Yet Another Snow Day

We're not receiving as much snow as northern Virginia, thank goodness, but we got enough to get a snow day! It's still pouring snow right now, and we have a brisk, really cold wind. Yuck.

Well, at least I don't have to go out. I have a pot of steaming coffee in the Coffee Butler, any critical household drudgery has been done, and I'm soon going to be headed for the recliner with MeggieDog, a lap quilt, my knitting, and an audiobook. All in all a pretty good day. :-)

Stupid Groundhog

Yes, yes I know. I'm usually an animal lover. But, so help me I'm sick and tired of that stupid groundhog seeing his stupid shadow and subjecting us to SIX MORE WEEKS OF STUPID WINTER.

Actually I am completely aware that it's just a tradition and that Punxatawny Phil has nothing to do with how much more winter we're going to have. But it's good to finally have a target at which to direct my frustration with this cold, gray, snowy winter. Our local meteorologist reported last night that we'd had 19.1 inches of snow so far this season, and our season average is 15 inches. And we've got about 2 more months of "season" left. *sigh* (I've actually seen it snow here in April, but that's not normal.)

I'm just so tired of having to be bundled up to go outside. Remember Ralphie's little brother Randy in "A Christmas Story"? "I can't put my ARMS down!" *ROTF* That's how I feel. And I admit to being a little paranoid about icy sidewalks and parking lots. After having surgery in November I figure that the last thing I need is to fall and damage all the good work my surgeon did.

I miss going out onto my deck with MeggieDog, my knitting, and my latest audiobook and knitting happily while Meg patrols the parking lot from her lofty perch. (My deck's on the second floor of the building, so she has a superior view of the creatures below.) Last Sunday, Meg went to the living room door that opens onto the deck and whined pitifully. "I know, Puppy, I want to go out, too."

Stupid groundhog.

Here We Go Again

Another snowstorm....a drier snow than the one on December 18, but a pretty impressive storm all the same. I've not been outside to measure it, but there's probably 5 or 6 inches here, and we're expecting another 2 to 3 inches today. I captured this photo a few minutes ago from a VDOT camera over on the Interstate near where I live. As you can see it's a good day to STAY HOME. Seems a terrible waste of a good snowstorm to have it happen on a Friday night (no snow day possibility with that), but it is beautiful to watch. I would post a photo of the parking lot, but it looks pretty much like the one I posted on December 20. :-)

I should go out and clear the snow from my car, but I think I'll just wait until tomorrow. The snowfall should have stopped by then, and I can just get it all in one trip. Besides....I'd rather just stay inside, sip hot cocoa, knit, and watch it snow. And now it's snowing again....big, fluffy beautiful flakes.

As I said, it's beautiful.....but I surely am looking forward to Spring.

Snow Day.....Again!

You gotta love it. When the temperatures are in the single digits, there's no more welcome sound than my cell phone telling me I have a text message. That's because the only text messages I get are from the automated message system that informs me about schedule changes at the office. (I don't text....I refuse to text....someday in the distant future I may be the last cell phone owner in America to send a text message.)

Sure enough, this morning when I heard my cell phone "bleep bleep" I knew they'd changed our altered schedule from "snow schedule" to "closed".

SNOW DAY!!! I took this photo just after 7:00 this morning from my deck. It was 9 degrees at the time. In the past couple of hours it's warmed up to a balmy 14. It makes me very happy to be able to sit at my home computer and look out at the snow blowing across the parking lot, knowing I don't have to go out there.

I finished knitting my first hat last night. It's just a simple little stockinette cap, but I'm pleased with it all the same since it's the first thing I've knitted that wasn't a scarf.

Mom and Dad had a terrible bout with an upper respiratory "bug"; they were sick for nearly two weeks, but seem to be well now, thank goodness. As for me, I was home sick with a migraine Monday. I'd been having lesser headaches off and on for a couple of weeks, so I knew a bone-crusher was coming. Yesterday I was okay, a little tired like I always am after a migraine, but much, much better. Today I feel great, but that may be partially due to the fact that I'm in sweats and fuzzy slippers. *G*

Okay, enough gloating about the fact I didn't have to go to the office today. I think I'll go pour myself another cup of coffee and put a Dura-Flame log in the fireplace. Seems to me I started knitting a scarf a few days ago that I can work on today. *contented sigh*

Monday Holiday....and SNOW

Yesterday we had ICE....agggggggggggh. I hate being on ice. I was going to visit Mom & Dad, and told them I was going to wait until 12:30 or so to give church traffic time to clear the roads. When I left home, my sidewalk was coated in ice, my car was covered in ice, and 3 cars had been deserted on the hill coming into the apartment complex! Yikes!

