Toss on a hat will ya!

Its really cold this morning.

There are schools in the NORTHERN part of the region that opted to close.  Good for them.

So as I was doing the daily "What's going on in the world" on Facebook, the local news feed posted about school closing and some parents were complaining that Buffalo was the ONLY one not closed.
These parents need to go back to school for some Geography lessons.  Only 1 county decided to close since they didn't use up all their snow days in November and we did.    All the other school districts have school.  Yes, it's cold out there.  Yes, it sucks.  But for the love of Pete, dress your kids appropriately !!
PUT ON A HAT WILL YA!  How about some boots and gloves.  We do not need a snow day for temps like this.  If were closer to 0 then maybe.  Negative numbers.. hell yeah.  And they only give us closings or delays for the cold only (no snow, just cold) because the Buses can't run.  Diesel fuel has a harder time going in the bitter bitter cold.  Delays will allow the outside temp to come up just enough for the buses to go.     But we don't need a day off for this.

Being where we are located I giggle when my friends in VA get an inch or 2 of snow. I giggle because it is only 2 inches and that is nothing here.  Everything shuts down, schools close... But I also giggle because I have been down in VA when that hits and it  is utter chaos.  They are not equipped to handle snow.  They don't get it more than maybe 1 or 2 times in a season...  while we may be under it from November to March. A little Salt/Sand... a few plows if any and there is no Defensive Winter Driving skill.

Stay warm folks.  Bundle up and keep your feet dry.

Mother Nature is a fickle bitch

Well.. she is.  I love Mother Nature.  I get 4 wonderful seasons.  But this 80 degree temps in March and 30 degree/snow combo when its almost May has got to stop.  Get your Daily Planner in order woman.  I wear flip flops on day and the next I'm bundled up in my winter coat and boots.  Does that seem normal to you?

It is currently 34 degrees and it was snowing as we waited for the bus.  There is a FREEZE warning issued (because of the crops, no other reason.  If you are home gardener and already planted your garden you are nuts.  This is Buffalo remember..  ).  The temps should be rising this week and settle in around 50-60 or so.. that is NORMAL SPRING WEATHER.

I'm going to go hide under my blanket until this gets straightened out.

it is April 19th and....

What is up with that? I'm loving it don't get me wrong but its a little warm for me. I prefer the 70's. The nice thing is that its a bit cooler where I live (advantage of living near the lake).

So with the warm weather, Erin and I helped out at school today to clean the grounds in honor of the new projects at school with Americorps and Earth Day. Raking was in order for the day. We stayed for about 2 hours (8:30 to 10:30 am) and headed home to go to Mc D for lunch (imagine a scarcasic woohoo). After lunch, we, well, I tackled the garden in the back of the house. For some strange reason I want to plant veggies this year. We eat a ton of carrots and I really like Zucchini. I make Sweet Pickles every year so lets supplement from our own garden! Not to mention, Erin really wants to grow a pumpkin. I said why not.

Therefore in honor of Earth Day and the need to be a little more green ('cause its not easy being green), a veggie garden will be ATTEMPTED this year. A small compost pile will be right next to it and plastic bags are evil. There. I said it. No more plastic bags. The old light bulbs are out and the new Energy efficient ones are in. Environmentally safe cleaners now live under my sink and I need more Vinegar to make some home made cleaners. I also need a bigger recycling bin.
Thank you honey for putting up with me on the quest to make the Earth a little better for the kid.

Listening

Its about 6 am and I've been up since 5. The wind is howling at a constant 35 mph and gusts up to 60. The temperature started off at 53 degrees and now its 22. The Wind chill is 4 degrees at times. Its called an Arctic Cold Front.

I can hear the garbage cans hitting the houses. There is a plastic container rattling on the fence. With each gust, the house shakes enough to nerve me. I am listening for the tree. A distinct creak that I grew accustomed to in the October storm. I am listening for the silence - power outages have been reported but for some reason, S. Buffalo is usually spared. Especically my street. Almost 20,000 homes without power so far.

The wind stopped for the moment and it was creepy.

I can't go back to sleep.

Erin hasn't woken up yet - she sleeps like Tim.