Category: General Update

Freezing Edge

After nearly a week of beautiful, open window weather, today is a nasty, cold day. Not just cold, but we are currently below freezing. My remaining hyacinths won’t survive the cold snap. It is doubtful the rest of the daffodil’s will either. The one I have left to bloom, the edges will get a bit frost bit at the very least.

I noticed that my single miracle tulip is up and has a bud on it. I have no clue what this freeze will do to it. It will depend on how long it is going to last. Sadly, we are looking at storms and freezing rain and sleet today, so it may get interesting.

I haven’t done a thing lately that could be considered creative. The closest I’ve come is deciding what I’m fixing for dinner and that isn’t even all that creative. I don’t think my brain is willing to focus on much outside of reading at the moment. Even then, I’m doing a reread of one of my favorite series instead of anything new. I think it is tied, at least in part, to information overload, so I’m trying not to take on anything new for a little bit.

Anniversary Celebration – An Unexpected Turn – Last Day!

I started the Kindle ebook give away for An Unexpected Turn on the anniversary of the day I clicked publish. It ends on the day I celebrate another anniversary. 19 years and Hubby and I are still going strong.

It has been an interesting week to try and honor and celebrate both of these milestones, but I’m grateful for the chance to get to do so, even if it is low key. Today, I can say that I published a book and a year later it is still drawing interest and hitting new milestones I never even considered when I hit that publish button. Today, we are all healthy and I get to celebrate another year with an amazing human that helps to make life so much more fun and bright. I’m incredibly grateful for both of those things.

So, if you were considering it and haven’t yet, now is your last chance! As always, please feel free to share it with anyone you may think is interested.

To those of you that have already picked this up! Thank you.

 

 

Open Windows & Peachy Daffodil

It is an absolutely beautiful day today and I get to open my windows for the first time this year. I also managed to get an okay shot of my peach daffodil, though it is really windy, so it isn’t great. It’s good enough for you to see how different it is from the traditional cup center you often see with daffodils.

Peach and White Daffodil
Peach and White Daffodil

This might technically be a double because of the multi layered petals. It sort of reminds me of my dwarf daylilies.

If the day continues to be this gorgeous, I might have to try and take a walk. When I was outside getting these photos, it seemed like everyone that lives here and then some were out doing just that, so I’ll have to see.

I’m hoping for an equally pretty sunset. I’d figured out a perfect place to try and get some amazing shots a while ago, but haven’t had the opportunity to get out and test it out, either because of weather or timing. I might just be able to pull it off if the sky decides to cooperate with me.

Daffodils And A Bear Hunt

I finally have some daffodils blooming. At the moment, I have three different ones, but I think I have a couple more that are trying to pop as well. This one looks to be the most traditional looking one so far. The other two are very different. I’ll try to get some photos later today of those if the sun would ever decide to come out.

There are all kinds of stories going around about various different neighborhoods, groups, or individuals doing things to help entertain their neighbors right now. One of the things that I’d seen was directed more towards little kids. They were calling it a bear hunt. Residents would put some sort of bear (stuffed or other) in a window where it could be seen from the outside. When the kids would go for a walk, they could hunt for the bears in the windows.

My neighborhood decided to do one as we have a lot of grade school age kids that live around here. I’m a huge bear fan and Hubby has gotten me a few really fun ones over the years, so I decided to share the one that would be most easily seen. My giant one. He kind of takes up the whole window (not that is is a huge window).

Bear Hunt - Bear In The Window
Bear Hunt – Bear In The Window

It was just a really simple thing to do and the little kids can have a fun activity that doesn’t require any interaction with other people. I thought it was cute and fun. Now I have a bear hanging out in my window waving at anyone that walks by.

I will say, it is a bit disturbing to see it up there at night. I guess older teenagers and adults can play along and find a way to give it a creepy feel as it looks a little deranged staring out at you in the dark.

