Here Comes Winter...

Remember these photos of my deck this summer? We had a canvas cover for shade, with flower baskets hanging down. And green trees in the background. Aaah, summer! It stays light late into the evening, and we enjoy being outdoors until the stars come out.



The photo below is what it looks like now... winter is setting in. We took down the canvas roof because last year the winter storms blew it apart. The flowers are long gone, replaced by hardier ferns, which also will be gone with the first hard freeze. And, no more green trees in the back ground. Winter, to me, is bleak. No more warm evenings with candlelit dinners on the deck. No more sipping wine on the swing. The outdoors is not as inviting any more. We can do those things indoors, but it's not the same. It's dark by dinner time, and I feel like we are hibernating.


There are a few compensations, though. Winter brings bright red berries; holiday decorations with no effort on our part. A bit of color in the bleak landscape of skeletal trees:



Remember the little black feral kittens that live in our back yard?


Well, last weekend we put up the tent that will serve as their winter home. We will cover the floor of the tent with straw, put in blankets and cat beds so they can keep warm. So far, we have had three of them spayed; we hope to have them all spay/neutered by the time winter sets in for real.


Winter is long, dark, and cold... preparations must be made. Those of you who live in warm climates... I hope you realize how lucky you are! Can you see why my fondest wish is to live in Hawaii one day?