More snow!

This image is from last night when the snow began. It was supposed to be a dusting but we got about 5 inches overnight. Normally, we New Englanders would scoff at a mere 5 inches, but in this year without snow, it was an Event!

There are many things I like about snow. I like the symbolism inherent in the individuality of each snowflake, and how such a fragile, delicate thing, when joined by a billion of it's kind, can cause huge accidents, screw up airline travel, bury towns, and bring joy to school aged children everywhere.
I love the luminosity of snow. It's never truly dark out just after snowfall. The air has a pearlescent sheen, the ground and tree branches which just disappear into the dark of a winter night are transformed into delicate lacework.
I like that peculiar, particular smell of new snow. Nothing else smells just like that.
I love the silence. Before the plows start trundling by with their thunder and diesel humming, sparking up the roadsides, before most people work up the energy to dust off their vehicles, I like to go out and just listen. To nothing. Everything is muffled, calm, peaceful.

Even this morning, when I went out to look at the predawn beauty, the song of the cardinal and his mate were quieter, reverential. This world is so filled with beauty! You wouldn't think it to watch the 6 p.m. news, and I know there are bad things happening everywhere, but there are good things too, and snowbeauty is one of the good things.

Once the sun came up, and the blue stretched from horizon to horizon, people got on about their days, the birds flew about more purposefully (feed the belly, build the nests!) I knew I could get just a few more shots in before the heat and wind of the day stripped the last of the snow from the trees. This is the best of the lot, my beautiful birch tree.

Snow at last!

Above is a picture of the last remaining apple orchard that John Chapman, known as "Johnny Appleseed" planted in his birthplace of Leominster. This is the best of my winter pictures...of course with this milder than normal winter, I've not taken too many, but I love the reflection of the setting sun on the lightly crusted snow...and I get a sense that the orchard is waiting, dreaming of spring flowers, honey bees and apples to come.

And below is our intrepid shovel man! He HAD to "hewp shovl like Chet and Robbie" during our Valentine's Day storm.
And last but not least, a beaming Robbie, who was overjoyed that it finally snowed enough for him to take a few runs on his sled ... after he shoveled his share of the driveway.

IT SNOWED!

Finally, at long, l-o-n-g last we got some real snow. Okay, it was mixed with sleet at times so we only got 6 inches, but boy we've waited a long time for some fun in the snow. We had a wee bit, like 3 or 4 inches maybe about 3 weeks ago and that's it! Some winter in New England, eh?

This is our brook, just prior to the storm...it's been pretty cold here, and the brook froze solid, which has been a source of neverending explorations for Robbie. In some places it was 3" thick!

Well, now that it's snowed, I'm ready! We had a flock of Robins in the yard today, poor dears. If they are here, this means Spring is just around the corner...snow today, crocus tomorrow!!

A gift from Auntie Diana!

Oh What Fun! We got new socks from Auntie Diana in Michigan where they know from cold weatha, don'tchaknow! Aren't they spectacular? They go with all her outfits, which are not, despite rumors to the contrary, all pink. Nope, I can honestly say that she has 2 yellow outfits, one aqua green outfit, and um...oh yeah, all the rest are pink. She might still fit into her purple sweat pants, but it's doubtful since she has now topped out at 13 pounds!

Thank You Auntie Diana!! We'll have warm feet that are way stylin'!!

Wordplay, M, N, O...P?

In the interest of catching up, I'm going to post smaller entries to multiple letters...I hate leaving things undone...so here goes...

...M is for Momma, aka MumMum, and MOM-EEEE, all 3 names I have from KC, with mummum being my favorite

Man...my eldest son is a Man, while Rob is nearly a 'tween, and KC is still a wee laddie

Moon...I love the Moon, have many memories as a young tween myself, hanging out my bedroom window midsummer trying to catch a glimpse of her. My two youngest children were bathed in full moon light the night we came home (and isn't that a kewl coincidence? full moons when both kids came home?)

Mom ... my Mom, who will be gone 11 years this March, who I miss so much, but who I see manifest herself in things I do for my kids

Money...sometimes I wish we had more, but we have enough to get by and that is okay.

Modeling clay...don't you love squishing this stuff? Making up things from your head that your hands complete and voila! something exists that didn't, before

N is for..

New...new children, new day, new possibilities, new foods, new. I like new. But I also am very connected to "old" stuff, too.

Noodles...love 'em

Nancy, my beloved Aunt, my mom's sister. She was so 'hip' when I was a teen and would go up to visit her on the north shore area of Mass. I'd whine, and help work in her garden. I never realized how much she taught me about being healthy, being organic, and making a gentle footstep on this earth until I was *ahem* in my 40's! I *always* knew how cool she was, though!

Naked. I sleep this way every night, no matter how cold it gets. I only wear jammies when I am desperately ill. Naked is good.

O is for...

Oranges, which will be horridly expensive on the east coast here, but I have a new recipe for orange marmalade which I must try!

Oprah...I respect her but nearly never watch her show

Open...part of a ditty we do at children's story hour at the library, "open shut them"...which is KC's favorite rhyme

optimistic...working on that one

optometrist...yay for them, they caught Robbies glaucoma early and this early treatment will help preserve his eyesight as he ages in later life

Oven...something I could not live without long term

Olive oil...so good for you, I use it in everything.

P is for...

Provincetown, we hope to go back here again See pic at top of list for a nice P-town shot

Pie...make a good crust, I do, but I'm not a big fan of pie, myself

persnickity...I love this word! it describes me well, just ask my family!

persimmon...what the heck is this? a berry ? a fruit? a Sherwin Williams paint color?

Public...glad my job is not dealing with 'them' anymore, lol!

pubic...when my eldest first got hair there, he called it public hair which sent us into gales of laughter, poor kid!

pools...like to swim in them sometimes but prefer the ocean or a lake

pancakes...oh, yum! 'specially Swedish pancakes like my mother made

I'm Ba--aaaa--ck!

Wowsa, what a busy fall and Holiday season. Here's a major reason why Moonsinger wasn't singin' online...

This is Elisabeth, all dolled up in her "girlie" dress, courtesy of Auntie Lynne! She is 7 weeks old in this picture, and she came home to our family on 12/19/06.
It was an unexpected blessing to have a new baby in the house the week before Christmas! We'd just been told about 10 days prior that we'd likely be linked to a birthmom in the late winter or early spring 2007, when suddenly she was born and her birthmom wasn't linked to any other prospective parents. Wow! It was an adventure getting our family of 5 to Chicago in less than 24 hours, but we did it. Stayed at the Residence Inn in downtown Chicago, and we highly recommend them! The staff was wonderful and accomodated our every need.
We managed to get home after some snaffu at the airport...they would not let us on the plane because their regs stated a baby had to be 10 days old and Elisabeth was just 5 days old...so we thankfully had not yet turned in our rental van, and we went and resigned the paperwork so we could go out of state, hopped back into the van and took our new family of 6 on a 19.5 hour oddessy, driving from Chicago's Midway airport, back to central Massachusetts. We made it, obviously, despite the two older boys having a contest to see who could stay up the latest . I napped at rest areas while people had pee and coffee breaks, and actually drank a coffee myself but boy it kept me going at 3 a.m!
As I get more caught up, I'll post more pictures, but let me add one more, from our hotel room in Chicago, between the buildings that's Lake Michigan!