More Monday Miscellaney



lolcats - icanhascheezburger.com

It's Monday, and I've got "It's Friday, I'm in Love," on the brain.  I guess this means it's time for more Monday Miscellaney.  Lucky you!

• There's nothing like your pre-teen telling you the computer keyboard is frozen to start your day off right.  After a change of batteries, some messing around with clicking this button or that, running the virus scan and restarting the computer, the keyboard works again. Whew. Double whew. I'd be lost without the home computer.
• I'm thinking Halloween is my favorite holiday, hands-down.  I mentioned to a relative last night that "We're getting ready for Halloween, here," and got the response, "WHAT? It's only October 3!"  That gave me pause for all of five seconds.  I'll blame it on having kids, though I suspect that even without the kids, I'd have gotten out the pumpkins and skeletons anyhow.  At least I waited until October 2nd to do it.  I like the costumes, the free candy (though, at my age, the candy isn't free anymore), and the decorations.  It's rather low-pressure, unlike Christmas.
• It's weird to start seeing people you know in the obituary column who are your age.  This isn't a new phenomenon by any means, but it always takes one by surprise. 
• Why is it that during 40-degree weather, I still see people wearing flip flops? Seriously? I can't wait until snowfall.  Wonder how many will be losing toes to frostbite.
 



totalfilm.com

"MY TOES! MY TOES! Why didn't

I wear my fur-lined boots?"

• I feel privileged to help serve Mass at our local parish.  My family is on the schedule once a month.  For the last 6 weeks, however, we've not only served on our scheduled date and time, but also been pinch-hitting for others who don't bother to show up, let alone arrange for a substitute.  My husband has lately taken to asking me, "Are you scheduled to do anything, this time?" My response is usually, "No," which he quickly follows up with, "Yeah, until you get there."  Then he stifles snickers of "I told you so," when someone taps my shoulder and says, "Can you fill in, today?"  I really don't mind - except that I'm starting to feel resentful toward those who are finding it impossible to fulfill their commitment.  To them, I'd like to say, "You signed on for this.  It is one hour, one weekend, per month.  If you can't fulfill the duty, then ask to be taken off the schedule, and until that happens, find someone to fill in for you.  You aren't the only person who might like to sit with their family now and then during a church service.  It is extremely rude and inconsiderate of you to skip out when you know you're scheduled, and then when you do show up, it's within two minutes of start time - leaving everyone to wonder if you'll even be here.  You can do better than that!"
 



thegreenhead.com

peanut butter & jelly spreader

• Wow, but I'm tired of fundraisers.  Every year, our school does the same fundraiser. In my opinion, the catalog is full of stuff that could be purchased elsewhere, and for less. For example, those handy suction-cup containers you can stick in the shower - the catalog had them for $2.00 more than the local Meijer.  The chocolates look mouth wateringly delicious until you get them.  Then, you discover they're all about the size of a fifty-cent piece and 2/3 of the box is raised cardboard with the chocolates artfully spread on top of that to make the container look like it's brimming with sweetness.  And I really need to spend $7.50 on a "peanut butter & jelly spreader."  I'm thinking most of this stuff probably comes from the Lillian Vernon catalog to begin with.
• Excuses, excuses. I do feel badly, sometimes, when kids tell me they've lost an important piece of homework, or that they couldn't do the homework because they were being shuffled here and there, often at the parent's whim and will, and no one had time to sit down and help with the work.  Other times, it's generally a case of the kid being extremely disorganized and sitting in front of the computer or video games instead of prioritizing what really  needs to be done.
 



sweetcatastrophecakes.blogspot.com

• At what grade, in school, do you remember the teacher having to tell the class, "In order to get a birthday treat, you need to be seated at your desk and not swarming Alfred.  I expect to hear a 'thank you' to Alfred when he brings your treat to you."  Now, I'm not so old as to believe that my elementary school days are filled with rosy-cheeked, well-behaved children.  I'm sure we were little monsters at times - in fact, I know we were.  But - I seriously don't recall my teachers ever telling us to be seated at birthday treat time. I don't think most of us dared to swarm the birthday kid, hoping to pick over each decorated cupcake in hopes of getting the one with the most frosting.  Really, kids?  You're ten and eleven years old now. What happened to manners?
 



