Not Intimated by Weather

Perhaps it was that my Mom grew up in mid-northern Canada (where it rarely got above 65 F in the summer).  Perhaps it's that her Mom was born and raised in mid-northern Canada.

Perhaps it's the other side of the family who has told multiple stories of driving through blizzards in the Utah/Idaho/Montana/North Dakota area where the interstates are closed (but they still keep driving).

I'm just not intimidated by the frigid temperatures and/or forecasts of snow.

Don't get me wrong, seven feet of snow is a big deal, and I would definitely be intimidated into cancelling events/plans for a six/seven feet of snow blizzard.

But given all this above history, a forecast of 1- 5 inches of snow and/or frigid temperatures is not going to keep me at home.  Just sayin'.

Everyone is different of course, and some people like staying inside and warm (curling up with a good book, movie, etc.)  I suppose this is where my extrovert side shines through.

January update

It was cold last week.  While I've been one to ponder the cold in the past, this was colder than I've seen in awhile.

wine bottle 2014

We had a bottle of wine in our garage.  I noticed that it was frozen, but didn't take a photo.

Once it had warmed up (from -40 F) I went back to check on the bottle.  I found that the cork had popped, without a wine opener. FYI - frozen wine is not recommended, nor is leaving wine in your garage when it's freezing.

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In other updates, my phone died.  I had wanted to wait a few months before getting a new phone.  I hadn't backed up my photos or contacts.  One day, I could no longer get it to respond when I typed on the screen.   I called customer service, to no avail.

So I have a new phone, which my kids have been asking me about for at least  a year.  I am not the type of person who needs to get the latest phone or gadget.  I suspect it's my midwestern values.  My goal, as I age, is to become more frugal, not cheap.  So having a working phone is important, but having an exciting phone for my kids is not.

I like my new phone, but I would have liked to get old photos and contacts from my other phone.  It's unfortunate that the company's policy is to delete all personal data on the phone when it arrives and to charge the customer to fix it.  I won't be shopping there again.
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As a family, we got two games for the holidays.  I highly recommend both.  The first, Set, I first played at the family reunion with chanson.  It's not easy, but it's something both kids and parents enjoy.

The second, Rush Hour, was recommended by a friend.  (My son played at a friend's party and was hooked).  I'm not going to link to places you can purchase the games - I hope you visit a local business or follow a link to support your favorite cause to order online.

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 Anyway - life is good.  I don't have much time to blog (like I used to). I do want to rehab this blog format and bring it into the 2010s. We'll see.

Interrupting Violence

I watched this program the other night after the kids went to bed. It was one of those programs that I thought I would watch an hour - I couldn't turn it off. The stories are riveting. I can't seem to embed it here at the moment, but you can view it on the pbs website.

I will say - this is one story about people living in Chicago, on the South Side of Chicago. There are many stories of people living in Chicago, dealing with community and sometimes with violence. There are many stories of people living in urban areas, in areas with high poverty, and urban areas with great wealth.

This story is an important story to tell. It's just not the only story out there.

One part I appreciated was where they mentioned that most of the issues are not gang issues, but interpersonal issues. By addressing the violence, the interpersonal conflict, the cycle of revenge - they are able to stop the killing. Or at least attempt to halt some of the violence. Recognizing that everyone has a grievance, but they're not able to see the consequences of a response.

That and the people they have working on the project have walked the walk (as it were). They've been there. It's not people outside the community imposing their own solutions (as many of us sometimes want to do).

I like that they have a goal and they work towards that goal. Things like religion are mentioned in the documentary (and their work) but they are not the focus. The focus of stopping the violence is pretty simple.

Grow where you are planted

I wrote this post at latterdaymainstreet (MSP) about living in the midwest - in this particular state and location.  Enjoy!

cakewalk

So we attended a secular community Easter Egg hunt complete with a cakewalk.

For those who haven't heard of it before, a cakewalk is an event where people donate cakes. Everyone pays a nominal sum to enter. There are lots of numbers on the floor. Everyone walks around the numbers (in a circle) until the music stops.

My two had a great time. My daughter was the first person to win. She went to the table and selected her cake.

It was not the cake I would have selected! There was so much neon frosting on this cake! Clearly, someone had been watching the food network show Ace of Cakes, because this cake had it all. Bright yellow, orange, pink, green, blue, with colored sprinkles.

Afterward, the twelve and thirteen year olds who had decorated the cake came up to us and mentioned that it was their cake. And how proud they were my daughter had selected their cake first.

It was truly a cake that someone under the age of 18 would create. And, it was yummy as well - despite all the frosting!

Dieting in January

Mornings like this morning make me wonder why people start their diets in January - and then get discouraged.

Not that I'm not fully supportive of people trying to get (and stay) healthy and lose weight. Particularly if people are like me and didn't find a cookie/brownie/cake they didn't have to try over the holiday season.

But this morning, it was cold. I'm not someone who typically complains about the weather, but I have to admit, it was chilly. And those of you in colder climates (north or near the Rockies) have been experiencing this for months now. (And it's been worse, no doubt).

So when the temperature is sub zero - it seems to me it's much more difficult to eat salad. It's much more difficult to eat smaller portions. Because if you are cold, it's that much more difficult to get over that instinctual notion that body fat protects
you and will help you be warmer. Or - more food will help keep you warm. That's been my experience any way.

Sure there are plenty of low fat/calorie things that are actually good for you. Oatmeal. Non cream based soups.

And it's even more difficult to get out and walk around the block (if there is snow or ice out). Or drive to the gym. Well, IMO, more difficult than in, say, March or April. Where I'm at - March and April arebeginning to get warmer. The snow melts. There are more greens - it's not nearly as cold.

I understand it's a new year. I understand waking up and realizing - another year has gone by and I haven't worked on this. I can understand wanting to maintain your current weight. But losing weight? A difficult proposition in Jan. if you don't live in Florida, Arizona, California or Southern France.

Now - quitting smoking this time of year - that makes more sense. Standing outside has got to be really, really cold. And - the taxes on cigarettes just went up. That is probably an easier resolution to keep.

Fall

I took these photos hiking a few weeks ago.
Oh how quickly the seasons change! (There is now snow and ice out).

Shoveling Snow

There is about a foot of snow on the ground now.

I worked from home yesterday. I decided to come into the office today, since being at home is very distracting. Both babies LOVE the computer (as I've mentioned before). They don't understand why if Mom is on the computer, why they can't be on the computer. I also felt really tired around 2 and decided to take a nap.

So working at the office is no doubt more productive.

I shoveled some of the snow last night, and this morning only an inch or two had drifted over my efforts. I may post a lovely photo later of my shoveling, which I am very proud of.

One of our neighbors shoveled at least three times yesterday. I find her logic stunning. The snow was coming down and much more was predicted. Another neighbor was shoveling his walk this morning. He appeared to be very consciously shoveling the entire driveway - wide enough for both vehicles - without a snowblower.

My question is, why?

I have a wonderful suburu that drives very well in this weather. But even if I didn't have a suburu, I would still probably be guilty of simply driving over the snow instead of shoveling. Shoveling is an sisyphean task. So I can get out of the driveway without shoveling - why bother clearing the snow?

I strongly suspect this is one of those neighborly/housing upkeep type issues. My husband is no help - he has said on numerous occasions that he would rather pave the front yard than mow it. So I will simply continue to shovel when I feel like it and go from there.

I know chanson is green with envy and wants to move back to enjoy this snow!