Happy (almost) New Year!

As it turns out my work did close early today, so now I am home after a quick stop at the grocery store. I am expecting Don home before too long. It still looks like we will be spending a quiet night at home, and I am just fine with that. I would like to spend time with our friends A and G but I don't like the idea of having to drive home from their place and Don and I both prefer to sleep at home. So, home it is. Tomorrow we are going over to see our "old friends" to help them take down their tree and have supper with them (homemade spicy minestrone soup! YUM!). They are both doing ok, the chemo is kicking in and J is losing her hair now. I know she is sad, but I also know that losing your hair is a much smaller price to pay than your life. Work has been ok this week, not a whole lot to report, as it has been a little bit slow. I hope that things pick up a little bit in the new year. I am very much looking forward to the new year. Big goings on, and happy times ahead! I know that it is up to each one of us to make the best of our new years and every year is always filled with hope and the promise of better things. It is important to remember to keep my head up, to follow my heart and to find my own fulfillment. Best wishes to all in 2009!

Structure and Routine

Today was a pretty good day. I have been feeling still pretty down for a while now and I know that, as much as I hate to admit it, structure and routine are good for me. Work was ok, we are getting a little bit more busy since the holidays are almost over and that makes the day go faster. Also the slippers I ordered for Don finally arrived and he likes them a lot. It rained a ton today but the sun even came out for a little while. I know we have a lot more rain to get through before spring arrives. I am thinking through and planning out an art project for our room, it will have some wirework and some collage techniques. I am still gathering some of the things I want to use, but I am excited for the idea. I just have to see it through. I had a good conversation with my highschool friend who live in Kentucky yesterday. We had not talked for a while, we were both busy and I was feeling sort of blah, but it was good to talk with her again. I really do wish we lived closer, I know it would make it easier. We are going to work on getting a more regular phone call schedule. Don and I don't really have any big plans for New Years. I think we will just end up staying home. His office closes early,mine doesn't, and we neither one are really keen on driving anywhere. So it looks like it will be a fairly quiet night...we might even stay up until midnight!

Return to Regular

The warming trend has kept up and now the snow is almost all gone. It has been raining off and on and is pretty windy. The weather reports all seem to have returned to a normal oregon winter with lots and lots of rain. So now instead of winter storm warnings we are all on flood alerts. We had a nice day yesterday, sort of a quiet most of the day. We did a few errands in the earlier part of the day, I read and Don watched some bowl games, and then had our friends A and G over for supper. We ended up staying up pretty late and talking for a while. Today I think is going to be pretty low key too. I got up sort of early today, I don't know why, but I feel like I could use some more sleep. I think it is a good thing that we don't really have anything planned for today. Back to work and regular schedules tomorrow.

Milestone

Today was the first day I have driven my car in one week. Work was ok, sort of slow, but that is expected just after the holiday. We had a nice holiday, we spent time with our "old friends" on Wednesday evening, had "present day" at out house just the two of us Thursday (Don got me, among other things, a wonderful birdbath!), and then headed over to our friends A and G's house for the afternoon. We did have a good time. Some how though this whole holiday has just not felt very happy. Don and I both have been a little bummy and the weather is only adding to the trouble. We were planning to go down south to visit our families tomorrow, but now we are not going. Don is concerned about all the melting snow up here and the roads in our neighborhood are still terrible. The main roads seem ok, but overnight last night it did freeze and there was lots of ice. I know we will get to see our families soon and it is most likely safer for us to not try to travel this weekend. It is a little bummy still. Not sure what the rest of the weekend will bring. Hopefully more warming and an attitude shift.

