Cross posted from flickr.
It's official. We'll be signing the closing papers tomorrow. Then we begin the chaos that is moving house. And once we're all moved and a renter is found for our townhouse, we'll be able to really take a deep breath and settle in.
We'll have a lawn to mow in the spring and summer, snow to shovel in the winter (and fall and spring) and all the new responsibilities that come with a single family home. But we'll also have so much more space and many more options than we have at the townhouse.
Assuming the minor renovations that need doing at the new house are done by then we've got a move date of December 21st.
Showing posts with label winter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label winter. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
It must be Spring
I saw our resident chipmunks out on the deck this morning, so it must finally be Spring! 39° F, overcast, and some of the snow is melting. Yay! I'm going to pretend I didn't see that NOAA is predicting a chance of snow for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
And now a public service announcement...
More like this on icanhascheezburger.com
LOLcats FTW!
It's a beautiful day today! Sun shining, it's warmed up to 31°F (-1°C), and I just got back from having lunch with friends. Must go back outside and enjoy the weather. More time on the interweb later, after breathing unfrozen outdoors air for a little bit. And quilting. And practicing my Qigong. And otherwise having energy mid-day for the first time in ages.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
It's a beautiful day
It's a beautiful, bright, sunny day. To look out the window it looks like it would be a perfect day to go out and practice my archery. But it's -7°F (-22°C) out there, with a wind chill of -28°F (-33°C).
There were a couple of squirrels sitting on our front deck, checking out the feeding dish and looking hopeful. The deck is a dark gray, and the direct sunlight on the boards makes them wonderfully warm even in this kind of cold. So I suspect it was warming their fuzzy little coats, too.
In fact, the surface of the deck is warm enough that when I went out to fill the feeder for the squirrels I was able to do so barefoot. The air was cold enough to freeze the inside of my nose almost instantly. But my toesies were plenty warm.
So, no archery today, and probably not for some time yet.
But my Honey is home from his trip. The squirrel bowl is full and the squirrels are going to town on the goodies in it. The cats enjoyed today's episode of rodent action on the cat-tv (window) before finding comfy spots for their afternoon naps. My Mister is baking bread and filling the house with baking smells. We'll spend some time playing WoW together, and then I'll probably knit and catch up on some of the documentaries I've saved on our DVR.
Yup. It's a beautiful day.
There were a couple of squirrels sitting on our front deck, checking out the feeding dish and looking hopeful. The deck is a dark gray, and the direct sunlight on the boards makes them wonderfully warm even in this kind of cold. So I suspect it was warming their fuzzy little coats, too.
In fact, the surface of the deck is warm enough that when I went out to fill the feeder for the squirrels I was able to do so barefoot. The air was cold enough to freeze the inside of my nose almost instantly. But my toesies were plenty warm.
So, no archery today, and probably not for some time yet.
But my Honey is home from his trip. The squirrel bowl is full and the squirrels are going to town on the goodies in it. The cats enjoyed today's episode of rodent action on the cat-tv (window) before finding comfy spots for their afternoon naps. My Mister is baking bread and filling the house with baking smells. We'll spend some time playing WoW together, and then I'll probably knit and catch up on some of the documentaries I've saved on our DVR.
Yup. It's a beautiful day.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Home again
My Mister has been off carousing and visiting family in Las Vegas for several days, and he's coming home tonight.
The cats, the rats and I have all missed him, so we'll all be very glad to have him home again. Not sure he's going to be thrilled with coming home to wind chill values between -13 and -23°F after the mild weather in Vegas. It was relatively warm here (in the high 20's F) when he left. But that's what you get when you live in Minnesota.
I understand he got to meet some poker pros, like "The Professor" Howard Lederer, and has become good buddies with the family dog at my sister-in-law's house. Good thing he didn't drive there or he'd likely come home with the pupper. He sent this photo of her, taken with his cameraphone.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Cold, with a side of cold
-41° F wind chill. The Southern Californian in me shivers just thinking about it. But I don't need to imagine it any more. Yes. I'm a believer. Wind chill is a factor to be taken very seriously.We went out to dinner this evening, and it was decidedly chilly. Coming home was another matter. Even my Mister, who has a high threshold for cold, was cold. Cold enough to volunteer that he might have made a slight miscalculation in his choice of jackets for the evening (a hooded sweatshirt). I didn't say, "I told you so."
For the most part, I was fine. I had on my down parka, mittens and a fleece hat. But I still didn't have my scarf, and the wind was blowing all the flags in the area straight out as if they'd been starched in place. The cold on the bridge of my nose gave me an instant headache. Watching the gentleman who walked past us in the parking lot wearing a dress shirt, a light sweater and no hat or gloves made me boggle. He didn't look even vaguely uncomfortable, and he was whistling a happy tune.
I'd make a lousy arctic explorer.
The drive home from work was kind of wacky. I ended up behind a fellow in a red car who seemed to be looking everywhere except at the road. He had on a baseball cap, and I could see the brim of the hat swinging back and forth, back and forth, back and forth as he peered out the side windows, out behind him, back out the side windows, giving only short glances to the highway in front of him. He was going just fast enough that I wasn't comfortable speeding up enough to pass him, given the way the gusty wind was trying to knock my car around. So I slowed down to give him lots of room. He'd slow down for a minute, then speed back up. Always looking back and forth out the side windows. Occasionally he'd change lanes, or drift enough I was afraid he'd go into the ditch.
This went on for several miles. I breathed a sigh of relief when he took an exit off the highway, but he drove straight through the exit to where it re-entered the highway, and got right back on, still several vehicles in front of mine. I paced myself to continue keeping a decent buffer between us.
