It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas...

....Outside at least. Inside we're still pretending it's October!

We have 4 1/2 inches of wet, heavy snow on the ground.

(Here's the snow sticking to the top of our patio table umbrella.)

I'm definately not ready for this!

Yet, I keep thinking it could be worse.

We could have lost a chunk of a garden that is a main source of food for us. We didn't.
We could not have winter clothes, coats, snowpants or hats or have to make all these things by hand. We have all those things.
We could have no money to buy boots or mittens or have ot make these by hand. We do have the money and a store to buy them at - it just takes some wiggling of the budget.
We could have to carefully ration our fuel to stay warm. We don't.
We could live in an area that is inaccessable from the outside during winter. We don't.
We could not have access to police and fire protection and medical care during bad weather (or for other reasons). We have access to all three no matter what the weather.

I'm grateful we live now.
I'm grateful for grocery stores and clothing stores.
I'm grateful we have the good income that we do, even though it's tight sometimes.
I'm grateful for plenty of fuel and a home that stays nice and warm with hot and cold running water.
I'm grateful that we can complain about the snow as an annoyance rather than something that will become a matter of life and death.
I'm grateful that I can think it looks lovely even though it's snow in October.
I'm grateful that I can stay inside with my mountain of school reading, hot tea and candles rather than having a job that puts me outside in this muck.

So much to be grateful for.

What more could I want?