"sNOw" More Snow

It did indeed snow overnight last night, but fairly quickly this morning it has started to warm up and rain! Yipee! I know that it will be a while before we are totally thawed out simply because we have so much snow...but warmer is better than more snow. So since I was not working today I spent a big chunk of the morning shoveling snow. I had shoveled about half of the driveway off earlier in the week and today I just decided that I am going to drive myself to work on Friday. In order to do that, I needed to get my car un-buried. It took a little over 2 hours of solid shoveling, but I did it! The whole driveway is clear and my car is mostly snow free, I couldn't reach to get all the snow off the top, it was just too tall. I was totally soaked by the time I was done since it was raining and the snow is a little melty. It was good to get inside and take a shower to warm up after. I still can not believe how much snow there is. I was getting a little worried, I had ordered some gifts online for Don and they had not arrived yet. I know that it was due to the weather but it still was sucky. I had them shipped to my work so he wouldn't see them but they still had not arrived as of yesterday. We didn't get postal or any other delivery at work yesterday. My bosses are at the clinic for while today to get the deliveries for the clinic that are expected today (like the pet food order) and they just called to let me know that one of the packages got there! The other one may come later with a different carrier, and they are nice enough to drop them by the house on their way home. I said thank you about a million times. This weather sort of threw us all for a loop. Don just called and he is headed home now, the rest of his appointments cancelled. He is going to make a quick stop to pick up some holiday bread for our "old friends" who we are going to go over and see this afternoon. Then tomorrow we are going to our friends A and G's house for lots of cooking and food and fun. If the warming trend keeps up we will be headed down south this weekend to visit with our families. I sure hope it keeps up...I am running out of snow titles!

Snow-o-Rama

This morning I was going to get picked up by my boss for work...things didn't quite work out as planned. My coworker called to say that she would not be able to come in and that she was unable to reach our boss. Our other coworker is still not able to come in after her car accident last week. Sure enough, no power still at my boss's house and no phone either. Their cell phones were dead too (no power to recharge)....so I couldn't reach them either about getting a ride. I hustled to get ready and had Don drive me over and leave me there, so at least the patients could be cared for. My boss did end up getting to town, although they were running a bit behind. By this afternoon the phones were not ringing anymore and no one else was coming in so my boss called it a day and closed up shop. They drove me home since Don was still at work. Now I am home again and getting all ready for more snow. Don will be home soon. The next storm is supposed to start dumping more snow on us again before too long. I hope the weather gets a little warmer soon. It will be nice when we can just run out to the grocery store again and not have to get so creative for meals.

Snow Drift Blues

Despite the fact that the news kept saying no more snow today, it snowed most of the day. All my shoveling got snowed over and this evening when it finally stopped snowing, I went out and shoveled it again and then some. It took me about an hour to clear not quite half of the driveway. Just enough so Don can get back up the driveway and into the garage. My arms and back are pretty tired, the snow is very heavy. Don is still at work, I guess he had a 5 o'clock scheduled and they may have shown up since he is not home yet, or he could just be digging out. When we talked earlier he said the snow was up to his truck doors. The news tonight is calling for a dry night tonight but still freezing temperatures tomorrow ( no chance of a thaw, the weather man said) and then...snow again tomorrow evening to Wednesday. Maybe another 2-4 inches. I have no idea what will happen tomorrow. I am not even sure if my office will be open or not. I guess I will just have to wait and see. Snow like this was much more fun when I was a kid and didn't have to worry about grown-up stuff...

Snow Update

So a bit ago, my bosses stopped by, just to check in and let me know they were not trapped anymore. They were headed down to check in on the patients at the clinic. Everyone had cancelled so our office ended up being closed today anyway. We are going to try again tomorrow. I went out earlier and shoveled the driveway a little bit so Don can get back in when he gets home. The snow is really wet and heavy and it was a little tough getting through the ice layers too. My bird feeders are all empty, but the snow is so deep that I can not get out there to refill them, so I filled a tray feeder and set it on the top of the snowbank on the back porch. It is already almost covered up, I need to go out,or rather lean out the door, and reposition it. The little kestrel/hawk was back again today and I tried to get a picture while it was sitting on one of the shepperd's crooks but it flew away. I got one of it in the trees, but it is not very good. I thought I had some Hanukkah candles in the cupboard, but it turns out I didn't so I wasn't able to light my candles last night. It is not looking too good for getting them today either. Maybe Don can stop at the store on the way home and pick some up for me, since he is out already. The snow has really started to come down faster again now and it doesn't seem like it will be stopping any time soon. I think we have picked up another inch or so in the past hour. This has been one heck of a storm and while the snow is pretty to look at, it sure has made things difficult.

