It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood...

I woke up at 7 o'clock this morning & looked outside to find mounds of fluffy snow & more quietly falling. Now, I live in Minnesota, so quietly falling snow (and for it to stay in one place long enough to make a fluffy mound) is a rarity. Usually the wind is blowing like crazy.

I was in line at the post office the other morning, happily mailing out my Christmas packages on time (it is the season for miracles after all) and struck up a typical Minnesota conversation with an older gentleman... after exchanging pleasantries we moved on to talk about the weather. Yes it's a cold one all right but it's nice because there's no wind... "oh for sure...I just can't get used to the wind." I told him. "oh?" he asks... "I'm not from here," I said, " I'm from Alaska." His brow furrowed & he cocked his head to one side & said "Doesn't the wind blow in Alaska?!" I laughed (just a little) and said "Well, of course, but not like it does here." "Hmmm...that's strange, I wonder why not." He pondered. I told him that it was the mountains... the wind blows up & over so you don't get too much if you're in the valley on the other side. "well I'll be darned." he said.
He must've lived here his whole life.

anyways, Josh is sleeping in today, enjoying the first morning of his month long lay-off...
the baby is sleeping...
the drama-ridden, beleaguered teenaged daughter is sleeping...
even the dog is sleeping...

And I am awake.
Awake on this cold, beautiful, un-windy, snow mound-y wonderful winter morning.
A gift, it seems, from the spirit of Christmas past for a homesick girl longing for the winters of her youth.

life is good.