It was a quiet night in our home on New Year’s Eve. We ran errands during the afternoon and dined early on Vietnamese cuisine. The rain had lessened over the evening which allowed us to hear the creek roaring in our back yard. A new DVD entertained us until we moved on to PBS’s New York Symphony special. Hot cocoa and popcorn was our treat for the evening, plus a small cup of Bailey’s Irish Cream. George found a comfortable location on the floor until the bedroom door was left open in which he procured our bed. Explosions of firecrackers and M80’s abounded at midnight. Who knew so many people had gathered such great fireworks! George wasn’t phased by the ruckus but the cats were not to be seen. I was concerned that the explosions would disorient them. At 3am I checked only to discover they were anxiously waiting for more kibble.
The images are of our back yard on this first day of 2010 plus Nigel watching from the dining room window. Nothing significant, just a break in the rain.
New years resolution? To create more art than 2009!
May the New Year bring peace and art to you all!
Sticks, Stones, and Paper Stew Blog 
You can hear a creek in your back yard?
Envy[10].
Yep, Crocker Creek runs through it. Last fall BPA came through and hacked, ground & destroyed all the vegetation along the stream. Their huge powerlines follow the same course. Their righ-of -way trumps all so trees came down (we lost 4 small ash and a small cottonwood, the neighbors lost 4-5 30yr old douglas firs) that could possibly reach heights to interfere with the lines. Now we have a clear view of the stream which has been super full with all the rain. For some reason they didn’t take out our Hawthorne (maxes out at 20-30ft). Knowing the willow and shrubby stuff, they will return fairly quickly and I don’t think they destroyed our other neighbors camas patch. They did eliminate Ash trees I collect leaves from…
Hey I just discovered I can move your snow by moving the mouse around. Happy New Year!
Wow, I had no idea! Very cool! The snow will be leaving in a day or two…:(
Oh, that is so sad. Those were sacred ash trees! At least they live on in your gorgeous coat. Amen to more art in 2010!
It will be interesting to see how many leaves make it to our yard. I do periodic checks on leaves up at the park, another good collecting area. They still need a few more weeks of exposure before collection. However, the oak leaves are still in good condition and several bags have already been procured. Oak leaf coat will be next…. but not by the February 6th Howland drop date!