Of Birds and Barns

I have never thought about how many red barns are located within a mile of my house.
I take red barns for granted....

Bird watching is a hobby for me. When the temps soared above freezing the other day the birds took advantage by cleaning themselves. At one time there were over a dozen birds splashing.
Red barn down Pumpkin Seed Lane.
I was not the only one to notice all the birds fluttering around!

I hope you enjoy the pictorial diversion. I am busy today getting the house ready for a sitter, going to lunch with a fine friend, and preparing for a surprise Valentine date tonight....

Winter Weather Advisory

I repeat, no travel is advised. Temperatures are dropping. Tomorrows high is projected to be -30. Winds will gust today up to 40 mph. Snowfalls will measure between 8-12". Please, again, do not travel. So... what do we do? We take off for home.

Let me start back where I left off. We were on our way to our first Christmas celebration, at the in-laws. I had my new found decision to relax and not kill myself to please under my belt. We were on our way. Once we arrived I had a good time, the best time we have had at the in-laws celebration in years. (Since we had kids really) It did help that the kids are getting bigger and aren't as demanding. We were worried about one thing though... the weather.

A snow storm was blowing in and it didn't sound good. We knew this when we drove the two hours to the party, but, decided to go anyway. The wind picked up and the snow started falling and blowing about 8 pm. As we tucked in for the night we wondered what the morn' would bring. By 9 am it wasn't looking good. But, being true Minnnesotans and having 4 wheel drive we decided to try for home anyway. Along the way we even took the time to celebrate at the cousin's house - I mean it was their first Christmas celebration and they had been preparing for quite awhile! The food was cooked... we had to go, right? It was quick but enjoyable.

I am glad we went. I am especially pleased with how well the weekend went. I feel like it was a great start to what I hope will be the best Christmas season in a long time.