makeupadviceforum.com

• Of course, what can I expect when I see what's left in the staff room of the rolls from a meeting.  Someone took out the center part of the roll and left the rest in the box.  My reaction was laughing disbelief: This is something we'd do to each other, at home, I thought - recalling the days when my brothers would say, as one of us eyed that last piece of pie or cake, "That's mine - I spit on it."
• That lipstick you were so happy to find that cost $1.99?  It's going to go on your lips like $1.99, too.  Ever try to color your lips with crayon? Not even a Crayola, but one of those generic off-brand crayons? That's what $1.99 lipstick is like. Don't waste your money.  On the other hand, if the lipstick is $1.99 because it's been marked down from $12.00 or something, stock up.
• While I'm on the subject of lipstick, why is it when I look at the wide array of colors available I end up purchasing something nearly the same shade as what I have at home? I guess I'm just meant to wear one shade of lipstick.
• Where art thou, 2 yards of black lace? I've searched high and low for this lace now that I want it for a Halloween costume, and do you think I can find it?  Just my luck, I'll find it November 1st.

Beating the Winter Weather Blahs

Snow storm, February 2, 2011

If your neighborhood is looking like this and it's too bitterly cold to kick the kids outdoors for even five minutes and they're going crazy indoors, you need some activities to keep them occupied.

• Clean your room!  My mother used to tell us girls to do this when we'd complain "There's nothing to dooOOoooOO!"  Suddenly, we found lots to occupy our time.  All kidding aside, snow days are good days to clean rooms.  Even if you just tackle the closet and the dresser drawers - weed out those items that no longer fit, reorganize a little, and suddenly - a few hours of boredom have been killed!
• Bake.  I suggested that Big Sister take inventory of the baking supplies and see if there was enough in stock to do any cookie baking.  So far, she hasn't taken me up on that offer.  If you're housebound and can't get your car out of the driveway for that emergency cup of sugar, you might consider making some "play-dough" with the kids.  PlaydoughRecipe.com has a variety of recipes that should fit any list of ingredients you have on hand, from "Berry Playdough" to "Jello Playdough" to the "Traditional Playdough." Enjoy!
•  

  

  cgi.ebay.co.uk
  Retro Stay Alive Board Game

  Dig out a few board games.  If, like us, you have family board games that haven't seen the light of day since their purchase five years ago, a snow day is the perfect opportunity to dust them off. Our "Stay Alive" board game is so old, it actually looks like the one in the picture, at right.  There are only enough marbles for three players, but no matter - the kids were giggling madly as they ganged up on me to sink my marbles.  Don't forget Uno, Spoons, Dominoes, and Chinese Checkers.
• If you still have power and board games aren't for you, the kids can always zone out for a bit with the Wii or other computer games. 
• Make popcorn and plug in a good movie. Or, play a game with the television. We always complain that there are 57 channels and nothing's on, so why not try this? Turn on a show. Any show. At the first commercial break, find a channel that is playing the scheduled program. Watch it until the next commercial break. Change the channel until you find one that is playing the scheduled program.  Repeat.  Try to get through all 57 or however many channels you have.  Movie channels are off-limits and so are infomercials.  As long as the programs are appropriate for the age of the viewers, see how many different shows you can expose yourself to, and discover something interesting.  You can also do this with the radio - good for long car trips.
•  

  

  Time to get scrapbooking!
  commons.wikipedia.com

  Get going on those projects you keep putting off! Is your child ready to graduate college and you still haven't put the baby pictures in the scrapbook? Better get going!  Or, finish that quilt you've been talking about finishing for the last three years.  Finish painting the bathroom.  Paint your toenails. Groom the dog.  Clean the grout in the shower. All right, just kidding about some of those. Spending some time with an enjoyable project is an excellent way to help the time fly, and to get the kids involved with something besides antagonizing each other.
 



dptny.org
Valentine for a Veteran
"We love our Veterans!"

• Make Valentines.  If your kids get on a roll and you have more valentines than recipients, please consider Valentines for Veterans. In fact, make it a point to make more valentines than you need - if you're unable to find a local Veteran group to be the recipients of your children's art work, there are always nursing homes and hospitals with patients who would love to recieve a handmade Valentine. 
• You could make junior practice his piano lessons.
• Declare the day to be a media-free day. No computers, i-pods, cell phones (texting is abolished), television, video games, etc. 
• Curl up with a good book. Read to the kids, have them read to you. Whether you rely on old childhood favorites or to an action/adventure read-aloud, just enjoy it.
• For older kids, you might try window painting. I know - it sounds crazy. But, provided the paint goes where it should, it's inexpensive and fun.  Acrylic paints work well, though any paint will do. Windows are cleaned of paint via razor blade (responsible adult, please!) and window cleaner once you're tired of the design.  You don't have to be particularly artistic - just paint something and have fun.

