Life, Fannishness, and Thespic Infatuation

Snowflakes and vanilla.

This evening, after a whole Christmas season without a flake of snow, we now have a nice skiff on the ground. Big, pretty snowflakes earlier, and it makes things look so much prettier this time of year.

And I clap and giggle with glee now that I have a whole bottle of Mexican vanilla in my possession. Whee!!!

Though it won Time Magazine's "Best Invention of 2006," it looks very Victorian, no?

The Wovel

Because heavy snow for my b-day is a theme in my life, it has been snowing all day. It's very pretty.

It has also necessitated the canceling of my party.

So it's just Geo and I for cake and ice cream this evening.

( My actual b-day )

Yesterday was staying in, reading, baking cookies, watching the snow. Today was the exercise to make up for the cookies.

Victory! We got the walk and the driveway cleared. Without benefit of a snowblower or plow. And we've figured the routes that (today) are clear enough to travel where we need to go. In other words, ow. I am going to be so sore tomorrow.

It's a beautiful sunny day today, and the mountains are particularly picturesque with the snow and the blue sky and the clouds. I might have pictures later.

Geo and I have come to the conclusion that the Commonwealth of Virginia has no friggin' clue how to deal with snow. Seriously. We've had I don't know how many pieces of farm equipment with snow blades, plus at least one real snowplow, zip up and down our road today, and there are still portions that are impassible if you don't have a heavy vehicle or 4-wheel drive. (I really miss my Ford Tempo in this kind of weather.) Only one lane on Rt 29 was clear, and not completely.

The headlines are calling this the Blizzard of '09! But there were no high winds, no "storm" conditions in our area. To me, this was just a really heavy snowfall. Back in Ohio, people die during blizzards. They freeze to death in their homes when they lose heat, or die trying to shovel themselves out. I haven't gone looking for any such statistics here, and I know a lot of people were stranded in various places and they had shelters set up and stuff. And I am so thankful for our warm house and our full pantry. And I'm sure folks in the rural areas where self-sufficiency is a must are more prepared for these types of unusual circumstances. But to me, this was not a blizzard. Snow storm, maybe. But calling it a "blizzard" seems kind of extreme.

However, I am considering investing in a new pair of winter boots. I can't find my old ones ("oh, you won't need them in Virginia"), but now knowing that this kind of weather is possible, I'm thinking it would be a good idea.

It's light outside, and I've seen one snowplow (actually, more like a piece of farm equipment with a blade on the front--maybe some of our snowplows are subcontracted?) and one person out and about in their SUV.

It's so beautiful, and standing here at my bay window, watching the birds enjoy the seed I tossed out a little while ago, reminds me of my Michigan Aunt (Aunt J2). She loved sitting by her picture window, sipping her coffee, watching the birds in the snow. I miss you, Aunt J.

I've been sitting here watching the snow come down all day. It's a wet, heavy snow, so it won't last. Earlier today, they were big heavy flakes. Now it's just small flakes coming straight down. It's really, really pretty. We haven't been out of the house today.

Now I'm going to go make butternut squash soup and balance my checkbook. At the same time. I'm talented like that. Let's just hope I don't burn the soup, and my numbers hit.

aka I Crack Myself Up.




( How Snow!Dean came to be )

In Virginia!

*happy dance*

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Okay, so it probably won't stick. Still . . .

It's snowing!

We're finally getting some beautiful, white, fluffy snow, albeit about six weeks late. It's been coming down all afternoon. "Over the ground lies a blanket of white" just about covers it. (Blanket. Cover. No pun intended. Heh.) It's really rather peaceful and lovely. And it makes me so glad I have a nice warm house.