Good bye January

I always hit the wall in January.   It's post Christmas and New Years, it's cold, dark, and did I mention cold?  I am usually curled up in a blanket, fire in the fireplace, reading a book ... or several.

This January was no different.  Didn't even have the motivation to pick up the camera.

I celebrated a birthday then immediately hopped on a plane to Cali for a conference.  A little sunshine and blue skies was a definite pick-me-up for the January blues.

Got some -

beautiful flowers for my birthday -


some fabulous swag from my time at Fuller -


And now some killer snow coming down at crazy rates.  The snow - a foot and counting - deserves pictures all its own.  

Happy February !  

End for summer

For real.  The absolute very end of any possibility of getting one last day in on the beach or in the water or both. 

It's over until next year.



Sigh.  At least the snow fence makes for a good picture. And I am resigned to cold and blowing snow for the remainder of the year.  

Tomorrow, it's back to work. 

Thursdays and winter weather alerts

We have a winter weather warning.  Snow.  Lots of it.  Well, it feels like lots when we haven't had any at all;  it feels like that anyway.

The landscape has been so bland that I have resorted to taking pictures in the kitchen.  Of food.  Wine bottles.  Floating ice cubes.

I am reading voraciously.  With Overdrive, I am downloading awesome books (for free, TYVM) from KDL.   Oh, and I have been completely hijacked by HGTV.   House hunters.  Make it Right.  CRAZY good shows.  (The people are kind of whiny but I love looking at all the houses).

So back to the weather. Right now, our yard looks like this;

From 2012-02-08

By the end of the day, I suspect that it will look like this:

From 2012-02-11

It's almost Friday!

Weather or not.

I am going to take a moment, just a brief one, to write a curious intro.

It's February 8, 2012.  In Michigan.  It's winter here.  Well, it's supposed to be winter.  I always equate winter with cold things ... things like ice, snow, freezing temperatures, down jackets, heavy mittens, UGG boots.

I am beating cheated out of my winter.  We have had no snow on the ground, save a brief moment last month when our plow service came.  Like once.







There has been some talk about snow on Friday.  Will believe it when I see it.

Happy winter, holding out for Spring.

And a little more snow

From 2012-01-15

From 2012-01-15

From 2012-01-15

From 2012-01-15

From 2012-01-15

And it continues ...

... to fall, this snow, in this winter wonderland.











Here's to snow days, even on the weekend. 

Snow and Ice

It's starting to snow here on the western plains of the Enchanted Mitten.  It's been LONG coming.  Since our winter started, our snow plow service has come one time.

Seriously.  Once.  That's not a great ROI for our investment.  :)

As we left our beloved EOTE for the winter, the ice was starting to form along the stunning shores of Lake Huron.

From December EOTE

From December EOTE

From December EOTE

From December EOTE

Doesn't that sky look gorgeous?  It was.  And the frozen sand was so cool to see.  It will be a few weeks before we can get up to the O and check in on our cottage.  Time is too slow between visits.

Cheers to Friday, snow, and ice.

Snow fences

Late in the fall, we (us and several of our neighbors) put up snow fences on our beaches.  Oddly, it's working.  At least it's working in Grand Rapids. We have NO SNOW here. ZERO.  Don't know how it's working on the sand and snow East of the Equator but we will find that part out in the spring.  

From 2011-11-13

From 2011-11-13

From December EOTE

It's January 9th and we have no accumulated snow on the ground.  Our snow plow company has come once this year.  Once.

This will either be the quietest winter in the history of Michigan or we will pay for this between now and April in a big, big way.

Happy Monday!

Snow

Wow did it come down yesterday!

From 2011-02-20

From 2011-02-20

From 2011-02-20

We put a few logs in the fireplace and chillaxed.  It was a beautiful day!

From 2011-02-20

Today, back at it!

Heat Wave

It's supposed to hit 50 degrees this week.  Maybe some of the white stuff will melt.  Here's hoping!

From 2011-02-12

Snow Day

Calvin College closed today. It's a first in my time there. It's the first in a VERY LONG TIME for the college. The snow started Tuesday night and at points during the blizzard, it looked to be raining snow.  It was so amazing.  So cool.  So beautiful.  

