Why I love my Landrover ....

...or "How cold is it really?"

I have never seen my computer weather notification say Zero. Yup, the big goose egg. The Landrover says zero, the Weather Channel says zero but our external thermometer says 9. It's wrong. ;) We had to run out and pick up a couple of things. I was wishing that we hadn't. The snow has covered the streets and the roads are a solid sheet of ice. Every street is slick and it's wicked driving for everyone.

We were driving along and started to go up a hill. We came to a stop and the two cars in front of us couldn't move. Their wheels were spinning, the rubber was burning and the smoke was pouring. And they weren't going anyway, except starting to slide backyards into us. Paul was driving and when traffic behind us cleared, he deftly drove around both cars and continued up the hill. The traction control kicked in and we had no problems maneuvering around, up and away. My heart was racing a bit, thinking that I would be sitting in 0 degree weather, waiting for the police and a tow! Fortunately, that didn't happen and we are home safe and sound. We won't be heading out again - it's too cold and dangerous!

I know that driving a big ole tank like the Landrover leaves a horrible carbon footprint. I get terrible mileage, it is wasteful and overkill for the kind of driving I normally do. But today, driving up the hill, watching a Dodge SUV and VW Jetta slipping down the hill, I was so grateful for my all-wheel, all-the-time Tanker. And I am grateful to be home.

On a happier note, we had a magnificent dinner with our friends, Jennifer and Ken. Jennifer made a fabulous tenderloin with a super sauce, green beans cooked in chicken broth, then tossed with garlic (YUM!!) and bread. I am hoping that she will post it in the Foodies Blog. But then came dessert. It was a chocolate, espresso, flourless cake. Holy cow! With some raspberries and real whipped cream it was FABULOUS. I don't know how time goes so quickly but it did. We had a wonderful time.