While We Were Away

Although we were only gone 4 1/2 days, it seems longer. The seemingly insignificant changes that take place on a daily basis appear much larger when they're all clumped together and noticed at one time. For example, there are frost heaves just down the road that weren't there when I left. Did they just appear overnight? Hard to imagine, but there they are bouncing my car to and fro. (An aside about frost heaves: when I spent my first winter in New England, I saw all of these road signs that read "Beware frost heaves ahead." I had no idea what they actually were, but imagined they were some road monster that rose up to get you - ridiculous, I know).

As wonderful as the warm Texas weather was, I was happy to come back to a fresh layer of clean, white snow. It makes everything look lovely, and it gave me something to do with Whidbey on our morning walk - kick the heavy snow off of the branches of my drooping blueberry bushes.

Other changes that were afoot while we were away: Whidbey was groomed into her lovely short sport cut making her oh-so-soft and respectable looking after a rather woolly winter! Our mailbox was plowed over. Again. So now the box sits directly on the snowbank next to its post. Ahhh, the daily intricacies of living life with an abundance of snow! And drum roll please............ I came home to a cleaned kitchen and uncluttered house thanks to Nate the Great.

Nate also remarked that Myrick is much chattier than she was just a few days ago. She talked to him every night on the phone while we were gone and has been busy chattering away since she arrived back in her own space. Although being away and visiting friends was fantastic, coming home from anywhere is always the best.

P.S.) I forgot to mention the sap buckets! I came home to find that the weather has apparently been warm enough during the day and cold enough at night for the sap to start running. It's sugaring weather so sap buckets are beginning to be hung from the maple trees. Just a couple of more months before fresh maple syrup coats our pancakes - Yum!