snow and more snow

Good Monday to you. A second week of January, always a favoured month for me.

We finally got some snow on Friday that left this picturesque world for us on Saturday

as we headed out once again for the health food store in Greenwood

the highway drive worth it for the savings- some things 1/5 of the cost!

This highway sign is the 2nd exit into Kentville that must go through Coldbrook

Suddenly a huge flock of crows flew overhead- about 100 of them!

Not nearly the size of  some gatherings of thousands!!

I'm astonished that there isn't more reportage of this phenomenon that seems to happen in the fall.

I didn't know it continued in some places this late into the winter.

As the road leans further into the Annapolis Valley we see a sign for Berwick, Middleton and Bridgewater. We're headed for the Kingston exit to get to its sister town of Greenwood.

a lovely crest of pines

a slice of forest beyond the farmfield

The north mountain rises from this fertile valley, all asleep now

many of the same farmsteads I showed you last time

a bit clearer without the driving snow to interfere

the charming red buildings that house equipment, grain and/or animals

some operations substantially bigger than others

an old part of the world by North American standards

a better shot of that sweet house in Kingston that I showed you in the last post

and a few others

to show you how very quaint it can be out here

We come to the junction where we turn into Greenwood.

CFB stands for Canadian Forces Base. This one in Greenwood is Canada's largest air force base.

There is a young sophisticated energy here, especially the young wives.

And here we are, back once again at out little health food store to pick up a new batch of supplies.

I asked Wally to slow down so that I might capture this beauty spa in the low light, sorry that their Christmas lights hadn't come on yet (most folks use a timer) as it was spectacular last week.

At 6pm, the snow started. This is around 11:30 that night.

I enjoyed seeing our Christmas baubles backlit by the streetlight.

We still have some old yellow streetlights further up the road but they, strangely enough,

don't show the falling snow the way the new white light LED ones do.

Babu is waiting in the kitchen for me.

Dishes done, it's time for bed.

The next morning Babu is on the scene checking out all the excitement outside.

I didn't notice until this shot that he had some kitty litter on his nose which he often does, rooting around in his litter like a little piggy. I have to be quick to nab him so I can brush it off.

and there's Daddy, making a big arc with the snowblower,

watching the trajectory while

while Babu watches him

It isn't long before pretty Babu baby is making love eyes at me,

a piece of Muji hair stuck to his nose now

He starts to roll about

trying to engage me in some vigorous massage which he loves

We hear Wally getting closer, channelling his way through about 30cm (15 inches)

Everything is more beautiful in the snow including my neighbour's backyard (whisper) the one on the other side that I never show you as it is filled with garbage (sigh)

Life's funny that way. We enter into things thinking that they will turn out one way

and they proceed in a direction we never would have chosen.

We find ourselves resistant at first. "No, no, this isn't how I wanted it."

And then, in time, we relax, we adjust, we

change our trajectory.

That choice could be a very small action, making room for another way of looking at things, an emotional bridge between being stuck and loosening our rigidity.

Anyway, this embroidery project started as a way to express my feelings about friends. The true blue, the patchwork, the joy and the comforting, not to mention the little flowers,

they all are choices I made intuitively, realizing now their symbolism. 

We have to trust that everything will turn out all right.