Over the 1 Foot Mark

Despite our best efforts, I am still home. This morning we woke up to...wait for it...MORE SNOW! Currently we have 14 inches. The plan was for me to get a ride in with my boss, only there is a tree down blocking the road (and cutting off their power and phone lines) and they can not get down to town. Plan B: My other coworker is walking to the clinic to do patient care and make sure all the animals are ok and then is walking back home. Don did make it in to work, and is now just hanging out with, not surprisingly, no patients. I have the feeling he will be home early today. I hope he can make it ok. Oh, yeah... And it is still snowing.

What a mess

Today, instead of the predicted warm up with freezing rain and then a warming trend, we got more snow. Quite a bit more snow. And some freezing rain thrown in for good measure. Today Don really started feeling the cabin fever and I will admit there was a moment of tension, but things are better now. I put out extra food for the birds and they have been enjoying that a lot. This afternoon we even had a little hawk or kestrel try to make a snack out of one of the little birds right in front of the sliding glass door. It was pretty neat and the little bird got away. The little hawk/kestrel sat in our trees for a while too and we were able to watch it for a while before it flew away. We have done some house keeping and laundry and I even made cinnamon rolls today. We just ate supper and now are hanging out watching football. As for the weather, they are predicting more of the same (cold, snow and freezing rain) and have said that it is not looking good for a warm up tomorrow either. As for work, it sounds like both of our places of employment plan on trying to be open tomorrow. We will have to see what tomorrow morning brings and whether or not we can make it in. I am sure I will not be driving, as the snow is currently higher than my car sits, so it would be like burrowing through the snow or plowing with no plow. I know I can get a ride with my boss, since they drive near by our house, but I do not feel 100% about trusting my boss's driving either. I feel divided about it, while it is good to work and earn wages, it is not really super safe for anyone to be driving and traveling about. We will see.

Whiteout!

It is still!!!! snowing! It has been snowing nonstop all.day.long! It is pretty blowy now and it is very very cold. They are talking about freezing rain tomorrow still and the possibility of power loss on the news, so we are getting prepared. We brought in our camp lantern (its battery powered) and have our flashlight out too. Hopefully we won't have any problems, but better ready than fumbling around in the dark. We are stocked up on things like protein bars and snack-y foods, so that is good too. For now we are all bundled up for the night, waiting to see what tomorrow brings. What a storm!

Winter Snowland

Wow. We have a lot of snow. It snowed a bunch more overnight, is still cold today, and has been snowing all day so far! I think we have about 6 or 8 inches right now, and it is still snowing. We went out earlier to run a few errands, hit a big sale, and pick up a few groceries (just in case) before things get worse. Then we came home and took some pictures of all the snow and the birds frolicking and eating on the back deck. The cats love it! Then we bundled up to go out and make a snowman. The snow is really wet and packs well, but our snowman was a little lacking. It turned into a snowball fight anyway (Don was using the snowman for ammo...no fair!) and we finally had to come in since we were covered in snow (I kept falling) and freezing cold (it so rarely snows likes this here, we have no good snow gear). Now we are pretty much just hanging out and relaxing, ready to see just how much snow we will get!

