wild and windy

The weather forecast kept changing its mind; the big blue patches on the radar kept changing direction: there was snow in the air; snow on the mountains; snow, it would seem, over Santa Fe - but out here in Eldorado, just a bitter chill wind and racing clouds.  So it's back to the allure of the prayer flags ... and a bell made of bird seed bobbing to and fro, and the sky.  In the final two images - no, I didn't look directly at the sun ... just took a lot of photos by pointing the camera in generally the appropriate direction - a kind of feral focusing that I love experimenting with - as here, sometimes with some good results ...

holiday decorations

... on the fireplace.  The Amaryllis lilies - with the bulbs cased in wax - are from Trader Joe's, and are a horticultural miracle that I don't quite understand - there must be enough moisture inside the bulb to allow them to grow and bloom (and I had some last year, too - and took off the wax after they'd flowered, and have replanted the bulbs again this year - they're shooting green, but unenthusiastically).  The Dancing Cats with their Christmas puddings - a whole long string of them - came from the V & A sometime in the early nineties: I love hanging them up every year, even if they are getting a little battered and creased around some of their paws and tails.

bird watching

LucyFur is happily sitting at the top of the kitty-palace tower in my study, making soft chitty-chitty-chutter sounds at the unsuspecting finches and towhees.  Moth - probably more interested in the bluebirds who are pecking around looking for little insects.  They love it here: so many windows so close to the ground, and to the great outdoors, and bird feeders, and a heated bird bath, to attract the feathery objects of fantasy.

Christmas 2019

I give you one cactus in the icy snow, and our neighbors' peacock themed decorations (I must head out and take a picture of these lit up at night ...)... by the time of our second walk this afternoon, much had melted.  And yes, with turkey to come, we needed two walks ...

snow; prayer flags

At about the time that we thought we'd head into town this evening - maybe the farolitos walk on Canyon Road; certainly out to dinner - the snow began to fall, and since we're twelve miles out of town, wisdom prevailed.  With the temperature hovering around freezing, it's slick road time.  There may be a bit more snow by dawn: I'm certainly not complaining if it's a white Christmas ...

winter dawn

Sometimes - not always, but by all means sometimes - we are very glad when the cats wake us up early, and today was one of those days - a deep bruised red dawn.

ornamental

However much one might impress upon Moth that she is not a piece of holly, a set of strung-together wool baubles, a mistletoe sprig - she nevertheless has taken up her position on the top of a tall bookcase, where we might have thought have putting a rather more seasonal decoration.