Through the Weekend

Aaaagh!  It's tough working both days of the weekend.  There's no way I could be a Sunday Floater and do this every other week.  I'd get tired and bite somebody's head off, verbally anyway.  But I made it through this time, and I'm really looking forward to a day off tomorrow.  When I'll be standing in line at the post office to finally apply for my passport!

What a weather week.  The snow/sleety stuff was kind of a surprise, but the next morning it was absolutely gorgeous!  It stuck to the branches, so the canopy over the road looked so magical.  I'd show pictures, but it would be a bad idea for me to try to take pictures while driving.  Sadly, the stuff sticking to branches melts first when it gets warmer.  Now it's back to brown and grey and muddy.  Someday, I'll have green again.

I think I'll seriously get to work on some fingerless gloves.  It's the right time of year for them, when my hands still get chilly working on this keyboard, but who wants gloves or mittens?  They'd be great at work. Today it was way too warm, but often my hands are unhappily cold there.  Besides, it's a good excuse to use some cute little needles I found in my HiyaHiya pouch!

This pouch is definitely making the cut for my traveling knitting bag.  Big enough for a small project and a few tools, cute enough to be an evening bag!  But not too big.  Too big, and I'll try to take half a dozen projects, "just in case".  A small bag, I pare down out of necessity.

Oh, SO looking forward to tomorrow.  I'll have a nice breakfast, I'll do the post office thing, then shop without hurrying, maybe even go to a matinee!  You'll get the full report tomorrow night.

Note To Self

I should make a lot of notes to myself.  Not always "to-do" list type of things.

1.  Don't buy Chef Boyardee Ravioli.  Just because it is beside the Spaghetti-Os, which you do like, does not mean you like ravioli.

2.  Wearing a light jacket does not make it spring. You're just lucky you didn't do that today with that horrible sleety stuff coming down.

3.  Put the second mitten back in the coat pocket.  It's not doing you any good on the kitchen table.

4.  On a similar topic, wear a scarf.  You've knit enough of them to warm the necks of an average family, take advantage of them!

5.  Tea doesn't make itself.  Just because you heated the water does not mean it will leap into the mug with a teabag.

6.  Ty will try to bite the vet that gives him shots.  Have the vet tech put the muzzle on before the attempt.  Give thanks for a very understanding vet.

On to other stuff!  The doggies and I had a lovely trip down to my parents' place this weekend.  I got to see the nephew (aka Cutest Kid on Earth) and Ty got groomed!

He looks like a proper Schnauzer now.  He likes the groomer, and she informed me he doesn't mind getting his nails ground down.  Which is great news, because he turns into a whirling dervish if you try to clip them.

Doesn't that patch on his chest look a bit like a bat?  He's my BatDog!  The patch is only visible right after he's groomed.

The front door is doggie TV for him.  If a squirrel or cat goes near enough for him to see, he sets up a racket!  When the door is shut, Saffron loves to lay on that snowman mat.  My parents' gorgeous Sheltie Princess is just outside the door there.  She prefers the cold, and it wasn't a particularly frigid weekend, so she saw no need to come in to be bugged by the youngster-dogs.

I'd meant the weekend to be a test run for my luggage and travel wardrobe, but Mom short-circuited that.  She loves to look for clearance sales, and tends to buy as much for me as for herself.  So Friday involved a fashion show of all the new pants and shirts she'd gotten for next to nothing.  And of course, almost all of them fit!  I ended up wearing new items as much as old, and when I packed to go, the luggage was overstuffed and I still had two bags of clothing besides.  If Mom didn't have a good idea of my clothing sense and color choices, it'd be miserable, but as it is, I'm happy with my new duds.

Sing Out!

I noticed that since Michael's death, I haven't sung very much.  I certainly listen to lots of music, you've heard about that, but singing... not so much.  I've tried, but my voice cracks or I just sort of drift off and maybe hum.

That kind of changed today, when I got tired of Torchwood music and put in Queen's "It's A Kind of Magic."  The title song, and then "Bohemian Rhapsody", are a little hard to resist!  I must advise, though, don't headbang while driving.  It's rather hard to maintain a straight line.

It still got hard when "One Year Of Love" came on, but any singing feels pretty good.  I don't expect to be an operatic sensation right away.

Short entry, sorry.  On Monday I start a super-long stretch of workdays, so I'm gonna "work" hard at relaxing this weekend!

Things Are Really Heating Up!