An ambulance sped up behind us with it's sirens and flashing lights on. Everyone slowed and shifted to the right lane to let it pass. But rather than slowing down, or pulling off the side of the road, Swivelly Head Man decided to stop short, right in the middle of the lane. Everyone managed to avoid hitting him, but it was a bit too close for comfort. Even stopped, I could see the brim of his hat swinging from side to side in a 180° arc.
I took the opportunity, after the ambulance passed and while Swivelly Head Man was still stopped, to pass him, but once he got going he sped way up, as if to make up for lost time. He zipped past me, and off another highway exit, then right back onto the highway again.
A few miles later he finally took an exit that didn't have a return point on it, and continued on his swivelly way to where ever he was going. Maybe he just didn't want to end up behind Minivan Woman, who was poking along at 15 mph below the speed limit just up ahead?
Fresh because it's frozen fresh
It is -2°F (-19°C) outside now with a wind chill of -23°F (-31°C) and the temperature is still dropping. NOAA is predicting a low of -16°F tonight with a wind chill of -26°F to -31°F. What happened to 42°F from 2 PM yesterday? I was outside with only a sweater for extra warmth, and quite happy. The locals all seem quite proud of this sudden thermometer crash. Welcome to Minnesota. And I don't even live in one of the cold parts of the state.
The wind is strong and steady, and cuts right through the fabric of my pants and sneaks up under my hat. It makes my eyes water, and the hairs inside your nose freeze in this weather if your nose is uncovered. I wonder what a knitter like me is doing with only one warm scarf to my name, and that one forgotten at home?
Thank goodness I got into work early enough to get a good parking place, so I'm only a hundred yards or so from the office door. I left my lunch in the car today (in an insulated bag so it wouldn't freeze solid) to give me an excuse for an extra bit of walking around and fresh air. I think tomorrow I'm bringing it inside, and I'll add an extra spin around the quad, with it's indoor walkways between buildings, instead. No fresh air, of course. But walking around outside right now reminds me of that old frozen food commercial singing the praises of their product by declaring, "It's fresh because it's frozen fresh." I'd rather have my air thawed out a bit before sucking it into my lungs right now.
No sign of the snow they predicted for this morning. I'll be happy if it holds off until after the evening rush hour. If local weather had a democratic component, I suspect there would be an overwhelming vote for that.
Good news for today is that I'm finally sleeping better. Another week of decent sleep, and maybe I'll start to feel like myself again. As a sign of improvement, instead of the usual nightmares, I had a dream about H.H. the Dalai Lama. About a modern cathedral-type structure with pews and a lectern at the front, but instead of hymnals and Bibles there were books with prayers and teachings from many religions and philosophies. The people there were waiting to hear not a sermon, but a philosophical dialog in which His Holiness one participant. The people gathered there to listen were from countries all around the world.
Alrighty. Lunch break is over. Back to work.
The wind is strong and steady, and cuts right through the fabric of my pants and sneaks up under my hat. It makes my eyes water, and the hairs inside your nose freeze in this weather if your nose is uncovered. I wonder what a knitter like me is doing with only one warm scarf to my name, and that one forgotten at home?
Thank goodness I got into work early enough to get a good parking place, so I'm only a hundred yards or so from the office door. I left my lunch in the car today (in an insulated bag so it wouldn't freeze solid) to give me an excuse for an extra bit of walking around and fresh air. I think tomorrow I'm bringing it inside, and I'll add an extra spin around the quad, with it's indoor walkways between buildings, instead. No fresh air, of course. But walking around outside right now reminds me of that old frozen food commercial singing the praises of their product by declaring, "It's fresh because it's frozen fresh." I'd rather have my air thawed out a bit before sucking it into my lungs right now.
No sign of the snow they predicted for this morning. I'll be happy if it holds off until after the evening rush hour. If local weather had a democratic component, I suspect there would be an overwhelming vote for that.
Good news for today is that I'm finally sleeping better. Another week of decent sleep, and maybe I'll start to feel like myself again. As a sign of improvement, instead of the usual nightmares, I had a dream about H.H. the Dalai Lama. About a modern cathedral-type structure with pews and a lectern at the front, but instead of hymnals and Bibles there were books with prayers and teachings from many religions and philosophies. The people there were waiting to hear not a sermon, but a philosophical dialog in which His Holiness one participant. The people gathered there to listen were from countries all around the world.
Alrighty. Lunch break is over. Back to work.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Walk in the park
It finally warmed up enough to go out for a leisurely walk today. It's been in the below zero Fahrenheit range for long enough that 31°F (-1°C) felt mild enough to leave hat and gloves at home for a stroll through my local park. The breeze picked up a bit on my way back to the car, so the tops of my ears started to go numb, but in my barn coat and flannel lined jeans I was otherwise plenty warm.
The air was full of the sounds of crows, of chickadees calling to each other, and ducks splashing in the creek. This duck caught my ear as she came in for a landing and I got the camera up in time to catch her.
It felt good to be out walking. I haven't had a real walk, outside in fresh air since Thanksgiving. All my walking has been done indoors lately.
The air was full of the sounds of crows, of chickadees calling to each other, and ducks splashing in the creek. This duck caught my ear as she came in for a landing and I got the camera up in time to catch her.
It felt good to be out walking. I haven't had a real walk, outside in fresh air since Thanksgiving. All my walking has been done indoors lately.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
It's cold. Yup. It's cold.
