Monthly Archives: December 2009

White Christmas

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    Dreaming of a white Christmas is one thing. Battling a Christmas storm is another. Judging from the weather warnings, it sounds like the one heading our way could be a big one.

    Fortunately, I didn’t have any big travel plans for the weekend. We had planned on staying home on Christmas Eve and going to my sister’s house about 10 miles a way on Christmas Day. If we can’t get there, we’ll have Christmas dinner at home and go to my sister’s house on Saturday or Sunday. I bought a turkey and all of the fixings just in case. I figure if the weather doesn’t affect our travel plans, I’ll stick the turkey and cranberries in the freezer and we can have Christmas dinner in July.

     I feel for the people who do have to travel a distance to get home for Christmas and pray that they make it there safely. Being home for the holidays is important to a lot of people and I’m sure that some of them will be on the road, regardless of the weather.

      I plan to stay holed up inside during the storm except when I have to go out and feed the animals. We’ll put in some movies, pop popcorn and drink hot chocolate while we’re watching. We may also do a little more holiday baking. Storms seem to bring out the baking instinct in me.

     The extra calories will be burned off when storm clean-up begins. We have sidewalks to shovel and a couple of flat roofs to rake at our house and at my mom’s down the road. Once the storm is over, the party will be over and the work will begin.

       There’s a chance, of course, that the storm will veer off or diminish before it gets here. That would be fine with me. Our Christmas would be white enough without it.

Winter postcard

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    Though I don’t like snow when it blows around and reduces visibility or sticks to the road and causes tough driving conditions, I do appreciate its beauty. Late yesterday afternoon the scene in the western sky was picture-postcard pretty. The sky was a mix of pink and blue, providing contrast to the white snow. Snow crystals swirled in the air, creating a kind of ethereal look to the scene.

     As I drove along admiring the view and listening to Christmas music on the radio, I definitely felt like I had the Christmas spirit. It was just what I needed after a day of work and some power shopping during my noonhour.

 

A cold week

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    This has been a cold week, and I’m not just talking about the weather. It seems like every other person I know has a runny nose, cough and/or the sneezes. I am the only one in my family who doesn’t have a cold. My husband, who hasn’t been feeling good for a few days, stayed home today with our daughter, Ellen today. I picked her up from school at noon yesterday after I got a call she wasn’t feeling well. Her two brothers  also arebattling colds. Meanwhile, my sister took my mom to the doctor yesterday because she had a bad cough that kept her awake all night.  Several hours after my sister took my mom home, she also started to feel crummy.

   I can’t escape the colds at work, either. Several people around me are sniffling and sound  awful. My own throat feels scratchy, but I’m not sure if I’m catchng a cold or if I’m imagining it. I hope it’s all in my imagination because I have a lot to get done at home and at work in the next couple of weeks. I’m doing whatever I can to ward off the germs; the hand sanitizer is at arm’s length, I’ve been drinking orange juice and trying to getting plenty of sleep. If I do catch a cold, it won’t be for lack of a good defense.

Three dog night

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     When I left for work this morning Minnie, our oldest yellow Lab, was curled up next to the kitchen radiator and Maggie, our other yellow Lab, and Rosebud, Ellen’s golden retirever were snuggled in their kennels nearby. If the weather is moderate, we put the dogs in the outdoor kennel in the barn. They have a deep bed of straw in which to keep so they keep warm. Today, though, it just seemed too bitter cold to have them outside, even inside of a building.

      On days like this I dread going outside, even it’s just to get to and from my car. When I have to be out for any length of time at home I dress in several warm layers. However, I don’t dress nearly as warm for work unless I have an interveiw with someone who works outdoors.

        Soon, I’ll heading for home and am not’ looking forward to shivering while my van is warming up. I don’t have a car starter so I freeze for the first part of the ride home. Once I get home tonight, I plan on staying in. It definitely sounds like it will be a three dog night.

    

Three dog night

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     When I left for work this morning Minnie, our oldest yellow Lab, was curled up next to the kitchen radiator and Maggie, our other yellow Lab, and Rosebud, Ellen’s golden retirever were snuggled in their kennels nearby. If the weather is moderate, we put the dogs in the outdoor kennel in the barn. They have a deep bed of straw in which to lay so they keep warm. Today, though, it just seemed too bitter cold to have them outside, even inside of a building.

      On days like this I dread going outside, even it’s just to get to and from my car. When I have to be out for any length of time at home I dress in several warm layers. However, I don’t dress nearly as warm for work unless I have an interveiw with someone who works outdoors.

        Soon, I’ll heading for home and am not  looking forward to shivering while my van is warming up. I don’t have a car starter so I freeze for the first part of the ride home. Once I get home tonight, I plan on staying in. It definitely sounds like it will be a three dog night.

    

A shock to the system

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    Despite the fact that I have lived in the Northland my entire life, I can’t get used to the cold. I’ve learned to deal with it, but I don’t like it.

     This year’s transition from fall to winter seems even harder for me than the other 50 winters I’ve spent in this neck of the woods. Maybe it’s because the change in temperature came so quickly and was so dramatic. A week ago last Sunday a friend took family pictures and it was so warm enough so we didn’t have to wear jackets.

     This morning it was minus 18 degrees when I drove my children to school. That’s a temperature difference of about 60 degrees in a little over a week. I guess it’s no wonder it’s hard to get our bodies acclimated.

     Apparently it’s hard to get old buildings’ heating systems to adjust to the drastic change in temperature, too. Today a couple of my co-workers who sit near windows are bundled up in their coats and gloves because it’s so cold in their work areas. I guess I should be grateful  I sit in an inner-office corner. There’s no natural light, but at least it’s warm.

December madness

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    December is one of my favorite months, but it’s also one of the craziest. And that’s not just because of the frenzy that surrounds Christmas. The busyness is partly the result of the number of December birthdays in my family and extended family.

   The birthday onslaught begins on Dec. 2, which is my niece’s birthday and also my late grandfather’s. Then, on Dec. 4, we celebrate my sister’s birthday which she shared with my late father. Mine comes next, on the 6th, and my mom’s is a week later on the 13th. My nephew’s birthday is the next day, the 14th, then we have a lull until Dec. 27, which is my brother-in-law’s birthday.

   With that many birthdays and all but one of them in the first two weeks, it’s hard to get a head-start on Christmas shopping and other Christmas preparations. We’re too busy celebrating birthdays to do that. Sometimes we get so "caked out" by my mom’s birthday that we end up thinking of another dessert to have.

Slow for snow

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    It seldom fails. Every year fender-benders accompany the first few snowfalls. Many of the accidents could be avoided if drivers heeded two little words: "Slow down." Instead of driving like it’s 70 degrees and sunny, drop the speed and adjust for the icy conditions.

    It seems like that’s obvious advice, but people don’t seem to heed it. Yesterday on my way home from work, for example, I saw two cars in the ditch. I’m pretty sure that the first one I saw had passed me a few minutes earlier driving at a high rate of speed. The second one was getiting pulled out of the ditch when I saw it. It’s a good bet that excessive speed also was a factor it landed in the ditch.

     I didn’t drive faster than 45 mph for a good portion of the drive. I tried speeding up once after a few cars passed me, but felt my van sliding so slowed back down. It took me longer than usual to get home, but at least I didn’t have to call and wait for a tow truck to pull me out of the ditch. Getting injured and having to go to the hospital or ER would have delayed me even more.