Baby, it's Cold Outside!

It bloomed just in time!

I spent part of Christmas Day in the forest. I'm glad I did - it made the rest of the day and all the hubbub seem more serene.

The snow came at me horizontally for awhile.

It was so quiet, I encountered a couple of dog walkers and one
cross country skier.

There was a lot of snow but it was light and fluffy. Walking
was fairly easy.

I was hoping to see a deer or two but I didn't even see any
hoof prints so they must have been hunkered down
deep in the thickets.

Looking back - there were a few trails that hadn't been walked on yet -
good thing I wore my waterproof pants!

Love this gnarled tree.

This tree gets decorated every year.

As I left the forest and started to clear the snow off my car once again, my dear daughter tore into the parking lot in her Jeep. She was worried I was going to get lost in the forest as it was snowing so hard. She's just a little dramatic lol! There may have been whiteout conditions in parts of the city but amongst the trees it was easy to find my way. Nice to know she cares though....

After several days spent with family and friends I am now relishing a couple of days with nothing to do except read and watch hockey. I'm reading a Wally Lamb book that's been sitting on my shelf for quite some time called "The Hour I First Believed" which is a fictional story about two people whose lives were affected by the Columbine mass shooting. He is such a good writer. But in about 30 minutes it'll be time to watch the Canadian Junior hockey team play the U.S. on an outdoor rink! Wish I could be there in the action and -12c temps (not really) but I'll have to just watch from my warm living room with a hot mug of tea,  boo hoo! Quite the rivalry between these two teams as Canada lost to the U.S. last year as the result of an overtime shootout! Very exciting, though I get so anxious! As I recall I couldn't watch the shootout last year, I just listened to it.

So I'll go for now. Hope you had a great holiday and have wild and crazy plans for New Years! Hah - I'm staying in with a friend and snacks and wine and movies! My favourite!