I didn't have any problems driving to their house, but there were cars sitting by the road all the way down there. People had apparently just couldn't drive on the ice and parked their cars and walked away. I heard later that there were 30 different accidents on the interstate in our area. I made sure that I was back home before dark; I was afraid the ice would glaze back over after the sun went down.

We were off work today for Martin Luther King Day, so I didn't have to worry about the weather. It snowed off and on all day, though. It was really pretty to watch if you didn't have to be out in it. I did a little housework (VERY little), put a DuraFlame log in the fireplace and crawled into the recliner with Meggie and my knitting needles. I finished up a little scarf I'd started yesterday for myself, then just loafed all afternoon. The photo in this post is the view from my deck this morning. The snow actually got deeper after this.

I received a cellular message a couple of hours ago that we're going to be on a snow schedule tomorrow morning, so I'm going to wait until I get up to wash my hair. They're predicting another couple of inches of snow tonight, so I may get lucky and have a snow day tomorrow. What's better than a 3-day weekend? Why, a 4-day weekend, of course!

A New Year

The sun is coming up as I write this....well, I THINK it's coming up. This morning the skies are gray and a skiff of snow has dusted the grass and sidewalks in my little corner of the world. As I look out on the shiny parking lot (is it wet or is that black ice?), I'm very grateful that I don't have to go to the office today. The temperature is hovering right around freezing, so I'm happy to be at the keyboard in my flannel jammies, hot mug of tea by my side.

I've had a great holiday break so far. I had problems during the first part of the break with my sleep pattern being all out of whack (waking up progressively earlier each day), but I think (I hope) I have that straightened out now. I forced myself to stay awake on New Year's Eve until the ball dropped in Times Square. (It's been AGES since I've been awake past 10:00 on New Year's Eve!) That allowed me to sleep in until 7:00 am New Year's Day. So, last night I was in bed at 10:00, which is normal for me. I was awake this morning at 5:00, which is within 30 minutes of normal for me. I can settle happily for that.

My plans for the day? Nothing spectacular. I have a few little household chores to go through, but I don't plan to do anything much other than watch the latest Netflix arrival. It's going to be a cold, wet day, so I think it's a day to pile up, watch movies, sip tea, read a bit, and burn a DuraFlame log in the fireplace. Ahhhhhhhhhh.

I just heard Meggie go through her "first stretch and shake of the day". I can tell because I hear her ears flap against the side of her head when she shakes. That means she'll be getting off the bed to go have a sip of water and a few crunches of dog food for breakfast. That also means I must get up from here so I can get the bed made before she goes to get back on it. *L* I wish you all a very Happy New Year a day late. :-)

Doing the "Snow Dance"

So, how pathetic am I? I just had a 5-day break (Wednesday - Sunday) for Thanksgiving, worked today, and am hoping VERY hard for a snow day tomorrow! *LOL* Oh well, in my defense, it WAS a tough day at work.

I was a little under the weather the last couple of days I was off...no headache, no tummy troubles, but chills and fever. VERY strange. Yesterday I was very weak. In fact, I had to stop halfway through unloading the dishwasher to rest. Any effort whatsoever caused me to break out in a sweat and feel just awful. I checked my glucose, and it was okay. My blood pressure was fine, too. It must have been viral. I swear, if a virus passes within 100 miles of me, I seem to pick it up! Sure gets tiresome.

At least I was able to go back to work today. I have to admit that I was really happy to see 4:30 roll around this afternoon, though.

I think Meggie must have really missed me today; I'd been at home with her for the past three days and she'd gotten used to having me around. She kept bringing me toys this evening so I'd play. She finally got tired and crawled up into my lap for a nap while I was knitting. Now (not quite 9:00 pm) she's all ready for bed. Actually, that doesn't sound like such a bad idea!

Oh, Goodie, A Snow Day!!

Anyone who knows me (or reads this blog, for that matter) knows how much I enjoy a snow day. As a child, I waited anxiously for that magical announcement on a snowy morning that school was closed for the day. Now, at 54, I still watch for that magical announcement to scroll across the bottom of the television screen.

