Baby It’s COLD Outside!

Are we a bit chilly here in Eugene, OR?  You could say that!!










On the left is the temp at about 4:30 this morning.  It warmed up to 26*F and was only supposed to get down to 16.  However, at 6 p.m. it is now 9*F.  At least that 9 does not have a minus in front of it.  Baby, that’s cold.

Everything is fine here.  No frozen pipes (thank God) and the motorhome appears to be weathering the storm just fine  It was 34.8*F inside so as long as it’s above freezing, we should be okay.  Hot water tank is drained and everything else is heated from the inside so fingers are crossed.


It’s a real dry snow – can’t even make a snowball.  We usually get wet, heavy snow so I am glad for this.  Would have been a lot more trouble had all this snow been wet.  It’s starting to melt a bit during the day as we have had bright sunshine.  Here are just a few random pics from around the house.  Too cold and streets still too dangerous to go out anywhere.  We don’t get plowed in our neighborhood so we stay home.

Didn’t see the jay at the top of the cedar tree until I had snapped the photo.  The sky was just that blue!!


By the time I zoomed in, he was ready to take off.



Russ managed a shot of him on the deck rail a little later.  He was looking for peanuts.  (Most of the rest of the photos are from my dear Blog Assistant, Russ!!)


We were happy that we didn’t have any dead birds this morning.  Russ did find a dead spider in the mailbox yesterday!!  The Oregon Dark-eyed Juncos love the suet feeders and the bowls of seeds we put on the deck.






We will definitely have to clean up the deck after this cold weather clears.





High in the cedar tree the snow is melting and making crystal icicles.










“What do you mean the seed is for the little birds?”


Unfortunately, the starlings have finally found our stash.  I don’t like these birds – they come in huge flocks, eat everything in sight, poop all over everything, scream and fight among themselves, and intimidate the little birds.  We have done everything we can to scare them away, but they are not at all timid.



When I look at a picture like this, I don’t think of the path poor Russ had to walk to get to the mailbox.  I think, “I sure wish we had underground utilities!!”



And who made this path to the swimming pool??



Not a good picture, but it was after dark so it’s the best we could do.  Here’s the path maker.  There were two of them right up on the deck by our glass door.









Ice in the basketball hoop:












Best purchase of the year!  It has been heavily used and has not frozen over at all.  For under $20, it was well worth it.







Russ finally got out of his robe and slippers long enough to measure the snow.  See, Paul, he does have some winter clothes after all.



We got a couple more inches after this.



This is a very special pine tree.  Perhaps 10-12 years ago, Russ surprised me with a beautiful centerpiece for Christmas.  In the centerpiece was a tiny little seedling, about a foot tall.  I planted that seedling, never expecting it to grow.  I thought I had planted it well away from the fence and I thought I had planted it straight!  I was wrong on both counts.  That fence is 7 feet tall.  We recently had to lop off a bunch of branches from the bottom of the tree as it was pushing the fence out of position.  I love this tree, even though it is crooked and naked from the waist down!!  This is the tree that the northern flickers seem to enjoy too.


Well, that’s enough snow.  It should start to melt by Monday when we finally get out of freezing temperatures.  It’s been fun but I sure am glad I’m in a nice warm house and can enjoy it mainly through the windows.