More Snow and a Missing Puppy

Today was another day with more snow. It did warm up a little but not enough to melt all the snow. My office ended up closing early, which was ok with me. We were very short staffed, just me, since one worker couldn't get in and the other got in a car accident last night. So I ended up home a little early, which was good since the roads started to freeze up again shortly after I got home . They are calling for a lot more snow tomorrow and I am sort of hoping this all passes soon. I am tired of having cold feet. Tonight, just now, we were sitting on the couch, I was reading and Don was looking at VW's, and the door bell rang. It was my turn to get it, last time it was a delivery guy, and it was one of our neighbors letting us know that another neighbor had a little dog that had gotten out and they saw some tracks going into our back yard. They figured they had better let us know what was going on since they were sort of lurking around in the back yard looking for the dog. So out we went to join the search, and sure enough tracks went into our backyard, under the deck and right along the fence line, down the hill towards the wetlands. We looked all around in the yard and under the deck. One of the neighbors went down the fence line to look in the wetlands. He could see tracks going back towards the other neighbors house, where the dog lives, only they were on the wetlands side of the fences and there is no way to get back over save our yard(which is not fenced), or going all the way around the development, next to the highway and then back in. I have come back in because it is too cold out and the one neighbor is creepy and had brought a broom (?!?) to assist in finding (?I guess?) the dog. Don is still out helping them look and I told him if he sees it to be careful since it is most likely pretty scared and might bite. I really do hope they find it...it is too cold for a little chihuahua to be out and I fear it will not last long if they can't find it.

Rice in a Slow Cooker

Today the weather got a little warmer, some of the snow melted and the roads were pretty slushy. This evening it has started to snow again and they are forecasting freezing temperatures overnight and more snow tomorrow. I was able to get out and run the packages to the post office with only a little slipping. I made a crock-pot supper tonight and it turned out...weird. Somehow I still cannot manage rice properly in the slow cooker. The last time I did rice it got burned and was yucky and crunchy. This time it turned out like mushy oatmeal, only made with rice. Supper ricemeal with chicken and veggies. It had decent flavor, I used a spice blend from Penzeys but it just was not what I was hoping for. Plus the edges did get a little burned and I had to soak and scrub my stoneware for a long time before it was clean. Oh well. Don told me it wasn't so bad. I told him he didn't have to be nice if it was yucky and he still said it was fine. He didn't know what I was worried about. It was ok, I added a little cheese and that helped it out a bit...still...supper ricemeal!?!? I don't know.

Take the *&@$% Packages!

Argh. OK, so my partner gets home to a hot supper ready to eat and then says he needs to go to a store for a superbig sale after diner but I cannot come. Fine, no biggie. Then he gets a package he needs to mail all ready to ship. I have one that needs to go out too. Our post office has an automated postal center that can be used at any time, even when the office is not open. He will be going very close to the post office to get to the store. He will not take the packages. He just "doesn't want to". Blargh! Can't I just take them tomorrow? he wants to know. Sure. Except I was not planning on going out because it is supposed to be crappy icy roads and it is my day off and if I don't have to go out I won't. I know it seems silly to be frustrated, but it just blows my mind that he will not just do it while he is out and in the vicinity and now I have to make a trip tomorrow. Save gas, save money, save time, save hassle. Argh. Whatever. Rant finished.

Snow + Rain= ICE!!

So we have been socked by a bit winter storm. Today we sort of had a little warm up with snow through the day turning to rain this evening. It was very slushy and slippy on the roads. It would be good if they were not predicting below freezing temperatures for tonight and early tomorrow am. I am glad I do not work tomorrow because it sounds like the roads will be a skating rink in the morning. Yuck.

Snow Day...But Not for Me

Wow, it really turned wintry here literally overnight. This morning we woke up to several inches of snow everywhere! It was a little icy under it all from yesterday so it was a super slow drive in to work today. Today was a slow day with lots of cancellations due to weather. I was feeling a little bit like I didn't want to go in but it was a pretty good day in the end. It was fun to see the boarding dogs play in the snow this morning and also to know that I was taking good care of them. I also had a chance to do some team bonding with our new receptionist. I really like her a lot and it was nice to have a slower pace so we could learn more about each other. We also got off work right on time, which doesn't always happen, so we are happy when it does. It was also a super slow drive home tonight. Someone took the turn into our neighborhood a little too quickly and took out a light pole!! It was just laying there on the sidewalk! It is supposed to stay very cold the rest of this week and I am a little nervous about tomorrow, since people were out driving around today and creating some slush, I am sure it will be super icy tomorrow! Slow and steady and aware of the crazies is the way to go.

