White Blankets

Well, on February 19, we finally got our first winter snow! About 3 - 4 inches blanketed Richmond and up the East coast to Northern Virginia.

However, the cold weather didn't visit for long. It is back in the high 40s today and the snow is quickly melting back into the ground.

 Because it has been such a mild winter thus far, not only are the daffodils confused....

 but so is Potter!

On the topic of white blankets, check out our new find for the Red Room from World Market. This is a great, soft throw to protect our antique chair from the kitty-kids (as well as provide them a nice sleeping spot since they practically own the Red Room) until we have the chair reupholstered. 

I'm having trouble deciding on the fabric for the chair. We recently had the ottoman reupholstered in this vibrant red/gold print. I was thinking I'd go with a quieter print or solid in a matching red for the chair, and then add a throw pillow in the red/gold to tie it all together.

 
Or maybe I should go bold and hunt down more of the red/gold print and do the entire chair in the same fabric. 

What do you think?

A Winter Without Snow?

Richmond weather has been a bit unusual this year, with the mildest winter I can remember since moving here 7 years ago. Believe me, I am enjoying the warmer temps and vastly reduced heating oil bills, but it just hasn't felt like winter yet. It's already mid-January and we haven't seen a flake of snow - not even one little puff of cloud-dandruff scratched off from the winter sky's scalp. 

Here's a photo of what our backyard looked like in the snowstorm of March 2009.

A winter without snow is like a birthday party without cake and candles. There is just something about the cake ritual that makes the experience saturate.  I think it's the split-second reflection that occurs as you make a wish and blow out the candles, letting go of the year that's passed (into darkness) and embracing (the light of) the year ahead. 

Speaking of birthdays, I just had another one.  Can you believe we missed the cake and candles this year?  Mom did send me a nice box of cookies, though.  So I guess you could say that I still have a half-sense of unreality regarding my new number.  Had I experienced the ritual of cake and candles this year, however, you would never guess what this cold-fingered, heat-seeker would've wished for. 

Let there be SNOW!