Spring is Here!

Sort of...

Today we hit 36 degrees and it was sunny. The thaw out is in full swing! We have actually uncovered the limbs that we cut off our Christmas tree to put it in the stand (the night we set them out for the trash guys to pick them up it snowed something like 10" and they have been frozen solid ever since)! Hopefully the trash guys will get them this week. We have also uncovered tons of trash in our yard. The wind here is unbelievable, so you never know what will come blowing onto your property. Then, the snow entombs it for the season. I spent a good hour picking all the junk up out of our yard. The only problem is that we still don't have a yard yet, so I was completely covered in mud. I am not sure my shoes are salvagable!!

Bryan's main "spring" task was to replace the mailbox. You may remember that the plow finally took it out. For a while we were able to prop the mailbox in the snow and that worked ok. But, now that we are thawing out, there isn't a tall enough pile of snow to prop it in. The mailman hasn't left us our mail in about 3 days now, so we couldn't put it off any further. You would think this would be a simple project, but trust me, it wasn't! First we had to get the old post out. Since the ground is still frozen solid, we had to use several gallons of hot water around the base to thaw the dirt enough that we could scoop it away from the post. It took a LONG time! Then, Bryan had to use his many tools to [basically unscrew] remove the post from the base in the concrete. At any rate, the removal process was a tedious one. Enter new mailbox - I let Bryan have his way and get one of those Rubbermaid, hideous beasts of a mailbox (what do I care, I'm moving)! He did the install completely on his own, but it did include pouring more concrete...why, I don't know. I think he just wanted to play with concrete. I didn't want to point this out, but I think he just concreted over the tons of bulbs we planted there in the fall!! So much for the beautiful flowers around the mailbox this spring.The sucker is in and not going anywhere. And since it is that plasticy material, I think it will be able to withstand both the snow and the plow. Only one downfall - it is completely crooked. Bryan had the level out and was driving by trying to make sure it was the perfect height for getting the mail from your car, but apparently he forgot to make sure it was square to the curb. When I did point that out (come on, I can't hold everything in) he said he did it on purpose because the road curved a little and the mailman would appreciate it! Was he serious?!?!?! But again, who cares - I'm moving!!

Ah, the spring outdoor projects begin!

You think you have problems??

Mom can't decide whether to stay or move. Aunt Jeanne has TV troubles. Mindy has no idea how to care for an orchid. Well, I have bigger problems...


Did you see it? My big problem?? Here is a close-up in case you missed it:


He can understand compensation problems all over the world, yet not grasp the concept that thick, white athletic socks are not to be worn with loafers!!

Ok - so I know I am obsessed with the weather,

but, really that is all that I have! I mean come on, no malls or other noteworthy stores, one theater (that is totally overpriced, so we go rarely), no good chain restaurants, and no friends. So really, all we have to break the monotony is the weather. And boy is it crazy.

Today, our high was -6, with a windchill of cold as shit. There was an advisory today for "blowing snow" - I had no idea what that meant. Now I do. Apparently, since this is such a flat, barren landscape, there is nothing to break the wind when it blows. And boy does it blow! Since there is so much snow on the ground and the wind is so strong, the visibility was like, 0, and then the snow was sticking and immediately freezing on the finally almost back to normal roads. What a mess!!

Tonight they are calling for much the same, with a few flurries. But tomorrow afternoon to evening, another snow advisory! They are calling for another 4-8 inches!! Can you believe it? I have never seen anything like this in my life! We may even get to squeak another snow day out of this...

Everyone keeps saying this is the worst winter they have had in years. Is it just our bad luck? I am telling you, my southern blood can barely take this cold! But I do love the snow!!

Snow Day Number 2!!

Well, we got another snow day today. We knew we were in for a big storm - it was far reaching all the way from Oklahoma, Tennessee, Arkansas on up. It began at 6:00 Tuesday evening and is due to end tonight (Wednesday) at midnight. The snowfall total is not in yet, but I have heard 14-18". The reason we actually got off of school is because the snow was coming so fast (and blowing around so hard) that the plows could not keep up with it. I imagine they will get the roads cleared tonight and all will return to normal tomorrow.

Casualties of snow storms at the Bennett/Jackson's:

The trash has not been taken out in three weeks - our pickup day has happened to fall on the blizzard days each time!

The mailbox is completely buried after today's storm. Since Bryan is out of the country, I guess I will have to dig it out tomorrow morning before work. :(

The driveway is piled high and our snow plower we hired has not come by. Since Bryan is out of the country, I guess I will have to shovel it myself tomorrow - NOT! I guess I will have to drive up and down the driveway several times to pack it down to a driveable surface. Let me warn you, however, that this is not a Wisconsin advisable tactic as then the packed slush will turn to ice which will then cause a huge mess and can only be plowed by a professional.

My patio furniture (new this fall - too late in the season to actually use it, but at a great bargain!) is now completely covered by the snow drifts (for the 3 time this season). One chair has actually blown somewhere into the yard, so once the snow melts some, I guess I will have to brave the frozen tundra to retrieve it.


On another note, I suppose my family in Michigan probably had a snow day today due to the same storm. Not sure how much snow they got, but...

My family in St. Louis is probably also digging themselves out.

I saw where my family in Nashville had to battle Tornadoes.

All I can say is what a storm!!!

Bragging Blogger

My family had such a good week, I just had to share:

Jordan and Morgan got their report cards this week. Both made the gold honor roll - the highest honor roll at school!

Brantley made it a whole week with all smiley faces. This is quite an accomplishment as the last month she has had several straight faces and even a couple of frowny faces!

Bryan was rated "Above Expectations" on his performance review. They are putting him on the fast track. They are creating a position below him so that he can have a direct report. He needs this in order to be promoted to the next tier - which we hope will be this summer or fall.

And I lost 2 pounds last week and have done amazing on my diet this week, so hope to add another 2 to that!

Go Bennett-Jackson's!!

Finally a Snow Day!!

But let me tell you how bad things have to be to actually get this day off:

A blizzard came in last night
-11 temperature with a windchill of -35
Freezing rain that coated all the streets and then 2" of snow on top of that (Apparently the plows are defenseless against the ice- HAH!)
Wind speeds of 65 mph with gusts up to 80 mph

So I ask you, is it even worth it to have to deal with this crap just for a day off school?

ABSOLUTELY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are scheduled to have another winter storm system this evening and more snow for the rest of the week. Maybe we can milk this one day off into the rest of the week!

The only downside - I have a laptop and access to work stuff, so technically should be working from home. Oh, yeah, and we are out of milk.

Home Alone!

For the first time in 7 months I am absolutely, positively by myself!! The girls are in Nashville and Bryan has gone to Asia. So that leaves me home alone for 36 hours. I never realized how much I enjoyed the time I had to myself before. Now, I am married and have the kids on a full time basis (a novelty for a divorced woman)! It's not that I don't like my family - I love them. But I like me time too! So what did I do today and will I do tomorrow with all that time you may ask?

The sad reality is that I did exactly what I would do if they were here! I did laundry, straightened up the house, paid the bills, etc... The difference is that I also squeezed in the nap of the century, I finally got to see "Hairspray", I lingered in bed with coffee and my book, and I got to play as long as I wanted in my crop room! Life is good.

Although I must mention that when I dropped the girls off at the airport on Thursday, I cried! I haven't been without them in so long. And I never even got out of bed when Bryan left. Just a kiss and a nod back to sweet sleep!