January in Del Norte

 Sometimes I wonder why I moved away from the mountains and prairie and the rugged loveliness of Wyoming.  I was never one who hated the blizzards, but I was never one who had to get out and work all day in them either.  Then I get out of the house on one of the perfect January days in Del Norte County (remember, here it rhymes with "snort")

 I can drive less than ten minutes and be on the beach, or walk out the door and be in the redwoods, and while I love snow and we have had it less than a handful of times since I moved here in 1989, I can drive  45 minutes and be up 4000 feet and play in the snow to my hearts content.  My heart is contented fairly easily when it comes to snow.

There are always fairly barren spots to enjoy nature from, a lot like Wyoming that way, but there are also a few brave souls dragging their surfboards down even in January, my son among them.  Brrrr.

 The wind sculpted snow drifts are replaced in my sight by wind and water sculpted sand formations and trees carved into bonsai tortured shapes

The sky here is often obscured by fog and clouds and we get close to 7 feet of rain a year instead of the 7 inches I grew up with, but when we do have the sun break through, it is just as lovely.

This day the clouds looked like the water they are made of in a way that they normally do not, and reminded me that there is also an ocean above our heads.

We get the little birds when Wyoming loses them, and out January yard is filled with robins, flickers, woodpeckers, sparrows and an occasional Osprey.

The maple tree always provides red and green for Christmas, and in January is still gorgeous wearing its coat of frost

The house I moved into 15 years ago had white walls and carpet.  I have not done much in the way of maintenance but I have made it look a bit like living in a crayon box, and the ancient linoleum I found under the carpet looks like an old rug but is easy to control the pet hair on it.

 Yesterday the sun came out, and I forced myself to do the dishes and start a load of laundry and write an hour on Duffy Barkley, Seek Well but then I succumbed to the siren call and found myself and my camera enjoying this area.  Then I called my Mom, because of all the parts of Wyoming I do miss - family is first on the list.

Blooms I have loved

 It is bleak and wintery here in the Northern hemisphere and with the end of the holidays, the bright colored lights and decorations are no longer around to relieve the gloom.  I have been browsing the cache of flower photographs and realize that if they can cheer me up, as they have today, then I should share them, so maybe they can remind other people as well

 that even in the mid winter, when the buds have not appeared, and the seeds are invisible, and everything is wet and cold

 life is gathering its strength, sleeping but not dead, waiting only to be kissed awake by the warming spring sun and burst into bloom once more.

 Live the winter months with as much enthusiasm as you live the spring, find the beauty that exists in the world around you and in memory as well, create warmth in the love of your friends and family

 Hold on to hope

With love, from echo

AKA  Dixie Goode