She Said It: Week One

  

“Sitting here with one's knitting, one just sees the facts." 

-Agatha Christie, The Thirteen Problems

Kym had the wonderful idea to celebrate Women's History Month with the legacy of women's words each Friday during March. Thank you, Agatha Christie (and Miss Marple) for all of your words and thank you, Kym, for your excellent idea!

 

Clearly, SCRABBLE® needs a better dictionary!

Hey, look what I found!

Last weekend when our temperatures had temporarily warmed up a bit, I decided to dig out the flowerbed where most of my snowdrops are, in hopes of exposing them to some warmth and sunshine. Of course I didn't see anything gloriously blooming under the snow, but look what I found this morning! They may be some of the most pitiful snowdrops I've ever seen, since they got frozen and crispy in our below zero temperatures last night, but they are still snowdrops!

I'm going to enjoy them while I can because they are doomed to be buried again under 8-12" of snow and ice this weekend.

The crocuses are still buried under 18" of snow by the brown fence that you can sort of see through the frost on the window. Hopefully I'll see them before Memorial Day!

 

Ice Ice Baby

I Am...

This week's Ten on Tuesday has an interesting twist; instead of a single topic, it's a writing prompt to complete ten sentences that all start with "I am". I am afraid my list may focus intensely on weather, but that's because I am intensely focused on the weather.

1. I am sore and achy from three hours of shoveling yesterday after our latest ten inch snowfall. I haven't yet decided whether I want 4.5 Snickers or 15.6 glasses of wine.

2. I am taking plenty of ibuprofen so I guess that makes Snickers a better choice than wine.

3. I am also using plenty of Traumeel and BenGay. Luckily, I quite like the smell of wintergreen.

4. I am dreading our next storm, starting in a mere eight hours or so. Yesterday's was lots of heavy, wet snow, which is still hanging on trees and power lines. Tonight's event features snow, ice, sleet, and freezing rain, which means we will most likely lose power.

5. I am preparing for the loss of power, since the last time we had a storm like this we were without power for ten days.

6. I am charging my phone and Kindle, getting food and water together, placing flashlights (with working batteries!) throughout the house, and getting my storm knitting prepared.

7. I am really wishing my husband wasn't traveling since that means I need to do the snowblowing and shoveling all by myself.

8. I am determined to get the driveway and sidewalk cleaned off the best I can in preparation for the next next storm on Sunday; predictions so far are for 12+ inches of snow.

9. I am also really wishing that I had something more fun to focus on than the extreme weather that never seems to end.

10. I am inhaling the intoxicating scent of my hyacinths to try and think about something (anything!) besides the weather!

Ten on Tuesday - 10 Things I Like About Winter

I'll be honest; I wasn't going to participate in this week's Ten on Tuesday topic because I wasn't sure I could come up with ten things I like about winter. After reading several blog entries that did participate, I realized they made things sound so cozy and lovely that I needed to quit whining and look for the good stuff. It's out there, even if it's buried under two feet of snow and frozen at -8 degrees!

1. The weather
I really, really dislike heat and humidity, so I'm definitely a winter person. I could do without the Polar Vortex Redux we're experiencing, but our high of 11 degrees today is still better than 95 degrees and 80% humidity.

2. The snow
We've had quite a bit of it, and while I don't look forward to shoveling, I usually enjoy it once I get started. I get some useful exercise, get to enjoy the lovely blue skies after the storms, and be grateful that I'm physically able to shovel. I also greatly enjoy Younger Son's shoveling help when he's home.

3. The snowflakes
I have a real fascination with snowflakes, due in part to Snowflake Bentley. He did some amazing snowflake photography in 1885, and Kenneth G. Libbrecht at Caltech is doing some amazing photomicrography now. You can see his stunning photos at SnowCrystals.com, along with a plethora of scientific snowflake information.

4. The food
I love making soup and baking, and winter is the perfect time to do both. My current favorite is Wild Rice and Chicken Soup, but I'm always looking for new and recommended recipes, so I'd love your suggestions!

5. The clothing
I love coziness so sweaters, scarves, cowls, and fingerless mitts are real favorites. I'm currently staying warm with my new favorite alpaca sweater that Older Son gifted me with this Christmas. I love it with my alpaca scarf!

6. The knitting
Winter is the perfect time of year to knit. I don't like the cloying, sweat-inducing feeling of knitting wool in the summer, but it provides some much-needed extra warmth in the winter, plus I'm making things to keep my family warm. This warms my heart!

7. The watching
I've just entered the 21st century and gotten Netflix. Winter is the perfect time to catch up and binge watch some favorites - Downton Abbey, Sherlock, and House of Cards. I can't wait for Kevin Spacey's evil, devious plotting and planning to return on Feb. 14. I might even welcome a Valentine's Day snowstorm so I don't feel guilty staying inside and watching the whole second season.

8. Winter walks
I don't take my daily walk when it's cold, icy, and snowy, but I do try and get out when the weather allows. Sometimes this happens at night when it's peaceful, quiet, magical, and snowflakes reflect!

9. Hot Tea
I work at home and keep the house quite cool, so in addition to bundling up in alpaca, I need plenty of hot tea. Loose leaf PG Tips, Constant Comment, peppermint, chai - I love them all.

10. Flowers
Winter isn't usually a time for flowers, but since February feels long, cold, and dark, I look forward to something blooming to help me get through it. Hopefully my amaryllis will cooperate and burst into bloom in February, along with my forced hyacinths bearing the lovely scent of Spring.

Ten on Tuesday - 10 Things That Make You Feel Like A Grown-Up

This week's Ten on Tuesday topic is something I don't often consider now that I am a grown-up, but I used to think about it all the time when I was a teenager. I couldn't wait to become one because I thought grown-ups got to do whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted! While it's not exactly what my teenage self imagined, these things do make me feel like I've entered "grown-uphood"...

1. Driving. I've been driving for many, many years, but I never take it for granted. I think about driving responsibly, carefully, and safely every time I get in the car.

2. Owning a house. I'm lucky enough to have a lovely, old, warm house, but it requires lots of maintenance. We grown-ups have to perform the repairs or find someone who can.

3. Paying bills. Not something I enjoy, but it is much easier now that I can pay almost all of them online. Even though I'm an adult, I complain when I have to write a check!

4. Doing taxes. This is the grown-up job I dislike the most; I resent every single moment I have to spend doing this odious task. My kids are approaching "grown-uphood" themselves, so this year I'm going to be showing them how to do their own taxes.

5. Being responsible for others. Since I work from home and for fewer hours than my husband, I do most of the household tasks in our division of labor. Keeping the household running - grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc. - always makes me feel grown up.

6. Assuming the role of "matriarch". This makes me sound like The Dowager Countess (which sadly, I am not) but extended family gatherings have moved from our parents' homes to our house. When my mother died after a long illness, I definitely felt like a grown-up.

7. Making myself stop knitting and/or reading and go to bed at a reasonable time. There are quite a few times I'd like nothing better than to stay up late, knitting and reading, but I've learned that adults have to get up in the morning.

8. Cleaning bathrooms. This is probably my second least favorite job after doing taxes, but grown-ups like clean bathrooms, so clean their bathrooms they must.

9. Making big financial decisions. Retirement is still a good 5-10 years away for us, but we have been saving for it for many years, while paying a mortgage and college tuitions. Sometimes I have to try not to laugh when we meet with our financial guy; it feels like I'm "playing grown-up"!

10. Deciding whether I should hyphenate grown-up. I took my cue from Calvin and Hobbes.