Last Big Snow Storm.....Maybe

We had our biggest snow days on Wednesday and Thursday.  It had to be well into a foot, and the shoveling began.  My car was covered, and I had a dental appt. one day, so I was nervous to drive in it.  But I returned home safely.  I have been drinking green tea lately - my oldest brother first introduced me to green tea, and I think of him when having it.  I've been making no-meat meals, like toasted cheese sandwiches, on Fridays during the Lent season.  My son made a big pot of jambalaya one night, and I believe it was one of his best dishes.  He took a picture to show his sisters of this Cajun Southern dish while we are in the midst of the northern California snow.  California is getting hit hard this Winter with snow, and I hear So Cal is getting some also, with some areas getting extreme snow.  I am planning a short trip to visit my best friend soon.  My other dear friend will join us also.  They have been faithful friends for 48 years, and it will be good to see them.  The days of fun and wonder we shared in our youth are memories that will last a lifetime.  I have lots of snow pictures here, just because it is amazing to me.  It is like God painted the landscape white during this season.  And a few cozy house pictures so you won't get too cold looking at them.  Our road workers, Cal Trans, does an excellent job clearing the roads, and it enables us to get out daily to do what we have to, even on the snowiest days.  The snow also gives me a chance to make a cup of coffee and chat with my neighbor, V, who sits out there on her front porch and takes it all in as well.

*Mary Engelbreit

The sun always comes out and melts the snow, but when it does, we seem to have a sloshy mess, and the roads get icy and slippery, and we have to be extra careful when driving. 

The snow sometimes hardens and turns into ice, and it's hard to shovel then.  You have to break it up until it's soft enough to shovel.  But I will be out there no matter what working away to pick up the Chinese food that I ordered, especially when my son treats.  It reminds me of what my oldest brother used to say, "You Fly, I'll Buy."  I'll always remember that.  I guess I've been thinking about him lately.  Or he's thinking about me.  ; )

Thanks for visiting.  I'm always glad when you do.

~Sheri

White Outside, Purple Inside

We've had a lot of snow last week, and over the weekend.  The neighborhood, the highway, and the town is filled with white, and at one point, the snow flakes kept falling for two days.

I've learned many things since I moved to the mountains two years ago.  Stocking up on food and essentials before a snow storm is one of them.  I learned that quickly when I had to borrow coffee filters from my neighbor.  Another thing I learned.....my neighbor, Lisa, kept telling me to back up my car when coming into my side driveway.  I always wondered why she said to do this.  Now, I know.

I've been gathering twigs and small branches from my yard and putting them in a pile to haul away.  The squirrels seem to break them when mischievously climbing the tall pines.

I hope my neighbor's bush makes it through the Winter's snow and cold.

I know many are tired of Winter, but I never tire looking out my window and seeing all the white.

They cut down a tree in my front yard, as it was old.  It was interesting to watch how they do this, with ropes, and a section at a time, until there is just a stump left.  They were cut into 4 foot logs, and my neighbor offered to take them.

While it has been white outside, it is Purple inside with a few Easter decorations I put up last week.

I bought some purple ornaments from the home shop in town, and I must get a few more, as they are so pretty.  I've had the white rose dish for a long time.

And speaking of Purple.....I wanted to show you the fabulous cake Nel made for her sister-in-law's 40th.

We can get snow up until April, and even though it's still Winter, I washed all my Spring cups, and ready to go.

That's about it for this week.  I'll leave you with a picture of Cleo, and what she's up to lately.

~Sheri 

A Day Of Shopping

Last week, me and my son and brother-in-law got off the mountain and took a drive to the city for the day.  It was a day of shopping, lunch, exploring, and fun.  The drive was nice this time for me, as my brother-in-law drove, and I was able to take pictures of the scenery, even from the inside of his truck.

A little further down the highway, we could see the Trinity Alps in the distance.  I didn't realize how high the Trinity Alps were, with an elevation of 9,001 ft.  They say that it's a spectacular, rugged, and wild terrain. 

We got into the city, and we went to all the main shops.  I remember having all these shops close by in my old town, but here in the mountains, we don't have nearly as much shopping, so I was very excited.  Our first stop was my favorite, Target.  I bought the grandgirls a little something and will give it to them when I visit soon.

While me and my son went inside Target and looked around, my brother-in-law went to the grocery store for a few things he needed.  He ended up buying me a bunch of groceries too.

The next stop was the Mall.  It wasn't too crowded, and it was a delight to go into See's Candies and pick out all my favorite pieces.  I found a coffee cup at the mall, and it reminded me of my Polish cup that broke, and I never replaced it.

The next stop was Kohl's, and I bought a mint green sweater.  They have all the Winter sales going on, but we still have a couple months of cold weather, so I was glad to find something soft and warm to wear for awhile.

It was time for lunch, and we went to a Wood Fired Pizza place.  Since it is the beginning of the Lent season, I couldn't eat meat that day, so I got a personal veggie pizza with a Greek salad.  Everything was so good.

The highlight of my day was coming out of the pizza place and seeing a red rose petal right next to my brother-in-law's truck along the curb.

Well, we were just about to leave and head back, when I saw it - the best craft store around, so, of course, I had to stop there first.  It's been so long since I've been inside a Michaels store, and I didn't buy anything, but it was sure fun looking.  World Market was right next to it, so we went in there as well.

We brought home a lot of goodies from our shopping day, but it seemed like mine were mostly foods haha.

It was the best day, and I'm grateful to my brother-in-law for driving us there.  I want to do that more often, as we aren't too far from the city.  When we were driving home, we noticed the snowflakes were starting to fall.   And the next day, we were hit with a pretty big snow.

Today and tomorrow we are in for a big snow also, and they say it will be blizzard conditions, oh my.

~Sheri