On the Positive Side

First thing I noticed this morning was that even though the temperature was colder, the windchill was like 25 degrees warmer than yesterday. In fact the "RealFeel" temp was warmer than the air temp. So that's like a Heat Index, right?

I wish. Still, it was enough of a positive to get me to start up Black Betty with a bam-a-lam! She started and I let her warm up a bit, backed out of the garage and... then the garage door didn't shut. I suppose it's better that it was frozen open for awhile today instead of locking us in. (P.S. It's fixed now. Thanks to a smart neighbor! Another positive.)

During the day, it was no school and no mail delivery again for a big chunk of the state. Uff da.

After work, Black Betty started up again. That was my main concern. After sitting 9 hours in the cold. What a trooper. And now we're on the warming trend for the weekend. That's Midwestern warming as in approaching the freezing mark.

In the meantime, let's just laugh at what we just lived through. This is a hilarious clip of Twin Cities Live's Steve Patterson's appearance today on Live with Kelly and Ryan.



Really. This. Is. Us. In Wisconsin and Minnesota. And the rest of the world just doesn't get it.

As I told a co-worker today who recently moved from the Carolinas, "At least we don't have hurricanes."

How to Survive Another Day in Polar-dise

Well, that arctic blast is living up to its hype. Wisconsin was basically closed today. No school. No postal delivery. Apparently the worst windchills for decades.

First, I have to acknowledge the weather forecasters. Regrettably, you were right. It is stinkin' cold. Flippin' frigid. Not enough words to describe, but Polar Vortex does do it justice.

Woke up to negative 28 (I used to think it was my lucky number) with windchill of negative 57. Or a "real feel" of roughly 80 degrees below freezing. Does that help illustrate the magnitude of the chill factor here? Good.

Since I had the opportunity to work from home today, I took it. I really need to name my car because I will have to do some major sweet talking to get her out of the garage tomorrow morning – when it's going to be another day in polar-dise.

Here's a few survival tips I learned today...

1. If you're cold, they're cold. Bring them inside. Probably refers mainly to husbands, children, and pets. But I considered it for our Skol Man. Then I thought, what kind of viking would he be if he can't handle a little cold?

2. Dress warmly. As my work-from-home hubby pointed out, I was a fashion disaster today. But if you want to feel warm, you wear a Maui sweatshirt and fleece-lined leggings. If all you have is Christmas ones, go for it. It's about practicality.

3. Seek the sun. From indoors, that is. I took a cue from kitty and set up my kitchen table office near the front windows. So much warmer there than my north-facing office!

Sylvester's like, "Duh. I'm smarter than I look."

4. Go outside. Yes, do it. I  was reminded of this tip on Facebook. Check your heat vent on the outside of your house to be sure it's not blocked by ice.  I was glad I did. Luckily, I was able to knock over this big fella without breaking a toe. Scary.

5. Call your mother. Especially if she lives alone. I was relieved when I talked to Mom and she assured me she's been staying put and has not plans to venture out the next few days. Probably a good thing they don't have garage sales during a Polar Vortex. Must be a rule or something.

6. Be smart. I'm sure I'll venture out and go to work tomorrow – if the car cooperates. But really, if you don't have to go anywhere, don't. At least not until Friday, when the warm-up starts.

Did someone say warm? Still freezing temps, but yes, we'll be able to tell the difference.

Escape from Wisconsin

Hey, how about we not talk about the weather for a minute? We know. It's cold. Arctic cold. And the state of Wisconsin is pretty much shut down for the next few days. So let's escape to Munich.

Yup. You never thought you'd say it, but let's go. Beats what we're dealing with here.

Some views of Carter's weekend trip. Worth the 6-hour bus ride? He thought so...

View from his hotel for the weekend. That's a big ol' church in the distance.

Mini golf! Wow. He said it was "suuuuuuper cool." I agree!

In the heart of Munich. (This reminds me so much of Stockholm!)

Just the average-looking train station in Munich.

"BMW Museum. Had to visit!"

When Carter was in Germany for a month in high school they got to tour the BMW plant. He's been hooked ever since and would love to work there! Employee discount, anyone?

Sorry, kiddo. That won't fit in your suitcase.

 Cool bridge. 

In his words: "Big ole church in the center of the city. Beautiful." Yes! Gorgeous. I'm sure the inside is amazing, too. Glad the weather cooperated enough for the group to walk around and see a lot.

