Winter is here, no matter what the calender says.

Winter seems to be hanging like garland from the gray clouds in the cold sky. Although the calender declares it is not yet winter, the air tells a different story. The wood stove has been working overtime to keep the house toasty warm. Great stacks of wood stand ready to be brought into the house arm load at a time. Smoke has been curling downward from the chimney, reaching into the juniper tree, wrapping it in a thin veil of smoky gray. The birds seem to enjoy that extra cover of protection. A bit of sunshine is poking out from the cover of thick gray clouds and it almost seems shocking since its been so long since we have seen this orb of burning gases in the sky.

Melissa's visit is going by all too fast and its hard to think about her going back home in just a couple of days. We have had such fun, family together...cooking, eating, laughing and moments when we are all sure we could solve all the worlds problems over coffee.

Today we will celebrate the fact that Emery and I have been married 31 years. How fast the years have flown by. I would love to put the brakes on this speeding of the years. I like things just as they are now. How blessed we have been throughout the years. Each day better than the last and that is a fact that is hard to imagine since each day is amazingly wonderful in one way or another.

Love is such a powerful thing and the more love in our lives, the better things seem to be.

I feel very blessed, so much peace in my heart with the life we have, and the love that fills every single corner.