Snow......

 

Oh.... Whoa....! 

So Far, Dear Readers, this Winter has been a cold and snowy one in my Neck 'o the Woods. We got about eight inches of snow back on the first of December, and it stayed so cold none of it melted until just before Christmas. We had just enough of a "dusting" on Christmas Eve to qualify for a "White Christmas" but only barely. Then it snowed again the day after Christmas and followed that with a nasty Ice Storm... we got mostly sleet and rain right here but it froze solid afterwards leaving everything quite icy. Last week we got another very lovely "small" snowfall of about five inches and it fell overnight and everything was covered with snow in the morning. I love to get out to take pictures of the "Winter Wonderland" before the sun rises and the snowblowers show up to knock all the snow from the branches. It was very pretty out there. And it reminded me that I had neglected to "transform" The Folly into the "Winter Wonderland" for which I worked so hard and so long in years past! It does not take long and is always such a pretty setting!

 

Nobody has been out to disturb the snow 

and it has drifted a bit in the corner by the Glass House.

The snowy rhododendron shrub was finished just last year.....

 And deserves heaps of admiration, if I do say so myself...!

 

And of course, the Snowy Lilac Shrub was the first of 

the entire garden series to be completed..... 

waaaay back in February of 2019!

 It took the rest of that year to complete the flowering version

 and you can read all about it in the archives!

"Oh, hello, Mr. Gnome, I didn't see you behind all that snow!

 Are any of the other Fellas out yet?"

 "Hmmmph... haven't seen 'em" declared Mr Gnome.

 Clearly, he didn't want to see them either!

 

Meanwhile, on a Cloud not Far Away, 

Cloude-with-an-'e' was chatting with his friend the little red-bird

 who liked to stop by the Cloud Palace Tower Garden

 when he was migrating south.

 Sometimes he stayed quite a while!

 But today he whispered to Cloude 

that it was snowing down below.... a thick fluffy snowfall!

 

 "Really...?" said Cloude-with-an-'e' startled.

 Then he thought "Oh.... it has been a while

 since I had a good Cloudy Day Snowstorm visit! 

I would love to have a good roll in the snow!" 

And before he knew what had happened...

 

He found himself lying in a big fluffy pile of cold snow!"

 

"Aaah....  that's the ticket...!" he declared 

to nobody in particular as he sat up and looked around.

 He had the feeling he had been here before,

 but was sure it had looked a bit different.... 

but no matter, the snow has a way of

 changing everything for the better in his opinion!

 

Meanwhile, over by the Glass House,

 there was a moment of consternation!

 "Shhh.... whispered Mr. Blue....

"I thought I heard something big come crashing down!"

 "You don't suppose it was 'ICE'....?" whispered Mr. Green nervously. 

 

Ms. Red peeked carefully over the snowdrift 

but couldn't see anything except more snow. 

If it was Ice, she was gonna roll away as fast as she could... or hide. 

Maybe she should just hide in a drift until Spring... 

 

"I'll take a look-see" said Mr. Blue bravely....

 

 He crept closer to the porch, keeping below the drifts.

 

Mr. Green followed him cautiously...

 

Meanwhile, Cloude-with-an-'e' was blissfully unaware 

of the stir he was causing by his sudden arrival!

 

But he thought he would take a look around and see if any-being

 was awake yet this fine snowy morning!

 

"Oh hullo, Mr. Gnome! he called cheerfully 

when he spotted him on the porch. "I thought that was you!"

 

"Remember me? I'm Cloude.... 

Cloude-with-an-'e'" he added helpfully. 

"Hmmmph..." replied Mr. Gnome noncommittally.

 

"I think it's just that Cloudy guy....

the "Gnomeman" whispered Mr. Blue

 as they heard Cloude-with-an-'e' talking to Mr. Gnome... 

"Remember when he was here looking for his hat?" 

said Mr. Green with more confidence.

 

"Oh... you're here too are you...?" 

said Cloude-with-an-'e' cheerfully 

as he spotted the little Snowfellas.

 

"Hello Mr. Gnomeman... er I mean

 Mr. Cloude-with-an-'e' " said Mr. Blue carefully.

 "We were hiding" he added.

 "We thought you might be some Ice showing up." 

"We've been hearing a lot about Ice..." added Mr. Green. 

"We're from Asia and we've been here a long time,

 but we don't have papers." he added anxiously. 

"Nobody ever said anything about papers before!"

 

"Ice!" declared Cloude-with-an-'e'..... 

"I don't know anything about Ice!" 

 

"I'm a Snowbeing through and through! All Snow... 

with a big heart too!" he added for clarity. 

 

"And I am from Germany! But I have it on the Best authority

 that Snowbeings are made from Crystal Clouds.... 

and Clouds go anywhere they please

 and nobody asks them for papers!" he declared.

 "So you are completely safe with me" he added.

 

"And I could even give you a "Cloud tour"

 if you wanted one!" he added with a smile.

 

And believe it or not, Dear Readers, 

the other day it snowed again at my house.... A Lot! 

Not a Ton.... but a Lot! 

Oh, you wanted to see some RL pictures...?

 

This was the pretty little five inches of snow last week...

 

And this was yesterday morning... 

we got about 16 inches on top of what we had.... 

and the temperatures have been in the

 below-zero Fahrenheit in the mornings! 

It has not been above freezing all week

 and will stay cold for a while yet... 

But I'm okay..... as long as it isn't Ice! 

So you can see, Dear Readers, 

we have snow.... lots and lots of snow... 

Oh, Whoa! 

