What's Your Winter Exercise Program?

Winter!  We had our first real snowfall of the season overnight, and that means it's snow shoveling season again.  We got about 5 to 5-1/2 inches which had to be shoveled off the driveway this morning before Jeffrey could leave for work.  Thankfully it was pretty light and fluffy, so it wasn't too hard.  We got the main part of the driveway finished, and then I shoveled the side after he left.  Overall, it took about an hour, and then I went back out when it actually stopped snowing and cleaned the driveway off again - along with the end of the driveway where the plow had thrown some extra snow.

Did you see that?  We actually had a truck with a plow go through our neighborhood.  Today.  Last year we had snow on the weekend - either Saturday or Sunday - and our streets were not plowed until Friday.   So today is pretty amazing, at least for here.  In Wisconsin, it was normal for our streets to be plowed right away.  Here, well maybe they're figuring out what they're supposed to do with this white stuff.  I've never lived in Indiana before, so I just assumed they got snow in the winter...

I'm counting all that snow shoveling as my winter exercise program - along with my walking, of course, and the exercise videos I do.  If you're looking for some good exercise videos, be sure to check out BeFit on YouTube.  They have some really good ones, and they're all free.  I do mostly some of the BeFit in 90 videos and the 30 Day Abs videos.  Between the Chest, Legs, & Buns workout I did yesterday and the shoveling today, I'm a bit sore!  But it's a good sore.

I am going to have to find a better way to log my shoveling, though.  I have been logging my miles and exercise on the Walgreens Balance Rewards site where I get points for all my miles and other exercise, and I was logging them on BeeWell for Life where all my miles and other exercises earned points and then they donated to charity. (They're currently revamping the BeeWell site, so I'm not sure how it's going to work when it gets back)

It wasn't until this summer when I started logging all my steps for mowing - 11,000 steps/2 hours, every week - that I realized they were getting off easy - and I wasn't getting all the points I was probably entitled to - when I just logged snow shoveling as Winter Sports. (it's a winter sport, right?)  So I'm going to start counting the hours.  I could also carry my cell phone in my pocket a time or two just to see how many steps it takes to go back and forth and up and down and over the whole driveway to clear it off.  But, whether I know how long it takes or how many steps I'm walking while pushing a shovel, I do know it's good exercise.  More so when we get heavy wet snow, but we'll deal with that if and when it comes.

What's your winter exercise program look like? 

Why You Should Never Get Rid of Anything

It never seems to fail - as soon as I get rid of something, I need it!  Never mind that I hadn't used it, worn it, or needed it in ages.  Not until I didn't have it any more.

The only way to avoid this problem is to never get rid of anything.  (I hear there are TV shows about people like that.)

This time I'm regretting that I donated a pair of hiking boots before we moved. We tossed, gave away, and donated a lot of stuff, and I hadn't worn them in ages, so off they went to Goodwill. And we moved.  And I never thought about them again until last week.  Wouldn't those hiking boots make good winter walking shoes?  Where did they get put?

So I looked through all my shoes, hoping that maybe I'd just thought about getting rid of them.  Maybe I still had them...  No such luck.

The problem is I got a new pair of walking shoes.  They're light, and airy - probably really nice in the summer when you want to keep your feet cool.  But not exactly perfect for cold and snow and ice.  I know, I should have thought of that when I bought them, but I didn't - and they were the only pair that really felt good on my feet, so...

So, I found an old, retired pair of walking shoes, and I've been wearing them on those days when the streets are covered in snow and ice.  I hadn't been walking in a couple days because of the cold and wind chill, but it was actually above zero this morning so I bundled up, put those old shoes on, grabbed my walking stick, and went for my walk.

Everything was warm, except for my toes.  Why were my feet so cold?  When I got home and took my shoes off, this is what I found:

The side of the shoe was split open - letting all the cold and snow into my shoe.  Of course my toes were cold!

And it wasn't just one shoe - it was both of them!  Maybe that's why these walking shoes were retired in the first place?  I should have gotten rid of these and kept the hiking boots!