My gosh, who broke the AC?  It's been sweltering at work, not so bad at home.  My yard is bare of the white stuff, finally.  Around town, it's going to take a while for those huge piles of plowed-up snow to disappear, though.  There are still several parking spots that aren't useable yet.

Not that I mind the warmer temps, it's the first time Missouri has been warmer than London, according to my little weather doodad.  But so little transition!  I had to dive for the back of the closet, find some cooler shirts.  But I can't yet put away the winter stuff.  This is Missouri.  Weather is weird.  I like weather.  I just wish I could find my backup umbrella.

I think I'm in a bit of a downswing.  It's been a real effort getting to work in the mornings.  I picked up some yarn and tried a bit of lacy cuff for a mitten, but just couldn't get much enthusiasm up for the challenges of yarnovers right at the beginning of a magic loop.  So that fledgling project got frogged.  (Dontcha just love knitting lingo?)

The puppies gave me a bit of a diversion.  Someone left my gate open, and Ty of course does a runner.  Saffron came back in when I called, so I had no idea Ty wasn't in the yard!  He often likes to stare at squirrels and refuse to come in, I figured that's what he was up to.  But finally, I needed him in, so I wandered outside and found the gate.  Arrrgh!  People sometimes drive insanely fast down the hill in front of the house, so I was a bit worried someone might accidentally flatten a small fast-moving grey dog.  I found a flashlight and a leash and headed up the road.  My plan was to listen for any upset yard dogs in the neighborhood, as Ty has a history of messing with any canine on a chain.  I didn't even get past the next house up before he tore down the street to me!  The little guy knows where the treats come from.

Finding a Way

With an ankle still painful from my tumbles, I was a bit worried about keeping up my exercises.  For several weeks, I walk in place during commercials.  Especially during Biggest Loser, it's quite the inspiration.  But with this pain?  Walking in place, even on my carpet?  Not fun.  I'd tried shadow-boxing a couple weeks ago and liked it, so I kept doing that.  And then, I got an idea!  I laid on my back and kicked!  Kicking my legs up, then adding in my arms as well, and fending off some rather puzzled but enthusiastic canines, there's a workout.  By the end of the commercial break, I was definitely breathing hard.  I kept going with my arms for a while into the show, though.  No pressure on the wonky ankles, but I'm still burning calories.

I think once I do start walking again, it's probably going to be nicer weather outside.  I'm gonna try walking with the luggage on my back.  Sure, I won't have it on for my whole trip, but I might as well get used to it. Either the luggage, or walking the dogs.  Then it's an arm workout as well as the legs!  They're a curious pair, and there's lots of neighborhood dogs to greet.

Oh, I found my coat!  It was under a stack of folded laundry.  I also found the disc drive, on the desk where it is supposed to be.  Sneaky thing.  And if I don't find all the parts of the passport application by next week, I'll just go get another form and more pictures.  Ugh, a waste of money, but I don't want to run out of time on that piece of the puzzle.  Also on the Find-It list is the HiyaHiya knit pouch I recently got.  I put a low-priority project in it, and now I'm not sure where I put it.  But it'd be a fabulous bag to have on the trip.  Not too big, soft-sided, nice little handle, and enough room for a one-skein project and some tools.  It's more like a little purse than a project bag.  HiyaHiya makes such beautiful cases for their needle sets and stuff!

See, nice brocade.  This is the needle case.  I've also got two needle sets, one small and the other large-gauge.  Yes, possibly this is only interesting to knitters, but think about it this way... it's like having a great set of tools for whatever your hobby is.  The best running sneakers, an awesome socket set, a bicycle you love.  Having the right tool makes a hobby (or a job, too, really) more enjoyable, the result better quality.  HiyaHiyas are maybe not The Best, but they're quite good.  And I've got Addi's, too, which are possibly the best.  I'm not sure, sometimes I like the HH's more.  In one of my older cases, I've even still got the old aluminum straight needles that I learned on.  Sometimes, they just feel right to use.

Thinking of tools reminds me of a screwdriver I got as a freebie with some other stuff.  It's short with a nice grippy handle, and the tip looked like it was interchangeable, but I never found any other tips for it.  I thought, well, it's still a decent Phillips-head, so I'll toss it in the whatnot drawer.  Recently, I was playing with it, just something in my hands while I waited for something to cook... the end came off.  There are six lovely interchangy tips!  Little Mr. Screwdriver gets promoted to the good tool drawer!

If you're reading this, and you can think of a tool you love to use in your hobbies or work, tell me about it!

Happy... that Day.

