Oh Goodie! More snow.....

Last night coming home was a bit on the treacherous side due to MORE snow coming down. Its STILL snowing today; they say we could get 7 inches of the glorious stuff. This guy spun out and nearly lost control as he pulled out of a gas station in front of me on a slippery highway. There was absolutely NO traffic behind me and he could have waited for just 10 seconds and pulled out without nearly causing an accident but he didn't. I can't help but wonder what type of mentality a person like this has. I don't understand it and I will never understand it. And....after he got in front of me, he slowed way down and drove super slow, making me have to go around him rather than alter my speed just for him. I imagine him almost losing control may have scared him a little. I hope so.

Isn't it funny how we all get into our regular little routines and if we have to omit one or more, it seems like the rest of the day is just.....off. Whether we like to admit it or not, we all are creatures of habit. I'm at the age now where I am pretty set in my ways and I don't like change. I have the pillows on the couch set up in such a way that it supports my back and neck and I can snuggle down with an afghan to watch TV or read in ultimate comfort. When my one granddaughter comes over she likes to take all the pillows and make a tower out of them. She does this very methodically, humming while she's arranging. I get a kick out of watching her and wondering what little story she is playing out in her head, but at the same time I really don't like her messing with my little setup. I haven't said anything to her and I won't in the future either. I just put them all back after she's gone home.

One time when she was here she took every single tube of lipstick I had in the bathroom and put them in a little basket, which then went into her dollhouse in the den. At the same time, she also took the hand mirror out of the bathroom. I didn't notice this until I was getting ready for work the next morning. I didn't have time to search for these items, so I got ready as much as I could, grumbling and mumbling the whole time. I use the mirror to fix the back of my hair but had to resort to using my compact mirror which just doesn't work as well. I went off to work with no lipstick on until I remembered I had one in my purse. I eventually found it and completed my 'paint job' at my desk.

I've been getting a lot of phone calls from charities lately....wanting more money. You would think that they would be smart enough to realize that January is NOT a good time to be asking the average person for money. Most people have Christmas bills catching up to them, plus property taxes are due in February. And usually the calls come in right around the time people would be eating supper. This makes me angry....I don't know about you. I've already written off two charities because of them bothering me so much for money. I give what I can, when I can and don't like to be pestered. I know....I know....there are a lot of people hurting and these charities do help them.....but at the same time they need to realize that its tough for everyone now. I always feel so effin' guilty when I say no to a charity that I give to when I have it to give.

And speaking of that. You know the mail you get from certain charities wanting money and they have either a nickel or a dime pasted inside the envelope? What's up with that? That really makes me mad because they are giving away money that could be used to help. Nickels and dimes really add up. I make it a point to never donate to charities that do something as stupid as that. They need to re-think their strategies.

And while I'm on the subject.....ever since I joined Green Dimes, my junk mail has been reduced 90% and I honestly mean that! What a great organization! Check it out and don't be afraid to use them. For a one-time small fee ($20), they will do wonders for you, not to mention they will plant 5 trees in your name.

Well friends.....I'm off like a prom dress. I have some serious reading to catch up on. Be well.

I'm sure I've mentioned how I feel about this.....

This picture is of two deer walking in deep snow, but I post it here so you can see how my DOG looks walking in this stuff. She's a rat terrier, all white with a black and brown head. All I can see is her head when she goes outside. She leaps through the snow. I actually thinks she likes it.....in moderation.

This morning at 8 a.m. I get out of a nice warm bed and let her outside. The weather has changed somewhat. Now its very windy, making the wind chill plummet to only 8 BELOW zero. Brrrrrr.

I let her outside....her usual time out there is about 10 minutes. She doesn't have a big fur coat to keep her warm. I have to tether her out on a 50 foot nylon leash because she will chase the squirrels to the next county if necessary....fences are no obstacle either; she just leaps over them. Since it was so awfully cold, I cut her time outside in half. When I went to the door, she wasn't there, which is highly unusual. I called her and I didn't see her running anywhere. I grabbed the one end of the leash that's tied to the deck and started pulling on it. I only pulled a little bit, then it tightened up and I couldn't pull it any further. Its hidden underneath so many inches of snow that I can't even see which way the leash has gone or what it's tangled around.

