Everything I Like Causes Cancer

We had an ice storm last night and today is the first day that the exact stretch of a highway I use to get to work is closed.  It's Monday for sure.

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It's cold.  It's windy.  It's supposed to snow or some such crap.

I was just awakened by the roar of wind and rain so got up to check it out.  It would seem that noisy bastard Hurricane Ike finally made it to town.  The weather robots say the wind is blowing 20-30 mph but it sure seems faster than that when your windows are rattling.

About 20 minutes ago, around 4:40 am, my bed started shaking. For real. It was the scariest, most odd sensation. I instantly knew it was an earthquake even though I've never been in one. I was terrified that this was the quake everyone drones on about because we're in the path of the New Madrid fault line. I'm serious, I thought this was the end.

As soon as my bed stopped shaking like I had put 50 cents in it, I ran downstairs and turned on the TV. A quick news break told me there was a 5.4 preliminary magnitude quake 127 miles away in southern IL. My cats are still skulking around like they expect the earth to open up and swallow them whole.

And also, what is up with the rash of shootings we've had this week? I've got to stop watching the news and go back to bed before I decide it's too dangerous to leave the house.

Oh, snap. There is a blizzard happening outside my windows and it just thundered, twice!

Today the temps got up to 75. Tomorrow we're supposed to get 3-6 inches of snow.

Today I ran around town with the top down on my car. Tomorrow I'll wish I drove a truck.

Today I bought short sleeve tops and sundresses. Tomorrow I'll be wearing a turtleneck.

Today was awesome. Tomorrow's gonna suck ass.

These are the ice pellets that fell from the sky all day yesterday. I woke up not feeling well for the second day in a row so opted to bag it and stay home. Boy, as I watched that stuff fall and listened to it tap-tapping on my windows all day, I was ever-so-glad I made that decision.

I'm not going in today, either. All 500 schools in our area are closed. I can see from my windows that my street and alley have not been treated, which is typical. Rumor has it that the highways are ok, but I have to traverse a good ten miles of side streets to get to the highway and it's the side streets that are treacherous. I'm not even sure I could get in my garage and if I did, I drive a tiny little sports car. I'm just not doing it, the man on weather.com said it was a bad idea.

If you just have to be out there, or are in an area hit worse, please be safe. There really isn't anything out there that you HAVE to do. Stay home; be safe and warm.

According to this latest weather report, slightly higher temps are going to keep it from freezing overnight again. Whew. I was really afraid that I would fall on ass again tomorrow only this time I would crack my head open and bleed to death on my back steps.

You can call me a ray of sunshine if you want.

I don't literally have poop in my drawers. But considering I started this illustrious Monday by slipping and falling down not one but TWO sets of icy steps, I still have a bit of a black cloud hanging over my head.





I'll get over it, I just need to be a baby for a minute or 12. I had no idea it was icy. I walked outside this morning and the air temperature felt over freezing and nothing LOOKED icy. But it was. And it's supposed to get worse before it gets better.

Whine, whine, whine. Whatever. I'll be back when I'm in a better mood.

Okay so, a snowflake in the eye (see below)? It's cute.

Want to know what isn't cute? Driving home in a damn ice storm during rush hour traffic. I couldn't even see the lines on the highway and it took me an hour to get home.

Who invited Alberta and her stupid damn clipper to St. Louis anyway? Mayor Slay and I need to have a discussion about invitations to the city. I'm free on Friday around 2, Francis.

Although the wikipedia entry I linked to above says this freak weather crap can also be called a Canadian Clipper, so I'm forced to be mad at the Palinode and Schmutzie, too. Sorry you two, but I hate it when the Great White North comes south.

Lil BRR and I just went outside for a smoke and I got the first snowflake of the year right in my eye! It's so pretty, but not sticking. Yet.

Only 143 days to Cabo. No worky. No cold.

This is what it looks like all around my house . . .

I'm just glad I got my shopping done and I am all bundled up in a clean house with a good book and a pot of my great-grandma's vegetable soup simmering on the stove.

After weeks of unbearably hot and oppressing weather it was finally nice enough yesterday to turn off the air conditioning and open the windows. I just came downstairs to make coffee and it's so wonderously cool in the house that I had to grab a fleece. Life is good.

I was outside Sunday doing yard work. I was out there doing stuff that I wouldn't actually be doing yet if we'd had a milder summer. Stuff like pulling the dried husks of my formerly gorgeous potted plants, sweeping acorns and leaves dropped by the neighboring oak tree, and making plans for next year.

And then all of sudden I realized how ready I am for fall. I got a little misty imagining myself pulling out my favorite boots and jeans because the air is cool and crisp. I remembered going apple picking with my mom last year and how much fun we had on the hay wagon. I pictured a living room filled with my friends lounging in front of a football game. I could even smell a big pot of chili simmering in the kitchen. But the best? The thing that made me want to hop in the old De Lorean and jump ahead about thirty days?

Merb's Bionic Apples.

It's been intermittently storming it's ass off here. Apparently it got pretty violent; I passed this on the way home from work:

I love a big, booming, earth-shaking summer thunderstorm . . . as long as I'm safe at home with nothing to do but watch and listen.