Snow storm?

The snow falls not softly, but fierce, a cold wind cuts across and going out feels like running along and icy ridge. Driving is treacherous and we have had already a fair share of delays this past week and this adds to everything. I wish there will not be another day off school due to the weather conditions! I can see the trees already bending again under the loads of wet snow....It has increased over the last hour and I just hope, it will slow down soon.

It does look beautiful too, and sitting here inside, where it's warm,  but I feel for the poor souls out there without a home... Don't forget to give something this season, there are many charities and right now I drop of food items and clothing, we can spare, at the local collection station. There are also the firefighters and the Red Cross, the Salvation Army and churches, all ready to take donations. Please be generous.

In front of our house around 4:30PM....

And just 20 minutes later.....

Oh, mother nature! What's next?

All images by V.Zlotkowski

From the House of Edward

Once upon a time I began reading blogs and later began writing my own. And very early on I was fortunate enough to find the wonderful blog From the House of Edward, written by Pamela Terry. Her writings have resonated with me since the very start. And, of course, there are so many other writers of great blogs, which I regularly devour, but, admittedly, I am not always reading, there are days, sometimes weeks, when I am too occupied with my busy life, writing and doing all the necessary things to keep a household afloat.... so inevitably I miss a lot.

Now imagine my delight when I realized that Pamela has had her wonderful and heart warming essays, filled with her insights and the paw prints of Edward turned into a lovely book, which runs through the seasons, an almanac of her imagination! I call it an almanac, for it is like a calendar, filled with monthly reminiscence and revere for life through the seasons. I wish it could be an annual installation.... Now Pamela, there is an idea!

So I ordered my signed copy and to my utmost delight the mailman dropped today an unmistakable parcel in our mailbox. There it was and I opened a lovely package, wrapped in brown paper with a slender string around....

Into my hands fell a rather substantial volume, adorned with an image of Edward, the  sheepdog, gray paper and a light purple spine, an the lovely scent of a brand new book, waiting to be cracked open. As I thumbed through the pages, a small bookmark lay in the front and the illustrations by Amber Alexander of Edward and the additional ones by Melody Boggs certainly must match the stories within. I had to hold myself back and will snuggle up tonight, with a fresh brewed cup of tea and give myself an early holiday gift....

I shall read it accordingly to the seasons and will start now, in autumn, and slowly, slowly will read a small essay here and a lovely story about Edward there, and in this way it will accompany me throughout the next year...

Thank you Pamela, this is indeed a special gift to all of your devoted readers.

You can buy it here.

All images by V.Zlotkowski