Popsicle Bullets

• Sunday 8:30 pm, snow starts.
• Monday morning, freezing rain on top of snow.
• Monday, stay home.
• Tuesday, stay home. Hopefully clean ice covered snow blanket from car.
• Wednesday morning fret about staying home or trying to get to work.
• Soundtrack from Sunday to Wednesday:  Weather Channel
• Wednesday my office only had a handful of folks in it - and I almost chickened out but I made myself drive in while there were fewer people on the road.  Whew, not so bad I thought.  Until I had to drive home.  On the ride home, I discovered I have trust issues with drivers with no snow/ice driving experience who blow by at 40 mph when there is precisely 1.5 lanes open heading up Peachtree Street at 5 pm on Wednesday afternoon.
• Today I got a ride to/from work with a co-worker.  [thanks, Cindy!]
• On one side of Atlanta: frozen tractor trailer trucks. 
• Other sides of Atlanta:  restaurants and grocery stores with no bread, among other things.
• At my house you can skate from the street to the front door, if you don't fall down.  Just sayin'.
• One dog got stuck on the deck:  couldn't decide whether to press on and go or come back to me. 
• Dogs do not like skating.  Just sayin'.
• The 5"-6" of snow was no big thing.  The ice. is. a. big. thing.
• At least the power hasn't gone off.
• After apocal-ice 2011, I am buying some Yak Trax and maybe a wood burning stove or insert. 

Sunday Bullets

• Don't tell nature that orange/red and pink don't go together.
• After two weeks of watching my suet feeder, my friends the woodpeckers are back.
• I've had an idea of how to use my photos to create something that can go out into the world. I've made one prototype am working on more.
• The birdseed is getting shaken out of the feeder somehow.  I know the squirrels must be behind it.
• The seed that is falling on the ground courtesy of the mystery shaker is sprouting better than the seed that was put out 2 weeks ago to rejuvenate my front yard.
• The tea olives have burst into bloom all over - the first time since they were planted two years ago. Until this fall, blooms were sparse.
• I keep forgetting to bring in the Coke Zero in the back of my car.
• My dogs have a full page spread in a calendar that will be sold to benefit the neighborhood park - we are raising matching funds for a grant the park received.  I gave them 6 photos to pick from, and don't really care which it will be.  I realized yesterday it's fun to speculate which they'll use. 
• The graphic artist emailed me to say that my photos were beautiful and she was looking forward to working them into the calendar.  Hello, validation!
• Why is it easier to accept compliments from strangers than friends or family?
• Anyone know what the name of the plant featured in the photo is called?
• There are huge, unusual mushrooms around this fall, and several are in my backyard.
• I feel the need to pare down, and am going to start with my closet.

Snow Bullets

So far, today, as of 9:05 am:

• Gus and Cotton have been outside 3 times since 7 am
• I've taken 75 or so pictures ( lovelovelove digital). the cardinal below is for Merry, sorry it's fuzzy

• I have enjoyed two mugs of warm, rich steaming coffee
• Gus has enjoyed two green, ripe, creamy avocados stolen from the counter

• I made an english muffin with cream cheese and lemon curd
• I took pictures from the front step before any cars went down my street
• 5 people + their 8 or so dogs have been down my street, probably to the park.  We are going for a walk, too, but not yet

• 2 cars have been down my icy, snow crusted street - one was the newspaper man - his car had a 2 foot pile of snow on top and he was riding along with the windows down.  BRRRRR
• Lots of birds ar enjoying the feeders.  Glad I had the presence of mind to fill it yesterday, and put a few cups on the ground

• I'm watching snow fall off the branches of the trees when the wind blows, or a bird lands
• I was surprised by the bluebird that appeared at the suet feeder, and he's back right now
• All my friends have visited: both woodpeckers, the towhees, the tufted titmouses, a sparrow, blue jays, doves, a mockingbird

• Snow in the South is magical, but it is also scary.  I'm thankful that enough fell to be beautiful but didn't bring down tree limbs and then power lines
• The dogs are barking, I bet the black cat is on the prowl

Saturday Bullets

• I had an inspiring moment about niece and nephew gifts, and my SIL liked my idea. I feel giddy with relief.
• A lot happened this week at work: potluck in our department, a co-worker died suddenly at age 37, I took a day off on Friday. Everyone at work was stunned at our co-worker's death. It is truly tragic as he leaves a wife and 7 year old behind.
• Today will be a new day in dog/vet relations: Gus and Cotton will have their photo made with Santa. That Santa normally wears a white coat is a real plus. The last time we were at the vet, Gus lay on the floor with his head against the vent because he could hear the vet talking.
• Observation: there is no mess like the ones we create for ourselves, is there Tiger?
• Made a white chili recipe last night - LOVE IT!
• Took my mom to TOYS-R-US last night. That place scares me. Too many choices.
• Today is decorating day.
• There is a cardinal in my window box. I need to put out the bird feeder.

Have a great Saturday!

Birthday Bullets

• I once worked with a woman named Becky who believed that one should celebrate their birthday all month. This is the same Becky who put on one black and one brown shoe with different heel heights but didn't figure it out until she got to work.
• My lovely family and friends have been overwhelming me with happy birthday wishes.
• I'm really blessed with my family and friends.
• Went to get my emissions test and the blown fuses in my car prevented the test. So that's why the mirrors won't work...
• It's wonderful to be out of town and return to Gus and Cotton's little yellow, fuzzy, black nosed faces.
• My trip out of town with girlfriends was a great time. The trip home ended in adventure: S's car thumped and stopped responding in the passing lane at 75 miles an hour about 47 miles from home. Bummer. We steered to the side of the road and called her husband and a family friend w/a tow service named, appropriately enough, Tow Jam. We passed the time by chatting. After I got home I realized we were in the general area where the missing former parole officer had been abducted.
• If you forget to lock your car, someone will come along and try the door, find it open and take whatever they can find, except for the 11 cents in plain sight. Just sayin'.
• I remember one of my birthdays from childhood that included "fishing" where you put your line with a clothespin on it into a space behind a partition and caught a prize.
• Another birthday was at my great aunt Nadine's house. She gave me a fishbowl with goldfish like she kept. They died in week, I think.
• Fish seem to figure prominently in my birthdays, don't they?
• If the security patrol in your neighborhood gets the dates a little mixed up and check your door Sunday morning to be sure it's locked, you will levitate from your sound sleep to the living room. Prepared to do what, I'm not sure. Hello, security patrol!
• The wind is gusty and thunderstorms are predicted.
• The stray black cat is in my front yard. Cotton and Gus have not heard or spotted her, thank goodness!
• It would be a lovely gift if said stray kitty would eliminate the voles killing the plants at my mailbox.
• If you're an August baby, Happy Birthday to you, too!