Merry Start of Winter and Happy New Year!

Winterizing

This Christmas season snow in has given me time to reflect on personalities of people and I have decided that there are two that I will focus on in this blog entry. The first one is the person who really does enjoy being indoors quite a stretch of time watching movies, reading books, and hanging out with family. The other personality type is the one who keeps busy, usually staying out of the house, and is always wishing for time to sit and read, watch movies, and hang out for hours on end. This person thinks that if they had the time, they would really enjoy this break from busy living.

I fall into the second type. Mostly I am very busy running hither and yon and always wishing that I could slow down and just be lazy. During this snow season, I have had plenty of time to do just that. It was great for about a half of a day and then I was done. I couldn't believe it, all of this time to relax and all that I wanted to do was be out and about and busy doing whatever it is that I usually do. I even relished going into work for an extra day ( I am short on vacation hours at this point so that was a good thing).

Now the snow is melting. We are getting back to our regular routine, sans school for the kids and work for my husband. I am busy getting things ready so we can vacation out of town for a few days. Ironically I don't really feel like I need a vacation because I haven't been all that busy, I don't feel like I am vacationing from anything. The thing that I will miss most about the snow is the way that it covered everything and made it beautiful. As I look out my window, the birds are industriously scratching and foraging for seed, they are very hungry and seem to be glad to get back to their regular routine as well. The snow is rapidly melting in the downpour of Pacific Northwest rain. The other thing that I will miss most about the snow is the option to be lazy even if I don't act upon it.

Ode to the Beagle By, Myself

Ode to the Beagle who lived next door,
brown spots, white body, look at him soar.

Pleading brown eyes, on the floor sittin',
can I please have some of what your gittin'.

Waiting patiently at the back door, let me in,
I promise I won't go on the floor!

Oh the beagle, so full of vigor in youth,
he helped his owners cut parenting tooth.

Living for walks, socks, and on the floor dining,
always able to get his way with some soft whining.

Wandering the neighborhood, looking for more,
sitting on my porch, wanting to come in the door.

Little beagle always good for some lovin,'
holdin' and fast belly rubbin'.

Lately he had been a bit slow,
Walking with his head hung low.

The leash tugging energy was not as strong,
he used to walk the leash holder to the next scent along.

The special brown towel-covered lounger,
always inviting a deep snooze for the scrounger.

Yesterday the beagle took his last energetic stroll,
and came home tired from his romp in the snow.

This well-loved canine will be missed by all,
big brown eyes, subtle grin, and howling call.

Winter Weather and Christmas Songs

Whoever wrote such lyrics as:


let, it snow, let it snow, let it snow

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas

on the lane snow is glistening,

a beautiful sight, we are happy tonight

walkn' in a winter wonderland,

and other such lyrics about being cozy and warm inside

and spending time with family

while the delightful snow rains down outside


did not live in the 21st century. I am amazed at how ill equipped we are to deal with bad weather in our modern life. Where I live, we are gripped in the fist of the worst snow weather that this region has seen in probably over 60 years. Another point for global warming! Because we don't live in a snow-friendly environment, really hilly with snow turning to ice every night, nobody is prepared. While I like the notion of the "cozy indoor family nest," our family "nest" tends to drive each other crazy after a few days. Forget the friends and family, no one can get to each others houses and our out-of-state relatives have chosen to stay out-of-state for the holiday, leaving only the "cozy nest of just us five". This will also be the year that my kids will have to suspend belief in Santa, all of those carefully chosen and early ordered gifts have been stuck in transit. We haven't seen mail or a delivery in five days. I am trying to embrace what these song writers must have felt at the time that their music was written. It was maybe a simpler time in many ways, people lived closer together and didn't rely on cars, planes, and trains to reunite. As my children enjoy a less present laden holiday without grandparents, for the first time since their birth, and I enjoy cooking and cleaning the kitchen and sharing yet another day indoors with my "cozy" brood, I will try and remember, the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful and, whether I want it to or not, it will snow, it will snow, it will snow.

Winter Storm Warnings

As I write this, the weather forecast is warning of more snow (we already have tons!) and possible power outages. The power outage part really makes me nervous. A couple of years ago there was a major wind storm in Seattle. We live in the heart of a fairly urban area, close to downtown, and we were without power right before Christmas for seven days. Our house was a chilly 45 degrees, we were eating all of our meals out, in fact we were staying out all day everyday in order to be warm. My husband was out of town for business when it first happened and had a hard time getting home. Soon, after about three to four days, all of the houses around us had power. Ours was the only grid in the neighborhood without power for a full week. This is because of a huge fir tree that fell on the power lines a couple of blocks from our house. It took the power company FOREVER to get out and remove it. I know other areas were harder hit then us, these were mostly rural. It was depressing when our friends who lived 45 minutes to an hour out of town had their power back before us. It was also frustrating and depressing to see lights on in all of the houses around our area while we remained chilly and dark at Christmas.

I remember last year, when I got out the Christmas decorations, I had a bit of post traumatic stress disorder when I saw them. It took me right back to that hard time. People in this area have changed because of that storm. Generators are now sold out as are batteries and fire wood. This happens now every time we have a possible loss of power warning. People now assume that they will be out of power for days and days. I am included in this group and have drug out most of our camping equipment in case we have to "camp out" in our house for days on end. So here I sit in the Pacific Northwest, hoping for the best and wanting more than anything to get through the next two nights in light rather than dark cold.

My Favorite Holiday Movie

Yeah, I know that it is corny, but I love this one. I did take a few years off of it though, even favorites can have a shelf life. I renewed my interest, several years ago and now I watch it every year. My kids don't even like it as much as I do. I will watch it again this year, probably by myself as everyone else is burned out.

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

Yesterday school was cancelled in our district. A huge snowstorm was predicted, come nightfall the streets remained clear and dry as a bone. The kids were disappointed, no snow to play in. We did fill the day, however, with such events as the Madagascar 2 movie, library, and swimming. Everyone went to bed (after decorating a few Christmas cookies), tired, but disappointed in the lack of white.

Today is an excellent day. We had a huge snowfall in the night and the snow is still falling! It is a true rarity for us to get this much good snow (i.e., not melted or turned to ice by the afternoon) at this low of an elevation in the Pacific Northwest. The kids have had a great time sledding, building snowpeople, and making snow angels. The kids and I even went on a cross country ski excursion right from our front door. I don't remember ever being able to do that. As I write one of my young ones is still out playing, adding the finishing touches to a snowperson masterpiece. The other two are sacked out, taking a much needed rest. I am really glad that I got those Christmas themed marsh mellows when I last went to the store, they have been a real hit with the hot chocolate. Another thing that is really great is talking to my neighbors. It seems like once the weather turns in the Fall we all rush inside. Today is a day for being out and it feels perfect!