When Snow Can Be a Good Thing

Once again, last night Gomez decided that he wanted to go outside in the middle of the night ~ long after I had turned out the light and gone to sleep.

Wanting to get this over and done with quickly, I did not bother to put on all my layers for my descent into the Arctic cold downstairs. I didn't even put on my slippers.

In nothing but a tee shirt, my polar bear PJ bottoms, and bare feet, I led the miscreant mutt downstairs, bracing myself for a blast of cold air.

This time, however, there was none. Putting on the light to check the thermometer on the thermostat, I discovered that the living room was a surprisingly balmy 65 degrees.

How could that be?

I think it was the snow that we had yesterday. It sealed off the cracks through which the cold air made its way into the house.

My God! I was downstairs in bare feet and a tee shirt and didn't even get a single goose bump. Now that's what I call a happy event.

The downstairs remained warm this morning ~ warm enough that I felt confident to bring down my laptop to the living room, where I prefer to have it.

The day was sunny. There was no wind. The top of the snow had a thin crust of ice.

I had a morning appointment, and did not even have to bundle myself up when I went to warm up the car and then clean the crusty snow off my car. A chunk of ice fell into my boot, where it slipped further down as it melted.

Ariana came with me, because after my appointment, we were going to go to BJ's Wholesale Club, where I planned to do some shopping and get gas.

(We needed more Greased Lightning. Also, I wanted to get some disposable plates and cups so that I could pack away most of our dishes. It was getting tough for Ariana to find room in the cabinets for all the clean dishes.)

After we got home and put away the groceries, I shovelled the front walkway. The snow was melting, and was almost slushy.

I briefly thought about tackling the driveway, and decided against it. I wasn't up to battling with dense, heavy snow and chopping away at the ice underneath. Instead, when it came to my driveway, I planned on using the "New Bedford method" of snow removal ~ wait until July.

After coming in, I changed over the laundry. I was doing the bed sheets. It was about time to banish the dog smell and replace it with something fresh.

Once that was done, I settled in to doing some more crochet.

Because Ariana had an appointment at 6:00 PM, I wasn't about to get involved in a multiple-hour cleaning blitz. When I clean, or get involved in any kind of project, I need a large block of time. It's hard for me to get motivated when I know that my day is going to be chopped up.

Also, today was a good time to call my mother, especially since several days passed since I last talked with her. We had a lengthy, though pleasant chat. Afterwards, I called Roma to see how things were with her.

(Tony is still waiting to have surgery, this coming Friday, on his broken arm, which is in a soft cast for the time being.)

The crocheting continued after I got off the phone. I am determined to finish Carol's afghan so that I can start playing with the neat and colorful yarn that friends from the International Free Form Crochet group had sent me.

In fact, I am desperately chafing at the bit to get to those sumptious and delectable yarns. But in the meantime, I feel obligated to complete a promised and late Christmas present.

Less than 2 hours before Ariana's appointment, I heard a cell phone go off. Hey! Wait a minute! That ring tone was from my phone!

It was Ariana's doctor's office. The doctor had to go home sick.

Actually, that was good news for me. Not only did I not have to get into my car and drive down to New Bedford again, I could also crochet some more.

This time I was teaching myself how to crochet a 3-color spiral. It was looking pretty cool.

And just think, it was late afternoon and I was still crocheting in the kitchen, wearing only one more layer than what I normally wore upstairs.

Hey! When the downstairs is warm, I am happy. Life is good.