I have been near my computer all day. Tuesdays are longer days for me in that I work at BPG until lunch and then I head over to the church and work there until 5pm or so. I take my laptop into the building because it has been too cold to leave out in the car. I keep it near me.
I also keep it near me because of the 2013 DC stolen laptop experience. I have panic attacks when I can't find something important. (Things listed under this category are my phone, my wallet, and my glasses. All are thing I have misplaced and then had said panic attack before finding them minutes later.)
At the church I work at my desk and use my laptop. You could say, it's near me there too.
After my day at work, I came home and had to shovel the driveway. It was covered in a nice coat of heavy, wet snow topped by a thin layer of ice.
I have heard more people wish they were on a cruise or in a sunny location today than all the days this winter combined.
Even though we had a lovely, sunny day yesterday.
Back to shoveling snow, or what I do best.
I did not have my laptop near me while I was shoveling.
I will end with this thought; we are one day closer to Spring. It is near. I could feel it in the air outside while I was shoveling.
Showing posts with label snow. Show all posts
Showing posts with label snow. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Path
Depending on the winter/amount of snowfall, our driveway gets wider or narrower. The factors of snow removal are a huge part of the equation.
Since I shovel, I tend to start the season by going to the grass and stopping. If Bill has to use the snow blower, it's usually because we've had a significant amount of snowfall. Depending on the temperature, this can either mean Bill widens the driveway because he can't find the grass (it is buried under too much snow and ice on the driveway makes it impossible to find the edge) or the driveway gets narrower because of the exact same reason. Regardless of Bill's snow removal, the same conditions exist if I am shoveling.
When we have exceptional amounts of snow, Bill will often use the snow blower and purposefully widen the driveway so that one can get out of their car, and walk around it to get to the house without having to walk through two feet of piled snow.
This also helps when I go back to shovel the next time, as we learned early on, the piles aren't so high that I can't shovel. (Nor am I shoveling above my shoulders. Yes, that happened in 2007.)
Backing out of our driveway is a challenge but during the winter months it becomes a thrill-ride of sorts. Backing out while it's snowing is an interesting scenario, because the snow often blows between the houses and white on white is difficult to navigate.
Even though my fancy new car has a back-up camera, it does me no good in these fine winter months because all I can see is white.
This means I usually make my own path out of our driveway. Which means the path of the driveway shifts once again.
It would be really easy if our lot lines were straight and if our driveway were straight. That is not the case. We have some weird lot line that runs at a five degree angle (or something ridiculous and minute). The driveway follows that line until it gets past the front of the house. Then it sort of straightens out and spills out into the street in a nice perpendicular fashion.
It always amuses me as the snow starts to melt; to see where our shoveling/snow blowing led us. How far into the grass did we go? How far off the path did we wander?
Since I shovel, I tend to start the season by going to the grass and stopping. If Bill has to use the snow blower, it's usually because we've had a significant amount of snowfall. Depending on the temperature, this can either mean Bill widens the driveway because he can't find the grass (it is buried under too much snow and ice on the driveway makes it impossible to find the edge) or the driveway gets narrower because of the exact same reason. Regardless of Bill's snow removal, the same conditions exist if I am shoveling.
When we have exceptional amounts of snow, Bill will often use the snow blower and purposefully widen the driveway so that one can get out of their car, and walk around it to get to the house without having to walk through two feet of piled snow.
This also helps when I go back to shovel the next time, as we learned early on, the piles aren't so high that I can't shovel. (Nor am I shoveling above my shoulders. Yes, that happened in 2007.)
Backing out of our driveway is a challenge but during the winter months it becomes a thrill-ride of sorts. Backing out while it's snowing is an interesting scenario, because the snow often blows between the houses and white on white is difficult to navigate.
Even though my fancy new car has a back-up camera, it does me no good in these fine winter months because all I can see is white.
This means I usually make my own path out of our driveway. Which means the path of the driveway shifts once again.
It would be really easy if our lot lines were straight and if our driveway were straight. That is not the case. We have some weird lot line that runs at a five degree angle (or something ridiculous and minute). The driveway follows that line until it gets past the front of the house. Then it sort of straightens out and spills out into the street in a nice perpendicular fashion.
It always amuses me as the snow starts to melt; to see where our shoveling/snow blowing led us. How far into the grass did we go? How far off the path did we wander?
Friday, February 20, 2015
Alone
Somewhere on this blog, I have mentioned that I actually like shoveling snow.
There's something about the peacefulness of the outside. There's a stillness that is in the air after the snow has fallen. The powdery fluff dampens the noise of everyday life. The scraping of the shovel along the driveway is a soothing sound to me. It is as if I am alone in the world.
When I am out shoveling and the snow is still swirling around me, I prefer to think of myself in a snow globe. Someone has just shaken it, and I am mesmerized by the swiftly falling flakes.
Alone, but not lonely, for the world continues on around me. Somewhere in the distance I can hear the wailing cry of a siren. A car drives down the street, crunching the cold snow under it's tires. Kids are sledding on a kid-made hill down the street. Their laughter and dogs barking break the silence.
