Warmer Winters

Dreaming of Flowers

Even if the temperatures are still below freezing each night, Snow and Ice have melted completely. Any Snow which arrives now will disappear quickly during the warmer daytime hours.

During the last month, when it seemed Winter would never release his hold on the area, for the first time since we moved here, I felt like a prisoner. Depression hit for a time...I could not enjoy the outdoors in any way because of the Cold. I could not write, had no inclination to do any of my hobbies and projects...even my appetite disappeared.

There have been times in my life where I have felt like this...usually in response to some crisis or other. But this low feeling I have only just released was something new...I felt at odds with everything, even Nature.

It was a long Winter. Were I healthy, I suppose the length of it would not bother me as much, since I would still be able to be active. But the amazing Cold stymied me completely this year...physically and mentally.

Cabbages grow so well here!

The Cold attacked my arthritis, which was further irritated by fibromyalgia. I felt as if I were one round ball of pain, each and every time I braved the weather for a walk with Lucky. It could take hours for the pain caused by the Cold  to go away, yet I felt the need to be outside, to stay connected and grounded to Nature.

But after awhile, that need disappeared, as well, especially when a flu Bug found me. During the infection, there was no more energy then to brave anything...

But now, Spring has come to stay. I cannot say it is as warm here as it was on the Island during our Easter holiday visit, but every day seems a little more temperate. And of course, now, the garden requires my attention.

Working in the garden has healed me many times over the course of my life, and I expect it will do so again.

Change may be in the offing for Graham and I. Our intention is to move back to the Island this year, one way or the other. At the moment, we are contemplating the options we have; nothing is concrete.

I will miss my friends the Mule Deer...

And so, this Spring, my garden will be set to rights with the thought of another gardener working in it next year. Instead of building more gardening beds, I will concentrate on dividing perennials and filling up the beds already in existence. If our house goes on the market this summer, I want it to look good, to look as if it is the easiest thing in the World to turn out a pretty garden in this arid, cold climate.


Gardens are what I look at, when I am buying a house, and I assume, quite wrongly, that others look for the same. When Graham and I were on the Island looking at homes, I cannot remember the houses we looked at, but I can remember their gardens. I am grateful that Graham rarely looks at gardens... the house and the way it is built is his primary focus.

This fellow appears every Spring...I have a multitude of photos of him!

Between the two of us, perhaps we can find a balance between great gardens and properly built homes...my intent is to find a place for sale which has both.


I will miss the Animals. Living here, there is no way to not be part of the wild Animal world. I will miss the sounds of the many, many Birds, the howl of the Wolf and Coyote, the call of the Eagle, Hawk and Raven...and the screech from the Bobcat and Cougar.


A few weeks ago, when dirty Ice and Snow were still compact on much of the driveway, I ventured outside onto the part of the road bed which had cleared. Lucky, of course, had little trouble traversing the icy pathways, and bounded ahead of me.

Chickadees are prolific here...and stay thru the Winter.

He was behind the woodworking shop, out of my sight, when I heard the scuffling in the deep Snow. Lucky began to ferociously bark and howl...but beyond that, I heard a big Cat's indescribable snarl...


I had no way of arriving where Lucky was any quicker than I was already going, desperately calling Lucky with each careful step I took. Lucky, and then Ozzie, the Dog from next door, continued their frenzied barking, so I assumed he hadn't been attacked. As yet.


I've heard the big Cat's cry many times here, but I've not always been sure whether it came from a Cougar or a Bobcat. This time, as close as I was, I could tell it was a Bobcat, but I didn't know where it was. I could not see behind the shop, where Lucky was creating such an extreme ruckus.

Our Raven steals many of Lucky's bones...

I came around the corner of the shop, moving very carefully...not wanting to come face to face with an Animal of this nature. Lucky had his front paws up against a Fir Tree, howling his fool head off. Ozzie also decided to join in, and in no time, neighbourhood dogs from across the valley were united in their outrage against the interloper...the din was incredible.


I looked up. Yes, there he was, staring down at Lucky from his perch on the Tree branch. It's the closest I have ever been to one of these wild Cats...it was frightening and wonderful, all at the same time. I wanted to remain there and study him...but I was not completely sure he would not attack Lucky at any moment.

Look at his huge front paws!!

After calling Lucky's name over and over, finally projecting what I call my ugly voice towards him, he heard me, glanced my way, wavered and then finally came, with the biggest grin on his face I've ever seen.

