Before the Snow Flew

Before the snow arrived, my Mom and I went to Gray's Nursery to look for a Christmas wreath.  We were greeted by the shop cat, Gracie.  It was a bitterly cold day, and Gracie, being no dummy, was inside the store rather than prowling around the nursery outside.

There was a large selection of Poinsettias. 

And lots of Helebores, also known as Lenten Roses.

A nice selection of wreaths.

Some very cute bird houses.

Several Camellias in full bloom.  I would expect that our single digit temperatures have put an end to that.

Lots of boughs for the do-it-yourselfer.

I'm more of a "Purchaser of Finished Products" myself.

Sometimes simple is the prettiest...

...like these boughs of Juniper - nothing additional needed.  

These cones gave me an idea.  I could find some and spread them with peanut butter and I bet my woodpeckers would go NUTS! 

A wreath with a bow, or without one...that is the question.

For just the right person, ornaments for the tree.

Take what nature has given you, and glitz it up!

I wanted to share a couple of night-time photos of snowy cheer.

Driving around town I spied this snowman.  He is the Gold Medal winning snowman in my book!  He is enormous and perfectly proportioned.  I especially like this traffic cone hat.  In Glasgow, Scotland the statue of the Duke of Wellington often sports a traffic cone hat - this is the Eugene, Oregon version of that! 

A lighted tree in the Park Blocks of downtown Eugene.

We have a lighted garland on our driveway gate and we also lighted this small conifer.  I think it looks even more atmospheric now that it is snow-covered.

A neighbor called me to say that when she got ready to take her feeder in for the evening, she found a hummingbird frozen to the feeder.  She brought it in, and warmed it in her hands.  It revived and she fed it sugar water.  They are such tiny, fragile birds -  I don't really hold much hope that it will survive the night, but I encouraged her to try and see what the morning will bring. Here's hoping! Ironically, after speaking to my neighbor I read an article in the local newspaper that said bird enthusiasts reported hummingbirds' tongues were getting stuck to frozen nectar feeders.