I finish shoveling and walk around to the front yard. I step up onto our yard covered by a two-foot blanket. I fall back into the snow, landing on a light bed of crispy snow covering a layer of ice. I make my snow angel. I carefully climb out of the heavenly shape. I admire my guardian as she alone protects our yard.
There's something about the peacefulness of the outside. There's a stillness that is in the air after the snow has fallen. The powdery fluff dampens the noise of everyday life. The scraping of the shovel along the driveway is a soothing sound to me. It is as if I am alone in the world.
When I am out shoveling and the snow is still swirling around me, I prefer to think of myself in a snow globe. Someone has just shaken it, and I am mesmerized by the swiftly falling flakes.
Alone, but not lonely, for the world continues on around me. Somewhere in the distance I can hear the wailing cry of a siren. A car drives down the street, crunching the cold snow under it's tires. Kids are sledding on a kid-made hill down the street. Their laughter and dogs barking break the silence.
I finish shoveling and walk around to the front yard. I step up onto our yard covered by a two-foot blanket. I fall back into the snow, landing on a light bed of crispy snow covering a layer of ice. I make my snow angel. I carefully climb out of the heavenly shape. I admire my guardian as she alone protects our yard.
Sunday, January 11, 2015
2014 Shoveling and 5ks
I forgot, and I threw away my calendar before I tallied how much I shoveled in 2014. But since I kept track in 2013, I can only guess that it was at least the same if not more. I wrote about the snowfall in 2013 here.
If you read that, you'll note that I said I could keep track of it on my Fuel band. Except I wasn't very consistent because the numbers that it recorded made me feel like I wasn't really doing any work. I got a little frustrated so I just kept writing everything down on the calendar. I only kept track of shoveling twelve times on my Fuel band. I know I shoveled a lot more than that. I guess I could go look it up in my journal. I'm sure I kept track of it there.
So while I kept track of it on the calendar, I completely forgot all those numbers when I took down the old calendar and hung up the new. That wouldn't have been such a big deal because I could go fish the calendar out of the recycling. Except by the time I remembered and realized what I had done, we had just taken the recycling to the giant bin. The calendar, and all those numbers, are gone forever.
In that post, I also wrote about how many miles I ran in 2013. Well I did keep track of that on my Fuel band for 2014 and while it doesn't give me distance, it did keep track of time. I can tell you for sure that I ran eighty-three days and walked ninety-four. Which would average out to 360 miles (and that is a complete guesstimate). So that's ten miles further than 2013. At least.
And I didn't shovel (except the porch once) at all this last November because of my broken hand. Then, it didn't hardly snow in December. I have shoveled a couple of times this month, this week in fact.
I'll keep moving this year and we'll see how well I keep track of numbers.
I hope it motivates you to move!
If you read that, you'll note that I said I could keep track of it on my Fuel band. Except I wasn't very consistent because the numbers that it recorded made me feel like I wasn't really doing any work. I got a little frustrated so I just kept writing everything down on the calendar. I only kept track of shoveling twelve times on my Fuel band. I know I shoveled a lot more than that. I guess I could go look it up in my journal. I'm sure I kept track of it there.
So while I kept track of it on the calendar, I completely forgot all those numbers when I took down the old calendar and hung up the new. That wouldn't have been such a big deal because I could go fish the calendar out of the recycling. Except by the time I remembered and realized what I had done, we had just taken the recycling to the giant bin. The calendar, and all those numbers, are gone forever.
In that post, I also wrote about how many miles I ran in 2013. Well I did keep track of that on my Fuel band for 2014 and while it doesn't give me distance, it did keep track of time. I can tell you for sure that I ran eighty-three days and walked ninety-four. Which would average out to 360 miles (and that is a complete guesstimate). So that's ten miles further than 2013. At least.
And I didn't shovel (except the porch once) at all this last November because of my broken hand. Then, it didn't hardly snow in December. I have shoveled a couple of times this month, this week in fact.
I'll keep moving this year and we'll see how well I keep track of numbers.
I hope it motivates you to move!
Saturday, January 3, 2015
Deviled Benedict's
Mom came to visit GR a week before Christmas. We went to Meijer Gardens. As we walked through the building, admiring the many Christmas trees from around the world, we noticed an egg theme on many of the trees. It seems that the tradition of using decorated eggs is not just for Easter!
I do enjoy deviled eggs, I also love snow (I can say that again after last winter), snowflakes, snowmen, etc. All these things combined and now you can see why this is a great gift.
I was catching up on some dvr'd shows (Giada At Home), and she made some Eggs Benedict Deviled Eggs (you can find the recipe here). I thought: well, we have some ham, eggs, panko, and I have this new egg plate. I had to make them.
I'm calling them Deviled Benedict's and no, there aren't any left. They made a great lunch. If you ever want to make a twist on deviled eggs, I highly recommend this recipe. It may be my new Christmas tradition.