The exterior view of a painted window, using acrylic paint.

Charles Schulz's Snoopy and Woodstock

If you can make it through the crazy snowy days of winter, in no time at all the kids will be done with school and ready for summer time boredom.  Good luck!

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Stolen from Facebook

In Michigan, mid-April doesn't always mean gentle, April showers bringing May flowers.

Anybody in Michigan knows that when it comes to the weather, just wait five minutes. Then, you can decide if it's time for umbrellas or snow shovels, or both.

Blizzard of '78
www.absloutemichigan.com

Winters in Michigan used to mean mountainous piles of snow, more than 3 snow days allotted per school district per year - and we used those 3 days and then some - and Norman Rockwell-esque visions of apple-cheeked children sledding downhill or making perfect figure-8s on outdoor rinks.

Snow, as seen at the right, was the standard.  

As a kid, I remember Easters spent up north with the grandparents and wearing winter coats and winter boots to church.  By the time we drove home, about 3 hours away, the weather was warmer, the grass greener, and people stared at us like we were from outer space because there was still snow on the car.  

As a kid, I remember trick-or-treating while wearing a winter coat.  The criteria for costumes included, "Will it fit over a winter coat?"  

As a kid, I remember snow on Thanksgiving day - even if it was just a dusting, it was there.  

As a kid,  the Blizzard of '78 was a big deal.  My siblings and I would blearily tromp downstairs for breakfast and my mom would say, "Go back to bed - you have a snow day."  This went on nearly every  Monday for about six weeks.  Imagine our disappointment when the Monday came and we actually had to follow through with the morning routine of getting ready for a full school week.

Now that I'm an adult, winters are a different kind of cold, not nearly as snowy, and not nearly as much fun.

Winters are just plain long.

In recent years, it seems like snow doesn't fall until January whereas when I was a kid, we had snow in November - though I do vividly remember roller skating outdoors on Christmas day one year, wearing a sweater instead of snow pants and a winter jacket.  Oh, and grandma's eccentric neighbor was cutting his grass on Christmas day.

In recent years, it seems like there's very little snow spread out throughout the winter season, and the winter season wraps up with heavy rain fall for weeks at a time.  Enough so, that my daughter's friend says, "It reminds me of the rainy seasons back in Vietnam!"  

flooded area park
www.wnem.com

What I'm seeing in my area right now is akin to what's in the photo at the left.

A former neighbor from up north is looking at weather more like the photo at the head of this post, "We don't get hurricanes."

We both live in Michigan - though in different areas.  My former neighbor is spending her spring break shoveling snow.  I'm spending mine trying to dry out my basement.  And hoping that the flurries I see in the air today are not going to accumulate in any great amount, unless it will net me a snow day come Monday.  That's one thing I still look forward to, even if I'm not a kid anymore.

Even when it comes to weather, we always want what we don't have.  I'll try to remember this weather when it's July here in Michigan, 98-degrees Fahrenheit in the shade, and humid as a tropical rain forest with no hope for rain in sight.  For now though, April snow and showers bring May flowers.

www.wallcoonet.com

Summer Haze: 2010

Kids are spoiled these days.

I know, I've become my mother - she said the same thing about my generation.  Likely, every parent has said this about their child since the beginning of time.  Even Adam and Eve must have said of Cain and Abel, "Oh quit fighting! When I was your age - and I was never your age - I didn't have anybody to play with!"

I'm betting the temperature in the Garden of Eden was at a nicely controlled 80-degrees Fahrenheit, though, warm enough to grow things during the day, and dipping down to a nice 72-degree Fahrenheit at night, for sleeping.  I suppose the temperature got too warm one day though, and after demanding air conditioning, Adam and Eve were banned from the Garden.

Most kids where I live have air conditioning.  They can't imagine a life without the air conditioning running from the first hot day of summer until the first cool blast of fall.  Even the schools have air conditioning now.  Remember in the dark ages, when schools had air conditioning only in the office, if they had it at all?  In elementary school, we'd spend time on hot days making accordian-pleat fans out of lined paper.  We'd flip and fold and flip and fold, no doubt driving our teachers and fellow classmates to distraction in our efforts to dispel the heat.  All the same, we couldn't wait to get outside in that heat for after-lunch recess.

