Transfer

It's been a rough couple of months at work. I haven't worked a full week since the first one in December, This week I was scheduled for just 9 hours, but have been assured "it's nothing personal." Okay. Well, thanks a lot, I guess... I've been tossing applications out into the atmosphere for several weeks. A couple weeks ago I found an area Dunkin looking for a team member and decided to apply. LOL! (All the area Dunkins save one or two are owned by the same three individuals, a brother and sister, and her husband.) Well, I got a response and Monday I transferred to one that will give me more hours and a more regular schedule. I'm exhausted. Ha ha! Partly from working, and partly from getting so little sleep over the weekend because there wasn't a whole lot of communication throughout the process. On Thursday I was transferring to 4 Corners and on Friday I was told Rt 250 in Penfield. Nobody wanted to confirm the location with me and so I got up at 5am Monday hoping to be accepted at the new store. So far so good. I think I'm going to like it.

We've been getting some terribly cold weather. Not quite as cold as Minnesota, but Minnesota like. Frigid. Unbearable, unless one is a Minnesotan. Speaking of Minnesota, I am so proud of them. 

Pippy, my cat has been naughty lately. last week he peed on my bed twice. One night I was up doing laundry at 10:30pm. Two loads, with steam coming out of my ears... And then again two days later.  I'd even bought him a littler box. He didn't like the first one. The litter was too fancy... And the second one I brought in a little too late. Waaahhh! Needless to say, he was banished to the garage during the cold snap and did use the box out there. Hannah build him a nice little insulated box to sleep in, and I took him to the vet on Monday afternoon. He does not have a urinary tract infection, but he did have a check up and got caught up on his vaccines. I'm watching him like a hawk lately and can scarcely wait for the next cold spell. Here's hoping he just uses the box.

Also, my sister and I went out for a winter walk on Sunday afternoon. The walk through the woods was amazing, the temperature was brutal down at the lake, and it was just what I needed. 

More Bits and Pieces

 * Unbeknownst to me, three of my offspring boarded a plane last weekend and flew from Toronto to Halifax, Nova Scotia. (They're all grown up and allowed to go where they will, but as a mom, I wish they would let me know when they take off like that...) They went to find their dad and three aunties. The flight back to Toronto on Sunday was cancelled due to inclement weather and they weren't pleased with the offering of a flight back on Thursday, so they rented a car in Halifax and caravanned home through the northeastern snowstorm with their dad who had driven up the day after his mom's passing. In spite of ice and freezing rain, a pile up on I-90 early Monday, and blowing snow, they arrived home safely Monday night. On Tuesday my daughter took the Canadian rental car back to the Toronto Airport to retrieve her brother's car. (Photo of the lighthouse at Peggy's Cove borrowed from my son Ben.)

* We have been plunged into the deep freeze. Ice and snow on Sunday. Churches closed and the roads were treacherous. I picked up my son Joe at his apartment around 1pm and we drove to Bethany's house to pick up the keys to Ben's apartment. We fed Smoky and hung out with her for a while before heading into Rochester to see Nathan and his band play a show. (I'd purchased tickets ahead of time not knowing the weather.) After the show we returned the keys to Beth's house and went home. 

* Monday was bitter cold but the sun was shining bright when I returned home from work. It seemed a shame to waste the beautiful day so I donned my boots, winter coat, hat, neckie, and warm gloves and took a walk down by the lake. I did not stay long, just long enough to walk from the parking lot at the top of the hill, down the hill and across to the little bridge over the creek. My fingers ached with the cold but I persevered and came home with some nice photos. Without the neckie protecting my neck, chin, cheeks, and nose, I would not have made it that far. 

* It's been a week of snow and arctic temperatures (much of it wind chill), and my coworkers are "so over the snow!" I'll be over it in another month but have purposed to enjoy the cold of February. It will be summer in no time at all and then we will complain about being "too hot!" 

* Family in town this weekend. It remains to be seen how many with whom we'll connect. We're all hoping to join the Celebration of Life in Halifax via Zoom on Saturday, along with a bazillion others scattered across the continent in both Canada and the US.  Prayers are appreciated.

I Don't Blog Much Anymore

 I don't blog much anymore, but our baby went home Friday and that is pretty incredible. Totally blog worthy! I popped in to visit for a spell late this morning and a little into the afternoon.

He was looking chipper, crawling about, and even practiced a bit of free-standing.