Carter said they also toured the Dachau Concentration Camp. Another site he visited when he was there in 2015. Now, though, he understands and appreciates it more. So much history there! He did not get to see his old host family, though. Our boy Lukas was under the weather. Hopefully they'll connect at some point.

Hope you enjoyed Munich. As a bonus photo, here is one back in Heidelberg. This is in the Alstadt of Heidelberg – or "old town." See, look at you learning something! I guess not all of your brain cells are frozen quite yet. 

Hang in there. Maybe we can escape together again soon!

Homebound and Hunkered Down

Although we only had 6 inches of snow (and counting) when I woke up this morning, I made the call to stay home. I know. With age comes wisdom. I had a few messages from friends who had already made the trek earlier than 6:30 a.m. and they all said: "Stay home!" You don't have to tell me twice on a Monday morning to roll over and go back to sleep.

By mid-morning, they had declared my route to work a Danger Zone anyway. And warned: Don't travel if you don't have to across central and southern Wisconsin today! Feel blessed I had the option to do that. Granted, I'd rather take vacation in the summer. But I also would rather not be in the ditch. It's a balancing act.

I spent most of the day in my office anyway. Here's the view with snow piling up on the deck.

 I think all totaled we got 8 inches here. Sun peaked out in early afternoon and, though it was forecast to snow until 6 p.m., it quit. So I suppose I could have gave it an effort to go in for half a day. But the plows didn't come 'til later anyway.

Went to get the mail when the plow was done and had to take a picture of Carter's car parked in the yard. Just to show him what he's missing. That and projected -50 degree windchills in Platteville on Wednesday. Yowza.

As a bonus today, since we were home in the afternoon, we got to do a video call with Carter before he went to bed. We didn't have our Sunday night call because he was in Munich all weekend and got back to Heidelberg really late. What a treat to SEE him! He's doing well, learning a lot, and having fun.

Here's our driveway, which only seems long in the winter! Bless my hubby for handling all the snow removal. I did have a very productive day between church and freelance projects, plus personal filing. Not exciting but I wonder when I would have gotten to that this week.

Probably one of these evenings when we're homebound and hunkered down again – for the deep freeze. Not snow.

I think the meteorologist on the Weather Channel said it best today when talking about the upper Midwest: "Bless those people for living there!"

We've Been Warned

Don't you love playing the game of "Weather Forecaster: Who to Believe?"

By the time I was out of church today – and it was bright and sunny, mind you – they'd already called off school tomorrow for the Wisconsin Rapids area. A whole host of others followed. Pretty much the whole state by now.

For my readers not familiar with the Wisconsin map, we're right in the middle. See the town Nekoosa on there? We're sitting on the "ko" area. So yes. Right on the mythical line between 8-14 inches and mere 6-10 inches.

Either way, it's considered a Winter Storm Warning. Capitalized for emphasis, of course. And it will bring the snow plus winds gusting to 30 mph. Oh, along with the sub-zero temperatures. Those will continue. Perfect shoveling weather, right?

So yeah, I'm pretty sure the chances of me taking a serious STAY-cation is about 99%. And that STAY-cation will definitely involve staying in the house. Except to help hubby shovel and blow snow.

If the forecasters are wrong, then I guess, heigh-ho, heigh-ho.

Who to believe? Who to believe?

I'm leaning towards adhering to the warnings about "travel will be difficult" and "near white-out conditions possible." Yup. That guy.

Be smart, people. And safe. We'll snuggle up and get through this together!

North Pole-r Vortex

Woke up to some 15 degrees below zero. But it was so sunny out, you just figured when you stepped outside it would be nice. Not so.

Still, I had to run errands and boy, did I do those in record time. Didn't want the car to cool off too much. Primary stop was the post office to send a package to Mr. World Traveler. Trust me, it cost more the send the package than the value of the contents – and that even include his new contacts! Crazy. Guess he's worth it!

This evening, hubby took he mom and two aunts to see a Neil Diamond tribute band/person up in Wausau. It was their Christmas gift from him. So I hitched a ride with friends to Pacelli High School to watch the Royals in action. Three games: boys JV, boys Varsity, and girls Varsity.

Exciting games. Only the girls pulled out a victory but I was so glad I got to go and see them all play. It was nice to not have to drive, too. I just plain old hate winter!