My kids can't imagine a life without air conditioning. I'll admit I'm spoiled, too, and don't want to imagine a life without it. 

As a kid, though, air conditioning was something you encountered at the stores, or rich people's houses.  Nobody had central air in their home.  A few people might have a window-unit air conditioner, but most of us depended on open windows, screen doors, and box fans. 

Smart people would follow the sun around the house (no, not literally!) and close curtains or pull shades to keep out the sun, thus cooling that part of the house just a little bit.  As the sun moved, the curtains would be opened. 

In early morning, windows would be thrown open to let in the cooler morning air.  By mid-morning, shades and curtains would be pulled, fans would be running.  Anything that required an appliance to run would be done early in the morning, so as to avoid heating up the house.  About the only exception was if it was a birthday - then the oven would be on to bake the cake. 

In the evening, as the sun lowered, windows would open again to let in cooler air.  Your box fan would be placed in the window, and if the air was cool enough, you pointed it inward so it would pull in cool air from outside and cool off the room.  If it was hot in your room, you'd point the fan outward, to pull the hot air outside.  If it was raining though, you had to take the fan out of the window or risk electrocution. 

Anyone from the generation pictured on the right remembers it being hot enough to roll down your stockings.  Some of you might remember grandmas who wore nothing but dresses, ever, even after it became fashionable for women to wear slacks and shorts.  My grandma was one such woman.  I doubt she'd have ever rolled down her stockings, either, even if it was 95 degrees with a 100-degree Fahrenheit heat index. 

I'm sure, though, during a private moment in the course of the day, the ladies of the generation pictured at the right may have paused for tea. They'd need a break after washing clothes with the wringer-washer, and hanging them on the line.  Baking bread and putting on a meal without the help of boxed foods or frozen foods was a real chore - or labor of love!  Scrubbing floors and ironing were jobs better left for a cool day, but who knew when that would happen?  Quick - the kids are outside and busy. Maybe there are five minutes just for me!  They'd have sat with their dresses slightly above the knee, stockings rolled down, with the rotating fan placed strategically so their legs could be cooled. 

It's no wonder many women of a certain era  had "the vapors" and had to rest during the day.  Can you imagine wearing as much fabric as the woman on the right, on a 90 degree day?  Oh, and don't forget the corset, either, and the multiple petticoats.  And don't you dare show your ankles.

Of course, today's women can dress much more casually for hot weather, like our bathing beauties in the left-hand photo.

Regardless, my kids have a hard time imagining a home without air conditioning.  They barely remember our first house, which had a window unit for the summer.   That was placed in the master bedroom, and fans were placed strategically in the hallway to blow the cooler air throughout the rest of the house.  I followed the sun, closing curtains and creating a cave-like effect indoors.  A dehumidifier completed the summer ensemble, and gradually our home would be a few degrees cooler than the hot outdoors.  Ceiling fans helped circulate the still air.  Still, doors would swell, tempers would be short, and sleep would be but a fleeting dream during the really hot days.

Anyone old enough to remember riding in the back seat of one of these, pictured at left, as a kid?  Remember those vinyl seats?  Most cars "back in the day" didn't have air conditioning, either.  When the car was locked, we left the windows rolled down a crack to let air in, but when it was time to leave the parking lot, there was no fast way to cool down the car except to roll the windows down all the way.  This didn't do much for those wonderful vinyl seats which were heated to just the right temperature to scorch bare legs.

There was also no such thing as "keyless entry," or automatic locking and unlocking of doors, or automatic popping open of a trunk, either.  Nor could you start the car from a distance - you actually  had to be sitting in the seat, turning the key in the ignition, and pushing down on the gas.  What a concept.

My husband and I always laugh about car trips when we were kids, in the days before air conditioning.  If there were more than two in the back seat, it was an extra sticky trip because not only did you stick to the vinyl seat, but you stuck to each other.  Yes, cars were roomier "back then" - ok, 1970s - but you know how kids are:  "SHE'S ON MY SIDE!"  we'd whine, if a sibling crossed that invisible line we drew down the seat in order to keep from touching each other.

