Winter wine, some tunes, and a book...

We are in the throws of a little bitty snow storm...right here in River City, my friends. I tried to take some really beautiful pictures to share with you, but the really beautiful snowflakes kept getting in the way!

Here is another. I tried several more, but the snow was falling so fast and furious that every single picture has the combination of the flash and the flakes. I guess I am being reminded to see the beauty in the small stuff. I need that sometimes.

This is a more sheltered view from the front of our house. I don't really think the amount of snow is the issue as much as the wind that is causing great drifts. It was enough to cancel school today and maybe even tomorrow.

Willi and I shoveled the drive when we got home this afternoon. We made it all the way to the road, then turned around to see the driveway covered with another few inches. An hour or so later the drifts were back and Willi was shoveling yet again, only to be rescued by a neighbor and his blower of snow. Yipee!

While the outside is cold and snowy, the inside is cozy and warm. This is one of my favorite things...although my picture does not do it justice! There are actually two crackling sounds that I enjoy; one is the crackle of an old album on the turntable, and the other is the sound of a fire in the fireplace. You know, the fire crackle that makes you think it has a life of it's own.

What better time for some good old indulgence? After all, we're definitely not going anywhere real soon. Pour yourself a glass of wine...

...and put some tunes on the stereo. Something old and comfortable might be nice. This is my first chance to listen to some of the new tunes we picked up two weeks ago.

Here's my first choice. It's a little older Kasey Chambers release from 2000. You can sample the songs on The Captain here. I'm pretty hard on female singers. At least that is what Willi says. But this is pretty good, and a lot more rootsy than her newer stuff.

Here is my read for the night...I think it is my favorite new children's book.

Zen Shorts by Jon J. Muth, Jon J. Muth (Illustrator): This is a really neat book about a giant Panda Bear that moves into the neighborhood, enlightening the children with three ancient Zen stories. My favorite is a lesson about letting go of frustration rather than carrying it around like a load on your back. Stillwater, the bear, shares short but meaningful tales in a simple and easy to understand manner. The author calls these "Zen Shorts; short meditations - ideas to puzzle over - tools which hone our ability to act with intuition. They have no goal, but they often challenge us to reexamine our habits, desires, concepts, and fears."

There are good thoughts for young souls in this book, and old souls, too. And that's a nice thing to warm up to on a cold winter night.