F&%k Winter

Ok, winter hasn't officially begun yet and I'm already sick of it. We had a nice snow earlier in the week, about 2 inches. We had another winter event last night, that started as freezing rain, changed to sleet, then ended as light snow. Enough of a nuisance to make a real mess of things. Today, while trying to clear the driveway (which was almost nearly impossible due to the ice), my snow shovel broke in half. WTF! So, I decided to get the snowblower out, and thought perhaps it could cut through the ice. The total depth was only about 2", but it was hard. Well, by the time I was finished, I think my snowblower belt started to burn up. Not from cutting through the ice, but trying to clear out the 18" deep mound at the base of our driveway. Plus, it was a heavy wet snow, so the chute kept plugging. I don't mind the snow, but the aftermath is always a nightmare. All that grunk that falls off your car in your garage, walking through all the slush, broken snow shovels, burned up snowblower belts. I'm so ready for retirement, settling in a southern climate where I don't have to put up with this s&#t.

The Perils of Losing Weight

Well, after gaining a few pounds over the Thanksgiving holiday (despite having a cold), I was able to get those pounds back off. So, I'm holding steady around 161. It's both a good and bad thing. The good, I'm keeping the weight off, and I never want to be heavyset again (like I was a year ago at this time). The bad, most of my winter clothes are too big, including all my sweaters, my button down shirts, and sweatshirts. I also had bought a new winter coat at the end of the season last year, but even now it's too big. It's a brand new Columbia Bugaboo parka, size Large, and I'm swimming in it. I've slowly been trying to build up my wardrobe with size small and medium clothes, but it's not easy. And I've been holding onto my old clothes, just in case I ever gain the weight back. I think that may be my problem, and perhaps I just need to get rid of all the old clothes (too large). Seriously, I never want to gain the weight back, and what better motivation to continue keeping it off than to just get rid of everything that is too big. And maybe I just need to buy that new winter coat, and try to sell the old one on Craigslist. And even though I'm holding around 160 lbs, I STILL have that stupid spare tire around my waistline. No matter what I do, I just can't get rid of that. So really, I'm a chunky 160, and if I get rid of this extra fat, could easily trim down to 155 I think. Hmm, December 1st was supposed to be my deadline. I think I need to kick it up a notch.

Hate Colds...But Love ABS

I've been battling a cold for the last two weeks. It started as a head cold, and then after about 4 days, went into my chest, and is now back to my head. Ugh. I hate colds. I suppose it's a necessary evil though, and hopefully, after this, won't get another one this season. Seems ironic, but I got a flu shot 3 days before getting the cold, and then I got sick. I've never gotten a flu shot before, and decided that it was time to start. Hmm. Was it coincidence? Or did the flu shot lower my immune system's guard allowing a bug to get in? Did I say that I hate colds?

I do however love ABS (anti lock brakes). While the sensation of the ABS system is akin to what feels like driving on road of crushed glass (sends chills down my spine), it does work remarkably well. The snow that we were supposed to get amounted to about 1/4", most of which melted as it hit the ground, but then quickly refroze as a solid sheet of ice. Driving out of our subdivision, we have a downward slope to the stop light, along with a curve. This morning, I hit the brakes to slow down quite a bit once I realized that I was driving on nothing but ice, and the ABS kicked in. Every time it starts, it gives me a jolt, but I've learned to just keep my foot on the brake no matter how strange it feels. And, they sure do their job. Amazing piece of technology.

It's Beginning to Look Like Christmas...Almost

We're expecting our first measurable snow of the season tomorrow. Today was a very mild day with highs in the mid 50s, so I wanted to take advantage of the warm weather to get the Christmas decorations up on the house. However, I slept until almost Noon. Ugh. I only got 4 hours of sleep last night, so I was tired, and I also used my new sleep mask, the Hibermate. Wow, that sleep mask sure block out the light, and it let me sleep a really long time. I also wanted to clean up the dog deposits in the yard, and also trim all the bushes down to their winter length. Alas, half the day was already wasted when I slept so late.

I have to say, hanging Christmas lights is probably one of my least favorite things to do, along with painting, and possibly visiting the dentist. So I wasn't really looking forward to it anyhow. It never fails, no matter how delicately I place the lights in the storage boxes, when I open them back up the following year, it's a complete disaster. This year was no different. It took almost an hour to get everything sorted out. And, there are always lights that get burned out, so getting all the bulbs burning was a big challenge too.

About 3 hours later, about half the lights have been strung. I put C7 lights up on the roof, and then icicle lights on the gutters. I also put a strand of lights in each of the bushes out front. Got the lights up on the house, but didn't have time to get the lights in the bushes. At the last minute (well after the sun went down), I decided to trim the bushes anyhow. They really needed it, and I wanted to get it done before the snow hits tomorrow. Finally about 730 pm, I finished. Perhaps in another couple of days, when it warms back up a little, I get the lights in the bushes.

All in all, it's beginning to look (a little) like Christmas. Probably within the next week or so, we'll dig out the Christmas decorations for inside the house. Another day I'm not looking forward to.