Not in Portland Anymore

One of the joys of living in Portland was that it hardly snowed, and this meant that when flakes started falling it was a special day.  Well, let's just say we are having a real "special" month out here in the Box.  It feels like the snow hasn't stopped since the day after Christmas (Boxing Day Blizzard) and it just keeps piling up!  I feel sorry for Stanley the Mailmanly, getting to all the mailboxes sounds like a terrible job.  Here is what mine looks like and I'm sure I spent more time than many other people clearing it out.

My mailbox is like Waldo at times.

On New Year's Eve we made some snowmen with the help of my sister.  They melted a lot at first, but have since turned into drifters.

In the wild the Equilateral Triangle men are very even tempered.

Our driveway is getting skinnier and skinnier; turning into the house and going into the garage feels like a bobsled track with the tall ice walls going up around you.  Despite the work to get the walk and driveway clear, it really all is beautiful.  Bright and early in the morning I put on my snowshoes and wandered out into the woods.

This is what our back yard looks like.  Our house is on an acre, but half of it is woods.  I think most people ignore this part of their property, but I have big plans for it!  Come spring time there will be some serious composting happening, owl houses, bat hotels, places to sit and relax....











I guess the outdoors-y Minnesotan in me has decided to come out.  It seems like all I can think of right now is snow shoeing, cross country skiing, ice skating, sledding, and building snow forts.  Maybe watching Cool Runnings last weekend has influenced me more than I realize.






Of course I also appreciate the beauty of winter while sitting inside by the fire with a nice book and my lovely wife.  Hope everyone is having a good January and that you always have a warm and cozy place to be when you want to get out of the cold.

Ice covered branches.