Reveling in spring, but dreaming of winter

I finally went back to the public library yesterday.
Believe it or not, I haven't been there in three years.
The shameful truth?
I had a ridiculously high fee that needed to be paid, and really, when I have that kind of money in hand I buy yarn (or chocolate), I don't pay my library fines.
Shame on me, I know, but I had an alternate library to use, so I wasn't really missing anything.
SN2 told me yesterday, however, that he needed to watch a certain movie for one of his classes, and the college library didn't have it, Netflix didn't have it, and I didn't feel like calling Family Video.
Well that's not completely true. I did call them but they weren't open yet, so I checked on the public library site.
They had it!
I was ready to "man up" and pay my fine, so I took some money and drove down there.
I should have walked but I was not looking my finest yesterday (not that I ever am).
Let's just say that I was fitting in quite well with some of the trashy element in town.
And I drove DN1's beater car with the broke muffler.
Lovely.
I did check out some good books, and I started reading one of them yesterday.
It's Blueberry Muffin Murder by Joanne Fluke.
The book is set in Minnesota in February.
Not that I'm complaining about spring at all - yesterday DH and I got out and did some much-needed weeding, and I kept waiting for the storm that never materialized which meant it was kind of muggy outside.
We definitely need the warm weather, as well as the rain, but sometimes I miss winter.
The coziness I guess I miss.
Last night I couldn't sleep. I ended up getting up at 3:30 and came downstairs, played on the computer (of course), and then curled up in the chair to read.
I feel asleep reading about Hannah Swensen (from the book) driving around Minnesota in the middle of winter, and of course I proceeded to dream about just that.
I was there - in the dusk that comes at 4:00 in the afternoon, seeing the sky dark with snow, but thankfully not experiencing the mind-numbing cold that accompanies a winter day.
And then I awoke and realized - it's not winter, it's spring!

I hung beautiful flowers out on the porch (even though the lady at the greenhouse told me, "It's too early to hang those out, you know."), and I'm looking forward to using my new tiller to tear up some ground, fertilize and then plant some more bulbs and perennials.
Petunias, pansies, buds on rhododendrons, and the promise of the heavenly scent of peonies is what makes spring so wonderful.
Balls to winter - it will be here soon enough.
I'll keep it in my dreams.

This is so wrong...

It's April, people.
I just bought DN2 a sundress for Easter Sunday!
More importantly...the snow will clash with my white Jordana Paige bag!
Enough already.

Winter Storm Watch for Monroe County, NY

from 6 pm EDT, Mon., Apr. 6, 2009 until 6 pm EDT, Tue., Apr. 7, 2009

Issued by The National Weather Service
Buffalo, NY
3:54 pm EDT, Sun., Apr. 5, 2009

... WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY EVENING THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON...

A WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY EVENING THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON.

RAIN ON MONDAY WILL GRADUALLY MIX WITH... THEN CHANGE TO WET SNOW MONDAY EVENING. ACCUMULATING WET SNOW IS THEN EXPECTED DURING THE COURSE OF MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY WITH SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATIONS POSSIBLE. THE HIGHEST ACCUMULATIONS WILL LIKELY BE FOUND OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN SOUTH OF BUFFALO AND BATAVIA WHERE AMOUNTS IN EXCESS OF 6 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE.

THIS OUT OF SEASON SNOWFALL WILL LIKELY IMPACT TRAVEL ACROSS THE REGION MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY... SO MUNICIPALITIES SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR LATE WINTER CONDITIONS..

Working Stiffs

I've come to the conclusion that there are some jobs which I just could not imagine having to do.
Take these for example:

* Working as a garbage collector in Western NY in the winter
* Working as a mail carrier in Western NY in the winter
* Working as a linesman for the electric company in Western NY in the winter
* Working as a restaurant delivery person in Western NY in the winter
* Working at a fast food restaurant drive-through window in Western NY in the winter

Are you picking up on a theme here?
Yeah, it's cold, and it's miserable outside
So the worst job right now is:

* Working anywhere that puts you in contact with the outdoors in Western NY in the winter

And God bless those who are strong enough to keep working those jobs.
I couldn't do it.

Too Cold? Go to Bed

Right now it is too cold to do anything but go to bed.
Our temp right now is 21 degrees but it feels like 6, and then later it's supposed to be 4 degrees, which means we're in a virtual heatwave right now.
Tomorrow the high will be 12.
Lovely.
Coming home from work today it was so slippery that my car couldn't stop at stop signs but just kept sliding through.
Good thing I was on the back streets and no cars were coming.
When it's this cold there's nothing better than climbing into bed at about 7:00.
Since it's well past that time now, I'm off to get under the covers and read a good book.
No knitting for me - I can't expose that much skin to the cold.

