The Christmas holiday seemed fractured this year. So many reasons why I struggled a bit. My aunt finally lost her battle with MS after 20+ years of struggle. God keep her cradled in peace!

I had to put my folks' cat down, who had been an off again, on again pet of ours, too, for about twenty-five years.

I began a new job, and then the coup de grace...Wauna (and the rest of the Evergreen State) experienced a humdinger of a wind storm.

I expect the media will call it the "Great windstorm of '06" but it truly wasn't and different than any of the powerful wind storms that we get here every few years here in the PNW. (Why I remember a windstorm so strong that when driving across the Narrows Bridge, the southern facing cables vibrated like guitar strings) I guess its easy to forget when these big evergreen trees our state was named after get stressed, from too little rain, development, disease, they fall down!

What the storm did do was knock our power out for five days, from December 14th to the 19th. Prime cookie-baking and Christmas caroling time. So once we got the power up and running and we thawed out the indoor potted plants (indoor temp registered 40 degrees! Br-r-r!) and moved the 'fridge stuff back indoors, we had 5 days until Christmas. Sigh. And boxing day was spent at the new job.

Not that it wasn't great fun to see family (the ones that didn't escape the weather and go to Hawaii) and have the kids open their gifts, but it all seemed like a media sound bite. Not a true season.

But why complain? I had Daughter #1 take this photo by hanging out the car window just before leaving Waunaville to do errands. It to some degree captures the high tide and low sun and sky that a winter here typifies. I love it! Let it rain, I say. I appreciate the breaks in the weather ever so much more! It reminds me of what is said on this sign I spotted in a window. I hope you can read the inscription. If not, the text is here:

peace. it does not mean to be in a place with no noise, trouble or hard work. it means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.

I'll tip an eggnog to that!