The insurance company wanted pictures of our house, for no known reason, but their wish is our command. Besides it shows how much snow we have on the ground right now.
![frontview Somewhere under that pile of snow are a bunch of sleeping chipmunks](http://mtnmacaw.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/frontview.jpg)
Somewhere under that pile of snow are a bunch of sleeping chipmunks
At least it was a sunny day when Dan took the pictures. The weather has turned a bit and we have cloudy weather today, and snow flakes drifting by the windows. It will go above freezing, though, and this snow should start melting soon.
![rearview View of the back of the house, down by the satellite dishes](http://mtnmacaw.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/rearview.jpg)
View of the back of the house, down by the satellite dishes
The topography drops down fairly steeply on this side of the house, a north facing slope that will hold snow for quite a while. Hard to believe, but I’ve shoveled the path multiple times, and finally gave up. It almost doesn’t look like I ever did anything to clear the path.
![foccacia A successful experiment - foccacia bread made without wheat or gluten](http://mtnmacaw.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/foccacia.jpg)
A successful experiment - foccacia bread made without wheat or gluten
Tomorrow we want to go see some Sandhill Cranes dancing and carrying on, and other migratory waterfowl. I wanted some bread on which to make sandwiches, and decided to try the recipe I found online for foccacia. This is the results of my baking immediately after I took it out of the oven. It has rosemary leaves in the bread, and olive oil, salt, finely diced green peppers, sliced tomatoes, and a few thin slices of onion on one loaf. It is a totally delicious bread, and hopefully will make great sandwiches tomorrow. Dan thought that the tomato should be on the inside of the loaf. I suppose so, but artistically I liked this plan.
I’m also making a pot of black bean chili so that I can put it into a thermos for a warm addition to our lunch tomorrow.
![blackbeanchili Simmering on the stove](http://mtnmacaw.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/blackbeanchili.jpg)
Simmering on the stove
![banana-nut Bananas, pecans, and a sugar/cinnamon topping](http://mtnmacaw.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/banana-nut.jpg)
Bananas, pecans, and a sugar/cinnamon topping
Chili and sandwiches, along with a pot of tea and some banana/nut muffins, should all combine to make for a delicious picnic lunch. The muffins is also a new recipe to try, using mainly brown rice flour, with tapioca flour and cornstarch, plus the usual rest of the ingredients for normal muffins made with wheat. They certainly smelled wonderful baking, and hoping they taste as good.
Yesterday we went for a walk down by the river and saw a returning Western Bluebird. They haven’t made it up the hill to our house, but the first ones are in the neighborhood. It is spring!!! Even though it doesn’t look like it at our house, and the below zero temperatures we had early in the week definitely made it seem like mid winter. We’re glad we went down yesterday since it has been snowing and blowing and generally looking winter-ish all day today. It may be a very cold picnic tomorrow.
Maybe the insurance company wants to insure the level of snow? I’ve never heard of an insurance company wanting the owner to take photos. I do know insurance companies take their own photos of personal residences. Are they afraid of a short drive in snow up a mountain? Hahaha.