Now I better hit the hay. I've got early church and frantic, hissy-faced cat to calm down before bed. She just doesn't like dogs and is not afraid to show it. #Princess World Problems

The Tail of Two Princesses

Hi. My name is Rey (pronounced Rae). My daddy Casey and I are visiting my human Grandpa and Grandma Austin. And I am on their magic couch! It makes me sleepy. They have a smelly furball they call Sylvester or kitty.

She doesn't like me. She was very surprised to see me. And then hissed at me. And ran away to a room down the hallway. Apparently, she's a princess.

Apparently, she doesn't that I am a princess, too, at MY house in the Twin Cities.

Maybe we'll get along in the castle on Blue Jay Drive as long as I stay locked up in my human cousin Carter's room with Daddy tonight. And Grandma Jim and Grandma Robyn Rae keep the long-haired hissy face out of my sight.

I think they'll listen to me and my commands. They might look like royal subjects to Princess Poops-A-Lot, but they have gifted their grandpup some seriously good belly rubs.

Hope your weekend is as good as mine! Woof!

A Slow Leak

Although I can be accused once in awhile of being the Princess and the Pea (yes, there are two princesses in the house), apparently I’m oblivious to items that are larger and sharper. Like nails.

One of conveniences at my office is that we have an auto shop for non-major work like oil changes and tire rotations. I don't know why I decided today of all days I'd finally call about getting an oil change. But I'm glad I did.

They called me and said they had good news and bad news. I hate that. Because you know something is still gonna cost money. Right?

Bad news: They found a nail in my rear tire causing a slow leak.
Good news: They could fix it.

Don't let anyone tell you size matters. This little guy could have caused a huge, miserable flat-tire experience during this polar vortex we got going in Wisconsin. That would have been awful!

So thank you, eagle-eyed Auto Man. You're my hero.

And now maybe I'll start paying attention to the little things in life that are causing a slow leak – slow leak of my energy, my patience, my time – before they blow up. I guess even small things can bring big lessons.

Grant Me Patience, Grasshopper

Saw this today and it spoke to me. Especially at this time of year where we got so gung-ho over New Year's resolution and then beat ourselves up for lack of progress. Well, it IS January. But it's only January 23.

Patience, Grasshopper.

Another gem from Wiki-Robyn, did you "Patience, grasshopper" comes from the 1970s TV show called Kung Fu? Even with all my kickboxing knowledge, I didn't know that. David Carradine played the role of Kwai Chang Caine, a half-American half chinese character in the old west who had been trained as a Shaolin monk in China. The show featured flashbacks to his training where he was called "Grasshopper" by his master. So now you know.

And now.... do you have patience, young Grasshopper?

I don't. But I'll get there. As I said to myself on the slippery drive to work this morning: You go slow, you go far.

So I will follow this revised Serenity Prayer and not beat myself up for being imperfect. But applaud myself because today I can say I'm doing better than I was yesterday.

That deserves an "amen," right?

Stay strong, friends. And exercise patience, Grasshopper!

Well it is January

We're in a Deep Freeze Sandwich this week. Super frigid temps Monday and Friday with a few inches of snow layered in on Tuesday to Thursday. It's starting to feel like, well, January. Guess we got off pretty nicely for awhile there.

The cold can be painful but the interim precipitation days are a bigger headache. This morning it was sprinkling on the way to work. But since it was only 16 degrees, the rain immediately iced up my windshield and my wipers couldn't keep up. Had to stop at the gas station and scrape. Then wisely filled up my wiper tank knowing I'd probably be cleaning my way to clear vision on the rest of the drive.

That was unexpected.

What was expected was snowfall in the afternoon, this evening, and tomorrow. The positive for us here in the exact center of the state is that the forecasters got it wrong. Wisconsin Rapids had been sitting on a line between the 2-5 inches and the 3-10 inches bands of predicted snow. By the time I got home from a "slippery but take it slow and you'll be fine" commute, the forecast for our neck of the woods changed to 1-3 inches tonight on top of the inch or so we got.

Not snow-maggedon. Just January.

So since every jumped the gun and canceled school activities, we didn't go to hoops and hubby didn't have to sub for bowling tonight either. I could have hunkered down and watched some Hallmark but I'm in my office, wearing a "warming pillow" on my neck and diffusing some doTERRA Cheer oil. Nice.

And sorting through mail, papers, piles. Uploading and organizing photos. And trying to clean.

