It has been a ridiculously mild December.   You can see by all the rocks that are showing on the mountains that even high up there is very little snow.

We have had quite a bit of sun, which is a real bonus, but some dull days, and when precipitation has fallen, it has come as rain.  Liquid water started to flow over the ice of the pond.

One morning, we had about a quarter of a centimetre of snow, which was a big enough event to warrant going out and taking pictures.

That night it rained again, but the sky cleared and the temperature dropped a few degrees before morning.  All the raindrops froze onto the bushes.

I had fun playing with the abstracts.

I am a pagan so the important day of this season for me is the Solstice.  Earlier in the fall I cut trees from the side of the road to widen it for the snow plough (should we ever need it!)  I rescued a lodgepole pine, cut the top off, and brought it into the house.  It came with cones attached!

I added my homely decorations.  Because of my limited solar power system, I do not put lights on the tree.  My walls are unfinished inside so are rather bare.

The next morning we had another snow flurry.  It came soon after the sun hit the trees along the McClinchy River.

It cleared again, and I went to the north bluff above the McClinchy to watch the sun go down on the longest night of the year.

It was a fitting display to fare the old year well.

It is always a thrill to know that, with this morning’s sunrise, the days are getting longer.