Here at last.

There has been a scraping sound in Wenatchee for about a week. It's the sound of snow shovels. Finally, the snow is here. And there isn't just a little of it. Out of the blue*, a storm moved in, just as we were getting used to a snowless Winter. It took us all by surprise*, and it has had its usual impact on everything. Our lives have adjusted by becoming slower. You can't rush around if you are walking or driving on snow and ice. You can't afford* to be a little late, because by the time you get to where you planned on going, you will be very, very late. One of my kids told me yesterday, that one of her classmates was late for school because her front and back doors were frozen shut! There are inconveniences everywhere, and you just have to get used to them. On my way to the grocery store, there was a hold up* in the traffic. One car had slid into the snow bank that was in the middle of the road. It was stuck, and sticking out*, right in the way of the traffic. People were looking out of their windows, honking their horns, and generally looking impatient. Finally, a hero turned up to rescue the stranded person. It was a policeman. He walked slowly over to the stranded driver who was desperately spinning his wheels, assessed the situation*, got back in his car, and literally pushed the car out of the way with his police car. It worked; problem solved. One thing about living in this area is that you become more flexible in the Winter. I think you become more understanding. Everyone has things to do; we are all in a hurry, but there is a white obstacle out there, in the streets and driveways, that slows us all down, and sometimes causes accidents. So what does all of this mean? It means we have to be more thoughtful. One of our neighbor's boys cleared the snow from my friend's driveway because she's in her late seventies, and lives alone. You'll often see people snow blow their own driveways and walkways, and then continue on to the neighbor's. I'll be going over to my mother's house today to clear her walkway while she's at work because she's terrified of slipping and falling. To avoid an accident, she wears attachable*, rubber crampons, believe it or not. They keep her stable and safe. Whoever sells those should be making some good money this time of year.

Related vocabulary and expressions: out of the blue, to be taken by surprise, you can't afford to, to stick out.

1. It was a quiet, Spring day, when, out of the blue, a noisy jet screamed through the air, right above my house.

2. I was in a daydream, looking at the flowers, when John came up to me and started talking. He took me completely by surprise.

3. You can't afford to spend your time watching television when you have an exam tomorrow.

4. I cut my leg on a nail that was sticking out of the step.

Something has grown in my mother's kitchen this Winter. It is tall, beautiful, and bright red. If you're in the room, you can't help but * look at it. It's an amaryllis. It was given to her as a Christmas present, and she has been growing it from a bulb since then. They are originally from South Africa, a member of the lily family. As there are no plants growing here in the Winter, it is common to give the gift of an amaryllis bulb in a pretty pot, as a plant to be grown inside the house. Once planted, it will quickly grow tall, and produce a stunning flower. It's the kind of plant that you want to photograph up close. Its stamen are a contrasting yellow, and hold a lot of pollen. It's similar to some of the orchids that my mother has grown through the years; they also have a very fleshy*, waxy feel to them, and have very rich colors. The other day when I visited her, I was reminded that I also have bulbs at home that need to be planted. Actually, in the Autumn, I bought three bags of bulbs, to be planted that season in the garden. Let's just say that I put them 'out of sight'*, and they are still in the bags. They have actually started to sprout, even though they are not in soil. Apparently, even though I missed the season, I can still plant them in pots and keep them in the house where they will slowly grow. Then, in the Spring, I can transplant them outside. It's a bit like the potatoes that I buy for making chips, baked potatoes or mashed potatoes. If don't use them in time, they will have sprouted all sorts of roots and become inedible. Plants are programmed to grow, and they will do it, whether or not we are taking care of them. A friend of mine told me that one year she planted too many zucchini plants (they are also called courgets). They had a car parked next to the vegetable patch that was not used much. Before anyone knew it*, the zucchini vine had grown all over and inside the car! All this talk of plants is making me yearn* for the Spring. First things first though; I need to find those bags of bulbs and get them planted!

Related vocabulary: you can't help but..., fleshy, out of sight, before you know it.