So, it's Valentine's Day.  As far as stress goes, this has to be one of the worst days in the calendar.  Women wondering if he'll pop the question, men wondering if she'll say yes, husbands wondering if they got the right gift, wives wondering if he'll even remember.  And then if you're a teenager, with Facebook and Twittering and loads of texting!  Oh the Drama.  Maybe it's better to be alone.

Nope.

Well, at least my parents and nephew sent me flowers.  For an 18-month-old, he has very good taste in flowers.  But you'll all have to wait for a picture of them, because I left them at work.  I'm going to claim it's on purpose, that I wanted everyone there to enjoy their beauty.  Yeah, that's it.  I didn't just forget them, nah.  Other than that, the most valentiney thing I'm doing is drinking from a pink water bottle.

Wanna hear about my luggage?  The luggage which several people have said isn't going to work because it doesn't roll?  I tried out my packing plan yesterday.  Everything fit, minus a couple of things I haven't got yet.  But there's still room for a travel soap container and a pair of dark socks.  The real test was picking it up and settling it on my back.  IT WORKS!  It fits comfortably, padded enough on the back,  and rides nicely.  I've always been good at toting backpacks.  I always loaded them up with WAYYY too many books in my high school/college days.

Now I'll just base my packing list on what's in there, modified as time goes by if I find better clothes or accessories for it.  If my Skechers Shape-Up sneakers make the cut, I'll have to wear them, though.  Their soles are very big, so they don't pack very well.  But they're comfortable, nice-looking shoes, so if I'm still wearing them in summer, odds are I'll make room.

Did I mention the luggage is red?  Yeah, I'm not touching it today.

BAFTA Bash!

I’m not really one for awards ceremonies.  If I watch the Oscars, it’s probably the last half hour, or maybe just the red carpet fun.  But tonight, I’m watching the BAFTAs.  It’s the British version of the Oscars.  And it's fun!  The host, don't really recognize him, made a crack about Ricky Gervais, but I think it was probably deserved.  The tone seems so much more positive than the clips of the Golden Globes.  If there's any negative humor, it's generally self-deprecating.

For Best Music, I was thrilled to see “How to Train Your Dragon” up there with “The King’s Speech.”  And of course, Danny Elfman’s “Alice in Wonderland” score, gotta love Danny.  Dragon didn’t win, but still, an animated film was acknowledged for something besides being animated.  Yay!

I saw “The King’s Speech,” and I fully expect it’ll win a big pile of awards.  But I would have liked it even without all the critics yammering.  Colin Firth is great, I just recently saw “Nanny McPhee” again, and it’s so obvious how much he puts into the roles.  And this is the first I remember seeing Helena Bonham Carter when she's not the evil/crazy Bellatrix Lestrange.

Oooh, Special Visual Effects!  “Inception”, no surprise there.  Ha, they played “Sweet Dreams” as the winners walked up!  “Harry Potter” was up for it too, but even though I liked HP, and haven’t seen Inception yet, I do think the right film won.  There’s James MacAvoy presenting…. Dang, he’s cute.  And giving Best Supporting Actress to Helena Bonham Carter.  Any surprise there?  And Geoffrey Rush for Best Supporting Actor... for that one, it was a little bit sad since Pete Postlethwaite was also nominated.  He cropped up in so many movies, and left this world far too soon.

It's hard to imagine what it would be like to make a film. I've heard authors talk about a book as being like a child, and hoping that the world accepts it.  But with a film, it's not such a solo mission.  It's a huge project, with so many people relying on its success.  A book could be made on almost any laptop, or typewriter, or even scrap paper if that's all you've got.  But a movie!  Gosh, it takes courage just to consider doing one.

I'm actually quite glad that I've never encountered a film so bad that I walk out.  Count the names in the credits of a movie sometime.  Walking out of a film is like slapping each and every one of those people in the face.  It's one thing if you've got an emergency, or a fussy child or something, but to just walk out... well, it's also a waste of money.  (yes, I have Scottish heritage, why do you ask?)

Hmm, if "Social Network" cleaned up at the Golden Globes, and "King's Speech" gets the BAFTAs, then I suppose "Black Swan" will get loads of Oscars.  Naah, it doesn't usually work like that, does it?  I'll keep cheering for "King's Speech".

I was going to talk about my practice run with my new luggage, but the BAFTAs did seem a lot more interesting.