I bet my new walking shoes will be warmer than these.

Winter Sport or Weight Lifting?

Once again I've started my winter exercise program - snow shoveling!

Actually, I walk like usual all winter, unless the roads are too snowy or icy, or if the wind chill goes below -20°, like today.  I just add some snow shoveling to the program, as needed.  Yesterday it was needed 4 times!  I suppose we could have waited until it finished snowing to shovel, but it was some pretty wet and heavy snow, so we shoveled every few hours, just so we could keep up with it.  It was heavy enough when we only had 2 or 3 inches to clear.  Imagine if we'd had to try and move the entire 12 inches or so all at once!  As they said on the news, doing that could be 'bad for your body' - not to mention hard!

As it is, we got plenty of exercise yesterday, and I can definitely feel that I did something.  The muscles are a bit sore!  Shoveling definitely works different muscles than walking or the exercise videos that I do.

The driveway is on the other side of the snow-covered bushes.
*snow enhancement courtesy of Google

It was really nice getting outside yesterday, even it was to work.  The snow coming down was absolutely gorgeous!  It was a bit frustrating to finish shoveling the driveway just to have it completely snow covered again, because the perfectionist in me wants to get it done.  Perfectly.  Yeah, no such thing.  That's also why I always want to get the driveway done before anybody drives on it - so there won't be any snow-packed tire tracks to deal with.  Thankfully yesterday was Sunday, and we didn't have anywhere to go.  So no tire tracks.  Until the last time we went out to shovel.

Back Yard from the kitchen window

Somebody had decided to pull into our driveway, probably to turn around, or get out of the way of another car.  Since there didn't seem to be any snow plows out, the street was pretty much one lane of tire tracks forged by whatever vehicles had to come or go.  While we were out shoveling one time, two cars met on the street and had to back up and maneuver around one another to get by.  One of the drivers seemed to think it was the other guys fault for not paying attention and driving down the middle of the street.  Never mind that there was really nowhere else to be!  I guess the next guy found our driveway.  Oh well, pretty much the whole driveway is a packed layer of snow now, since the temperature dropped overnight, and the wet snow froze to the driveway.  Frustrating at the time, though - couldn't he have just pulled into the driveway of someone who had already driven in or out and packed their own tire tracks into their driveway?  They never would have noticed.  Or probably cared.

It was probably our own fault, anyway.  The time before, we had shoveled out to the part of the street where cars had been driving - so that we could actually get out if we had to.  It was like an invitation, really.  Or at least we made it easy for them.

More falling snow courtesy of Google,
but it pretty much looked like this ALL DAY

My biggest question in all this is - not whether snow shoveling should be classified as a winter sport or weight lifting - but where are the snow plows?  In Wisconsin the plow would have gone by several times over the course of the day, and we would have had to shovel that mess of heavy, wet, slushy stuff off the end of the driveway every time.  I guess I don't miss that heavy, slushy mess, but passable streets might be nice.  Then again, I'm not going anywhere...  And Jeffrey only has five minutes to work.  Or maybe 10 when the roads are in this condition.

How's your winter exercise program going?

Snow Shoveling is My Winter Sport

Snowing (Photo credit: bcmom)

We shoveled the driveway 3 times today.  Sometimes it's hard not to just wait until it finally stops snowing to actually go out and shovel.  It just seems like it's a losing battle - shoveling while the snow seems to pile up as fast as we remove it.  Ok, it's not quite that bad, but seeing that layer of snow on the parts of the driveway we already shoveled is a bit discouraging.

What would be even more discouraging would be waiting until the snow finally stops coming down - and having to face a driveway covered in 6-7 inches of snow.  It was definitely much better to tackle it a few inches at a time!

Still, on a snowy day like this I am very tempted to stay inside and curl up with a good book, use the internet to read breast cancer information and facts and how to write an effective cover letter, or watch a good movie or two - glancing out the window frequently just to watch the snow come down, because it is really pretty.

