What happens at the McDowells in the dead of winter?

This has been quite the winter so far. We have been spared the severe storms of the coast and the mid-west, and the east, but we have had cold weather and snow that has just hung on and on. Usually the snow comes, and melts, and then we get more, and then it melts, etc., but this has just hung in there, cold and inconvenient. We are burning more firewood than usual as are many others.

When one lives with 100 acres of woodland there are always more trees falling in the latest big wind and wood heat does seem the only way to go, though on cold mornings the idea of waking to a warm house is pretty tempting.

James began this dulcimer probably 15 or more years ago and got to the point where he needed tuning pegs and it went into "waiting mode." He has now finished it and its song is sweet, and he has begun another. The new dulcimer is more lute shaped or like a tear drop.

We are looking forward to the grand opening of Creston's new library and for it a number of us have been creating altered books. I haven't done this before and I'm not sure I'd do it again but it has been interesting. When I have a picture I'll post it.

It is again time to begin on the this year's Creston and Kootenay Lake Eastshore ArtWalk/ArtDrive and I need to create a good address list from all the "collections." We plan to meet March 1 to fill envelopes and mail out information and entry forms so I need to have that done by then.

I am about to take the plunge back into the shop to clear it out so it is workable and to begin building birhouses again. The hand surgery I had done Sept 21 took longer to heal than the other times but now I am really able to grip things again and shouldn't be a hazzard to myself.

The cats remain themselves. A bit of cabin fever has set in and Skeeter has taken to tearing the leaves off my fiscus and ripping corners off papers with her teeth. She would be most happy spending most of her time outside and even now, snow and all, she is outside a lot. On the other hand, Bandy spends great swaths of his time sleeping and doesn't want to go out and get his feet wet at all!

With the recent story of Goliath, the stray who got himself stuck in a doggy door as he was so big, I saw a sign on the back wall of the SPCA cattery that sums it up pretty well:

"Dogs have Masters.

Cats have Staff."

The staff is still pretty happy 'round here.