1. You can't help but admire him. Everybody thinks he is brilliant.

2. These apricots are so fleshy. They have a lot of body, and are filling.

3. He didn't really clean the houe. He just put everything away, out of sight, in the cupboard.

4. You'll have a child, and, before you know it, he will have grown, and will be leaving for college.

It's been such a mild Winter. There has been no sign of snow for weeks and weeks, which is very odd. Christmas didn't feel very Christmasy because of it. But there is an up side* to this strange weather. Everyone has been able to go for walks. Normally, when there is so much snow and ice around, you don't see people walking on the street at all. They stay in their cars, nice and warm, if they want to go anywhere. But this year, people are still walking and jogging on the streets. The parks are almost as busy with people as they are in the Spring or Autumn. Walking in the countryside is something that I love to do. It gets the heart pumping, the circulation going*, and clears the mind. So, a couple of days ago, my brother and I went up into the hills that are nearby. We followed a road called Horselake, up to a rough, primitive road, that took us winding up, away from the town. It was a cold day, with mist sitting on the tops of the hills. The grasses and bushes up there were all different hues* of brown, blonde, and pale greens, - very gentle on the eyes. We were hoping to see some wildlife: perhaps a coyote, or a deer. My brother noticed all kinds of foot prints in the mud. Some were definitely those of dogs, but a few looked as though they could have been cougar prints. We do have them in the area; we've even had a couple in town in recent years. Yikes!* I don't like the sound of that! Well, we walked upwards, following a ridge. On one side of it we could see a valley with the Wenatchee river cutting through it, and on the other side, a steep slope down into a ravine*. It was hard work, but worth it. The view was great. We ended up walking down onto the road because from there, we could access some sandstone caves. I had been up this way before, but had never seen the caves. They blend into the side of the hill, so they are very hard to see. We scrambled* down to reach them, and then spent some time exploring. It was fun. It reminded me of rock climbing in England when I was young, though I'm not as brave now as I was then. We crawled up to the biggest ones, and took photos, and looked for signs of animals. The wind and water had carved out fascinating shapes, mini bridges and arches, and little places that would be perfect for small animals. There was evidence of birds staying there: droppings*. After taking photos and having a good look around, we headed back to the car. There was still no sign of coyotes, but, then again, they are very smart animals, and had probably been observing us the whole time.

Related vocabulary: an up side to something, get the circulation going, a hue, yikes.

1. This weather is terribly wet. Mind you, the up side is that the garden is getting plenty of water.

2. That aerobics class is hard. It really gets the circulation in the body going.

3. She painted her whole house in different hues of yellow.

4. Yikes! I wouldn't want to hold that rattlesnake!

There was a special day to celebrate, back in November. A friend of mine was graduating from a nursing program(me) which she had been in for two years. Normally, as a young student, two years of study isn't that much. However, she is in her forties, married, and has two boys, so it was quite a challenge. Mijung, is my very good friend from Korea. We have known eachother for about seven years. Infact, our boys went to the same preschool, and it was there that we met eachother. We got together once after preschool and had lunch while the children played, and our friendship took off* from there. Mijung is both compassionate and intelligent, so I think that she has the right qualities to make an effective nurse. I actually haven't seen her much for the past two years because of her busy schedule*. Knowing how much effort she had put into her studies, and how difficult it had been to maintain a balance between studying full time, and also having a family, I was determined to go to her graduation ceremony to show my support. It took place in the gymnasium of the college that she studied at, here in Wenatchee. By the time I found a parking spot and ran into the building, it was packed with people, and the teachers were giving their speeches. It was warm in the gym. Families, dressed elegantly, were sitting in groups, holding flowers, and looking very proud. There was a surprisingly large number of children running around (girls in pretty dresses, boys in smart suits) unaware of the formality* of the occasion. They must have enjoyed the spacious feel of the room, and the shiny floors. A few mothers got up and told their kids not to roll around on the floor, and they did their best to wipe off their children's now not-so-clean clothes. Finally, the time came to give out the graduation badges. I took off my coat, got out my camera, and squeezed past* a few people so I could see my friend clearly enough to take a good photo. "We will hand out the badges in alphabetical order," announced the speaker. "Oh, great! Mijung's last name begins with 'W'; I'm going to be waiting for a while," I thought to myself. It was a school day, and I had just over an hour before having to pick the kids up. The graduates approached the podium* to say a few words and receive their badges. Most of them were tearful and happy; they thanked their family members for supporting them, and those with children said a big thankyou for everyone's patience. I actually grew impatient, listening to all of the mini-speeches. I didn't want to leave without seeing Mijung. I couldn't quite get to the perfect spot to photograph her: if I moved to the left, a flower arrangement blocked her face. If I moved to the right the podium was in the way. Finally, a little frustrated, I just walked out in front of the first row of seats and started to take pictures. Her name was called. She got up quickly and joined her family at the podium. She hugged her family and everyone applauded. She was one of the few students who received the extra honor of graduating with straight 'A's': Magna cum laude, I think it's called.  During the applause, I managed to catch Mijung's eye, and I waved and blew her a kiss. What an accomplishment! She deserves to feel proud. I'm sure she'll make a positive impact on people who need physical help. It was such a happy moment for so many students. Even the very young children who were running around and sliding on the floor, clapped as if they knew what was going on. I checked my watch, and I was glad that I did, because I only had five minutes left before I had to leave. I fumbled* to get my camera back in the bag, I quickly handed a present for Mijung to her husband, and waved goodbye.