Cover All Exposed Flesh

Life in a snowglobe is not that warm.
We have had so much snow, and it just keeps coming.
My kids are happy because this will be their first white Christmas.
It's pretty out there, but it sure is dangerous.
We went out in the truck last night (using 4-wheel drive), and took DN2 to a friend's house.
Our speed averaged 15 mph.
You just can't see the road, and SN2 kept asking me to do something fun, like doughnuts, or just let the rear slide around.
I told him no.
We were driving through a deserted parking lot at the time.
No cars around, so we could have had a good time with the truck, but still, no.
Want to know why?
This is why.

He said, "You never want to do anything fun."
I replied, "Wait a minute, it's after 11:00 at night and I came up here to help tow your friends out of a snowbank because their car got stuck while they were doing doughnuts in the parking lot. No fun here, buddy, you should be glad I came out to help."

He still doesn't get it.
And I let the high school boys attach the tow rope while I stayed in the truck.
They were cursing up a storm because they were so cold.
Silly boys.
Like I said, pretty snow, but very dangerous conditions.
Surprisingly, it snowed about 3 inches during the hour and a half we spent in church yesterday.
My guess is that we have close to 12".
And we have had blowing winds that cause white outs (and drifts).
I came downstairs this morning and the side door windows had frost....on the inside!
Today we are still in a storm warning until about 7:00, with lake-effect snow expected.
(Guess who's not going to work today, or tomorrow, or the day after!)
And the advisory tells us that it will be very cold (last night at 11:00 it was 11 degrees, although the wind chill was less than that).
So yes, cover all exposed flesh - it's not going to get warm again any time soon.

* I'll post pictures later when I can gear myself up to go outside in the cold.

Weather Woes

You know we got hammered by a huge snowstorm this past weekend, and I was too busy working on my sock to complain about it.
So I'll do it now.
It began on Friday afternoon.
I went ice skating with DN2 and her class.
Here I am in my skates at the rink:When we emerged from the rink the snow had begun.
It didn't stop until Sunday.
Saturday was the scariest - DH and I were sitting upstairs and there was a bright flash of light. We thought DN2 had taken a picture or something and we looked at each other and asked that question. All of a sudden there was a loud clap of thunder.
Thunder and lightning and snow. (See note.)
I really believed the world was coming to an end.
It was scary!
So what did I do?
Kept on knitting.
A true Madame Defarge.
So now we still have about 6-8 inches of snow in the yard, plowed piles that exceed 10 feet in height in some parking lots, and a prediction for a bit more snow this weekend.
And you say the beginning of spring is coming soon?
We will have more snow on Easter than we did on Christmas.
At least our grass will be nice and green this summer.
If this snow ever melts.
Guess I had better knit more socks to wear with my sandals this spring.
Because I'm such an expert sock knitter now.
Pause for riotous laughter, including my own.
Have a great Thursday!

Note: Apparently this phenomenon is called "Thundersnow" and is very rare but does occur in, get this, the Great Lakes area. Gosh, guess where I live. I have to tell you it was actually very scary.

Stormy Weather

Well we got some snow, but not quite as much as we expected.
This shot is for Gayle who wanted to know.

Looks like about 9" in the front yard.
And yes I did drag my 9 year old out into the snow at 7:00 this morning in order to take a picture.
Hey, she wore boots.
Look at all that snow we tracked in. Yikes.
One of my wreaths fell down. I thought it looked kind of sad and depressing so I took a picture of it. I didn't pick it up, though. That would have taken too much effort.The other one blew away or was stolen a few weeks ago. I still haven't gotten to A.C. Moore to get a new one. It's just a fake wreath but still I wonder what happened to my other one. If it blew away down the street, where is it now?

Now I thought I would fill a post with some Christmas pictures. They're not great, but then neither are my decorating skills.
And you can tell I took these before the snow came. How can you tell?
Because all you can see are pine needles on the ground. I hate those things.
My kids were PISSED this morning. And when I say PISSED, I mean PISSED, all in capital letters. They were soooo set for a snow day but didn't get one. All the schools on the other side of Rochester got one and all the Buffalo schools are closed, but from Batavia east to Rochester all the schools are open. Kind of a weird turn of events because we usually get more snow than they do on the other side, but you never can tell which way Mother Nature is going to throw the snow. She's a fickle woman (and remember, "It's not nice to fool Mother Nature.").
Since we're not getting out of the 30s at all this week so I think it is safe to say that we'll have a Bing Crosby kind of Christmas.