I grabbed his collar, and made my way back to the house over the Ice, my neck prickling all the while. I could feel those beautiful feline eyes on me, even if I didn't think he could still see me for the shop...


Lucky was so proud of himself. I cannot begin to tell you.

My heart pounding, we made it into the house. I waited a moment or two, until I heard Ozzie stop barking, and then I let Lucky out into our fenced area. By then, I felt our visitor had left his perch.  Our Lucky, though, lay on the deck all day, watching that particular Tree...reliving his moment of glory when he vanquished a big Cat.

What is interesting and synchronistic, since I bemoaned the fact I did not have my camera with me quite vociferously, is the next day a co-worker of Graham's  was driving on the highway just below our place when he saw two Bobcats, one sitting on a concrete highway barrier...and was able to snap a photo of him, which he has graciously allowed me to use.

I have no doubt it is the same one, even if I did not get a good, long look at him. There are no co-incidences, after all. And I've heard since, during mating season, Bobcats will travel in two's...

Where did that big Cat go?

I wonder where his mate was, while I stood staring at him? 


I think our Dog was called Lucky for a reason...


I will miss these kinds of encounters. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to live here and will miss it tremendously...the Cold and Winter notwithstanding.


During my time of introspection, when depression knocked softly, I realized the large distances involved in travelling back to where I consider it to be home were becoming more and more difficult to do, as the years go by.


Realizing and accepting my limitations, when I am not accustomed to having to take those into consideration with respect to where I live, made me re-evaluate. I'm taking my age and have come to an understanding I want to live the rest of my time closer to family and more accessible medical care. 

And warmer Winters.


Photo of Bobcat courtesy of Roger Hollander...Thanks, Roger!

Tea With Spring...and a Broom

I am so delighted to report Spring has graced me with a few lovely visits over the past few days.

My broom defying gravity...

Waking to the sound of dripping Water...not the silence a Snow Storm brings...but the sound of Water...at four o'clock in the morning is incredible, after such a long time spent in a frozen landscape. The gurgle and drip of Water running through the gutters and downspouts was wonderfully soothing

Later, that afternoon, it doesn't seem to matter to me that I can't see the garden beds, still under a two foot blanket of Snow. There are only a few Birds around, all busily feeding at the Bird feeder. The Squirrels who have dodged the resident Hawk all Winter are beginning to make themselves known by their chittering scoldings, but their number is still small.



And it doesn't matter at all.

A photo from an old garden...here, it is yet Snow-covered

Spring has dropped by. We share a lazy afternoon on the front porch, she and I, drinking copious amounts of Tea. This is a time of great transition for me, yet again. I ask her advice on what to focus on, on which item to give my complete attention.


She does not seem surprised, as she listens, contentedly and at peace. Each time she moves her hand to drink from the Tea cup, a warm breeze caresses my cheek. It gives me soft comfort.


I listen to the gurgle of the melting Ice and Snow, mesmerized by a Beetle of some kind, making his way drowsily and slowly, along a Sun-washed board.


Spring whispers to me...she tells me there are forever changes, always...that is the way of it. And never more than in the Springtime, when blood warms, bodies move and waken and Mother Earth re-blooms. She tells me I am prepared, as much as anyone can be, for the changes in my life I am currently facing.

Foxgloves...again, a former garden

She tells me this year Humanity's discontent with the way things work in this World will bring about huge change, an enormous transition, from where we began. Along with my own personal adjustments, I must practice balance throughout the swirling emotional revisions all of Humanity faces.


I tell her I was once interested in what this year will bring, it being 2012 and all. And I am still...yet my own personal life has superseded the World's situation. It is beginning to overwhelm me...

The Rose Hedge from my last garden

She laughs...a musical, tinkling sound, which makes Water, now flowing strongly from the eaves of the house, splash even more happily into the large puddle forming at the base. I notice nothing bothers her...not anything at all.


And I wish, rather futilely, I think to myself, for that enormous balance and peace Spring shows so definitively within herself, during our Tea drinking marathon. I can easily pick up on her joyous outlook.


Spring hones in on my thought, just as soon as the wish disappears into the ether...and quite suddenly, I do feel grounded and balanced and yes...at peace with it all.


She giggles, delightful, musical notes which inexplicably remind me of Lilacs. She tells me...Yes. It is just that easy. It does not take longing and wishing and wondering...if you want balance and peace, take it. It's yours.

Hmm. Another reminder to keep it simple.

An early double Tulip, grown on the Coast.