We could unroll our windows a little bit, with permission, but most car windows in the back seat didn't open more than half-way, anyway.  Up front, though, the windows had these little triangular windows that could be tilted outward to let in air.  If you look closely at the car on the left, you can see the triangular-shaped window (still closed).  As the car sped along at 55 mph, all you could hear was this "fffffffff   ffffffffff" sound of wind through the gap of that triangular window.  Then, my husband and I laugh, it wasn't cool enough, so the window would be unrolled just a crack and along with "fffffff" we'd hear "FFFFFFFF    WHoooooooshUFFFffffffffff WHOOOOOOshUFFFFffffff."  Inevitably, dad would turn on AM radio to hear a game, and because AM radio rarely comes in clear, there would be lots of static to go along with the "ffffFFFFFFfffff" of the windows.   

Regardless, car trips in the summer were hot.  But, not ever having had air conditioning, we didn't know any different.  We didn't know any different when it came to sleeping in hot rooms with box fans in the window, either.

One day though, air conditioning became more affordable (I'm guessing) and pretty soon everybody had it.  We didn't need to escape to shopping malls or to the beach for relief from the heat.  Cars got air conditioning as just a normal part of a basic package deal, no longer one of the expensive options. 

About the only time we experience any great degree of discomfort is if the power goes out, and we can't use the air conditioning.  Should that happen this summer, I hope you remember how to make your pleated fans out of paper - it's a life skill you might have to teach your kids.

March Miscellany: 2009

Apparently, I had a lot of random thoughts in March of 2009.  Here are a few more:  

So has everyone survived winter?  I know we're just rounding the mid-March point, and today is officially the first day of spring, but I thought I should ask.

Some parts of this state aren't finished with winter, yet.

Others have completely given up on winter wear, though, and I admit I'm one of them.  The winter coat was dry-cleaned recently, and I'm refusing to wear it until this coming October, when temperatures dip to freezing again.

In other mundane news, there are just a few things that have been on my mind lately, and I thought I'd share.

• First, it really annoys me to no end when people call and then don't identify themselves when they leave a message.  We have caller ID, and also an answering machine.   Far too often lately I get phone calls from people who just say, "Hey! It's me. Call ya later!"  I check the caller ID because I don't recognize the person's voice.  I don't recognize the phone number.  I ask myself, Who on earth was that?  Of course, the person never calls back, and anyone I see in subsequent days never says, "So, did you get my message?"  Please, people, when you leave a message for someone, leave your NAME.  If you have the phone number, obviously you are special in some way -- but I don't have automatic voice recognition.  Sometimes, you HAVE to leave your name at the beep.

• Another annoying  behavior occurs when people let their youngsters use the telephone, completely unsupervised.  Two words:  Please. Don't.  You might have the nicest, most wonderful child in the world -- but when that child gets to call someone and you aren't right there, only God knows what's going to get left on the answering machine by that child. 

• Cell phone users?  The list of annoyances is long.  For now, I'll stick  to those who use their cell phones in public places.  I can't tell you how many times I've been pushing that cart down the grocery aisle, and I hear someone talking.  I turn, because I don't want to be rude if someone is addressing me.  I realize whatever was said wasn't directed to me, and turn away -- but not before getting an indignant look from the person who spoke.  Why so indignant?  Because the person was on a cell phone, talking, and felt that I was intruding on their conversation.  Uh, people? If you're on a cell phone, in a public place, trying to have an intimate conversation, then it sure as Hades isn't my fault or problem if everything you say is overheard by other people.  Get over yourself.

• I try to be a polite person.  I really do, and kudos to my parents and other family members for trying to beat some common decency into me when I was a child.  If I'm entering a building, I'll hold the door for someone if they're entering closely behind me, regardless of their age.  Most people will nod their heads, smile, or say, "thank you."  Not one ungrateful teenaged boy, who sashayed through the open door to our local 7-11 as if it were his God-given right.  Acknowledge even with a mere glance the person holding the door? Meh.  It was beneath him.  It might just as well have been an automatic door, for all he was aware.  It was awfully tempting to try to close that door just enough to catch his heels so he'd trip and spill his super-sized fountain drink, but I'm attempting to be a polite person, so I restrained myself. 

• While I did have some common decency beaten into me, sometimes it fails in especially trying and frustrating situations.  Recently, I was trying to register online for a college class.  The process went smoothly until I clicked "submit."  For some reason, I couldn't register for the class I wanted.  I called the registrar's office, and explained the situation to a very nice woman named Irene, who answered the phone.  She explained that I was not flagged in the system as a student who would be ordinarily taking that particular class, and would need an advisor signature or instructor approval to take the course.  While I didn't raise my voice, my response was impatient.  I apologize, Irene, because certainly you don't make the rules at the college.  But it really bugs me when there is no indication in the course description that there are all of these requirements.

