First Snow of Winter 2008 !

We had a nice snowfall overnight between Sunday and Monday. Traffic was a snarl because it was below freezing temperatures, following rain and sleet. It created a lot of ice, which led to lots of traffic accidents. Bella and I headed out early for a sled ride in Tugman Park. Wish you all were here to enjoy it with us.

Jannelle and her boyfriend Andrew Mirr will be arriving Wednesday night, to come live with us. They're in for a surprise, as this is the first time I think Jannelle has seen a full blown snow at our home. And, the outlook is good for more between now and the weekend. In fact, we're thinking of having a holiday celebration with a group of friends, which is what happens when the weather is this good (or bad).

Watch the video with Bella and I. We were on our sled, on the street leading to Tugman Park. Made sense to ride down the hill, rather than walk on the slippery slope. We hit the hill 6-8 times at Tugman, and shared our sled with a bunch of different kids. It was great revisiting boyhood and feeling the cold air against my face, watching Bella's response to speed and the thrill of sleighing. She is the major outdoorsy dog. Couldn't have picked a better one.

January 27th Snow Storm, Howell Haus Eugene

We, being JD & Kelley Howell (you know, Howell Haus) couldn't have woken to a greater surprise than a winter snow storm that eventually dropped about 8" in our neighborhood, and who knows how much over the passes. It was heavenly. We took our Pom/Cairn terrier Bella for a walk to Tugman Park, where she obsessed over the snow, snowballs and anything wet or muddy. She is such an outdoorsy dog, which is much to our liking.

Kelley and I started the Master Cleanse detox program on our own yesterday. It ended up costing nearly $200 in organic Meyer's Lemons, organic Maple Syrup, organic Baltic Sea Salt (non-iodized nor processed), and organic Cayenne Pepper. Additionally, we picked up 'Smooth Move' organic, decaf tea as an aide to our cleansing. We planned to do this for ten days, but only managed seven. It did amount to some rested organs, cleaner internals, and lighter selves. We each dropped about ten pounds - and have kept it off.

Here are a few pictures from the snow storm we had that day. The first is three of us on our sidewalk, second is front of our home from street, third is our bamboo straining from snow, fourth is our transplanted Florida birdhouse, fifth is our Christmas Tree shaped Holly Tree next to our junior Douglas Fir.

Please stay in touch, drop us a line and remember you can always reach us by email: jd@howellhaus.com.