 

Just Almost

This one has been sitting at almost open for days. I’m getting impatient. Same goes for my daffodils, though I think at least one might be open today. Sadly it is foggy and misty and on the nasty side, so I’m not sure I’ll get any pictures today.

At some point this week, I WILL get downstairs and finish up my PMC charm I’ve been working on. It seems that lately, before I even have time to think about getting to work on it, 10 other things pop up that I need to do instead. Hopefully the majority of those side things that I didn’t really plan are out of the way. Hopefully.

So Many Changes

Today is our first day of a completely new normal.

Over the weekend, our mayor put our city on a shelter-in-place order, so all non-essential business are shut down. We were already pretty much treating it like that, so it won’t be a massive change for us, though I’ve heard/seen a lot of people complaining or stressing over this order. For us, we are just going to keep doing what we have been and doing our best to not be a part of the problem.

The kids are starting to learn their new routines for their online classes. It is going to be interesting for my kids as they are both so self motivated, they will probably have the week’s worth of assignments done by the first day of the week, depending on how the teacher posts assignments. It is going to be an interesting process for them. I joked with BG that with the online stuff she could get the rest of her high school finished before MC graduates and they could graduate together (not that that is an option, just a statement about how quickly she gets her stuff done).

We also got more information from BG’s dance studio. They have opted to do what they could to shift their classes to online. I’ve got to say, with what I’ve seen so far, I’m absolutely blown away with what they’ve managed to put together. I’ve always liked her studio and how they do things, but this goes so far above and beyond. They could have just as easily said we are just shutting down, but to keep these kids going and to ensure that all the staff at the studio still gets paid, they are doing everything they can to make sure that the “show must go on” while keeping everyone safe at the same time. I’m a little in awe at their dedication and determination.

As part of that, I’ll be working on getting BG a safe space to dance. It is something that I promised her a while ago since trying to dance on our concrete floor in the basement is too slick. She has come close to falling a couple of times in the past. Now, I get to build a makeshift dance floor. I have all the stuff, I just need to get it done, so that is on my project list for today. I’m hoping like crazy that it works like I think it will.

I should have some daffodils to photograph soon. The buds are on and getting bigger, but they aren’t quite open yet. My hyacinths managed to hold on through two freezes over the weekend. We absolutely need some color and beauty right now.

 

Constantly Changing

This time yesterday, our city had only implemented a ban on certain size gatherings with our state having followed not far behind with the same as a suggestion. Within a few hours, that gathering size number had reduced for our city. A few hours later, our city mayor closed schools, restaurants, theaters, and bars and put in place a ban on gatherings larger than 10. The mayor. Our county and state government has not.

Have I mentioned that our city doesn’t have a single confirmed case? There are a few in surrounding counties, so a part of the metro area, but not our city itself. Some of those surrounding counties are following our mayor’s lead. Other cities in our state do have cases, yet they aren’t implementing these measures and our governor isn’t doing anything other than suggesting the earlier limit on gathering sizes (that does not include businesses or schools). A suggestion, not a ban.

I’m thrilled our mayor is being so aggressively proactive. His stance forced our kids’ school to move to an online program after spring break because of the closure even though the district itself isn’t in the city, but part of a cooperative of districts in the area.

We got word this morning that Hubby’s work is moving to a work from home model for all employees that are capable of doing so. Even BG’s dance studio is implementing classes via a video app so they can learn the remainder of their routines. While there is still a very real chance that the recital will end up canceled or, at the very least, postponed, the kids will be ready to go however this pans out.

I am just extremely relieved all the way around. It all looks very different, but life is still going on. I will be utterly heartbroken if recital and MC’s graduation end up canceled, but I would much rather see those things canceled if it means we are flattening the curve and if it keeps anyone from being put at risk.

Beginning To Open

These aren’t quite open, though they are getting so close. I have a couple that are still deep into the new bud phase that will take even longer. It is kind of nice as it will keep something blooming in that front bed for a while.