Related vocabulary:to take off, busy schedule, formality, to squeeze (past)

1. The business took off as soon as it opened. It has done really well since then.

2. I have to change my busy schedule; it's too much. I'm so busy that it's not even practical!

3. You must understand the formality of the occasion; the correct dress and etiquette should be used.

4. She squeezed through the crowd to get a better look at the pop singer.

It's that time of year when a lot of people are waiting to go South. Normally, by now, we would have snow, lots of it, and icy roads. This year, however, has been very strange. We experience hard frosts at night, but sunny days. Everyone is talking about how strange the weather is. Children have their winter boots, gloves, and hats at the ready*. At the first sign of snow, they will frantically get dressed, and run outside to play in the glorious white stuff. But, it's just not happening. By now, also, most migrating birds have left to go to either California, Florida, Mexico, or some other sunny destination. But, even some of them are hanging around* the town still, waiting for the snow to come. I was coming out of Walmart the other day, when I saw a cloud of birds swirling around in the sky, 'practicing' moving as a group. They looked playful, and amazingly skilled*. They moved to and fro* effortlessly like hundreds of acrobats working in unison*. As I got closer to my car, I saw that they had settled on a radio tower across the highway. I took out my new camera to zoom in and get a closer look. There were hundreds of them sitting on the metal poles. It was like a chatty, nervous group of people, waiting excitedly for something. I'm not surprised that they were excited. The thought of going somewhere sunny is very appealing right now. Many people I know have already made plans to spend a month or two in Arizona. They are usually retired, and therefore can afford to take off* for a long time. Younger people can usually only go for a couple of weeks because they have to come back and work, of course. Golf or tennis are usually the planned activities for those Winter vacations. And, when the travelers come back, they show off their tans to the rest of us. I'm sure, even though the weather is strange this year, the migrating birds will soon be gone, and our retired family members and friends will have packed their bags and left too. Perhaps a heavy fall of snow will come a month late, so we can enjoy a little more sun for a little longer. Either way, we'll cheer up our long, dark nights with Christmas lights, and stay cozy by the fire.

Related vocabulary: at the ready, to hang around, skilled, to and fro.

1. Water pistols at the ready! The water fight is about to begin!

2. A group of suspicious young men were hanging around our neighborhood last night. We should find out who they were.

3. Look how skilled the potter is! The detail she puts on her ceramics are amazingly fine. She is excellent and exact at what she does.

