In a bizarre turn of events, Suzanne will now complain about a LACK of snow.

Seriously.

Yesterday, we had what really did amount to a heat wave — it was 43 degrees when I went to bed last night.  As a result:  most of our snow is now gone.   And it’s raining.  Except, it’s gotten colder again, so now it’s a Freezing Rain Mist.  And we are going to get 1/4 to 1/2 inch of ice accumulation.

Mark was going to take the boys skiing on Wednesday, but didn’t because the weather was really nasty.  And then he had decided to take them TODAY.

Which is why I’m sad that there is no snow here in our part of Iowa.   And that it is icy.  Because even if the ski area they were going to still has snow on the trails (which they probably do, because they do make snow at this place…), I’m not sure that traveling in this ice is such a great idea.  Ugh.  Mark is glad that he spent an hour and a half the other day snowboarding down the hill he created in our backyard.  It’s gone now.

I’m sure it’ll be back, but good grief.  Everybody’s on vacation NOW, we want the snow NOW.

Oh, and I was supposed to be having a sale at the store, and I’m pretty sure I’ll be the only one here for most of thte day.  And in all honesty, I’d rather people did stay home than try to come here.

I don’t know if it makes me feel better or worse that so much of the country is ALSO suffering through winter weather.

I was scheduled to play at church this morning, so, for better or worse, I had to brave the great outdoors.  ANd then I came back.

See, I asked/informed Mark that I wanted to take the truck, and he said “Oh, the roads aren’t that bad.”  He was basing this on having had very little to shovel out of the end of our driveway (which usually drifts shut pretty badly when it is as windy as it was last night).

So, I thought “FINE, I’ll show HIM” and hopped in my car.

Out of the driveway, check.

South of the house, WOW.  Big honkin’ drifts, good thing someone else had left me some tracks.

Turn left?  Oooo, that drift looks pretty bad, I’ll go straight.

Ha!  That intersection was completely drifted shut.

BACK UP 1/4 of a mile to make that left turn.  That drift wasn’t SO bad.

But.  To the left — nope, not going to make it there.  Straight?  Oh no, really not going to make it there.

Damn.

Back to the house and got in that darned truck (like I should have, because YES, the roads really were THAT bad.)  ANd plowed through all of those nasty drifts with the 4-wheel drive turned on.

When I got to church, I parked at the UCC church across the street.  The Pastor saw me, and when I came in he said “You know, you are going to get a fine for parking over there.”

I laughed and said, “Well, no I’m not, because I happen to know that THEY aren’t having church today.”

“Those wusses,” he said.  “I ALWAYS have church.”

If I’d known that I wouldn’t have spent 20 minutes watching the church cancellations scroll across the TV earlier in the morning, hoping (need I say, praying?) that our church was included.

The crowd was a little thin.  One guy came from the country in his tractor.   He was 1/3 of the choir’s Bass section, so it was awfully nice that he made the effort.

Oh — the boys are home from basketball.  One of them tried to leave the house in his shorts.

Hello???  It’s THREE BELOW ZERO.  You WILL wear PANTS.

Later -
Suzanne