I took him a stuffed doggie that I picked up at Walmart mid-week on a lunch break. This morning I hunted down some wide-eyed needles and a bit of black yarn, and I stitched a zipper scar on that puppy's chest.

It was a beautiful, snowy day. Colder than cold. Typical February in upstate NY.

Out and About for a Bit (Post #2)

 It's been a frigid week. Before going off to church this morning, I took a hammer and knocked the chunks of ice buildup behind my front tires off into the driveway. My sister Rachel was excited about the ice she knew was collecting along the lake shore and wondered if I would like to go out and take some pictures with her after church. 

We started at Webster Park where just two weeks ago I collected a handful of beach glass. Today any beach glass was buried under a layer of ice and snow. 

We had also planned a trip to see our brother and take him out for a ride. Because he has difficulty getting in and out of vehicles, we took my little SUV. It was a disappointing ride. He gobbled down the snacks we brought and promptly went to sleep. He didn't even complain when we stopped for pictures of the bison.

Before heading home, we took a ride to Sodus Point and were surprised to meet up with Tom The Backroads Traveller. Rachel had already struck up a conversation when I came around the front of the car. "I know you," he said, and he was right. It's been a while now since we fashioned Christmas wreaths in his barn and I almost didn't recognize him, which is funny because I am often running into people I know. This is the first time Tom and I have chanced to cross paths whilst out gallivanting.

Sodus Point did not disappoint us this afternoon. It was also robed in ice and snow and quite enchanting.

"Winter Storm"

"Winter Storm"

It's a curious term. At least it's curious to me. Isn't winter in upstate New York all about storms? And doesn't winter always come with wind, snow, sleet, and freezing rain? Oh, and below freezing temperatures? Aren't snow tires a necessity? And slippery, snow or ice covered roads a given? Has it really been winter at all without at least one "blizzard"?

When I was a young girl, forecast or not, winter storms typically roared in during the night with plummeting temperatures and swirling mounds of snow. We would lay in bed on week day mornings, ears trained on our radios, waiting for our town to be named in the list of school closings. An unanticipated holiday. A gift from above, in more ways than one. Not so today. Now days school closings are communicated by a call or text to parents, or decided the night before an impending storm is scheduled to arrive.

Today we had a real Snow Day. I went to work like usual because The Daycare never closes. We had one baby today instead of eight, but our toddler room was busy with 8 or 9 little people. The preschoolers combined into one class of about 7 or 8, and I think there were 6 or 7 school age kids. A grand total of about 25, give or take a couple. It was a good morning to visit my toddler friends during breakfast.

I was free to leave work by 1:15 pm and decided to head to Rochester and the pottery studio. I got a great parking place just outside the studio door. I'd bee inside the building less than 5 minutes and was talking with the resident artist who is my current instructor when my phone started to ring. "No one ever calls me..." I told her as I reached for my phone. I glanced at the screen which read "Flower City Art." Ha ha! It was Kate at the front desk in the office calling to tell me my evening class had been cancelled. I stayed to play for a while before heading home for the evening.

* I've made a connection with each of my kids this week and have a new sense of peace inside. In all the world there are none who mean more to me than my kids and grandchildren. Taking care of myself means making sure we stay connected.

Bits and Pieces

Bits and pieces because that's all I can do tonight.

* It's been a cold, snowy run of days. Last night I went home feeling slightly off, climbed the steps early, and turned the light out before 8 pm. I must have needed the rest because aside from getting up to use the bathroom, I slept all night.

* "Weird." That was the topic of conversation in the kitchen at work today, and I said, "Life feels weird. Not here at work, but outside of here life feels weird." And Kristie said, "It won't always feel that way." Perhaps one day life will normalize, but that day is hard to imagine. It seems as if life will always and forever be weird.

* The "D" Word. I thought it would never apply to me, but here it is stuck on my coat. "Divorced" I always thought it an ugly word, and in so many ways it is, but it feels all the uglier because I always hear my mother's words echoing through my thoughts. "God hates divorce." But does he? Is it divorce itself God hates? Or is it the events that lead us to divorce? I pushed it through, and life is weird. *sigh*

* Little arms reaching. Lots of them. They are looking for hugs. All those little arms, and how can I say no? They need hugs and I need them too. "Me! Me!" called one small child as she put her arms in the air. They are hungry for not only the food I bring, but the love. Oh, how I hate telling them I have to go make lunch or wash the dishes.

