Our poor snowman...burried alive!

This picture tells it all. Sherry unburies the snowman everyday and this is what it looked like this morning.

Mom and pops love watching all the birds in the yard. There were hundreds until I wanted to take the picture!

Yes it's STILL snowing!

Frosty is not melting!!! He is being buried alive! If anyone wants to come and save him just bring a big snow shovel...you have to do the driveway to get to him.

Dave wanted you to see the weeping cherry....all the trees are weeping now. For those who don't know we canceled our trip to Utah for Christmas. Not only could we not get out of our driveway but the roads look snowy all the way there. I'd like to spank which ever one of you was praying for snow for Christmas! It was probably me that actually caused it... I kept saying "It doesn't seem like Christmas with the weather so warm." I am so sorry!

Oh the weather outside is frightful....

Home Sweet Home

Sherilyn, Joel, Seth and Janice getting ready to tube down the hill. Matt is at the bottom of the hill taking pictures. Be sure to check out Janices' blog. She has a cool video from today that Matt made on Utube.

Yep, I went tubing too! If I look funny it is a funky hat of Janices' I'm wearing.

Tree out in the pasture.

Pretty trees in our yard.

Now that we took out the fences we have a perfect tubing hill and we have taken advantage of it today! (See Matt taking pictures?) Wish you were all here to enjoy it with us.

It's still snowing and snowing and SNOWING!

Yes this snowman tells the story.... It snowed all night and is still snowing all day today. We don't see any let up in sight! Hope we can get out sometime. We are totally snowb0und right now. The news says there is 23 inches in parts of Arlington.

Sherilyn and Seth have to check out last nights hard work.

I am shoveling but as you can see it is pretty deep! Why doesn't anyone have snowblowers?! Oh ya because it doesn't snow here? Ya right!

Dave is measuring on top of the picnic tables on the patio.

Dave is feeding the birds. This is a free lunch and the birds appreciate it because all their normal food is covered up in the snow. We have had so many birds out here all day. We have had a lot of fun watching them. Dave is filling a birdfeeder with bread. It is usually so high up that I can't hardly reach it but the snow really makes the branches low.

Yep, they really appreciate Dave!

Let it Snow , let it snow, let it snow!!!

During the night last night it started snowing and it hasn't quit all day! We have about a foot so far and it still doesn't show any sign of stopping. We haven't left our cozy warm house all day! Santa looks pretty cold in the tree...

Grandma proves it doesn't matter how old you are you're never too old to enjoy a cute snowman!

Sherilyn, Joel and Seth are having a lot of fun with grandma out in the snow. It doesn't matter how cold it is they are still a little crazy when it comes to the white stuff. Grandpa says this snowman looks just like grandma.... both kinda cute!

Herman died! RIP

This post is not for the faint hearted!The bear in grandpas yard has had Herman stuck in the tree for years! But Herman died this year right after Thanksgiving. The bear however chased Santa up the tree and Santa seems to be in real trouble!

Lynn tried to rescue him but Santa was clinging on for dear life.

We sure hope he will get away quick enough to make his trip around the world on Christmas eve!
Merry Christmas Everyone!

To have lights I have to do WHAT?!!

Boy oh boy! Dave and I were ready to put up our outdoor Christmas lights when Pops asked us if we were going to spray the moss off the roof first. Moss? Off the roof?? You have got to be kidding! Dave bowed out mentioning he isn't supposed to be on a roof since his stroke. Besides he wanted to work on his rock wall. So here I am trying to get the moss off.

It (the moss) would rather just stay where it is!

I was cold and tired and wet but now I have my Christmas lights up. Washington is sure different! Just think... I get to do it again next year!?

Dave builds his first road.

See the road Dave is standing on? That was not there until Pops and Dave decided they needed one that wasn't so steep... so here is Dave's first road!! It used to go from the bottom of the hill.

You know Dave... he just has to make it look really nice and there was a pile of old cement pieces back in the corner!

