Unexpected Snow

This morning Dan’s phone was ringing incessantly. From about 6:30am to 6:45am we received three phone calls from Piper’s elementary school.

“What is going on?” I groaned as the cell phone message tone started dinging. “Check the messages!” and I rolled back over to get at least 15 more minutes of sleep before my alarm went off.

“Two hour delay due to snow,” Dan startled me awake.

“What snow?” I rolled over towards the window and pulled back the curtain. The unusual brightness the comes from sunrise on a newly whitened world made me pull the covers back up around my ears.

“Snow” I breathed into my pillow.

There is something magical about waking up in a world changed by weather. Suddenly, the impossible seems possible, and the mundane is transformed into the fantastic. Snow, and especially ice, coating the trees, disguising the dirty, broken, and old, making things glittery, changing the smells and sounds, adding excitement and danger to the world.

It also makes me want to stay in bed.

By midmorning the snow was gone. The last remnants dissolving in the shadows, like a familiar dream forgotten.

Dreaming of Tsunamis

Last night I dreamt of tsunamis. I dreamt that I was on a small island with a group of people that I didn’t know. It was dark and stormy and the ocean waves were crashing dangerously on the rocky shore. There were kids playing near the water and I kept trying to get them to move back from the sea into the jungle. I was screaming, but no one could hear me over the waves. Suddenly the sun began to rise and the water became curiously calm and oozed away from the land. Out and out it went. Some sort of collective consciousness made us all realize that this strange wave behavior meant tsunami and we all started running across the island away from the water.

We jumped onto a wooden boat that reminded me of a mini Noah’s Arc and as the wave came back in we floated safety further inland. As the waves retreated, we all knew there would be more, so we jumped into a field which was lower than the rocks in front of it. As we lay on our bellies in the grass, we could see the waves surging back towards us. As the waves crashed into the rocks in front of us, they dissipated into a fine mist that rained down over us, cooling us from the tropical sun.

Best Birthday, Ever!

This entry marks the official end to my 32nd birthday week. And what a week it was. Last Friday, Dan and I were settling down for a mellow night, when there was an unexpected knock at the door. Dan walked over to see who it was. He turned around and walked right back into the room. “It’s for you.” he announced and as I got up to see who it was, my amazing friend Kym, who lives in California, leaned in to say, “hi!” Have you ever had the experience where someone you know and love but who lives far away shows up at 8pm on a Friday evening with no warning? I was fairly mind blowing. Kym’s arrival marked the beginning of what became an amazingly fun birthday week.

On Saturday we went to the roller skating rink to celebrate my rockin’ n rollin’ roller derby birthday. It was so much fun, and I only wiped out once! After an hour or so, (roller skating is a lot of work) we headed back to our house for drinking, food and merriment. I got a new stump! Dan made a fire in the fire pit, and we played Guitar Hero, all of my favorite things. It was a great party.

Eleanor Bruisevelt will knock you down!

On Monday, my favorite brother in law, Matt, arrived on the 6:30pm train from Philadelphia. The house was full of people, which I love. Over the week, we played Catan, and Apples to Apples, and cards, and hung out. It was very fun.

Kym went back to California on Wednesday, and Matt left on Saturday. Last night Chris and Phil came over and we played poker for hours. I was the first time I had ever played poker, and I am looking forward to winning back come of the chips next time!

All and all, a wonderful week; if this keeps up, 32 will be the best year yet.

Seat Heaters are Weird

It is cold. It wasn’t cold until yesterday. Last week we were having 70 degree days. Right now it is 47 degrees outside. Cold.

This morning I had to remember all of the tricks I use to get the car windows free of frost before I start driving. I had to make sure that Bronwen was warmly wrapped up, and I tested out my car seat warmers that I always forget about and that came with the car. The seat heaters work by heating up the seat and back from the inside after you have flicked a switch. You can set the seat heaters on warm or extra toasty.

Here is the problem with having seat heaters in the car. This morning I flicked on the switch to warm (extra toasty is too hot!), let the car warm up for 10 seconds, then backed out of the driveway to take BB to school. It was maybe 2-3 minutes later, when I was racing down the highway, that I started to feel a strange sensation that I was urinating on myself. It actually took me a few seconds to remember that the seat heaters were warming up, thus causing that sensation. It was so weird that I had to turn them off.

