(Not) Spring Weather

The trouble with weather forecasting is that it's right too often for us to ignore it and wrong too often for us to rely on it. ~Patrick Young

Not much to say today because we haven't done much! Yesterday was supposed to have been sunny and warm -- I had high hopes that much of the snow we'd received would melt. It was sunny for about fifteen minutes. The rest of the day was overcast and windy.

I realize that weather prediction much be difficult, but I'd sure love a job where I could be wrong more than half the time and still get paid.

Today is supposed to be cloudy and cool and tonight into tomorrow they're predicting upwards of 4" of snow again.

:::grumble grumble:::

I almost wish we hadn't been teased with such beautiful weather last week. All the walking and outdoor time is making me itch something fierce for a real spring.

I did buy flower seeds yesterday -- I couldn't help myself. I got:

Cosmos:


Straw Flowers:


Cactus Flower Zinnia:



And Bachelor Buttons:



Even though I intend on using most of my flower garden space for colorful veggies, I just couldn't resist SOME flowers ...

Now if only spring would cooperate.

==================

You Are Down to Earth

You are a sincere and truly nice person. When you're kind to people, you mean it. You strive to build close relationships. You can bring stability and support to the lives of others. You are predictable, stable, and consistent. You take pride in being able to be counted on. You are a team player, and you enjoy pitching in to do your part. You are a very social creature.

The Nail Polish Test

I'm not terrifically social, but otherwise this is about right.

=================

I Dislike DST

I hate DST. It's a puzzlement why we even observe it anymore -- though at the rate they're going (moving it earlier in spring and later in fall), it's going to meet in the middle anyway and then maybe we'll stop this nonsense.

Yet another reason to move to Arizona.

The weekend was pretty quiet. We didn't do much of anything. DH caught up on sleep (he misses A LOT during the week) and mostly just lazed around, something he seldom does. I did work on the website and cleaned house (organized the pantry, cleaned the school/craft room, washed our throw rugs) because maybe if I *do* spring cleaning, spring will come.

On my little indoor tomato plant (which I keep in our spare bedroom, Maria, because it gets the most sunlight in the winter), I have one little tomato. None of the other blossoms made fruit (yet) but I'm still excited for my one. I hope it survives! At least there won't be chipmunks around to eat it.

The snow is melting at a furious pace. About 1/4 of my lawn is actually exposed. Of course, the front of my house COOKS -- it get full sun all day (which makes life interesting in the summer) so I think my snow is melting a bit faster than most, at least out front.

I'm so itching for nicer weather.

I got a little writing done on "Now and Forever" (Maria Zannini reminded me that I hadn't been referring to it by title) the sequel to "Kitchen Matches". Not as much as I would have liked, since a direct result of DH lazing around meant he was home and wanted to interact with me.

Ah well... today is another day.

===================

Your Inner Fruit Flavor is Pear

You are an idealistic soul. You're the type of person who still believes in changing the world. You are compassionate and generous. You get joy from giving to others. You feel deeply and freely. You don't put bounds or limitations on your thoughts. You have a vivid imagination, and it's so deep that it's hard to express with words.

What's Your Inner Fruit Flavor?

Blogthings: A Fine Line Between Insight and Stupidity

I'm not sure that's altogether me -- makes me sound WAY nicer than I am.

======================

The Weekend Past

Home is where you can say anything you like cause nobody listens to you anyway. ~Author Unknown

Happy Monday all! It's President's Day (who else remembers when George Washington and Abraham Lincoln got their own holiday?) and my DH is off work -- for all the good it does him.

This weekend he's been tied to his work pager. I try to remember to be grateful that he has a job, and a very good job at that, but there are times I really, really hate it. He works very long hours, and he works very hard AND he has a long, traffic-filled commute. So he needs his weekends to decompress. This weekend, he didn't get that.

Still, he's managed to fill his home time by doing renovations to his bathroom that we've been planning for a long time. He's been picking up the stuff for it over the last several months, so it was ready. He did much of it yesterday, but will finish laying the tile today.