4. I watched the bird go to and fro from its nest, bringing worms and bugs to feed to its babies.

My morning routine has ups and downs*. First thing in the morning, I find myself rushing around like a frantic woman, trying to get my children up out of bed, and off to school. I'm usually still in my pajamas (pyjamas)* when I drop the kids off, and I drive off quickly before anyone sees me. But, when I get home, I can slow down a little before I start the chores of the day, or run errands. I take my time over my morning coffee, stretch, pet the dogs, check my emails and Facebook, have a bit more coffee, and then plan my day. I was doing that this morning, when there was a knock at the door. A Federal Express delivery man handed me a package, a large box. I had to sign in order to receive it, and then he went on his way. I assumed that the package was for my husband, who buys a lot of cycling and hunting equipment on-line*. However, it was addressed to me! I was instantly awake, and opened the box quickly. The side of the box said 'Greenvale Scottish baby potatoes'. I knew that I hadn't ordered any potatoes; why would I? But the word Scottish gave me a clue as to what was inside, and who it was from. My father lives in Scotland, on the West coast. And, yes, it was from him. Thankfully, the box wasn't full of potatoes, but rather, it was brimming with Christmas presents. I was so surprised! He and his wife had wrapped up all of the gifts in traditional wrapping paper, with colors of red, green, gold, and white. I took them out of the box, and tried to guess what they were. " The children will be so excited to see them under the Christmas tree when they get home," I thought to myself. This is their last week of school, and they are beginning to anticipate# the holidays. I noticed that one of the wrapping papers had one of my favorite English Christmas carols on it: The Holly and the Ivy. The first two lines were visible under the bow. It says: 'The Holly and the ivy, when they are both full grown, of all the trees that are in the wood, the holly bears the crown. And the rising of the sun, and the running of the deer, the playing of the merry organ, sweet singing in the choir.' It really sets the scene for Christmas. I must rush out and send off a package as soon as possible to Scotland. I hope it gets there on time!

Related vocabulary and expressions: ups and downs, pyjamas, on-line, (to anticipate   at Anna From A cup of English on Facebook).

1. We all have ups and downs; sometimes we are positive and energetic, and other times we are the opposite.

2. Pyjamas is the English spelling. Pajamas is the American spelling.

3. I do a lot of my work on-line, which is very convenient. I can even do it in my pyjamas.

Do you ever watch the programs (programmes) on television that show the funniest international advertisements? They generally come out about Christmas time, and provide an hour of side-splitting* entertainment. Advertising is to be scrutinized*. Even my children will comment on whether or not an advertisement is any good. Some are very clever, some are downright* annoying, and some are confusing. I've found that as my children's critical thinking develops, so do their comments about anything in the media. "That advertisement sucks," one of them will say. Obviously 'sucks' is slang for something being awful or of very poor quality. I will ask why it 'sucks', and the answer will be something like, "It's not convincing," or "there's no point to it," or perhaps even, "they're trying to be funny, but they're not." I suppose the whole point of advertising is to catch the attention of the public, and to convince us to buy something. So, everyone should be a critic, and we should use our own brains to decide how good an advertisement is, and if the product is really worth buying. Sometimes the simplest advertisements are the best. I remember a series of Australian beer commercials for Foster's, that were really funny. They were very basic, showing how rugged* Australia is, and then indicating that Foster's beer is also rugged. The commercials used exaggeration to get their message across, and they did a good job. The other day I came across an unusual form of advertising: a large pretzel hanging in a tree. It sounds a little strange, doesn't it? It was outside a bakery, in the town of Leavenworth. Several pretzels were hanging on several trees along the street, and they had obviously come from the bakery which displayed pretzels. I thought that this was a genius idea. I went inside and asked a lady who was arranging cakes if there was a story or tradition around# the pretzel hanging in the tree. "Oh no," she said, "it's just for advertising." It had certainly sparked by interest. Infact, whether they intended it or not, that bakery had established  its own tradition  through advertising.

Related vocabulary and expressions: side-splitting, to scrutinize, downright, rugged (a story/ tradition around  on Facebook at Anna Fromacupofenglish)

1. The comedy night at the local club was side-splittingly funny. When I got home, my stomach and my sides hurt from laughing.