We sat in complete and utter harmony, Spring and I, that afternoon, until North Wind nudged my legs and Winter once again crept in.

And she began to fade...

Spring assured me she would be back, of course, as she is each and every year, never mind the swirling scenarios around 2012.


And she whispered to me, just as I was convinced she had never arrived, just as North Wind began to voice his loud opinion...she told me...The Deer will leave your Tulips alone again this year...


I laughed. I had been convinced I would not see many Tulips, with the Deer herd in residence.


As I entered the house, I thought to myself how wonderful it was I would be able to see, once more, all the hundreds of Tulips I had planted throughout my time here. With Spring overseeing the whole operation, I was assured of a lovely show.

I will practice balance by keeping everything a little more simple, I think. With the true arrival of Spring, changes will be quick, some of them harsh and strange.

An example...does your broom stand up on its own? Mine does...here's a link about the story.

Brooms defy gravity


My broom doesn't even have a straight bottom...and it's been standing there on its own for awhile now. It seems to have no problem balancing...

I shall be dancing with it next...

Just another thing to grow accustomed to...brooms taking on a life of their own. What better thing to happen to a self-proclaimed hedge Witch?


I tell myself to remember Spring's advice...if I want to be balanced and peaceful, take it.


Just take it.

An Odd February

Pink light-filled Sunrise...

What a strange month February has been, in the way of weather and also, in other ways. One day we are experiencing Arctic temperatures and the next, I'm listening to the music of melting Snow and Ice.

Animals, as well, are confused, I'm thinking. Lately, Deer have decided to make our property their home. Herds of Deer...I am surprised on quite a few days by Deer resting somewhere on the property. 

This morning, I inadvertently awoke one who was resting underneath a large Tree, close to the deck. Uncurling himself slowly, with blinking eyes, he stretched his limbs, looking for all the World just as a child might upon awakening. He turned his head and looked at Lucky and I watching him, shook his head up and down, and then wandered off into the deeper Forest.

Early Morning Sun looks inviting...but it's very, very deceptive!

Lucky, a Dog who is accustomed to these Friends from the Forest, no longer wants to chase, especially through three feet of Snow. But I didn't realize how truly well accustomed he is...

One afternoon, Lucky and I were watching a Blizzard from the front porch. I love to watch Snowflakes fall; I find it meditative and certainly soothing. Lucky sat beside me, no doubt wondering at my proclivity for watching a blowing Blizzard.

In this peaceful state, I was abruptly brought back to Earth when a Deer appeared, from the trail leading to the base of the Draw, not twenty feet away. I felt Lucky stiffen somewhat, so I took hold of his collar, but I truly felt he had no intention of going anywhere. I felt a tremor of fear inside myself...I cannot arise quickly, with stiffened joints made even worse from the Cold. And Deer have been known to attack, some in quite random circumstances.

Two of the herd at rest, just off the deck.

But this Deer was as startled as I was, although she did not take flight. Rather, after the initial halting of her progress towards the driveway, she seemed interested in who Lucky and I might be. Her ears flickered back and forth as she drew in our scent, her eyes glued on mine.


And then, another Deer appeared behind her, and then another, and another, all in single file. The first Deer found purchase on the ploughed driveway, and wandered off up the driveway, sniffing at the new Snow. And the others, after a glance or two our way, followed her.


Lucky and I were entranced. Fear had long gone, with delight and awe replacing it...it was as if these Deer, who take flight at the slightest thing, were teaching me something rather profound. Perhaps Fear of people, places and things should be relegated to the past, when I didn't know any better.

What's up, Mom?

As we watched the Deer file up the driveway and across the road, another Deer, a laggard behind the rest, came up the trail, and I felt something different...a different type of energy...from this one. This one did not have a youngster/female type of energy signature...his was of a hardened, more mature, male Warrior type. 


Lucky shifted, at the sight of this last Deer. He sensed the difference in this Deer, as well, although there was no resistance to my hand on his collar. 


This Deer stopped. He was much larger, far more imposing than the rest. I can still feel the apprehension in my chest as he took us in...Lucky and I huddled together on the porch steps.

Roses for Valentine's Day!!

It felt like a sign of grace, a pulse of light, a beam of loving energy as we sat there under the gaze of this incredible Animal, who has made our home his. I cannot describe it any further than that...and it really needs no more description, at any rate.


Slowly, he showed me what majestic looks like, as he made his way towards the rest of the herd, some gathered at the top of the driveway, watching the tableau being played out below between three different sets of Animal.


