Last year, we had no snow at this time. It all came in early December (and then melted) and between Boxing Day and mid-January.  We have had several small snowfalls this year already.  The difference is that while it has not been cold, it also has not been much above zero so the snow is hanging around.  And just after Christmas, we got about 20cm, which is the average snowfall for the entire month.  These cut up logs will be benches next year.

A dusting of snow on a Douglas Fir……

… and on a Lodgepole pine.  Almost all our trees are one or the other – our land lies in the midst of a climatic/elevation transition zone between 660 and 760 meters above sea level.

We are looking forward to using the cocktail table in the spring.

It has been quite a year for Mizuho and I up here on the mountain.  The house and property will continue to unfold over the next year.  Since Christmas, we have been getting some colder (-5 to -10 at night) and snowier (we now have about 25cm on the ground) weather.  Big White, a sky area 30 minutes from us in the mountains, has over 2 metres of snow.  The heat pump and insulation and sealing have worked great so far – it has cost about $4 to $5 a day to heat the house.  The last bit of good news we got was just before Christmas when they took 130k off the assessment to reflect the work that remains to be done (I figure about 30k in materials, and the rest in labour equivalence).  Looking forward to crossing several things off our list next year, and to slow down and expand our leisure time, and to enjoy the lava lamp and telescope I received for Christmas.  In the interim, we wish you all good things for the new year, and hope to see you somewhere, sometime next year.  D and M and Hime.