Wednesday, December 21, 2022

Let it snow ...

"Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful ..."

In the last two days, over 6 inches of snow blanketed our world, and temperatures plummeted.   Elsewhere, this might be greeted with trepidation, but hearty Montanans welcome it.  (Almost) everything is better with snow - skiing of all kinds, snowmobiling, building snowmen, sitting by the fire watching the flakes flutter to the ground.  So I dedicate this post to SNOW!

I am linking up to I Like Thursday with LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color.  If you need some positives in your life, you will find it among the bloggers who join this party!

"It's a marshmallow world in the winter, when the snow comes to cover the ground

It's time for play, it's a whipped cream day  I wait for it the whole year ' round"

We've had our first ski/ride day at Whitefish Mountain Resort.  


"Over the river and through the woods, to grandmother's house we go;  The horse knows the way to carry the sleigh, through the white and drifted snow!"

Well, it's my best friend's house, and it's a Toyota 4Runner, but I can pretend, right?  


Snow and cold is not all fun and games, especially for animals, domesticated or not.  And for the humans that take care of them.  Something as simple as keeping them watered is challenging in such frigid weather ...  It doesn't come through in this video, but the parade of turkeys was punching through the snow with many of their steps ...


"You could've come like a mighty storm  With all the strength of a hurricane

You could've come like a forest fire  With the power of heaven in Your flame

But You came like a winter snow  Quiet and soft and slow

Falling from the sky in the night  To the earth below"  Chris Tomlin

LeeAnna's prompt for this week asked about Christmas traditions.  The first thing we do on Christmas morning is sing happy birthday to Jesus.  I was pleased to see this Nativity scene in our neighborhood this year - I learned that a father/son team made it by hand! (We usually go to Mass on Christmas Eve.)


Armed with coffee and Christmas cake (see this post for more details), we move on to our stockings - did Santa pop coal or other goodies in there overnight?  Just a few days ago, I finished a new stocking for #1 Daughter.  I started this project in March, as you can see in this post.  She will use this stocking at her home; her "kid" stocking will remain here.

#1 Son will drive here on Friday, and we are thrilled beyond measure that he can join us for Christmas.  For many years, I have teamed up with him to bake gingerbread cookies.  I can almost taste the ginger as I imagine biting into the soft cushion of cookie, shaped as trains, gingerbread people, stars, moose, angels and more.

While all of this goes on (before and on Christmas Day), we are listening to Christmas music ON VINYL.  We have at least 10 records, and many of them I inherited from my parents.  It gives me great joy that #1 Son adores them as much as I do, especially the Andy Williams album.  In the last couple of weeks, I relished a choral concert from Valley Voices and a quirky, delightful hour of fun called Tubachristmas - tuba, euphonium and baritone instruments playing carols.  Check out this audio (sorry, picture is the carpet in the hotel!)


After the stockings, we open gifts, taking turns.  When we still had furbabies, we could find the cats under the tree, or nibbling the ribbons.  #1 Son is leaving his two cats at home - sad face.  They don't normally cuddle with each other; do you think they know he will be gone for a week?


At some point, we will pause opening gifts, to Skype with family in the UK and with #1 Daughter in the Midwest.  On a timeline known only to Head Chef, we begin dinner preparations - he has decided to smoke the turkey this year.  #1 Son is on dressing duty, and I lend a hand wherever I am trusted.  When our bellies are full and the sun has disappeared (early this time of year), we will retire to the movie room - I vote for Klaus even though we have watched it before!  And so, another Christmas will become memory.   Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all!


Linking to Saturday's Critters.

Linking to Mosaic Monday







25 comments:

  1. ...enjoy your beautiful snow, we may not have any this year.

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  2. You do live in a beautiful winter wonderland. The photos are lovely. I enjoyed reading about your Christmas traditions. I grew up listening to Andy Williams Christmas songs, one of my mother's favorites. Have a happy day! Merry Christmas to you and yours!

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  3. I hope you have a great time! We've 12" on the ground, ice rain tomorrow. No fun!

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  4. Oh wow! That stocking is amazing. According to the news, a lot of folks are gonna be getting some mighty cold and snowy weather -- can't imagine the travel chaos that will ensue. Stay warm and safe and enjoy your holidays. Take care.

