Loving My Neighbor

The weather report sounds like a verb-tense conjugation:

It was snowing.
It is snowing.
It will be snowing.
It will never stop snowing.

Well, that last one isn't quite true. It's supposed to stop overnight tonight, and not start again until Thursday. Woo-hoo.

I was waiting to go out and start shoveling today, expecting the condo plow guy to show up, but around 4 I decided to go get a start even though he hasn't come. There was plenty to work on, as you can see.

I lucked out, though, since as I got started, my neighbor with the snowblower came over and offered to try to clear the path between my car and the snowbank. Nice! I don't even know his name, though we've talked about the Bruins now and again over the years (he has a Bruins plate on his car, too), and I've nodded to his wife and the kids, too. He was able to make a decent path, with much less effort than it would have taken me, so I could get some more digging done before the aches became too loud to ignore. See?

He was smoking a cigar as he worked, the smell of which took me right back to my grandfather, and it's 30 years since he died. Amazing how scents tie into memories, isn't it? I offered to make him brownies, but he just laughed it off.

You can see that the road is barely plowed. It's a small side street, and clearly we aren't high enough up on the list for much attention. Frankly, we still hadn't seen enough plowing from the previous storms; there are spots that aren't two cars wide, which makes driving more challenging than I enjoy. The snow levels are ridiculous. Here's the building across the street, wearing its icicles proudly. Or resignedly.

Not quite as long as the window, but close. And this one on the wire looks like a sneeze, frozen in time.

 You can hardly see the fence anymore, except where it's been shoveled.

But the other way, the picket fence is barely more than a memory. See the tops of the posts? There's a fence between them, really.

But this is all too depressing. Let's talk knitting. I've made some progress on the blanket, and have nearly finished the second ball. Today I spread it out onto another needle and paid it on the bed, so I could really see its size.

And the answer is, it's big! Which is good, because that's what I wanted. A blanket for a couple should be big enough for two people.

The pattern is still just starting to show, but I like it.

So on we go. Hopefully. Which I sure need, these days.

Snow Update, Then Thinking of Other Things

Well, we haven't had too much snow so far. After flurries yesterday afternoon, then a pause, it started last night and went on into this morning before pausing again. This is 4 PM Sunday:

So not too bad; if this were all... Mind you, the condo's plow guy was here at 6 AM, I could have killed him. We can't have had much by then, and it was going to snow for another two days, and it's Sunday. Let me sleep!

It's supposed to start up again in a few hours, and stop sometime early Tuesday. I seem to be in the 18-24 inches forecast area, but I cling to the hope that they might be wrong. This article from yesterday's Globe hit the nail on the head for me. Enough already.

Meanwhile, my therapy plant is blooming. From Thursday morning:

To Saturday morning, just starting to send out scent:

To this afternoon, assertively fragrant:

And far prettier to look at than the view out the window.

In ice-but-not-snow news, the Bruins won last night. Tonight, they face Montreal. Ugh. Here's hoping.

I made corned beef hash for lunch, since I had half a bag of potatoes to use up (they were starting to sprout), and it was delicious. I'm trying to tell myself that 4:30 is too early for dinner.

In knitting news, I have to assess the current purse sock, the one I'm trying toe-up. It does seem to fit:

But the heel may be slightly off-center. The fact that I'm not sure is a little worrying. On the other hand, the wedding blanket mark 2 is going along well, no warning bells at all. Knock on wood! I'll have to get pictures of that soon. Meanwhile, I think I'll throw in a load of laundry and then get back to knitting it.

Winter Storm Warning

Right now, the general forecast is 12-18 inches, but in some areas, it could be 18-24.

Guess what area I'm in?

I ran out this afternoon and bought ice cream. I'm about to get back on the bike, I've ridden over two hours this week, but ... I just needed ice cream. We've had four or five feet of snow in the last two weeks. I can't stand the idea of two more feet by Tuesday.

I hope the Bruins win tonight. And tomorrow.

Feeling Random. Bullets It Is!

