Today is the first day of winter, and the shortest daylight hours day for the season. I enjoy watching the beautiful snow blanketing the earth during the winter; it is so breathtaking beautiful when small amounts of ice cling to the branches of the trees and there is enough snow cover so that no grass is peeking through. Having said that, I have to say that I’m glad that I work at home and don’t have to travel in bad weather and can just enjoy the beauty of the snow through my window, or put on my cross country skis and go skiing right outside my door. I truly do love the life up here, and the distinct four seasons that I can enjoy so many different types of outdoor activities!
Well today I went out to the local nursery and bought a small live Christmas Tree. It has the root ball attached to it so that when spring comes I can plant the tree in the back yard. I’ve been doing it this way for years. I prefer to do this because I feel bad about chopping down a live tree just to decorate it for a brief time in the house and then throwing it away. I just prefer to sustain life instead of taking it! I had to arrange for the nursery to deliver it; I’m expecting them to deliver it tomorrow morning! It’s a nice looking blue spruce tree. Now I have to go dig out the ornaments!
I was hoping to eat out tonight, but heard that there was a big ice storm coming, so we cancelled our plans. The bad weather has started, so I guess it was the smart thing to do. I’m glad I had re-stocked the pantry with food, and put studded snow tires on the car, and gassed up the chain saw. I think we’re going to need it! Thank goodness for our generator and our wood stove; I’m sure they will come in handy. I’m anticipating that if the power goes out, several of our neighbors will be coming over and staying with us, so I’ve made sure to have all of the guest accommodations ready - just in case. I hope we don’t lose the Internet connection!
I was reading on the Time.com website that scientists have discovered an area in Utah where there is a concentration of dinosaur footprints (and possibly tail drag marks) that are so closely concentrated together that they have decided to call it a “dinosaur dance floor.” The theory is that the area was an oasis in a desert so many dinosaurs went there for water. The scientists say that many of the footprints were originally thought to be simply “potholes” but were recently discovered to have toe and heel prints. The site is along the Arizona-Utah border, in a protected wilderness area. Good thing it’s in a protected wilderness area! They should have plenty of time to research that area without worrying about commercialism paving it over!
I was reading an article on the LATimes website that a recent study of bottled water has shown that in many cases the bottled water is no safer than regular tap water. The article did not say what brands of water was tested (and I sure wish it HAD said that) but it indicated that in the ten brands tested there were contaminants such as bacteria and 38 chemicals. The chemicals include caffeine, acetaminophen, fertilizer, solvents, plastic ingredients and strontium (which is radioactive.)
That freaks me out! Bottled water with strontium in it? I’m not sure I’ll ever buy bottled water again! I think I’m better off buying soda if I’m “out and about” and thirsty and without my own refreshment!