* The house was quiet and empty when I came home tonight. I considered going out to the pottery studio, but stayed here instead. I found a message from a pottery friend on Facebook. Someone looking to know when I might be there as she doesn't like to be there all alone on the weekend. And then, I signed up for another hand building class because I do not like being alone either. Friday nights from January through March. Eight weeks of mud therapy. Just what I need.
:0)

Sleep, a Storm, and a Song

It's not late, but I need to go to sleep. I haven't been sleeping well and I have to be at work a half hour earlier now. Our baby room was overflowing this morning and we must stay in ratio. There were six infants by the time I punched in this morning. Theoretically, starting a half hour earlier means I'll get out a half hour earlier, but realistically, that ain't happenin'.


We're having another "winter storm." That means it's snowing and driving is nasty. I am still scratching my head and wondering why this is big news. Ever since I can remember we've had winter weather in the winter. We drove in the snow if possible, and stayed home if it was too dangerous. Okay, sometimes we stayed home.

If my praying friends are reading, we still need your prayers. I know I need to turn it all over to the One Who Holds All Things, but I don't always know how. The burden is bigger than I can carry alone and your prayers help. Thank you for lifting us up.

The song? It touched my heart many years ago. I came across it this evening and found myself touched all over again. I once sang it for a child, and today I wonder if it's really sung for me...

It Was Cold Today

With school closed due to the arctic wind chill, we had a different kind of day at the center. No more than 31 children showed up, including our school age group. It was a more relaxed atmosphere and I had the rare privilege of going home 45 minutes early.

I've had two "much better than Monday and Tuesday" days. I know deep inside that grief comes in waves, but when it hits I am still overwhelmed. I also know I am not alone in my grief. Perhaps that is the biggest sorrow of all... It is just a part of why my heart is torn. I will be okay, but there will be days of intense pain in the process of getting there. I need to hurt, it's part of the healing, so please forgive me for the times when it bleeds through my writing.

Life is not all pain. There are hundreds of moments each day when I stop to soak in the blessings and remember to be thankful. Each little child, each hug, each smile... our sweet, soft babies, rascally toddlers, rambunctious preschoolers, and surly school age kids... I smile when our babies learn to walk, to talk, and say my name... We have one small child who calls me "Marka." Ha ha! When Sophia wrapped her little arms around my neck and said, "I luf you," my heart melted a little. I love the children, my coworkers, and my boss. I am thankful for my kitchen and the time I get to spend in the classrooms. It's a good place to be.

I am thankful for week days and week ends, for church on Sunday mornings, my step study on Monday nights, and the pottery studio. I am thankful for our counselor, my sisters, and my attic bedroom. I am thankful for my kids, for the cabinetmaker, and for my friends. I am blessed by the blog and my blog friends, and I'm even thankful for Facebook. And right now, I am thankful it isn't yet 11 o'clock and that my teeth are already brushed. I'm ready to turn out the light and go to sleep. Thanks for being there, guys.

Snow Tires and Stuff

Yesterday morning I was entirely thankful for good tires on my vehicle. (I can't remember if they are snow tires or brand new all-season tires, but they are doing a good job in the snow.) All the roads were snow covered and slick. It was so cold that every step I took made a squeaking sound as the snow moved under my feet. It was what I call "booger-freezing weather! I left home while it was still dark out and didn't come home until it was dark again.

Monday night is Step Study night. I am sorting through hard things. Some of it gets written down, but there are also thoughts still swirling, thoughts that haven't yet found a landing place. I'm learning more about me and it's an interesting journey.

Today was a hard day. A cranky day. I felt off and I knew it, but I made it through. It helps to be aware of my feelings and work my way through the day by giving myself room to breathe and admit I'm not always going to be okay every day. I just need to take one day at a time.

This evening I met my son Joe and we went out to Chipotle for a bite to eat. It's nice to catch up with my kids every once in a while. I knew there would come a day when they would go off on their own, I just didn't know how fast it would get here.

I'm expected at work a half hour early tomorrow morning. For some reason that makes me feel like I need to go to sleep earlier. Or maybe I'm really tired and that's why I was feeling cranky today.
:0)
 

A Little Snow Storm Too

I didn't leave home early enough this morning. I wasn't late leaving, I just needed to leave earlier than I did. My first clue was the snow piled on the hood and windshield. The second was the ice underneath the snow...