Saturday, November 22, 2014
snow legs
On my way to my HPC meeting Wednesday night, I had a flashback to driving in New Jersey. In that flashback I remembered how every day, driving on the Parkway, drivers would slam on the gas and then slam on the brakes. From twenty feet forward, to a complete stop. It was almost everyday that I couldn't wait to come back to the midwest.
And here I was Wednesday evening, on 131, not doing what had caused me great stress all those days in NJ. With all the snow and cold, drivers were being courteous, everyone was leaving plenty of space between them and the car in front of them, no one was driving like an idiot, everyone was going the right speed, no one was slamming on their brakes, everyone was paying attention. It was like a choreographed dance of the snow cars.
Bill calls that "snow legs"; what we need to find in order to drive safely through the winter. You may know the term as "sea legs" which we became familiar with on our cruise seven years ago. But here, in the winter, we need snow legs.
Who knew we'd be finding our snow legs so early? Of course after last winter, how did we have time to forget?
This leads me to my snowflake request of years past. I don't need them this year. However, if you have incorporated them into part of your Advent activities, or need something to do on a snow day, I will gladly accept them. I'm just not making my usual plea.
And here I was Wednesday evening, on 131, not doing what had caused me great stress all those days in NJ. With all the snow and cold, drivers were being courteous, everyone was leaving plenty of space between them and the car in front of them, no one was driving like an idiot, everyone was going the right speed, no one was slamming on their brakes, everyone was paying attention. It was like a choreographed dance of the snow cars.
Bill calls that "snow legs"; what we need to find in order to drive safely through the winter. You may know the term as "sea legs" which we became familiar with on our cruise seven years ago. But here, in the winter, we need snow legs.
Who knew we'd be finding our snow legs so early? Of course after last winter, how did we have time to forget?
This leads me to my snowflake request of years past. I don't need them this year. However, if you have incorporated them into part of your Advent activities, or need something to do on a snow day, I will gladly accept them. I'm just not making my usual plea.
Friday, April 25, 2014
spring on ice
My mom asked about ice cover on the great lakes. We just flew over the lower part of Lake Michigan on our return flight and couldn't see any ice. But that doesn't mean it's not there. In fact, there's still 35% coverage for the lakes (total). You can read more about that here. This is our weatherman's blog. I really like the facts he gives.
That is the direct link to a specific post. If you want to be thankful that it's actually spring, go to the blog main page (here) and see how much snow Minnesota and the upper peninsula got yesterday. You can still go skiing!
I'm thankful that my daffodils are blooming and my tulips have buds on them.
That is the direct link to a specific post. If you want to be thankful that it's actually spring, go to the blog main page (here) and see how much snow Minnesota and the upper peninsula got yesterday. You can still go skiing!
I'm thankful that my daffodils are blooming and my tulips have buds on them.
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Thursday
After waking up at 6am local time and going for a 30 minute run/walk with Heather, the three of us (Bill, Heather and I) drove out to Red Rock Canyon. We took the trail from the Visitor's Center. It was marked "Easy" and was a two mile hike.
It took us an hour and a half. We stopped to take pictures. We also climbed up another five hundred feet or so in elevation. It's funny how fast it happens here. You know you're going up, but you don't realize how high you went until you turn around and look back down the mountain.
Here are a few pictures.
It took us an hour and a half. We stopped to take pictures. We also climbed up another five hundred feet or so in elevation. It's funny how fast it happens here. You know you're going up, but you don't realize how high you went until you turn around and look back down the mountain.
Here are a few pictures.
I'm thankful for the beauty and magnificent change in landscape we have in North America. In case you didn't see it, here's what we woke up to on Tuesday, in Grand Rapids:
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
spring green
Despite the snow and cold, I saw signs that nature has not given up on spring. There are crocus ready to bloom, although they do look like they've croaked with their sad blooms hanging their heads low to the ground. There are tulips (they could be hyacinths, it's difficult to tell this early) sprouting. Those leaves are about two inches above the ground.
Even with the snow, things are still growing. Mother Nature can keep throwing snow at us, but spring is here.
I'm thankful for the small, green signs of spring.
Even with the snow, things are still growing. Mother Nature can keep throwing snow at us, but spring is here.
I'm thankful for the small, green signs of spring.
Thursday, March 20, 2014
winter vs. spring
Was I sneaky enough? I wanted to post the picture of the flowers Bill sent. But by the time I got home last night, I didn't have time to plug my phone into my computer and load the picture, and the post it to my blog. I did it just now instead and back posted (dated?) it.
That really was what I was thankful for yesterday.
Today is the first day of spring! The first thing I saw when I looked out the window was…
Green grass?
No
Flowers blooming?
Nope
Buds on trees?
Not even close
What I saw this morning, freshly fallen on our deck, was snow.
Not a lot, just a dusting. Then the sun came out and melted it away.
The sun went behind clouds again. But that didn't stop Molly and I from walking to Jersey Junction (from her house) to celebrate her passing her driver's test and the first day of spring.
I'm thankful that it wasn't so cold that we didn't want to walk there.