Instead I made chicken soup, pita, and yogurt, washed towels, washed dishes, and I don't know what all, including all that snow shoveling - and barely got to sit down at all.  I'm counting all that snow shoveling as a winter sport and logging it at BeeWellforLife, and they'll donate to a good cause for everything I log.  It used to go to an organization that supported women living with breast cancer and their families, but now the donations go to the American Diabetes Association and an organization that helps women who are living with or are at risk of heart disease.  I just like that I can donate to something good just for doing something that I'm doing already - usually walking, but in this case shoveling snow.

Also, remember those breast cancer facts I wanted to read?  Turns out that regular exercise is one of the factors that can reduce your chance of getting breast cancer.

Friday Fives

Elizabeth over at Table for Five has started a new weekly meme that's pretty simple.  Just share a list - of anything!  I keep meaning to join in, but just haven't done it until today.  I think I've only missed a couple weeks - it's a new meme - but I'm thinking maybe I should post a list of all the reasons I haven't joined yet.  Or not.

Actually, I was just reminded of a post from a couple years ago called Thoughts on Shoveling Snow, and after reading the list, I realized all those thoughts are still true - so why not share?

Thoughts on Shoveling Snow:

Image by bcmom via Flickr

1. I really don't mind shoveling snow - unless it's really wet, heavy, and deep, like at the bottom of the driveway where the plow goes through, and in front of the mailbox.
2. Sometimes I'd like to wait until it actually stops snowing so I can shovel the snow all off at once, but I don't like to drive through it or have anyone else drive through it.  Tire tracks in the snow just make it harder to clean off the driveway.
3. Even if the snow isn't super deep and heavy, shoveling the entire driveway is still good exercise, especially when I have to do it multiple times a day.
4. I really wish the neighbors didn't have snow blowers - not because they get their driveways cleaned in less time with less effort, but because the gas fumes really bother me and sometimes give me a headache.  So much for crisp, fresh air.
5. It doesn't seem to matter which gloves I wear, my fingers always seem to get cold.  I did recently get some fingerless gloves with a mitten part that pulls over the end - what do you call those?  Glittens?  I'm hoping that will help.  If not I may have to find me some mittens and see if that helps, keeping my fingers together so they can keep each other warm.
   

I also wondered why I seem to want to spell shoveling with two l's - it seems like it should have them!  And I should update that those glittens do a better job of keeping my fingers warm, except when the mitten part comes off and exposes my fingers!  They need velcro to keep them closed.  Or I need to get a pair that fits me better - these came from the men's department.

If you'd like to join in with your own list and grab the button, be sure to visit Table for Five!  You can also enter your post here and then go visit other participants.

Related articles

• A Walk in the Snow (alwaysbcmom.com)
• Done for Now (alwaysbcmom.com)

Done for Now

The snow stopped, and the sun started to come out, so I thought I better get the driveway shoveled.  The snow was kinda heavy, and it took me a while to get it done, but the driveway is all cleaned off - for now.
 

The wind was still blowing, it was starting to snow again when I came in, and then the snowplow went by - so I'll at least have to go clean off the bottom of the driveway again, if not the whole thing. 

A Walk in the Snow

Image by bcmom via Flickr

Snow again today.  Yes, it's finally looking like winter in Wisconsin.  They said it was supposed to start with sleet or freezing drizzle early this morning and then change to snow, but it was already snowing by the time we got up this morning.

We are going to have to change our morning schedule!  Since Jeffrey stopped walking with me, I haven't been getting up until he gets up to get ready for work.  While he's getting dressed, I make his lunch, and then Weasley and I see him off, and I go for my walk after he's gone.  That works just fine - unless it snows and the driveway needs shoveled - because there's no time to get it shoveled before he leaves for work.  He did quickly clean off his side this morning while I finished up his lunch, but it just got covered again practically as soon as he cleared it off.  So I'm waiting until later, when it stops snowing, before I go out and shovel.  I don't have to go anywhere today...

