Sunday, January 31, 2010

Ah, winter...

 
I never really believe it is going to do it.  There are too many false alarms here in the North Carolina Piedmont (from the French for at the foot of the mountain although we are about 3 hours away from there).  Friday, though, the weather guys really sounded serious.  I even ran out to the grocery store during my free period to get a few things- just in case.  The un-ex (who just happens to be our school's athletic director) canceled some basketball games and moved the start time for others up by a few hours.  And lo and behold, just as the final buzzer sounded signaling the end of the varsity boys' game, the snow began.  
I think we need one good snow every winter.  It's beautiful.  The photo above was taken from one of my upstairs windows.  It reminds me of the mountains.  Everyone slows down the pace because you can't (or you really shouldn't) get the car out to go run all those errands.  The younger son went out to play in it with his buddies who luckily live within walking distance.  The boys got snowed in at one house and, wouldn't you know, the girls did the same at a nearby house.  Quelle coincidence, n'est-ce pas?  The older son had planned to come home with his girlfriend to watch Friday night's game, but he got snowed in at school, an hour's drive away.  He did call to report that the nearby Pizza Hut was making deliveries so all was well.  He wouldn't starve.  I've read one novel, Murder on the Eiffel Tower by Claude Izner (the pen name for two Parisian sisters who are secondhand book sellers and history buffs).  It is set in 1889 during the World Exposition when Eiffel's tower was opened to the world.  I started another, Long Ago In France, by M.F.K. Fisher, about her years in Dijon in the 1920's.  I started working on my February article for the newspaper (chocolate- tough research, huh?).  I watched, along with President Obama and Vice President Biden, Duke lose to Georgetown.  They had better seats, sitting courtside.  We watched a heartwarming Hallmark movie on TV starring Keri Russell.  Sometimes it is just good to know there will be a happy ending and no one will get shot.


Mildred the Mixer and I have also been busy.  We've made scones and banana bread.  I am now out of butter and vanilla so I guess I'll stop baking.  The house smells heavenly, though.   


Here's my view as I washed the measuring cups and mixing bowls.  My glass bird collection was given to me by a student a few years back.  Aren't they beautiful?
 

Can you find the snow dog in this one?  I was looking out the upstairs window this morning (trying to see if the Sunday paper had arrived so that the un-ex could go fetch it when he woke up) and saw this little fellow wandering around.  The snow is quite frozen so he was just running around on top of the three inches or so that fell Friday and Saturday.
Time to make pancakes and hot chocolate for the eaters. 

Bon appétit, petit chien!  Stay warm!

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