Snowpocalypse 2011

OK, I've got to jump on this bandwagon, too.

On Tuesday night, I was giddy with delight and wishing with all my might that I might be in Indiana, joining in on preparations for the BLIZZARD OF THE CENTURY (or something like that). While talking to my parents, I thought of my friend, who is a CPA and smack in the middle of tax season. Afraid that her boss declared that his entire staff of 5 would be camped out in the office for the duration of Snowpocalypse 2011, so I called her at home, just to see if she there, or shivering in the basement of her office, subsisting on cheese crackers and M&Ms.

Much to my relief, she was home, and fairly confident that she'd get the following day off. In February--her busiest month! See, crazy snow isn't all bad.

And as I just love ridiculous amounts of snow, I just really, really wanted to be there. However, as the Dallas airport was closed on Tuesday, thanks to the aforementioned snow, I figured I was out of luck (for a number of other reasons as well).

Mother Nature must have heard my longing for snow and nasty weather, and "blessed" us with what she wasn't currently dumping on the rest of North America. Wednesday morning, my house was nice and toasty, so I didn't think much about heading out of the house, dressed in two shirts and a sweater. As soon as I stepped out the door--DEAR HEAVENS IT WAS COLD!!!!

We spent most of the day, curled up in Patty's room (which she's currently sharing with my mother-in-law), as it's the only room that doesn't have windows to the outside. I bundled up my surviving plants as well as possible as the cold crept its clammy fingers through the cinderblocks that compose my house, and we adjusted ourselves to having Cold as this weekend's houseguest.

Mario took the day off today. Like any other day that he has off, he had to pay his respects to the bank. As the car is in the shop, we bundled up and just walked the 10 blocks downtown--Clara included. I dreaded the dirty looks and comments from passerby about "that poor baby out in the cold!" Fortunately, Mario was carrying her, so put him in charge of fielding any and all comments, as I would no doubt be invariably rude. (The whole Mexican habit of random strangers butting in to tell me how to raise my child just make me want to blow my top.) Mario is generally much more polite than I am.

Of course, the only lady who did say anything was a woman waltzing around with her forearms uncovered. I thought it rather ironic that she could feel for my "poor baby"--well bundled in multiple layers of clothes, hat, mittens, and down-lined jacket--while she herself was most inappropriately dressed for the freezing temperatures (-2 Celsius when we left the house).

Furthermore, we woke up that morning without water, as the pipes had frozen during the night. Throughout our walk downtown, what was the constant background noise? Water gushing off of rooftops, and car tires driving through the considerable amount of water on the road, thanks to hundreds of water pipes bursting during the night. So far, ours are intact. Here's hoping they stay that way (despite the fact that Mario only insulated the joints of the exposed piping . . . had a feeling that was a bad idea. But did I do anything about it? Nope. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed).

The good heater is currently running in Clara's room, and we're all going to be curled up in Patty's room for the rest of the evening with a lesser heater while we watch Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban--which is likely what I'd be doing were I in Indiana this week, after all.

In the end, I am getting my fair share of the wonderful winter weather that I was so sure I'd miss out on.

But, hoo Nelly--do I miss central heating!