I did go for my walk after Jeffrey left for work.  Two miles in the falling snow!  It was really nice.  The new snow is a lot better to walk in than the slush and slippery patches left from an old snow.  I keep thinking I should get some Alpinestars Tech 10 Boots or some kind winter walking shoes, but so far I've just made do with my regular walking shoes.  I'm not sure the mesh in the tops of my current ones is the best idea for winter, though. 

By the time I got back, I was having a hard time seeing because of all the snow on my glasses, and my hat, coat, and gloves were covered in snow - but it was all worth it.  And definitely better than sleet or freezing drizzle.  Those would have kept me inside.

Related articles

• January? (alwaysbcmom.com)
• And We Have Snow... (alwaysbcmom.com)

And We Have Snow...

I'm sure I'm not the only one, but when the weatherman on the news says that we're going to get snow - I'll believe it when I see it!  Well, I believe it.  The snow started shortly before 9 this morning.  Of course, the jury is still out on how much snow we will get.  I think they're saying 4-6" and lots of blowing, but so far we've just got a dusting.  It's coming down quite steadily, but the flakes are really small so they don't pile up too fast.

I'm hoping it doesn't get too bad, at least not 'til a bit later.  I prefer to stay home when it snows and don't get out unless I have to, but today I have to because I have an appointment with the dentist this afternoon.  Well, I could have rescheduled, but I'd have to wait another two weeks and who knows what the weather will be like then.  So, I'm going.

It's not that I can't drive in the snow - I just prefer not to.  And it's surprising how many people have forgotten how to drive in the snow since last winter.  The first real snow of the season always seems to catch them by surprise, which doesn't make much sense.  After all, we live in Wisconsin!  Now, a snowstorm in Texas where they're not used to snow could cause a real Houston migraine, and that would be entirely understandable - but we're used to snow here, or at least we should be.

Related articles

• January? (alwaysbcmom.com)

I Think I’m Being Mocked

I just wrote that post yesterday, about Spring being on the way.  At the end of the day yesterday, there was absolutely no snow on the deck.  None.

A storm moved in overnight.  We were supposed to get rain (most likely) so Jeffrey and I didn’t get up to go walking this morning.  But when we did get up and he was getting ready for work, I looked out the window and realized that instead of rain, we were getting snow – and we should have gotten up and shoveled the driveway.  I figured it would be fine; we couldn’t have gotten that much, and I could just shovel later when it stopped.  Then the plow went through right before he had to leave, throwing all that extra snow at the end of the driveway – so we had to at least shovel the end of the driveway and probably Jeffrey’s side so he could leave.   That’s when I realized the snow might not be that deep, but it was wet and heavy and still coming down hard – so I better shovel the whole driveway while I was at it.  Otherwise I was afraid it would get too deep and heavy for me to move it.

It continued snowing heavily for some time even after I came in.  Nope, today it doesn’t look like Spring at all.  Tomorrow, who knows?

I'm Not Gonna Learn How to Fly

It snowed again last night, so instead of walking, Jeffrey and I shoveled the driveway.  It wasn't really deep or heavy, so it didn't take us too long - but we didn't have time to walk, and it was quite slippery (slickery) underneath the snow anyway.  So, when Jeffrey left for work, I thought I'd try this Fame Dance Workout DVD that I got from the library.

I went downstairs, pushed the coffee table out of the way, and started the DVD.  There are 4 different dances on the DVD, and I'm sure they'd be great workouts, but I started with the instructions for the first one, and I got lost right away. 




Mostly it's the fact that they are facing me, telling me to do this with my left foot and that with my right hand, and I'm completely and totally turned around and putting the wrong hand in the wrong direction and kicking the wrong foot, and....  (suggestion for you workout DVD makers - mirror images)

So I gave up, turned everything off, and came upstairs.  No need for post workout supplements, I just had coffee!

