Fog on snow

Despite the irritation of being snowed in, I've actually really enjoyed the abundant snowfall of the last week. We had six inches last Friday/Saturday and another four to six (depending on who you ask) on Monday/Tuesday.

View from our back porch.

This was just after the first round over the weekend -
the front steps and most of the bushes are covered!

Oliver checks out the lay of the land snow.

Oliver's favorite thing to do in the snow? Snow angels, of course. He does this every.single.time we let him out. Over and over again. You have to keep reminding him to do his business, otherwise he'd just roll in the snow for hours. He's lucky it's so darn cute.


The wind was wicked and blew the snow into deep drifts in some places. This is on the hill behind our house - it's up to Nate's knees! Oliver and Lola love running around in it - especially in the 'tunnels' made from the snow blower.


Then this morning, we had the most bizarre ice fog. I've never seen anything like it. When I first woke up, I couldn't even see the end of the driveway; it looked like a cloud was sitting on the ground. And when the fog lifted - furry, glittery snow all over the trees and bushes. It was absolutely stunningly beautiful.


Every time the wind blew, it was like a hundred tiny snow showers under every tree. I swear it looked like there was glitter in the air. It was absolutely breathtaking.

Snow me once shame on me....

Dear Hamilton County,

It is now Day 2 without a snow plow or mail delivery at my house. Now in case you weren't aware, I actually pay extra taxes for the privilege of living on cul-de-sac. As such, I, your faithful tax-payer, would expect a little extra attention or, at the very least, the same attention provided to the rest of my neighborhood.

For two days now, we have watched the snow plows make their way through the neighborhood, directly toward our street, hit the stop sign and....turn around. Leaving our worth-extra-taxes street under six inches of snow. Is it really so tough to drive a snow plow in a circle? Tougher than the seven-point-turn it took to turn that bad boy around (which he did expressly to avoid driving it in a circle around my cul-de-sac)?

And for two days now, we have watched the mail truck make it's way slowly through the neighborhood, directly toward our street, hit the stop sign and....turn around. Leaving our worth-extra-taxes mailbox empty. Whatever happened to 'neither wind, nor rain, nor sleet, nor snow' shall stop the mail service?

Since my extra taxes mean nothing to you, I will wait patiently for my tax adjustment in the mail. And keep my fingers crossed that the street is cleared by the time the mailman attempts to deliver it.

Sincerely,
Snowed Taxpayer

MIA

{Image found here}

MISSING

One gaseous mass. Answers to the name Sun or Mr. Golden Sun.

Height: 865,000 miles
Color: White, but may appear yellow from a distance
Distinguishing Characteristics: Hydrogen, Helium, Oxygen

Last seen approximately 8 days ago, heading West.

If found, please return to the Eastern Horizon.

Let me slip into something a little more comfortable

We are going to have the worst winter here. I can tell already. Barely three weeks into Autumn and it hasn't stopped raining or gotten into the 50's the last three days.

Did you hear that, God? Autumn. You know, that season between the miserable highs of summer and the miserable lows of winter? That time when all you want to do is sit outdoors around a camp fire and a light jacket will suffice to keep out the slight chill? When the leaves turn colors and remain on trees long enough to be oohed and aahed over?

Um, yeah. I think You skipped that part.

The house has been freezing for days and I finally wore down convinced Nate to let me turn on the heat. Granted, he'll only let me put it at 68, but at least I can huddle around the heating vents in an effort to keep my limbs from going numb.

I've also busted out the slipper collection this weekend. This is half of it. No lie - these are just the ones that I keep downstairs. When I say I have a 'thing for shoes', that might be a bit of an understatement.


My plans for this weekend? Putting the electric blanket on the bed and liberating my winter wardrobe from it's hibernation in one of the guest room closets. I absolutely love to switch out my wardrobe in the spring and fall. I get so excited as I take each piece out of the storage boxes. I always find stuff I totally forgot I had and new things I bought at the tail end of the season and haven't even worn yet. It's like Christmas all day long and it doesn't cost a dime!

What are your plans for the weekend?

Ode to Summer

I love....

....waking up to sunshine in the morning.

....the sound of lawn mowers and the smell of freshly cut grass.

