Monday Morning Musing: Snow, Cabin Fever, and Snowpiercer

 

When we moved to the west side of Michigan, I expected snow. Our first winter (2012-14) we got over 350 inches. Yep, you read that right. It reached the top of our mailbox and you couldn't see around corners. You had to creep out and hope nobody was coming. I hope we don't see that much snow this winter, but the winds are blowing across Lake Michigan and bringing all the white stuff with it. We have a lovely neighbor who uses his snowblower on our driveway and shovels our sidewalk. What a guy! If we have to go anywhere, we can do so safely.

Cabin Fever is a common ailment in the Midwest in the winter. First, the lack of sunshine is a biggie. Something about all that water around us sends up enchanted clouds to block our sun. (That's the technical explanation. LOL) Then, there's lake effect snow. I heard about that the first time we moved to this side of the state. The wind blows cold, arctic air across the open water Lake Michigan creating snow. It's not a big band of snow, either. The farther you are from the lake, the less snow you get. It's common to see school closings scrolling across the bottom of the TV screen. Snow day, yay! Poor moms (and dads) who have to put up with kids who can't go outside and/or need sitters so parents can go to work. For us retirees, we enjoy staying home. But only for so long then, like kids, we get antsy. One good thing about west Michigan: we get so much snow, the county is prepared with heavy duty snow plows that keep our roads clear.

Speaking of snow. Have you seen the TNT presentation of "Snowpiercer"? The premise is that seven years ago, the world froze up, and the remnants of humanity are on a perpetual motion train traveling around the world. The very rich (those who could afford tickets) are in the front of the 1,001-car train. Class divisions all the way to the tail. Like any good post-apocalyptic story, politics, class warfare, and efforts to survive abound. I watched the first season, got sidetracked during the second, and today the third season starts. Guess I'd better catch up before watching the new season. With all the cold outside, I'm not so sure a frozen wasteland will be fun entertainment.

Keep warm and stay safe. 

 

 

 

Monday Morning Musing

Random thoughts on the week that was.

A nasty virus can make you not care that you missed posting on Monday for the first time in four years.

You can be too sick to read.

You can sleep through TV shows you wanted to watch. The DVR is your friend.

Drinking LOTS of fluids means LOTS of trips to the bathroom.

Sharing the nasty virus with your spouse means you’re both too sick to go anywhere except the doctor’s and the pharmacy.

Soup, crackers, and tea can get boring.

Cough syrup with codeine helps.

Getting better takes time. Don’t push it.

Super Bowl commercials aren’t as good as they used to be. None as good as little Darth Vader starting his dad’s car with the “Force.”

Best PSA: woman who calls 911 and orders a pizza; dispatcher smart enough to know she’s being abused and needs help.

Best Super Bowl moment: the look on Tom Brady’s face when he realized the Patriots won.

Worst Super Bowl moment: the fight that broke out at the end.

Winter Storm with the worst timing: Super Bowl parties cancelled.

Best Monday Morning: waking up to sunshine after a winter storm.

Wild Weather

 As I write this, we're about to be hit with the second big snow of the winter of 2014-15. Or maybe it's just a continuation of the one that came on Thursday since we've only had brief reprieves. We're expecting 8 - 10" of snow. I don't know about where you are, but this is too early for winter. Mother Nature cheated us out of Fall.

Not just snow but cold. Below zero wind chills expected. I hate wearing my winter coat even when necessary. It's bulky, uncomfortable. I'm grousing. Sorry. And I never did get a pair of boots. You'd think after 159" of snow last year I would have bought boots as soon as they were in the stores. Nope. Procrastinator me didn't. I thought I had more time.

I hope where you are you're safe. If you don't have to go anywhere, stay home. Drive cautiously if you have to be on the road.

The internet is a my best friend right now. I can visit my friend Jessica E. Subject in Canada without leaving home. I'm on her blog today with a new excerpt from THE CASE OF THE BYGONE BROTHER.  http://www.markofthestars.com/wp/the-case-of-the-bygone-brother-by-diane-burton/

How's the weather where you are?

Insecure Writer's Support Group

It's the first Wednesday of the month and that means it's time for the Insecure Writer's Support Group.  Started by the intrepid Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh, the purpose of this group is to share doubts, concerns, and to encourage. At the bottom of this post is a link to other authors' blogs.