Got Cory Back to Campus

Cory and I got out of here before noon to take him back to college.  Cory drove on the way over.  The roads weren't too bad - snow covered but manageable, and he's a really good driver.  I can't remember how much experience he got driving in snow last winter, but he did a fine job.  Me, I'd rather not drive in the snow, but you do what you gotta do.

Thankfully, Cory texted one of his friends before we left, and got her up and out of bed.  She and her roommate met us when we got to the parking lot and helped carry his stuff up all those stairs.  So it only took two trips instead of the 4 or 5 it would have taken if it had only been the two of us.  That was nice.  Very helpful.

When I headed home, Cory told me to call or text him when I got home so he'd know I was safe.  Isn't he sweet?  I usually ask the kids to call me when they get where they're going, if the weather's bad or if they're going somewhere new.  And now, he's turning it around on me.

I texted him when I got home.  Safely.  It was fairly uneventful until I got behind a really slow truck.   I'd been driving about 50mph most of the time, and that seemed fine.  This truck was going anywhere between 30mph to maybe 40mph once in a while.  Seriously?  There was no reason to be going so slow.  So, after I got behind the truck, it was still uneventful - just frustrating, and I really didn't feel like trying to pass.

But I finally got home and went ahead and shoveled the driveway before coming in, because the snow had really piled up while I was gone.  I didn't necessarily want to get rid of the boy, but I'm glad we went when we did because the snow just kept coming all day, so it was good to get it over with.  Besides, he needed time to put all that stuff away.

Do I Want to Go Out Today?

No, I don't.  It's one of those snowy days when I'd rather stay home and watch the snow from inside my warm, cozy house.  And usually I do just that, because there's nowhere that I have to be.  But, today I must go out.

Cory needs to go back to school.    Classes start tomorrow, and winter break is over.    He's been gathering all his stuff and loading it into the van, and soon we'll have to head out.  It's actually supposed to snow all day, so I suppose it doesn't matter when we actually get out of here.  I don't think it's going to make much of a difference.  The roads will be the same, and when we get there, we'll still have to carry all that stuff up four flights of stairs to his dorm room.  So, I suppose I could just keep him a little longer...

Cold Fingers and Cold Toes

Now that winter is here, I am remembering how cold my fingers always get.  It doesn't seem to matter which gloves I wear or how heavy they seem to be, my fingers still end up freezing.  The other day while we were walking, I pulled my fingers up into the hand part of the glove so they could be together, and that really seemed to help - until I slid my fingers back down where they belonged only to find that the fingers of the gloves had gotten really cold while they were empty.  I'm wondering if maybe I ought to get me some of these Hand Warmers.  Maybe that would help.

While I'm at it, I could probably use some of these warmers for toes, too, because when my fingers are cold, so are my toes.  I keep thinking I need thicker socks or something.  So far I haven't done anything about it, though.  Since I'm only out for around 30 minutes when I'm walking or when I'm shoveling snow, I usually just deal with it.  These hand and toe warmers are for serious outdoor cold-weather enthusiasts, like people who wear L.L.Bean Clothing and go skiing or tubing or snowmobiling or ice skating on a frozen pond.

I did buy a pair of 'glittens' - probably not what they're really called?  They're fingerless gloves with a mitten part that can either be worn over the ends of your fingers, enabling the fingers to share heat, or they can be stuck to the back of the glove if it's not so cold.  They work pretty well for walking but not so much for shoveling the driveway, because the mitten part always seems to open up and leave my fingers exposed, and then they get colder than they were before.  I guess it's all about finding the right glove/mitten/sock/warmer for the job.

Snow Shoveling for Excercise and Safety

I've started my winter exercise program.  Besides walking most mornings, I get to shovel the driveway!  Sometimes, like yesterday, we don't walk at all and just stay home and shovel the driveway.  This morning there was a little bit of snow on the driveway, but we ignored it and went for our walk anyway.  And I went out later to clean it off.