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  5. It's great to embrace snow and winter since you live in Montana and made the intentional choice to build your home there! Beautiful photos and fun traditions. Our grands have started a tradition of baking a birthday cake for Jesus for our Christmas dinner dessert. Love those word from Tomlin. Merry Christmas to you and yours and prayers for safe journey for your son!

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  6. The snow scenes sure are beautiful in your neck of the woods, a really special place! Merry Christmas!

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  7. wow - look at all that snow! We're forecasted for rain, and then have it all freeze solid for Christmas. Wuzzy kitties! Sounds like a fun Christmas is planned!

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  8. A perfect Christmas day you have described there...so enjoyed reading your words, Angie and the images they conjured up. Meanwhile, lots of snow photos too...beautiful. And we can find Andy Williams singing away on YouTube. Enjoy it all every minute of it!

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  9. Hey Angie! You make snow sound delightful, so much so, I want to venture onto snow. Maybe we’ll get snow on our mountains this winter. I’m living vicariously through you telling of Christmas traditions. Loved it! Merry Christmas!

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  10. Dear Angie,
    your words about cold and snow are reassuring. In Europe you can read true horror reports about the cold snap in the USA, especially in the north and east... I hope you continue to be well!
    I wish you and your loved ones a wonderful Christmas time
    and all the best for 2023, Traude
    🍎🕯️🎄🌟🎄🕯️🍎
    PS: I also think you would like Costa Rica! :-)

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  11. HAPPY HOLIDAYS
    Link to my 12 Days of Christmas HERE

    MUCH🎄LOVE

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  12. Beautiful photos of your Montana snow! I hope you had a lovely Christmas weekend. Listening to Christmas music is a favorite tradition of mine, too - and singing along!

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  13. Hello, Angie
    Gorgeous winter landscapes. Your photos are just beautiful. I loved the turkeys and your son's sweet kitties. We are slowing warming up this week, the bitter cold and wind is gone. Thank you for linking up and sharing your critters. I wish you all the best in 2023! Take care, have a great day and week ahead!

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  14. awe I loved reading about the day.... and glad your son is home. The stocking is sure a keepsake, and all of it seems like a movie it's so perfect. I added in your link, and will let it ride if you're thinking of doing a post this week too, Love, LeeAnna

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  15. Dear Angie - What a lovely winter wonderland! Japan is under the severe attack of Siberian cold air but too short duration of snowing here in Nara. You reminded me of the time at the skiing resort long ago; the bracing air in “marshmallow world”. I loved skiing and felt like that I was a small bird flying on the snow slopes even with low speed. With best wishes for the year 2023.
    Yoko

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  16. Your snow photos are beautiful Angie. So good your son is home for Christmas, I am sure you had a wonderful time together,

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  17. Looks beautiful and cold! Hope you're enjoying this holiday season and all the best for the coming year, dear Angie.
    Amalia
    xo

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  18. You live in a beautiful area! The snow looks so pretty. Happy holidays!

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  19. Burrrrrrrr, that's a lot of snow. I know you need it there in the mountains, but I'm not a fan of winter, snow, ice etc. Here it's just ugly and gray most of winter which is why we try to leave town and be gone as long as possible in the ugly gray cold of winter. When we were younger, we liked to ski; but those days are long gone. Sounds like you had a very nice Christmas with family. Stay warm. We might make it to freezing today...the forecast as least calls for it warming up to that. Pretty stockings.

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  20. Hello Angie, I'm a little late to your post.
    I do hope you had a Merry Christmas, sending my good wishes for a Happy and Healthy 2023.

    All the best Jan

    PS I did enjoy seeing your photographs :)

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  21. I love the turkey parade! Your Christmas traditions sound nice. I once tried to get everyone to sing happy birthday on Christmas morning, but was met with resistance. I think that’s something I would have had to start when the kids were little

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    Replies
    1. I guess I’ve been away too long and google doesn’t recognize me. Marti diy

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  22. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas celebration. I'm sure your family had a wonderful time. The snow photos are amazing! I miss the snow and white winters.

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  23. you picked great songs for this post, marshmallow world is my absolute favorite!! the parade of turkeys is so cute, follow the leader, they must be happy they survived thanksgiving!! your snow is absolutely gorgeous!!

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