It's been a lovely day here today. The sun was bright on fresh snow - like "diamonds in the snow" as my friend and fellow writer, Dot Larrabee said today. It was, indeed. There was hardly any wind, unlike yesterday when it blew like the dickens all day. The snow was so heavy after it rained on it, not much blew around, but when it got colder late in the day and started to snow a bit, there was plenty in the air, swirling every which way. Today it just sparkled.
     We didn't get much new snow - a little over half an inch was all I measured this morning. I haven't been out to see how much there is on the ground and I also have not paid attention to my measuring pole I finally got set up. I had neglected to do it along with other fall work before snow came, and I wasn't about to shovel a foot or more to find it. After one of our recent thaws it seemed like a good time to get it set up. So Fred and I both took shovels and tramped to where I was sure it was, but after clearing a spot at least ten feet in diameter and still not locating the approximately five-inch square flat rock that covers it to keep leaves and dirt out of the hole, I finally did what I should have done in the first place. I used the shovel as a sounding tool and within a very few minutes of poking straight down in the snow, we heard the unmistakable "clink" of metal on rock, and there it was - a couple feet southeast of where we had been digging. So much for remembering the lay of the land precisely. No matter how many times we both had mowed over that rock or  passed by it during the summer, it had eluded us when we went looking for it under six or eight inches of snow.
     Unfortunately the pole wouldn't go all the way into the socket. Maybe it had frozen water in it or maybe it had filled in with dirt and debris during the summer, but the line marking ground level was about three inches above the ground. That's ok just as long as I remember to add three inches to whatever measurement I get on the pole. It's in place, ready for duty.
     Now I'll try to remember to check from time to time. We will be getting a fairly good snowfall in the next few days, if the forecast is correct, so it will be a good time to get in the habit of checking that along with the other measurements I take each morning.

     In the meantime, I got out the snowshoes the other day so I have no excuse for not going out from time to time, no matter how much snow we get, to measure and get core samples to measure the amount of water content. I'm sure there's a pretty tough crust now, and that is sometimes hard to break through to get a fairly accurate measurement. Like I have said before - this snow measuring stuff  isn't rocket science. I do what I can. I'm a volunteer - they can't fire me or dock my pay if I fail to take those measurements regularly.

   Fred took this picture the other day. When I first saw it, I wondered where that painting was. At first glance it looked like a photo of a picture in a frame. Then I noticed there's all my sewing junk on the shelf below and I realized it is one of the new windows where my sewing machine is. Pretty cool!
     Sometimes I need to take a break from writing and do something entirely different. A few days before Christmas I had one of those days so I used up some scrap bits of ribbon, old beads, pipe cleaners and yarn to make these angel ornaments to hang on the Christmas tree. They were great fun, quick and easy. I save stuff all the time for just that sort of thing. I was going to use pine cones to make something, but my stash of cones is so dried out they were opened up too much. I'll use them, but another time. I think granddaughter Tangeni will like my caroling angels.