I got confirmation that the prom that MC was still hoping to go to is getting canceled or postponed and I’m relieved. I hate that he is disappointed, but I’m also glad that this is settled. I can do what I’ve known for a while is the right thing without a lot of extra stress.

Hubby and I have been talking also about whether he is going to choose to work from home after he goes back to work. He had taken the first few days of the kids’ spring break off so we could spend time together as a family. After a few things that happened last week that bothered me, I’m really concerned about him going back into the office.

My concern is that I may be at a higher risk than your average healthy person because of my winter bronchitis. I’m still coughing, so the concept that he could be exposed and bring that home with him is frightening, especially if you have spent any time at all reading some of the stories. I know that I’m nowhere near at risk as some, but I’m still worried.

As of right now, our state hasn’t closed schools, something that I’m really pissed off about. Granted, most of our state is on spring break, but again, this is about a massive lack of leadership from those in the position to make those decisions and their unwillingness to actually take proactive measures to ensure the well being of others.

Talk about one nasty mixed bag of emotions going on right now.

Rain Kissed Crocus

It is cold and rainy today, which made for some phenomenal photos, even if it is more crocus. I would have gotten more, but it was actually still misting and I really wasn’t in the mood to get drenched, so I only got a handful. I WILL have some hyacinths for you soon as they are almost open.

As I’m sure many of you are in a similar situation, my state declared a state of emergency. This is a full day after my city did so on its own, without any guidance from further up the government chain. Sadly, my city is doing a better job of actually trying to make a difference in banning certain number of gatherings (though still probably not enough), whereas my state has only made the declaration to free up funding. They have not imposed any restrictions or canceled schools, leaving it up to local heath departments.

Honestly, I’m frustrated by the whole thing. The people at the top that should be guiding the rest of this country in best practices aren’t doing squat, leaving it to those downhill to clean up the mess, but the people downhill aren’t doing any better.

I do my damnedest to keep anything political off my blog, but this is just too much. Where I live, there are no cases in the immediate area, but a few on some of the outer lying areas with more popping up every day. We are in a perfect position to stop or at least slow down this spread, at least in our area, but the people that should be making the decisions to close down schools or other major centers that are basically petri dishes are passing the buck to someone else.

The kids’ school has a plan in place to go online after spring break, but they aren’t making the decision themselves, waiting for someone to tell them they have to. I get that they may not actually have the authority to make those kinds of decisions at the district level, but someone should be stepping up and making the responsible decision.

I really try not to jump into the panic and hysteria, but this isn’t something that people are going to be able to fix or even improve on at an individual level and those that are at high risk shouldn’t be considered disposable because no one wants to step up and make the probably unpopular move to say we should shut all these things down as best we can.

Can we please just be concerned about our fellow humans for a change?

Beautiful Stripes

I should have some hyacinths to share in the next couple of days. Until then, I’ll bombard you with pretty crocus. Hopefully it will add a little beauty to the chaos that is going on in the world today.

We had to go to the grocery store last night. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it. The parking lot was completely full and that never happens. While the shelves weren’t entirely bare, there were definitely some bare spots and quite a few things on The List provided by the CDC on the recommended types of things to stock up on were really close to being bare.

I was just a little surprised that everyone was at least acting like decent humans and not a bunch of assholes. I didn’t see anyone with a cart full of nothing but one or two things being the sole reason something was wiped out. For the most part, people really were just getting those few extra things for the “just in case” scenario.

It is such a strange thing to see such a massive range in how people are responding to this. You have those that are utterly paranoid and ready to hole up in a bunker in the middle of nowhere with their 10 year stock of supplies, all the way down to those that think the whole thing is just a joke and are more pissed that they don’t have their sports to watch. It really kind of blows my mind. Especially those that really aren’t thinking about this in any serious context and are being stupidly careless.

In my house, we are in a position where we might have to make the decision to massively disappoint MC by canceling a planned trip so he could take his girl of 3 years to her prom. We had already bent over backwards to make this happen before the insanity hit, but now there is an additional personal layer of concern to this in that MCG’s (MC’s girl) household has a potentially at risk member of the family and I refuse to be the cause of someone getting sick.

