In other words, winter has hit! Gorgeous, sparkling snow. And very cold temperatures.
I went down to the Ditch to see what it was looking like. Judging from the ski tracks, it was clear I wasn't the first.
Someone had plowed a path to the ducks. They seems more content than I would be, splashing in the frigid water.
Earlier in the week, my longtime friend Suzanne came from London, Ontario, to spend a few days. For us that means our favorite Mexican restaurant, late Christmas celebrating (see, there is a reason why I don't get my Christmas down till Lent), catch a lot of movies ("Whiplash," "Love Is Strange," "Art and Craft") and have fun. She even joined us for our Cork Poppers (post coming soon!)
There is something supremely satisfying about spending a few days with a friend who has known you forever. We've been through parent deaths, life-changing experiences, jolly good times. We're pushing 50 years of friendship and a lot happens in those times. But we stay constant. We're our own two-person book club and share memories of people that even those closest to me never knew. All good.
And we still look kind of the same -- a little older, a bit more fuller figured and with different hair. But you'd still know us in a pinch!
But all good things come to an end. So, on the snowiest day (and yes, we told her she could stay, we didn't brutally kick her out into the snow!), she took off for home.Of course, there was digging out of the car -- and later I learned what was normally about a three-hour trip took five!
So, it's back to the real world. A little nap. Then back to my work project. Back to catching up with life here -- cleaning the art room/office, getting the rest of the holidays taken down (more or less), catching up with my bloggie buddies.
And back to the Ditch.
Sometimes I wish I liked winter more. Because when it's not a pile of slush and ice, it sure is pretty.
35 comments:
Hi Jeanie! Oh, you got some of that snow! We've gotten about 15 inches and it's snowing again today! How sweet you've kept your friendship going all of these years. You bot are cute as buttons! Then and now! I'm so glad you've had such a nice time. Stay warm.
Be a sweetie,
Shelia ;)
How nice to spend time with a friend. I have a dear friend whom I have known since first grade. She now lives in California, but we always get together when she flies in to Hawaii.
Your photos are lovely.
I have a 50-yr friend, too. :-) We were best friends in jr. high, and still click along together after all these years.
I would totally recognize you and Suzanne, and I bet the same is true of me and Cynthia. :-)
I like winter just fine, as long as I don't have to go anywhere, and the power stays on. The shoveling gets old, though!
Oh, how gorgeous! I love winter and snowy weather (and I happen to be Norwegian, so snow is a given every year). I'm always thrilled to see how the white cover completely transforms any landscape!
Spending time with old friends is such a joy, and you two haven't changed at all!
Your cat is beautiful, by the way.
All the best from Oslo!
It sure does! we're having that same kind of winter, really been easy, but then yesterday again it came back in tons of that white stuff! great photos, I really like the before and now!
It's always so much fun spending time with good friends. Hope you two had a great time. I'm shivering just looking at your pretty pictures: Thanks so much for stopping by.
It is indeed very pretty!
What gorgeous photos, Jeanie. And I'm glad you had such a wonderful time with your long time friend! I have a couple of girlfriends with whom I've been friends since elementary school. What fun!
Yeah, I tend to mind the cold quite a bit more than those ducks do. Maybe I need feathers and webbed feet? Lol
Your winter is for sure "pretty". I love this visit to the Ditch. Your photos show it in all it's gorgeousness so well.
Also how wonderful to celebrate friendship with a dear friend of so many years. I am happy for you two.
Glad you had a good visit with your friend. Looks like a deep snow to me. I think cats truly know how to do winter. xoxo,Susie
I like the two ladies in red! Very cheerful.
Having a really good friend around when the (outdoor) going gets tough is excellent. Who cares about winter blues when you are having fun.
It sure looks pretty.
there is something absolutely wonderful about bright sun and snow and blue skies. But it always DOES end up as slush! I do like the feeling of being snowed into a little enclosed world, sometimes, so long as it doesn't last long.
How lucky to have a long long longtime close friend! I do keep in touch with many old friends but we also do tend to drift apart as mostly we have led very different type of lives. It is always lovely to pick up where you have left off, though.
Beautiful post Jeanie.. To have a lifetime friend is such a blessing. You both look beautiful!
Thanks so much for sharing.
blessings,
Penny
There is deep sweetness in such a long friendship, how wonderful for you both.
Beautiful winter! Beautiful, cold, brutal winter. I have always loved it, but after last winter, something snapped. It is lovely to look at though, especially in your photos.
