Winter Sunsets

I was just complaining about winter and bam suddenly despite a snowstorm the other night Spring seems to have sprung...things are dripping, the crows are cawing & the chipmunks have woken up.

I want winter to be over for our wild hare Iris...I want it for the rabbits who are so so bored inside.

But I like the quiet winter brings, the lesser chores outside...the gorgeous finger chilling sunsets!

Come On Spring

Winter is feeling very long all of the sudden, long and extra cold!...

I am getting as anxious as the buns to start to see things melting!

Ice Pattern

I was sitting there reading one morning a few weeks back and looked out the window to see this...

I gasped and said out loud "What Is That?"...I knew it was ice but I've never seen it do this before.

In The Company Of Ducks

Just me and some ice residing ducks hanging out a few weeks back... 

 because sometimes, well most of the time, animals just make way more sense than people!

Lake Life

We are so lucky to live pretty close to this big beautiful lake...

it's only about a 10 minute walk away...

We go here a lot after work to decompress, for sunsets, for short breaks from the buns,

after, before & in between errands...

it always seems to beckon "Come sit and breathe for a spell.."

Our 2nd date was here, along this lake, a long leisurely stroll at night in thick heavy fog...

almost 25 year ago now...

we love it so, it's part of us. I tell my hon, when I die, he's to spread most of my ashes in this water!

It's a place that soothes, refreshes and amazes us with it's always changing beauty.

I hope you have a special place like this in your part of the world XO

Foggy Night

Sometimes you just have to venture out into the late night when everyone sleeps...

When it's a sudden warm snap and the ice melts to create delicious colours and ghostly mist...

when your schedule is all messed up because your little fur-child got super sick and you didn't sleep 

for 2 days so your schedule is all messed up & you can't sleep from the stress of it all!

Yep, sometimes you just gotta head out into the fog, to find that that's where you finally breath deeply
& feeling grateful that everything luckily turned out okay, you than head home to bed smiling!

Snowy & Cold But Snuggy

I always wonder about where you, my readers and visitors are visiting me from specifically...

I don't know about your Winters but around here it's been such a cold and snowy winter.

We had over two weeks with Siberian temperatures & winds with

some days seeing us in the -30's and a few times we even dipped into the -40's.

I don't mind it so much myself, in fact I enjoy it because it makes inside all that much more cozier

and my honey works from his home office much of the week too (plus autostart on the Jeep helps!)

but it's a long season for the 7 buns, especially the snow buns like Yuuji and Leisel,

so for their sake I hope it warms up so that we can get out there for some snow play & fort building!

Beloved Body Of Beautiful Water

This was a few weeks back...

Spring had arrived at our beloved lake just a few minutes walk from our little home...

 This body of water is such a part of my life...

see more shots not shown here over at my Flickr stream

Spendor and Beauty

A day playing around in the snow a few weeks back was followed up by this...

...one of the most spectacular sunsets ever and in our own sleepy little city...amazingly beautiful.

Music On The Lake

Our niece plays the bass clarinet so we three thought it would be super cool

to have a little concert al fresco, out on the beautiful frozen lake.

(A few weeks after this she went on a big band trip to Orlando Florida to play at Disney/Universal)

The day reminded me of how abundant natural beauty is around here & how luckily near to it we are.

We took loads of pictures, we recorded some of the music with the camcorder.

The concert was followed up by hot chocolate at our favorite cafe...

She just loved the day...we loved it...and it'll be a fond memory for all of us to remember.

Sun & Snow

My niece, honey and I ventured out on the ice again just a few weeks ago...

we love exploring quiet, uncrowded nature-scapes and it was such a beautiful Spring day.

It's always so amazing to be walking across a vast snow and ice covered landscape...

only to know that in a few short months we'll be back here paddling in our trusty kayaks.  I love it.

Vast Blue Ice

I think we have ventured out onto the frozen lakes

surrounding our little city this season more than ever before...

I know part of the reason was us seeking solitude from sore hearts and other stresses.

 

I don't know what about it exactly was healing...

The coldness...the quiet...the companionship...the water...whatever it's been

I thank this vast blue-soaked landscape, for it's muffled peaceful healing and incredible beauty.