It's good and cold out there. NOAA says the current air temp is -11°F (-24°C), with a wind chill of -26°F (-32°C). The sun is bright and the sky is blue, and there are squirrel footie prints in the snow all over the deck.
I put out a plate of food for the squirrels, and they're starting to come to check it out. The bird feeders in the neighbor's yard has been attracting chickadees, and they're singing out to one another.
Needless to say, the kitties are very happy to see all the critter activity outside the window. They're sitting in sunbeams and watching squirrels. Kitty heaven.
I put out a plate of food for the squirrels, and they're starting to come to check it out. The bird feeders in the neighbor's yard has been attracting chickadees, and they're singing out to one another.
Needless to say, the kitties are very happy to see all the critter activity outside the window. They're sitting in sunbeams and watching squirrels. Kitty heaven.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Busy week
Zathras has moved into the B5 Girlies' home now. The lady rats have been busy sniffing him and making sure he knows he's at the bottom of the pecking order. Lots of squeaks, sniffing and jumping around happening. Pretty normal getting to know each other stuff. Even with the girlies asserting themselves, he's obviously much more comfortable in the new cage than he was on his own. In the smaller wire cage on his own he was pretty timid about exploring. Now, in the big rattie habitat, he's actively checking out his surroundings and roaming around, as well as coming out to meet us when we open the doors.
On the sleep front, I've gotten pretty tired (no pun intended) of the constant nightmares and disturbing dreams. It makes the sleep I get a whole lot less restful.
I've started taking Qigong classes again. I'm happy to say I hadn't forgotten all of what I learned before. And this time something started to click. I could finally feel myself understanding on a physical level. I still say I had no idea how hard it could be to do so little. But my legs shook a little less this time, and I didn't feel so much like I was fighting to relax in the right spots without falling over. I'm really looking forward to practicing, now that I'm kind of "getting it."
My Honey was "downsized" at the end of December. He lost no time getting his resume out, and has been taking calls from potential employers and interviewing left and right over the last two weeks. He got his first job offer today. It's for a short contract, which isn't really what he had in mind. But it was a boost for the morale to get an offer before he'd even received his severance check. More interviews tomorrow.
In other news, I've decided to spend my birthday at a sci-fi convention this year; Jumpcon. It's not until July, so I have time to test my very rusty costuming skills to see if I'm still up to coming up with something fun to wear. I've got some ideas, and a brilliant friend with l33t costuming skillz way beyond mine has been helping me brainstorm. The plan is to...
ok... have to pause here for a minute... Jebeker is laying stretched out on the floor in front of me, pink tummy as cute as can be, fast asleep... have to pause to appreciate the adorable flopped kitty.
[pause]
Ok. I'm back. The plan is to keep things simple. Not so much a full out costume as a sci-fi-esque outfit. The wheels are turning.
Did I mention that Peter Woodward will be at this convention? Does this have anything with my excitement about the con this many months out? Just a little bit excited?
Yup.
Ok, it's getting late, but this post wouldn't be complete without a nod to the weather. According to NOAA we're going to have a high tomorrow (Friday) of 1°F (-17°C). Expected wind chills of -17° F or even -25° F. Here in the Twin Cities. And according to the local weather experts it's going to get quite a bit colder on Saturday. It's going to be one of those weekends that really reminds me that I'm not in California any more. Brrrr!
Yeah, yeah. I know. There are lots of colder places. But even the locals are talking about the cold with excitement in their voices. Comparing notes about which cities in the state are already much colder than the others, with obvious pride. I may have to make a forray out into public during the coldest part of the weekend just too see what Minnesotans dress like when they willingly admit that it's actually gotten cold.
On the sleep front, I've gotten pretty tired (no pun intended) of the constant nightmares and disturbing dreams. It makes the sleep I get a whole lot less restful.
I've started taking Qigong classes again. I'm happy to say I hadn't forgotten all of what I learned before. And this time something started to click. I could finally feel myself understanding on a physical level. I still say I had no idea how hard it could be to do so little. But my legs shook a little less this time, and I didn't feel so much like I was fighting to relax in the right spots without falling over. I'm really looking forward to practicing, now that I'm kind of "getting it."
My Honey was "downsized" at the end of December. He lost no time getting his resume out, and has been taking calls from potential employers and interviewing left and right over the last two weeks. He got his first job offer today. It's for a short contract, which isn't really what he had in mind. But it was a boost for the morale to get an offer before he'd even received his severance check. More interviews tomorrow.
In other news, I've decided to spend my birthday at a sci-fi convention this year; Jumpcon. It's not until July, so I have time to test my very rusty costuming skills to see if I'm still up to coming up with something fun to wear. I've got some ideas, and a brilliant friend with l33t costuming skillz way beyond mine has been helping me brainstorm. The plan is to...
ok... have to pause here for a minute... Jebeker is laying stretched out on the floor in front of me, pink tummy as cute as can be, fast asleep... have to pause to appreciate the adorable flopped kitty.
[pause]
Ok. I'm back. The plan is to keep things simple. Not so much a full out costume as a sci-fi-esque outfit. The wheels are turning.
Did I mention that Peter Woodward will be at this convention? Does this have anything with my excitement about the con this many months out? Just a little bit excited?
Yup.
Ok, it's getting late, but this post wouldn't be complete without a nod to the weather. According to NOAA we're going to have a high tomorrow (Friday) of 1°F (-17°C). Expected wind chills of -17° F or even -25° F. Here in the Twin Cities. And according to the local weather experts it's going to get quite a bit colder on Saturday. It's going to be one of those weekends that really reminds me that I'm not in California any more. Brrrr!
