Being a Phoenix girl from way back, I’m not a fog fan. Being a Phoenix girl I love a good rainy day, pretty clouds, a gathering storm, but I need my 90% sun. I adjusted considerably to the seemingly endless days of rain, mist, and constant dampness during my days in the Pacific Northwest; I didn’t like it but I adjusted. I don’t live in the Pacific Northwest anymore, I left there for a reason 🙂 When I first moved here Northwest Montana had fog in November but it was limited, we just had to serve our time but the end was always in sight. I think those days are over. I’ve heard of years when hoarfrost built up so thick it broke branches and power lines with the weight and those days seem to be gone, too. Good riddance 😉 We used to have the occasional day of freezing fog that made pretty lace hoarfrost on the remains of summer’s tattered spider webs, grew rows of prickles up and down my deck posts, and made crystal flowers bloom on my stack of firewood. Those days are becoming more and more common. Once in a while, the gray, smothering days leave drapes of pretty spiked frost that shatter into shards of weightless glass if you blow on them, unless they fall down the back of your coat when you carelessly brush pass a branch, then they are cold, cold, cold – like this latest go round. We’ve had seven days of thick fog. No sun, not the stirring of a single branch or needle. As a meager tradeoff we have an exquisite buildup of hoarfrost. My friend, Cindy, and I decided we’d better start fighting back, beat the winters blahs and cabin fever and go for a little stroll. We took the kids down to the lake, walked gingerly around the patches of ice and enjoyed the dogs slipping and sliding and plowing through old, crusty snow. Then back to my place for coffee and cookies. I love having company and sharing my fun dishes. Coop and Sara politely tolerated Buster coming to visit. Sara didn’t appreciate Buster playing with her toys, even though she hasn’t played with them in years, but the afternoon was a success. The dogs enjoyed some rambunctious exercise and Cindy and I shared stories and laughs. And miracle of miracles, there was no sign of fog this morning, just brilliant sun. The Phoenix girl soaked it up and the Montana girl dressed accordingly for the clear frigid air. Both sides of me hope for lots more of the same!!!