Had the roads not been snow covered, the snow not flying sideways, and the temperatures not bitter, I might have arrived at work on time, but blizzard-like conditions have a way of convincing folks to drive closer to 25 miles an hour rather than 45 or 50. (The photo is not from today, rather one I took one snowy November morning. I left my camera upstairs today.) At the halfway point I was doing okay, but rapidly approaching a time crunch. The kicker was the 55 mile an hour section where the guy in front was going about 20 miles an hour.

I punched in ten minutes late. (Yes, we still have a time clock with cards to punch.) Thankfully, I still worked my 8 hours and punched out at ten minutes til five. Between the holiday and going home early, I lost about 8 hours last week. My unused vacation time is in this week's check, but it feels like I've been shorted by an entire day. Ha.ha! I think I might get over it. I do typically garner a little bit of overtime most weeks.

I went to the pottery studio last night before the storm blew in and worked on another box with a figure on top. This time it's sitting on the edge of the lid with its legs hanging over the front. I'm never sure what I'm going to do with them until they happen and sometimes I find myself smiling at the result. Kind of like the little guy standing on his head on the lid of the little trinket box. I might have stayed longer last night, but the few others there cleared out early and being there alone just isn't quite the same. Besides, my car was parked across Monroe Avenue and I'm not real keen on being in the city alone in the dark. I decided to go home once I was done. It was only 7:30 pm. and the snow hadn't yet started to pile up.

Oh, Fickle Month of March

March is fickle. There was no snow on the ground yesterday. In fact it was sixty degrees earlier this week. I left my pottery class early last night (I'd run out of things to work on) and drove home in a drizzle of rain. It wasn't long after my return that the wind picked up. I heard the house squeak as the wind whipped around it, and I drifted off to sleep.

Sergio asked me early if I wanted him to clear out the driveway. "It looks really bad out there," he said. But I told him I'd see how it went... Ha ha! There was a foot or two of heavy wet snow in the driveway. Once I'd conceded defeat, we worked on clearing a path to the road together. It took both of us to break through the barrier the snowplow had created at the bottom of the driveway.




I must not have left too much later than normal. The roads were slushy and slick, and the drive was slow. Thankfully, the back roads I travel weren't too busy. We all took it slow this morning, everyone out driving, that is. I arrived at work late, but only by about ten minutes "Tot Spot time."








On my lunch hour I went for a ride and took a few pictures. I didn't travel far, just down the road and across the canal.

Maybe I should have used the time to build a snowman or two on the daycare sidewalk... Ha ha! (They would probably have me committed.)

Snowy Rochester on Sunday

I took a few photos as I looked for a parking spot on my way to the pottery studio yesterday afternoon. I normally park at the church across the street because they will share with the art studio, but being Sunday, the parking lot was a bit crowded.

I drove around the block. I drove around a couple blocks.

I went back to the church and as I drove into the lot I prayed, "Lord, could you please give me a little parking spot?" And what do you know?  A little red car was just backing out of hers. My prayer was answered. I smiled and said, "Thank you."

The parking lot at work was a sheet of ice this morning. I wished for a nice pair of freshly sharpened skates as I inched my way up the slope toward the safety of the side walk and hoped I would stay on my feet. Mostly because it's painful to fall, and also because I would be horribly embarrassed if I had to crawl across the lot on my hands and knees because the pavement was too slippery for me to get up again.

By late morning or early afternoon the ice was gone and the parking lot was safe again.

Winter Surprise!

Weekends are for snowstorms and bitter cold temperatures. Or maybe that is winter in general. The temperature gauge in my van read 54 degree on my way to work yesterday morning. By the time I went home nine hours later, it was reading 34. As the rain continued to fall, the temperature continued to drop. By this morning we had about two feet of snow in the driveway. I had my reservations when I saw Sergio's snowblower last weekend, but it is doing the job and has earned its keep in just seven days.

The snow must have fallen all night long. Rarely have I seen so many vehicles literally buried in snow. While Sergio ran the snowblower, I took the shovel and cleaned the house and garage sides of my car. Soft, fluffy and light on top, heavy and slushy underneath. It's crazy to think that yesterday morning there was literally no snow in the driveway or yard, just dirty, leftover piles along the edge of the street.

People are commenting on the "crazy weather" we've been having, but this is exactly what I remember it being like when I was a little girl, and that held true all the way through my high school years. In fact, I've often found myself wondering why we so rarely get crazy snowstorms anymore.

I even took a walk around the corner and down to the woods this afternoon. (I'm reliving my childhood whenever possible...) I came home with snow up to my knees and finally took off the wet jeans and traded them in for flannel jammie pants. And then I shivered for what felt like hours. Ha ha! (I'm toasty warm now.)

