We drove back up to the ranch on the 24th, planning to spend one night. The forecast for the next day was about an inch of snow, so we didn't anticipate any problem and left the 4WD vehicle home. When we woke up on Christmas morning, there were at least several inches on the ground, and Denver TV was reporting six to ten inches and bad roads. So we stayed an extra night, and enjoyed a day of visiting neighbors and snacking that occasionally evolved into meals.


Mona finally got all her cookies baked. We brought home a tub.


One of the neighbors brought home a new puppy for one of their boys. An eight-week old miniature Australian shepherd, it was the sweetest little dog I ever saw. She was super affectionate, and irresistible to everyone.


I want to take Cinnamon home.




Posing for photos at the mailbox down the long driveway from the house.


As we returned from visiting the neighboring ranches, three deer were munching on some bales of hay stacked near the barn. The two bigger ones scooted across the driveway and leaped over the fence, but a small one stayed behind, munching and looking up with curiosity but no alarm even as we got out of the car and took a few photos.

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We went to a big annual ice show a week or so ago at the Olympic-size ice arena near our house. It was surprisingly polished and spectacular, in a sort of unassuming small-town way. Apparently more than a few world-class skaters grew up in the neighborhood and spent most of their free time there. Some of the performers in their early twenties had been appearing in this show for more than ten years.

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Friend Arlene from California sent us a parcel with giant gingerbread persons for each of us (me, Pat and Mdog).



About half the Snow from the last storm has melted away. The back-porch Buddha has slowly emerged from his odd white cloak.

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Old friend Leon was in town for a visit from the Bay Area for a few days, and we went up to the ranch for an overnight stay. It was nice to see some holiday decorations away from a retail setting, and hermana Mona's were nice and homey.


Clark braves the cold porch to enjoy his coffee and a smoke in the low afternoon sun.


Bad Boy the barn cat and Stretch.


We went with Mona to a neighbor's vacant house to feed her animals, and found this cat in a henhouse nesting box.



When we returned to Fort Collins, I had to work the following morning at the food bank, then drop Leon off at the airport shuttle bus stop. I took Leon in with me to show him where I do my volunteer work, and so the timing would work out with the bus. It was hard to say goodby - I seem to find so much more to say as time runs out, and always find myself wishing I had made better use of the time while he was here.

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We went to an art gallery reception tonight, which wasn't very notable but a nice opportunity to chat with a few people and grab a little snack. We had some time to kill before we went to a band performance at a pub-restaurant near the University, so we wandered around Old Town a bit, window shopping. I enjoy that so much more than the kind of shopping where you actually buy things.



On the way to the pub, we passed a church sporting a big nativity scene with a bunch of shepherds, wise men, angels, and what appeared to be real livestock. and couldn't resist pulling over to check it out. They were a bunch of live animals, including sheep, goats, and genuine cow in the manger. With professional lighting effects, recorded narration and music, and exceptional costuming, it was a pretty impressive production. The only feature that didn't appear authentic was the little baby Jesus, unless the stand-in infant was frozen solid - possible, as temperature hovered in the mid-teens around then.



We moved on to the pub, and enjoyed a rousing final performance by an eclectic local band, Slow Crash. I heard them perform at an art show happening in an outdoor plaza near the museum in Old Town in the fall, and when I heard they were breaking up and a final gig was being offered I put it on the calendar. You have to love a college town away from the big city - cover was $3, local craft beers were $2.50, and I had a two-for-one coupon for food. A $20 evening for the both of us.

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This was the scene in the back yard this morning. The previous snowfall from a few weeks ago had just melted away to nothing, when this one hit. Judging from the amount and the low temperature forecasts, this new snow will be here for a while. Right now, near midnight on Sunday night, it is seven degrees outside.


Here's the front of the house this afternoon. Have shoveled the driveway and sidewalk three times in as many days...


Surprisingly, Mdog seems not to mind the cold temperature on her little footies when we go for our walks...


...but she does seem to appreciate a warm place to nap when we return home.

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This was the view across the street from our house this morning. Fortunately, we finally got our small gas heater installed a couple of days ago. This makes things a lot cozier than running the big forced-air furnace in the basement, especially when you come in from the cold. Operating the furnace requires closing off a bunch of vents in little-used spaces, and there really isn't a place to stand and warm your hands - or posterior. The little heater warms to entire area we hang out in including the kitchen and office area silently and efficiently, without the frequent cycling of the big burner and blower below the floor.



Last night, we went to Old Town to attend a gallery opening. We hesitated to go out because of the icy streets, and I didn't expect a big turnout for our town's customary First Friday gallery walk but when we arrived in Old Townn, it took a while to find a place to park. Even the parking garage was full.

It was a fun opening at the new edgy gallery, and Old Town Square was pretty with all the snowy trees and lights.


Fort Collins bicyclists are a hardy lot. We seen them pedaling around in during snowstorms, occasionally even wearing shorts.


The Old Town Square ice rink is open for the season.

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Pat and I went to a book and author event last night at one of my favorite coffee places in Old Town. The author, John Jenkins, has been writing extensively for over a decade about the Mayan calendar event that occurs at the winter solstice (December 21) 2012. This date marks the end of a 26,000 year cycle, and is accompanied by some distinctive celestial alignment.

Many people speculate about what this date signifies - opinions range from some sort of apocolypse and end of time, to a sort of singularity that marks a quantum evolutionary leap for humanity, and many points between. Google 2012 for a sampling of predictions. One I find the most interesting is that of Timothy Leary contemporary Terrence McKenna, who came up independently with a target of 2012 for momentous happenings.


John Jenkins, adventurer and 2012 scholar. The lady in the foreground shared her opinion with us that in 2012 we would all be reduced to Stone Age living, without the benefit of even pencil and paper, due to the influence of 'Planet X'.

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We had one of those wild skies around sunset yesterday that lights up the landscape with a surreal glow. This is the view down our street.

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