Snow!

This morning it started to snow. Then it all melted. Now it is snowing again...a lot! Big flakes falling all over the place. It is even starting to stick a little bit. The weather report says it is going to keep snowing and continue to get colder through out the day. Then it is supposed to stay cold all week, with highs only in the 20s!!! We got all our running around done yesterday, just in case, and I am glad we can just hang out at home today. We had good time at my office work party last night and were able to get our tree yesterday too. Now the tree is all set up and ready. It is pretty to look at. We call it a "holiday tree" at our house, since we are a blended couple. Now we are going to get started on some house care chores, laundry and cleaning, for a bit. I am glad it is a quiet, relaxed snowy day.

Winter Arrives

Today was sort of a long day. We had a fracture repair in the morning and then a slow afternoon, that ended up being crazy right at closing. On top of the craziness, I hurt my finger first thing in the morning, so it was a little tough to do all of my work. I was lifting up a cage rack and somehow managed to rupture a blood vessel on the palm side of my first finger at the middle joint. It was swollen, stiff and pretty sore most of the day. It feels better tonight but there is sure an ugly bruise there. After work tonight we headed over to the grocery store since we were totally out of dish soap and then came home for supper. Now we are just home and relaxing. It has really turned to winter here, it was rainy and windy all day. Now it is still rainy and windy, but getting cold. We just heard icy taps on the window! The weather report is not calling for snow until Sunday, but it is already colder now than what they had predicted. We shall see. I am a little excited to have some snow. I miss that from living in other states. Tomorrow we have some shopping planned and then my office holiday party. Not much else is planned at this point and I am a little bit glad. I am hoping for a little down time to spend at home and just be with my partner.

Got a Cold

It's a good thing today was my day off. I woke up with a sore throat and stuffy and runny nose. Super. At least it waited until after we got to see our "old friends". We went over to their house last night for tacos and to help them get their tree up and some holiday decorations done. She started her chemo today and I hope it went well. I just had a sort of slow paced day today. I got some gifts ready to ship and have just a little more of that to do. I made a crock-pot supper for tonight and it is nearly ready. I am glad I do not have to cook now. I am feeling pretty yucky. I plan on an early night tonight since I have work tomorrow. Argh. I do not like this at all.

Hello??

Today brings more news, not much clarity, but more news. We heard from Don's brother, who heard from one of their aunts, that the other aunt who had a heart attack is "ok". Whatever that means. It is very strange for me to realize that not everyone has the same communication that my family does. It is a little difficult for me to really fit in with Don's family because no one ever talks about anything. You might think I am kidding, but I am totally not. About a year and a half ago Don's mom had a stroke just after a heart surgery. Pretty monumental, right? You might expect a call from, say his dad, to let us know about this emergency. No. We get a call the next day from one of his aunts to let us know she is in intensive care. I mean it all worked out in the end, we were able to see her and she is sort of recovered, but it just blew my mind. We never heard from his dad once. If we wanted to know what was going on, we had to call and ask and ask and ask. I think this is really one of the basic issues that Don and I struggle with in our relationship. He is so used to just "dealing with things on his own" because he never had a network to talk about things and get help processing things. I admit I have never been and am still not the best communicator, but I have and still am improving. I can remember getting so angry at my mom asking me "What are you thinking?" when I was upset. Like, how I am supposed to know and say!!??!! Now I ask Don the same thing, and I sort of understand when he gets frustrated. At any rate, it is always interesting and still a little scary knowing that in a few months Don and I will be joined to each other and each others family. For better and for worse.

Another Day...

another downer. We just found out one of Don's aunts had a heart attack yesterday. That is all we know.
Work is ok, just work-ish. I don't know.
I am ready for a no news day!

