Birds eating Breakfast

while it snows.

And, then, icicles hanging from the roof while it's cold.

Winter White Stuff

And then, that snow was followed by more!  After getting less than one inch of snow during last year's entire winter season, it caused some excitement in this household (the one in which I reside) when we received about five inches of the white stuff within a few days' time.  It was like getting real icing on a cake rather than just a dusting of powdered sugar!

The HM rushed to arrange a day of sledding!  You see, Reader Dear, he had concocted a contraption for pulling multiple individual sleds up a long snow-covered hill.  The happiest part was the fact that the pulling could be powered by two of his Belgian horses ("happiest part" is true if one does not count the happy fact of having a long snow-covered hill in the first place).

Take a look:

Of course, another happy fact was that every single  one of my five young actors could join the sledding party!  A few neighborhood children also got in on the downhill sledding and the uphill rides.  

Without giving a long, detailed weather report, I need to confess, Reader Dear, that there was one downside to this day (and we're not talking about the downslide here, which was the biggest upside  (Please don't slide into confusion]).  The weather was frigid!  Brisk winds made it almost frightful!  I saw it as a fortunate thing that all the young sledders were far more able to overlook the windy, icy cold conditions than did one of their grandparents, the one inappropriately dressed and perpetually cold all winter long anyway, who huddled on a lawn chair at the bottom of the hill.  There was some protection from the wind at the bottom of the hill, and from there she could still watch all of the fun and delight in photographing it.

The photographer spent hours recording the fun; but, View Dear, you won't see hours of playback.  It's just not the same (the photographer understands) as tromping around in the winter white stuff yourself, and riding a sled behind big clomping horses.  Next time it snows, you'll need to go looking for a snow-covered hill yourself (and big horses).  Please dress warmly!

After a Long Hiatus

Very Suddenly, inspiration hit.

It snowed!

And, then, too, a Met production was being live-streamed on a local theater screen.

The HM and I had a decision to make.  Should we enjoy the show at home: White Stuff Falling from the Sky (It's a show that is being produced here less and less frequently) ?  Or, as The HM suggested, should we, indeed,  go to the local theater and watch the Met show that was being live-streamed there?  

While it was tempting to stay home and watch the snow, the HM and I decided to spend three hours at the opera show.

Much to my delight, by the time we got back home, a visitor had shown up to give us a wide-armed and smiling welcome!

*Created by a young next-door neighbor

One More Night,

of sleeping among the mountains.  And one more day of playing pool at the pool table,  and watching The Great British Baking Show on TV, and trike-riding on the trikes, and hiking and  mushroom-hunting in the woods.  There was also the one more day of reading, and strumming guitar or banjo (those who were [still are] adept).  I've got to show you one more day of the family vacation-- singing, and eating good food.

What with that baking show, and the singing, and the eating, it only makes sense we'd have a birthday cake at some point, does it not, Reader Dear?!

 

Oops, forgot to mention two other popular pastimes (when it happened to be raining outside):

Tussling!  

Let me assure you, Dear Reader, this inclination for playful fighting was restricted to a small subset (my small actors) for small amounts of time.

And, too, there was the playing of video games--once again, the small actors,  on small screens, small amounts of time!

Overall, we were toasting the good times, in spite of the rain!

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It was all Downhill

 

Downhill in a shrieking, streaking way, Dear Viewer!

At the vacation house in the mountains, my  Small Actor and Tiny Actor took advantage of the trikes and the sweeping lawn.   Whenever it wasn't raining, they were doing the downhill thing--yelling and fast riding and hair flying!  My HM (their Poppy) would give them a ride uphill, and then...as fast as they could get to the top, it would all be downhill again!

I do believe, Reader Dear, if the chances of bone breakage, or a headline proclaiming "Grandmother of Five Dies in Tricycle Accident" were not hovering in my imagination, I'd have hopped aboard a trike myself! 

......