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Thirty-three days and one hundred inches
The weather people predicted another 3-6 inches of snow last night.
I went out before dinner and shoveled out a path just so I could bring the trash & recycle bins back up to the house. I shoveled a good 4-6 inches of snow.
This morning I donned my winter garb and headed out.
There was easily ten inches of snow and that was on the part of the driveway that I shoveled yesterday.
We have hit the one hundred mark, that is 100" of snowfall for the season (officially 101.1"). I should be quick to point out: so far, winter isn't over.
From our local weatherman's blog, "The snow depth of 24" this Tues. AM in G.R. is an all-time February record and just 3" shy of the all-time snow depth record of 27" after the Blizzard of '78. We have now gone a record 14 days with more than 20" of snow on the ground."
I was cursing it this morning. Twenty inches of snow on the ground is doubled when you have to move it off the driveway. It quickly piles up. Bill has done a nice job, as he's used the snow blower, and thrown more snow out into the yard. Since I insist on shoveling, I can only throw it so far. Especially when I'm throwing it up over the snow banks.
Here are a couple of pictures from Feb. 2nd to give you an idea...
I went out before dinner and shoveled out a path just so I could bring the trash & recycle bins back up to the house. I shoveled a good 4-6 inches of snow.
This morning I donned my winter garb and headed out.
There was easily ten inches of snow and that was on the part of the driveway that I shoveled yesterday.
We have hit the one hundred mark, that is 100" of snowfall for the season (officially 101.1"). I should be quick to point out: so far, winter isn't over.
From our local weatherman's blog, "The snow depth of 24" this Tues. AM in G.R. is an all-time February record and just 3" shy of the all-time snow depth record of 27" after the Blizzard of '78. We have now gone a record 14 days with more than 20" of snow on the ground."
I was cursing it this morning. Twenty inches of snow on the ground is doubled when you have to move it off the driveway. It quickly piles up. Bill has done a nice job, as he's used the snow blower, and thrown more snow out into the yard. Since I insist on shoveling, I can only throw it so far. Especially when I'm throwing it up over the snow banks.
Here are a couple of pictures from Feb. 2nd to give you an idea...
You can sort of see (since it's all white) the blanket of snow in our yard. A fairly even blanket. The piles at the edges are almost equal to the snow in the yard.
I tried to get a better perspective as Bill walked down the driveway.
I'm posing next to the pile so you can see the height. I'm standing on snow, and my hand isn't on the top of the pile because the peak is over another twelve inches and up another several.
This is easily up to my shoulders.
And this was two weeks ago. It warmed up slightly on Saturday, and melted a little.
It has been getting close to ridiculous as we back out of our driveway. As indicated, the piles are high enough that in my car (a Ford Fusion for reference), I can just see over them to see if cars are coming down the street.
That was, until this morning.
The snow didn't melt enough and the new snow was enough that as I backed out I realized I couldn't see. No problem, it's been this high before, I'll just pull back up to the sidewalk where I can look out and see over the snow banks. Um, nope. Those are too high now too. Okay, pray to God that there are no cars coming.
I backed out very slowly until I could finally see, and then gunned it so I wouldn't get stuck. Since I had already helped two other people who got stuck this morning and it took me an hour and a half to shovel.
Did I mention it was thick, heavy, wet snow?
No?
It was heavy.
And, because the aforementioned piles have only gotten higher, as I shoveled ten inches of heavy, wet snow onto a snow bank that is easily forty inches high, the shovel would hit the top of the bank and cause an avalanche. Or the weight of the snow would cause an avalanche. Or the removal of the snow on the bottom would cause an avalanche. Whichever of these it was, for every one shovel-full of snow I removed, I had to shovel three more times.
I love snow, but with thirty-three days until spring, I am over it for this season.
If it's going to keep snowing, it needs to melt first. I am hoping God or Mother Nature gets the memo.
If it's going to keep snowing, it needs to melt first. I am hoping God or Mother Nature gets the memo.
I was not thankful for the snow this morning. I mean, it's still beautiful, but I feel like half of that 101.1" is still in my yard. It's certainly still at the edges of the driveway.
I didn't take any pictures this morning because I knew I wouldn't be able to get perspective.
Now the bushes close to the porch in the first picture are no longer visible.
I am thankful for the snow because it will end and spring is getting closer.
Thursday, February 6, 2014
socks, sidewalks and snow
Did you know it hasn't stopped snowing here? I get that it can be difficult to shovel. If you're out-of-town or elderly, it may not get done to the same degree that an able-bodied person would do.
I walked down to a friend's house this morning. The sidewalks were passable. Until I got to the house that is owned by the bank. Those sidewalks haven't been cleared off for weeks. (Or days, it's snowed so much here.)
I didn't realize that though until I stepped off the hill on the corner down into the two feet of snow. At that point it was too late to turn back. I forged ahead, climbing through the deep snow until the next property where the sidewalk was back to mostly clear.
