Birds a' Singin' on This Sunday Morning

I think it's a known fact that the older we get the easier we get distracted.

All I did was walk over and open the window.

It's actually balmy up here in this office/bedroom this morning, so some outside air was needed.

Upon opening the window, I turned and noticed the scrapbook I'd been searching for the other day.

So, I picked it off the file cabinet pile and opened it to the photo above.

The scrapbook was originally produced by one of my dear friends who happens to be celebrating a birthday today.

Maybe that's why it drew my attention.

The birthday girl would be Kari Daarstad Saccomanno. She's over in Seattle this weekend with her daughter Kendall for soccer.

Years ago, when our house burned down, Kari and some friends spent hours putting together a nice scrapbook for me.

They knew I'd lost most of my photos, so they supplied a few for me.

I've cherished the scrapbook ever since and have added other photos, found in various venues since the fire.

The photo above was taken by my mother a long time ago.

I think I found the negative, among others, back (in the dark ages, no pun) when I was doing black-and-white darkroom work in our Great Northern Road home.

I'll let readers guess its location and meaning. 

She snapped a good one, and it clearly demonstrates that the love for capturing a good photo is a family trait,  passed on to generations.

Check out Barbara's latest beauties at http://www.flickr.com/photos/misstshs/

and Annie's at http://www.flickr.com/photos/nnlove.

Anyway, I'm kinda glad that I got distracted and quite proud to show off my mother's work.

I only wish she would have done the photo above in pen-and-ink.

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Yes, on this morning, there is that "smell" and those "sounds" of spring.

Those birds outside the window are singing sweet songs of February. 

We had a wild and woolly night last night.

We weren't aware of how crazy the weather was until we had finished watching Gonzaga defeat Pepperdine.

Getting ready to leave, I opened my sisters' door to the sound of a strong wind whipping up, seemingly every direction.

When I walked to my car, the cell phone rang.  

It was Willie, who had just picked up his dogs from our house.  He wanted us to know that Selle Road and South Center Valley Roads were very dark.

The power had gone off. 

It was still off when we arrived home.  

Bill pulled out all his survival gizmos---lanterns, flashlights and radio.  

Survival gizmos these days put out a lot more light than the candles of the past.  

I carried a small flashlight from room to room and could see anything I needed to see.

Meanwhile, Bill listened to the end of the Vandal-Bronco game.  Boise State won.

All seems normal this morning.  Power on.  Wind gone.  Sun shining through a few clouds.

We'd just like to see the ice melt to make the walking a little easier.

Speaking of which, three weeks after surgery, yesterday Bill put on his boots (one without its liner) and went for a short walk out in his woods.

I'm sure that's been tough on him because, under normal circumstances, the woods walk for Bill is a daily occurrence.

Anyway, he's healing, and with each day of winter disappearing, so go the signs of his surgery.

Lovely Sunday here, to say the least.