Yeah, yeah. I know. There are lots of colder places. But even the locals are talking about the cold with excitement in their voices. Comparing notes about which cities in the state are already much colder than the others, with obvious pride. I may have to make a forray out into public during the coldest part of the weekend just too see what Minnesotans dress like when they willingly admit that it's actually gotten cold.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
New habits
Ok, so today is bright and sunny, 10°F, with a wind chill of -6°F. So why is it that today many of the natives have on hats and scarves and gloves, when yesterday was a bit colder and I didn't see them all bundled up? Maybe yesterday caught them by surprise?
My sleep issues are making me nuts. I've got a new plan with my doc for dealing with it. And I need to get hardcore about training myself to sleep properly. If I was training a dog, I would say the most important things are consistency and replacing unwanted behaviors with new, more desirable behaviors. Just saying "don't do that" doesn't work. With doggies, you need to say, "don't do THAT, instead do THIS." Followed, of course, with a pat on the head.
I won't be patting myself on the head, but I do need to change my habits that are keeping me unhealthy. Stress makes sleep difficult. Lack of sleep makes stress inevitable. Fatigue and poor physical health follow. My body's chemical balance is out of whack. My complexion has gone to heck. The dark circles under my eyes make me look like I'm half way to zombie land.
So, for at least the next 3 months, I'm going to put myself through sleep training.
My new self imposed rules for the next three months:
I want 2008 to be a year of improved health.
My sleep issues are making me nuts. I've got a new plan with my doc for dealing with it. And I need to get hardcore about training myself to sleep properly. If I was training a dog, I would say the most important things are consistency and replacing unwanted behaviors with new, more desirable behaviors. Just saying "don't do that" doesn't work. With doggies, you need to say, "don't do THAT, instead do THIS." Followed, of course, with a pat on the head.
I won't be patting myself on the head, but I do need to change my habits that are keeping me unhealthy. Stress makes sleep difficult. Lack of sleep makes stress inevitable. Fatigue and poor physical health follow. My body's chemical balance is out of whack. My complexion has gone to heck. The dark circles under my eyes make me look like I'm half way to zombie land.
So, for at least the next 3 months, I'm going to put myself through sleep training.
My new self imposed rules for the next three months:
- Get up at the same time each day, 7 days a week. Set an alarm on weekends.
- No snoozing the alarm. Let go of the dream and leave the room.
- Turn on up-beat music and do one or more of the following: Chi Gong, dance, stretch, rowing.
- Shower after exercising. Showering before would just put me back to sleep.
- Have a yummy, healthy protein shake for breakfast.
- At work, have juice, fruit, oatmeal, yogurt etc. for mid morning snack.
- Walk the quad at work at least one time per day (it's a good long way around, and all indoors.)
- After work: Additional outdoor exercise as often as weather allows, walking, biking, kite flying, archery
- When weather is not good, make sure to take a break to exercise in the evening, well before bed. (Consider getting a recumbent stationary bike.)
- Sensible lunches.
- Sensible dinners.
- Before bed: 10 or more minutes of quiet meditation and prayer.
- Get to bed and be ready to sleep by 10 PM every day. No exceptions allowed until good habits start to develop. Set an alarm on my cell phone to remind me when it's time to start winding down.
- Take meds at the same time each day.
I want 2008 to be a year of improved health.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Cool and breezy morning
It was 4°F on the way into the office this morning (-16°F Wind chill). The people in the parking lot, for the most part, were not wearing hats or gloves. Ok, maybe it's only a 100 yard walk from their car to the door, but by the sauce that's still darned chilly to me. I had a hat, scarf, gloves and my jacket was zipped up. So I guess I still won't be mistaken for a native.
It is supposed to warm up to 15°F above zero later today, and I gather it's going to be the warmest day of the week. I was starting to wonder if January was going to wimp out on us this year. Guess not. The weather dudes were saying that this is traditionally the couple week period when we get the coldest weather of the year. So we'll see what kind of mischief it can come up with for us.
It is supposed to warm up to 15°F above zero later today, and I gather it's going to be the warmest day of the week. I was starting to wonder if January was going to wimp out on us this year. Guess not. The weather dudes were saying that this is traditionally the couple week period when we get the coldest weather of the year. So we'll see what kind of mischief it can come up with for us.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Many splendored thing...
As a transplant to Minnesota from Southern California, I've found winter fascinating. There are so many kinds of snow. One of my favorites is a kind of snow pellets. They're not hard and icy like sleet or hail. They tend to be small, and remind me of the little white Styrofoam balls you find inside some bean bag chairs. They don't happen often, but when they do they're delightful to watch in my easily amused opinion.
After 4 years here, I still hadn't found any local who could tell me what they are called. Some hardly knew what I was describing, which seemed odd to me. I'd been given answers such as "sleet", "angel poo", "snow BBs", and "What? Oh those. No idea. It's a kind of snow."
I finally solved the mystery online. I found a chart on SnowCrystals.com showing the various kinds of snow flakes, and good descriptions of how each forms. (Click the thumbnail to see the chart.)
My "snow pellets" are apparently called graupel, and form when a regular snowflake gets "rimed", as described by Kenneth G. Libbrecht of Caltech.
After 4 years here, I still hadn't found any local who could tell me what they are called. Some hardly knew what I was describing, which seemed odd to me. I'd been given answers such as "sleet", "angel poo", "snow BBs", and "What? Oh those. No idea. It's a kind of snow."
