Where Ya Been?

I have a wall in my living room that has random items mounted to it from places we have traveled. It's very "eclectic". I'd love to open a pub called "Where Ya Been?" and have customers bring in things from places they've traveled, to share on the wall. Everyone would own a little of the place.

I'd also like to answer the phone and say "Where ya been?" Telemarketers and political activists would be so freaked.

We have had the mildest winter since DH and I moved the family here. No Snow! While the mid atlantic states had blizzards and record snow, we had nothing. Zip. I saw green grass last week. Our winter carnival was heavily attended but the town had to peel snow up from the water treatment plant fields and spread it on the Pinnacle for sledding. Needless to say the snow sculpture contest was a bust.

Things have changed...

We've had over 20 inches at the house since yesterday and we have another 7 to 15 inches due before tomorrow night. It's wicked heavy wet snow too. If it weren't so wet, we would have had a foot more. The roads are really bad. I've never seen them so bad here. It's coming so fast and so wet, even VT plowers can't keep up. The main roads are drivable but the back roads are in tough shape and the power lines and trees are very stressed . I came home from work and found my driveway unplowed. While only 8-10 inches had fallen since I left for work this morning, I couldn't get into the driveway because the street plow had left a 3 foot berm and my Toyota Matrix may have wanted to explosively accelerate over it but I knew it was only asking for trouble. No big deal. I can get my blower and clear a manageable path for the car. I parked the car on the road at the top of my drive and hoofed it over the berm and down the drive for 300 yards to the house. Ok I was in my work clothes and quickly realized how deep the snow was as it packed into my boots. Trudge. Trudge. Trudge. Made it to the house.

I quickly changed into snow clothes and started the snow blower, while considering how much longer the driveway seems in February. It took me about 40 minutes of mostly uphill effort but I cleared the berm away. Panting I said to self; "Yes! I am strong woman but glad this challenge is over". I headed the blower back to the house. While I was heading downhill, the Gad Dern snow plow came and filled my driveway up again! Another 3 feet of snow piled at the top of the drive! I was devastated. It really whipped my butt getting it cleared the first time. (Hence the small victory dance when I finished) I was truly devastated. It was almost a classic moment as I stood there with the snow blower idling, snow swirling around me, dripping sweat and icicles while shaking my head and watching the plow refill the driveway I'd only just cleared. Oh, and it plowed my parked car in too. I think we all know that moment when we just have to suck it up and start over. I faced that moment tonight.

Then my knight in a shining yellow tractor came. My plowman showed up about 5 minutes later. I couldn't have been happier to see a man if he'd been Santa Claus carrying a life sized chocolate rabbit. Effusing apologies, he made fast work of my driveway. I couldn't offer him more. Water? Coffee? Hot Chocolate? No? Are you sure?

Life in a small town.

Adventure Pants

I am preparing for a trip to the UK where my more traveled daughter is attending the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry at Pembroke. After reading one of her current blogs on an outing to the Peak Region she recently embarked on and the misfortunes that resulted there in, I decided to re-think my traveling wardrobe. I needed new pants. Something with lots and lots of pockets for water bottles and maps. Perhaps emergency rations would be a good idea. So my DH and I went to Sam's Outdoor Outfitters in search of such amazing pants.

These are my observations on buying pants. No matter how much weight you lose, women will not change pant sizes. However, if you buy men's pants, you'll drop 2 sizes. It's true. Also being a size 10 is a pain in the butt. No matter what style I choose, the 10's were all gone and an 8 is too tight and a twelve is too loose. Why don't they make womens sizes 9 and 11? People may claim that Americans are all overweight and I see quite a bit of evidence to support that but in my experience, there are more sized 10 ladies out there than any other size and they all shop before I do.

So I could not not buy overpriced adventure pants in the ladies section. I mosied over the men's where DH had an armload of goods. Now here's the nice part, men's clothes come in single unit sizes. I tried on the 32's because that's what I usually wear. Oh ho! My diet had kicked in and the 32's were too large. Success! I could go to a 31, but no; also too large. How nice that I had the option to try it on however. In men's clothes, you don't have to jump 2 sizes each increment. I found the most amazing adventure pants in a 30. Loads and loads of oversized pockets and they were cheap! Also, men's pants don't gap in the back, are made better and come in much nicer fabrics!

I am ready for the highlands and whatever Oxychap may throw at me.

Caveat scripter

When you write something down, it becomes a permanent thought. It is now attached to you forever. You can not retract that thought or modify it. You can not change your mind. At least that is the truth in a media trial and a good reason to stay out of politics.

I read a great article online today written by Lisa Jardine From Writer with Love