Snow and Whiteness

While Dwight, Bill and my dad enjoyed warmer climes last week in Mozambique and Brazil, we in Edmonton got dumped with about 20 centimeters of snow.

Snow presents a few challenges. Unlike rain, it stays where it lands.

And if it's cold out, things can go on like this for quite awhile.

Snow is cold, sticky, and slippery, and in order to carry on with life it has to be shoveled, scraped, and or swept away.

It just so happened that when we got the great snow dump, I had to be at Missions Fest in downtown Edmonton for several days in a row. That meant dressing up for the cold in a heavy winter coat, gloves, scarf, and boots, scraping and sweeping what seemed like a ton of snow off the car, warming the car up so I could drive, then slip sliding my way to the city center along the snowy streets.

Yes, I'm a wimp in winter. But I do agree that snow's whiteness makes it really beautiful... mostly from the warm, dry side of our home's window pane.

Janette Stone (right) in front of the SAM Ministries booth.
She, Patti Green, Carole Argo and I "manned" the booth over the weekend.

When the weekend was over, I left Edmonton for a week in BC with my family.

Leaving Alberta

Arriving in BC

There was some work to attend to as always, but there were good mom-daughter-sister times as well. And of course the view is always so beautiful, even with less white.

It's getting late so I should wrap this post up. Official news updates are on the SAMMinistries website, but I couldn't resist posting a few photos that Heather and others took recently at the annual general meeting in Mozambique.

Since I wasn't able to be there this year, Celestino gave the Health Department report.
What a blessing it is to have capable and hard working co-workers.

At the end of the day, it was group photo time. Judging from this photo, a bit of comic relief was in order after the long day of reports and business discussions. I like it :)

And last but not least, I have to show you the photos I took in the pet store we were in the other day. I love pet stores and always head to the back to admire the puppies and kittens. But this particular store didn't have puppies or kittens. It had fish, lizards, a Ball Python, frogs, tarantulas, and this...

A rat.

I don't get it. They're ugly, plentiful, and one of the greatest pests known to man. Why would I want to buy a rat??

Even the whiteness isn't working right now...


But it definitely helps that he's on the other side of a window pane.


PS: And yes, it is kind of cute how he's all curled up and snuggled in the shavings. But still, ugh.