Hibernating 2022

Encased in my cozy velour robe and furry house shoes, I've resembled a bear the past couple days with our recent cold snap. With temps bottoming out in the mid 20s and windchills in the teens, I've stayed huddled indoors. Even the dogs, who love to cavort outside and typically have to be lured back in with the promise of treats (or threats) came hustling back to the door on their own as soon as they took care of business. Then they scampered onto the bed, all three of them, where they sit and wait for me to hit them with a couple minutes of blow drying time to warm them up. Spoiled is their middle name. And it's obvious who the trained one is in this family.

Yesterday I made a big pot of chili and some oatmeal scotchies. When I was at our local HEB the day before the cold front hit, you'd have thought we were about to suffer through weeks of polar weather. The parking lot was teeming with cars and many folks had shopping carts filled to the brim. There appeared to be a run on toilet paper again, which baffled me. Do people use the bathroom more when it's cold outside?

Once the sun came out near lunch time and the thermometer crept up to around 40 today, I started hearing ice falling off the trees onto the slate of the back patio. I know my sister and teacher friends enjoyed a couple days off from classes. These dark days of winter were always soooo long back when I was in the classroom. Luckily, I got to spend my usual volunteer time on Tuesday with my kindergarten and first grade girls. I enjoyed reading a couple valentine books to them, and then we journaled to work on their summarization skills. Near the end of our time together, we just had fun starting work on some valentine cards for their moms. 

My poor fountain is looking decidedly worse for wear today. The wind that ushered in the cold temps blew leaves into it. And part of the water has iced over. So I'll undoubtedly be busy over the weekend getting it presentable once again. Oh the joys of home ownership and its ongoing maintenance!