I can't begin to tell you how scared I was. I know in this type of weather a little dog like that can freeze in minutes. I had to rush and get dressed, get boots on, my coat. Of course, I couldn't find my gloves. I only have 1900 pair of them around here but couldn't find a single one. So I had to go without them.

Something told me to go outside the back breezeway door instead of out on the deck. When I went out that door and started calling her, I saw the problem right away. She was underneath the deck. She had come in from the other side, probably chasing a squirrel or maybe a rabbit and the leash only let her go so far and she was trying desperately to get out of the other side of the deck but, of course, could not. Most dogs can't seem to figure this kind of thing out for themselves, unfortunately. So I had to walk in snow that was knee deep to around to the other side of the deck and get her to come out the same way she went in. Once she came to me, then I had to carry her back around the deck and to the back door.....thank goodness she was ok. As for me, I was scared. I kept thinking that if I fell back there in my yard and couldn't get up for some reason, no one would know where I was. The snow would eventually cover me up. Wow...it sure gives you something to think about and a high respect for nature and its power.

So, I'm going to think of a different plan on letting her outside in this deep stuff. I don't want a repeat of this ever again!

Did I ever mention how much I dislike this white stuff? Our weather is so strange. We have all this snow, the wind chill is now about 15 below zero with winds gusting to 40 mph and they are predicting freezing rain on Wednesday. In the meantime, I hope you all are warm and comfy wherever you are and if I don't get back before Christmas......have a very merry one surrounded by your loved ones. Stay safe and don't forget the reason for the season!

How many ways can you fix turkey.....

I had to work Wednesday, much to my dismay, but when I got home my daughter and family were here and we soon were well on our way to prepping and baking for the big day. It had been snowing most of the day....a wet, heavy snow...which is just perfect to make a snowman or snowoman. I guess you could call this a picture book Thanksgiving in just about every way, including the weather.

My family did not leave until Sunday and by then I was beginning to get a bit cranky. I'm so used to being alone that a house hopping with noise, laughter, a 6 yr. old running from room to room, games and TV going was a little much for me....not to mention my dog. She hid under the bed frequently but the fragrance of food kept luring her out so she had that "deer caught in the headlights" look on her face a lot. The kids did go outside and make a snowoman, complete with an old hat of my mom's on her head. They gave her blue bottle cap eyes and a red bottle cap smile. A piece of celery made a perfect nose. Its interesting to note that the birds would come down and "steal" the bottle caps, only to be disappointed. I suspect they were hoping for berries. They never touched the celery nose. Note the svelte figure of our snowoman....she apparently stayed away from the Thanksgiving table.

My granddaughter lost her front tooth while here and we had to put it under armed guard to make sure it didn't get lost before she could get home to leave it under HER pillow for the tooth fairy assigned to HER house to come get it and leave her a reward. Do you know that the going rate seems to be $5 a tooth now? She had gotten the official word from the kids at school who had already been through this. Heaven forbid HER fairy leave her something less!! We assured her that her fairy was a union member and up on the latest trends and not to worry. She must have checked on that tooth, securely wrapped in a plastic sandwich bag, 200 times while she was here.

By today our official snowfall topped off at somewhere between 8 and 9 inches. I don't remember getting so much snow this early in the winter season. It should make the ski resorts happy. Monday morning the roads were nearly impassable. I traded my working days so I wouldn't have to drive in it. I was so grateful to crawl back into bed early Monday morning and snuggle down under the comforter. Monday evening rush hour wasn't much better and I was, again, grateful to be home....warm and comfy with PLENTY of leftovers to eat. I'm just about fed up with turkey for a while at this point. I think I'm growing tail feathers.

I don't know how many of you ventured out for Black Friday to do some shopping. I know of several of my co-workers who look forward to this event every year. I am NOT one of those brave souls. This year I was informed of CYBER MONDAY, which is online shopping with wonderful deals at a lot of stores. I took advantage of that while sipping coffee in my jammies and I can tell you that my Christmas shopping is done except for the secret Santa gift that I will have to buy for work. Everything I bought was at a reduced price with free shipping. Some of the items were more than 50% off. I am, indeed, a happy shopper. We are not buying for the adults, only the kids....so my shopping list is not too long...but its nice to know that its done. I will have to work a lot of days this month so it works out nicely. Well, its getting late and I'm rambling. I simply MUST get around to all of your blogs so I'm leaving now. I hope your evening is wonderful and if you live in snow country....be careful out there!

