Two years ago over a foot of snow fell. Here in the Independence "Vortex," deep snow is a rare phenomenon. Memories of this lovely blue snowfall (in the right light, of course) are especially precious, because it was the last snowfall I shared with my Beloved. It was such a beautiful time in our lives. The snow actually lasted for a couple of weeks.
So far this winter, it has rained over 10 inches. There is a flood watch currently covering the entire Willamette Valley of Oregon. The river, which is only a few blocks from here, is very high. I would not be surprised if we saw the water rise past the parking lot.
In the meantime, life is an adventure. I only wish I could share it with my darling husband. It is amazing that he has been gone a little over a year now.
I'm so grateful for Family and Friends who have surrounded me with love and care.
You, dear ones, are in my prayers. You know who you are. Merry Christmas!
Yes, as you might imagine, there's a story behind this interesting photo!
I asked the fellas what they'd call these pictures--smiling they said, "A long hard winter." They're going to be receiving a signed, matted, framed copy of each for their wall.
Last week we drove through the Baskett Slough Bird Sanctuary near here. There is a little known road which runs down the center of the water in the sanctuary. We stopped to watch the skies. The air was alive with layers of birds lying upon the air, landing, taking off, shifting and swooping. I did not catch any photos which did justice to the majesty of that sight.
And then there were the Three Stooges you see above. These geese were hilarious to watch. I laughed and laughed at their antics. 
You've heard of shy violets? Not so with this one! This pink fellow obviously poked his head above ground, took one look around and said, "Hey! Whas' Happenin' with no leaves on the trees?!" His jaw appears to have dropped in utter consternation.
There was a break in January's winter storm, when I took this photo through the uppermost window on the stairs. At the time I didn't notice the heart leaf covered with snow, which looks for all the world like the Heart of Winter.
