Snow Days...

Here in the northeastern United States, we have been in the grips of a "Historic Snowstorm." My town got nearly two feet of snow, and other towns in the area got close to three feet! This storm has been terribly inconvenient for lots of people, and my thoughts and prayers are definitely with those without adequate resources to handle such a weather event. I do hope that everyone weathers this storm safely.

However... I have to say that this storm has been a real treat for my family. I have really loved being "snowed in" for a couple of days. It's been like a mini-vacation, having all of our classes and activities cancelled, and having The Man home from work. Our calendar has been VERY full this month, with lots going on, and I've been craving some time at home to just chill out together. This storm has given me my wish! Aside from shoveling and basic home maintenance (cooking, laundry, dishes, etc) we've been taking it easy, enjoying "quality time" together. We've spent hours snuggling under blankets with books, we baked cookies and made soup, and we watched movies. I've done lots of knitting, and the kids have built elaborate things out of legos.

One of our visiting cardinals... isn't he handsome?

One of my favorite snow-day activities has been watching the birds feast at our feeders, which we made sure were well-stocked before the storm began. We have feeders right outside my office window, which gives us a great view of all our beautiful neighborhood birds. Our most common visitors are chickadees, sparrows, tufted titmouses, hairy woodpeckers, juncos and white-breasted nuthatches. But we got a special treat yesterday, when four cardinals came to feast at our feeders... first two beautiful males, then later we saw two lovely females. I managed to snap a photo or two, thought it was difficult to get good pictures through the window.

Tomorrow it's back to "business as usual"... we'll wake up with the alarm, pack lunches, head out to work, appointments, classes and errands. But I feel refreshed from our days off, and ready to get back to our normal routines.