Photo Hunt: Wide

Waking to below zero temperatures this morning made it easy to capture a wide variety of images of ice around our place. The hardest part was sticking a hand outside to snap the camera. Most are taken inside looking through icy windows. Brrrrrrr!
Here are icicles before the sun came up.
I am glad the wide icicle on the end broke off before it fell on my head!! You can see we acquired recycled windows for the greenhouse, but single pane window make the ice look beautiful. For other photo hunts using wide go here.

Remember December: T is for Traditions

The siblings visiting with Santa

Christmas carries with it numerous traditions that have originated from countries of birth, places of worship, couples blending traditions of two families at marriage, fresh and original ones that have been created to match the times, and those that people just read about or see and take them on as part of Christmas.

At my babysitter's house after Christmas.

At lunch the other day we were all discussing what different families hold sacred at Christmas. I was amazed at the variety of answers. One family always has turkey and ham for Christmas dinner and it almost broke up the family the year somebody served steaks. Another staff person told about her whole family opening their gifts when they all gather at the Oregon Coast for Thanksgiving. Since the family is spread all over the Pacific Northwest it is the one time they can all enjoy the gift sharing ritual. Somebody else said homemade tamales are always prepared by their Mexican grandmother to be served on Christmas Eve. Also on Christmas Eve many attend Midnight Mass, candlelight services, or church singalongs.
One friend of mine has a fun tradition with gifts. Every year a theme is chosen and everyone that year wraps gifts in that theme. It might be all red and white paper, paper only sponge painted with green designs, or a blue theme. It must look like a art gallery display under that tree each Christmas. Other friends have White Elephant exchanges, Christmas Eve decorating of the tree when everyone arrives home, or game night after a new one is given to the family each Christmas Eve. Matching pajamas, Santa stockings, and watching of traditional movies are important traditions in other homes.
Our family definitely had certain traditions. I don't recall how some of them originated, but they have always been a part of the celebration of Christmas. We used to only get to open one present on Christmas Eve no matter how much we begged. After Silver Valley Girl was a bit older we couldn't see what Santa brought until she was awake. We did some pretty wild things to wake up that dead to the world sleeper. I know one had to do with throwing my mother's girdle.

We started getting more experimental with Christmas Eve dinners as we grew older. I guess Dad decided if it "wasn't too weird" we could try it. There were Christmas Eve dinners that included fondue, clam chowder, and hot crab sandwich. We tried for something simplier before the Christmas Eve church service. For the last seventeen years Silver Valley Girl has done her Around the World Dinner for Christmas Eve. She chooses a country and we learn about the traditions , eat the foods, and sometimes even have performances revolving around that country. This year she is breaking tradition a bit by doing a whole continent. We are celebrating Christmas Eve with all the countries of Africa.

The unplanned traditions are the ones our family remembers most. The year the clams didn't make it into the chowder, or when Mom decided to improve our carbon footprints before we knew what it meant by having us recycle bows and paper, the collection of Christmas morning photos that depicted the worst array of bathrobes worn by the male members of the family, or when sweet Silver Valley Girl made an ornament with her picture for the tree which resulted in her siblings trying to hang their 8x10 senior pictures on the tree every year after that.

Tradition is the glue that holds families together. I can't wait to see the Silent Night ornament, eat Mom's spritz, Nuts and Bolts, and popcorn balls, and smell the brandy that has been soaking into the fruitcake for a month. Traditions also change. We miss our dad and grandmothers each year when the festivities begin. We have added spouses, said good-bye to spouses, added dogs, and said good-bye to dogs. Children and grandchildren have been added to the mix. I fondly remember the neighbors that have moved on or passed away that were such a part of our family Christmas. Mom doesn't have room for her usual tree in the living room this year, Raymond Pert will be spending his holiday at his own home, and if the snow and cold continues we may end up shortening our stay.

New memories will be made. Old stories will be remembered. " There is no place like home for the holidays."

Remember December: S is for Snow, Snow, Snow

Combine the snow that fell yesterday with the snow from Saturday and we are surrounded by about sixteen inches at our house. I enjoy the simple contrast between black and white when capturing snow images.

We had a late start today at school to give the plows time to clear the roads. Fortunately all our students arrived safe and some of those "tough guys" in middle school actually put away the athletic shorts and began wearing long pants. I couldn't believe it.
Driving home was a bit less hectic than yesterday and I had the whole road to myself. The students and staff will have Christmas celebrations tomorrow morning then dismiss early to begin a much anticipated winter break!

Remember December: R is for Rockwell as in Norman

I think the Santa Claus I believed in while visions of sugar plums were dancing through my head was the one based on the illustrations of Norman Rockwell . Santa appeared on this box when I was only one year old, but just maybe it was my first image of the jolly man in red. For many years Norman Rockwell has been a favorite artist of mine. He can take moments of everyday life and create a magazine cover or art print that all of us can understand. I knew Santa really did know who was naughty and nice. We wanted to stay at Grandma's in Spokane because she was the only one who had a fireplace with a chimney. How else would Santa come with his presents?When we arrived in Orofino for Christmas one year, we certainly didn't come in a new Plymouth. I think we were pretty excited though. I could write posts until Christmas Day about the disasters that involved my dad and adjusting, shortening, trimming, or moving a Christmas tree with my mom surpervising. Norman Rockwell must have been peeking in the window for this one. I laid awake many a Christmas Eve just wondering how Santa knew how to find each and every one of us. Norman Rockwell couldn't have been on Chestnut Hill when we all went to try out our new sleds after Christmas, but he captured small town America perfectly with this picture. Norman Rockwell is a national treasure and I loved looking at all the images tonight and remembering my visions of Santa Claus, Christmas Eve, and the winters of my childhood.

Remember December: Q is for Qualified Snowperson Collector

“Snowmen fall from Heaven unassembled.” UnknownThere is something about the cheerful faces of snow people while perched on windowsills, shelves, and tables that can warm the heart, even on the coldest day of the year...and it is not even officially winter.I started collecting snowmen when I received a few as gifts from students while teaching elementary school. I loved the way the little group cheered up the house, even after Christmas. Later these three were given me to me as gifts also.

Then I got a special sock snowman made by my niece The Princess when she was very young. I decided I liked snow people... lots of snow people. My collection has continued to grow and each snow person has a story or a memory that is attached.
These three fellows caught my eye because I was doing a red and white theme for Christmas a few years ago. I finally discovered if I put them in a window their faces really shine. Sunday you could also see the winter wonderland through the pane above their striped hats.
Everyone needs an angel with a coal smile to gaze down from on high.
Then there are my gardening snow women. Each of them holds something unique that connects them with gardening and country living. Often this quartet ends up on the tree. As long as I can convince Shelby that the snowmen aren't doggie toys with squeakers that need to be removed and also make sure Kit understands that these snowmen stay on shelves, not on carpets to be tossed around, I will probably keep displaying and collecting them.

Remember December: P is for Postcards from Lake Roosevelt

Driving along Lake Roosevelt on my way to and from school today I was struck by the beauty of the gray waters around Barnaby Island through the tunnel of trees. With temperatures hovering around seven degrees the spectacular sunrise was a welcome site when I arrived at the school. Driving home I captured the images of the fields covered with a white blanket of snow.