Yesterday morning, I was happily surprised to see our announcement change from "snow schedule" (2-hour delay) to "CLOSED"!! *YAY!*

Now, what to do with my snow day.....I consider them a gift, not to be wasted. I spent the first part of my day doing household chores. Less to do over the weekend! I called Mom & Dad (currently in Pigeon Forge) to see what kind of weather they were having (cold, but no snow to speak of). They were enjoying a chili bake for lunch. That made me crave one as well, so I made one for my lunch, too.

The afternoon was spent knitting and watching things I'd TiVo'd this week and hadn't watched yet. As I rummaged in my "pantry" kitchen cabinet for canned chili for the chili bake, I ran across some applesauce and apple cider I'd bought some time ago with the intention of making apple butter in the CrockPot. So, I went online to find the recipe that had set off the initial purchase and assembled everything I needed. I put everything in as directed and let it cook all night. This morning I awoke to the heavenly aroma of cinnamon and cloves, all mixed in with freshly-brewed coffee (my coffeemaker has an automatic timer). It was just GLORIOUS!

The apple butter is still cooking, thickening gradually. I hope it turns out well. If it does, I'll make it from time to time just to make the apartment smell like it smells right now.

My plans for today? I want to rearrange my dining area a little. I changed things in there several months ago and have never really liked it, so I'm going to change them again. That should keep me out of mischief for awhile. Then later, I have more knitting to finish up. It's awfully cold outside today (17 degrees as I'm writing this), so there's no incentive to go out. I think I'll get my apple butter finished up, move the dining room around a bit, then throw a DuraFlame in the fireplace and pile up in the recliner with Meggie, my knitting, and the remote control. Ahhhhhhhhhh....gotta love a snowy Saturday!

Snow!

When I woke up this morning and turned on the local TV news, I saw school closing announcements crawling across the bottom of the television screen. Unfortunately, the school where I work wasn't on this list. Oh, well. There's enough snow out there to be pretty, anyway. It's awfully cold, though...25 degrees as I'm writing this. I can do without that!

And to top it all off, yesterday I learned that the Madrigals are going to have to sing a few numbers at a tree lighting ceremony this afternoon. Outside. In the bitter cold. Ho-ho-ho.

Mom and Dad are in Pigeon Forge...sure hope they have better weather there, but I kinda doubt it. I'll bet that Cades Cove is pretty, though.

Better get off here and eat my lunch so I can get back to work on time.

A Good Weekend

It's been a good weekend. I was off Friday and spent the morning running errands (oil change, Wal-Mart, grocery shopping, gas fillup) then after lunch went to Mom and Dad's to visit. The weather was nice Friday....warm enough to be out without a jacket.

Saturday morning, the weather turned seasonally cool and rainy, which made me VERY glad I didn't have to go anywhere. I did a bit of household drudgery, did a little knitting, burned a few movies I'd TiVo'd onto DVDs, and rested. Late that afternoon, Kris and I had a good Skype visit.

This morning (Sunday) I burned a few more DVDs, did a little laundry and made some lo mein soup from a recipe I'd seen on television. (Not bad at all.) I dug around in the Christmas decoration bins enough to find Meggie's reindeer antlers and took her picture to go on this year's Christmas cards. She really, REALLY hates those antlers! She quickly became bored, as you'll see from this photo:

Cute, huh? *LOL* I did manage to get a pretty good photo of her, though, and ordered the cards. After I got all that taken care of, I settled into the recliner, with Meggie and my knitting in my lap, a DuraFlame log in the fireplace, and the remote control by my side. All in all, a perfectly lovely afternoon! I heard there were snow flurries this morning (and more flurries expected early tomorrow morning), but I didn't see them. I love being able to stay inside near the fireplace on a cold, gray day!

Catching Up AGAIN

I've been a delinquent blogger....two MONTHS, for crying out loud. Time gets away from me sometimes, that's for sure. Okay, so what's been going on since September?

Well, MeggieDog and I made our last two camping trips of the season, one four-day trip in September at Grindstone and one six-day trip in October at Hungry Mother State Park. That was the first (and probably last) time I camped at Hungry Mother. Mom and Dad were camping, too, so that was great. We went up on Monday morning and left on Saturday morning. The first part of the week was wonderful; we nearly had the campground (Camp Burson, just outside the actual park) all to ourselves. I don't think there were more than 10 occupied campsites at any time including our two sites. The weather was great, warm for October with cool crisp nights. The fall color was beautiful, and we had a wonderful time walking some of the trails around the lake and across the dam.