Samson had a blast.  We had the hardest time getting him in the house.  This stuff is what makes me love living in the great state of Michigan.  Makes me love winter.  And snow.  And snow days.  

From 2011-02-02

From 2011-02-02

From 2011-02-02

From 2011-02-02

From 2011-02-02

From 2011-02-02

Tomorrow, it's back to work.

Sun

We actually had some sun today.  It has been grey and lugubrious since November.  I had to take some pictures of His Handsomeness.

From 2011-01-30

From 2011-01-30

It's all in the eyes.

From 2011-01-30

From 2011-01-30

More snow is coming, at least that's what the weather guessers are telling us. We have dodged all the bullets to date, so we just might be due. Stay tuned.

Handsomeness

There is a reason that the he is the most photographed dog in the world. Look at that face!

Except when he is playing snow-moleious.

The most wonderful time of the year

It's mid August. Football is on TV
Football = Fall
Fall = Leaves turning beautiful colors and falling from the sky
Leafless trees = cold, November days
Cold, November days = Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving = almost Christmas
Almost Christmas = Snow.

Yup. Snow. It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Another vacation

At home in the snow. :) Sigh. Such beauty.

Enjoy your day!

March? Really? Seriously? What?

It's snowing. And it's accumulating snow. I am sitting here watching the snow fall down and accumulate on the grass. Big, white, fluffy stuff falling from the sky in almost April. We just laugh! What else can you do?

Of course, Mr. Handsome LOVES the stuff. Or maybe he is just such a happy dog that he is oblivious to what is falling from the sky and making the ground marsh-like and swampy. I suspect if puppy treats fell from the sky, he might be more interested. One thing I notice about Handsome Boy is that he does everything at FULL SPEED. And full speed at 95 lbs is pretty darn full and dangerous speed. When we feed him at night, he gallops to the back room, knocking the small sofa and ribboning the rug. One of us will look at the other and say, "You really need to feed him more..." If you saw him running for dinner, you would think that we never fed him. Of course, there couldn't be anything further from the truth; this dog is spoiled rotten and his favorite dinner is Prime Rib. This dog hit the lottery. :)

I stopped by to see Deb and pick up her laundry. She is doing very well as are her pups. She still can't do stairs so the laundry fairy (that's me) is happy to wash, fold and iron her clothes. They will be done tomorrow. She also had her windows replaced and I had a chance to inspect the work! WOW. Awesome windows. Kudos to our friends at Window World and Dave. They did amazing work. Paul took down all her window treatments in preparation for the window installation and needs to get back over to her house and rehang them. The windows look awesome.

My foot is doing well. The bruise is an amazing purple/green/dark blue color and I am still lacking a little feeling in a few of my toes. That should return in time. I hope. Of course, the stitches are still a wild blue and are so weird to look at and feel. It is also weird to move my foot and feel the stitches pull. Yuck. I am ready to be done with stitches.

Bad feet

Yeah, bad feet.  It's going around.  Fortunately Paul is immune from the BFS (Bad Feet Syndrome) and since he is interviewing, it's a GOOD thing.  

First an update on Deb.  She is healing well, improved spirits and looking much, much better. Earlier this week, she was struck with a horrible bout of the flu. Lugging around her 50 lb cast (ok, slight exaggeration), trying to get to the bathroom on her scooter, things did not go well. Paul picked her up some meds and some 7-up and with a little time, she is feeling better.   She has a new cast and her leg seems to be healing well.  She has a great number of people bring her food, running errands, taking care of her furry kidz and some REALLY good friends doing her laundry.  ;)  (Well since I can't cook, at LEAST I can do her laundry).  :D  I think what it must be like - it's her right leg and she can't walk but to the next room, is not allowed to go downstairs and can't drive.  To be at the mercy of others can be a helpless feeling but she keeps a smile on her face and is always so appreciative to friends and family helping out.  It's good to see her smiling again. 

Other bad feet, well, those would be mine.  Friday,  yes Friday, Good Friday, I am having a little surgery on my foot.  It isn't a big deal and I shouldn't be down long (just a few days) and then I will be back at it, full force.   I have had some shots to try and eliminate the pain; they have not worked so it requires a further work.  I am not complaining since Deb is hobbling around with a big ole cast.  Mine will be a hole and a snip.  And some ice.   

