The Arctic Express that has been hanging over the Palouse has finally moved on. We were in the deep freeze with temps single digits/low 20s for 3 weeks. It moved on Monday with temp rise and rain showers intermittent. Stayed above 32 (barely) here last night and high supposed to be around 40 with more showers. The bad news is that all the snow (which wasn't much, about 6" of very powerdy stuff) is now gone exept for snow drifts on the north slopes. Very depressing looking out. Very dirty snow piles remaining, mud. Tracked the cat right across the house last night by muddy prints left on the vinyl.

Got out Monday (they lifted the burn restrictions) to delete the last big brush pile. Did get to try the leaf blower for getting the fire going. That works great! Wish I had either heard of it or thought of it myself 30 years ago. Of course I did manage to leave the pitchfork needed to tend the fire at home so all I could do was wait for the pile to burn down to a reasonable level and leave. I will have a bit more clean-up to do in the spring than normal on that pile.

Off to the oncologist for follow-up tomorrow. Not looking forward to that. The appointment is for 9:00 am meaning leave the house at 7:45 at the lastest. O.K. for me but doesn't agree with Alma at all. She is still having drainage from the biopsy site after two weeks. I don't like that but the local doctor says it is normal and nothing to worry about. Will see tomorrow.

Harry K

After a nice little snow storm, we had a couple beautiful clear frosty days. Now the usual Pacific Coast winter storms. It's blowing and pouring outside. I finally got up out of bed before 04:30 this morning to face the day - and I don't have a cow to go out to milk. Our bedroom is about 20 feet from the high water mark and the waves are crashing onto the rocks. We got new evetroughs, the ones that Shell Buzzy recommended. They don't plug up, the leaves and needles slide over and the water goes in. They have square downspouts. There is one at the corner of the house, by the open bedroom window and when it rains, the noise of the water going down the downspout is dreadful. I won't complain too loudly as it sure is nice not having to hold the extra long ladder while DH cleans the evetroughs. I'm franticly working on my "family booklet" to have it all finished befor my neice from Australia arrives just after the new year. I only go back to the 1880's. My mother wrote for the local paper and several farm papers. She had kept scrap books. I have taken the books apart and incorporated all the old old family pictures, clippings from newpapers, our towns history, pictures of clearing of the farm in the early 1920's, plus my writings that I have added to hers. I am pushing away over 100 pages. I cann't get over the thrill descendents of local "pioneers" adult children are getting when I relieve on their Rural Mail route and I slip a envelope in their compartment with pictures and write-ups of their parents, in the early days. There is a tug going by all lit up with Chrismas lights on it. Here's wishing "ALL" you folks a "Very Merry Christmas" and especially those that are away from home this time of year - our "Trucker Son" too, who's answering machine says "I"m somewhere in North America" God Bless You All