Another Christmas has come and gone.  There were many surprises and fun times.  Our newlyweds announced that they have a baby on the way.  Come August we will be grandparents for the seventh time.  I pray that all goes well for mama and baby.  I'm sure our son will be an excellent daddy.  Congratulations to Sam and Cass!

Today we were hit by the storm that dumped tons of snow throughout the west.  It was a blizzard and we still have about 2 inches of snow on the ground.  Tonight it is going to be cold, very cold, like 20 degrees, so all the snow will freeze and get icy.  I had plenty of trouble getting up our hill today.  I don't think I will attempt any travel tomorrow unless it warms up and thaws out. 

The grandkids were at our house most of the day and went out to play in the unusual weather.  They built a tiny snowman and threw snowballs at each other.  Of course, we "older folks"  aren't as thrilled with the cold and wind so we had more fun once we came back inside, started a fire and had some nice hot chocolate. 

The dogs had a great time rough housing and playing just like everyone else.  I'm not so sure the alpacas and the poultry enjoyed it as much. The chickens pretty much stayed inside.  The alpacas stayed in their shelters too.  The wind had the snow coming in at a horizontal slant so the alpacas got snow on their backs in spite of having shelter.  Sometimes I really do wish we had a real barn to put all the critters in when the weather gets nasty.  My gray cat, Loki stayed inside until dinner time and then he went outside.  I hope he comes back in before we go to bed tonight.  Mikie stayed in the barn all day.  He poked his nose out for a little while while I was feeding everyone tonight, but by the time I collected all the eggs and fed all the animals, he was already back inside.  

I saw a new stray cat by the pool yesterday morning.  He/she was big with long jet black fur.  I wonder if it has a home or if it is struggling to stay warm and dry now.Maybe it got in the barn and had a bit to eat before the storm hit.  I try to keep the cat dishes full of food all the time because there are a few strays around.  they keep the rat, mouse, rabbit and snake populations in check.  I read that cats are true carnivores and do not taste sweet stuff.  Dogs are omnivores like people and bears.  No wonder there are so many dogs!  They can survive on anything!  

Tomorrow is the last day of 2010.  I cannot say that I am sorry to see the old year go.  I hope the New Year is better for everyone.  Happy New Year!