Fortunately, it was so cold and the snow was so light, that it didn't really stick to me. Once I got to Trina's, I dried off pretty quickly.
I'm thankful for cleared off sidewalks. I'm also thankful for my long underwear and three layers of socks.
I walked down to a friend's house this morning. The sidewalks were passable. Until I got to the house that is owned by the bank. Those sidewalks haven't been cleared off for weeks. (Or days, it's snowed so much here.)
I didn't realize that though until I stepped off the hill on the corner down into the two feet of snow. At that point it was too late to turn back. I forged ahead, climbing through the deep snow until the next property where the sidewalk was back to mostly clear.
Fortunately, it was so cold and the snow was so light, that it didn't really stick to me. Once I got to Trina's, I dried off pretty quickly.
I'm thankful for cleared off sidewalks. I'm also thankful for my long underwear and three layers of socks.
Monday, February 3, 2014
share the wealth
My mom and I were talking yesterday and she had (we think) a brilliant idea.
Michigan, at least around here, has a lot of snow. So much snow that our city is removing it from parking lots and dumping the snow into unused parking lots (and probably other places). We also have a snow "dragon"(check out the news story here) to help with snow removal. Our streets are narrower. The city has spent it's budget for snow removal.
The good news is that the lake is freezing over so our lake effect snow is diminishing (I swear our weatherman was exclaiming that with glee).
At the other end of the spectrum, our nation's sunny California is in a severe drought. So much that Hoda and Kathy Lee have started drinking less wine to help protect the reserves! I know, shocking.
How can our two states get together to get the snow that we don't want, and don't have room for, out to their state that is in desperate need of the melted stuff? Sure it wouldn't be safe for human consumption, but if it's gray water, wouldn't that at least help their crops?
If someone in California wants to send me the money, I will find a way to ship them snow. We have plenty of it. As in, I could scrape off a two foot layer from our entire yard (why not go all the way down the street) and we would all still have a foot of snow left. Look toward the street where the plow has stuffed our snow, there's a good four feet that we could scrape down.
I took pictures yesterday while Bill was out clearing the snow from the plow. They're still on my camera, and my camera is over there (I'm pointing across the room). I also happen to have a sleeping kitty on my lap. I don't want to disturb her. I'll get the pictures off the camera another time and post them. I don't want you to miss out. Unless you live here, then you understand and don't want anyone else to miss out seeing them.
Oh, so I'm thankful for my mom's great idea. We just need to figure out how to get it to work.
Michigan, at least around here, has a lot of snow. So much snow that our city is removing it from parking lots and dumping the snow into unused parking lots (and probably other places). We also have a snow "dragon"(check out the news story here) to help with snow removal. Our streets are narrower. The city has spent it's budget for snow removal.
The good news is that the lake is freezing over so our lake effect snow is diminishing (I swear our weatherman was exclaiming that with glee).
At the other end of the spectrum, our nation's sunny California is in a severe drought. So much that Hoda and Kathy Lee have started drinking less wine to help protect the reserves! I know, shocking.
How can our two states get together to get the snow that we don't want, and don't have room for, out to their state that is in desperate need of the melted stuff? Sure it wouldn't be safe for human consumption, but if it's gray water, wouldn't that at least help their crops?
If someone in California wants to send me the money, I will find a way to ship them snow. We have plenty of it. As in, I could scrape off a two foot layer from our entire yard (why not go all the way down the street) and we would all still have a foot of snow left. Look toward the street where the plow has stuffed our snow, there's a good four feet that we could scrape down.
I took pictures yesterday while Bill was out clearing the snow from the plow. They're still on my camera, and my camera is over there (I'm pointing across the room). I also happen to have a sleeping kitty on my lap. I don't want to disturb her. I'll get the pictures off the camera another time and post them. I don't want you to miss out. Unless you live here, then you understand and don't want anyone else to miss out seeing them.
Oh, so I'm thankful for my mom's great idea. We just need to figure out how to get it to work.
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
the lake house
Today it was actually warmer in Grand Rapids then it was here. But we had sunshine, Grand Rapids did not (according to the news).
I opened up the curtains to let light in. It was so nice to see the sun. Then when Bill got home from work he told me to bundle up, we were going outside.
We walked over to the lake because it was quite beautiful. Now, I almost brought my camera to the house, but since I had several other bags, a cooler, two grocery bags and my work bag, I decided I didn't need to lug my camera with me.
My phone worked well though. Here are a couple of shots of the lake. We have sat here a couple of times and watched the sun set. Today was not going to be one of those days.
Can you see the piles in the middle of the picture, down at the lake?
Those are piles of snow, drifted into snow dunes.
Here's a picture looking north. The lake is frozen as far as the eye can see.
This is me. Bundled up. We came right back to the house and warmed up with a chili dinner.
Monday, January 27, 2014
Forecast: snow!
Snow!
Every year I wish, hope and pray that it will snow for my birthday.
This year was no different, except that by the time I got around to the wishing, hoping and praying it had already snowed.
It hasn't stopped.