2. My neighbors scrutinize everything that I do: how I park my car, when I mow the lawn, even how often I walk the dog.

3. She is downright lazy! She sits around, watching tv, and expects everyone else to work!

4. The men who live in this area are rugged; they are tough, hard working, and basic.

What kind of characteristics or behavior can get you the title of Student of the Month? What would you imagine them to be? Intelligent? Avid* reader? High scorer? Or, are there other qualities that can get you noticed by teachers and rewarded. It looks as if there are many traits* and behaviors that can get a student both noticed and appreciated. Recently, in my childrens' middle school, there was an awards ceremony for a group of students who had 'stood out'* as community builders. By community, I mean the student body*, and the overall atmosphere that it carries. When I received the letter from the school, that my son Cass, had been nominated by his teachers for a community award, I was intrigued. I assumed that he had done something for the community of Wenatchee, perhaps for a charity. When I asked him what it meant, he told me that he didn't really know. Knowing that the principal would give some kind of speech about the award, I decided to wait and see what he had to say. The ceremony took place at ten in the morning, during school. The students who were nominated were excused from their various classes, and joined the parents in the assembly hall. The principal introduced himself, and then started to talk about what 'community' actually means within the school, and why it is so important. He talked about students having a positive and caring attitude, and being the 'glue' that holds the student community together, and helps to create a generally positive environment. As I listened to what he was saying, I realised that, yes, community is essential in school. If the student environment is safe and friendly, the young people can learn so much more, and feel free to be themselves, and perhaps even enjoy their school days. The last thing that students need is stress, so if the school system rewards community, I suppose it elevates the comfort level of all members. I took lots of photos of Cass and the other students, who had all been nominated by various teachers. They stood on stage in a group, holding their certificates proudly. After the ceremony, there was time for refreshments#, and mingling# with the other families. I read Cass' award which said, "His maturity, friendliness, and willingness to accept all kids makes him a wonderful member of any group." I felt very proud. I have his award on my desk now, and plan to frame it and put it in a place where everyone can see it.

Related vocabulary:avid, traits, to stand out, student body (refreshments, mingling - found on Facebook, at Anna Fromacupofenglish).

1. He is an avid bird watcher; it is his main passion.

2. Characteristics and traits really mean the same thing, though traits can automatically mean physical features.

3. He stood out in the crowd; he was much taller than most people, and was wearing unusually colorful clothes.

4. The student body is putting on a play next week. Every student has his or her own part.

Join me on Facebook at Anna Fromacupofenglish, and find more related vocabulary!

Those of you who have been listening to my podcast for the past three years, will know that I have complained about my camera on quite a few occasions. Though it has been both useful and practical for my podcasts, and small enough to fit in my handbag, I have been frustrated with it most of the time. I've described it as a 'dinosaur' more than once. This is a term we often use for an out-of-date piece of technology, such as a computer, or an old cell phone. Well, my little camera is going to be handed down to one of my kids, recycled you could say, because I've got a new one. It's a Cannon, a birthday present from my husband. And, let me tell you, it was love at first sight!*I actually hadn't spent any time researching the best buy*, nor had I asked anyone for advice on the matter. However, I did have a mental list* of prerequisites*: 1. It should be compact enough to fit in my handbag (I'm more likely# to lose it if I have to carry it in a second bag), 2. It needs to take good quality video so I can get action shots of my children playing sports, and also be able to upload video easily to my app., 3. It needs a powerful focus to pick up small detail very clearly. I'm really into# detail when it comes to photos. You know the kind of photos that show the middle of a tiny flower, with pollen on the stamen, and by comparison the petals look huge; that's the kind that I would like to take. I'm going to experiment with my cannon, and find out just how much detail is possible. Perhaps I can focus in enough on a small flower, to be able to get a tiny bug sitting on a stamen. Or even better: I could shoot the hair on the back of the tiny bug that is sitting on the stamen! Wow, that would almost be ridiculous. Seriously, I would be quite happy with clear, close-up detail. I tried out# my camera the other day when we went for a walk up one of the local hills: Saddlerock. Most of it was a steep climb, but it was a perfect day, and everyone was enthusiastic about the exercise. Though the path was really muddy all the way up, the views of the town and surrounding hills were impressive. We reached the top, and sat down at a rocky outcrop. As the children played with the dogs, and my husband tried to spot deer, I took lots of photos. The ones that I like most from that trip, were those of the rock formations and the lichen. If you see the picture on the blog or the app, you'll be able to make out the cubic, stair-step pattern of the rock, and the different colors of lichen growing on it. Marvelous. I'm hoping to upload some impressive photos from now on. I'm so excited about the camera that I bought another, bigger handbag to make sure that all of my stuff plus my camera, can go everywhere I do. Well, that's my excuse.

