a lovely snow

We got a few inches last night, just enough to look pretty and light enough to be really easy to clear with a broom!  One of my neighbors cleared my sidewalk before I got out there this AM.  Thank you, whoever you are.  I will go out pretty soon and sweep the snow off the car and perhaps shovel a bit from behind it, just to ensure that I can get in and out of my parking place.  Shouldn't be a problem.

I've been trying to get some photos of the snow on the deck and the birds that have gathered out there, where I sprinkled seed.  However, the settings on my camera have gone all weird and I can't seem to get the flash to come on.  A few weeks ago, it was coming on all the time.  I don't recall changing anything, but I guess I did.  I should never have bought this particular digital camera.  I have never been able to figure out how to change the various settings.  It's very frustrating.  Sometimes it works fine, like when I was taking all those photos of the Christmas lights at night at Brookside Gardens.  Now, almost every picture I take is too dark because it won't flash!  As you can perhaps tell, I am not comfortable with any of the various electronic gadgets that have come into use in the past 10 years.  I paid too much money for this darn camera to just junk it, but I am sorely tempted!

Since I last blogged, I have suffered through a really unpleasant cold - three days of constant nose blowing and generally feeling lousy.  I used tissues at the rate of 3 every 5 minutes!  That is pretty much over now and I'm almost back to normal (whatever that is!).  I was at the doctor's yesterday as I had an appointment for a complete physical.  The results are that I am healthy and have no problems, except the acid reflux thing, which I already knew about.  Also, I am not getting enough exercise, which I also already knew.  Guess I'll have to start walking again, even if I don't have a walking partner.  Walking alone is boring, but I think it will be the easiest and the cheapest form of exercise I can do.  However, I don't plan to start until my cold is entirely gone.  Hopefully, I'll have some energy back by the weekend.

I did manage to get one decent photo of the snow. This is the grape holly by the front door.  It's an interesting plant with little yellow blooms on it during the winter and then purple berries in the spring. You can see that we only got a couple of inches of snow.  The snow is really pretty out back on the deck, but it's in the shade and with the flash not functioning, I can't get a decent shot out there.