Winter Wonderland

Right after Church yesterday we loaded up to drive the 3 hours to St. Louis to bring Marci "home" for Christmas--with of course, an equally long drive back home. We saw the most breath-taking scenery with the Winter Wonderland Mother Nature has created for us. Of course I didn't have the camera with me, but this morning as we did errands we backtracked a few miles to shoot the photos of the frozen fields and trees.
The icicles on the side of the house have lengthened a bit since Saturday afternoon.

I wish I could have captured the light coming through this tree completely. It was VERY dangerous to even step foot out of my car--but I did so, tromping heavily through the layer of ice on top of the snow.

I was completely enchanged by the frozen fence line. Joanne, you'd have loved this photo shoot!

Talk about "Frosted Windowpanes" -- well these look like glass, don't they?

A ridge of poles, connected by a continuous tube of ice.

Here's the place to purchase what everyone in the neighborhood needs most today: Rock Salt and Sand in a tube. Not too expensive, I thought: 70 # of sand for about $4. But we used the entire bag, safety-fying the walk to my mom's house 2 doors away. And very expensive considering you can get a whole truckload for a couple hundred dollars.

Close-up of the bottom rail of that same sign: Everything in sight is decorated for Christmas!

More snow is expected tonight; we have Marci safely here; there's tons of food in the house; and we can now hunker down to ride it out until warmer weather removes all traces of Mother Nature's beauty!

Freezing Rain Storm

The Midwest was hit by a Freezing Rain Storm in the night. I have experienced this type of storm before--in fact last year I broke my wrist on the icy steps the day of this weather incident. So I am being VERY CAUTIOUS this year. These three shots were taken THROUGH WINDOWS!!

The bottom of the siding on our house--inside the U-shaped patio area. These icicles are about 4 inches long. Pretty, huh? Not fun to walk near, though!

Note that each strip of siding is "decorated" with 1-1/2 to 2 inch icicles.

And one tree in our front flowerbed area is covered with a sheath of ice. This is a weeping willow anyway--don't think the branches are hanging in an other-worldly way.

So much for wanting to go outside. Jeff just headed to the Post Office. But I am staying home.

Merry Christmas to All

I have intended to blog and download photos and all kinds of things, for weeks now. But all I can generate is a tiny mustard seed of energy. My life seems to be a continual round of turning slightly and putting out a raging fire. Then when that flame is under control, I whirl 90 degrees and need to douse another one. And the weeks speed by and I'm not ready for Christmas, and I lack the ability to sleep or to concentrate on the tasks at hand. I just tripped UP the stairs and cut my hand and stubbed a toe so that it is now swollen and bruised. And I purposely did all my Away From Home errands yesterday so that I could stay SAFELY inside today while the snow blows around us here on the banks of the Mississippi.

I think I am on Overload. Too many irons in too many fires. Too many problems to face: Christmas, Young Women in Excellence, a weekly temple schedule that requires dozens of hours of advance preparation, and a BIG New Year's Celebration to plan with both counselors out of town and a newly called YM president who is still trying to figure out which direction is up. My Christmas Cards are not yet ready to mail and I have a pile of wrapping to do. What I need is a good dose of the Temple, but the weather is UGLY outside and the last session for the day is already started.

What's a mother to do to find some PEACE? Anyone got any ideas for me?