• So now I'm moving on to pay for a class that I'm really not wanting to take, but I have to take SOMETHING, so there ya go.  Now it's time to pay the piper.  This can also be done online, which is a handy thing for many people.  Does anyone out there remember the dark ages, when you stood in line for hours on end, clutching scads of paperwork in the hope you'd brought all the right things so when you got to the window you could pay and not have to lose your place in line because you forgot something critical and so had to drive home to get the forgotten something and then get back in line and wait two more hours? Ahh yes, the good old days!  Now you can make those long waits disappear by paying online.  I attempt to do this, using the payment system the college has contracted with. I enter all the pertinent data, click submit, and . . . voila!  Discover that the system does not accept Visa.  WTF?  I'm thinking.  For those of you who recall this is a family web site, "WTF" also means, "Wow, that's freaky."  I place yet another call to the college, and the polite young man who answers tells me I can pay in person, using cash, or by personal check, or cashier's check, or money order.  But they don't accept Visa.  I thanked him for making this such an easy transaction.  Again, it's not his fault someone came up with a ridiculous rule -- and I apologize. 

• Winter temperatures in Michigan often dip below 10 degrees Fahrenheit, and often below zero.  I often wonder what's wrong with the able-bodied, and supposedly mentally capable, adults who are carrying young children with no winter coats or hats on.  The adults are fully covered with all-purpose winter gear, but the kids are coatless and hatless.  WTF? Wow, that's freaky. I 'm not talking about kids who refuse to wear the winter coats because it's cooler to be freezing cold.  I'm talking about the kids who can barely put on their own winter gear without assistance of some kind.  Parents, smarten up.  The kids need to be covered.  Frostbite is not pretty, and even though it may be warm in the mall, it's a cold trip from the parked vehicle to the door. 

•  In today's U.S. mail, I received a card from . . . well, I'm not telling you the name of the company. I don't think they deserve any mention from me by name.  This company tells me they already know what my lawn needs for its first treatment, because they've already tested it.  So, uh, is this company telling me they trespassed?  And for the low, low, introductory price of $39.99, I can get this first treatment.  Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn.  Anyone who reads this space regularly knows that I'm too cheap to pay any lawn service to come and spray chemicals on my lawn when I can get my husband to do it for free.  Besides, my lawn is natural. And if that includes a few dandelions to offend the neighborhood, then so be it. 

• It's also incredibly annoying when you're trapped in the pharmacy drive-thru.  One car ahead, one car behind.  The car ahead takes twenty minutes to complete their transaction.  At least, it was twenty minutes when I started counting.  As I pull ahead to finally pick up my prescriptions, the clerk apologizes for the delay.  "There were problems with the order," she explains.  I'm sympathetic.  These things happen.  "But," I said, "that customer did have time to drive away and pull up a few rows and find a parking place."  The clerk's jaw dropped about a foot at that news.  This sort of thing has happened before, back in the smaller home town of Tawas City.  One belligerant couple had pulled up into the pharmacy drive-thru to wait for the prescriptions to be filled.  The drive-thru is for drop offs and pick ups.  Apparently, the rules don't apply to them -- and so, because I had a very sick child who needed medicine yesterday, I had to park the car, take that sick child inside, and drop off the prescription.  All because some idiot decided the rules didn't apply to him.   Folks, if there's that big of a problem with your order and you're at the drive-thru, park the car, and GO INSIDE. 

• I'm continually amazed at the number of items that show up in our school's lost and found.  I joke with other adults in the building that I'm going to start shopping in the lost and found bin because there is some pretty nice stuff in there.  How is it that parents don't know their children are missing snowpants, backpacks, lunch boxes, expensive hooded sweatshirts, jeans, shoes, or t-shirts? 

• While we're on the subject of school, how is it that there is always a cadre of parents who believe their child is never to blame for anything?  Come on.  If your child is witnessed by several reliable adults doing something to another child, or breaking school rules, and is reprimanded for it, why is it always a conspiracy against your kid?  Family loyalty is to be commended, but sometimes, when you're wrong -- you're wrong. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.  And don't you think it sends the wrong message to your child when he is not held accountable for his actions?    As much as we all complain about our society, it really isn't to blame for everything. 