Different, perhaps, but still One.


February, too, has brought a certain awakening, definitely within myself, if not in all. My fascination with the Sky began when I saw those small objects in the Night Sky a few months ago. And it appears I am not the only one...there are many, many videos on YouTube that document these inexplicable objects. I've included this link which includes some incredible sightings...

               Ascension Earth 2012: Galactic Federation of Light Ship Over Several U.S...

And too, the sounds from the Earth or the Sky, depending on who describes them...those are simply fascinating to me. I know people who have heard them and oh! how I envy them! They tell me the skin crawled up their necks and they were covered in goose bumps. The sometimes melodious, sometimes horrendous sounds reached deeply inside each person...one actually found himself gritting his teeth. Here's another link to some sounds in Finland...

                       Strange Sounds Over Finland

In my daily musings, I wonder how it all fits together, what it all means. And I usually come up with the thought that there is little I can do to change anything during this year of evolution...anything outside of myself, that is. And I find I am doing that...I am letting old things, things I didn't even realize were still hiding within me...I am letting those odd little bodies of pain go, each and every one. With my blessings and forgiveness of self and others...

The driveway seems longer than it is, when it has to be ploughed!!

And, with the thought that Spring will eventually come, I have been cleaning and purging my home, as if someone were arriving, with that exact feeling of anticipation and excitement...even the fridge and freezer are full, in preparation...

I am not expecting anyone. But one can never tell, during these days of 2012, who might pop in and I want to be ready.

Even if our perceived Visitor of the future is only a Deer or two...

Cat and the Shed

A feral cat lives under this garden Shed in our front yard.

Snow is falling in sheets in the pre-dawn darkness...large, pure white sparkling sheets. Since it is not too cold, I sit on the front steps, well wrapped up, and watch as Lucky checks out who visited in the night.

I believe we have a feral cat living under the little garden shed. I can't say for sure. I have only seen her once. But judging by the amount of cat prints around the driveway and the shed, she certainly visits often...

This is where Lucky found the trail to come up from the Draw, down behind the pile of Snow.

I saw her one morning, as I stood by one of the front windows, sipping my coffee. She was sitting in Sun's rays, in a golden circle of light, and she was washing herself. It's been a long time since I have seen a Cat really groom herself. I had forgotten how intent they seem upon the act, yet they are instinctively alert to any seeming danger.


She looked like a Coon Cat, but it was difficult to say. She was grey and black, long-haired and large! This was one wild cat who looked as if she had no trouble looking after herself.

There will be much ploughing and shovelling today!

And then the thought struck...perhaps she was so large because she was pregnant? Oh, oh.


Lucky, covered in Snow and looking like a large, furry, white dog, with bits of red hair showing, makes a bee-line to the bottom corner of the shed. Sniffing once, he makes the decision...the Cat was in there!


Stiff-legged, he walks around the shed...and I immediately hear a soft, muffled yelp as he misjudges a Snow drift and falls down into the Draw...


As I come around the corner of the shed, he was already dusting himself off at the bottom of the Draw. It is really dark back there behind the shed and I can't see well, but I know he will find it difficult to come back up from where he's fallen.

It is so very, very DARK in the Draw...

Lucky tries to climb back up over the fallen logs and branches, and quickly gives up. I walk over to another area, further from the shed, where I have some light from the porch. There is an old trail there...I hope Lucky can find it in the dark and the falling Snow.


This whole thing is becoming ludicrous.


I am covered in Snow, it is dark as Hades, and I am becoming aware that it is also cold. It is 5:30 AM...what on Earth am I doing outside in pyjamas, in the Cariboo Winter, trying to coax a Dog back up from a deep, dark Draw?


Oh well. It is where I am at the moment. And the Dog is Lucky...

That Orb is following me around...

He is having trouble traversing the bushy, Branch-strewn area and it is slow going for him. I glance around and am startled to see two golden eyes fixated upon me, from the hole in the Earth around the bottom of the garden shed.


I stare at them, those golden eyes as mesmerizing as the drifting, falling sheets of Snow.


The sound of Lucky clambering about in the Snow falls away, as quick thoughts chase through my mind. Is it a Cat? Are those eyes not too large for just a small Cat? The hairs at the back of my neck begin to rise...and not only because it is cold.

Doubtful, but in the dark?...

Coming back to myself, I find that Lucky has found the trail, not any the worse for wear...and that the smell of Cat has grown intensely for him. I look around and find the eyes no longer there. But Lucky is back to his intense sniffing, where it seems like he wants to snuffle up the contents of whatever it is under the shed.