Winter BLAHS and phones.....

How I wish I could say that I had stuffed my ample self into a bikini and was basking in the warmth of the Cancun sun, being served exotic drinks by a cabana boy that would ultimately be the subject of several stimulating day dreams…..but, unfortunately, I can’t. Truthfully, I am suffering from a severe case of the winter BLAHS. I can hardly stand myself, let alone expose others to me. I am just SO SICK OF SNOW. As I write this we have been issued yet another winter snow advisory…3 more inches of the nasty stuff.

In the meantime…trying to distract myself….I was thinking about changes that happen in our lives and they take place so smoothly that we come to accept them without much thought. I know that there are many of them, but I was thinking specifically about pay phones. How long has it been since you’ve used one of those? Matter of fact…how long has it been since you’ve SEEN one of those? They are getting harder and harder to find. Everyone has cell phones now or pretty quick access to one anyway. I can’t BELIEVE how many cell phones are out there, generating so many new phone numbers. Every time I see a teenager, they have an appendage hanging from their ear or one clipped onto it and they are engaged in a conversation. And WHAT is this text messaging bit…it takes a lot of time to type out a message, why not just CALL the person. I just DON’T understand this. A lot of businesses and doctor’s offices now have signs at their service counters asking people if they would please not talk on their cell phone while conducting business. That seems like a no-brainer to me…but some people are a tad slow on the uptake. I personally know people who have 6 cell phones in their family. Children who are 10 years old are walking around with cell phones. Its nice to be able to contact your child no matter where they are, but its also unnerving to think that they may SAY they are at home, when maybe they aren’t at all and you have no way of knowing. So, while we are at work, we definitely have to really put trust in our children. I have a cell phone but I rarely use it. I keep it with me for emergencies and for weekend long distance calls to family. I have friends that say cell phones are cheaper than regular landline phones and they have changed their service accordingly. Anyway, this was just a thought bouncing around in my head…wondering if pay phones will soon totally disappear and if not, how much it will soon cost to make a call…I’m betting on fifty cents. (if it isn’t that already) A quarter doesn’t go very far anymore. Ever drive into the QUARTER car wash…HA, that’s a laugh. You’ll get about 1 gallon of water for that. LOL

So, have a wonderful evening. I’m going back to my book in hopes it will bring me out of these winter doldrums. Sigh ~

Snow plow manners.....

With all the snow we’ve had, its been a good year for the plowing companies not to mention all the people who love to play with their snow blowers or the plows on their trucks. I guess none of them stop to realize that when you use such an item, a certain amount of etiquette goes along with its use.

Some subdivisions are worse than others. Where I live, I haven’t had a problem with the shoveled or plowed snow. My neighbor does get a bunch in front of his mailbox occasionally from the guy across the street. I figure the first time it interferes with his mail delivery, words will be spoken.

The subdivision in which my daughter lives in just terrible. This year was especially bad. So much so that she even inquired at the police department if any of this was illegal; its not, as long as its not impeding traffic. There are several families in her subdivision that are related to one another. I suspect that they would love to have her move as her house sits in the middle of their ‘circle’. Every Fall, she gets the leaves blown into her yard by these neighbors on both sides of her (the neighbors are related to each other, parents and daughter). My daughter pays to have a yard man come and take them away as burning is forbidden in our town. So she is basically paying to have THEIR leaves removed too as they have been blown into her yard. This has been going on for nearly ten years now. Even though it is frustrating, nothing has really been said because no real damage is being done by the leaves.

Every year they do the same thing with the snow, but this year, because of the increased amount, its been much more noticed. They paid someone to plow their driveways on both sides of my daughter and they pushed the snow right in front of her house, in her front yard. It looks like the Great Wall of China. Its absolutely ridiculous. This is causing inconvenience as far as getting in and out of her driveway, but it is going to also cause flooding when it all decides to melt. I’ve watched Court on TV before and have heard about some of these petty things neighbors argue about that sometimes escalate into a lot of damage being done to both parties. I always thought it was being over-played, but now I can understand the frustration. Talk about the neighbors from Hell!

