Snow days

I went for a walk in the snow late last night. There must have been 6 inches of it all over everything (there is more now). I stepped into the backyard, and was transfixed. I had stumbled into faerie-land. Somehow, I was on the other side of the wardrobe. As I walked through the soft glowing wood, I kept expecting a faun with a large umbrella to come trotting out from under the sleeping, woolly trees. I readied myself to help pick up the packages he would, of course, drop. I really don't think I would have been much surprised if some creature had come out to greet me. Anything can happen when the snow covers the world and the imagination wonders.

The houses twinkled their lights merrily all along the way, and the snow turned innocent front-garden plants into fearsome sea-creatures and terrible beasts. They had long, thin necks and terrifying large heads; they seemed to be popping up from the ground, their frosty horns preceding them out of the deep. One of the horrid, long, prickly arms reached out and plopped a freezing fist-full of snow into my startled face.

I came out of my happy imaginings every time I slipped spectacularly. I fancied myself a dainty, elfish maiden, tripping through the frozen forest. Actually I looked more like an abominable snowman while I trudged through the slippery slush, plunged through the drifts, and fell on the hidden ice in my red cap and nylon snow-suit, and fake uggs. But it was glorious anyhow.


This morning I took Little Brother on a quest for a good sledding hill. He was wearing his matching black snow-suit. We found a good hill, but after a half an hour of trying to pack it down hard enough for my ancient, round, red sled to glide down (without help), we gave up the idea and rolled around and threw snowballs instead. I ended up hauling him (in the sled) up and down all the rolling hills in our neighborhood. We came back flushed, happy, and very tired. I am spending the rest of my day crocheting and beading Christmas presents, eating cookies, and singing carols.  Isn't that a thoroughly satisfactory way to spend a weekend?

Snow, snow, snow, snow, SNOW!

We are expecting to be snowed in this weekend! It started snowing at 3 today (I came home from work early because of it), and there are already 4+ inches. !! It is so amazingly beautiful, I could stand in it for ages (but it's way to cold, unfortunately). Here are a couple bad and inadequate pictures that don't even begin to show the utter majesty and spectacular-ness of this snow.

                              Doesn't our house look cozy?

Someone is excited!

Restless ramblings

An incredibly cliche-sounding title, I know. But that is what this post is. Exactly what this post is. I didn't really sleep last night, and I'm not worth anything when I don't sleep. I can't concentrate on anything, I'm antsy and sluggish at the same time, and I usually have a magnificent headache to go along with it. Today has been exactly like that. I didn't go and take class (my daily ballet class), because the headache was all pervading and I knew I wouldn't be able to work well. I'm feeling better now, thanks to lounging, a shower, cocoa, and lots of ibuprofen. I'm also listening to Pandora, and that always makes me happy (I ADORE Pandora. Today I've been alternating between Bing Crosby radio and Classic Christmas).

This month is going to be insanely busy. Company auditions start in January, and I have to get my resume and photos and DVDs of performance work off by the first of the year. I'm still researching companies and putting together the resume, and figuring out which pictures to include. I'm a little freaked about the getting-into-shape bit; I have been sick for the last 6 weeks and I'm going to have to really build my strength back up. I want to scream and throw up and jump up and down whenever I think of auditions.

I'm trying to make most of my Christmas gifts this year, either knitting or crocheting or jewelry or baking. I have a lot to do in only a few short weeks! I might post pictures of some of my projects, but only if I'm sure the recipients won't see them.

It's getting cold, and the flies are coming inside to escape the frost. I do not like it when there are 8 flies flying around my room. I am getting quite good at getting them with a rolled up Pointe magazine (which is an excellent fly-swatter. The Smithsonian is good too, as well as Lands End and LL Bean). I do admit to feeling slight pangs of remorse when they drop, though. I was watching one on the empty pew in front of me yesterday in church. It was rubbing it's front legs together as they all do, when suddenly it turned it's head and rubbed it like a cat does! I have to admit, it was cute. It was. It reminded me of a little old woman with big spectacles wringing her hands together. But when it started to scoot around and buzz again, I couldn't stand it, so I touched the pew with my foot. It felt the tremor and flew off to annoy someone else.

I have lots of other things I'd like to blog about, but they can wait. I'm getting stiff, and my hands are freezing. So tootle pip for now.