I finally solved the mystery online. I found a chart on SnowCrystals.com showing the various kinds of snow flakes, and good descriptions of how each forms. (Click the thumbnail to see the chart.)
My "snow pellets" are apparently called graupel, and form when a regular snowflake gets "rimed", as described by Kenneth G. Libbrecht of Caltech.
Clouds are made of countless water droplets, and sometimes these droplets collide with and stick to snow crystals. The frozen droplets are called rime. All the different types of snow crystals can be found decorated with rime. When the coverage is especially heavy, so that the assembly looks like a tiny snowball, the result is called graupel.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Kitty and Compression = Good
My "beauty observed" for today was our kitty, Miss Tash. She fell asleep on my lap today. I was still sitting in bed and making my plans for the day when she made herself comfy and took a nap. I sat very still, since she usually doesn't sit on me unless I'm asleep, and studied the creases in her fur on her forehead, and her cream colored whiskers. I've never payed close attention to kitty ears before, but this morning I noticed how velvety they are. The fur on one of her ears is half gray and half ginger colored, the other is all gray, and both ears are speckled with slightly longer white fuzzies. You can't tell by looking, but she's as soft as a bunny, especially on her cheeks and neck.
The compression stocking seems to have done the trick, if the first day of wearing it is a sign of things to come. I did a bunch driving around today and running errands and my ankle did not puff up. Joy! In addition to some shopping for groceries and other essentials I scraped the remaining melting snow off of the front steps so it wouldn't become a solid block of ice when the temperature drops again.
Today was a good day to be outside. With a high of 33°F (0.5° C), I was plenty comfortable in a sweater and a light jacket, and only needed to run the heater in the car long enough to take the chill off. The icicles on people's roofs are really beautiful in a dangerous looking kind of way. Some look like they must be three or four feet long. The sky was a kind of pale gray, the snow on the ground is all white (except by the sides of the road, where it's getting pretty icky) and there's still a bit of white on some branches on the shady sides of trees. The monochromatic scenery today was lovely in the way of black and white photos.
I did need to leave my jacket unbuttoned to keep from overheating, but couldn't bring myself to leave it in the car. The Californian in me still shivered sympathetically in response to seeing a few people (mostly under 20 yrs old) out in their short sleeves. But I'm starting to be less surprised by things like that each winter.
The compression stocking seems to have done the trick, if the first day of wearing it is a sign of things to come. I did a bunch driving around today and running errands and my ankle did not puff up. Joy! In addition to some shopping for groceries and other essentials I scraped the remaining melting snow off of the front steps so it wouldn't become a solid block of ice when the temperature drops again.
Today was a good day to be outside. With a high of 33°F (0.5° C), I was plenty comfortable in a sweater and a light jacket, and only needed to run the heater in the car long enough to take the chill off. The icicles on people's roofs are really beautiful in a dangerous looking kind of way. Some look like they must be three or four feet long. The sky was a kind of pale gray, the snow on the ground is all white (except by the sides of the road, where it's getting pretty icky) and there's still a bit of white on some branches on the shady sides of trees. The monochromatic scenery today was lovely in the way of black and white photos.
I did need to leave my jacket unbuttoned to keep from overheating, but couldn't bring myself to leave it in the car. The Californian in me still shivered sympathetically in response to seeing a few people (mostly under 20 yrs old) out in their short sleeves. But I'm starting to be less surprised by things like that each winter.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
One year cancer free today
We're going out to Tejas tonight to celebrate my first anniversary of being cancer free. I think for the foreseeable future, January 2nd will feel like a bigger deal than my birthday, or pretty much any other event during the year-- with the possible exception of my wedding anniversary.
The image I've posted with this was a drawing that my Niece C drew for my grandmother (her great-grandmother) for Christmas. She's developing a really excellent eye for detail. I particularly like the angel, and that she included Grandma's cane. Some how the cane makes it more personal to me.
Beautiful thing for the day: The sun sparkling off of the surface of the crunchy snow on the ground this morning. It was -6° F (-21° C) with a wind chill of "Fusilli that's Cold!" The up-side of the cold is that none of the snow was slushy, and many of the snowy ice crystals had retained their sparkliness.
One day back in the office after having my foot elevated over the weekend and new year's day, and already it's puffing up again. I'm getting up and walking as frequently as I can, but it just doesn't like being dangled over the edge of a chair for any length of time.
Just realized that Peter Woodward played a guard in National Treasure: Book of Secrets. I hadn't planned on seeing that film, initially. Now I'm going to have to. Though our TV screen is big enough that waiting for the DVD is probably just fine. Looks like it's probably not a role with a lot of screen time.
Edit: I've posted some photos of what we ate for our celebratory dinner on my flickr page.
The image I've posted with this was a drawing that my Niece C drew for my grandmother (her great-grandmother) for Christmas. She's developing a really excellent eye for detail. I particularly like the angel, and that she included Grandma's cane. Some how the cane makes it more personal to me.
Beautiful thing for the day: The sun sparkling off of the surface of the crunchy snow on the ground this morning. It was -6° F (-21° C) with a wind chill of "Fusilli that's Cold!" The up-side of the cold is that none of the snow was slushy, and many of the snowy ice crystals had retained their sparkliness.
One day back in the office after having my foot elevated over the weekend and new year's day, and already it's puffing up again. I'm getting up and walking as frequently as I can, but it just doesn't like being dangled over the edge of a chair for any length of time.
Just realized that Peter Woodward played a guard in National Treasure: Book of Secrets. I hadn't planned on seeing that film, initially. Now I'm going to have to. Though our TV screen is big enough that waiting for the DVD is probably just fine. Looks like it's probably not a role with a lot of screen time.