Call and Response

I really thought when I sent that fan letter to John Barrowman that'd I'd get back a form letter sort of response. "Hey, thanks for being a fan! blah blah blah."  But no!  It turned out so much better.  I understand he can't respond to everyone.  The letter I got in reply wasn't directly from him, and that's okay.  But it was obvious that his representative had read what I wrote! Woo-hoo!

Now I just have to get up the courage to write to David Tennant.  Maybe after I write to Catherine Tate, and maybe to one of the Top Gear guys too.  Yeah, all famous enough that I'm not likely to get direct responses,  but if even one or two of them have a nice person read and respond like this one, I'll be thrilled.

So, my ankle is all swollen and painful, but I coped at work.  Whenever there's a library card to make, I can sit for a bit while I do that.  Unfortunately, it was a very busy day, so even the hour when I was supposed to be working in the back, I was mostly out front forcing a smile to my lips.  I should have been on the renewals line.  Not only is it sitting down, but I can make my voice smile even if my face is struggling.  When they used to do performance appraisals, I always got points on my good phone voice. And in person, I do really try to smile!  It makes a difference.  If I have to go frowny-face when I tell somebody "no", it's a big deal.  And if it's a frustrating person and I go all poker face, no emotion at all, they really should take the hint and run.  But they don't.  I can shut down Helpful Me so fast it's not funny.  At least today wasn't that sort of poker face.  It was just "I'm in pain and I'm trying to just get through these last 20 minutes."

Aaahh, the yarn shop.  A place of color and camaraderie and peace and creativity.  And adjectives.  Not necessarily productivity!  Currently around the table, three of us are looking at new colors of yarn on a computer, I'm blogging and ONE person is actually knitting.  Nobody minds, though.  That's what makes this my sanctuary, even when it's not Happy Hour.

I can just feel myself growing calmer and more content.  The day isn't a loss at all!

Another Spill

This is just not my winter.  I sprained my ankle on the way in to work.  Stupid wonky sidewalk.  I was still going to try for a double Happy Hour!  First, knitting with the usual crowd, then meeting at the ‘Berg with the library crowd for a Valentiney happy time.  I hadn’t even been to the ‘Berg since it burned and was rebuilt, so I was looking forward to that one. But by the time I got home, I could barely walk.  So here I am in the Soft Comfy Chair, perusing my DVD collection and connected to the world by phone rather than direct contact.  Sigh.

Other than physical agony, things are looking up.  Temperature-wise especially!  I might even see the other half of my driveway later this weekend!  It was nice timing, since I currently can’t find my usual long coat.  Hooray for layers.

The chosen DVD tonight is “Despicable Me.”  I adore this movie, mostly because a villain is really the hero.  The vocal work is amazing, all the way from Steve Carell’s Dr. Gru to the littlest girl Agnes.  Her dad tickled her to get the right giggles into the movie.  It really worked!  In the commentary, the directors talked like there was an early script that involved a more traditional Hero to foil Gru.  That would have ruined it in my opinion.  It would have laid another layer of clichés into the mix, and they had enough to do to make fun of all the villain clichés anyway.  Not to mention turning a fair number of them on their heads, since Gru turns out to be a decent parent.  Still a villain, but with his priorities in the right place.

I love movies.  Especially animated ones, but not just those.  Comedies, action, sci-fi, kids movies, occasionally a rom-com.  Not usually horror or gorey stuff.  Seeing Gremlins at a rather young age was a little too traumatizing for me.  I haven’t even tried re-watching it to see if I’d find it funny now.  I’ll just steer towards other stuff. Lately that’s been animated movies.  Despicable Me, Up, Cars.  I need to find my copy of Finding Nemo.  Of course that would be the one that’s lost, right?  Hehehe, so much lost stuff, I should probably stick with music this weekend so I won’t be as distracted by the screen.  Maybe then I could do a grand search for the coat, Nemo, the passport pictures and form… yikes.

Irony, Thou Art Cruel

I shouldn't have said anything about steps in my last post.   I use that lovely gem of a phrase, then go outside to get my mail.  BAM!  I'm on my butt with a significant loss of dignity.  That ice was really tough to see!  And harder to get off of, I was slippy-slidey in my drive for longer than was pleasant, believe me!  Fortunately, the only physical result is a cut on the heel of one palm.  That'll itch as it heals, but it's not too bad.  And really, it's my own fault.  I didn't have my boots or my spikey straps on.

