Baby, It's cold Outside (Elf)

I know Christmas is over, but I love this clip!

Current temp: Negative 4
Today's high: 2
More snow on the way.

I may spend the entire day reading on the couch!

I'll Be Home For Christmas...

Another historic blizzard...along with ice !!

"Snowfall will start out light across the western Plains, northern Plains, and upper Midwest early Wednesday. Later Wednesday afternoon and Wednesday night the storm will gain considerable strength and ample moisture will be pulled in from the Gulf.

Increasing winds later Wednesday and Wednesday night could create blizzard conditions from southwest Kansas into western and central Nebraska. Considerable blowing and drifting snow will likely make roads and interstates impassable.

Freezing rain and sleet are likely across central Kansas, southeastern Nebraska, Iowa, and part of northern Illinois Wednesday. Some ice and sleet accumulation is likely, especially across Nebraska and Kansas. By later afternoon, freezing rain should change to rain in southern Iowa and parts of northern Illinois.

On Thursday the storm continues to pummel the Plains with blizzard conditions and heavy snow, the Mississippi Valley with heavy snow and blizzard conditions north and rain and possibly severe thunderstorms south, and an icy mix of sleet and snow in the middle.

Snow will continue across the Upper Midwest on Friday, along with strong winds."

~ Weather.com

So.

Instead of this:

Sanibel Island
Song of the Sea

(photo courtesy of Destination360)

We have this to look forward to:




Oh, well.

Let's look on the bright side, shall we?

The fridge is stocked.

I don't have to decide which books to pack.

I don't have to stress out about which bathing suit fits.

We don't have to pay premium prices on our rental car.

I can actually get our Christmas cards written before the end of the year (although, I was planning to write my letters while sitting on the beach, listening to the gentle sound of the waves lapping against the shore. Sigh.)

I don't have to have a panic attack about the reliability of the de-icing machines at Eppley Airfield in Omaha.

I don't have to worry about our pipes freezing while we're gone.

I do, however, have to listen to my brother give me all kinds of grief about the gorgeous weather in San Diego.

Annie, on the other hand, was hoping to be left home alone!

Looks like she even had her sleeping arrangements all laid out!

Wanted: More Time in My Day

What is it about spring that creates such a sense of urgency to get so much accomplished before summer arrives? Do you all have a To Do list like mine? You know, the kind with unrealistic optimistic goals such as:

Wash the front porch and deck (which are both covered in a lovely layer of fine, yellow pollen)

Wash the cars (see above)

Wash the windows (I'm willing to skip the ones that nobody but us looks out)

Paint the guest room and my office (This has been on my list for a few years now and every spring I say, this is the year!)

Buy annuals and replacement perennials for flower beds and pots on deck. Plant them!

Tackle the weeding before it gets out of hand. (Too late!)

Get the carpets cleaned.

Schedule A/C tune-up before the heat & humidity arrive.

Continue sorting and posting photos recently shot on a couple of trips to Missouri.

Store all the winter clothing and gear that was tossed into a big pile in the basement over a month ago.

Start brushing Annie on a regular basis. She's beginning to blow her winter coat and we're back to dealing with all that beautiful dog hair.

Start using the Swiss exercise ball I bought over a month ago (and have only used once!). Thank goodness I decided to get that rather than a Wii Fit. I'm only out $25 if it doesn't get used as often as it should.

Post new recipes on my food blog. It's been neglected for far too long and I really want to try this recipe.

Read more! I'm still reading the same book I started two weeks ago. It's not long or involved. I'm just too busy (or tired) to read more than a few pages every night.

Post my monthly summary for April! We're almost halfway through May, for heaven's sakes.

