Budhist scripture chanting rang loud and long this morning in our alley, and lasted until 3PM.  It was to celebrate the birthday of the Budha, a statue of which was erected by the neighbors at the corner of our alley.  Monk in yellow and nuns in brown were present, so were the neighbors, along the offering tables lining up the alley. Here I am including a short piece of video.

Budhism is the most popular religion in my hometown Shima (Longhai City, Fujian Province). Hundred of temples big and small saturated the whole town, popping up everywhere, in the residential area, side by side with a school, and in small alleys like ours. The temple in our alley is a make-shift one built over the passageway. Paper money and offering were being burnt, giving out a thick smoke.

Our homes in Salem, Oregon and Vancouver Washington were greeted with a light snow today, with temperatures as low as 24 Fahrenheit (-4 Celsius), giving the kids a rare joy to play in the snow.

小巷里，一早传出嘹亮的念经声，直到下午三时才结束。 据说是庆祝小巷里（信众）立的菩萨的生日。家家户户把供桌摆出来，有着黄色袈裟的和尚和着海青大袍的尼姑，也有众多邻居。 请见我这里的一小段录像。

佛教是家乡石码的大教。石码的寺庙据说原来有上百座，遍布在全石码的大街小巷。我们这条小巷的这座菩萨庙，是邻居们因地制宜在小巷的角落凭空在走道上方搭起的。今天的佛事把小巷的一半占了，摆着七八个方桌。浓烟环绕，是信众们在烧纸钱。经声旋绕，钹镲齐鸣，十分热闹。

美国那边的家，包括我们所在的俄勒冈州 Salem市和小儿子家的华盛顿州温哥华市，今天零下三四度，下了小雪。，给了孩子们莫大的欢乐。