There really wasn't that much, and it almost seemed like a waste of time - except for the exercise part - but I did it anyway.  Now there's just a thin layer of snow, what I couldn't scrape off, and when the temperature warms up and/or the sun comes out today, it should all melt, and we should have a clean dry driveway by the end of the day.  If we don't clean off the driveway as much as possible, some of the snow may melt, but not all of it.  Then, come evening when the temps drop again, you get ice, which is not a good thing at all.  I am all for getting and keeping that driveway, and sidewalk, as non slip as possible.

There are people in our neighborhood who just don't get around to shoveling, and their driveways turn into real messes after several snows, partial thaws, and re-freezes.  Once they get a nice, thick layer of ice on the driveway, there's not much they can do but wait for the weather to warm up, walk really carefully, and hope no one gets hurt.

Related articles

• Shoveling Snow The Proper Way (socyberty.com)
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Happy to be Inside

I think winter is finally here.  It got up to about 23° today.  Definitely time to put the adirondack chairs and deck furniture away!  Actually we took the table and chairs off the deck on Friday and put them in the shed for the winter - because we didn't want to have to clean the snow off them the next day.  At the same time I pulled all the snow shovels out of the shed and put them in the garage where they'd be handy for shoveling the driveway.  And Jeffrey got to shovel the driveway on Saturday!

Ordinarily I would have helped him, but I was baking some biscuits for breakfast when he decided to go out, so I just let him.  We wouldn't want the biscuits to burn, would we?  One of these days, I think it would be fun to have one of these butcher block islands to roll my biscuits out on, but I'd need a different kind of kitchen, a big cozy one that has room for a table - and maybe a fireplace or wood stove and a couple of stainless utility sinks, maybe a stainless refrigerator and stove and a big ol' pot rack over the stove.  I'm thinking my design style is a combination of cozy and industrial.

For now, I'm happy with what I have.  Have I told you how nice our house is looking now?  Yeah, I'm really happy with it - inside and out.  It's almost like we have a brand new house.  I just need to do some more organizing and tossing of stuff to get rid of the clutter - and to keep motivated to keep up with it.

First Grade Drawing

From my email today.  I just had to share.

First Grade Drawing - PRICELESS!

A first grade girl handed in the drawing below for her homework assignment.
 

The teacher graded it and the child brought it home.

She returned to school the next day with the following note:

Dear Ms. Davis,

I want to be perfectly clear on my child's homework illustration. It is NOT of me on a dance pole on a stage in a strip joint surrounded by male customers with money. I work at Home Depot and had commented to my daughter how much money we made in the recent snowstorm. This drawing is of me selling a shovel.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Harrington

Too funny!  And, since it's the first of December, and we got our first taste of snow today, though not enough to shovel, fairly timely too.

That Was Not a 12

It was supposed to be really cold this morning. They were calling for -20° windchills.

We've got a thermometer out on the deck with a remote unit in our bathroom so I can check the temperature in the mornings before I get ready to go out and walk. This morning I glanced at it and thought it was a lot warmer than they thought it was going to be. I thought it said 12° - cold, but not quite so cold as I'd expected.

So I got dressed and went out to clean off the driveway one more time. The driveway wasn't so bad, but that wind was COLD! It was about then that I realized I had forgotten to put anything under my wind pants. When the temperature is in the 20's or 30's I don't need or want anything under them, but when it really gets cold I need the extra layer - a thin pair of stretch pants or a thicker pair of sweats depending on how cold. So, since I wasn't walking and I was just out on the driveway, I came in, took my boots off, and added a layer. I was much warmer after that. (Note that this is where I could use those Long Janes I mentioned in my last post.)

Anyway, the driveway wasn't too bad, and I got it cleaned off in time to take Cory to Jazz Band. It wasn't until I got back home and went back into the bathroom later in the morning that I realized I had read the thermometer entirely wrong. That number was not a 12 - it was a - 1.2. Actually, I don't remember the exact numbers. I just know that I read it wrong. The light was low, I glanced at it quickly, and I forgot that the digital thermometer always records the temperature down to the tenth of a degree - so if it had been 12°, it would have read 12.0, or probably 12.1 or 12.3. I never even realized there was a missing digit - and a whole lot of missing degrees.

