Dinosaur Tracks

Desert Boy got his first pair of snowshoes this Christmas, and yesterday we decided to try them out. The valley is pretty much snowless, so we had to drive up to nearly 7,500 feet in the mountains to find some snow. Unlike our friends and family in other parts of the country, we've been having a snow drought. We want some snow!

The snow was a bit crusty, so there wasn't much give when Desert Boy walked on it. The flip side was that he didn't sink in.

He did quite well for a first time snowshoer, not tripping too much. Of course it helped that most of the time Dad was on one side and Mom on the other.

Stomp, stomp. The tracks didn't come out too great, but we'll try again.

Eventually it was time for Desert Boy to get a ride on the sled. Even dinosaurs get tired.

He didn't want to take his snowshoes off. They look really big when he sits like that!

But eventually his boot fell off. And then he fell out. And then he got cold. And then it was time for the dinosaur to head back down to a lower elevation and warmer weather. It's not easy being a dinosaur!

Playing on Ice

We discovered that although the snow has melted off the meadows near our house, the ditches are still full of ice and snow.

Desert Boy thought the ice was really cool and couldn't wait to go walking on it. Since there's no water running under the ice, we knew it would be safe for him to slide along.

The slippery ice was instant fun.

Desert Boy says, "Follow me!"

He liked it when the ice cracked under him.

You can see how dry everything is--we've had a dry winter so far.

Then we got to a patch of slippery ice and Desert Boy pretended he was an ice skater.

Complete with falling down! It's fun to enjoy the simple things of life.

Exercising Indoors

When we need a break from the winter weather and Desert Boy still has plenty of energy (a common occurrence), we head over to the upper shop. He has his bike over there and that's one spot that has a flat, even floor.

He's recently improved his pedaling quite a bit so he can ride around in circles in the open bay and then around the chopper and balers.

Although turns can still be a little tricky. Hopefully by the time it starts warming up he might be ready to try some of the gravel roads.

Check Out the Birds!

There's still time to be involved in Christmas Bird Counts! Here's a post on Protect Snake Valley about an upcoming one, along with some preliminary results from other area bird counts.

Do you know the bird pictured above? It was a surprise in the South Snake Valley Christmas Bird Count, the first time it had been seen in the winter count. The answer is at the link.

Happy Fifth Day of Christmas

We've had a very enjoyable Christmas in the high desert, with even some snow to make it a white Christmas.

While it might seem like Christmas is done and all that remains of the holiday season is New Year's, there are some old traditions that keep Christmas going. One of these is the Twelve Days of Christmas, which goes from Christmas to Epiphany, January 6, the day recognized as when the Three Wise Men arrived in Bethlehem with gifts for Jesus. In fact, some European cultures celebrate Christmas with family and friends and good food, but do their gift giving on Epiphany.

One tradition my parents had that we've adopted is to open one present a day during the twelve days of Christmas (or until they run out). This allows each gift to be cherished more and for the giver to be remembered for more than a few moments. It also is a great way to teach kids (and parents) to wait. All good things come with time...and recycled presents are still happily opened because part of the fun is unwrapping a surprise!

So we still have quite a few presents under the Christmas tree. Even though Desert Boy is only 2 1/2, he seems to get the idea that he only gets to open one present a day and hasn't bothered the other ones. (Although maybe that will come at a later stage.)

The song the Twelve Days of Christmas may or may not have a secondary meaning, as this excellent article explains. The most common belief about it is that it helped Christians remember some of the important meanings of the church. I can never remember all the words to the song, much less the "hidden" meanings, so here they are:

On the First Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me A Partridge in a Pear Tree (Jesus).

On the Second Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me Two French Hens (Old and New Testaments).

On the Third Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me Three Turtle Doves (Three Theological Virtues: Faith, Hope, and Love).

On the Fourth Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me Four Calling Birds (Four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John).

On the Fifth Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me Five Golden Rings (Five Books of Old Testament known as Torah or Pentateuch: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy).

On the Sixth Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me Six Geese a Laying (Six Days of Creation).

On the Seventh Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me Seven Swans a Swimming (Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit: prophecy, ministry, teaching, exhortation, giving, leading, and compassion).

On the Eighth Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me Eight Maids a Milking (Eight Beatitudes).

On the Ninth Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me Nine Ladies Dancing (Nine Fruit of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control).

On the Tenth Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me Ten Lords a Leaping (The Ten Commandments).

On the Eleventh Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me Eleven Pipers Piping (Eleven Faithful Apostles).

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me Twelve Drummers Drumming (The Twelve Points of Doctrine in the Apostles' Creed.)

You can find more explanations for all of these.

We will likely be taking down some of our Christmas decorations before the Epiphany, but we'll be enjoying the Christmas season until then. Any excuse to have a prolonged celebration is a great idea, right?!