Cheeky Bronwen

There is a book that I love to read to Bronwen called Peek-a-boo Farm. Each page asks,

“Peek-a-boo, who are you?”

“Oink, Oink!”

Then you lift a flap on the page and it reveals the animal saying something like,

“You’re a messy pig!”

Since it from our English family, I always read it out loud in a silly, and horrible, English accent. The last page is the best. It says,

“Peek-a-boo, who are you?” and when you lift the flap there is a mirror and it reads,

“You’re a cheeky baby!”

I love to say that last line in a high-pitched, crazy lady English accent. I find it hilarious. Dan thinks I am insane.

The American Heritage Dictionary has the following definition for cheeky: Adj. Impertinently bold; imprudent and saucy. Bronwen fits the description perfectly; and when she is naughty and pulls that little cheeky grin, I just can’t help but laugh.

This morning I told her to put on her shoes and socks and she sat down on the living room couch to start the process. I walked back to the bathroom to finish getting ready for work. I peaked out once to see how she was doing; she had one sock on one foot, with a shoe soon to follow.

“Are you getting those shoes and socks on Bronwen?” I asked her, returning to the bathroom.

“Yeah,” she replied.

I was in a hurry so I left Bronwen to finish getting ready and made my lunch, got my phone, grabbed her jacket and went back to the front room expecting her to be finished. I turned the corner to find Bronwen completely barefoot.

“Bronwen!” I said exasperated. It was then that I noticed the cheeky grin. Then she lifted her arms into the air and on each hand was a sock and shoe, the MaryJanes perfectly buttoned up and ready to go. I couldn’t stop laughing, even as I pulled the socks and shoes off her hands and quickly got them onto her feet.

“You are a cheeky baby!” I told her as we hurried out the front door.

“Cheeky,” she replied.

Now It's Our Turn

Whether you are Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, or believe, as I do that Josiah Bartlett should have been elected president, there is one thing we can all pretty much agree on. Government cannot solve all of our problems. There are certain things that the government does really well, but when it comes to the greater issues of our country, it will not be the government that creates change; it is going to have to be us.

So now that we have elected Barack Obama, the senator that ran the “Change Campaign”, it is time for us to start our work. We cannot simply sit back and become complacent in the knowledge that our new president is going to make everything alright. We are going to have to lead the charge, stop complaining, and do something. We cannot leave the public service to the politicians.

This is an amazing day. My parents were born before the Civil Right Act of 1964. It wasn’t that long ago that blacks were not even allowed to vote; and today our president elect is an African American. If that isn’t progress, I am not sure what is. But we can’t stop there because not only good things happened today. Proposition 8 in California passed. There is obviously still work to be done.

What is our responsibility? Work at the local level to make change. Make changes in your own life. Stop complaining and do something. Get together with your neighbors and friends and change the things that you want changed. Obama worked his ass off to get where he is today. We should be working too.

Bronwen's Good Day

See Bronwen's blog to find out more!

Go Vote!

Today I exercised my constitutionally granted right to vote. I marched right up to the polling station and stepped into line at exactly 6:23am. At exactly 6:34am the doors opened and we made our way, quietly, into the basketball court where the voting stations were set up. I waited patiently in line, reading, and periodically gazing before and after me in line to see who I knew. I saw Scott (the ninja) and Brent (the bar tender) and a few others. These people are my neighbors and I felt happy and proud to be gathered with them this morning.

At last I got my chance to vote. I glanced at the clock, 7:23am, exactly one hour from the moment I stepped into line. Not too long a wait to have my say.

Now all I have to do is play the waiting game. I am not really sure how I am going to get anything done today. If you haven’t already:

GO VOTE!

Phil and Stacie Get Married

It was a gorgeous afternoon, yesterday, when Phil and Stacie "tied the knot" overlooking the butterfly garden at the Greensboro Arboretum. There were 14 people looking on as the two exchanged vows, rings and kisses and then dashed off to their house to set up for the after party. We had a great time drinking, eating and spending time together after the ceremony. Congratulations Phil and Stacie!

God Bless the English

This is hilarious. In an annual event believed to date back to 1646 the townsfolk in Battle, UK blew up an effigy of Sarah Palin. Click here to see pictures.