Something said in yesterday's sermon caused me to pause. I gave thanks for the snow that everyone else is tired of.
Why did I give thanks for the snow?
Because it is light.
Snow is white and we all know that black is produced by the absence of light.
The sermon was, "The Light at the End of the Tunnel." And Pastor Tish mentioned a couple of times that we all hope that light is not coming from a train.
But like we hope that the light isn't from a train, we have hope in the light.
Snow is my light. I don't know why I like it so much. Bill would prefer if I liked desert landscapes instead.
But I don't.
I like the snow.
I don't ski, or snowboard.
I shovel and make snow angels.
And I enjoy the quiet that accompanies the snow.
Snow gives me hope for spring.
I wouldn't mind if it melted a little.
Every year I wish, hope and pray that it will snow for my birthday.
This year was no different, except that by the time I got around to the wishing, hoping and praying it had already snowed.
It hasn't stopped.
Something said in yesterday's sermon caused me to pause. I gave thanks for the snow that everyone else is tired of.
Why did I give thanks for the snow?
Because it is light.
Snow is white and we all know that black is produced by the absence of light.
The sermon was, "The Light at the End of the Tunnel." And Pastor Tish mentioned a couple of times that we all hope that light is not coming from a train.
But like we hope that the light isn't from a train, we have hope in the light.
Snow is my light. I don't know why I like it so much. Bill would prefer if I liked desert landscapes instead.
But I don't.
I like the snow.
I don't ski, or snowboard.
I shovel and make snow angels.
And I enjoy the quiet that accompanies the snow.
Snow gives me hope for spring.
I wouldn't mind if it melted a little.
Friday, January 10, 2014
backwards thanks
I'm very thankful for our snow blower today.
Which means I'm thankful for our former neighbors, Nancy and Glenn, from whom it was bought.
Which means I'm thankful for Bill saying to Glenn that he wanted to buy it from them before they moved (which I am not thankful that they moved).
And I'm thankful that it was filled with enough gas for me to clear out the approach.
It took me one hour and 43 minutes (that includes shoveling other areas of the driveway).
(This was after I had taken a couple of passes. It's the packed snow at the end of the driveway that the plow put there after several passes. It's tough to see in this perspective, but it was higher than my knees.)
Which means I'm thankful for our former neighbors, Nancy and Glenn, from whom it was bought.
Which means I'm thankful for Bill saying to Glenn that he wanted to buy it from them before they moved (which I am not thankful that they moved).
And I'm thankful that it was filled with enough gas for me to clear out the approach.
Yes, I still like snow!
I'm also rocking the guns (triceps, biceps, you name it, it's toned).
It's a great workout for sure.
Monday, December 30, 2013
marathons
We all enjoy a good marathon, right? A movie marathon, or a tv show marathon, maybe a dance marathon, you know the fun marathons.
Well, if I add up all the miles I have run in 2013, I have run 13 and a 1/2 marathons. Yes. I kept track and counted up all the miles I have run since January 1st. I ran 350 miles.
I could run to Cincinnati. I could run to Milwaukee and back. Which means I could stop off in Chicago. I could run to Buffalo, New York! That's how far 350 miles is from Grand Rapids.
Does it mean I'm going to run a marathon any time soon? Nope. I have my sights set on an actual, legit 5k. And the annual .1k but as far as running 26 miles all at once, like in one day. No thank you. Running the 3.1 miles is enough. Halfway through mile two I want to stop. I cannot imagine doing that twelve more times.
Now, to put a finer point on it, I also kept track of how much I have shoveled (and when I didn't do either of those and I ran inside, but since it was in place, I kept track of time, and that isn't impressive).
Are you ready?
925 minutes.
That's over fifteen hours this year that I shoveled snow.
Isn't that crazy? Half of that has been during this month. The other minutes added up in November, January and February.
I won't have to write it down on a calendar anymore. There's an app for that. And there's a fancy device too. It's called the Nike Fuel Band.
Well, if I add up all the miles I have run in 2013, I have run 13 and a 1/2 marathons. Yes. I kept track and counted up all the miles I have run since January 1st. I ran 350 miles.
I could run to Cincinnati. I could run to Milwaukee and back. Which means I could stop off in Chicago. I could run to Buffalo, New York! That's how far 350 miles is from Grand Rapids.
Does it mean I'm going to run a marathon any time soon? Nope. I have my sights set on an actual, legit 5k. And the annual .1k but as far as running 26 miles all at once, like in one day. No thank you. Running the 3.1 miles is enough. Halfway through mile two I want to stop. I cannot imagine doing that twelve more times.
Now, to put a finer point on it, I also kept track of how much I have shoveled (and when I didn't do either of those and I ran inside, but since it was in place, I kept track of time, and that isn't impressive).
Are you ready?
925 minutes.
That's over fifteen hours this year that I shoveled snow.
Isn't that crazy? Half of that has been during this month. The other minutes added up in November, January and February.
I won't have to write it down on a calendar anymore. There's an app for that. And there's a fancy device too. It's called the Nike Fuel Band.
