This weekend the weather forecast was for snow, and lots of it.  This coincided with our plans to drive an hour and a half to my parent's farm for a Christmas tree cutting party.  So when I heard the forecast was for 4-8" of snow, then later it was upgraded to the 8-12" range, it didn't make me want to stay home.  In fact, it had the opposite effect.  Forecasts like that make me feel hardy, tough, ready to brave the elements.  It doesn't make me any smarter or better prepared, it's not like I ENJOY outside stuff any better, it just makes me want to be OUT in it.  I think this is the exact explanation for why the liquor store is so busy when the forecast is for boatloads of snow or frigid temperatures.  You just want to be out and about because you can.  And with each person you meet on your outing, you'll give each other a knowing nod that says "Hey you, I know you" while you exchange information regarding the forecast, updates, and whether or not you saw any car tracks heading into the ditch.

When we left home at 8:30AM on Saturday it looked like this:

Gloomy, snowy, but no big deal.

By the time we arrived at the farm, it was really coming down and wind was whipping snow pellets right into your face.  It looked like this - and it was only 11:00AM.


We stepped into The Rooster Condo (the little bunkhouse my dad built on one end of his new pole barn) to find warmth, food, friends, family, fun.  We ate snacks, sang a few Christmas carols and had a visit from Santa. 


Sophie was really excited to see Santa.  Her expression was a combination of surprise and excitement and love of beer sticks, all combined.


We bundled up and headed across the farm to the grouping of trees to pick out our tree.  It was really snowing then and the wind (ha! I accidentally typed "wine" there instead of "wind", funny, huh?) had picked up even more.  We followed mom and dad and Martin who were ahead of us in the Ranger.


Once we stepped out of the car and realized that our faces were only moments away from freezing off, I picked the perfect tree quickly.

Here was my criteria: shorter than last year, skinnier than last year, close to the car.  Right now it's still in the garage, but no matter what it looks like when it comes it, we're going to love it.  LOVE IT.


Side note about the side profile: When I went to hug my dad's cousin Lolly she said "My, you're looking very Mitchell."  My dad said "Translation: Big nose."  It's true, but in that crowd, I was in good company. 

We wandered around a bit, trying to enjoy our adventure but it was just dang cold.  Martin's smiling, I'm sure.


Being out there in the fields and the whipping wind reminded me (as usual) of Little House on the Prairie.  Do you remember that episode on Little House where they had such a bad blizzard that Pa had to tie a rope from the house to the barn so that he could find his way when he went to tend to the horses, lest they die?  Well, that's pretty much what I was hoping for out of this weekend storm, but unfortunately I think we only got about 5-6".  So, even though it wasn't a knee-deep pile with drifts as high as my face storm, the new snow still gives us something to do outside other than just be cold.  Now we can be cold and shovel.  Oh yes, and if you're at the farm then you can have a short-lived Little House experience when you go to use the outhouse.  Good view from there:

This photo is tricky, isn't it?  It makes you think it's night even though it was just before lunch.  The snow continued throughout the evening but never amounted to very much.  The flakes turned bigger, the wind died down, and it was very pretty.