....driving with windows down and sunroof open.

....painted toes in pretty sandals.

....corn on the grill.

....chatting with neighbors in the driveway.

....warm sun on bare skin.

....watermelon-seed spitting contests with my best guy.

....the magical firefly show that goes on in our backyard every night.

...falling asleep to the sound of a summer thunderstorm.

They've flown the coop

My birdie babies are gone. For some reason, seeing that empty nest makes me want to cry. Pathetic much?

I knew the day would come but I was shocked to make my afternoon check in and discover a completely empty nest. It happened so fast! They were there this morning and gone four hours later.

Of course, being the neurotic bird watcher that I am, I immediately ran outside to make sure that none of 'my' babies was lying beneath the window with a broken neck. Surely the birdie mama must have let them go too soon. I mean, what kind of mama pushes her babies off a second story ledge?

As much as I hoped the babies had all safely flown the coop, I was secretly a little bit happy to find a wee one still hanging out in the flower bed below. Isn't it the sweetest thing?


It took all my willpower to resist snatching it up and cuddling it. So instead I hovered nearby like a nervous mother and watched it hop around a bit until I was convinced he was okay. Dear Lord, I hope the neighbors didn't see me squatting in the flower bed and muttering to myself for a good twenty minutes.

My birdie babies may have flown the coop but I've still got these two sweet little faces to cuddle any old time I want.

We have babies!

We have birdie babies! They were actually born (hatched?) on Monday but it's taken me a couple of days to get decent pictures of them. It's hard to get the mama bird off the nest long enough to open the window and take a shot. She had no problem with me when they were just eggs but now that they are babies, she gets all puffy and starts squawking at me while dive bombing the window screen.

Here's mama smothering sitting on her babies.


And here are the babies. There are four of them but it's really hard to distinguish them, even in person. They are hideously ugly and basically just one big lumpy mass in the nest. I can't wait until they actually start getting cute and moving around a bit!


Lola has also discovered the nest now. Any time we let her upstairs, she immediately runs to the that window and jumps up on the sill to bark at the babies. It's too funny!

Eviction Notice

Dear April,

I hope you have enjoyed your lengthy stay here in the Midwest, however I am compelled to remind you that your lease is up effective midnight tonight. Friday is the official start of May and I expect some d*mn good flowers after your 30-day shower festival.

Sincerely,
Sara

Baby Birdie Mama Drama

Notice anything new at our house?


Look carefully. One of these windows is not like the others. See it now?

We have a bird's nest in our window! At first I was horrified when I rolled up last week to discover a pile of crap on the upstairs window ledge. But upon further inspection, I saw it was a tiny bird's nest, perfectly round and perched precariously on the narrow ledge. It was so beautiful that I didn't have the heart to knock it off and destroy it.

It sat empty all weekend and I was sure the birds had upgraded to a birdie condo in some nearby bush. But lo and behold, this morning Birdie Mama was sitting on her nest, all plump and smug like she owned the joint.


If you look closely you can kind of see her head above the nest. I keep trying to sneak up on her from inside the house but no dice. She must already be a mama cuz she's obviously got eyes in the back of her head!

There are four little blue eggs in the nest! So cute!


I wonder how long it will take them to hatch? And how the heck will four baby birds fit in that teeny, tiny nest?

To Be Continued....

Homesick

It's days like today that make me miss home the most.

Who's got the stage hook?

Dear Old Man Winter,

Perhaps, dear sir, you did not get the memo from last week? You know, the one where Spring started on March 20th?

You see, it is 34 degrees here today, which is most certainly not very Spring-like. I thought that maybe, being that you are very old, you had forgotten that it is no longer your turn. We all waited patiently through your wintry performance, clapped politely when you dropped 14 inches of snow in a single night, smiled pleasantly as we layered on our winter wear, and kept our swearing to a minimum each time we shoveled our driveway or slipped on the ice.

So now I respectfully request that you step aside and allow Spring to take the stage. We only have three short months to enjoy her dainty dance before Summer will begin beating his drums in the tribal humidity dance. Why don't you check back in July, when we will likely be begging for your wintry chill?

