The year begins

2008 begins by supporting the stereotype of an Iowa winter. It's cold, about 13 F, there's nearly a foot of snow on the ground, and it's snowing lightly. I can see why the Eskimo are said to have many words for snow because we see several kinds here, but that may be a topic for a future note.

Life is typical for winter at this time of year. The Christmas decorations aren't down yet but will be soon. We're always conscious of the state of the streets and driveway; at the moment they're snow-covered but in good shape. The "old car" -- our 95 Nissan -- has developed the same kind of fuel line problem it seemed to have in January so it needs to go into the shop. We have plenty of bird food for the time being. As I said, just ordinary things.

But winter can be very pretty here. We have snow on top of the Christmas lights so they make a kind of diffused light, and the city park path through the woods at the bottom of the back yard is a winter delight. So I'll leave you for the day with a picture of the Christmas lights and with our very best wishes for a wonderful 2008!