What month is this?

This is just getting ridiculous! HOW can we get more snow in April than in December?

Especially after that lovely weekend just 7 days ago.

It started last night with big hail and thunder and lightning!

You couldn't hear the frogs chirping last night as we have lately...

Then I woke up very very early to a blinding white-ness all over my yard! And it just kept coming and coming! By 9am it was over a foot deep.... yikes!

(That mishapen structure near the center of the above picture is my neighbour's infortunate magnolia... in full bloom)

My deck looked very very sad with the hammock AND snow. We BBQ-ed just last night too....

And how about those cherry blossoms?

The birds, bees, bugs and amphibeans that were all happily enjoying spring, were struggling to find shelter. I can only imagine what the nests look like..... poor hummingbirds...... I did see a worm that had managed to drag itself on top of the snow though.

Always up for snow, the boys had a great time in it (as did Max).

oh ya. The power was out for about 4 hours too..... very unusual for around here.

My poor Hydrangea....

Merry Christmas everyone!

Bon Voyage

I'm off to see the wizard!.... oh wait, it's Mickey Mouse I'm going to see...

. Aren't I goofy...

wrong again....

Tommorrow I am leaving for California, (Disneyland) and then hopping a boat to Vancouver.

I'll admit it, I am freaking out about leaving the country with my kids. At least there will be Grandma and Grandpa to watch my back! (T will be home with the puppy , and his brother showed up today for a visit.)

oh man... I am so not ready for this........

MS Walk for the Cure

Yesterday, we all loaded up into the car and met my Mom-in-Law down at the waterfront to participate in the "MS Walk For The Cure" event. The weather was GLORIOUS! Extra special after the years in the past have been not so nice, and the weather last week being downright COLD.

My MIL is a wonderful lady, it is a terrible thing that MS has done to her. She was diagnosed in her late 20s and held it off for a really lond time with intermittent symptoms that would ruin her then go away..... lately the symptoms have been coming and staying though. It is heartbreaking to see such a gentle, creative person so unable to depend on her body. Fatigue plagues her constantly, as does a complete lack of coordination. She knows it will only get worse.

100s of people showed up for the walk/run/ride, and it was a festival feel with entertainment, balloons and food for participants. It is a great organization and they have done my MIL a whole lot of good, helping her figure out how to live and find the things she needs with the very limited amount of strength and resources available to her.

There was beauty and hope at the walk, and I can only wish some of that sunshine sunk into the participants' needy bones and recharged them a bit.

We're not out of the woods yet!

I am enjoying our resuming Spring weather (alas, the forecast for Monday calls for flurries again).... So here are some close-up pictures of the activity in my garden and nearby woodlands.... in case you didn't notice: I LOVE MACRO!!!!!