January 2026

Hi Friends!  How are you today?  I hope you're having a good 2026 so far.  We have snow and ice in our part of North Carolina today, and it really is quite lovely.  Hal and I have been hoping for a pretty snow for a few years now, so this is just perfect for us.  I know a large part of the country has been hit with a major winter storm, and we were quite nervous a few days ago, I can tell you.  The forecast was for lots of freezing rain, sleet, and snow.  We were out there with the rest of North Carolina stocking up on food, bottled water, and gasoline in the car.  The worst part of our forecast as of Thursday and Friday was a good chance of losing power and we were told that the power outages might be for an extended period.  I know a lot of people who enjoy a pretty snow, but I don't know any who wish for their power to go out, especially as cold as it was here for the last three days.  Bitter cold wind and temps. in the low 20's down into the teens.  We were extremely fortunate -- our power didn't so much as blink at all during the storm, so we stayed quite comfortable.  Today is actually very pleasant, but the cold temperatures are supposed to return starting tomorrow.  Here are some pics from our front porch this morning.  Notice the blue, blue sky out there, often the case after a big storm.