This evening, I was limping around, setting the table.  Underfoot, even the BAD foot, was Samson.  I stepped right on his back foot and there was much howling and yelling- he in pain, and my startled yelling.   Poor guy, he went off gimping and I went off limping, both of us with bad feet.   After a few snitches of sausage and a puppy treat, he is much better.  Sad to report that puppy treats did NOT help my foot.  :(  

After this, I hereby declare that we are DONE with bad feet and we will all be well to enjoy the spring and summer.   The Red Wings really need to win and someone goes home tonight on American Idol.  It is supposed to snow on Friday and maybe Saturday.  No, that is not the sick joke of a weather weirdo; rather it is a true statement based on predictions of my favorite weather site - National Weather Service.   

Good night from Michigan - where it's Spring and Spring means snow.  

I need a moment...

... It's been a long winter here. You who know me well know that I LOVE Michigan, love winter, love cold, lugubrious, blustery, overcast days. I love rain, snow, sleet and hail. Love it. But it's St. Patrick's Day. And we still have snow.

It's not pretty snow; it's ugly snow, full of road dirt and grunge, gray gravel and trash. We need it to move on and rain would help. I do not believe that we have rain in the forecast; rather, I believe that we have MORE snow in store. Aack. I need to see the sun, if only on my blog, if only from my pictures, if only for a moment. Welcome Sun, rising over the harbor entrance of Great Lakes Naval Base, Lake Michigan. It's one of my favorite shots.

It has been a busy couple of days. Paul is hard at work getting better. Samson is hard a work chewing through his brand new, bacon-flavored bone. The Red Wings play tonight and oh no, a dilemma - American Idol is on too. It's the TOP TWELVE and they are GOOD. Red Wings may be on in the bedroom.

With apologies to Lisa, enjoy the sun. She gets plenty and we are a tad bit starved for some warm vitamin D. The ground is mushy, sky is bland and we are STILL cold. Hurry up Spring!

Music

First, our friend Deb is doing well...for someone who has two broken bones in her lower leg, hauling around a cast the size and weight of a bowling ball and facing 12 weeks off her leg. But she has great friends and family, two loving dogs and a ton of people who are bringing her food and friendship, sunshine on days when we are expecting MORE snow. What a trooper!

In the tire news, Paul now has a slow leak on one of his 'run flat' tires. You know, just by putting BMW, tire and run flat in the same sentence that it can't be cheap. The sensor isn't working so the BMW dealership gets to look at it first, then off to Ronda tire for one of those inexpensive, run flat tires. Woo hoo.

Idol is back on with the guys up first. During the commercials, I saw an ad for the Police and Elvis Costello and the Imposters (as opposed to the Attractions). 20 years later, he looks a little older (ha) but still sounds good. I would like to get my hands on the song list and see what he is singing. I wonder if he can pull off my favs like What so fun 'bout Peace, Love and Understanding? and Allison. Tickets are soooo expensive but I suspect that I will go. :)

Tomorrow is our last Samson training class and Thursday our new windows come! It will be a very busy week, weekend and and whew. I am tired already!

Half way there...

...oh,...oh...living on a prayer....(sing along, will you?) After all, it's American Idol and wow, things are starting to heat up. Last night, the guys sang and some were incredible. The gals just finished and they were so-so, in my humble opinion. I think a guy will win it this year.

We had training again with Samson tonight. We enjoy some of it but have noticed that we are stationary quite a bit of the time which for Samson is not productive. He is a high-energy dog and to get him to sit around for the good part of an hour is just that much fun. Hopefully some of the other active trainings will be interesting for him, and us and will keep him engaged. I do like the fact that he engages with other dogs and that is helping his social skills. Another area that needs work is his ability to differentiate between 'play' time and 'work' time. All in good time. :)

Paul is working away on his networking and having a blast. I have never seen anyone have so much fun job hunting - in between networking, phone interviews, talking with recruiters and scouring companies, he has become a Grand Rapids guru. He is as busy as I am, and I go to a job everyday! One position that he was presented with was located in Oklahoma. You know, wind-come-sweeping-down-the-plain Oklahoma. Um, that would be a 'thanks but no.'

And we are expecting more snow. Yes, MORE SNOW. PLEASE SEND US MORE SNOW. ;)