 

A Cloude (With an "e") Day....

 

And The Christmas Card....

You Might be Surprised to learn, Dear Readers, that "Cloude-With an 'e' " who spends most of his Time hanging out at The Cloud Palace way up on top of the clouds, was tired of being always above the clouds! It was plenty cold enough that he never had to be concerned about melting away, being a Snowbeary of modest proportions, but there was only so much to see from way up there. It was Winter down below, and he was restless.... he wanted to be Under the Clouds... where all the action was! It had been a long time since he had ventured far from the Cloud Palace, and since he had no wings to carry him gently to Earth, he had to make use of a Wishing Star to get there....

Wheeeeee.......!

It was quite an exciting ride!

He rolled and spun and swirled through the sky

 and landed a bit inelegantly with a "thump"

 in the snowy yard of The Folly dollhouse!

Oh, My! he thought... 

That was better than a roller coaster!

He sat up and wondered where he had landed....

 it had been a while since he had "toured beneath the clouds"!

"I say" he said to no-one in particular....

 "I think I remember this place!

Last time I was here there were some

 'Little Snowfellas' .... with hats!".... he thought.

"Hmmmmm".... he said, "I seem to have lost my hat!"

"I wonder where it got off to....?" he said as he climbed up

 the snowdrifts toward the Folly.

"Are you  talking to me?" muttered Mr. Gnome 

from under the snowdrift.

"Oh, hello!" said Cloude-With an 'e', 

"I didn't see you there under all the snow!"

"And you would be......?" asked Mr Gnome a trifle rudely....

"Oh! Said Cloude. "I'm Cloude. Cloude-With an 'e' " He said cheerfully.

 "I've just dropped in for a visit in the snow!" he added helpfully.

Meanwhile, the "Little Snowfellas",

 Mr Red, Mr. Green and Ms. Blue

 had ventured out to investigate 

what all the thumping noise was about!

"There's something out there!" said Mr. Red, sounding alarmed.

"Perhaps you should have a look...?" suggested Mr. Green helpfully.

"Of course... of course," said Mr. Red bravely.

"Well...? What do you see...?" said Mr. Green warily.

"There's a Huge Snowlump up there!" said Mr. Red, clearly agitated.

"A Snowlump...?" asked Mr. Green. 

"Where did it come from..?" he wondered.

"You should go ask it what it's doing here...!" he declared.

Mr Red climbed back up the snowdrift

 and from there he could hear voices ....

"Hey !" he called out....

"Who are you talking to...?" he hollered bravely.

"What...?" said Cloude turning to look behind him.

"Oh!" He said..."There you are!

 I was just asking Mr. Gnome If you Little Snowfellas

 were around anywhere!" he added happily!

"Oh, Hi!" said Mr. Red. 

"I didn't recognize you without 

your hat, Mr. Cloude!" he added politely.

"Ah, yes...." said Cloude... "I seem to have lost my hat in the wind....

"I have no idea where it got off to!"

"Maybe you should talk to Mr. Gnome about a Hat...." said Mr. Red helpfully. 

"They are really good at Hats!" he added.

"Ah!....... Mr. Gnome...." said Cloude thoughtfully... 

"What do you know about Hats?" he added.

"Hmmmmph!" declared Mr. Gnome. 

"Hats!" he added cryptically.

"What were you thinking of?"

Cloude paused for a moment, a funny look on his face....

Then.... Poof!!

A tall red hat appeared on his head!

"Whoa!" said Mr. Red, alarmed....

 

 "That is..... red!" he added.

"How does it look....?" asked Cloude.... a little nervously.

(It wasn't as though he tried on new hats every day!) 

"Red, is it?" he added. 

"I'm not sure....." he added.... "Maybe red isn't my color...." he said.

"I was sort of thinking something... 'Cloudy' " he added.

"Hmmmph....!" declared Mr. Gnome.

"Cloudy...?" you say, he added grumpily.

Then.... POOF!

"Ah!!!" said Cloude happily....

 

 

"That feels..... more like Me!" he added.

 

"Well... what do you think....?" he asked Mr. Red.

 "Definitely an improvement...." said Mr. Red cheerfully.

"A little easier on the eyes!" he added quietly.

 Mr Green and Ms. Blue had come to look too.

"I think it makes you look like a 'Gnomeman'....!" said Ms. Blue giggling.

"A 'Gnomeman' ?".... says Cloude thoughtfully....

"Hmmmph!" he added. "I suppose I can go with that!"

"Thanks for the Hat, Mr Gnome!" called Cloude.

"I think it fits me perfectly!" he added cheerfully.

"Hmmph!' declared Mr. Gnome....

"Gnome problem....!" he added 

with a twinkle in his eyes.

Well, Dear Readers, I have taken much of your time

 with little to show with this "Cloude-With an 'e' " Tale.

 It has been snowing more in RL 

and the Cold came with it so nothing is melting.

But that is as January should be in these parts!

And I finally completed "The Christmas Card"!

I know.... 

why do I even bother calling it a "Christmas Card"?

But ready or not.... here it is!

Once again, I apologize for the poor photo...

 it is difficult to get a good photo of the printed card

 which has a slightly glossy surface.

As always it is pen and ink and watercolor on watercolor paper. 

It is drawn full size at 8.5x11 inches 

and features vignettes of my life from the past year.

I know this year's version is a bit "dark".... 

but I wanted to honor the dark time of year....

This is the 41st year in a row that I have drawn a card at Christmas!

And I hope that even your darkest days

 are filled with Illumination!