Sincerely Yours,
Sara

Confessions of a Blog-aholic

Leah over at Thinking Out Loud tagged me with this meme awhile ago but with all the work insanity lately I haven't had a chance to do it. Since today is all about doing anything to avoid housework taking it easy, I am catching up on fun internet stuff and watching all the trash TV I've Tivo'd in the last two weeks.

Step 1: Respond and Rework.
Answer the questions on your own blog. Replace one question that you don't like with a question of your own invention. Then add one more question of your own invention.

Step 2: Tag six other un-tagged people!

1. Make a list of things you can see without getting up.
Two desks, two computers, my camera, receipts to be put in the check register, and a venti caramel machiatto from Starbucks.

2. Favorite Football Team.
University of Tennessee Vols and Indianapolis Colts




3. What are you wearing now?
My work ‘uniform’ – purple track pants, a striped tank top and a purple track jacket (I am a little obsessed with purple this season!)

4. What's the last thing you read/are currently reading?
I just finished Nicholas Sparks’ latest book, The Lucky One. I liked it well enough but not as much as some others, like Dear John and The Notebook. Next up is James Patterson's Cross Country.



5. Who was the last person you hugged?
Nate, earlier today when he came home from work. Yes, he was at work on a Saturday. Boo. We like to hug longer than necessary because it drives the furbabies bonkers for us to hug each other!

6. What's your current obsession/addiction?
Job hunting. I have also developed an unhealthy addiction to gummy worms lately. The red and white ones are my favorite.



7. What was the last thing you said aloud?
Oliver, you’re so silly – to Oliver, the dog. Yes, I talk to my dogs as if they are (very small and furry) humans.



8. What was the last thing you bought?
Technically it would be Starbucks and groceries, but that's a pretty boring answer. The last non-essential stuff I bought was a lightweight gray sweater and a bright pink scarf, both from The Limited.

9. What are you listening to right now?
The sound of my heater warming my feet and Lola snoring.



10. What is your favorite weather and why?
Sunny Autumn days, when the leaves are just turning and there’s a little crispness to the air. I have no idea why I love it, I just do. I missed the beautiful Tennessee colors this year. Indy doesn’t even come close!

11. What is your most challenging goal right now?
Waiting patiently to become a mother.

12. Say something to the person who tagged you.
Leah, I miss you making it fabulous every day! Bring back the clothes! We want to see how you dress your cute little bump as it gets bigger.

13. If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished, anywhere in the world, where would it be?
Charleston, SC – It’s close to home and I have always loved the city. There is a mile long list of places I’d like to visit all over the world, but very few that I’d want to settle down in.

14. Favorite vacation spot?
A tropical island with all expenses paid. We’ve done it twice and it’s the best type of vacation. Not a care in the world and all the mimosas your little heart desires.



15. Favorite children's book ?
Anything by Robert Munsch

16. Name one thing you just can't resist no matter how bad it is for you.
Just one? Who made up that rule? I would say Starbucks, but since that’s the only way I ever drink milk, I can make a valid argument that Starbucks is actually good for me. So I guess I will go with cupcakes. Show me a fluffy vanilla cupcake with a mountain of icing and I lose all semblance of self-control.



17. What would you do if you won the Lottery?
The Dance of Joy, of course! Then I would tithe 10%, buy Nate an Aston Martin, and then invest the rest and live off the interest.

18. What was the first tape or CD that you bought for yourself?
I don't have the slightest idea what the answer to this question is, so I will replace it with this one:

18. Do you sleep with the covers on or off?
I always sleep with the covers pulled up to my chin. When I was a kid, I used to think that if every single part of my body wasn’t covered by the sheet, someone would chop off the protruding parts while I slept. Yes, I was a strange little kid. It must be a subconscious thing now because I am never comfortable without a sheet or blanket pulled over me.

19. Describe your perfect day.
A spa day with my mom and sisters, a little shopping in the afternoon with my Daddy-o and dinner at the Melting Pot with Nate.

20. What is your favorite accessory and why?
I have to agree with Leah on this one, I am currently rocking the scarf on an almost daily basis. It adds a little pop to any outfit and keeps me toasty warm too.