Winter Doldrums

Photo by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

I used to like winter. I used to like snow. Crisp, cold days. Sun glistening on snow-covered trees. Pristine whiteness covering up the brown of dead grass and pruned perennials. That’s before I moved to West Michigan.

It’s only the beginning of February and I’ve had enough winter. We’ve had over one hundred inches of snow. And another storm is hitting today. Our mailbox down at the curb is almost covered. The snow banks are so high it’s difficult to see around corners for on-coming traffic. And more is coming today. Along with the Polar Vortex, an Artic current keeps swinging down our way.

Unlike Atlanta and other places in the South, our cities are prepared for this type of weather with heavy snow removal equipment. Our snow blower is getting a real workout on our driveway. More of a workout than I’ve been getting. Thus is my problem. Being cooped up indoors doesn’t bother me like it does others. I can stay inside very nicely—just give me my laptop, Kindle, and television. I can write, read, watch movies. All sedentary activities.

Going outdoors is painful. The cold hurts my joints. Slippery sidewalks and parking lots can mean a fall and possibly broken bones. I see why so many people head for Florida or Arizona. I’m giving serious consideration to spending next winter with my son in Phoenix. (Just joking, sweetie.) I know I can go to a gym or walk at the mall. Just doing it is the problem. It’s too comfortable to stay inside. Comfortable but not healthy.

I guess I need a boot in the rear to get away from my electronics and exercise.

What motivates you to move in the winter?

Many thanks to today's awesome hosts: Sheena-kay Graham, Julie Musil, Jamie Ayres, and Mike Swift.   Click here to find others on the Insecure Writers Support Group Blog Hop. Or go to IWSG on Facebook to see who’s blogging today.

Snow

I like snow. That pristine white, fluffy stuff that descends from the sky in January. Okay, here in West Michigan it started in October this year. I think Mother Nature wanted to welcome us to our new home. In the past four weeks, we’ve had a LOT of snow. On Sunday, a winter storm hit us hard. By tonight, we're supposed to get another foot or more of snow on top of all we've gotten already then the temps are supposed to plummet. (Maybe today isn't the best day to post this.)

Friends say this is what I get for moving close to Lake Michigan, the generator of lake-effect snow. No surprise there. Hubs and I knew what we were in for. In the 90s, we lived near Kalamazoo. We even bought our first snowblower over there. Of course, we waited until our son left for college to do so. Was he ever torqued! Well, when we had a teenage son, we didn’t need a snowblower.

That snowblower has gotten a lot of use in Kalamazoo as well as the two winters we lived in Chicagoland and the fourteen in mid-Michigan. But nothing compares to the number of times Hubs has used it this winter. And it’s only January.

Did I mention I like snow? My sister in Indy thinks I'm crazy. The snow is so pretty, covering up the ugly brown dead grass. But whiteouts are scary. One evening I followed a truck onto a highway that I didn’t know the State Police had closed. I kept that truck’s red taillights in sight so well that if it had gone into a ditch I would have gone in behind it. That was the only way to know where the road was. Fortunately, I knew the highway and at the first opportunity (twenty-some miles later), I got off and onto surface streets. Snow is beautiful if you don’t have to drive in it

My mom said when she was growing up the snow was black from the coal soot spewing from chimneys. And I thought it was bad when the snow turned into dirty slush.

When my daughter and her husband prepared to move from Indianapolis to West Michigan, she told the kiddies there would be lots of snow and all the things they could do in it. That year Mother Nature played a trick on them. No snow. The first week of December, they had to come over to our old house for the kids to build their first snowman. They built that snowman above on Saturday before the snow started falling. He would have company if not for the bitter cold weather coming.

As I write this, I watch the scroll at the bottom of the television screen announcing school closings. Too bad it’s so cold the kids have to stay inside…and drive their parents crazy. As for me, I don’t have to go out so maybe I’ll take down the Christmas tree. Or maybe I’ll read.

If you have to go out, please be careful.

If you don’t have to go out in the snow, what do you like to do?

This is a busy blogging week for me. I hope you'll stop by.

            Today: I'm on Paranormal Romantics “Space Colonists”

Wednesday: I'll be back here for the Insecure Writers Support Group blog hop

                        Also on The Roses of Prose blog “Looking Forward”

Thursday: meet fellow Michigander Alyssa Alexander with her debut book

Best of all, on Friday (drumroll please), I’m celebrating the worldwide release of One Red Shoe by The Wild Rose Press with a giveaway and a blog tour.