This is the Christmas present I received from Greg. It counts calories, steps, Fuel (Nike's version of keeping track of my activity), it has a clock on it, and when it syncs to my phone I can log specific activities, like shoveling! It's meant for full-body motion, so while I can wear it during yoga, it's not going to respond the same as when I shovel snow. It's the newer, updated version though, it noticed when I ran the vacuum!
I'm really excited about this gift. And, as Greg pointed out, it was serendipitous because my phone died last week and now I have an iPhone. I can use the app and sync activities, which I would not have been able to do on the old phone.
It's all about staying active. You don't have to have a fancy Fuel Band to do so. Make it your goal or resolution, just get moving.
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
A night in the gardens
I took a walk around the gardens tonight.
I started inside. I didn't stop and pay much attention to the trees, because when I was there in November they had many of them set up. And, because Meijer Gardens is open late on Tuesdays, it was crowded.
I checked out the train, because there is always something special about seeing it at night.
(Please forgive my very amateur photos. I tried to change settings, but clearly I don't have them just right for clarity in dark spaces.)
Then I went into the large conservatory. There is a giant star hanging in the tallest part of the room.
Then I bravely wandered outside. This giant tree greets guests as they emerge from the warmth of the indoor space.
Then there's this sculpture called, Mad Mom. She's covered in snow, I liked the effect it had.
I walked into the Children's garden where silence greeted me instead of the usual happy cries of children. Colorful lights fill the area, creating a different effect.
From there I wandered out into the sculpture park. I tried to capture the snow fallen scene around the horse… but I'm still working on those camera settings.
I'll end with this photo. This is the waterfall. I love how the snow changes everything. If I listened closely, I could still hear water rushing under the snow, cascading down the rocks.
Just before I walked by this sculpture, a horse drawn carriage passed me by, carrying guests through the sculpture park as part of the holiday festivities. The jingle of the bells on the horses, the silence created by snow and the singing of the carriage riders transported me to a different world.
All was calm. And all was bright. Lit by twinkling lights. The voices of the singers carried on, even when they were out of sight.
And then I caught a glimpse of the full moon.
I tried to photograph it…
But I couldn't capture it's splendor.
Monday, December 16, 2013
Fifty days and breaking down walls
The snow plow came down our street today. I was at work.
When I came home, I could not pull into the driveway because of the plow's work.
That's his job. I wasn't upset at all.
It gave me the chance to get outside and get a small workout by shoveling.
Uh huh.
Shoveling.
It was pretty intense. If you've never dug yourself out of a plow's work, you might not realize just what happens to the snow. It becomes a dense pack of snow.
A plow hill.
Chisels.
Jackhammers.
Chain saws.
Those might work to get through the toughest plow hills.
It's really no surprise to me that the indigenous northerners have more than one hundred words for snow. There really are that many forms of snow.
Well, fortunately it is cold enough that the plow hill didn't start to melt and condense into a plow ice hill. That's when chainsaws, axes, and chisels would come in handy.
I was able to clear it out in twenty minutes.
I worked carefully, resting a couple of times because I was working really hard. It was, after all, still a packed pile of snow put there by a machine.
As I was breaking through the hill, or mini wall, the Berlin wall popped into my head.
Okay, my snow wall was only about a foot and a half high, and was only blocking me from the street for a couple of hours.
But that's how my brain works. Because tomorrow marks fifty days until the Winter Olympics!
We get to break down the walls between countries and join together in unity, cheering on young men and women from all over.
It will help distract me from the plow hills this winter.
When I came home, I could not pull into the driveway because of the plow's work.
That's his job. I wasn't upset at all.
It gave me the chance to get outside and get a small workout by shoveling.
Uh huh.
Shoveling.
It was pretty intense. If you've never dug yourself out of a plow's work, you might not realize just what happens to the snow. It becomes a dense pack of snow.
A plow hill.
Chisels.
Jackhammers.
Chain saws.
Those might work to get through the toughest plow hills.
It's really no surprise to me that the indigenous northerners have more than one hundred words for snow. There really are that many forms of snow.
Well, fortunately it is cold enough that the plow hill didn't start to melt and condense into a plow ice hill. That's when chainsaws, axes, and chisels would come in handy.
I was able to clear it out in twenty minutes.
I worked carefully, resting a couple of times because I was working really hard. It was, after all, still a packed pile of snow put there by a machine.
As I was breaking through the hill, or mini wall, the Berlin wall popped into my head.
Okay, my snow wall was only about a foot and a half high, and was only blocking me from the street for a couple of hours.
But that's how my brain works. Because tomorrow marks fifty days until the Winter Olympics!
We get to break down the walls between countries and join together in unity, cheering on young men and women from all over.
It will help distract me from the plow hills this winter.
Thursday, December 12, 2013
The Art of Shoveling
So many things…
When I shovel snow, I think of so many things.
I've shoveled snow at least once a day, every day this week. (Actually, I think I only shoveled once one day, the other days I've shoveled at least twice.)