21. What is the accomplishment you are most proud of and why?
I am probably most proud of my career accomplishments. I went from being a lowly fleet coordinator to managing $40 million dollars in under four years. I am still trying to figure out how to convey the magnitude of this in a resume format. ‘Hire me, I kick ass’ just doesn’t seem like it will work.

And my added question:
22. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I tag these eight people:
Joy in the Journey
The Bleeding Heart
Honesty is the Best Policy
Count to 10
Consider the Lilies
Pink Polka-Dotted Dreams

Who ordered a second helping of snow?

It has been coming down all day again - at least three inches when I walked the dogs at noon. That's three new inches, on top of what we already had. As pretty as it is, I'm kind of pretty much over it.

Guess I won't be running any of the errands I had planned for today. Mostly because I don't want to shovel the driveway again anytime soon.

Hope Nate likes eggs for dinner because that's about the only thing I've got to offer.

Bartender, make mine a double! (...Or Why Nate is Lucky to Still be Alive)

Depending on who you ask, we got ten to twelve inches of snow last night. I wanted to measure it myself in one of those cool yard-stick-in-the-snow pictures but of course, I don't actually own a yard stick, so no cool yard-stick-in-the-snow pictures on this blog.

(Note to self: Buy yardstick.)

Anyway, so this morning at 5:30AM (yes, AM. Did you know that 5:30 comes twice a day?) Nate's cell phone rings. It's his boss calling early to say don't come in, take a snow day, I'm serious, don't try it, stay home. To which a normal person would say, HECK YEAH, burrow back under the covers and snooze half the day away, right?

Not Nate. He was up by 6:00AM, parked in front of the TV where he watched the Weather channel for nearly two hours straight. I mean, who does that? He was literally pacing the house, waiting anxiously for the moment the snow plow would come liberate him from his snow-encrusted prison.

Sadly for Nate, said snow plow never came, just as I told him it wouldn't. The snow plow doesn't plow our cul-de-sac for whatever reason. He didn't believe this until he took an hour long walk around the neighborhood (in a foot of snow) and discovered that every single cul-de-sac is still full of snow. Being the good wife that I am, I definitely didn't crow, 'I told you so' at the top of my lungs upon his return.

Most days I am grateful for my husband's incredible work ethic, but today with all his pacing and window gazing and weather channel watching, I really just wanted to kill him kick him in the shins. Someone is paying you to stay at home today, try to enjoy it!

The puppies have enjoyed the snow immensely. We took them out this afternoon without their leashes and let them run to their hearts content. The snow is too deep for them to get very far so we knew it was a safe bet. They had a ball running through the tire tracks made by the neighbor's SUV. Lola was hysterical when she walked out too far and got of the packed snow - she started to sink and clawed like her little life depended on it. Which of course only served to dig her deeper into the snow!

The snow is almost over the fire hydrant!


Lola enjoys a tire track furrow this morning. They were running so fast this afternoon I couldn't get any good pictures!




Our poor little bushes might never be the same.


Lola tries to figure out how to get up into the yard from the shoveled driveway.


No new pictures of Oliver today. He was busy doing his little snow angels, as always. Good thing I put their little snow jackets on them to preserve what little was left of his trip to the beauty parlor yesterday!

Ain't that always the way?

Remember a few posts ago when I said this? Forget it. It was temporary insanity brought on by a short stretch of warm-ish weather. I am most definitely not used to this yet.

Tonight Indy is expecting between 3 and 6 inches of snow. Apparently that would be more snow in one night than we have had in the entire month of January. But this morning dawned clear and a little sunny so I went ahead with the puppies appointment at the beauty parlor this afternoon.

Cut to three hours later and it's time to go fetch them, but it has been pouring snow for at least an hour and it's looking pretty bad out there. So I call my darling husband in the hopes that I can trick cajole him into coming home early and picking them up on the way.

________________________________________________________________

Me: Hey, babe, have you checked the weather lately? It looks pretty bad. Think you might be coming home early?

Him: Nah, if I leave now, traffic will be bad. I'll just wait until the regular time.

Me: Are you sure? The weather is pretty bad.

Him: Yeah, I'm sure. Why?

Me: We-ell-ll, the puppies are ready to be picked up and I was thinking you could get them if you were coming home soon.