• Weather first. It snowed some more this morning, not much for accumulation but the drive in to work was a little messy. It cleared this afternoon, though, and there was some sunshine this afternoon and pink at sunset, which was nice to see.
• Apparently, that doesn't mean "warmth," though. It's going to be wicked cold tonight, in the language of the locals, and will feel in the negatives in the morning with the wind chill. Brrr.
• But wait! It gets better! If by "better" you mean "worse," that is. On Saturday, it starts snowing.
• And keeps snowing Sunday.
• And again Monday.
• Possibly into Tuesday morning.
• How much, you ask? Well, for most of Massachusetts, they're saying "a foot plus," but in the northeast corner of the state? Add "possible ocean enhancement" to that, somehow, even though we're miles from the ocean. Riddle me that. 
• Seriously, this is from Boston the other day. Where do we put another foot?
• 
• I know, they could be wrong about the amount. I just hope they're wrong in my preferred direction, and not in the "apocalypse snow" direction.
• But I'm still going for groceries tomorrow night.
• One good thing has come out of all this snow and office closures and all: laptops for editors. I don't have one yet, but they're supposed to be coming. What do you know? Reason! It's funny how the office being closed 4+ out of 6 days apparently made a compelling argument to the southern Californians.
• What we did get today was instructions for remote access, as an interim measure. Tried it tonight and it didn't work, but it's a baby step in the right direction.
• If we can get laptops tomorrow (they may or may not be already on their way) that would be great, since the first editing has started to trickle in, and we won't be in the office Monday, it seems sure, and probably not Tuesday as well.
• Which figures, since I was supposed to have my annual review this Tuesday (day before yesterday, I mean), and it was rescheduled to next Tuesday. I'm not expecting anything bad to come of it, but I'd like to get it over with!
• Right, off to make dinner, and my grocery list. Almost Friday!

Winter, Exercise, and a Few Randoms

Now they're saying* that tomorrow's snow may** not amount to much, which is a hopeful relief; even 3-4 inches is more than I want. Why, I started today with the alarm going off (boo), but no shoveling (YAY), and I'd love another day of that. Or more than one day. No shoveling for the win!
*Be a meteorologist! Change your mind constantly! Never worry about being wrong!
**They're totally guessing, of course.

Ahem. Sorry. A little snow-crazy around here, and I'm not the only one. The local mayor's blog is sounding a little testy about all the work they still have to do, they KNOW, there's a lot of snow, okay? And in Boston, my god, in addition to the already crazy conditions, that led yesterday to delays on all parts of the T, and heinous traffic that had a friend of mine taking about an hour and a half just to get out of the parking garage (can you even imagine? and she stayed late and took a spin class, hoping traffic would improve later), today they had the Patriots parade. Holy cow.

Meanwhile, I have something only quasi-snow-related to brag about. I mean, I have to brag that I'm exercising, since that and the socks are all I get out of it! No energy boost, no weight loss ... but, hey, kudos to me, even with all the shoveling, I haven't missed a day in the last 11 days! For that matter, I've been riding 4 to 7 days a week, 15-30 minutes a day, other than when I was away over Christmas, since I last saw the doctor. Other than Christmas week, I've spent 1.5 to 2.5 hours per week on the bike. Go, me!

(Click on the image to make it bigger.)
And I've hated it. But in a mostly tolerable way. I mean, clearly, since I am doing it. Sure, it would be nice to find a form of exercise I enjoyed. But until I move to Florida and find that place within walking distance of the beach (hi, Mom), this will have to do.

And if Boston gets the Olympics, by the way? There's my deadline to move: before 2024.

Other thoughts:

• I find driving on familiar streets that are narrower than they usually are to be intrinsically disturbing.
• Last month, I switched my cell phone from Verizon to AT&T, and my last Verizon bill was for seven dollars and change. Or at least I thought it was my last bill, until I got one from them last week. The amount? $-0, or negative zero dollars. Well, I thought, I'll pay that as soon as I figure out how. Today I got a paper bill from them, showing my last payment as received, and advising me not to pay the $0 I owe. Thank heavens they cleared that up.
• Quote for the day: 

There was indeed a "frightful lot" of books. The four walls of the library were plastered with them from floor to ceiling, save only where the door and the two windows insisted on living their own life, even though an illiterate one.

No, Let's Not. Misdirection.

Let's not talk about the snow.

Or my shoveling-sore back, arms, and hands.

Or my numb face from the dentist (an unpleasant, but happily not painful experience).

Here. Have a crappy picture of a hyacinth.

See him poking out?

That there is hope in a pot of dirt. And do I ever need some hope right now.

How are you?

Snow Is a Four-Letter Word, and Leads to Others

Of the last ten days, I have had to use my alarm clock twice*. I have left the house all of 4 of those ten days**. (Well, not counting shoveling, which is technically "leaving the house", but not what I mean by it.) I'm amusing myself tolerably well, feeding myself fine, getting more sleep, getting chores done and enjoying recreation, but. Still.
 *This is, in fact, not a complaint.
**Neither is this.

