Winter on my street – Truckee, CA

I was just thinking about how lucky I am to live in Truckee — it even rhymes, interesting . . . . but that’s another story.  I have a couple of pictures here that will show you my house and my street.  I think that if you look at them long enough, you will hear and see the peacefulness that I am so fortunate to enjoy everyday of my life. 

I notice the quiet most often during the winter on days like this. I have just pulled out of my garage and up the driveway and I look back at my house, through the snow (can you see it?) my little chalet looks so wonderful and inviting.  The inside is modest, it has pine walls and ceilings.  Not too much has changed about it since we bought it back in 1980.  It backs to the Tahoe National Forest, so while I have neighbors to the right and to the left, there is nothing but land, owned by you and me, out back.  On days when the sun is shining and there is a lot of snow, I just strap on my cross country skis or snowshoes and glide on down to the reservoir known as Prosser Lake, 1/2 mile away.  But on days when it is stormy, I can just pick up my book and sit down close to the fire where I look out the window occasionally and appreciate life in the snowy mountains. 

Sometimes I think about what a pain the snow and cold can be.  It costs more to live here because heat is expensive and snow removal is either costly or a lot of work.  Sometimes, especially at the beginning of winter, after the first snowfall, I actually am brought to tears when I think of another 6 months of living with the white stuff.  But today, when things are quiet because the white blanket of snow muffles the noise from the freeway where ski and snowboard visitors are stacking up to return to their hustle-bustle city life, I am grateful.