It is a safe place for a feral Cat to over-Winter. Now that I am back on the safety of the porch, I have found my common sense and courage, and am sure it is a Cat. So close to the house, it is unlikely a predator would bother to dig for this prey, ensconced so cozily in the Earth underneath the little green shed...giving another measure of safety. I wonder again if she is pregnant.


I go into the house and grab a towel. Our boy Lucky is wet and covered in Snow, with a few scratches here and there, and I want to brush him off before he comes into the house. I brush myself off as well...

Not my photo, but reminiscent of those golden eyes!

Lucky comes to me reluctantly, when I call him. As he trots over, I see those eyes, from underneath the shed, again. I send thoughts of safety and well-being to those wonderful, golden eyes, so much wiser regarding life in the wild, than any I know.


Lucky and I go in, grateful for the warmth. As I sit here, I battle with myself...should I go out with a little food for our feral Cat? I know the rules...no feeding wildlife, even if it is a Cat. But there is a Blizzard blowing...


I warm up, my limbs becoming less stiff. I ponder and wonder. I shake my head, knowing what I will do, even as I argue with myself. What if the animal is not a Cat?

A Keeper of Animals

I put finishing touches to a drawing of another face, another unknown somebody to add to the piles of other unknown faces. The face I am finishing at the moment is a gentle one, a youngish lady, a Keeper of Animals. I hear her words, as I stare into her eyes.


She tells me all things, wild and tame, deserve a break now and again. She asks me to put myself in the Animal's place, under a shed, in a Snow Storm, with Snow drifts much higher than a small Animal. She asks me...have I ever known real hunger and thirst? Suddenly, it no longer matters if the Animal is a Cat.


And there is a tin of Tuna in the cupboard...

The Soul-Searcher

I put on the layers of clothing required to go outside in a Snow Storm. I take the bowl of Tuna and, as I step off the porch into the suddenly very deep Snow, I realize I should have worn boots, as the indescribable cold Snow satiates my shoes and feet...


Too late now. My feet are already blocks of Ice, so at least there is no feeling there. I consider it will not take long to place the bowl of Tuna where the Cat will find it easily, but I have not taken into that consideration the quickly falling Snow and how deep it is becoming.


I go around the back of the Shed, where overhanging branches from the Fir Trees keep Snow away. Usually.


It is becoming light now, Dawn has arrived. I place the bowl of Tuna close to the only opening left at the bottom of the Shed...others are completely covered by Snow.

The Judge

I see where Lucky made his mistake in the dark and avoid the area, but as I turn away from placing the bowl of Tuna, Snow is driven by Wind directly into my face. I stumble and fall.

I fly face first into a huge drift of Snow, which also breaks my fall. I have so many layers of clothing on, as I hit the Snow, I hardly feel any pain, but I know it will surely arrive later. Fibromyalgia does not like face plants into Snow in the cold. However, I continue to lie there, catching my bearings.

I wonder how long it would take before I am completely covered in Snow. Not long, I'd wager, since there is at least a foot that has fallen since Lucky and I were first outside. When Snow falls like this in the Cariboo, many things are covered which don't see the light of day until May...


So far, I find lying here in the Snow comfortable, other than freezing feet. As I turn my head to breathe better, I glance over at the bowl...and see a grey Cat head withdrawing back under the Shed, as she sees me moving.


As I stiffly gather myself back up, I am glad I saw her. I am glad, as well, that I braved the Snow and cold and brought her a little sustenance, on a day like this, when she may not be able to go out to hunt for food.

The Nurse

I brush myself off and as quickly as I can (which is rather slow...there is Ice beneath the Snow, and conditions are very slippery) I seek the warmth of the house and hot coffee.


The day has begun with a bang...and it is not even 7 AM yet. Good grief...


As I watch the falling Snow, I wonder what the rest of the day will bring.


If it is up to me, it will be spent with feet propped up in front of the Fireplace and perhaps, drawing another face, another somebody with wisdom to impart...

Dark of Winter

January's Icy Driveway!

The dark of Winter has enveloped my corner of the World. Twilight arrives very early...sometimes lights never go off during the day.

It has not been terribly cold...the temperature dipped to -20C a few times and every number in between, but we have had very warm days, as well. Day in which I felt an instinctive urge to garden, were the ground not frozen solid...


Snow blankets every thing. It is astonishingly beautiful, sometimes blindingly so. The landscape can be harsh, depending on the lighting and the time of day, but it can also be meltingly soft and inviting. The Cariboo is a land of extremes; I do not find it easy to live here, yet I love the stunning views, the never-ending Sky, the very feel of the place.

No Saskatoon Berries Left! Awwww....

The Animals are behaving strangely, I have noticed, lately. They seem to huddle near this house, during their resting periods. The other day, Lucky and I were taking our usual walk, when I noticed something...different...down in the Draw.


I had to take more than a few glances at the dark pile that looked as if it belonged, but wasn't there yesterday. That dark pile turned out to be one of the largest mule Deer I have ever seen.


She was lying against a small Birch Tree, not more than a few feet from the house and visible from the Office window. Lucky, because of Wind direction, did not smell her and his eyesight is bad, in any case. He seemed agitated, somewhat, but he did not catch sight of her.

A Mule Deer's Bedroom

I'd heard Wolves howl very early that morning, under the Wolf Moon. I wondered if she'd been chased, and had taken refuge in the deep Draw, close to Humans. Or perhaps she'd actually been hurt...


I stood at the top of the Draw. I tried to take photos, but it was cold that day and my camera would not work properly. Since I could not zoom in, these photos here are the best of the bunch.


She knew I was taking photos. She knew I was there and that Lucky was there, as well. Her eyes half closed, she seemed completely at rest...but what if she was not? What if she'd been injured? How could I find out?


I thought I would stop projecting my what-ifs into the ether and let sleeping Deer lie, after a bit of time where I went into a tizzy.


For two days, the Deer chose that spot for her resting place. During the one afternoon, she did not go far...I spotted her browsing across the road, at one point. And she was there again the next morning, completely at ease. Then she was gone...

She decided we were no threat to her at all...

The Deer is a blatant example of Animals seeking refuge here. There are many places where I find Vegetation and Snow trampled down in the shape of an Animal who has slept there for awhile. The Squirrels have their favourite branch of the Fir Tree outside our bedroom. They will rest at any time of day, in full view of our comings and goings, looking very cute and peaceful.


Since about two thirds of our property has been left in a wild state, and since even here, wild pieces of property are becoming increasingly rare, I imagine there are many Animals who call this place home, deep in the Forest. And as I rarely go into the very wild places, preferring not to come face to face with a Bear or Cougar or Wolf, Animals would certainly find  safe homes there.


But these resting spots I have found are very close to the house. The feeling is strange, but it is as if they are seeking the security of being close to...a Human? If I were an Animal, possibly the last place I would want to be is right beside a Human's home.

I wonder when the Ice will melt!!! It could be months...

But times...they are a'changin'. And Animals are far more in tune with Mother Earth than Humans are.There is an odd feeling of contentment within me in having Animals feel comfortable enough to enjoy the surrounding peace here.


January has me more house bound than usual. The trip into Williams Lake can be iffy, depending on the ever-changing weather. I am very grateful that I have a vehicle which takes road conditions, whatever they may be, with panache and ease.


With the constant melting and freezing, the bottom of our driveway has turned into a frozen Pond. I have not been able to go for my usual walks; I am terrified of slipping on this great expanse of Ice. Graham's small commuter car takes on a mind of its own, when he goes to the office.


But the Torrent, a small SUV, has no problems with the Ice whatsoever. I know I can drive out of here, at least...

Welcome home!

I rarely do, however, preferring to buy everything I need in town about every two weeks or so. Especially in the Winter. Walking anywhere, be it here on our property or in the City, can be treacherous...Ice lies on every road and sidewalk.

The only time inclement weather bothers me is when we must travel for medical reasons for Graham. Twelve hour round trips to Kelowna can be so much more difficult in Blizzard conditions.


I've learned to take the time for quiet activities...ones which usually have me dozing in my chair. I sleep far more in the Cariboo Winter than I ever did on the Coast. And I find long-time residents are surprised at my realization...it is the way it is here and it is expected.

This little home is so welcoming and charming in the deep, purple twilight!

All I know for sure is...no matter how much sleep I receive during the night, I still doze each time I attempt any 'quiet activities'.


And what better time to give in to those delicious little dozing moments than in the Dark of Winter?

"And something born of the snowy desolation, born of the midnight and the silent grandeur, born of the great listening hollows of the night, something that lay 'twixt terror and wonder, dropped from the vast wintry spaces down into his heart—and called him."~~Algernon Blackwood  The Glamour of Snow