Dear Kirk & Carol & Kido's Those pictures are priceless ~~~ That little toddler is a prize picture award winning model !!! The picture is out of this world.... Love the Sled...price tag and all!!! Adore the handmade by mother Carol Quilt !!! that precious little adorable smiling face tells it all..... This is the life for me !!! He says !!!!! Thank you sooooooo much for sharing !!!! and Jeannespines.... LOVE YOUR PICS ALso !!!!That bird house is awesome! we have lots and lots of snow here in ILLINOIS but it does NOT seem as beautiful here in the city... as these pics.... guess it makes me miss my oldddd...120 acres in OKLAHOMA ! But NON SQUAWKING FLIGHT>>>> I'm trying to bloom where I'm planted.... It is God's will I am where I am just for TODAY!!! who knows what this NEW YEAR 2008 ~ will bring...... God Bless YA'LL H A P P Y NEW YEAR 2008 !!! see Ya when I get there !! sigh*** ~~~~~~ Susie

The snow is definitely good for replenishing the ground water for the well, Charlene, but I think this might be the first time you've had your own well, because if the electricity goes off, as soon as your pressure tank runs out of pressure, you're not going to have water---well, unless you have a hand pump at least. Are you on IREA? When I used to live down there the power used to go out fairly often, and every time we had a bad thunderstorm--or snowstorm--I got in a habit of filling up all my pitchers and big soup pots and a couple buckets for flushing the toilet. The worst thing was the summer the well went dry and I had to live with only a hose from the nearest neighbor as my only source of water. Brrrrr! Those were cold baths---even in summer! It was 3 or 4 days before I was able to get the well service out to lower the pump. And, unless there's a fan and you can't use the fireplace without the fan, you should be able to get heat from your gas fireplace. I have a wood fireplace and a gas fireplace, and if the power were to go out, I'd pick the gas one to use for heat. After it's been on for a half an hour or so, it puts out an amazing amount of heat. There's no fan, and I just leave the glass doors and the screen wide open, and it heats up the whole room. I figure if I ever get desperate, I'll just pull the couch up right in front of it and sleep there. And I have several kerosene lamps too---also from when I lived down by Parker. Plan for the worst--and hope for the best---which is what it looks like we may have gotten this time. I just checked, and the NWS still shows us with a winter storm warning. I'm surprised! On radar it sure looks like it's on its way out. Well, Channel 4 just said that we ARE going to get more snow tonite--AND wind! So I may be prematurely declaring us out of the (wintry) woods! Magpies are HUGE! Are they actually hanging on your suet feeder? I spent the afternoon chasing blackbirds away from my feeders. They spill and waste half the food, and they're so messy---and they travel in humongous herds! One will show up and then disappear, and 10 minutes later the whole backyard will be full of them. No wool coats for the blackbirds! LOL I enjoy watching the bluejays, though, and they only show up one or two at a time. But I like the flickers the best, because there aren't that many, so you don't get to see them that much. Isn't it wonderful to have such generous neighbors! My neighbors have once again shoveled my sidewalk and entire driveway. AND, this time they shoveled the walk up to my front door--which never got shoveled last time, and was still nearly 3' deep. And the funny thing is---on the first day of the original blizzard my front doorknob broke---so I can't even use the door! I bought a new knob, but haven't tried to figure out how to install it yet. I'm not sure how I'm gonna say thank you this time! I don't think teenagers need babysitters. LOL I have a jade I can take over for them, but I'm sure it was the boys who did it---and I'm guessing they're not too into houseplants! I'll have to think about it. I hope you're able to get out to Winter Park, Charlene, especially after missing your trip! Happy New Year, Skybird

Whilst you are having snow, we have just had a week of very hot weather. A heat wave. On Saturday it was 42 degrees Celsius, which I think is over 100 degrees F. Hard to do anything in that weather, walking outside was like walking in an oven ! Believe me I was dreaming of snow on that day ! I am in Sydney. I will try and blow some warm weather up your way. Take care.

We have sun here finally! We are also supposed to be in the 50's this weekend. I am so very tired of winter this year. I normally love it but I am getting arthritis in my neck and thumb and it just hurts in the colder weather! Trish