I plan on talking to MCG’s mom to get her take on it, but after seeing the major changes going on all around just this morning, there is a very high likelihood that the decision will be taken out of our hands. The only reason we haven’t just canceled yet is that both our area and theirs are not currently problem areas and are relatively safe, but we are leaning heavily towards canceling. As much as I hate feeling like I’m taking this incredibly important moment from my son, I also know it is about so much more than whether or not he is disappointed.

It really is past time for people to get their heads out of the clouds and take this more seriously. Wash your hands. If you are sick, stay home. I get that not everyone has this luxury and I really do worry about those people and how they will get through this. There are enough of those that do have this luxury that aren’t taking advantage of it and being reckless in ignoring the advice of those that have the education and background to know how to help slow the spread. Be a part of the solution, not a part of the problem.

Purple Striped Crocus Bud

I didn’t post yesterday because I was doing my best impression of being a zombie.

In an attempt to try and reset my sleep schedule to something that even remotely resembles normal, I got the wild hair to just stay awake the previous night and all day yesterday. I cannot remember the last time I attempted an all nighter like that. Probably back in my early twenties when my body didn’t rebel quiet so easily.

I actually managed to make it to about 8:30 am before my body couldn’t handle it and crashed for about 45 minutes. After that, I was awake until I headed to bed around 11 pm last night. So, in a roughly 36 hour time frame, I only got that 45 minutes of sleep. This on the tail end of getting an average of maybe 4 to 6 hours (at best, but more often 3 to 4) of extremely restless sleep for several weeks.

What’s really messed up? Even after being awake that long, when it came time to go to bed, I was still wide awake and needed to take something to help me actually get to sleep. I’m not sure that the whole adventure actually managed to fix anything.

I did get some solid sleep when I finally fell asleep, though. It’s probably the first full night I’ve gotten in well over a month (if not more, I honestly don’t know anymore). Sadly, I think I’m more tired today than I was yesterday after no sleep. Dang! My poor body and brain is so messed up.

The upside to that? I think I read something like 3 books over that 36 hour period.

Yesterday was also release day for one of my favorite authors and is the other big part of why there was no post yesterday. Because of the no sleep marathon, I was still up when the book dropped into my reading ap. Of course I started it pretty much the second I could and there was going to be no putting it down once I started.

I’m going to need to try and find some more active things to do today to shake the remaining sleepies.

 

Sunny Crocus

I love it when I’ve worked out a plan for a day or even the weekend only to realize at the last minute that, Oops! You have something else to do!

I had planned on getting groceries while BG was at dance today, which is a long one, and leaving open the rest of my day today and tomorrow to try and get caught up on some things. It wasn’t until this morning when I was getting ready that I realized it was a watch day and I’d be at dance with BG and my grocery run would have to be put off until tomorrow.

Seriously… love the old age brain.

While it feels like I’m never going to get all my stuff done that is on a massively long to do list, I actually did make a lot of progress getting things crossed off that list this week. Even with the hiccups and flat tires. I still have a massively long list, but it is now a slightly shorter, massively long list.

And… I have pretty flowers coming up, so that makes everything better.

 

What Suckage Looks Like

One other lovely benefit to living in a area with new construction? Road hazzards. Like nails.

I was waiting on BG after her class last night when one of her friends comes up to me and asks about what car I drive. After confirming, she lets me know I have a flat. This was at almost 9:15 pm. It was not warm outside. I’ve never changed the tire on this car before (wheel locks and a really funky mount for the spare).

Hubby comes to get BG and take her home after I call for roadside assist (thank you car warranties that have yet to run out!!) because she has homework to finish up. He comes back to wait with me and deal with the guy that comes out.

What really should not have taken all that long, really does. The guy doesn’t have his jack with him (shows up in a car and only has a small compressor as any kind of tool), so has to the use the one that came with the car. Apparently it doesn’t raise the car high enough to get the tire off?!

