And The Onslaught...

...continues.  Note the lonely little blue ornament still hanging on the tree...K got outside to take them down but that one was too high so it's still waiting for me to rescue it.

The view out the back door this morning...I miss summer.

It is pretty at night, but I'll trade pretty for warm right now...I'm already tired of shoveling and snow blowing and it's only January.

We've got a spring vacation planned in New Orleans...we'll take the City of New Orleans train from Chicago overnight...

stay in the French Quarter for a few days...

...then fly back home...taking K's daughter and my grandson along...we'll see / hear some authentic N.O. jazz and do the tourist thing in some hopefully warm weather by that time.  I will undoubtedly enjoy the train ride most of all - cue Arlo Guthrie's 1972 hit - but the hotel accommodations should be nice, too...they have a heated pool on the roof of the hotel with a great view of the French Quarter.

Mr. Squirrel and company were foraging this morning:

This was just before a fight broke out over the few remaining peanuts...looked funny, but I suppose it's deadly serious to them...food is in short supply and without it you die a cold, cruel, death.  Need to buy more peanuts...

Later, mcm fans.