt like Summer, to a bit of snow, to a week of bitter cold, followed by another warming experience that meant we all have had messy cars as the bit of snow had melted, creating muddy country roads. On the weekend, we had some snow again, not much as you'll see by my photos, but enough so the mud was less. And then yesterday, warm again, so out came the mud. In between all of this, we've had warmer than normal temperatures (I still haven't put my - 40 C Sorels yet!), some rain (in Winter?) and a ton of fog (spooky and scary!). As much as we've loved that we haven't had any blizzards and travelling into town and even into the Big City has not been a challenge at all this year, the big worry is with very little snow cover, we run such a big risk of more forest fires this coming year. After being on alert last Spring for the first time ever, this has created some stress for us. Fingers crossed we get more snow and have a rainy Spring. We're hiring a tree company soon to come in and ensure that our little forest can be cleared a bit to decrease our risk. We don't want to take trees down but I do worry the brush under the trees is too much right now. I'd rather have this taken care of then be worried every time there is a fire near by.  Please keep our region, our whole country in your thoughts and blessings. Thank you for this.

You may be wondering about my photos above. The top left is the sweet branches we were gifted by a client for our front steps. I loved placing these as a welcoming path for guests who visited us over the holidays. There were smaller branches too and I put these in our dining room on the table, surrounding the big candle, as well as on our vintage cabinet in front of the windows, and a bit on the tea wagon. 

The second photo on the right is Bruce the Moose and Santa Claus, sadly, resting on the ground with a bit of snow cover. I'm glad they are not buried but they look so sad when they are not inflated. I love when they are up. With the higher cost of electricity this year, we haven't had them up as often but when they are up, I feel like a kid excited about something as simple as an inflatable!

Third photo is our new Hydrangea bush. I didn't cut all the blooms off as I wanted to see what it looks like in the snow. I love how this looks, even with the little bit of snow.

Fourth photo is showing our little girl and boy statues on their seesaw, in the snow, in the snowy forest.

Fifth photo is our stone bench right by the statues. Looks so empty and needing some company. I look forward to the Spring when we have flowers growing close by. A sweet spot to sit and reflect on a warm Summer day.

The final photo shows a bit of green that has popped up. Some of our plants are a bit confused by above normal temperatures and lots of sun. Today was cloudy and foggy but the sun should be back soon. 

It will be interesting to see if we end up getting a blizzard or two along the way. Hopefully not, though some steady, frequent snow would be so very helpful. 

Hope all is well where you reside!

~ Chy