Winter's Blast

It's been bitterly cold. I probably don't have to tell you that. You likely already know.


I got stuck in the driveway yesterday afternoon and we didn't bother trying to remedy the situation. It's just too cold out there and we had nowhere to go today. We stayed in, and the van stayed put. Zero with a windchill of who-knows-what is nothing to toy with. It's not in the street and tomorrow's temperatures are forecast to be more tolerable and so we will worry about it then. Looks like I won't make it to the 9 am service at church...

It was a lazy headachy kind of day. More of what plagued me last week, a regular weekend thing. I'm beginning to think it psychological, or maybe it's from being tired...  I kept waking up counting babies who would or wouldn't be at the daycare yesterday. This afternoon I took some Nyquil for the sinus pressure and conked out  on the couch. I woke up a few hours later feeling much better.

Since the windchill is below booger freezing, I only dared poke my camera out the windows today. Yup. It's cold out there.

Goodbye to 2017

I woke up this morning in a Winter Wonderland. Before leaving for church I brushed the snow off my car into the street so Sergio didn't have to clean that shovelful (or two or three) off the driveway, 'cause I'm nice like that, and drove through a Christmas Card world. On the way home the snow fell off wires and branches in huge fluffy clumps. It was glorious!

On the way home I stopped to get gas, and then ran in Barnes and Nobel to pick up a couple of books that didn't come in time for the holidays. I meant to buy only the two books I'd ordered, but the fifty percent off Christmas sale sucked me in. I found a nice holiday puzzle, and a picture book to give my grandkids next year (I bought five copies.) and then I saw these really cool Advent calendars with no chocolate involved. (I bought six. One for me because it feels like I've lost the excitement of Jesus' birth in the commercialism.) I'm hoping to recapture some of the wonder I felt as a small child as the birth of Christ drew near, and hopefully pass some of it on to my grandchildren.

Rachel and I took our brother out for a ride through the frozen countryside this afternoon. She has good snow tires and it's a good thing. We drove down snowy back roads past snow covered bison and the Brantling Ski Slope where die-hard skiers were braving frigid wind chills. Brave souls! Tim was treated to his "small chocolate Frosty, please"before we returned him to the house. I am blessed to hear him speak short words and phrases, and grace us with hugs when it's time to go. He watches out the window as we get in the car and drive away.

Tonight, although I was invited for chicken soup at the house in Williamson, I am here in my attic room. It's cold and blustery, and I've been fighting that sinus pressure again this weekend. I decided to toast the New Year with a capful of Nyquil and tuck myself into bed. 2017 will soon be a memory. It was a year full of joys and challenges, laughter and tears. I can't say I'm glad to see it go... Some people are always bidding good riddance to the past year, as if it was some kind of plague... The New Year will come bringing its own blessings and sorrow. There will be pain and celebration, just like always, and many reason to smile and be grateful.

When Winter Kisses Autum

"When winter kisses autumn..." That's what Bethany called it.

We woke up to snow yesterday morning. And bitter cold. The temperature dropped 30 degrees overnight and left us scrambling for mittens and snow scrapers. I wanted my own photo memory but the back of my camera flashed "change battery pack" and I couldn't find the backup pack at the time, so I am stealing a picture from that sweet daughter of mine.

Today is Veteran's Day and also the 24th anniversary of my sweet, chubby cheeked baby's birth. He is all as sweet today as he was when he made his arrival, but not quite so chubby in the cheeks.  His apple pie is in the oven and the house smells yummy. Later today we will meet at a spaghetti dinner fundraiser and I will buy him a dinner and deliver his pie. I pray he has a super, wonderful, fantastic kind of day.

Happy Birthday to my favorite Benjamin!

It Was a Zoo!

It's February and kids get into the zoo free with a paying adult, so we packed up a few kids and went out to enjoy midwinter. Along with the rest of Rochester, NY.

The parking lot was full. No surprise there. So we parked down the road in the "overflow" parking lot. We could take the shuttle bus into the zoo or walk. We walked.

February is typically brutal in upstate NY, but for some reason this past week has been more like late spring. (Actually, it felt a little like early October, 65 degrees, naked trees, and leaves blowing around.)

I'd imagine the zoo seldom has great crowds of visitors in February, which is probably why kids get in free...

I had to laugh at this sign. Couldn't help it. And to top it off, several children, who hadn't read the sign, were howling into the wind.