February First Blizzard

Nothing like a snow day to encourage creativity! All my plans were cancelled due to snow and wind. Snow alone wouldn't stop things, but the high winds and associated Blizzard Warning! and Dangerous Travel! are ignored at peril.

I'm not fond of peril for myself. For fictional characters, the more the better! But not so much in real life.

I've taken a few pictures, and I'll add more as the day progresses. Here's my patio at around 11 am this morning:

And here it is around 1:30 pm: 

We Has Snow

Here's the parking lot at work this evening when I came out: 

There's at least three inches of snow on the back bumper of my car. It accumulated in roughly four hours. 

Our total is now over five feet (over 1.5 meters) for this winter. It's been a long time since we've had lots of below zero temperatures and lots of snow. When I was a kid, seemed like every winter was like this -  a few inches of snow every couple days. It's nice, really. The dirty snow keeps getting covered with fresh stuff.

Today's snow is very fluffy and sparkles in the light. 

Driving home, it was as if everything had been sprinkled with fairy dust. 

In other news, John from my library writing group and I are having a friendly competition collecting rejection slips. It started at the December meeting; he had one - his Very First! I had one, also (the first for my Orchid story, but not my first one ever.) And so the competition began. 

At the January meeting he had another one. I didn't. :-(  John ahead, 2 to 1. 

The February meeting is this coming week. Orchid got two more, for a total of three. I have refrained from emailing him. Will be patient. Will wait for meeting. 

Also, have to get that story out to the next market! That's why this competition is not only fun, but productive. To keep up we have to keep submitting. 

I love all my writing buddies.  Just saying.

Winter in the Midwest

It's cold here and will be getting colder. Yes, I know it's worse in Wisconsin, Minnesota and the Dakotas, but this is where I am.

Currently it's 14℉ (-10℃), the wind's blowing at 21 mph. Wind chill is about -4℉ (-20℃). We have more than a foot of snow on the ground, judging from the snow 'hats' on the bushes.

That's the view from my open garage door, looking toward the main entrance to our building. The snow wasn't plowed today, but you can see the mound on the left there from previous plowings.  

My Monday Morning Observations

I had an appointment this morning to have blood drawn.  I waited almost twenty minutes after checking in.  It was good people watching time.

An older lady admired my purse.  She said she just couldn't find something that small.  I told her where I bought mine.  We had a brief discussion about the crazy large purses that are the current style, how you end up putting too much in them and then they're so heavy the strap hurts your shoulder.

The receptionist announced they would be testing the fire alarm shortly.  I hoped the nurse wasn't poking me with a needle when the damn thing went off.  It was my lucky day.  A man came from somewhere in the building, walkie-talkie at his mouth.  He told us again that the alarm would be tested, then pulled the lever and walked back to wherever he'd been.  The alarm started out at a reasonable level, not like the one at work that has me squealing and out of my chair in seconds, hands over ears.  This one slowly got louder.  It reached a point where I had to put my fingers in my ears or go outside.  Then it stopped.

A man came in, tall, strong-looking, wearing tan worker overalls, in his late forties (I overheard his year of birth).  He wanted a note from the doctor so he could stay home from work for two or three days because he was stiff from shoveling snow.  He said he'd called in earlier this morning.  The receptionist found no appointment for him.  He said he didn't need to see the doctor, he just wanted the note.  She informed him he had to see the doctor.  He seemed surprised by that.  She was able to squeeze him in with a just a thirty minute wait.  He reluctantly agreed.  He went to the far side of the waiting room.  I watched him.  Our last shovelable snow fell a week ago.  He didn't move like he was stiff or in pain at all.  Perhaps I'm overly skeptical, but I suspect the forecast of six to twelve inches of snow tomorrow has something to do with his wanting that note.

The nurse came and called my name.  Everything went fine.  I left the office wondering if the doctor gave the man his note.  I went to Egg Harbor for a nice breakfast after my fast.  I had a Tuscan omelette (artichoke, zucchini, spinach and tomato with oregano and melted mozzarella cheese on top).

I'm home, with the laundry going and a pot of coffee brewing.  Next is read a book.

Snow

Thursday the Chicago area received our first serious snow this winter thanks to Winter Storm Nemo.  About 8 inches (20 cm) fell where I work.  Saturday morning I passed this in front of an electronics manufacturer: 

The snowman is built around the trunk of the tree and is about 5 feet (1.5 meters) tall.

Insulated wiring is the hair.  The eyes, nose, mouth and buttons look like some kind of parts for what they make.  The belt is strapping tape.  The shiny red heart is a wonderful touch.  Unfortunately, it's raining today.  Bye bye, snowman. 

The same storm dumped more than 2 feet of snow on New England Friday and Saturday.  Here is my friend Laurie's  view of the storm from Massachusetts.