Him: Nah, you better go. I'm going to be awhile....If you're leaving you probably need to shovel the driveway before you go.

Me: I'm sorry, say that again? We must have a bad connection...I thought you said I should shovel the driveway.

Him: That is what I said.

Me: Really bad connection here. Gotta go! Bye.

_________________________________________________________________

Shoveling snow while it is still snowing is a bit like pissing in the wind. You end up cold and wet and only marginally better off than you were before you started. I shoveled like a champ for about 5 minutes before my arms were ready to mutiny and start beating me to death with the shovel. After a full 20 minutes of shoveling the longest driveway known to man, I turned around to realize I could no longer see the driveway where I started. Damn snow.

Duty done, I hopped in the car, turned the heater up full blast and set out toward PetSmart. I thought I was getting better at this driving-in-snow thing but apparently not. I was tenser than a stage mom at the Little Miss Universe pageant. I am that driver all the Northerners are swearing at and flipping off as they fly by me in the slow lane.

Riding with the puppies in the car is never a good time for the parties involved. Oliver hops back and forth from driver to passenger seat and jumps at the window every time you use your turn signal. Lola will paw at your chest and howl a blue streak for the first 15 minutes of any car ride (wouldn't you know, about the length of time it takes to get to PetSmart!). I briefly considered putting them in the trunk for the ride back home, but figuring that a fender bender was a distinct possibility in this weather, decided against it. To my surprise, I think the furbabies could sense their mommy's distress because they were amazingly well-behaved until we reached our neighborhood.

Once we turned into a street they recognized, all bets were off. Lola was howling and Oliver was jumping at the door to get out. By the time we got into the garage, all I wanted was a nice glass of wine and a few minutes of peace and quiet.

So I open the car door to let us all out and Oliver literally rolls out of the car directly into the muddy tire track left by my front wheel. SERIOUSLY?! ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?! All of that stress plus $40 down the drain and now he is covered in mud from snout to tail!

Needless to say, Oliver got a not so gentle bath and is now sporting an interesting haircut on his tail (where the mud just would not come out). And I will spend my snowed in evening sipping a glass or three of wine while researching those doggy groomers that come and groom them in a little truck parked in your driveway. Adios, PetSmart.

It's finally happening...

I never thought I'd see the day, but I think I might be getting used to this Northern weather. I went outside today in 40 degree weather without my coat on....and I wasn't even cold.

I actually told someone I was happy it had 'warmed up' for the day.

Gasp. Choke. Cough. Some one come save me before I turn into a Northerner!

C-C-C-C-Cold

Cold would actually be an understatement for the weather today. I think we topped out at 1 degree sometime around 2:00pm, but the wind is ferocious,something like 10 to 15 miles per hour. Despite woolly socks, slippers and a floor heater, I haven't felt my poor little toes all day. And I'm pretty sure the snot froze in my nose this morning when I walked the dogs. (You wanted to know that, right?)

But despite the fact that my Southern blood is not thick enough for this frigid tundra, I am actually kind of enjoying it. It snowed all day yesterday and I spent half the day staring out the windows in my office, enjoying the beautiful scenery. And today was even more beautiful with the sun shining bright all over the snow.

My view from the office windows.


Our house in the snow. So pretty! Sigh.


The view from the front porch before anyone else comes home and wrecks the beautiful white snow.



It's also hysterical to watch Oliver and Lola try to figure this snow stuff out. They are too short to walk in it, so they kind of bunny hop everywhere instead. Oliver loves to get out there and roll around in it. The minute he gets out there, he flips over on his back and wiggles around like he's making a snow angel. Cracks me up every time!

This is what he looks like when he gets done. He's a mess.


And then there is Lola, who doesn't even like to be in the grass any longer than absolutely necessary. Poor baby is so low to the ground, I can't even tell when she is squatting to do her business. She does her best to stand with as few feet touching the snow as possible. And miracle of miracles, she is doing her business immediately after getting outside. No dilly-dallying and sniffing bushes. She is all business when there is snow on the ground!


So at least for today, I am loving the snow. We shall see how long that lasts - probably until Saturday when I actually have to get out and go somewhere in it!