Happy New Year!

I'll be out of town for the next few days so I wanted to get a post in. I hope everyone has a very happy and safe new year and don't make any resolutions that you can't keep! This is Megan, by the way. You should recognize her from a couple of previous posts -she's my sweety.
Happy New Year!

Whew!

I, for one, am glad this weekend is over. I always enjoy Christmas and most of the hustle and bustle but there seemed to be a lot more hustle than bustle this year. Christmas Eve after running around all day we went to the children's mass at St. Agnes Cathedral with my mother and then out to dinner. On Christmas morning we had family over for breakfast and then went to my sister's for dinner later in the day. Saturday my oldest son and the grandkids came to stay for a couple of days and we had another Christmas with them. As if all of that didn't keep me busy enough I had to replace a busted water pipe Saturday afternoon that ended up blowing out twice more and therefore needed to be babysat for most of the night to make sure it was good. (and yes - if I'd have done it right the first time ...)
I'm tired. I hope you like the winter sunset over Truman Lake- I did...

It Just Doesn't Get Any Better...

Well, tomorrow is Christmas Eve! Everything is coming together for the big day. I personally am done shopping- something I can't always say by this time. Although I still have ideas for something else to chase around town trying to find, I believe that I'll let it rest and call it good.
In just a matter of a few days our chance for snow has went from 12% to 3-5 inches predicted for tomorrow! That's the crazy weather of the Ozarks but you know I'm digging it.
I'm definitely looking forward to a white Christmas -it just doesn't get any better than that...

The Next Best Thing...

We made our annual trek to see the lights at Silver Dollar City this past week. If you're ever in this part of the country at Christmas time you should do yourself a favor and go there. The whole village - and I mean the whole village is lit up with what is probably millions of Christmas lights. Every building, every pathway, every light post and every tree is adorned with lights. The air is filled with Christmas music from one corner to the next. It's an experience that you and ( if you have them)your children should not pass up. If you're having trouble getting into the spirit of things then you surely won't be by the time you leave. It's the next best thing to the North Pole at Christmas!

So You're Saying There's A Chance...

Well, last I heard we have about a 12% chance of snow on Christmas. Yes, I'm one of those people. Actually I wouldn't care if it snowed all year as long as it snowed for Christmas. I like the cloudy days with flurries while I listen to my Christmas music and sip my cappuccino. I guess that in a lot of ways I'm pretty old fashioned- at least at this time of year. I want to hear Bing Crosby and Dean Martin and some really mellow jazz. And always, always Vince Guaraldi's Charlie Brown Christmas!
I imagine that for now I'll just have to settle for frost on the ground and some chilly temperatures while I'm waiting for the chance of snow to improve.

Winter Dramas

The sunsets always seem to be more , I don't know, dramatic in the winter months. The colors are more brilliant, the clouds are more turbulent and the sky changes so quickly that every shot is a whole different scene. There's something about standing out in the field (or on top of my house as in this case)with the wind whipping around you and the cold slapping your face that just getting the picture is an adventure in itself.

Whitewashed!

Well we got our first snow today. Not really a snow snow-more like a dusting. But the snow that did come down came hard and fast and horizontal, painting the landscape as it went and leaving the countryside spattered with a fresh coat of white .

Sweet Dreams...

Every now and then the words just don't seem to come to me. I always try to add something to the picture that makes the post a little more interesting. I could even go so far as to say that at times I agonize over my lack of content.
And then sometimes I get a picture like this.
This is Brooklyn...

Helianthus strumosus

This is the Helianthus strumosus - otherwise known as the paleleaf woodland sunflower. I know this because I finally found the web site that is the know-all and tell-all of Missouri plant life. It's called, believe it or not, Missouriplants.com. I just wanted to share that with you. I know that when you're trying to identify flowers color is very important but at this time of year I figured that a black and white was more suitable- kind of like an image in your mind of past memories. Memories that you feed off of until the time comes when the real thing is once again available.