Unfortunately, on Friday, campers started coming in bunches! The campground doesn't afford much privacy for tent campers when there are people camped on the neighboring sites. Not only were the campers noisy, but the proximity of the campground to heavily-traveled Route 16 proved to be a problem on Friday night. I was camped (for sake of convenience) near the bathhouse. Well into the wee hours of the morning, traffic would pull off Route 16 so that carloads of people could use the bathroom facilities. Not only was it noisy, but I didn't feel particularly safe. Even though I have a set of walkie-talkies that Mom & Dad & I use while camping (one in the tent, one in their camper), I still felt ill-at-ease. Never again. If something happens that I have to camp there again, I'll be as far away from the road as possible, even if it means having to take a long hike to the bathhouse! I said I was going to try not to grouse too much, though. After all I had 4 great nights and only 1 crappy one. *L*

Good news about gas prices: a couple of months ago, regular gasoline was running $3.999 here. When I left work Friday, the Shell station at Exit 14 had their regular gas priced at $1.999! I don't remember the last time I saw gas less than $2.00 per gallon. It's certainly a welcome relief.

Of course, the Presidential election was last week; I'm relieved it's finally over and hope for a few weeks of no political ads before the next round of campaigning kicks in.

Heidi the Yorkie, owned by my friends Beth, Joey & Amy, is the proud mama of 3 puppies....I've posted a photo on Flickr (link on the right). Last I heard, all was well. They sure are cuties!

I've been doing a little crocheting of small Christmas gifts while watching TV. Nothing fancy. I've also got a couple of knitted gifts that I've started but need to finish. I want to try to get those completed so I'm not in a last-minute rush. You know all about good intentions, right? *L*

We've already had our first "snowfall"; when I woke up on Wednesday, October 29, I found just a small amount of slushy snow on my windshield. But the closer I got to the office the more snow I saw. In fact, there was a brief period of hard blowing snow just a mile away from work. People just a few miles further north said they had a pretty good covering of snow on the ground, but I didn't get that at home. It'll be coming soon enough, I'm sure.

We've had pretty warm temps this past week....low 70s during the day. Some rain moved in Friday evening, though, and things cooled down quite a bit. In fact, it's only 43 degrees outside right now. Cloudy, too. A good day to stay in and be cozy with a cup o' coffee.

Unfortunately, I'm in for another reason today. Meg wasn't well yesterday; it seems to have been something viral. She was awfully sick, but PeptoBismol and canine aspirin seemed to have pulled her through it, thank goodness. Today she's much better, able to walk up and down the hall on her own (she was too weak for that yesterday morning). She lapped up some warm chicken broth a little while ago and seemed to enjoy it. It was great to see her appetite back! I'm awfully tired today (probably from the stress of watching her feel bad as much as anything else), so I'm staying in to rest up for work tomorrow.

I made myself a pot of delicious Columbian coffee earlier, so I'm freshly showered, in my comfy sweats, sipping coffee, and preparing to pile up in the recliner with Meggie beside me, knitting in my lap, and the remote control nearby. It's such a gray day I might even light a DuraFlame log in the fireplace and really treat myself.

First, though, I'm going to check in on my friend Mare's blog and catch up a little on her. :-)

A Snowy Wednesday

I can't believe it!! TWO snow days in the same winter! I just love it!

I actually didn't hold out much hope that this storm would bring us enough snow to close the college today. The weather reports actually looked like the worst of it was going to miss our area.

When I woke up at 5:00 this morning, it was a little snowy, but didn't look like it was going to amount to much. Soon, however, larger flakes set in, and the parking lot turned white quickly. Not long after that, I received a phone call from the "snow chain"....we were on a two-hour delay! *YAY!* I decided that I'd just lounge about for a bit, then do a few household chores before heading to the office.

The snow got a little heavier, and I began to wonder if we just might get lucky. Sure enough, another call came from the snow chain....we were closed for the day! Ohboyohboyohboy!!

I promised myself I wasn't going to do any real work today, and I haven't. Just a couple of loads of laundry, and that's not really work. I hadn't intended to cook at all (I have leftovers I could reheat), but remembered that I had a head of cabbage and a can of corned beef. So, I made corned beef and cabbage. I don't do that often, because it's so crammed with fat and salt, but it was ultimate comfort food on this snowy lovely day. *happy sigh*

I told Daddy during a call earlier today that I'm sure that there's not a school child in the county that's any happier than I am on snow days. I actually get a lot of leave from my job, but there's just something wonderful about an unplanned day off like this one.