The pups aren't liking this stage of the snow.  Well, actually, I think if Ty could, he'd be laughing at his sister.  The snow is now compacted and a bit icy on top.  Before, Ty would struggle through the loose snow and finally give up and stick to the paths I tromped down for them.  Saffron's longer legs allowed her the freedom of bounding through the drifts, barely able to see over some of them, but perfectly happy to wander the yard anyway.  Now, Ty can run atop the icy layer, only slipping when he comes to one of the old paths, where Saff falls in when she puts her weight on the snow!  It offers just enough resistance to make it unpleasant for her.  So she's staying mostly to the paths now.

Ty doesn't mug for the camera quite as well as Saffron.

Every Step I Take

Listening to The Police.  Love this song, but it really is quite stalker-y.  Maybe that's a hint, that I should clear out some of the pictures of Mr. Tennant that appear as my computer wallpaper.  One appeared a few minutes ago and I actually said aloud "Wow, you sexy thing!"  Thankfully, my dogs don't pay a whit of attention to my random outbursts anymore and there was no one around to hear it.  Nevermind that I've told you, it's just hearsay.  Yeah, that's it.

Really, I think I'm quite a good fan.  I've written two fan letters so far.  One has actually been sent, even!  Somehow, I don't think I have a great chance of hearing back from John Barrowman or anyone connected with him, but if I do, I'll let you know.  The second letter, to composer Murray Gold, is waiting to be sent.  I couldn't find reliable contact information for him directly.  I'm working up my courage to send a letter to David Tennant.  Silly, huh?  Courage, just to send a letter which will probably end up in a fanclub form letter queue.

But I really do put effort into these letters.  They're much more than just SQUEEEEE fangirl stuff.  I think famous people should know why you admire them, more than just "you're so cuuuuute!" sort of thing.  If someone were writing me a fan letter, I'd like to know how they discovered me.  Maybe a little bit about them so I know what sort of person ends up as my fan.  What I've done that really means the most to them.  It helps if they've done their homework and know what I've done besides the "most famous" thing.  So that's the sort of letter I write.

And now something completely different.  I dance a bit more than I used to.  I put on my iTunes and quite often it'll offer up some song on shuffle that just makes me want to move.  Since dancing is really a very calorie-burning sort of activity, I give in and bop around the kitchen.  I'm really bad at dancing, but nobody's watching.  Except the puppies.  They get agitated when I dance.  Could be the lack of rhythm. Luckily, one of the commands I have drilled into their doggie brains is "Out of the kitchen!"  Very useful when cooking.  Or dancing.  You can guess which activity keeps them anxiously sat at the edge of the kitchen staring at the floor near the oven.

I wonder if some people think I should be more sad than I am.  Really, I'm just over four months alone now.  And sometimes, yes, I am quite sad.  (I think Valentines Day might be a little rough.  We'll see.)  But most days, I think of all the good things about my time with Michael.  We didn't often have it easy, what with health, money, and two strong personalities.  But we really were happy!  We'd watch movies and talk endlessly about superheroes and apocalyptic futures and weird inventions and whatever else came to mind.  Or, we'd both be incredibly silent because we were both reading or playing a computer game intensely.  Our moods just seemed to fit.  Sure, I miss the conversations and companionship.  But I have a lot to look back on and be proud of.  Those times far outweigh the stress and sadness of his illness.

To Inform Or Not To Inform

I'm planning a trip.  Really, don't know if you got any of the hints I've done in this blog.  A big trip.  And what am I most worried about?  Personal security?  Missing my flights?  Getting sick?  Nope.

Telling my mother.

Yep, I just know there's plenty about this trip she's not going to like.  First, it was going overseas.  Well, she knew fairly quickly about that plan, since I told her I wanted to get my passport months ago.  Then there was traveling alone.  Really, I figured this would be a big one.  But I managed to tell her about that over breakfast one day.  And she was cooler about it than I thought.  I did say I'd have contacts in the UK just in case.

Then, last night, I'm talking luggage with her.  She's asking if I have a good rolling bag.  I tell her no, I don't want a rolling bag.  I just got a nice one that's soft-sided and converts to a backpack.  It's very light, which a rolling bag doesn't tend to be.  She's insisting that I need a rolling bag and also one that I can "add-on" to the top of, in order to tote all the stuff that she's sure I'll take (read: need.)  When I tell her I intend to only have my backpack-bag as a carry-on, no checked bags at all, she kinda freaked out.  What?!?  Why is this such a big deal?

I know, it's the right of all parents to worry about their kids.   But it's not like I'm 18.  Or even 24.  I'm in my 30's, for pete's sake!  I'm not idiotic!  I can do this.  That's the point, proving I Can.