Edit: I've posted some photos of what we ate for our celebratory dinner on my flickr page.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Playing WoW with my Mister
Spent a bunch of time this weekend playing World of Warcraft with my Honey.
I've been playing on the laptop with my puffy foot up on the couch, and having it elevated a bunch has brought the ankle down to normal size. The rowing machine also seems to be good for it, as it gets my circulation going without having the foot lower than the rest of the leg.
Haven't done anything particularly productive over the last two days, except providing a lot of loves to the kitties.
I was really tired on Friday, so my Honey decided to let me sleep in yesterday, figuring he'd just let me wake up on my own. When I was still sound asleep at 11:30 AM he gave up on that plan and came up to wake me, as it seemed likely that 13 and a half hours was probably more than enough. Goodness knows how long I would have slept.
I've been playing on the laptop with my puffy foot up on the couch, and having it elevated a bunch has brought the ankle down to normal size. The rowing machine also seems to be good for it, as it gets my circulation going without having the foot lower than the rest of the leg.
Haven't done anything particularly productive over the last two days, except providing a lot of loves to the kitties.
I was really tired on Friday, so my Honey decided to let me sleep in yesterday, figuring he'd just let me wake up on my own. When I was still sound asleep at 11:30 AM he gave up on that plan and came up to wake me, as it seemed likely that 13 and a half hours was probably more than enough. Goodness knows how long I would have slept.
Friday, December 28, 2007
Holiday in Virginia
Catching up.
A lot has happened since my last post. The Mister and I flew out to Virginia to visit my family out there over Christmas. We had a lovely time, and among others we got to visit with Niece C, Nephew P and my 90 year old grandmother.
Grandma is amazing. She may be more frail, and move more slowly than she did years ago, but she's still sharp and beautiful, and still has her sense of humor.
The fingerless gloves I knitted for her fit, wonder of wonders. My hands are so very much bigger than hers, and I didn't have anyone around who wears her size to try them on. They are wool, cashmere and silk, so they should breathe well and be warm and comfy against her skin. If I could wear wool I'd make myself a pair of them from the same yarn in a heartbeat. I'm just glad I can knit with it, even if I can't wear it.
My step-brother-in-law is Italian, and his family joined us for a sumptuous multi-course Christmas dinner, complete with a cheese plate, oysters Rockefeller casserole (which I forgot to take photos of... Doh!), ham, home fried potatoes, lasagna, and almost too many kinds of desserts to count. My step-sister made an amazing orange and cranberry sauce to go with the ham. I think I ate more of the cranberry sauce than the ham.
My step-brother was there for the weekend, too. I haven't seen him in ages. We've never been close, but it was good to see him, and he seemed to be doing well.
My Honey and I bought each other new Crocs. The kind with the fuzzy lining in them. That came in immensely helpful, because my foot started to swell up the day we were to fly out. It had been doing a little swelling for maybe two months before, but not like this. My foot was swelling too much to wear regular shoes, but Crocs are so loose and comfy I could still wear them even with warm, thick socks. So we opened the crocs as soon as we arrived so we could enjoy our comfy feet during the visit.
We flew out just in time, I'm told, because there were white out conditions the following day that would have made flying out much more difficult. They had chilly days at home, and snow, while we enjoyed temperatures as high as the 50's and 60's F, and a little rain. The locals in Virginia were quick to mention that it was getting cold at night (down in the 20's to 30's F) but it was still warmer than what we've been seeing the last few weeks in Minnesota.
While we were visiting we discovered a lovely local pear port, made by the Horton winery. It was tasty enough to buy some to bring home, which now-a-days means finding a way to keep it from being smashed in your checked-through luggage. Wasn't such a big deal back when you could still carry a bottle of wine in your carry-on luggage. But it made it home without incident.
My Mister and I don't celebrate Christmas left to our own devices (though we do observe the winter solstice and Pastafarian season of Holiday). But Christmas is a very big deal for the rest of the family, and we enjoy being able to share it with them. Our extended family is so spread out that we don't get to see more than a few of them at a time each year. But we try to at least make sure we call on the phone to touch bases. And this year a number of my family members have added Pastafarian Holiday to their winter celebrations, so there was an added level of cheer all around.
Ack, which reminds me that I still haven't mailed out my holiday cards. Good thing they are "season's greetings" cards (to cover the variety of holidays celebrated by my friends this time of year). Note to self: get that taken care of this weekend.
Any way, be brought games for all the adults in the house. We played several games of Settlers of Catan, and a card game called Fluxx. Dad hooked the laptop up to his TV and I showed the kids what the winter holiday in Azeroth (World of Warcraft) looks like. Niece C especially liked watching that, and perched next to me as I made the run through some of the seasonal quests. My Honey also demonstrated the PC game Portal for me and Dad. I couldn't enjoy trying to play a game with so many mind bending changes of perspective, but watching the Mister play it was a whole lot of fun.
Dad and Grandma took me to a wonderful little yarn store near (in?) Middleburg, VA, and let me pick out some yummy yarns. I picked all things I can actually wear. Recycled sari silk, bamboo, and soy silk. Grandma really liked a Möbius cowl that was on display, knitted of very fine mohair and sprinkled with delicate beads. After looking it over for a bit I offered to make one for her, so I got the yarn for that as well. I've never knitted with anything so delicate before, but I am really looking forward to this project. Just need to go out and get some beads and a beading needle to get started.
