Where Does the Time Go?

Another week has flown swiftly by. Lots of fun things, and some "not-so-fun" things have occurred this week. Lets see what's been happening in my life for the week of Oct. 12th-18th

First off ........

I stepped on the scale this morning and found that I have dropped about 3 pounds (could be 2, but it looks like 3) since the last time I weighed myself on our bathroom scale. Pretty darn good, considering that we've gone through two weeks of 2,000-2,400 calories--per the Curves diet plan. Tomorrow we start all over again with the 1,200 calorie per day plan. Weigh-in at Curves isn't until November 1st, but I hope those scales show a nice weigh loss as well.

Windy City

The first couple of days this week it was pretty windy around here. I love the wind, although I *don't* love the damage it can do. And as long as I can stay inside, cozied up next to the wood stove with a nice hot fire going, and my electricity still working. Where we are, we're pretty much only able to feel the east winds, which we seem to get more of. We're butt-up against a nice hill that blocks the south winds, so we don't feel those very much. Columbus Day was on Monday, and I was reminded of the great Columbus Day storm in 1962, when I was a sophomore in high school. At our house we knew it was windy, but how windy we didn't know until our power came back on the next day and we could see the news reports. The house of my youth (not the same one as in this photo) was/is also butt-up against a much taller hill--Forest Park--so we didn't get *near* the devastation that others did. When I met DC a few years later and the Columbus Day storm came into the conversation, I learned that he was out in it, and that his family lost their electricity for a couple of weeks. They were on top of a hill, rather than sheltered by one, so they felt the affects much more than my family did. Fortunately they had gas appliances so they could still eat hot meals. Their furnace was gas as well, but the thermostat was run by electricty. I think DC's dad was able to bypass it somehow. My family home was also run mostly by gas--cooking and heating anyway, but we didn't go long without the electricity.

Part of my brother's fence blew down on Tuesday, so we went up after everyone got home and put it back up. Well, actually DC & brother did, while I chatted inside with Sis-in-law, but I was along for moral support. They live atop the hill, so they get all the winds that hit our fair city.

Sad News

Ardyth's brand new kitten, Kaylee, passed away this week. She was only about 6 months old, but had FIP, which is an incurable kitty disease that I haven't had a chance to Google for to get the details on. I did get to meet her, and she was the sweetest little thing. Reminded me a bit of PA's kitty, Piewacket. Whenever I meet someone who has lost a furry friend, I send the link to the poem "Rainbow Bridge," which my brother sent me years ago at the lost of his first kitty, Tsunami. Here's the link for anyone who hasn't seen it before:
http://www.petloss.com/poems/maingrp/rainbowb.htm

Grandma Nora said on many occasions that our pets are ours in the hereafter, too. This poem pretty much says it, too. Enjoy!

The End

I have a few people I need to think up nicknames for. That will be on my list of to-do's this week. I thank Heffalump for most of the names I have used--they were hers first.

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

I've had a few random thoughts running through my head today, all of which are too short to make a decent blog, so I'm just going to jot them down with the above title. We're in the middle--ummm, maybe sort of the beginning I guess--of a pretty good Arctic front which is taking temps down to the teens at night and up to 25-26 during the day. If anyone who reads this happens to be from Minnesota or Alaska or somewhere that regularly experiences these temps during the winter months, know that in the Pacific Northwest, west of the Cascade mountain range, this is pretty rare. In fact, I've heard on the radio that it's been a good 20 years since we've had this cold of weather for the amount of time it's expected to be this cold--through the coming weekend. We heat exclusively with wood, which is great during the day (and when it's
not below freezing), but the house can get pretty chilly overnight. I started out with a 49 degree temperature and after almost 4 hours, have managed to get it up to 61. I put blankets up over the hallways to help keep the heat in the livingroom-diningroom areas, or I'm sure it wouldn't be this warm. If the temps were what they normally are on normal winter mornings, I'd have started at 60 degrees and we'd be cooking out of this place by now.

"Long Johns" (aka thermal underwear) are a lifesaver in this cold of weather. I have about 3 sets (tops & bottoms) and am wearing a set today. Really makes a difference, especially when stepping out into that cold east wind to get more firewood or take the garbage out.

Why is it that some people don't dress for the weather. I was at my local Tar-jay store today, and saw a woman with no coat, calf-length pants, short sleeved shirt (no long johns) and flip-flops, shopping away. She's not the first person I have seen during this cold spell, dressed for summer. Do they not realize it's cold outside--colder than usual? Do they not feel the cold? Are they from Minnesota or Alaska or somewhere so this feels like a heat wave to them? Do they
send their kids outside dressed like this? Makes me cold just to think about it.

And finally, while this doesn't directly have anything to do with cold weather, it's amusing, and I'll explain the vague tie-in as we go:

Our ds (dear son) works nights and gets home around 5:30 or 6 in the morning. He generally wants something to eat when he gets home, and he generally goes for leftovers if there are any. Yesterday I was planning on making lasagne for dinner, as it was our #2 dd's birthday and she and her kiddies were coming for dinner. I had started the sauce, when the phone rang. Due to the inclement weather--there was some snow and ice where she lives, while we had little of it
because we live in a hole and she lives partway up a major hill--she decided not to come after all. Good thing her dh (dear husband) did a surprise birthday party for her on Friday. She said she hoped I hadn't started dinner yet, but I told her it wasn't a problem, I'd make lasagne for the Christmas dinner we were attending the next night (tonight). I no sooner got off the phone with her when the Sweet Adelines chorus president called and said that our Christmas dinner/party was cancelled because the weather was just too "iffy." No problem, I'll stop what I'm doing, put the sauce in a bowl and either make lasagne for dinner Monday night or freeze it for another time. Which is what I did. DH & I had soup & Trader Joe's Calzone for dinner instead--much easier to cook and I really wasn't in the mood anyway. When I got up this morning, in the sink was a bowl with what looks like remnants of lasagne sauce in it. I wonder if ds thought it was some kind of soup or something. Can't wait till he gets up so I can ask him how he liked his lasagne sauce!