Sunday Happenings

Today was a run around day. I got up early for kennels, then came home and we headed out. We had some errands and holiday shopping to do. After running around all day we came home and I left to do kennels. We were going to meet up with our "old friends" tonight, but they had to cancel. She was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and needed a stint placed for chemo, only they messed up and nicked her lung. So she is still in the hospital dealing with that. It is very upsetting and worrisome. Now we are home and had a catch-as-catch-can supper. I am not really ready for another work week to start, but I cannot not be earning any wages. Again I am just feeling down and am working hard to keep my head right and my attitude positive. I know better times are ahead.

End of the Week

Things just never seem to slow down around here. Work yesterday was crazy, we ran out of room! All the kennel spaces were full. After a long day of work I raced home to get ready for Don's office holiday party. It was ok, we didn't stay super late since I had to work today. Work this morning was pretty crappy too. I worked on my own today, Dr was out of the office.We had a hospitalized patient that we took in yesterday who the Dr had tentatively diagnosed with lymphoblastic leukemia, just as the owners came to visit he took a turn for the worse and passed away a while after they left. It was a sucky deal. It is always hard to have a patient die, but it is even worse when there is just me there. I stayed late after work to allow the owners some time to visit with him before we got him ready for cremation. Then I went and did some shopping and came home to rest for a little while. I just got home from kennels, everyone is doing fine. Don is still in Portland with Garry and his brother is on the way. Tomorrow we are going to see our old friends to help them decorate for the holidays and have supper with them. I am very much looking forward to that. I suppose that is really all I have to share for now. I am just working on keeping my head up for the time being.

Blargh

Today was my day off and while I was able to be productive, I am just not feeling super. I am feeling anxious and depressed and somewhat overwhelmed. I have a full day tomorrow with work and then Don's work party, then another full day with work and kennels and running all over P-town. I did sleep a little better last night but I have been headache-y off and on all day. Argh. Anyway, enough griping. Soon I will be off to bed so I can function tomorrow.

Inspiration

It is late and I should be asleep. I went to bed a while ago, but couldn't fall asleep. Usually I would put on my ipod or do some relaxation exercises to try and stop my brain. Tonight it was just not going to happen, nothing was working. I started to get a thought, a little kernel of an idea to write about and I decided to just get up and do it before it all evaporated by morning time. So now, with that little kernel fleshed out just a touch I think I might be able to find my way to a peaceful nights sleep.

Moving News

It is official now, my sister and her family are moving to England next summer...shortly after the wedding. I am excited for them to have this adventure but I am also really sad. We don't get to see each other very much already, and so much distance will only make it harder. Plus I wanted her to be nearer so that someday (maybe next year) when it is our turn to start a family she could be around to help and support me. Totally selfish reasons, me-me-me-me. At any rate, it is important to not focus on what we won't have or the distance. We can still talk and chat on the computer. So we will not loose that contact. Changes are always hard and there seem to be a lot of them going around. I keep on thinking someday things will settle down and life will be not so hard, but then I realize that this is life. And I just need to hope that I can learn to better cope and get through things.

Feeling the Burn

Another day and work. I am beginning to feel slightly burned out again. Sometimes it is very hard to see the positive in all my work. I know that I am far from perfect, but I am really sick of dealing with other peoples screw ups. Now I am home and just feeling very tired. On days like this I just sort of feel like I want to just give up and go to bed. Never the less, there are things that need to be done, so off I go to tasks. Tomorrow I will start fresh and hope for a better day.

Work-y Work-y

Back to work and the real world today. Bummer. Work was just that but now I am home and can relax and enjoy being with my partner. I had been talking to my Mom about starting another blog as a place to post ficiton and other writing...I finally set it up. I have not posted anything terribly exciting, but eventually I will get the writing flowing again. So feel free to add my other blog (www.storyseedsandwritingsprouts.blogspot.com) to your favs and check it every now and then. Now for some supper.