It was a plush toy Christmas for me. I fell in love with a stuffed toy manatee (I named him Hugh) while shopping for the niece and neffling, and my Honey bought it for me. And I was also given a plush turkey vulture, along with other lovely presents. Niece C and Nephew P drew us some very detailed pictures, too, which was delightful.
Most of the adults went out after Christmas dinner to see the Tim Burton movie Sweeny Todd (based on the Stephen Sondheim stage musical). Not a jolly, happy holiday film, but then we're not a "normal" family. I'd watch a recital of the phone directory if it was directed by Tim Burton. And I particularly enjoy Johnny Depp and Alan Rickman and my Mister especially likes nearly anything with Helena Bonham Carter in it. So we were all for my step-sister's plan to make that our post-dinner outing. The film was dark and disturbing, funny and touching, and the sets, costumes and visual effects were lavishly macabre. I enjoyed it thoroughly.
A lot has happened since my last post. The Mister and I flew out to Virginia to visit my family out there over Christmas. We had a lovely time, and among others we got to visit with Niece C, Nephew P and my 90 year old grandmother.
Grandma is amazing. She may be more frail, and move more slowly than she did years ago, but she's still sharp and beautiful, and still has her sense of humor.
The fingerless gloves I knitted for her fit, wonder of wonders. My hands are so very much bigger than hers, and I didn't have anyone around who wears her size to try them on. They are wool, cashmere and silk, so they should breathe well and be warm and comfy against her skin. If I could wear wool I'd make myself a pair of them from the same yarn in a heartbeat. I'm just glad I can knit with it, even if I can't wear it.
My step-brother-in-law is Italian, and his family joined us for a sumptuous multi-course Christmas dinner, complete with a cheese plate, oysters Rockefeller casserole (which I forgot to take photos of... Doh!), ham, home fried potatoes, lasagna, and almost too many kinds of desserts to count. My step-sister made an amazing orange and cranberry sauce to go with the ham. I think I ate more of the cranberry sauce than the ham.
My step-brother was there for the weekend, too. I haven't seen him in ages. We've never been close, but it was good to see him, and he seemed to be doing well.
My Honey and I bought each other new Crocs. The kind with the fuzzy lining in them. That came in immensely helpful, because my foot started to swell up the day we were to fly out. It had been doing a little swelling for maybe two months before, but not like this. My foot was swelling too much to wear regular shoes, but Crocs are so loose and comfy I could still wear them even with warm, thick socks. So we opened the crocs as soon as we arrived so we could enjoy our comfy feet during the visit.
We flew out just in time, I'm told, because there were white out conditions the following day that would have made flying out much more difficult. They had chilly days at home, and snow, while we enjoyed temperatures as high as the 50's and 60's F, and a little rain. The locals in Virginia were quick to mention that it was getting cold at night (down in the 20's to 30's F) but it was still warmer than what we've been seeing the last few weeks in Minnesota.
While we were visiting we discovered a lovely local pear port, made by the Horton winery. It was tasty enough to buy some to bring home, which now-a-days means finding a way to keep it from being smashed in your checked-through luggage. Wasn't such a big deal back when you could still carry a bottle of wine in your carry-on luggage. But it made it home without incident.
My Mister and I don't celebrate Christmas left to our own devices (though we do observe the winter solstice and Pastafarian season of Holiday). But Christmas is a very big deal for the rest of the family, and we enjoy being able to share it with them. Our extended family is so spread out that we don't get to see more than a few of them at a time each year. But we try to at least make sure we call on the phone to touch bases. And this year a number of my family members have added Pastafarian Holiday to their winter celebrations, so there was an added level of cheer all around.
Ack, which reminds me that I still haven't mailed out my holiday cards. Good thing they are "season's greetings" cards (to cover the variety of holidays celebrated by my friends this time of year). Note to self: get that taken care of this weekend.
Any way, be brought games for all the adults in the house. We played several games of Settlers of Catan, and a card game called Fluxx. Dad hooked the laptop up to his TV and I showed the kids what the winter holiday in Azeroth (World of Warcraft) looks like. Niece C especially liked watching that, and perched next to me as I made the run through some of the seasonal quests. My Honey also demonstrated the PC game Portal for me and Dad. I couldn't enjoy trying to play a game with so many mind bending changes of perspective, but watching the Mister play it was a whole lot of fun.
Dad and Grandma took me to a wonderful little yarn store near (in?) Middleburg, VA, and let me pick out some yummy yarns. I picked all things I can actually wear. Recycled sari silk, bamboo, and soy silk. Grandma really liked a Möbius cowl that was on display, knitted of very fine mohair and sprinkled with delicate beads. After looking it over for a bit I offered to make one for her, so I got the yarn for that as well. I've never knitted with anything so delicate before, but I am really looking forward to this project. Just need to go out and get some beads and a beading needle to get started.
It was a plush toy Christmas for me. I fell in love with a stuffed toy manatee (I named him Hugh) while shopping for the niece and neffling, and my Honey bought it for me. And I was also given a plush turkey vulture, along with other lovely presents. Niece C and Nephew P drew us some very detailed pictures, too, which was delightful.
Most of the adults went out after Christmas dinner to see the Tim Burton movie Sweeny Todd (based on the Stephen Sondheim stage musical). Not a jolly, happy holiday film, but then we're not a "normal" family. I'd watch a recital of the phone directory if it was directed by Tim Burton. And I particularly enjoy Johnny Depp and Alan Rickman and my Mister especially likes nearly anything with Helena Bonham Carter in it. So we were all for my step-sister's plan to make that our post-dinner outing. The film was dark and disturbing, funny and touching, and the sets, costumes and visual effects were lavishly macabre. I enjoyed it thoroughly.
