First snow......ice.

Well  my little part of North Carolina has survived the first snow  ice of 2015. I literally heard the governor on TV yesterday say that this was a storm unlike any NC has seen. Really? Where has this governor been living? We had a 1/4" of ice...... I seem to recall last year at this time having over a foot of snow on the ground. 

I watched the local news until I threw up in my mouth a little then turned it off and went out to see how the chickens would like to ice skate on our frozen ground. I had to chop a path to the coop with a hoe. The ground was frozen solid and I had the choice of either sliding down to the coop or I was going to have to chop up a path.  

 I opened the back coop door and encouraged them to come out. No thank you said the chickens! The first one hit the ice and jumped straight up in the air to land on top of the lower coop door.  The other two walked out, turned around and walked right back in.  Later in the day, Gerry tried again and they flew from the coop to the dry ground under our deck. They were having no part of this ice skating business!

I had to work later in the day. The roads were fine, people actually made it in to the store, although it was mostly a quiet day.  A good day to get things done that are normally difficult. I put together a little greenhouse that we sell. We are getting in lots of new plants and sprouting seedlings of vegetables. It has me longing for spring. I love going in to work with all the green in the store.

As many of you might know, the beloved coach Dean Smith of UNC basketball fame died recently. Someone put up a mural on the back of a store near my street. When I come out of my neighborhood and stop at the end of my road, this is what I see every day. Its really a great piece. So Banksy.

Its been mostly uneventful around here, with the exception of the little ice storm. Wesley came home for the weekend. I made her lots of nourishing food, like a good mom would. I baked a coconut banana cake from the recipe book my pal Barbara gave me. It was amazing.  I'm working, being a mom, keeping Gerry company. Thats about it. No making, no travel, no adventures. Just hibernation, waiting on spring to get here. We have seedlings started and hope to get them in the ground soon for one more round of winter greens.  It's an exciting life around here, ha!

I hear from our dear friends Tashi and Jamphel most weeks. Here is a photo I got yesterday from Jamphel. He is in Darmsala visiting a friend. His emails are always so wonderful I can't believe that last year this time, we had so much snow and two monks living with us. What a time that was!

I learned so much from those two in the short time they were with us. When I find myself having unkind thoughts or doing something I clearly know I shouldn't be doing, I think of them and how they would behave in the situation and then I try for better.  

Maybe if we all tried for better, things could change.....  it won't happen, but we can hope......