Late Night Things

It's 11:00 at night and guess where I am.
If you said buying groceries then you guessed correctly.
You win absolutely nothing except the satisfaction of being right. Tell me, how does that feel?
Anyway, I was in my pajamas and ready for bed when I started listening to the weather forecast.
Then I got scared.
These guys aren't kidding around.
They even threw out the big numbers - up to 24"?!?!
Holy cow, and here I am almost out of toilet paper.
We've got a lot of bathroom action going on with 6 people in the house, soon to be 7 (DN1's friend is coming to stay for a while) and you know I'll be needing my Charmin.
So I heard the forecast, got scared and got up out of bed and headed for the grocery store.
I know it is going to be packed tomorrow and we have to go to DN2's swim meet in the afternoon and DH's company holiday party at night and by the time we get back from that I fully expect to be snowed in by Monday.
Not a bad thing, actually, but people expect me to be at work.
Especially when I walk around bragging about how I can walk in and not have to clean a car.
When the inclement weather comes what do they expect? Me to be there.
Sheesh, what a big mouth I have, right?
Hopefully I'll get some knitting done this weekend. It is time to take stock of the UFOs and figure out what can become an FO and what can become unraveled.
I'll leave you with a picture of DN2 in a silly hat - hey, at 11:00 the store is empty except for the guys cleaning the floor. Next time we'll head in at 3:00 AM and see what they're up to.
Enjoy your weekend!!!

Now it's snowing, there goes my gas bill

It's snowing now although it is not sticking.
Dang.
Now they're really going to force me to turn the heat on.
Arrgh.

Sick? Lame? Nope, just lazy

Sorry, I've been uber-busy and just plain lazy lately.
And not too much going on around here.
And apparently I was even too lazy to blog on my one year blogiversary!
Yeah, story of my life.
Although get this - check this picture out: No, it's not dandruff, it's snow!!!
Can you believe I have to clean off my car this morning?
And it snowed last April 4th, I have proof!
I mean come on - Easter is on Sunday - flowers are coming up and everything!
I wouldn't be at all surprised if we were hit by a hurricane this summer - one that comes up the Erie Canal or something.
So what have I been up to?
Drinking a bit:
Okay, granted, this is from St. Patrick's Day, but I drink so seldom anymore that I have to have photographic evidence.
(Good thing I never carried a digital camera back when I was 18, eh?)
I celebrated my favorite aunt's 84th birthday:
And I saw some bears doing a little dance: (Kudos to DN2 for her mad photography skills.)
DN1 went on a drinking... er...bus trip to Toronto and their bus driver claimed to be the son of Mr. Green Jeans!
Was he telling the truth?
Could be, rabbit.
I loved Mr. Green Jeans.
Here he is with the Captain:
And speaking of boy bands, I heard the new Justin Timberlake song.
I didn't realize it was him because I really thought it was this group: Du Jour! Remember them from Josie and the Pussycats? Best part of the movie.
So there you have it - I'm all over the map.
Not much knitting going on because either everything I touch is cursed or it's just me.
I think it's me.
Planning a short trip this weekend - hopefully I'll be able to find my camera battery charger before I go so you can look at all the scenic spots along PA Route 15.
Any guesses as to where we're headed?
I'll give you a hint:

Stormy Saturday

I'm trapped in my house.
It's snowing.
Yesterday we were worried about flooding from all the melting snow and today we can't even get out of our driveway.
Here's a picture I took of DN2 on Thursday wearing her new hat (Patons Shetland Chunky, pattern from this book):Witness the lack of snow on the ground.
I'd take a picture today but my camera battery died and truthfully I think I've posted enough photos of snow for everyone to kind of figure out what the white sh.., I mean stuff looks like.
Now today is St. Patrick's Day.
I am a wee bit Irish, but more Scottish and English in this lifetime (the previous ones I'm not quite sure but I do have some ideas) and even so I didn't even really consider what day it was when I began to make my breakfast.
I've had eggs everyday this weekend (no Atkins, just because), so this morning I didn't feel like it and everyone else wanted omelets and I made those but made this for myself:
(Please note I'm eating Irish Oatmeal in a Polish pottery bowl, yeah, I'm confused.)
DH said, "Oh are you having Irish Oatmeal because it's St. Patrick's Day?"
Really, I didn't even think about it, it's the only oatmeal I have in my house right now and it has more to do with the need for fiber.
I'll spare you the details.
Anyway my luck was certainly with me yesterday because I won $20 on a scratch-off lottery ticket
Sure I spent $5 buying the ticket, but hey, I'll take whatever I can get, because you all should know by now that I'm just not proud.
Of course now I can't go cash it in because what did I say in the beginning?
I'm trapped in my house.
So maybe I'll do just what Major Knitter suggests we all do on a day like today, sit in bed and read.
There's a St. Patrick's Day parade in the city that starts at 12:30, but I'm not heading out there.
I don't want to chance it because I think my luck has been exhausted for this weekend with that lottery ticket.
Perhaps I'll retire to my bed to read and drink some tea while my Black Bean soup cooks downstairs.
Black Bean soup.
Yum.
You can bet that makes me very popular in my house, right?
So I'll go read Peter Pan and Wendy for class and this book that just came in the post today:
Ah, another glorious Saturday spent in my pajamas.
Cheers!

