Do we have to make our own?

First of all, it is so dark today that our exterior Christmas lights turned on at 9:30 a.m. this morning!  They are on a timer with a light sensor and usually go on at about 4:00 p.m. when the afternoon light starts to fade.

And, then, to top it off it is raining. No, not raining. Pouring. All day long. Remember when I posted about loving the rain a couple of months ago?  Well, I don't when it's December 15th and dark and cold and Christmas is only a week away.

So what do you do when the snowflakes are lacking?  I guess you make your own.  I found the paper snowflakes by the computer upstairs. Emma was making them in between homework assignments. If she didn't have so much to do still at school, I would commission her to make me a whole backyard of paper snowflakes! I found some snow in my kitchen cupboard--coarse salt. (Thanks for the idea Sonia!)

Next, I gathered all of the winter paintings I could find.  Some of the paintings I did a long time ago.  The tiny blue one was done earlier this year.  It was one of those magical winter mornings when the trees, shrubs and perennials were all covered by snow.  The dried queen anne's lace stems looked like they were each tenderly holding their own snowball.  Wouldn't it be lovely to wake up to one of those mornings sometime soon?

Dear Santa, 

I don't want a lot for Christmas.

Just a little bit of sunshine and a few snowflakes please.

Love, Kathleen xx

Walking in the Snowflakes

Mister Meeko and I went for a walk in the snowflakes.  It's quite mild today, so the walk was a little bit wet but quite enjoyable.  Very pretty too.

It didn't start out entirely smoothly. I got to the park and realized that my camera didn't have a memory card in it so we went back to the house.  I'm so absentminded lately. Meeko was a little surprised to be returning home so quickly.

Mr. Snowflake.  Did anyone notice the little hair trim in time for Christmas?

Once I had my memory card, I took quite a few photos.  Unfortunately, I couldn't use about half of them as they were out of focus.  Yes, I forgot to bring my glasses again. It's also complicated taking photos with a dog on a leash. Meeko is very good about stopping.  He's getting used to that.  But while I am taking my time composing my photo, he's thinking, 'While she's doing this, why don't I just go waaaay over here and sniff that.'

I did manage to get quite a few pretty photos.  In a few photos, you can see white lines.  They are the snowflakes falling.

The one below is without a doubt my favourite. I guess those are snowflake drops? It wasn't raining.

And finally, we got back from our snowy, wet walk.  Both Meeko and I have naturally curly hair that gets curlier when it is rainy or snowy. (I guess owners do resemble their dogs!) Here's my curly boy at the end of our walk.  You're just going to have to imagine what I looked like. :)

The photo is a little hazy as by this time my lens was a bit wet!

Have a good weekend in the sun or the snow, the warm or the cold, depending on where you live!

It Snowed

I guess sometimes having trouble sleeping can be a good thing.  Look what I saw outside at around 1:00 a.m. last night?

It snowed, it snowed

It snowed last night

Everything is sparkling with diamond light

The road is bare

It's four feet high

Honey, let's play hooky

'Cause it snowed last night

Get your hat and coat and bundle up real tight

Hitch up that sled and we'll take a ride

Everybody's happy

'Cause it snowed last night

Well, how merry, how bright

The snowfall turns the

World into a lovely sight

It snowed, it snowed

It snowed last night

Honey, let's play hooky

'Cause it snowed last night

And when the sun dips out of sight

We'll cozy up by the fireside

And just before we close our eyes

Wish upon a star it snows again tonight

Wish upon a star it snows again tonight

Wish upon a star it snows again tonight

Those are the lyrics of a beautiful song by young Canadian singer Meaghan Smith. If you don't know her, I encourage you to have a listen. (Not only is she an award-winning singer/songwriter, she's also an artist.)  Her new Christmas album 'It Snowed' is available on iTunes and other places.  I love traditional holiday music but it's nice to hear some new songs once in a while.

We didn't get four feet of snow, but it's a start. :)

P.S. For anyone who lives in Canada:  I just noticed that Meaghan Smith's song 'It Snowed' is the free Single of the Week on iTunes! Enjoy! :)