It really was that cold this morning, with that negative windchill. It never even got up to the temperature I thought I read this morning.

Snow Day Workout

Image by bcmom via Flickr

The annual December 1st snowstorm was a few days late this year. At least it seems like we're always supposed to have snow on December 1st, because we did for at least 3 years in a row (that I can verify by checking old posts - 2008 - 2007, which mentions 2006). This year we got the first real winter storm of the season today. Actually it came in last night and snowed all night long. Because the snow was forecast and already falling, school for today was already canceled by about 9:30 last night. So Cory slept in.

Jeffrey and I got up at (about) regular time and went out to shovel the driveway, so he could leave for work. The snow was deep, wet, and heavy - worst of all was the end of the driveway where it was twice as deep and packed because that's where the plow went through. There are times when people in the neighborhood just drive through the snow without shoveling their driveways, but that wasn't an option for anyone this morning. I'm not sure exactly how much snow we got overnight because I didn't take anything out to measure it, but it had me wondering why there isn't some kind of ruler on a snow shovel. Just stick it in the snow and you can see how many inches you got. That would be really handy. Instead I just stuck the handle of the shovel next to the snow and noted where it hit. I just have to remember to get a measuring tape out and measure that later.

Anyway, It took the two of us quite a while to get the driveway cleaned off. All the while wet snow continued to come down, so that the driveway was already white by the time we finished, and we were both soaked. And that was just the beginning - later after Cory got up, we went out and shoveled again. It was about half as deep as it was before, and it wasn't quite as wet and heavy, so it went quicker. Cory got to clean out in front of the mailbox, which was still that deep, heavy wet stuff pushed there by the plow. It was only fair since he slept through the first shoveling of the day, right?

Then I went out again this evening and shoveled again - by myself this time because it wasn't really that deep - except for the end of the driveway where the plow had gone through again. I know the snow plow has to do its thing, but I hate shoveling that off the driveway. It's deep and heavy, and the sides of the driveway where I need to throw the snow are piled higher than everywhere else so that it's almost impossible to throw the snow up and off the driveway.

I'm thinking I seriously got a workout or two today - and it's still snowing so I'll probably have to clean the driveway off again in the morning. And tomorrow morning it's going to be a lot colder than it was this morning.

Sky Watch Friday (#49)

It's (almost) Friday again, and that means
Sky Watch Friday!

I took these from my back door Wednesday morning. The sky was just a solid gray, with lots and lots of snow coming out of it.

more snow pics here

If you enjoy looking at the sky as much as I do, you'll want to check out Sky Watch Friday. You can enjoy skies from around the world!

Pretty to Look At

Monday night we had a trip meeting for the upcoming band trip to New York. There weren't many people there, but we went over schedules and costs and finances. The Band Boosters decided to go ahead and write a check to the band account to cover the trip points for all the kids who are going. That way they can be applied to the next payment and we won't have to worry about it any more. I also had to write a check to cover the movie ticket fundraiser. What that meant was I needed to make a deposit, all the money collected from the movie tickets and some for spiritwear, and also needed to move the money from the trip account into the checking account. Otherwise, if those two checks got cashed, our account would be overdrawn. Not good.

So, yesterday I got the deposit together, all the time wishing it would quit snowing or at least that I could transfer money online like in my real banking life. Since neither of those things was going to happen, I went ahead and cleared the driveway off and drove to the bank. I normally don't have any pressing reason to go anywhere and avoid driving on snowy roads if at all possible. It's not that I can't do it, it's that I'd rather not.

Once I got going, I realized that it really isn't that far, and it really wasn't that bad. Maybe it looks worse than it really is, or maybe I just worry about it more than I need to. Am I going to want to do it again any time soon? Probably not, but I am glad I did it yesterday, because today it snowed even harder.

I said I like snow? I'd rather be inside looking out at it than driving in it.