Next project is hardwooding our stairs. The carpet is so thin in places that we're afraid it's going to tear soon. The joys of home ownership...

How was your weekend?

==============

I haven't been able to say this in a while (for which I am truly grateful): It's snowing!

We aren't expecting much: 2 - 4", and it's the light, fluffy kind so I really don't mind. Besides, I know spring is on its way ... my woodpile is almost gone. AND, the warm weather actually melted nearly all the snow in the gardens directly in front of our house (it COOKS there), so I may even have daffodils in March, which is very unusual.

I'm so ready for spring.

===============

Your Style is Bohemian

When it comes to fashion, anything goes for you... especially if it's whimsical and fun. You draw your style influences from all over, and you are a pro at mixing and matching. You believe that fashion rules are meant to be broken. You don't need anyone to tell you what looks good. You rock your own unique and free spirited style. And many people secretly envy you for it.

What's Your Style Type?

My own unique and free spirited style is called: comfy jeans and T-shirts. I know, crazy!! *G*

==================

Waiting For Spring

It's spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you've got it, you want - oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so! ~Mark Twain

I've made some jokes about the snow melting here by June... but I gotta tell you, I suspect once it warms up above freezing on a regular basis, it'll be gone lickety-split. We had days in the low 40s this weekend -- two of them -- and we lost a good 8 - 10" of snow to the melt. Our mailbox is now above the snow!

I've started getting gardening catalogs in the mail -- it's so tempting to buy stuff, but honestly I don't need any more ornamental plants. I will go to my local Agway and get seeds (they have SO MANY CHOICES!) and then get some annuals later, but I'm avoiding the temptation of the catalogs so far. I think I'm going to plant at least one or two new veggies this year, just because. And, if my knee holds up, I'm going to expand the area of my garden a bit because you can't grow too many veggies.

I can't WAIT until spring.

I've written another 255 words and am actually thinking I might finish this story. Amazing ... I have a screwy timeline I need to figure out, though, because this story -- "Now and Forever" is actually going to be happening at the same time as the next story in one has apparently become a series in my brain, "Drive Me Crazy". Still, it's moving forward, slow and steady.

=======================

You Are a Zebra

You are a multifaceted and complex person. The front you provide is even a bit of an illusion. You are a study in contradictions and strong contrasts. You believe that there is more than one way to look at things. You also believe in accepting yourself. You feel different from everyone else, and you embrace that. You inspire others to be their true selves and even flaunt what they've got!

What Black and White Animal Are You?

Um .... okay. Maybe?

==============

Spring Fever

Spring is nature's way of saying, "Let's party!" ~Robin Williams

One of the joys of homeschooling is being able to set your own schedule. Yesterday, we settled in to work but the weather was unbelievable -- 66 degrees and clear as a bell. I couldn't settle down, DD couldn't settle down ... so we gave up. And took a LONG walk. And released our jar-o-worms into the garden (a couple things of note: there were a LOT more babies than I'd thought and several of the worms had literally tied themselves into knots, which I found really odd and wish I knew why they'd done that).

We examined all our gardens, thrilled that we finally got crocus in colors other than yellow (I'd bought a "variety" pack that appears to be about 95% yellow... lots of variety there). DD's bleeding heart is beginning to poke above ground, as well as her miniature hollyhock and all our chives. My rosemary is coming back, and the marjoram is already taking over in its spot.

I let DD play on the swings, and run around with the dog. Once we got that mostly out of our systems, we came in, had lunch and hunkered down again.

Spring Fever is in full swing. Of course, on Sunday, a cold front moves in and our temps will drop 20 degrees. I hate it when that happens.

I filled up about half of my seed peat pots with worm castings and still have every intention of starting my seeds on the 24th. I can't wait! Then, in another month, I'll plant my cool weather crops outside: peas, spinach, etc.