Related vocabulary: Love at first sight, the best buy, mental list, prerequisites, (to be likely to, to be into, to try out).

1. Cinderella and the Prince looked at eachother, and it was love at first sight.

2. I got the best buy on this oven; three magazines say it's the best, plus it was on sale.

3. I've a good memory; I can make a mental list of what I need in the supermarket, and I remember everything!

4. The most important prerequisite we are looking for in a store manager is to be personable.

**If you join me on Facebook, at Anna Fromacupofenglish, you can read the last 3 items of related vocabulary.

The tenth of November was a day of great excitement for my son, Hudson. He had been waiting for months for a new video game to be released. Skyrim is a game of battling dragons, strange worlds lost in time, heroes, enemies, and lots of gore*! It was going to be released at midnight, so the very beginning of 11, 11, of 2011. Skyrim is one of a series of games called the Elder Scrolls, made by Bethesda. It's appeal is basically a concoction of everything that teenagers, and some adults, like in a game: knights, weapons, spells, fights, castles, and graphics guided by endless imagination. The music is awesome as well. You could say that it is epic and mythological. I'm actually a huge fan of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, so perhaps my son gets the love of such things from me. Well, it just so happened that all the schools in our area were going to be closed on Friday 12th because of Veterans Day. Perfect timing! Hudson could look forward to not only the whole weekend of playing his game, but Friday as well. However, someone had to go with him to the store, and wait in line. Now, who would that be? I can only think of one person: me. Of course I would do anything for my kids: climb the highest mountain, fight the fiercest dragon (or neighborhood dog), or even jump infront of the school bus if I had to. But lining up at midnight, in freezing weather, outside a video game shop didn't seem as heroic or appealing. But I did it. Infact, I did it twice. You actually had to turn up at ten o'clock and line up to get a ticket with a number on it. Then you had to come back at midnight, line up in numerical order*, hand in your ticket, and get the game. Well, it just so happens that Hudson had fallen asleep at about 9:30, so I had to drive over by myself to make sure that we got a ticket. Now, we did also have the option* of having a normal night's sleep, and just buying the game first thing in the morning* on Friday 11th. But where's the fun in that? This was special, so we had to do it the exciting way. Seeing that Hudson was asleep, I got in the car and drove to the video game store as quickly as possible, too quickly actually, because I forgot my coat. As I parked, I realised that there was already a long line of customers waiting, and they were all bundled up in warm clothes. I looked around the car in a panic, hoping to find an extra coat. There was one, belonging to my eight year old son. I took it and quickly lined up. Time went by really slowly; I stamped my feet and wrapped the small coat around my shoulders, finally squeezing the little hood onto my head. Of course, I looked ridiculous, but I just wanted to stay warm. An hour and a half later, I was handed my ticket: number eighty two. Phew! What a relief! I felt sorry for the other one hundred people behind me, but I was mainly thinking about getting back into my warm car. I drove home, picked up Hudson, and back we went. When we arrived, there were even more people there, still waiting for their tickets. Thankfully, we were able to walk straight into the store and get the Collector's Edition of Skyrim; I even took a photo of the occasion. Mission accomplished. I had proven my love for my son by braving freezing weather, and battling lines of evil customers. Now, it was time to kill some dragons.

Related vocabulary: gore, numerical order, to have the option, first thing in the morning.

1. I dont' like all that gore in the movies. There is far too much blood and guts!

2. We will announce the winners in reverse numerical order, from fourth place to the overall winner.

3. You know, you have the option of flying instead of driving; it's more expensive, but it will save you a lot of time.

4. The best light is early in the day, so we'll get up first thing in the morning and set up the camera.