The snow arrived before Christmas and still hasn't left. We've had temperatures just above freezing, melting ice and slushy snow — then plummeting thermometers and more snow and freezing slush. We've been content to stay indoors, enjoy the view of a snowy landscape and watch the birds at the feeders outside the kitchen window.

Yesterday, we took down the Christmas decorations and I made a new flower arrangement for the living room using the last of the gold and rust-coloured chrysanthemums that had been in bud when I cut them in late November.