We too had snow two days ago, and upon leaving early in the dark hours for work, the snow sparkled like diamonds under that gorgeous full moon. Keep warm and carry on my friend! Anita
How fun to have a life-long friend come and visit you! There is nothing like spending time with someone who knows you SO well. Sounds like you two had a blast together! I am glad she made it home safely - bummer that the drive was so much longer due to weather, though. :(
I wish I could take some of your snow off your hands. We have some here but not nearly as much as I'd like! We might get some on Saturday so I am crossing my fingers that that happens because I'd love to go XC skiing this weekend!
How nice to have a visit from an old friend - it sure warms up the winter blues. I like this winter so much more in photos than in real. The older I get, the more I dream of becoming a snowbird.
Hello dear Jeanie, how wonderful a snow can make everything look so magical. The ducks look very happy and I would enjoy the walk down to the ponds with you. Loved seeing the photos of you and your friend, I know how special that is. Y'all look fabulous!
Hugs..........
I'm glad you enjoyed your friend's visit. We all need a friend like that, who's been there with us through it all.
If you get sick of the snow, feel free to send it to me!
you two haven't changed much over the years - how do you do it?!
So much for feeling sorry for our ducks and waterfowl. I always forget how tough they are, until I see photos like yours. I suppose as long as they have open water, they're fine.
The snow is so beautiful. We're in the gray weeks now, that in-between time when even the grass fades, and only the live oaks and palms give us much green. Even the crepe myrtles have been trimmed, so they look a bit too skeletal for my taste.
No matter. The world keeps spinning. I love that you and your friend have shared so many rotations!
Your pictures of the snow are beautiful. I love the duck that's getting a sip of water...How blessed you are to have had such a long friendship...You two look wonderful and really haven't changed that much....
Long time friends are the bestThe snow looks pretty Laura
Oh how I would hate to live in such snowy conditions. I am a summer person.
It's surely a great time catching up with an old friend.
Speaking of winter, after 4 severe winters, I actually have learned to kike it.I started looking for the cold feel. The thing is, when you stop resisting it, it becomes a part of you. -30 is still cold of course and you don't want to get frozen but there is some magic feeling in it.
Those duck are very beautiful, good they've got an open water to bathe on. Our ducks here migrate in winter as everything gets frozen.
Thank you very much for leaving me consoling message. I do appreciate.
Now THAT is a lot of snow - more than we have, certainly. Lovely pics, Jeanie!
Oh, forgot to say it's wonderful that you and your longtime friend can visit! Hope you had a wonderful time!
The snow pictures are so beautiful! I love winter :)
And it's so amazing that you've been friends for such a long time and still are so close :) It looks like you had a wonderful time, that makes me happy for you! :)
The snow pictures are so beautiful! I love winter :)
And it's so amazing that you've been friends for such a long time and still are so close :) It looks like you had a wonderful time, that makes me happy for you! :)
It's wonderful when you keep your old time friends. The ones who are always there for you. They go the extra mile as you would for them. The get the little hints from long ago and can still laugh at them., memories...how lucky we are to have them. Where would we be without our memories and friends. Make new friends...keep the old...one is silver ...the other is gold!
Have a great weekend! Hugs Marg.
It certainly IS pretty Jeanie.
Your photos are glorious and I can almost 'feel' the icy cold water those ducks are frolicking in.
We are still waiting for a "real" snow here in the Wash DC area ... I know be careful what you wish for ;-) eh
How special to get to spend time with your precious friend...it takes work and focus to keep a friendship going for that length of time!
oxo
Your winter looks so much like ours. The first few photos could have been taken in my neck of the woods. And thanks for sharing your get-together pics with your life-long friend Suzanne. I'm sure she'd enjoyed your winter too, and of course, the movies and Cork Poppers.
What is better than an old friend. You two are just beautiful, no matter what the age.
Your winter photos are wonderful.
the photos are lovely-even if there is a lot of snow and it is cold. I like the kitty and the duck photos. Nature at its best.
I'm not sure how I keep missing your posts, but here I am now.
That is a beautiful snow! And a beautiful friendship! And you both still have the same beautiful smiles!
I'm so over winter it isn't even funny. Unlike Ruth, I've never been a fan of it, but I know what she means about last winter (and the year before if I remember correctly), that really did it for me. I'm so glad I don't have to slog off to work in any of that.
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