Happy New Year!

Hi friends...Happy New Year! I hope 2009 will be filled with inspiration, creativity, good health, peace, and the love of family and friends for us all!

I've missed making a few posts that I would have liked to have made because I have been sick since Christmas day. What I thought was a sinus, sore throat, coughing-thing for days...is a sinus infection and bronchitis. I am finally beginning to feel better, think clearly and have some energy again! It has been a whole month of sickness in this house. My oldest got it first, then my husband and finally me.

I wanted to share some photos of our snow and freezing rain event that we had for two weeks and through Christmas day. We had more snow than anyone's seen here (Portland) in forty years. When it does snow, it usually only lasts for a day or two and we may get 2-6". Mother nature certainly put on a show that was truly amazing and beautiful too. However, with that beauty came the other events. We lost electricity twice, have lots of broken branches and plenty of trimming to do in our yard, and many trees fell in our neighborhood. I really felt bad for all those trying to get somewhere for Christmas though. So many plans were changed for so many people. A lot of the highways were closed, trains and buses were not running, and hundreds were stranded at the airport and other terminals for days. It was just as bad in Washington and I know we in the Northwest were not alone in being snowed in. It was quite the event for us in Portland. It has since thawed and we've had a lot of rain. Now the rivers are cresting and flooding and landslides have begun.

Black bamboo is not happy with ice and snow!

Digging out and getting some weight off the deck. See the aqua line in the snow...it is the ice layer from the freezing rain.










Friends out and about. . .














On our way to the store we pulled over and took a picture of Johnson Creek flooding. It was roaring! I feel so sorry for all the people who are being flooded by our rivers and creeks.

This last picture is tracks of a visitor we had in our yard when we woke up this weekend. And, yes, it's still been snowing on and off per the temperature. There were actually two sets of prints. The two sets of prints meet up and then disappear at the fence. Mark thinks they are raccoon prints.

Well, I'm off to make tracks of my own! I'm catching up with you and finishing up a few pieces that I have been working on. Thank you all for your thoughtful comments over the past year, they are so appreciated. The wonderful friendships I have made in ten months...mean so much! ~Lisa