Wordless Wednesday

South of Norfolk, Nebraska

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Annie-Dog

A Day in the Life of Annie-Dog

Wordless Wednesday

December. Denver. De-Icing.

The Sunday Salon

I'm procrastinating. It's so freaking cold outside and I really hate the thought of going to the grocery store. It's not the errand I dread, but getting back into my car after shopping for half an hour. I can warm up the car in my driveway, but that's not as easy when it's in a parking lot. Oh, wait! I have a husband... He could go with me. ;)

It's been such a miserably cold winter, but at least we haven't had to deal with quite as much snow as those of you to the east of us. We were supposed to get 4-8 inches yesterday, but all we got was a dusting. I can't imagine what Rod's book signing would have been like with the cold temps and snow. He signed for an hour and had a nice turnout, in spite of the frigid temps, so we were very pleased.

I'm finally feeling like I might just about be over with the terrible cold I came down with two weeks ago. Almost. I was so miserable; I pretty much stayed in bed for 48 hours straight. One of my sweet neighbors became concerned when she noticed my car hadn't moved for several days (and she hadn't seen me walking Annie in the afternoon), so after learning that I'd been sick, she brought over The.Most.Delicious chicken soup (and salad, bread and cookies!) for our dinner one night. I think it was the soup that cured me! I've got the recipe and plan to make it for dinner tomorrow night, so I'll try to get a photo and post the recipe next weekend.

I've never really been a big fan of tea, but after returning to work I discovered a delicious new tea and have since given up my second cup of coffee for a big mug of this bold blend. Suffice it to say, I will never drink Celestial Seasonings tea again!

But what about books, you ask? I have one more review to post and I'll be finished with 2013. Woot! But what have I read recently? Well, let's see. I won't go all the way back to January's list, but in February I finished the following:

Still Life with Bread Crumbs by Anna Quindlen (quite good)
The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison (meh)
Iron Lake by William Kent Kreuger (very good)
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman (loved!)
A Circle of Wives by Alice LaPlante (good, but not great)
Attachments by Rainbow Rowell (loved!!)

I'm currently listening to Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (aka J.K. Rowling) and have started reading On What Grounds by Cleo Coyle. I plan to read the Coyle mystery at work on my breaks and will attempt to focus on reading East of Eden by John Steinbeck during the month of March. Thanks for the nudge, Trish! 

Alright. Time to bundle up and get to the store. Have a good week, friends. Stay warm! Who's keeping your tootsies warm tonight?

Wordless Wednesday

Sundog: 

A sun dog (or sundog), mock sun or phantom sun, scientific name parhelion (plural parhelia), is an atmospheric phenomenon that creates bright spots of light in the sky, often on a luminous ring or halo on either side of the sun.

Sundogs may appear as a colored patch of light to the left or right of the sun, 22° distant and at the same distance above the horizon as the sun, and in ice halos. They can be seen anywhere in the world during any season, but they are not always obvious or bright. Sundogs are best seen and are most conspicuous when the sun is low. (Wikipedia)

Click on photo for larger view.

Winter Wonderland - Part II

Sunday, February 5th.

Everything always looks better if the sun's shining, don't you think? Annie does.

Click on photos to enlarge.

Winter Wonderland - Part I

February 1st. Early morning. Looking west from my kitchen.


February 4th. Early morning. Looking north from the dining room. (And, no. Our phone lines are not usually that low!)


Neighbors helping neighbors.






Heavy, wet snow.


Pretty, but...


Disasterous






We lost power sometime during the night and it was out until 10:30 that morning. I made a run to Scooter's for coffee and after breakfast we headed to the living room to curl up with our books. This is where we spent the day. My computer was off the entire day!


Temperature on Monday, January 30th: 69 degrees

Temperature on Saturday, February 4th: 33 degrees

Total snowfall: 14 inches in 24 hours

The Cold

The cold was our pride,
the snow was our beauty.
It fell and fell,
lacing day and night together in a milky haze,
making everything quieter as it fell,
so that winter seemed to partake of religion
in a way no other season did,
hushed,
solemn.
Patricia Hampl
A Romantic Education

One Dog Night

Well, it could've been worse. I was expecting to wake-up to negative twenty or so. While negative five is cold, it's not too awful, especially since there's not much wind.

Having said that, I'm taking the day off! I just finished my breakfast, which I ate while perusing a beautiful cookbook (Barefoot Contessa at Home: Everyday Recipes You'll Make Over and Over Again). Except for the hum of the refrigerator, the house was perfectly quiet . I sat quietly, sipping my coffee, gazing out the French doors to our backyard, so beautiful with all the fresh white snow.

I could really get used to this.