• I still haven't figured out why socks come in re-sealable packages, and why the packages always tout this as if it's some new and amazing claim:  "Now! In resealable packages!"  Whoopee.  Like I'm going to wear one pair of socks continually, and when they wear out, then take out another new pair?  Oh! I know!  What I'm going to do is take out a pair for myself, and then re-seal the package and give it to someone as a gift.  Uh huh.

Well, that's about all of the mindless musing I can come up with for now.  What are you wondering about, lately?

Happy new year.

Happy extended winter break.

Happy snow day.

We were supposed to return to school today, but Mother Nature had other plans.

This is what had accumulated as of about 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, January 5, 2014:

Yes, I know it looks like the highest part of the snowbank.

Yes, I know that 20 1/2" isn't much, compared to other parts of the country.

Yes, I know that this is new accumulation on top of old accumulation, and that it wasn't 20 1/2" of brand new snowfall.  We had more like 10 - 12" of new snowfall last night.

Yes, I know there's still more to come because it's MICHIGAN and it's still JANUARY.

Yes, I know it's still snowing as I type.

I also know a few other things.

1. People always forget how to drive in snow, never mind that they've driven in it at least four months of every year since they've been a licensed driver in the state of Michigan.

video clip - youtube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsR0DeY7f1g  

Pure Michigan: Winter Virgins (spoof)

2. Store shelves will be bare of basic necessities because people act like it has never snowed before, and they'll be without eggs and cereal and a whole host of other crap they wouldn't otherwise ever eat but feel the need to have on hand simply because it's snowing.

video clip: youtube "Gotta get the Milk"

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6zaVYWLTkU 

3.Even though the kids are off from school today, some will still venture to our local sledding hill - despite below-zero wind chills.

Richmondmom.com

4.  Someone from t.v. news will inevitably stand out on that hill  and talk about how school may be closed for another day due to that subzero wind chill, as the kids whiz by on sleds. 

5. All sorts of media will have photos or live footage of cars stuck in ditches, in the road, at the end of driveways, and all of us will flock to see them as if we've never seen snow before, or a car stuck in a ditch before. I know this, because all of you looked at my photo of the amount of snowfall in my driveway.

cederspringspost.com,
Feb. 2011

6. Someone will inevitably interview some poor guy who just wants to get his driveway cleared off but will be asked to provide a newsworthy quote about the weather. As if we've never heard any bit of wisdom about Michigan weather before. As in, "Wait five minutes  - it'll change."

7.  Someone else will try to find a catchy name for this most recent spate of snow.  Snowmageddon.  Snowpocalypse. Blizzard 2014! Ooh, how catchy. Or, how about snOMG, or snowpalooza, or Snowbigdeal.  I think more along the lines of "craptabulous."

www.emmitsburg.net

8. We'll be schooled again on how to avoid the travesty in the above photo.  That is, how to properly take care of the pipes in your home whether or not it is your primary residence.

9.  We'll be coached to be mindful of the family pets in snowy, stormy weather.

www.petwellbeing.com

10.  We'll be reminded on the proper way to shovel, and the effects of snow shoveling on our overall health.  And don't forget about tips to ward off frost-bite, like appropriate winter dress.

www.washingtonpost.com

11.  We'll be urged to stay off the roads unless it's absolutely necessary.  Someone will be interviewed who found it absolutely necessary to go to the local party store for a fountain beverage, or to the mall, or to the store for a can of hairspray (because the eggs were all gone) or who just wanted to get out and see all the snow.

I know these things.

So do you, because you've lived them if you live in Michigan - or other parts of the country that get large amounts of snowfall.  

You know that in a few months' time, we'll have moved on to heat wave stories.  And when it's cold and blustery again, we'll be hit again like so many million sharp pellets of snow with cold weather stories because people will have forgotten how to deal with snow.

a blustery day
blognoordhoekvillage.co.za

You are not allowed to complain

It is now June 10, 2014.  

That means it's going to start getting progressively warmer here in the mid-west, until it starts to feel like this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desert

You are not allowed to complain.

You will just suck it up, sit down in the shade of that sparsely leafed tree, and sip a tall cold glass of Shut the Hell Up. 

Why? Because it is now warmer than the sub-zero temperatures we experienced just a few short months ago.

Enjoy!