He looks so warm! With these cold and dreary days, I feel the need for something WARM right now, too... so here's a shot of one of our flower beds this past summer (also a repeat).

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While you're safe and sound in your warm little home, securely sheltered from the winter weather and life's storms, look at how our ancestors fared on the prairies of the late 19th Century. This house is made of DIRT - or sod. And this here was one FINE soddie! Even has windows! And this also explains why Sears Homes of the early 1900s were called "Sears MODERN Homes."

Wow....when heavy snow came, it just piled up in front of the door. It's a wonder they could get out! (Maybe they didn't...)

Here's the summer version of the photo I posed in the winter pictures thread.

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Trumpeter Swans flying into the Skagit Valley for the winter.

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From my walk yesterday

Oh, how cute! Makes me want to adopt one =o)

Okwriter & Alisande, those are gorgeous gardens! If only mine looks like a corner of them....

Rosemary, they even have a Roof Garden!

Whidbeykathy, I have not seen a flock of swans flying! That is beautiful.

Casey, a walk?!? Brrrrrrrrrr.... Nice colors captured!

Thanks for sharing =o)

Rita - What kind of evergreen tree is that in your garden? It has such a soft look. Very pretty view.

Gosh...I can't recall. I might have the tag on it somewhere. It has a yellow tint to the needle tips. Every time my sister is here in summer, she says, "Oh, I think that tree needs water. It is yellow." *sigh* I have to remind her every time that it is SUPPOSED to be that way. :-)

I'll see if I can find a tag.

if I had to guess at Rita's evergreen I'd say it looks like a Deodar Cedar from here.
Ron

Last summers lath house.

{{!gwi}}

Ron

Hey, you guys need to come over and do landscaping. My yards really need it PLEEEEASE!!!

Here's one of our furbabies Penelope in her sweater. My aunt gave it to her, and she LOVES wearing it. So much so that I have to wait until she's asleep to take it off :-)

ps sorry about the glowie eyes, no time tonight to fix them in psp.

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Ron - Thank you. That's it!
I looked online and found out that there are some cultivars hardy to my zone. Now if I only had room for just one more tree in my yard! I'd love to remove the 2 huge white pines in my front yard and replace them with one of those cedars.

Dang, I've looked and looked and can't find the tags or invoice. I know it's here somewhere, safely tucked away if we need it (read: buried in a pile of DHs magazines). *wink* It is a beautiful tree and is DHs favorite. We bought five trees at the time, and the other four died but they were a different variety. This one has done very well, and we'd love more of them.