Day 8 - 345 -- White or Green?

After temperatures rose last evening, wind arrived overnight. This combination helped to melt snow cover. This morning the yard was green again with only small bits of snow remaining from where the plow and I had piled snow earlier this week. Out west, such winds blow from the Rockies and are called Chinooks -- a Cree word for 'snow eater'. Here, people note that fog is a great snow eater. This time the wind took more snow than the rain yesterday and overnight. The long term forecast seems to have small amounts of snow falling on several days. Whether it will stay, we can't tell. So, it could be white or green for Christmas. The odds seem to be for a white one this year. Most years we have a 50:50 chance of snow. I like these odds better than other places I've lived where snow is pretty much a guarantee. <smile> 

I bit the bullet today and put lights on the tree -- other tree decorations will follow. I added a few other deccies to the living room to make the entrance to the house a bit more festive. I seem to have something in each room now, so I could stop now and still see the festive items. All I may add is a bit more tree trimming. We'll see. 

The Google doodle today celebrates pho -- that wonderful Vietnamese noodle soup. This spurred me to make some faux pho for dinner tonight. I haven't done that in years. I think I've missed it. We have no where close that serves southeast Asian dishes. I used live a few blocks from a wonderful place in Saskatoon that I frequented often. I often recall sitting in a noodle shop in Hong Kong where all customers sat at long tables together. We looked at what others were eating before making our choices from the photographs that served as a menu for those who don't read Chinese. It was a fun place filled with business men all with the huge cellular phones from the early 1990s. It was a happening, for sure. Tonight it all felt comforting and tasted wonderful. I did a quick version, hence the 'faux' appellation, rather than simmer stock for a couple of hours. It worked well today. 

We don't know if it will be green or white in two weeks. Today, though, is definitely green. I chose a song that reflects this aspect of the season. This version is from a year ago. The bounciness of the song helps me to smile. Keep safe. Enjoy!

Green Christmas -- Barenaked Ladies