Little tiny bit o' snow

Oh, I was hoping for more, but I'm delighted by the pretty pretty trees dusted with snow.
This is what I saw out my bedroom window this morning:

Pretty, right? This was just prior to sunrise, hence the magical, mystical quality to the lighting. Love it.
The best part of the morning was the kids. I didn't tell them there was snow, I just let them discover it. Priceless! They ran from window to window to get the different view, exclaiming to each other. So fun to watch.

I eventually made my way in to work, where it's much more wintery due to the elevation gain.
Fortunately, I had a convenient summer concert-area walk through scheduled this morning, so I snapped a few shots along the way. Hard to imagine summer concerts right now...

 I kind of like the juxtaposition of lions in the snow. They are cozy on their heated rocks.

Enjoy the little bit of magic out there – I know I am!

Elephant Interactions

Oregon Zoo's amazing photographer was able to capture hours of interactions between some of the bulls with the herd of females. He edited it into this gorgeous and mesmerizing video. I keep watching it over and over!

Enjoy.

Fewer Than 40

Wow, I'm 40!
I've been saying I'm 40 for a few years, so the actual number doesn't actually seem so shocking. But I'm pretty sure that achieving this age is supposed to mean that I'm officially grown up. I'm not.
But there is something about 40 {or maybe it's all the master planning meetings we've been having at the zoo} that makes me think more about the future than I ever have before. In the last few weeks, I've been dwelling on what I need to do and who I need to be and what plans I need to make in order to get where I want to be in the next 25 years.
Yes, I am working on a 25 year master plan for myself!

But you know who doesn't have the luxury of 25 years?
Amur leopards.

photo courtesy ALTA, Amur Leopard & Tiger Alliance

© WCS / ISUNR

There are fewer than forty of them left in the wild.
Critically endangered.
Their biggest threat is habitat loss and encroachment of humans.
There is still time to save these gorgeous creatures, however. Even a donation of the price of a latte (why not ten lattes?) would help.

Oregon Zoo's Future For Wildlife Fund supports leopard conservation work in Russia

Here's how to help!
Go here and donate:

follow this link to ALTA to make your donation right now!

I just did this, and it took less than a minute. I chose to donate $40 because it's my fortieth birthday. Can you give $4? Or more? Every little bit helps.

In 25 years, I would love to know that we turned the tide for these animals.

Thank you.

Wordless Wednesday: Penguin Parade!

OK, so MOSTLY wordless...

Craft (as tested by my kids last weekend):

Jesuit High School is putting on a play called, "Nunsense," so of course we needed Nuns Having Fun at the Penguin Parade:

What's a quirky parade without a 6' tall Humboldt penguin?

With the band, our beloved Sneakin' Out:

And of course, the cute little birds themselves, safely paraded and deposited in their new, temporary home: