Now I want some ice cream

It’s 54 degrees outside right now.

I know I told winter it was welcome to stay, but I was actually kidding.  I’d gladly put up with the mud for a limited time in order to have verdant landscapes once again.

This morning it was quite foggy outside.  Not just a slight decrease in visibility either, it was the type of day that you can’t see a traffic light until you are almost right beneath it.

I had a dream last night about fog.  Coincidental?

In my dream, a woman was walking through this place (third picture down) and I’ll just leave it there, because it got quite interesting after that and there’s no reason to delve any deeper than that.

It’s now 56 degrees outside.  I remember warm days like this in high school when kids would have the tops down on their convertibles and would be wearing shorts.  I wasn’t one of them.

Did you know that about 95% of people that end up at this site through searches have to do with Michigan weather.  I didn’t think I talked about it that much.

I stand corrected.

I’ll try to remedy that in the future.

Winter is in the air

Today is the strangest day.  I am sitting here, typing this and it still doesn’t seem real.  We got about 5 inches of snow overnight and it’s still snowing, with rumors that it isn’t going to stop until this afternoon.  And it isn’t even officially winter yet.  That won’t come for another two days.

When I looked outside, I had a momentary thought that I was possibly still dreaming.  The eeriest feeling washed over me as I looked around at everything blanketed in fresh snow, with no signs of life anywhere.  No fresh canine tracks in the backyard, no footprints marring the sidewalks, not even a driveway in sight had fresh tire tracks.  When I went outside, the silence  had me thinking again that I was dreaming.  Sure, there were cars driving by, but the normal sounds of traffic were muted with snow.  Most snowy mornings, you’d hear shovels scraping driveways, snow blowers whining with strain, city plows and salt trucks faithfully clearing the roads, but the atmosphere was quiet with the heavy snow beating against the hood of my coat the only sound.

I swear the dogs were smiling this morning when they first went out.  It was too early to play, but the anticipation of the day in the snow was lurking in their minds and I could see it in their faces.

Every winter I forget how a day like this feels.  Yesterday,  I was dreading today.  Today, I simply wouldn’t exchange a day like this for anything in the world.  It’s Michigan at its finest, and it’s beautiful.

Oh yeah!

Happy 1st Day of Spring everyone!!

Spring break probably isn’t the most appropriate title

It’s spring break from classes right now.  Not that spring decided to finally make its way to Michigan or anything.  We got a little preview yesterday with about 50 degree weather.  Today, not so much.  Although the transition to spring is the only thing I wish for right now, this time of the year is also so depressing.  The snow melts, there is no green grass underneath, everything is brown and ugly.  The multitude of litter on the side of the roads is overwhelming from being hidden under the snow all winter.  But it also brings hope that it all will be over soon.

Meg posted a list of ten things she loves about summer in Michigan, and since it seemed like a good idea on this cold, dreary day, I am going to do the same.

1.  The cottage
This always has been and always will be my favorite part of summer.  We’ve got a cottage in the U.P (upper peninsula for you non-yoopers), on Lake Michigan and we always spend time there in the summer.  I do believe I’ve gone up there every single summer of my entire life, and I don’t think that will ever change.

2.  Gardening
I started gardening when we bought our house three years ago and each year I get more and more interested in it.  I love watching everything grow and bloom beautifully, and that you can create any arrangement of color you choose.  Someday, I hope to be as successful as my mother is at it.

3.  Ice Cream
Right now, we’ve got a little ice cream parlor right up the street, and we love taking the dogs and walking up there to get some ice cream.  I don’t think I can last a week in the summer without having atleast one boston cooler.

4.  Horseback riding
Obviously, this one is fairly new.  I enjoy riding any time of the year, but in the summer, going trail riding brings a whole new respect for the beauty of nature.  You feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere, and it is so refreshing.

5.  Shopping
Besides the fact that spring and summer clothes are just cuter,  shopping in any downtown city where you can just walk leisurely along the sidewalk and stop when you feel like it,  is the best part.

6.  The upcoming arrival of autumn
I’ll admit, autumn is my favorite season.  The temperature is perfect, and the colors are just beautiful.  I love the sound of leaves crunching underneath my feet.  The dogs enjoy autumn so much more as well.  It’s not nearly as hot and they seem to know and get excited about the cold weather moving in.

7. Washing cars
Although I love washing cars just because it ends in cleanliness, the reason I love this one so much is that Keiko LOVES water.  He will run around for hours just trying to catch the stream from the hose.  It’s a really easy way to give him a bath as well.  Kirra is just spoiled and will not go anywhere near water (the lake up north is the ONLY place she doesn’t mind going, so that’s when she gets her bath).  As much as Keiko loves to play, he gets bored with the ball or frisbee really quickly, but never the water.

8.  Bonfires
Although this is a repeat if you’ve read Meg’s as well, but I love them!  The smell, the sight, and the utter relaxation of sitting around one and just talking to friends and family.  The night I met Derek, we sat around a fire and talked until 5 in the morning.  Then there is the pie irons,  you will never be able to replicate that taste.

9. Driving
This may be ironic after my last post.  But I really do love driving, especially during the warm months.  There seem to be fewer annoying drivers.  My favorite drive is out to the farm.  Driving from the city and then to watch it change slowly to a country setting is wonderful.  I am sure when I live in the country though, the drive I will dread the most is the one back into the city!

10. Woodworking
Right now, my husband does most of the woodworking during the spring and summer, so there is always a faint smell of sawdust and freshly cut wood lingering around our house, and I love it!  It’ll be nice someday when he has a heated workshop and can work all throughout the year.

So there you have it!  I could keep going, but I won’t.  Daylight savings time starts in less than a week, so hopefully things will start turning around.  Cross your fingers.

Back on track…for the time being

Here I was getting all worked up that it was actually going to start warming up again.  Guess again.  Just another day and another snowfall to go with it.  I’ve never minded winter before, but honestly, this year it is starting to get on my nerves.  I am ready for spring.

Yesterday was spring enough for me though.  It was around 40 degrees, and we were out there without our coats on, having a jolly time.  Isn’t it funny how northern people will jump at a chance to go without a winter coat in 40 degree weather, while southern people would be all bundled up in winter gear at a sighting of 40 degree weather.  Anyway, I did go riding yesterday for a little while.  It was the first time I took Echo out of the training arena, and she did very good.  There were a couple of times she spooked over new sights or sounds, but they weren’t bad at all.  I just talked her through it, and there was no bucking or running off.  We just walked down the road a little ways, and there was only one car that drove by.  I decided to play it safe as it was driving by, and I got off her and just stood at the side of the road.  She was completely fine.  Besides the fact that my legs feel like noodles today, I can’t wait to go out again!  I had this whole big plan to document the first ride this season with photos, but you guessed it, I forgot my camera. 

It seems like just yesterday she was just a little filly and I was getting on her for the first time.

This was last summer, notice the cheesy grin on my face.  I was a little excited that day.  It was an excellent day though.  There was such a sense of accomplishment and pride when I knew I had helped get her there.  Of course, I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere without the help of my sister-in-law.  She has been such a wonderful teacher throughout this whole process, and I know I will always be learning from her. 

Everything else has been pretty busy around these parts.  So, I will apologize now for the lack of posting and any lack in the forseeable future. 

I feel like complaining today

You know it’s cold outside when you wear your long johns all the time.

You know it’s really cold outside when your siberian huskies will not come in the house.

You know it’s really really cold outside when you go to let your siberian huskies in the house and your hand freezes to the handle. 

This weekend brought nothing but some real cold weather.  Yesterday, the high was about 3 degrees with a wind chill that took it down to about 15 below.  I am SO ready for spring to hit!  It’s not getting any better either.

And, just in case I haven’t had just enough cold, the thermostat at home decided to stop working sometime last night.  Needless to say, our house was about 45 degrees this morning.  It was NOT fun.  Ah, the joys of home ownership…

In our bedroom upstairs, we’ve got an electric heater, so it was remotely warm up there.  But even cranked all the way up, it still couldn’t compete with the weather outside.

We don’t even have a fireplace.  The one thing I told my husband I wanted before we bought a house.  I was assured that we wouldn’t even live in this house long enough to miss it.  Two months later, the market crashed and made it impossible for us to sell our house.  Which brings us to now, still in that house, with no fireplace.  Never again am I settling for less than what I want.  I know that sounds selfish, but I think one simple request for a fireplace could have been fulfilled, and we wouldn’t even be talking about it now.

So, everything added to the extremely cold weather, there seems to be an overload of crabiness in my system today.  It’s hard to keep a positive attitude when it’s so cold I can feel it in my bones.  I had a huge exam last week, and have another quiz to prepare for this week and yet another exam next week.

 I just want a house with a fireplace so I can curl up with a book and not do anything until all this passes. 

Let’s talk weather

I’ve always been fond of winter.  The cold weather has never bothered me.  I once read somewhere that people that live places with very distinctive weather have a better sense of when something in their life happened.  It makes sense though, to associate an event with a time of year, depending on the weather. 

I also rarely watch the weather.  I just deal with whatever comes along that day.  In the winter, I wear a winter coat (even if it does reach almost 60 degrees in January), and in the summer I dress accordingly as well.  I may live somewhere with weather more unpredictable than anywhere else, but I like it that way.

This morning I looked outside before getting dressed.  My husband had let the dogs out, so I had no idea what the temperature was.  It didn’t look cold out at all.  There were just remnants of snow left from a recent snowfall, and the sun was just coming up. When I went outside to leave for work, I realized it was one of those perfect mornings.  It was only around 15 degrees, and the sky was beautiful shades of pink and orange.  Taking in that first breath of cold air was like taking the first hit of a cigarette for the day (if you smoke, that is).  It felt wonderful.  It made me realize just how much I love this place, in all its capricious glory. 

When I was younger, my dad drove a Jeep Wrangler for many years.  I would live for rides in the Jeep with the top down.  One year, the top came down as early as mid-February.  We’ve got pitcures somewhere to prove it.  Some years I couldn’t wait for it to be a little warmer, and some years I wanted winter to last forever.

Because of the way I grew up, I really am a girl of all seasons.  I could not and would not ever live anywhere that was within the same 20 degree range year round.  We grew up snowmobiling during the winter and boating during the summer.   I wouldn’t have it any other way.  I haven’t done many winter activities in quite a few years.  Well, besides having dogs that would rather walk three miles in a foot of snow than walk one mile during the summer.  I’ve always wanted to try snowboarding, and if I get another chance this winter, I plan to. 

Point is, I like the ever-changing weather.  I love seeing the seasons change within a twelve month period.  I love being the only person walking their dogs in the winter and seeing everyone in the neighborhood come out of hibernation to shovel the driveways when there is a snowfall.  I love seeing the budding plants come out of the ground when it gradually starts to get warmer.  I love being able to eat outside on the patio during the warm months.  I am sure you get the point.