Just like the Deep Freeze Sandwich, it's all balance.

Once in a Super Blood Wolf Moon

It seems that once in a blue moon you have two OT championship games to get to the Superbowl. And once in a blue moon, you also get a super moon, a blood moon, and the wolf moon. All in one. Freakin'. Freezing. Night.

A Super Blood Wolf Moon. Pretty c-c-c-c-c-ool.

They called it a rare cosmic event that three lunar phenomena converge. So the super part is because it was close to the earth so appeared larger. Oh by the way, this is wiki-Robyn talking. The blood part is because during the eclipse, the moon didn't disappear entirely and instead turned a rusty shade of red. And wolf moon is the traditional name for the January full moon. Who knew? All I knew was that this crazy cosmic combo hadn't happened since 1866 or something crazy like that.

So I was a lunatic (see what I did there?) and braved the well-below-zero temps to attempt capture this historic event. Even though is was also well past my bedtime.

All I can say is that it was so stinkin' cold, even my camera wanted to be inside and tucked under my electric blanket. And that was only 30 second stints every 10 minutes to mark progress. So needless to say, the pictures in the beginning were a bit clearer.

But by the eclipse time, the moon was too high for my tripod and my freezing, shaking hands couldn't hold the camera still. And then, the camera wouldn't focus or let me snap a picture. At all. So this is what you get...
 

 

Yup, not my best work, but you get the idea. 

And do you know when it looked the best? This morning on my way to work. Low to the sky, very large, against a pink morning sky. And where was my camera? Back at home, tucked into my warm bed, I'm sure!

With Great Power...

Although I could be talking about NFL refs tonight, I am actually still watching football – and waiting for the red moon. So I'll share my column for today's church bulletin...

With Great Power...

Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.
There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.
Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines. – 1 Corinthians 12: 1-12

If your Spidey senses are tingling when you read 1 Corinthians 12 today, they should. We’re talking about major powers here. And, you know, responsibility.

Back in Biblical times, spiritual gifts were extraordinary powers bestowed on select individuals to convince unbelievers and to spread the gospel. We know now that those gifts – evidence of the Holy Spirit’s work – can appear in the life of any Christian, not just prophets and church leaders.

We also know (or should) that Spider-man’s Uncle Ben was pretty wise when he warned Peter Parker: “With great power comes great responsibility.”

I love this reading in Corinthians because it’s a reminder we all have gifts! But… wait for it… we can’t take credit for any of them. Humbling, right? The gifts Paul listed – from healing powers to prophecy and speaking in tongues – aren’t human skills. Not really. People can’t do these things unless the Holy Spirit is working in their lives. The danger, as Uncle Ben knew, is that the more power (or perceived power) people possess, the more they are tempted to use it for personal glory and personal gain. Not for God’s glory.

It’s sort of like a comic book battle between the superhero Holy Spirit and the villain Satan. Thank God that right always wins. In the Marvel Universe and ours.

Is God giving us these gifts to test us? I don’t think so. I believe He wants us to use them for same purpose as 2,000 years ago. Share his love, convince unbelievers, and spread the gospel. Makes sense. My “skill” as a writer is only a “gift” if I share it and it somehow touches someone in a positive manner. I’m sure you have gifts like that, too!

“With great power comes great responsibility” really has a simple meaning: If you have the ability to do something, make sure that you do it for the good of others. If you can stop something bad from happening, do it. But you don’t have to be a superhero to follow those words of wisdom. It’s possible to do small actions that have a big impact in the world.

Think of that when you share the peace today. You have the power right in your hands to bless others! Amen.

Starting to Shovel Out

While much of southern Wisconsin got a good dumping of snow overnight, we just had enough in central Wisconsin to require shoveling. I mean, if you're anal about having your driveway clear. You could still drive through it but why not shovel on a nice sunny, 11-degree day?

Since hubby was in town officiating a basketball tournament all day, I had the house to myself. He claims he has an app that alerts him when I've watched and erased a Hallmark movie off the DVR. Ha. But I honestly didn't sit around watching movies and eating ice cream and bon bons.

I did my Saturday chores of the typical sweeping, dusting, vacuuming variety. Got some photos uploaded from middle school hoops the other day. Then decided that it wasn't going to get much warmer out, so I donned my Minnesota Twins trooper hat and got shoveling. I actually worked up a sweat. Probably all the layers. The snow itself was pretty light so not terribly hard work. Just tedious.

