Snow Day!

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The kids were out of school by 11:45AM which was an hour earlier than they had announced the night before.  By the time I got ot the school at 11:15AM to wait in line it was sleeting heavily.  Our5 mile ride home was not without excitement as we passed 5 cars off in a ditch.  No injuries but definitely were going to need tow trucks.  We passed an ambulance and fire truck on the way to the scene.  Lucky for them as they were one of the first accidents of the storm and they didn't have to wait too long.

The kids busied themselves playing Club Penguin at the kitchen table for several hours.  Sleet and rain aren't the best for sledding and snowballs and such.  Late afternoon they noticed that the ground was covered in 'snow'.  Actually it was sleet and ice but still they found lots of delight going out in it.

I took a few pictures and enjoyed hearing their laughter but there were lots of clothing malfunctions and changes and they kept me hopping keeping up with them.

I wish we'd had 6 inches of snow but I am glad the kids got out in it and got to slide around a little bit.  The laughter of a happy child is intoxicating.

The boys are off for the weekend with their father.  Donnis on his way home from visiting family in Florida.  I can't wait to see him!

Hungry

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I took this shot out my kitchen window last night.  I was loading the dinner dishes into the dishwasher and noticed him.  Boy do I love the shots I get out that window!  The boys and I enjoyed watching him/her and I certainly enjoyed the photo op.  I know some folks would be scared or upset to have an opossum eating their birdseed or so near their house but it doesn't bother me.  We are having a real cold spell, and he's just extra hungry.  Now that I understand why my birdseed has been disappearing at night, I may put out some cheaper dog food for him to feast on tonight.  My experience is that when they show up they return same time for several days or weeks before moving on.

Northern Flicker

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Not the best shot technically.  Usually I only get to see a Northern Flicker one or two times a year, so if I am lucky enough to get a photo of it I post it.  Digitally zoomed.  In my neighbor's yard (Greg and Erin).

All That Glitters

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Another shot from our zoo trip.  I was in the mood for bokeh today!

Jupiter and the Moon

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Jupiter was very close to the moon in the sky last night!

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This sasanqua camellia is blooming just outside my master bathroom window.  It's near the bird feeders that are just outside my kitchen sink window. The birds frequently roost in this pretty tree eating their seeds.  A clothes dryer vent near the house foundation keeps this tree extra warm.  This camellia is over 10 years old and 20 feet high.  Warm winter temps caused the bush to bloom a bit early.  I think this is the most blooms it's ever had!

Baby Chimp

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The kids (Joey, Johnny, and Madi) and I went to the NC Zoo yesterday.  It was in the low 50s, sunny, and just a slight wind, so the weather was quite nice for January.

I liked this picture of the baby chimp best of all my shots for both comp and clarity.

This frisky black bear shot is pretty cool too, but it's a bit fuzzy/grainy.

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I really missed all the flowers.  Our zoo has a lot of wonderful landscaping.  The only flower I saw was winter jasmine (yellow) vine and one early flowering quince.  I hope we can go back in the spring after the flowers are out.

Some more pics from our day.

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Fire

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It's finally cold enough to have a fire in our fireplace.  The boys were so excited!  I added in some copper coated pine cones for some blue and green colors too.  Can you feel the warmth?