How can I make a blog entry without saying something about the "blizzard of 2011"? This is a picture of my sister's back yard which gauges how much snow had fallen and just how much it drifted. As I walked over to her yard the most shallow amount was maybe 7" and the deepest sections were up to my crotch. (yup) As I had visions of dropping the iphone in the snow as I was about to fall, I thought, ah, maybe time to go inside. I had hoped for better pictures but it was tough to show how things really looked out there yesterday. What has made the last few days most interesting is how our area responded to this snow. I'm a planer so I took this seriously and we left work at 2:45 and it's a damn good thing we did because it was crazy! The roads were quite snow covered and the blowing was amazing. We managed to get home at the right time because the one intersection we travel through later had up to 60 cars stranded there during the night. As we left for work this morning the road on the way to work was snow covered as was expected, however, once we got to the corner of two major routes we came across the a wall of snow! Seriously a wall of snow! We had to take several different roads to work ultimately, but we did get there. I know there are some of you who live in a region with a lot more snow and this kind of fall isn't unusual for you, but dang, we have not had one of these since 1979 or so! And, let me say it's a great way for everyone to take a deep breath and embrace the chance to just slow down a bit. Life is good.
And now it's time to embrace the cold!
I want to say thank you to all the child care staff who made it in to work yesterday and cared for the clients at Larkin. The children appreciate knowing staff were there to care for them and keep them safe.

This is the view from our back door. We are expecting more of the white stuff this week, with a potential for a boat load of snow for Indiana. Dennis wishes we could live in a snowier area, but I'm just fine with the amount we do get. I know I've said it before, but it's the drive to work and back that gets me. Plus the fact that I've been in two accidents in the snow, and even though they were so long ago, they still play in the back of my mind. What gets us through the winter, is anticipating summer. This year we hope to try to get to the beach again after having not gone for the last few summers. The beach is my refuge, and my time to spend some spiritual time with my mother at a place she loved. The sound of the waves, the smell of the salt water, the alligators, the moss, the old graveyards, and it's just simply the connection with the South. It's where my mom loved to be, it's where we all went as kids (my Godparents and my "cousins" and us) it's where we scattered Jon's ashes, it's just our place. I can smell it even in the middle of winter here in the Midwest.
And, now, I'm going to do what I also love, watch the US Figure skating championships on tv. My sister and I get teased my our family members, but we love figure skating. So, this frustrated skater is off to watch and enjoy! Have a good week everyone!