SNOW DAY!!

Last night, light snow and sleet moved into the area, leaving us with icy roads and just enough snow to make everything really beautiful. I got a call just after 5:30 this morning from the "snow chain" that was set up at work to notify everyone of schedule changes. We were on a snow schedule! (That's a two-hour delay.)

I'd watched the weather forecasts yesterday anxiously, hoping for enough snow to cause a schedule change today. (They don't happen very often.) I called the next people on the chain I'd been assigned to notify, and made myself a more leisurely breakfast than usual: tea and cream of wheat. I love cream of wheat on a day like this....warm and filling. I usually don't make anything but instant during the workweek, but since I had a couple of extra hours, I made the regular kind.....yummy, but messy!

After I'd put the kitchen back in order, I still had a little more time before I had to get ready for work. I settled into the recliner with Meggie and picked up my crochet hook to pass a little time while watching television. Happily, I received a second call from the snow chain......the college was closed for the day!! *YAY* SNOW DAY!!

Since snow days are so rare, I decided that I'm going to spend this one doing just what I WANT to do. I'd already made my bed, so I threw a load of towels in the washer and did my little "morning chores" list. Now the towels are ready for the dryer....other than folding them when they're dry, I plan to do the following:

1. Put a paper log in the fireplace and light it.
2. Pour myself another cup of hot tea.
3. Put my latest Netflix rental in the DVD player.
4. Pile up in the recliner with MeggieDog, the remote control, and a crochet hook.
5. Doze as necessary.

I hope your day is as good as I plan for mine to be!!

A Trip to the Vet

A snowy cold Saturday was a good excuse to light a fire. *aaaaaaaaaahhhhhh* MeggieDog and I had a rough Friday night. She was limping badly and yelped a bit everytime she moved her left front leg. She'd had a big lump right behind that leg for some time, and I was concerned that the lump had developed into a real problem.

I called the vet's office, and they told me to bring her in this morning at 9:15. Naturally, we spent a fairly sleepless night. By bedtime, she couldn't walk, sit, stand, or lie still comfortably. When the vet saw her this morning, he said that the lump was (thankfully) a lipoma; just a fatty tumor that's not an immediate problem. The pain in her leg was caused by osteoarthritis. So, she's on a course of anti-inflammatories for a few days. *whew*

After I got back from the vet's office, I went to visit Mom and Dad for a bit. We were visiting after lunch when a light snow started. It quickly developed into a fast-falling, fine snow. I came on home earlier than I'd planned and was surprised to find that the road was already covered in several places. I didn't have any problems getting home, though. I just heard a snow plow in the parking lot, so it must still be snowing. Figures. We finally get a measurable snow, and it's on the Saturday of a three-day-weekend for me. *sheesh*

January Slipped Right Past Me

What a month! I went back to work after Christmas break on January 3, and got sick with a dreadful cold on January 4. Daddy had a cold when I went down to visit him and Mom and New Year's Day, so I guess I caught it from him. Mom got sick the day after I did, and we all battled it for the next couple of weeks or so.

I felt pretty bad, but wasn't nearly as sick and Mom and Dad had been with it. I managed to keep it out of my chest, thank goodness, but they both had terrible coughs for an awful long time. I really think Mom might have had pneumonia, but she never did go to the doctor. She really should have, though.

Seems that everyone has had either that really bad cold/bronchitis/pneumonia thing or a stomach virus/flu/generally cruddy thing. I've actually tried to stay out of public places as much as I can, but you can only avoid people so long!

I've been over the cold for some time now, but my energy level still isn't up to par. I come home from work, eat supper, and drop! (One reason my posting has fallen so far behind!)

The good news is that my new assistant at work is a gem. She's bright, quick, and has a natural talent for numbers. I'm grateful that in addition to being good at her work she's also a nice person. I hope she's as happy in the job as I am happy to have her there!

We've had a couple of light snows in January. One was enough to close the college at 11:00 a.m. one fine Tuesday, but we're all hoping for a full Snow Day. It looks like some wintry weather is headed our way tomorrow night, so we're keeping our fingers crossed! :-)

Well, "House" is waiting for me on TiVo, so I think I'll curl up under the covers with MeggieDog and the remote and watch grumpy ol' Greg rip someone up.