How can people be so small-minded that they can’t see the problems their inconsiderate acts cause others? I wish I knew a simple solution for her, other than moving. I do suspect that if she weren’t a single mom and if she had a man there, I really don’t think the neighbors would do this to her. Enter stage left…..her brother (my son). He is furious over this and I do expect that he is going to do something….as to what, I will have to let you know. I just ask that he doesn’t embarrass us or do anything illegal. Sigh ~ never a dull moment.

Ramblings.....

I’m on my second round of antibiotics and can tell a difference. The congestion is not nearly as bad in my chest but now both my ears are plugged and I can only hear if its something loud. I really hate this; its thrown my whole system off. You don’t realize how much you depend on your hearing until its been affected. Another thing we take for granted. I have a feeling this may be a year of ‘learning lessons’ for me.

We ended up having 12 inches of snow that started on New Year’s Eve. I will have to admit it was beautiful. The weather says its supposed to warm up to 50 and rain on Monday. I sure hope that doesn’t occur because it will cause a lot of people grief as far as flooding. Soul asked me why in the world I would live here if I hated snow so much…..well, at first it was because this is where my job was. Now, since I’m retired, I have to say this is where my roots are. I’ve never lived further than 4 miles from where I am sitting right now. I sure do wish my roots were in a warmer climate….but they aren’t….so here I stay. The other three seasons are gorgeous so I guess its not too bad if I look at it like that.

About 3 of the blogs I regularly read are taking a breather, so to speak. I can understand their reasoning but I sure will miss the input. I had become accustomed to reading and looked forward to it. I can surely understand how blogging can take up too much of your time. I have found myself in the same position. As one of my favorites said, “real life trumps blog life” and she’s right. This new year means different things for different people, that’s for sure. I am really hoping that everyone finds what they are searching for and it brings them happiness.

So, if I can get them off my camera (difficult for me) I will post some snow pictures. I really do dislike my camera because of that. Sometimes it works fine, other times it gives me trouble….I never know how its going to act. Gypsy, I hope these pictures cool things off for you and you’re better soon. I miss you.

Goin' out with a bit of Humor.....

A Texan Moves North

January 10th:
It's 5:00pm and it's starting to snow. The first of the season and
the first one we've seen in years. The wife and I took our hot buttered rum
and sat by the picture window watching the soft flakes drift down, cling to the
trees and cover the ground. It was so beautiful.

January 11th:
We woke to a lovely blanket of crystal white snow covering the land
scape. What a fantastic sight. Every tree and shrub covered with a beautiful
mantle. I shoveled snow for the first time in my life and loved it. I did
both driveway and sidewalk. Later, a snowplow came along and accidentally
covered up the driveway with compacted snow from the street. The driver waved
and smiled. I waved back and shoveled again.

January 12th:
It snowed an additional 5 inches last night and the temperature has
dropped to 11 degrees. Several tree limbs have snapped from the snow. I
shoveled the drive again. Afterwards, the snowplow came again. Now the snow
is brownish-gray.

January 13th:
It warmed enough today to cause slush which froze again when the
temperature dropped. Bought snow tires for both cars. Fell on my ass in the
driveway, $145.00 to chiropractor. Nothing broken. More snow.

January 14th:
Still cold as hell. Sold the wife's car. Bought a 4x4 to get her to
work. Slid into a guardrail anyway with considerable damage. Another 8 inches
of snow last night. Both vehicles covered with salt and crud. More shoveling
for me. The goddamn snowplow came twice today.

January 15th:
It's 8 fucking degrees outside. More fucking snow. Not a tree on our
property that hasn't been damaged. Power was off most of the night. Tried to
keep from freezing to death with candles and a kerosene heater, which tipped
over and nearly burned the fucking house down. Managed to put out the flames
but suffered 2nd degree burns on my hands plus lost all my eyelashes and
eyebrows. Car slid off the road on the way to the emergency room, and totaled
it.

January 16th:
More motherfucking goddamn white shit keeps coming down. Have to put
on all the clothes we own just to get to the fucking mailbox. If I ever catch
the son-of-a-bitch who drives the fucking snowplow, I'll tear open his chest
and rip out his heart. I think he hides around the corner till after I've
shoveled. Power is still off. Toilet froze. Roof has started to cave in.