So, what exactly have I been doing for the past month or so? Well, I've been spending a lot of time playing around with my photos, posting a daily shot on my Aminus3 blog, as well as perusing my favorite photoblogs. Plus, my work schedule was tweaked a little bit after the holidays and rather than have my afternoons free, I've been getting home right about dinner time. After a long walk with Annie-dog, a glass of wine (or two), and dinner & dishes, I'm too tired to do much of anything else. Of course, you'd think since I don't have to leave for work until 10:45, I'd have plenty of time to get some of these projects accomplished, but I'm just not that productive first thing in the morning. However, I go back to my 7-2 shift next week, so I have high hopes of crossing some of these tasks off my list before autumn rolls around.

Too bad this blog post wasn't on my To Do list. It'd be nice to finally have something to cross off! :)

Mrs. Bale on the First Day of Winter

How many days until summer?!?!

Forecast for Lincoln, Nebraska:

Sunday:

Breezy...colder. Mostly sunny. Areas of blowing snow. Highs around 2. Northwest winds 15 to 25 mph. Lowest wind chill values 24 below to 34 below zero in the morning.

Sunday Evening:

Mostly clear. Lows around 11 below. Northwest winds 10 to 15 mph with gusts to around 25 mph decreasing to up to 5 mph after midnight. Wind chill values 17 below to 27 below zero in the evening.

Yep, you read that correctly. A high of 2 (F). On the upside, it'll be mostly sunny. Not that it matters much, as I'll be inside ALL day.

Note to my brother, Mark: No jokes about your weather in San Diego! I don't want to hear how warm it is or the fact that you're running around in shorts. ;)

Brrrrrrrr!

-40 degrees (F)
Valleyview, Alberta, Canada
1965

It's cold. (16)

It's snowing. (Again)

The wind's blowing. (When isn't it?)

On the brighter side...we're off to Virginia Beach where it's a balmy 35 degrees!

Oh, and Spring is just 63 days away. :)

Mrs. Bale Says Uncle!

From WeatherBug:

Currently 7 (F) at 9:38 PM.

Tonight:

Cold. Mostly clear. Lows from 2 above zero to 2 below. Northwest winds 5 to 15 mph. Lowest wind chill values 5 below to 15 below zero.

Perhaps Annie-Dog would like to sleep on our bed tonight.

Happy New Year!

In Like a Lion

Mrs. Bale reporting live from Lincoln, Nebraska

Historical data for March 1, 2007

6.5 inches of heavy, wet snow
45 mph winds
White out conditions
24 degrees at 12:00 pm
No loss of power (although the lights did flicker A LOT)






Days remaining until the first day of Spring: 18

Update: It's snowing again. Sigh.

Thundersnow!

The More It Snows by A.A. Milne

The more it snows ~~
tiddely pom,
The more it goes ~~
tiddely pom,
The more it goes ~~
tiddely pom
On snowing ~~

And nobody knows~~
tiddely pom ,
How cold my toes ~~
tiddely pom,
Are growing.

Yep, we got more snow yesterday. It started falling around 6 pm and was absolutely gorgeous. Huge, heavy wet flakes. As we were standing in the kitchen getting things ready for dinner, we heard a long, low rumbling. Thundersnow! Poor Frankie didn't know what to make of that. He's never heard thunder until now.

It's still cloudy and very windy this morning, but the trees look absolutely gorgeous draped in their long white snowy robes. I doubt we got more than 3-4" (so much for the blizzard warning), but it rained all day before the snow arrived, so I suspect the roads are treacherous. We'll stay inside where it's cozy and, yes, I'll get those book reviews written that I promised last week.

February Funk

In the bleak midwinter
Frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron,
Water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow,
Snow on snow,
In the bleak midwinter,
Long ago.

- Christina Rossetti

We had more snow today. Not a lot, but enough to cover the walks and driveways. Have I mentioned how tired I am of winter? I don't usually mind Nebraska winters, but it seems like we've had an unusual amount of snow since New Year's Eve. And it's been cold. Damned cold. I'll be curious to see what our monthly total of precipitation was in January, as compared to previous years. Maybe I need to take a vacation to the tropics. I feel the need for warm sunshine on my face (and arms and legs). Sigh. 41 days 'til spring.