This is the door of the old root cellar.... believe me he has more plans! I hope he doesn't kill himself learning his new skills. Just because he almost rolled the loader he was using and threw him off he wonders why I worry?! I guess he will go happy!

Thanksgiving at Dorels

I'm a little slow getting up my Thanksgiving pictures... actually my photographer (Dave) wasn't very careful. Sharon would hate this but she said she won't get to see the blog so I'm safe.

Lynn (who also won't see the blog) looks pretty guilty for some reason. I however have a pure conscience. I cooked the bird and everyone still lives!

A fun group. Everyone is full up!

Am I SORRY?

When my nieces Janice and Sherilyn play games Sharon and I realize how creative and crazy they really are! Have you ever played triple sorry? Of course you haven't because they made the game up!!! It is so much fun... you need to try it sometime. Play the regular rules but add a board or 2 or three or...? When you get to a corner if you land right on the last space you have to turn whether you want to or not. Sometimes it helps you and sometimes it is terrible. If you miss the corner space you must go straight. You can have more than 4 players if you mark the colors so you can tell whos is whos. I know you all play games at Christmas time so here is a fun one thanks to your cousins. Today (Tues Dec 2) is Janice's birthday if you want to wish her a happy one.

Who called the fire department?

I have told you that Dave keeps working on this yard and wants to make it like a big park.... It bothered him that there were about 20 old tree stumps that he felt needed to be removed to ever succeed in his goal. At Family Home Evening last Monday he asked Uncle Jared what it would cost to bring in his excavator to dig up the stumps. Jared said he would do it for us for the price of the gas and seemed excited to have a project. Jared is 87 but acts like a kid on a new toy!

I was shocked by how much more was under the dirt than out of it! He put it all in a pile and they lit it and the guys have been adding to it and burning it for days. Some of the old growth tree roots are almost as big as a house!

Yesterday afternoon Lynn decided to throw an old fiberglass boat of Brent's on the fire. It was rotten and ugly in the yard. He took off the motor and trim. Wow! What a fire! The smoke was thick and black! Dave came in and told grandma and I to come and see and bring a marshmallow.
All of a sudden here came the fire department! The truck and all the crew! The guy said to me, "Where is your permit?" I said I was from Illinois! He told me there is a $10,000 fine for burning toxic stuff and not having a permit. He said we could have a 4 foot X 4 foot wood fire only. Oops. He called the Chief to see if they had to put it out and what to do. The chief said no to let it burn but no more fiberglass. They are mostly all friends of Lynn or Pops which was very good. At that point the boat was all gone so we are happy... the fire is still burning today and probably tomorrow.... I told you there is a lot of wood!

Watching the fire after a long days work!

Mom's eye

We took mom back to the eye doctor this week to see if her surgery was a success or if it still needed correction. Success!!! Dr. Linart couldn't have been more pleased. She has depth perception again and both eyes look at you at the same time! Also she realized there is not doubles of everything she sees.

She had a patch on her glasses for his tests... she doesn't usually wear that cute funky purple thing!

Veterans Day in Arlington

Today there was a parade in Arlington. It consisted of a few Veterans and the Arlington High School Marching Band. Notice the raincoats on the band. (Only in Washington!)

Moms brother, Leo Baird and Pops brother, Jared Dickson both rode on the WWII truck. They are the first 2 men on the left.

Here is a close up. Thanks Leo and Jared. We are proud of you!

Mom and Siblings

Visiting with the Aunts and Uncles

Aunt Bessie came to to the health food show in Seattle and while she was here we got together with Aunt Alice, Aunt Bessie and Uncle Leo, Aunt Cathern and of course Mom.

We sat around and had a fun visit with everyone. Pictured is my cousin Beth Harston, Sharon Dickson, Dave and Pops.

Still working

Dave, Joel (Sherilyn's husband) and pops are working to fix up the yard. They took out the old fence and leveled the ground a bit so they will be able to mow it and make it park like.

Pops and Dave in their rain gear picking up some rocks.

Picking up more rocks! They got it looking really good and scattered grass seed. Next we will take out the stumps. Fun!