Manages to find a small board to add that extra height and finally gets the tire off. The spare is apparently not fully inflated and his little compressor isn’t doing the job. He manages to get it to a safe enough level to drive on, but not fully inflated.

So after a lovely, extra long night, I finally get home a little after 11pm and still have a ton of crap I need to get done. Today is shot because I now have to go back and get the tire taken care of. Did I mention I was JUST there on Monday for maintenance? The kind where they rotate the tires? Oh, and my indicator on my dash was showing that tire low when I took it in, but apparently they didn’t see this MASSIVE nail in the middle of the tread.

*sigh* I will now be spending my day not in my studio but dealing with suckage. Fun times, people!

Black & White Hyacinth

It isn’t quite as pretty of a day today as yesterday, but at least we are seeing the sun more consistently.

I have another busy day today and it feels like even the days I don’t have a ton of stuff scheduled, something still comes up that needs to get done. While it looks like I have a couple of “free” days that are open this week, I know that by the time they get here, there will be something that decides to fill that space up. And I haven’t even hit the busy point of my year yet. April and May might just get ugly.

I’m realizing that with this new position as a reviewer for Envie!, I’m going to have to make some modifications to how I work my review posts here. Or at least when I write and post them. I’m not sure what will work best yet, but for now, I’ll be writing up the reviews for any books that would be potentials and leaving them as drafts until I’ve decided which one will be submitted for the next issue. Any reviews that wouldn’t work for the magazine will still be posted as I write them, I just have to make sure the one for the magazine gets published there first. This might make things interesting as I work out the kinks for that.

I have yet to cross any of my many upcoming projects off my list yet. I have started on one, but it is taking way longer than I expected to really nail down what I’m doing. I’ll probably have to spend at least a part of my day in my studio trying to finish that up tomorrow.

I’d say I’m looking forward to summer so I could already be done with the chaos, but I really don’t want to miss out on everything tied to that chaos. There is just too many fun and exciting events that come with it.

Last Year’s Rose

I’d say that I’m planning on playing more with the new software today, but I’m starting to accumulate projects that I need to be working on. While my calendar for March isn’t nearly as full or as colorful as April and May, March is when the crazy starts to really seep in and I need to get those projects done before that happens. The projects are all creative in nature and I’ll be sharing those when I get to them.

I’m also struggling to come up with my next submission for the magazine. I’d had plans in place and fingers crossed for a book on my TBR, but it didn’t work out. Now I’m scrambling to find one that will work and I have to work that in along with the projects. I still have time, but I was really hoping that I’d have a whole lot more cushion to that time.

If I don’t get all of that at least planned and organized, time is going to sneak up on me and bite me in the ass and something is going to slip. That means, I’m going to probably going to be busy. I have a feeling that between the upcoming projects and the insanity that is my calendar in the next several months, I might just be a bit of a mess for a while.

Geese On Frozen Pond

Okay, so not my best photo, but thought I’d share. While this pond isn’t currently frozen, the geese seem to be everywhere lately. On the street going to BG’s dance studio, they need to put in crossing signs for them. I’ve had to stop several times in the last couple of weeks because they decided to take over the road. I’m just glad they don’t want to hang out in our yard.

The ballet last night was amazing! I really shouldn’t be surprised as I’ve always loved ballet, but I am. I’d never seen Swan Lake, even in a video, so I really didn’t know what to expect. I have seen certain small pieces here and there that I guess I didn’t connect to Swan Lake or didn’t remember that was where those pieces came from so when I saw those performed on stage last night, I was all excited that I was getting to see it live.

There are certain things that I love to see when it comes to ballet. The really intricate, tight, synchronized choreography of larger groups of dancers that create these stunning effects, especially when you are positioned to see the whole stage from above. There is just something about watching that when the dancers nail those moves to such a degree of perfection that blows my mind. Swan lake had several dances that fell into this category for me and I spent quite a bit of time just sitting in awe.