Um, I can't complain because I love snow.
I love snow.
I love snow.
I am getting tired of shoveling.
Yes. We own a fancy machine that I can fire up and use to get rid of the white, fluffy stuff. But I do like shoveling.
At this rate, I'm not going to need to work out next summer.
I'll call that my off-season.
Which means this is my on-season and I have to put my game face on. Followed by three pairs of socks, long-underwear, yoga pants, workout pants (I don't have snow pants, those actually work pretty well), a shirt, a fleece, my heavy winter coat, thick Isotoner gloves, a scarf that is several feet long, my bright orange Husky hat with the snowball on top, and my fuzzy boots.
You may not be able to see it, but under all those layers, I'm wearing the game face.
It's a huge smile plastered on my face because I love snow.
I don't enjoy the snot that runs down my face. I don't enjoy the cracked skin from the cold air when I have to take off my gloves to wipe the snotty nose.
But I enjoy the repetition of shoveling. I like the nuances of shoveling. For instance, don't shovel it all into the edge of your lawn. If there's more snow to come (and there is) you will quickly be shoveling onto a large hill of snow and that is difficult.
You also shovel into your own yard. Your neighbor's yard is reserved for when the banks of snow in your own yard are too high (because the snow won't stop).
The cracks in our driveway run perpendicular to the drive, so it's easier to shovel with the cracks than against them.
Shovels with a metal edge are the best tool.
I also realized we spent a lot of time prepping and painting the porch. Enough time that I will not shovel it this year. Instead, I had planned on using the push broom. But that's in the garage. Which is frozen shut until spring.
The other day I figured out a solution that will also clean off the porch without removing paint.
A blow dryer.
I was out there for hours!
I'm just kidding.
Did you really believe me? I love snow and cold, but I'm not crazy!
I used the Swiffer. Not the mop, the dry pad one. I took off the cloth and the rubber base is perfect! I can push the snow right off the porch. As a result I don't have to Swiffer the kitchen for the rest of the winter because the Swiffer is packed with snow.
For all of you who are reading this and think I'm crazy, know this: shoveling snow for one hour burns 400 calories. When it's the dry, fluffy, lake effect snow, that is an easy workout. It's the heavy, wet snow that keeps me from running right out there. When it dumps six inches of snow or more, I'm out. That's when Bill gets to use the snowblower. And I get a break.
But when I do get to shovel, I also get to eat all of the Christmas cookies.
That is why I shovel.
When I shovel snow, I think of so many things.
I've shoveled snow at least once a day, every day this week. (Actually, I think I only shoveled once one day, the other days I've shoveled at least twice.)
Um, I can't complain because I love snow.
I love snow.
I love snow.
I am getting tired of shoveling.
Yes. We own a fancy machine that I can fire up and use to get rid of the white, fluffy stuff. But I do like shoveling.
At this rate, I'm not going to need to work out next summer.
I'll call that my off-season.
Which means this is my on-season and I have to put my game face on. Followed by three pairs of socks, long-underwear, yoga pants, workout pants (I don't have snow pants, those actually work pretty well), a shirt, a fleece, my heavy winter coat, thick Isotoner gloves, a scarf that is several feet long, my bright orange Husky hat with the snowball on top, and my fuzzy boots.
You may not be able to see it, but under all those layers, I'm wearing the game face.
It's a huge smile plastered on my face because I love snow.
I don't enjoy the snot that runs down my face. I don't enjoy the cracked skin from the cold air when I have to take off my gloves to wipe the snotty nose.
But I enjoy the repetition of shoveling. I like the nuances of shoveling. For instance, don't shovel it all into the edge of your lawn. If there's more snow to come (and there is) you will quickly be shoveling onto a large hill of snow and that is difficult.
You also shovel into your own yard. Your neighbor's yard is reserved for when the banks of snow in your own yard are too high (because the snow won't stop).
The cracks in our driveway run perpendicular to the drive, so it's easier to shovel with the cracks than against them.
Shovels with a metal edge are the best tool.
I also realized we spent a lot of time prepping and painting the porch. Enough time that I will not shovel it this year. Instead, I had planned on using the push broom. But that's in the garage. Which is frozen shut until spring.
The other day I figured out a solution that will also clean off the porch without removing paint.
A blow dryer.
I was out there for hours!
I'm just kidding.
Did you really believe me? I love snow and cold, but I'm not crazy!
I used the Swiffer. Not the mop, the dry pad one. I took off the cloth and the rubber base is perfect! I can push the snow right off the porch. As a result I don't have to Swiffer the kitchen for the rest of the winter because the Swiffer is packed with snow.
For all of you who are reading this and think I'm crazy, know this: shoveling snow for one hour burns 400 calories. When it's the dry, fluffy, lake effect snow, that is an easy workout. It's the heavy, wet snow that keeps me from running right out there. When it dumps six inches of snow or more, I'm out. That's when Bill gets to use the snowblower. And I get a break.
But when I do get to shovel, I also get to eat all of the Christmas cookies.
That is why I shovel.
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