Into the Woods

After the comforts of home for the holidays, it was a beautiful day to get outside and enjoy the fresh, crisp winter air. The climb up the north slope was somewhat precarious, with an icy layer on top of the snow. We carefully stepped around the well tread path and made it just fine. Jasper's legs flopped and slid like a rag baby, so my friends and I carried him most of the way. We stopped at the Christmas tree deep in the forest, where we left our gifts to the animals. A handful of carrots, apples and beautiful bird seed ornaments, made by Ines, from squash rings coated in peanut butter and seeds. There were little hand made beeswax ornaments, a little bell, and pine cones hanging from the tree. It reminded me of the scene in Efner and Tasha Tudor's The Christmas Cat, when the animals in the forest are fed. By the time we reached the tree on the South slope, the sun was bright and happy, and we sipped hot cocoa before the end of the loop. My little camera malfunctioned and I got very few photos but such a lovely hike will surely live in our memories for a long time.

Grandma Karin, Mia and our Collie friend, Stewart

Happy Winter!