Having watched BG learning ballet over the years, I’ve learned the names for a lot of what I saw. It was really interesting to see the professionals doing the same moves that BG is learning or has done. When she told me about the black swan at intermission and how she does 32 fouettes at some point, I knew what she was talking about and understood how impressive that truly is. Ballet is meant to look easy and effortless when the reality is that it so isn’t. This was the first professional ballet I’ve seen since she started ballet, so it was an even more incredible experience to see it knowing how insanely hard and technically difficult all those moves really are.

I had to laugh, though. We’d joked before we left that BG would be dancing in her seat when her song came on. Apparently, the piece she is doing for recital is a piece that you hear multiple times (or at least some similar version if not the full piece) throughout the entire ballet. Every time she’d hear it start, she’d look over at me with a grin and do these small hand and head movements that were pared down versions of what she’d be doing in her routine. When she whispered over to me at one point, “This part is my front line” it really drove home how much I loved that she got the opportunity to see and experience this.

Not only did we love the ballet itself, but we both got to dress up and look amazing. Not that it is hard for her at all, she’d look amazing in a sack. It is the first time in forever that I went all out. It felt really good. I’m so glad that we did this and that I didn’t end up missing out.

 

Swan Lake Day: Sorry, No Photo

I don’t have a photo to post today because I’m busy getting ready to go see Swan Lake with my girl. I’ve never seen it before, so I’m so excited to get to experience this with BG.

I’d say I’d have some pictures for you from the ballet, but I have no intention of taking my camera (not that I think it would be allowed anyway) so I can just sit and enjoy. Have a great Sunday!

Brittle Winter Veins

PSA from a whiny, wimpy girl:

Whiny, wimpy girl cannot recommend attempting to repierce your own ears. Especially if you are whiny and wimpy, cannot handle pain (at least in odd areas that aren’t used to feeling pain) and may potentially faint in circumstances like getting your blood drawn.

No. Seriously. Just don’t.

Except, this whiny, wimpy girl is also an idiot and did just that yesterday.

Somehow, at some point, I must have scraped the inside of my earlobe and when I didn’t wear any earrings for an extended period of time, one of my holes closed to the point I couldn’t get an earring in. Over the last several months, after I realized this was an issue, I’ve tried to see if I could manage to get various different earrings in, but was never able to.

Idiot that I am, I really didn’t want to try and go somewhere and spend money to have someone poke that hole back open. I was also pissed that I have all these amazing earrings, many that I’ve made over the years, that I couldn’t wear. With MC’s scholarship ceremony (which was really cool, BTW), the ballet and a whole list of things coming up in the next month or two, I was determined to figure out exactly how closed off it really was.

I grabbed a pair of small studs that I’d be able to leave in for a while. In all my attempts, I’d never gotten the post to go much past the opening. Yesterday, when I tried, I had this immediate “pop” and that sucker was in farther than I’d been able to get it. It didn’t even really hurt much, though there was a little blood, which I was handling decently at the moment. I thought “Awesome! This is going to be easier than I thought!”

There was still some resistance past that point, so I pulled the earring back out, cleaned it up really well, coated it in alcohol and tried again. It would NOT go any farther. I twisted my earlobe to see what the backside was looking like and I could see that there really only was a small layer of skin to get through. No big deal right?

So wrong!

Did I mention I’m a whiny, wimpy baby when it comes to certain pains? And yes, I have been known to pass out getting my blood drawn.

I was now feeling a bit lightheaded after that little bit of blood and the longer it took to finish, the more my stupid brain focused on it and the worse I got. It didn’t help one bit that this tiny piece of skin was stubborn and I think holds about 95% of my entire body’s nerve endings, every single one of them telling my brain “This shit hurts!”

I’m in the bathroom off my kitchen having decided that right before the kids get home was the perfect time to do this. The pain and queasiness got so bad, I felt like I was either going to throw up or pass out, so I had to lay down on the floor. I’m laying there and imagining MC walking in from school and freaking out to find his mom half in and half out of the bathroom on the floor like an unmoving blob, so I forced myself to get back up not wanting to scar the kid for life.

