Saturday, December 18, 2010

An Unusual Week

It's been a strange week....I was expecting it to be a very busy week, but I certainly wasn't expecting the kind of weather we had! The college was closed for snow on Monday and Tuesday, then we went in on a snow schedule Wednesday. On Wednesday night we got snow followed by freezing rain, so the college was closed again on Thursday.

Because I'm scheduled to be out of the office Monday and Tuesday next week for Mom's surgery, I waited for the temperature to warm up a bit Thursday morning, then made my way to the office. It was a fairly terrifying commute, to tell the truth. Even though traffic was moving on the interstate, there was ice everywhere! I saw one accident on the way to the office; it appeared that a young lady had lost control on a bridge and swapped ends, hitting the concrete barrier. The state police had just arrived when I came by, and the young lady appeared shaken but not injured, thank goodness.

When I arrived at the office the parking lots and sidewalks hadn't been cleared, so it was a treacherous walk from the car to the building. Luckily I made it without falling (my greatest fear!), and I had a very productive afternoon. I can always get a lot more done when the phone isn't ringing and no one's dropping in with questions.

Yesterday we were open again on a snow schedule. There was still some ice on the streets, but it was much better than Thursday. I woke up with a migraine yesterday morning and was grateful that I had a couple of extra hours for the migraine medication to kick in before I had to go to the office. To be honest I wouldn't have gone to the office if I hadn't been scheduled to be off so much next week. But there was still lots to do, so away I went. Luckily, the meds dulled the headache and I was able to get through the day fairly easily. It was a really busy day, though, and I was very tired when I got home.

I expected to go to bed early, but couldn't settle down. It was after midnight before I could get to sleep, so I'm a bit draggy today. I've got to get up and at it, though. Lots of things to do today.

Mom received her surgical schedule yesterday; she has to be at the hospital at 5:15 a.m. Monday. Even though I'm sorry she'll have to get up so early, I'm glad it's scheduled early that morning so she won't have to be waiting a long time. She's still remarkably calm about it all, just anxious to get it over and done with.

Well, I'd better get up from here and get some things done. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Monday, December 13, 2010

Snow Day!

As I expected might happen, they closed the college today for snow. At the left, you'll see a screen capture I grabbed from a VDOT camera over on I-81, just a couple of miles from my home. It looks unusually nasty, and I'm very grateful that I don't have to be out there today!

As I'm writing this, it's pouring snow outside. Large fluffy flakes, and LOTS of them! The local forecast is a total storm accumulation of 3" to 6", and I think it's going to make it.

So, I intend to spend the day inside, all warm and cozy, watching movies and knitting, checking in occasionally on the internet to see how the storm is progressing.

Sure looks Christmassy out there!

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Snowy Sunday

A rain/snow mix that's been falling all morning just switched to snow. The weather forecast had said it would switch to snow this afternoon, so it looks like things are progressing more swiftly than they'd anticipated. It's shaping up to be a good day to be in the recliner with some knitting.

First, though, I need to finish up wrapping Christmas gifts. It will be a good day for that, wrapping while watching it snow outside. I think I'll put a paper log in the fireplace to really get me in the gift-wrapping mood.

Even though I'm not particularly happy about the prospect of a snow day tomorrow (lots to do before holiday break), I have to admit that I still enjoy watching it snow. It makes me feel snug as a bug in a rug to be in comfy sweats, sipping steaming coffee, and turning wool into warm scarves and mittens.

Okay, time to get up and gather up wrapping paper and such. Have a lovely, restful Sunday afternoon, everyone!

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Snow Watch

A quick entry while taking a break from Saturday morning household chores. There's plenty to do, believe me. It was a fairly rough week at work, so I didn't get much of anything accomplished in the evenings.

Monday was a snow day, and we were on a snow schedule Tuesday, so I spent the rest of the week feverishly trying to catch up. Things aren't looking too great weather-wise this weekend, so Monday may be another snow day! *YIKES*

I normally LOVE snow days, but I have a lot to get done before the college closes for the holiday season. Also, I want to have everything locked down a little earlier than usual because of Mom's scheduled surgery.

Oh well....I'll get it done. I always do.

I woke up unusually early for a Saturday (just before 5:00 am), so I spent some time online and watched a bit of television while waiting for it to get late enough that my neighbors wouldn't slaughter me for doing laundry. *L* I'll get a few more things done, then go visit with Mom and Dad a bit this afternoon. My normal day to visit them is Sunday, but it's supposed to start snowing tomorrow morning. They're predicting 2 to 6 inches here, so I plan to stay in and watch it snow tomorrow!

Well, laundry awaits, so I'd better get up and at it. Have a great weekend, everyone!

Thursday, December 09, 2010

Winter. Bah, Humbug!

It's not even Christmas and I'm already tired of winter! This morning when I left home for the office it was ten degrees outside. TEN. That's the kind of weather that makes you want to get into cozy sweats and crawl into the recliner with an afghan and a mug of steaming coffee and knit the day away!

But, alas, off to the office I went to face a hectic day. There've been more than one of those this week. But at least tomorrow's Friday, right?

Mom finally got the call Tuesday telling her that her surgery is scheduled for December 20. We'll all be very relieved when that's done and over with! She's actually quite calm about it all, just anxious to get it behind her.

My cold is still with me, but improving gradually. I've been battling a headache for a couple of days now that I think is just part of the cold. Sure is getting tiresome, that's for sure. In fact, I think I'll take a dose of Alka Seltzer Cold medicine, get into my flannel jammies, and hit the hay.

This day has been long enough already. *sigh*

Saturday, December 04, 2010

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

It's snowing in my little corner of the world this morning. I'm in the recliner with my netbook in my lap, sipping a cup of delicious coffee with a heaping spoonful of cocoa mix added, having just taken two Alka-Seltzer Cold tablets. *stupid headcold*

It's comforting to be inside, watching the snow falling outside. I have tons of household stuff I SHOULD be doing, but so far have only managed to dress myself (sort of...I'm in cozy sweats), make coffee, and throw a load of laundry in the washer. Maybe I'll be a little more productive after the cold medication kicks in!

Friday, December 03, 2010

Hurry Up and Wait

To those of you who might wonder why I've not given you an update on Mom, it's because we still don't know anything about when she'll have surgery or whether it will be an endovascular repair or open repair. (We're hoping, of course, for endovascular). As it usually goes with anything medical, the waiting is the most frustrating part. Hopefully she'll hear something soon.

So, winter seems to have arrived in my little corner of the world. It's been cold all week with occasional snow flurries. I know that we've been really lucky with the weather here so far this season, but it made me sigh when I heard that one of the school systems in the WCYB viewing area (Avery County, NC) was actually on a snow schedule this morning. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I certainly hope that this winter isn't as rough as LAST winter!

I'll certainly be glad to see the end of the workday today. This has been a long, ugly week. On top of it all, I'm taking a cold. I started feeling a little yucky yesterday, so I'm hoping that I'm already on the 2nd day of my usual 9-day cold. (Three days coming, three days with you, three days going.) Bleah.

Well, lunch break's nearly over, so time to hush griping and get my nose back to the grindstone. Have a great weekend, everyone!