Breaking Records

Does record snowfall for November mean record snowfall for the entire winter season? Last year was a record low, the year before was near-record high. This year, we have already broken records for November with 53cm(20+in) in nearby Nozawa Onsen Village, and about 30cm (12in) here. (more as you move up to the higher altitude villages.)

The jury is still out, but some of us are praying. The only thing that makes me mad is that I did not buy (or make) my cross-country skis early enough...

The black & white photo below is from our kitchen window, overlooking our pond, our garden, the river, and the shrine on the other side (compare with this). The color photo is from our upstairs den, overlooking the neighbors pond and house.

In other news, Awii and Klee (our birds) are very much pregnant. They have laid eggs before but, upon inspection with a light, we always found the eggs to be unfertilized. This time however, we checked a few days ago and saw signs of chick growth. I don't know what we will do with five chicks (if all five eggs hatch), but we are excited to welcome new family members. Maybe we can give the chicks away to somebody that would love them as much as we do...