Forget the March hare, the lion is still here

It is cold today.
The announcer on the radio station I listen to out of Toronto (96.3) told the listening audience about how dangerously cold it is up there today and he said, "Teens, wear more than a hoodie today."
Too funny.
Yes, it is cold, so cold all you want to do is stay in bed, and some of my co-workers get to do that because the roads are closed in their county so they can't get to work!
What a deal.
Now if only my former co-workers (Jean and Sheri) would contact me and let me know what their cryptic, yet damning, email meant that they sent on Friday.
What's up ladies?

Snow Day!

Snow, glorious snow.
And I'm off to work.
But I thought you might like to see what I had to pull my car out into this morning (and what the backyard looks like).
These photos were taken at 7:45 - it's going to be much worse.
And to all my friends who live in the South and insist on telling me about their temperatures - stop it.
I get the point. ^_^
But -- tell your kids that mine don't have school today.
They may be asking you to move!
Enjoy and be safe.

What The Clash know

"The ice age is coming, the sun's zooming in
Meltdown expected, the wheat is growing thin
Engines stop running, but I have no fear
Cause London is burning and I, I live by the river"

Okay, actually I live by a canal and a lake, but yes, the ice age is here.
I would have posted over the weekend, but it's too damn cold to do much of anything.
Winter brings out the best in all of us - at least the part that is prone to hibernation.
And don't ask me about the Super Bowl - I didn't watch it.
Sorry.
I watched a movie and knit on my hat instead.
And charged my camera battery.
Soon there will be pictures to accompany my inane chatter.
Yippee!
Bundle up, kiddles!

Lake Effect

I shouldn't have complained about the temperature yesterday.
After I posted that it was 15 degrees, the temperature started to fall.
By the time I left work (at 4:05 Jean and Sheri!) it was 10, and then when I went to PetSmart it was 4, and that is where we're holding this morning.
4 degrees Fahrenheit.
I don't even want to think what it is for Celsius because when it involves a negative number it's best just not to think about it at all.
And we're getting the lake effect from both lakes this morning. Yikes.
Actually this is not true, I just watched the news, it's only from Lake Ontario, but the wind chill factor is -8. We are expecting about 3 inches of snow today and a couple more this weekend. Remind me again why I wanted to move back here!?!
Some joker on the tv's Wake Up show this morning played Journey's song "Wheel in the Sky."
For those unfamiliar with the lyrics it begins, "Winter is here, again, oh Lord..."
I finally got some knitting done last night because the best thing to do in my big, drafty, hugely expensive home to heat is to sit in bed and watch tv and knit. Or read. Whatever floats your boat.
So last night I busted out my mitten I've been working on.
Have you ever committed a large amount of time to a project and think, (1) this doesn't look much like the picture, and (2), perhaps I should have swatched?
Well, perhaps I should have, because it just seems to me the space where the thumb hole is going to be shouldn't be located up at the base of my index finger. Hmmm.
Am I going to rip it out?
Oh no, I'll see it through.
The cuff may reach to my elbow just so I can make them fit but I'll keep on plugging along because I'm stupid that way.
Stay warm!

15 Degrees and holding

Not much going on around here.
It is 15 degrees outside with more snow in the forecast.
So evenings are spent hibernating, with lots of reading being done.
I finished Shane, it was lovely, and now I'm reading The Princess Bride.
If you've only seen the movie - which is great - go get the book - it is definitely a classic.
And in honor of the snow, I leave you with pictures from 1911 when Niagara Falls froze.

Ride a White Horse

The title has nothing to do with the post, other than it's snowing, and I was listening to Goldfrapp on the way in to work.
We're in the middle of a snowstorm.
It's amazing.
I didn't go anywhere yesterday, and finally at about 7:15 pm I went to clean off my car.
The ice was so thick I had to run it for 20 minutes just to get to the point where we could scrape it.
And then the side doors wouldn't open.
So this morning everything is frozen again, and the doors, which I still couldn't get open, are kind of open but not.
Which means the lights in my car keep flashing on and off, and the doors keep locking because the door is open, but then it's closed, but then it's open.
It is crazy.
Fortunately it is still frozen, so the doors are not flying open as we drive along.
Even still, the weather stripping ripped off the driver's door, because it has been stuck to the metal!
I walked out yesterday to take the dog out, and I could hear the clatter of the tree branches as the wind knocked them about. Everything is covered with ice, and we have plenty of snow.
So you know what I did yesterday in the midst of this icestorm that turned into a snowstorm?
If you guessed "not a damn thing other than watching movies and knitting" then you are the one million dollar winner for today!
And yes, this is what the tree branches in my backyard look like, minus the bird.