There's that white stuff. Lots and lots of it. The pile next to my car is about as tall as I am, and I haven't finished digging my car out from this round (and this round is in fact still coming down).

Then, I just looked across the street, and do you see?

There in the middle? The drift is over the fence.

Lords. We are making up for our not-very-snowy-winter all at once. It snowed on January 24, and January 26 through 27, and January 30, and now February 2. And guess what they're predicting for Thursday afternoon, and for Sunday? This is getting ridiculous.

Or, less tactfully,

Really.

Taxes, Snow, Greenhouse: Down, Down, Up

I started to work on my taxes today, but I hit a double-pronged snag in the state taxes. Massachusetts requires health care coverage, and you're supposed to get a form from your insurer that proves you were covered. I actually got something from my old insurance (through the last job), but it turns out that it's a certificate, not the form I need. And I didn't get anything from the new insurance. So the taxes go on hold until I can get those stupid 1099-HC forms. (I tried to call the old insurance today, on the off-chance they had people working Sundays, and went through all the damned voice-recognition layers to get to a person, only to get the "no, no one's here now" message suggesting that I call back during "normal business hours" without specifying what those hours are. Oh, United Healthcare Oxford, how you suck. I am so glad you are not my insurance any more, and this should be my last interaction with you.)

Oh, and also we're getting another foot of snow tomorrow.

So! Time to think of happier things!

First thing: finished knitting! It turns out that a few snow days adds to the available knitting time, isn't that funny? I finished the hat Friday night (meaning it took 8 days), and decided to wear it yesterday since it was so cold out. I made the hat slightly longer than the pattern said (it said 6.5 inches and then start the decreases, and I did 7), but I still found that it rode up a little as I was wearing it, exposing my earlobes anyway. I'm hoping that washing it will stretch it out a bit; if not, I'll make another one, longer (one of the friends I saw yesterday volunteered to take this one if I decide to replace it). I washed it last night, and came up with a drying station of kitchen objects:

The classic "bowl on top of tall glass" look. Which resulted in this, one side out:

And the other:

It didn't actually make the hat mushroom-shaped, though (fortunately).

It seems to me that it is a little longer, but I'll have to wear it outside and see how it rides. It is nice and warm, being layered, so I'm happy with that. And soft! The blue and green yarns are alpaca/silk that I got at Rhinebeck in 2010; the beige is Trendsetter Merino, found cheap at Tuesday Morning in 2012, for stability (wool has more structure than alpaca or silk). The pattern I used is Doubleknitski, and I cast on 144 stitches, since when I tried this a few years ago, the 162 stitches called for was much too big for my not-small head (maybe they're anticipating more hair than I have). This one is snug but not tight, a good fit. Gives me major hat-head, but the warmth is worth it.

Now, you may ask, why was I going out if it was so cold? Well, I'd had plans with friends for some time, at least in the sense that we had the day marked on our calendars, but last week we were still deciding what to do (inside, not out). Being that it's so cold and snowy and everything, I suggested that they might enjoy joining my annual pilgrimage to the greenhouse, and they were on board for that.

We actually went first (or three of us did) to have lunch in Wellesley Center, at a place called Cafe Mangal, and it was delicious. I had a chicken, tomato, mozzarella, pesto sandwich, so fresh and good, and it came with a small, very lightly dressed salad that was just the thing when looking out at snowbanks. Highly recommend. After lunch, we drove on to the greenhouse, meeting the other friend there, and wandered through the warmth and color, smiling.

Even the greens were appealing.

Especially when you could look out and see this.

Yes, it was a very nice time. Afterward, we had a little tea break at the Dorset Cafe in Wellesley Hills, which was charming despite the annoyances of their website, just saying. Delicious hot chocolate! And then it was time to move on to our separate plans (mine involved stocking up on cat food, and a quick visit to Target for other snowbound supplies), and I was home in plenty of time to watch the Bruins win their game (in a collapsed posture on the couch, I was surprisingly tired for such a not-that-strenuous day).

Good memories, and today there's sun to look out at, but I'm finding the prospect of more snow disheartening. I already got the call that the office is closed tomorrow, and given the forecast for Tuesday morning (when it's not supposed to be snowing, but the wind chills will be in the negative teens), I'm not sure how Tuesday will go. But sufficient unto the day is the weather misery thereof. Right?