I do wonder what Dad thinks.  He's rather quiet about it.  Easier to let Mom be her usual vocal self, I suppose.

Arms Struggle

OH MY GOSH my arms hurt.  All in all, I probably shoveled for an hour and a half yesterday.  Not all at once, but still.
Here's my first session of progress:

The sun wasn't even on that side of my house yet, but I knew I had to start early if I had any hope of finishing.  Second session!

 This was the major push for me.  You can see, proof that some traffic is getting through on the street.  Also, see that shovel there by the car's tire?  I got HELP!

There's the neighbor boy who came over to help.  Yep, he's got a skull balaclava.  But is very nice, really.  Didn't ask for anything, but I did give him some money.  It's a real job, digging this much snow!

I think the path he made was narrowing as he went, but thankfully I have a small car.  And lastly, one of the major icicles has re-formed.  Ah, such beauty!

Yeah, it's almost all the way to the snow drift!

The news is all about snow weight on roofs.  I've been out to look at mine, and I think I'm quite glad now that the wind drifted so much of the snow off.  The neighborhood roofs are relatively clear, when you compare them to the yards and un-plowed drives!

Oh, I'm ready to be out and about again.  Gotta move these arms, get some of the soreness worked out!

Oh, Just Forget It!

One of the things I've noticed lately is I forget stuff.  A lot.  Not important stuff, not since that unfortunate incident at that red light... Like today, I forgot that I'd made tea.  Twice.  At least the second time it was still warm.  Stuff at the store... I'm actually almost about to run out of good ol' pepper, because it never seems to make it onto my list.  Ha, I never used to make shopping lists like this!  I don't think there's anything wrong with me, it's just so much is on my mind right now.  Things I used to put off, or just not worry about.

These long days at home aren't helping.  My mind just thinks and thinks and won't stop.  I need distraction.  But it looks like I'll be home again tomorrow.  The library will probably be open, but there's no way I'm getting out yet!  I started digging out the driveway.
Here's the before picture:

And here's after an exhausting session of shoveling:

Hopefully, once I get a few more sessions in, it looks like the drifting snow makes it shallower closer to the mailbox.

There's the mums!  The first one is completely buried now, that's where the shoveled snow ended up.  It's kinda cool, thinking how hard I worked at it, the energy I used.  I also did exercise in the commercials of the shows I watched.  Walking in place, shadow boxing, squats and lunges.  So far, my stamina is crap, but I think it's improving slightly.

Snow Place Like Home

From what I've heard, the main conversation starter in the UK is the weather.  If so, then Missourians are a perfect match.  We're similarly obsessed, and it's no wonder.  Don't like the weather?  Wait a bit.  It'll go from 40+ degrees and sunny to this --

 -- in very short time.  I'm very used to talking about the weather.  Especially having grown up on a farm!  Want to know about the likelihood of rain?  Ask a farmer, specifically one pondering whether to cut hay or leave it a few more days.  My dad has a near perfect formula.  In the drive from home to town, if there are three or more turtles crossing the road, it's very likely to rain in the next 24 hours.  Really, it's about 75% accurate.  The natural world knows.  Birds yesterday were going crazy.  They knew what was coming today!

I've had this weather doodad on my computer for a while now, set to London.  I've been rather jealous of them, they haven't had below-freezing temps except for one night last week!  By the time my trip rolls around, I'll have a pretty good idea of what weather to expect.

But before then, I get to deal with Super Snow 2011.  What an entrance, February!  My car is snug in my garage, the dogs and I have food aplenty, and (touch wood) no power outage yet.  Speaking of the food, yesterday I took out my nicely-thawed tidy little package labeled "Sirloin Steak", and figured I'd have a nice meal out of it.  Heated up my pan, unwrapped the steak... and unfolded it.  And kept unfolding.  This was a steak the size of my head!  That package must have had Time Lord technology or something.  So I now have enough steak made up for about four meals.  Thank goodness I've got a good supply of steak sauce.

Remember my rose bush from the ice pictures?  There it is!  Down there at the end of the snowdrift!

My sidewalk is somewhere under that.  It makes a turn at the pot with the mum, but you'll have to take my word for that, I guess.  And the stuff is still coming down.

It's kind of hard to see, but there's a hole in the pole, a few inches above the snow.  What is impossible to see, there's another hole, several inches below that one, which was further above the snow as of this morning!  What a nice measuring tool!  What a massively huge amount of snow, yikes.

I'll see you at knitting Happy Hour, someday, assuming the St Bernards can find all of us, right?