Monday, December 24, 2007
Feast of Winter Veil
Winter in World of Warcraft
Originally uploaded by Pockafwye
We attached the laptop to the TV to show the kids World of Warcraft. Much fun was had by all. At least for the duration of a 5 year old's attention span.
Myzithra earned some preserved holly from a quest that turned her regular mount into a reindeer. Used on her flying mount, it had a delightful result!
Friday, December 21, 2007
Packing to travel
Logging off shortly to finish packing to travel to visit my family in Virginia. I'm really excited about this trip. Last year I was at home during the winter solstice, looking cancer in the eye and facing my second surgery. This year as the year wheel turns around again, I am cancer free. I may have lingering issues since the surgery, but none of them are cancer. None of them are life threatening.
Got a new playlist on my iPod for the trip:
Got a new playlist on my iPod for the trip:
- Morrowind Title - Bethesda Softworks
- Under a Phrygian Sky - Loreena McKennitt
- Sing Along - Blue Man Group/Chris Matthews
- I Love You Goodbye - Thomas Dolby
- My Medea - Vienna Teng
- Mirror to My Woman's Eyes - Peter Murphy
- White Out Conditions - Bel Canto
- The Lunatics (Have Taken Over the Assylum) - Fun Boy Three
- Lindy's Party - The Bolshoi
- Hallelujah - k.d. Lang
- Dedication of Merit - Rev. Heng Sure
- Nothing Else Matters - Metallica
- Pictures of You- Oingo Boingo
- The Ship Song - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
- Bläck (Ink) - Garmarna
- Land of Confusion - Disturbed
- I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor
- ASouling - Lothlorien
- Wanting Memories - Keali'i Reichel
- Clohinne Winds - Sharon Shannon
- White & Nerdy - Weird Al Yankovic
- The Promise - When in Rome
- The Boxer - Simon and Garfunkle
- Bring Me To Life - Evanescence
- Losing My Religion - R E M
- The Ubiquitous Mr. Lovegrove - Dead Can Dance
- Green Valley Serenade - Vienna Teng
- Into the West - Annie Lennox/Howard Shore
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Knitting and cake by candle light
My Honey was on the party committee at his company this year, and the final big event was the holiday party. It was quite a nice event, good food, lots of people having lots of fun. They had a casino night theme, so there were lots of games for everyone to play.
Walking around the Eden Prairie Center shopping mall earlier in the day sent several of my muscles into an unhappy spasm, so I spent most of the evening at our dining table.
I generally try to avoid all shopping malls during December. I'm not an enthusiastic shopper at the best of times. But I've been doing so much better lately, and the shopping needed doing. So I made the trip, bought the necessary items, and paid for all the hiking through crowds a short time later.
At any rate, I finished the cuff on one of my grandmother's mittens while people danced and my Mister mixed and mingled, did his party committee duties, and won tons of raffle tickets at the Texas Holdem table. Even so, he came back to check on me frequently. I was in good company at the table, and was glad he didn't feel tied down because of my limitations.
Not surprisingly, someone knitting in the middle of a party with 600 attendees did draw some odd stares. Go figure.
Now I'm on the couch with the laptop, and the kitties are taking turns sitting with me and providing me with cat gravity.
I've got a bunch of work I brought home from the office that needs doing, so I'm going to grab a snack and make some progress on that.
The project, a label design, has been a poster child for scope creep for the last two weeks. We told the department in question before we started this project that the deadlines were contingent on my having what I need in the way of data, and not being showered with change requests during design and implementation. That being said, inflexible plans involving travel were made for testing based on those deadlines.
Of course, we're up to our eyeballs in change requests and data revisions. It's all things that can be handled except there has been no adjustment to deadlines in response to the changes, and now questions are dropping out of the adminisphere about why the project is behind. I'm too low on the totem pole to dictate deadline changes, so I need to adapt in response. Joy.
I'll be glad when I put this project behind me.
Walking around the Eden Prairie Center shopping mall earlier in the day sent several of my muscles into an unhappy spasm, so I spent most of the evening at our dining table.
I generally try to avoid all shopping malls during December. I'm not an enthusiastic shopper at the best of times. But I've been doing so much better lately, and the shopping needed doing. So I made the trip, bought the necessary items, and paid for all the hiking through crowds a short time later.
At any rate, I finished the cuff on one of my grandmother's mittens while people danced and my Mister mixed and mingled, did his party committee duties, and won tons of raffle tickets at the Texas Holdem table. Even so, he came back to check on me frequently. I was in good company at the table, and was glad he didn't feel tied down because of my limitations.
Not surprisingly, someone knitting in the middle of a party with 600 attendees did draw some odd stares. Go figure.
Now I'm on the couch with the laptop, and the kitties are taking turns sitting with me and providing me with cat gravity.
I've got a bunch of work I brought home from the office that needs doing, so I'm going to grab a snack and make some progress on that.
The project, a label design, has been a poster child for scope creep for the last two weeks. We told the department in question before we started this project that the deadlines were contingent on my having what I need in the way of data, and not being showered with change requests during design and implementation. That being said, inflexible plans involving travel were made for testing based on those deadlines.
Of course, we're up to our eyeballs in change requests and data revisions. It's all things that can be handled except there has been no adjustment to deadlines in response to the changes, and now questions are dropping out of the adminisphere about why the project is behind. I'm too low on the totem pole to dictate deadline changes, so I need to adapt in response. Joy.
I'll be glad when I put this project behind me.
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