January 17th:
Six more fucking inches of this white shit and fucking sleet and no
telling what the fuck else will happen. I wounded the snowplow asshole with
an ice ax, but he got away. Wife left me. The car won't start. I think I'm
going snow-blind. I can't feel my fucking toes. haven't seen the sun in
weeks and more white shit forecasted. Wind chill is 22 below. moving back to
Texas.

Snow is Another Four Letter Word......

This morning as I was plucking my chin hairs, I decided that if your mood depends upon your state of mind, then I'm changing my state of mind. It may be cold and icy and snowy in my neighbor's yards, but in mine its balmy, the palm trees slowly swaying in the breeze as the fragrance of night blooming jasmine lulls my senses into a peaceful sense of well-being.

AHA.......what have I been smoking you say? Why nothing. I'm just tired of the cold ALREADY. I need a warmer climate. I need to move. To think that we have at least 4 more full months of this crap gives me heart palpitations. I read about people who crave snow........who would give anything to have it. Well, let me tell you, they certainly would have a BIG change of heart if they knew just what it was all about. Slippin' and slidin' everywhere you go. Shoveling the walks, only to have to do it again a few hours later. Shoveling your driveway and then having the county snow plow go past your house and make a berm of snow across the entire width of your drive that will ensure you getting stuck when you pull in or out. It's a mess, I tell you......and every person who lives in snow country knows I speak the truth.

There is no getting the mail without putting on snow boots and a heavy coat. Usually the snow will go over the tops of the boots anyway and manage to get your feet wet. With me being so short, its common for the snow to be knee deep for me. I keep asking myself this same question every single year.......why do I stay here? Roots. A simple one-word answer......roots.

Sigh ~ why didn't grand-daddy decide to settle in the South.......or maybe Hawaii? You know we always want what we don't have. I imagine if I never saw snow I would be complaining about THAT.

Anyway........God Bless the UPS man......my packages are coming in every day.

Tomorrow night is family night......both my kids plus the grandkids will be here.......we are making a huge pot of chili, chips and dip on the side......then settling in to watch not one, but TWO movies. Number one is TRANSFORMERS and the other one is SHREK III. I'll let you know my opinion of them in a future post. Oh yeah.......and I'll let you know what I think of the movies too. LOL

Suddenly....the S-word

I can admit I sure didn't want to get my ample butt out of bed and into work this morning, especially in the cold. I zip through a drive-through for coffee and cinnamon minis on the way for me and my co-worker and that starts the day off nicely. We were fairly busy today and the day went fast. I looked out the window in the afternoon to what looked like a blizzard. The police calls were going crazy with accidents. Ahh.....the first significant snowfall and people are sliding around and off the road like bumper cars. About now, I wanted to be home, in my jammies and on the couch with a good book and a hot cup of coffee.....or maybe my favorite mixed drink....a White Russian. Thankfully I don't live too far from work and I was anxious for 5 p.m. to arrive. Yep, the roads were bad and I swear it seems like every year we have the first snowfall, we also have an abundance of drivers who have forgotten how to drive on slippery roads. I think we received about 3 inches of heavy, wet snow......at least. I was never so happy to reach my driveway. Other drivers make me seriously nervous.

My son has the house decorated in Christmas lights that look so inviting but nothing was as inviting as my jammies and the White Russian drink I fixed myself 10 minutes after I pulled into the garage. Ah yes......matriarch of my domain.

My co-workers who ventured out on Black Friday had horror stories like you wouldn't believe. Even though a few of them got some bargains, they all admit that it was not worth all the hell they went through to get them. Frankly, I was quite happy with a purchase I made the Monday before Thanksgiving......a $160 winter coat for my grandson for $80 and free shipping using a promo code from currentcodes.com. All done online within the comfort of my home. Maybe I'll get through the holiday season with my sanity intact this year.

In the meantime......we have snow. Quite a bit of it. I'm sure it will melt within a few days. In my corner of the world, the weather changes at the blink of an eye. However it is a prelude of things to come; several months of bitter cold and snow covering most everything. Its beautiful for Christmas but after that.......its really not that enticing since I'm not a snow bunny with a 44 inch bustline and 23 inch waist who looks great in a skiing outfit. I think I was refilling my plate at the buffet when God passed out those attributes and I missed out entirely.