Snow!

For about a week, Portland got it's share of the winter blast that the rest of the country went through. Though it's a bit of a pain, looking back it was a quite fun. I spent more time on Mt Tabor than ever and even got to snowboard down the east and west face, not to mention the roads! It's always best when it's in your backyard.

Scully got her share of exercise too. Here she is, trudging through the 2 foot drifts. Check out the video of her playing with her neighbor Sophie.

Of course snow is not all fun and games and being on a corner lot, my arms got a bit of a workout. I don't even own a snow shovel.

Christmas Tree

A couple of years ago, I had the guts to hang icicle lights from my gables, 20'+ from the ground. It looked so cool and I really wanted to do it again this year. Sort of. Mom hinted it wasn't such a great idea now that I'm "pushing 40". Moms are pretty smart. Not only that, it was a reasonable excuse NOT to go to all the trouble.

For this year, I headed out to the Mt Hood National Forest with a friend to cut down my own Christmas tree. At first it seemed so wrong, but upon learning the Forest Service provided permits for $5, I was on board with it.

So here it is....not sure why type. Maybe Hemlock? Spruce? Whatever it is, it smells great!