I'm so ready for growing my own stuff. I went shopping this week and was horrified that canned veggies were (at the cheapest -- and I tried WalMart, Target and two grocery stores) $.076/can ... used to be I could get them at WalMart for $.043 / can and it hasn't been that long. That's a HUGE jump in price, percentagewise. Actually, I've noticed that most items have increased significantly. Very frustrating, especially nowadays when so many people are out of work or making very little money.

In writing news, Charity sent me a link to a class that sounds like something I could use to finally get my law enforcement information on track for "Stiller Creek". And I'm working on my fantasy and hope to get that done and through crits at my group over the next couple of months. I'm still working on some shorter stories, in all my spare time (*G*), too.

I've decided I'm a little ADD. But it works for me.

==============

You Are Coors Light

You are a person who values routine and stability. It's likely that your order the same thing every time you go to the bar. You aren't necessarily on a diet, but you do appreciate a beer that you can drink every day. If anything, you are consistent. You don't like to change, but you're not adverse to taking risks... especially when you have a few beers in you. The bottom line is that you're out to have a good time. You're all about friends, fun, and letting loose.

What Type of Beer Are You?

I haven't had a beer in ... more than a decade (wow), but the assessment of me is pretty on target except the last part. Huh.

=======================

Movies from Books and Spring Fever

If I had my life to live over, I would start barefoot earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall. ~Nadine Stair

I've been underwhelmed by the four Nora Roberts movies this past month or so. Have any of you watched them? I understand that it's hard to squash a novel into less than two hours, but they all four were really lacking parts of the book that I thought were important. Maybe if I'd never read the books? Dunno. IMHO, Nora's big enough to rate a mini-series type thing. I also didn't love the casting. **sigh** It was disappointing, to say the least.

Did any of you watch the movies? What did you think? Have you read those books ("High Noon", "Tribute", "Angels Fall" and "Midnight Bayou")?

==========================

The weather has been lovely the past couple of days. Sunny and warm (for here: in the fifties). I wish I'd been able to get out in it more, but I'm swamped with work as always... *sigh*... Spring Fever is only going to keep getting worse! Even Dakota has it -- she's starting running off into the woods when we play ball now, or even when she's playing with a doggy friend. She doesn't focus and, up until now, she's been pretty darn good. I think an invisible fence is in order ... just to keep her in when we're puttering outside. Otherwise, she'll end up inside the house too much because she's terrified of her tie-out. She flips out when we hook her up, and then just ... stands... won't walk, won't move, won't lie down.

She is a very high maintenance dog.

===========================

You Are Not Stylish

To be honest, you think fashion is a complete waste of time. You don't really care about how you dress, and those who do are simply superficial. While you don't have to look like you stepped out of a magazine, maybe you should update your wardrobe. People treat you better when you look better. Besides, it's fun to express your personal style!

Are You Stylish?

Well, now... THAT'S a surprise! HA.

============================

Snowy Days and Mondays

A lot of people like snow. I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water. ~Carl Reiner

I typically do the Monday Morning Meme, but as I look out at the six inches of snow on my deck and see the snow still falling from the sky, I find myself a bit blue.

Yesterday, before this all started, I could see grass and my daffodils were just starting to poke out of the ground (silly things, you'd think they'd know better). There were houseflies (which are now little black corpses that Dakota wants to eat) and spring was in the air.

Clearly, it was a fluke. They are calling for upwards of 15" of snow.

*sigh*

DH will be working from home. I will be housebound. The DD and Dd will be bouncing off the walls.

I am so over winter. Please, please let this be the end...

============================

Your Energy Level is High

You are a very enthusiastic, productive person. You have no trouble getting anything done. Beyond having a lot of energy, it's likely that your energy level tends to be quite steady. Unlike people with very high energy, you don't tend to be impulsive. By keeping your energy in check, you are able to use it as productively as possible.

What's Your Energy Level?

Hmmm... I don't know about that. I DO a lot every day, but I'm usually tired when I do it, lol...

==============================