Nothing I did got that paper thin layer to break. Each time I took the earring out to clean it and reposition it, I got queasier. My brain convincing me that breaking through that skin was going to create a gush of blood. I did get a little smarter at that point and started using some ice on the lobe to numb it up, but that only dulled it down a little.

The earring wasn’t doing the trick with a dull post end, so I got a pin and did the same thing. Cue even more pain. And still no break through. I resorted to putting pencil eraser against the back of my earlobe hoping to give it some leverage. This between breaks of me sitting on the toilet lid with my head between my legs trying to get the room to quit spinning while yelling at myself in my head for being an idiot of extreme proportions.

But apparently that didn’t help. I was still a frickin’ idiot. A stubborn and determined one because I WAS going to get to wear my earrings again, dammit! After more ice, a really numb earlobe, MC getting home and laughing is butt off at me then hightailing it to his room so he doesn’t have to see his mother lose her lunch, I manage to get the tip of the pin to finally break through. Yes!

Uh, okay. Nope. The skin is now broken, but it refuses to open up enough to let the post of the earring through. This starts another round of fighting off passing out or puking.

More ice, more wimpiness and lots of whiny whimpering later, I finally manage to get that damn earring all the way through, shockingly, with no more blood. So yes, I did what I set out to do, but damn! That was such a bad idea. I’m so lucky I didn’t actually pass out and crack my head open on the toilet.

It wasn’t until it was all over and I was still fighting of feeling queasy hours later that I realized that part of why it was so frickin’ hard to break through that layer of skin is because it was probably a thin layer of scar tissue.

So, no. I really, REALLY don’t recommend this method. Just go somewhere and have a professional do it. It is over in seconds, not nearly an hour. And if it hurts, you can blame their technique and not your own personal idiocy. But hey! I can now wear all those amazing earrings I have sitting around collecting some tarnish.

 

 

Continuing The Theme

Here is another moody one from the series of photos I got “accidentally”. It fits my mood at the moment. Can you believe that my cough is actually worse after having gone to the doctor? And not in that “it sometimes gets worse before it gets better” kind of way, either. For this reason alone, I’m ready for spring and warmer temps. This crap is… well… crap.

Sunset Geese

It is bitterly cold today. Funny, it is also sunny for the first time in a while. The cold and the bit of snow we got late yesterday caused school to cancel today. The timing is such that it gives my kids a 5 day weekend because there were in service days planned for tomorrow and Monday.

I would say that with the sun, it is a perfect day to get out and get pictures, but we are looking at low single digit temps and sub-zero wind chills (the biggest reason why schools closed). I really don’t like the snow enough to freeze bits of myself right off my body, so I’m just going to sit here in my chair and enjoy the snow on the ground against a sunny, blue sky day through the window while enjoying a nice hot cup of coffee, burrowed under my blankets.

If there wasn’t a breeze, I’d risk it to go play with bubbles, but not only is that wind COLD, it makes it impossible to do bubbles. Almost always seems to work that way. Finally get temps low enough and sun, but it always comes with that wind.

A Pretty Kind of Snow

We are getting another snow. Thankfully, this is one of the pretty ones that is wet and sticky and coats everything it touches. I am hoping that it stays that step or two above freezing until everyone is home safe, though. As of right now, the roads are the only thing the snow isn’t coating.

I think it is supposed to snow even more later, so I hope I get a chance to get out and take pictures tomorrow. I’m not moving today. I always forget how much of a work out it is to kneed fondant and you have to do a ton of that to work in the color. I need to remember to maybe try and add color while I’m mixing the batch in the mixer so I can save my arms and chest. That is so much easier than actually working out those muscles so I don’ fee like an out of shape noodle every time I work with fondant.

Maybe if I go lay in the snow, everything will quit hurting. I may be numb and get frostbite, but at least I won’t hurt!