Plenty of thinking time about what I should do in the house to sincerely start that decluttering and organization business.

Although I would have rather sat in a kitchen chair that doubles as a "beach chair" when the sun hits it just right, I decided to do something.

I started with the kitchen cupboards. Not the dishes ones. But the food ones. Went through every one, throwing out expired food. I know. It's shameful and embarrassing that people are starving and I am throwing out food. Some food is probably pretty OK after expiration dates. But not when they're 2016 or 2017. Yup. I don't do this often enough!

It went pretty quickly even though I had to take things out of boxes so I could breakdown the cardboard for recycling. Didn't have as much as I thought we might. But I did do this a few years ago. And we have a lot less food in the cupboards since it's just two of us here.

So that was step one. I decided to sit down and watch movie after that. If you haven't seen Dumplin' on Netflix – featuring Jennifer Aniston and the music of Dolly Parton – you should see it. Good story. Very good message!

Now hubby's home and I'm going to sit in the recliner opposite his and maybe think about what I'll tackle tomorrow. Eventually, I'll get shoveled out.

Fish Fry with Alumni

It's always a treat for me to see old friends. And by old, I mean, we've known each other a long time and, yes, we're both old. Tonight it was hubby's turn.

One of his college roommates has moved back into the area and, after post-Christmas card communications, we decided to meet up for a fish fry. They live near the Eau Pleine river between Stratford and Halder – where Jim's dad and grandparents lived. So we met up at a bar and grill not far at all from the old homestead.

All I knew about this roommate was that his nickname was Big Guy. Everyone who lived in that house at UW-Whitewater had nicknames, apparently. In real life, he and his wife are Dean and Gina. And very, very nice.

Ended up being a good thing that we picked the one establishment with the slowest service known to mankind. That allowed for a whole lotta reminiscing on the good ol' days and catching up about careers, kids, and other stuff.

They hadn't seen each in decades but I'm sure you'll agree they both still look like college kids, right?

It was cool for them to connect and for us spouses to meet, too. I do hope we'll get together with them again. Maybe when the big Eau Pleine waters aren't frozen!

The Con of Konmari

Probably the number one New Year's resolution after the old standby involving some scary new healthy eating habit is some sort of resolve towards decluttering, organizing, simplifying.

So many friends are sharing their new found dedication on Facebook. I feel both inspired and shameful. Because, like every other year, I still need to do this!

I recognize my problematic thinking on accumulating clutter. It's not on purpose. It just happens. And I guess I can see how...

I either think something is too nice or worth too much to just give away. Or I think I will use it again (because darn it, I'll start making cards with those Stampin'Up stamps at some point). Or it's in the procrastination Black Hole (I am going to do something with this but haven't quite got around to that yet). Or it is a keepsake (which might be a free pass if I would just store it or display it properly).

Today I scored a point for keeping something because I or someone else might need it someday. My girlfriend texted me about the picture frame thing I made for my family Christmas photo booth. I would have happily given it to her but hubby threw it out after I waited too long to figure out what I was going to do with it!

See, someone really could have used it!

I honestly will give this a go again. Not sure about the KonMari method. You can see from the joke above that I seriously wouldn't have the right focus on what brings me joy. But I can see how it does lead to stress when every time I enter my "Oh My God" Room I still say OMG.

You'll know I'm feeling joyful when I just call it my office.

Here's to another round.

Breaking (the Diet) News

In my world, breaking news usually means breaking the diet kind of news. Who knew when I got up this morning that I wouldn't even have to wait a month until King Cone opens again?!

Hey, we gotta celebrate the small (well, medium for sure) stuff.

In other news, the ice melted – on the main roads anyway, but it drizzled a bit over in Carter's neck of the woods. He and a bunch of other students hopped a train over to Mannheim (as in Steamroller) this afternoon for shopping and sightseeing. So weird to just hop on trains everywhere. Some days it would be nice to let someone else drive! A few pictures...

A funky exterior to a shopping center!

And a random statue that probably has significance, but he snapped the photo from the train.

When they got back to Heidelberg, his group met up with some more students at a pizza place. Yes, Italian pizza in Germany enjoyed by our American and his new friends from Chile, Switzerland, Costa Rica, South Korea, and so on.

Suddenly my King Cone news seems pretty small scale and boring. You got anything better?