Thanksgiving Recap

Thanksgiving was an rehearsal for Christmas at our house.  It was the first time we'd ever celebrated a holiday without our complete family at home and, while Charming did come to the family home for Thanksgiving dinner, it was weird to have Thanksgiving without Superman.

That being said, we still had Thanksgiving and we still had a great time.  In addition to traditional turkey, stuffing, potatoes, vegetables, pumpkin pie, and, of course, bread.

We made our traditional bear bread...even enlisting a neighbor to make one of the little bears.  (Stargate SG-1 fans might note that one of our little bears is supposed to be a Jaffa.)

Buttercup set the table beautifully.

 I confess to thinking that Superman didn't hold up his end of the dinnertime conversation.

Oh, and Mother Nature did her part to keep the family busy and happy.  (The beginning of what would become record snowfall for November.)

4WD is my new best friend...

With Superman overseas, his car has been parked for almost a year.  Last month I put new brakes on it and put it back on the insurance to give it a turn on the road.  I'll be the first one to tell you that I don't really care for Superman's car.  It is a base model 2000 Ford Explorer.  I usually drive my beloved fully-loaded 1999 Suburban...leather seats, power everything, lots of room for a tall family, and cargo space that is big enough to hold everything from a new washing machine to a sheet of plywood to skis, boots, poles and coats, etc., for a family of five.  The only thing the Explorer has that the Suburban doesn't have?

4Wheel-Drive

Two years ago when we got 97 inches of snow and the plows couldn't get to our street for weeks, Superman's car could get us anywhere we needed to go.   That was the first time I ever got stuck in my Suburban.  Stuck.  I had to get pulled out of a parking space at the grocery store because ice had formed under my rear wheels.  It only happened that one time and it was happening to everyone that day...there was a guy cruising the parking lot non-stop just to pull shoppers out of their parking spaces.  After that, Superman equipped my ""rig" (that's what they call it in the Pacific Northwest) with a shovel and sand, so I can get myself unstuck if I ever need to.

Anyway, back to today.  I'm driving Superman's car because my beloved Suburban needs a new heater...the defroster doesn't work and when the temperatures are as cold as these, you need a defroster.  We had a small blizzard last night (really!) and they are expecting more snow Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.  The roads were crazy this morning...snow plows were slow to get to us.  I still ran my errands (and got our turkey!) with no problems.   The kids have orthodontist appts on Monday and Tuesday and I have a dentist appt on Monday.   Snow-covered hills are in our future, but I'm cool, because I'm driving Superman's car.

I still don't love it...but I've definitely decided that 4WD is my new best friend.  But my Suburban is still my BFF.

P.S.  They're predicting record cold temperatures tonight.  Since it is -3F right now (9:30 p.m.), I'd say they have a good chance.

It Finally Came, But It Didn't Stick Around

The "measurable" snow we were promised finally arrived yesterday afternoon. As you can see, it was just enough to make everything look as if it had been dusted in powdered sugar, but not enough to get in our way.

As the afternoon wound down, Buttercup and her pals suited up in snow gear and started playing the snow on the other cul de sac, leaving the serenity of this scene unchanged.

By the time night fell, the temperature had dropped enough that it wasn't melting away immediately and even the road had a dusting. What does that mean? Ice in the morning!

Winter is on her way...