What Snowed-in Looks Like

In case you were wondering about our little storm here in Maryland...

It started off slowly on Friday and by 9 PM or so it looked like this:



Just a couple of inches:



Saturday morning it was still snowing and by the time it stopped we had quite the pile of snow. I shoveled out my back walkway late in the afternoon, which took me about 40 minutes. I'm not too tall, and the snow was about to my waist--I'd guess about 3 feet high or so:



Sunday morning I pushed my way out my front door and got to work on my front steps and sidewalk. Thankfully the tree acted as a bit of an umbrella and the snow wasn't nearly as deep as it was in the back. It was still a lot of work though:



I still need to clear off my car and dig it out. Friday night I pulled up the wipers so they wouldn't get frozen to the windshield. If you look closely you can see the tiny tips of them sticking out of the snow:



I'm waiting to dig out my car until later this afternoon or tomorrow morning. My back and arms are a bit achy and I'm still thawing out from my earlier shoveling adventures. I'm also secretly hoping that a little snow fairy will have pity and take care of it for me. I'm not holding my breath, but a girl can dream...

AC is My Friend

Today is the first Monday in a really long time that I'm actually happy to be back at work after the weekend. It was so hot that I actually couldn't wait for Monday to roll around so that I could spend the day in my frigid office. Normally I'd shiver and complain about how cold it is in the morning, sitting under that AC vent blasting cold air down on me. But today I'm happy to have to wear a sweater to ward off the goosebumps. Bring on the chills!

I don't have central AC in my house - yet. It's my plan to have it installed by next year, and I'm saving up for it, but for now I have to make do with one ancient, really big window unit on the first floor, which I finally uncovered and turned on this weekend. Needless to say, I slept on the couch all weekend.

In fact, in order to avoid suffocation, I spent most of my time from Friday through this morning on the first floor. The temperature upstairs just wasn't suitable for living (unless you're one lazy cat who enjoys stretching out on the hardwood floors and taking a nap). Any trip up those steps required a really important reason, because half way to the second floor I'd start sweating, and by the time I'd gone to the bathroom or located the file folder I was looking for, I'd be dripping with perspiration. It was like walking into a sauna every time I ventured upstairs.

Because I try to be energy conscious, as well as frugal, I kept the temperature at about 78 on the first floor. This actually felt like I was living in a refrigerator in comparison to the temperature outside and upstairs, so it wasn't that bad. And I even turned it down a bit on Saturday, and spent my afternoon taking advantage of the free AC of the public library where I worked on The Book Proposal. I got a lot of work done this weekend, mostly because, in the heat, I didn't have the energy or desire to do much other than read, eat and type.

The heat was so bad that I was dreading getting ready this morning in my (upstairs) bathroom, so much so that I actually dragged my butt out of bed (couch) at 4:15AM and went to the gym before work. At least I could blow dry my hair in an air-conditioned locker room that way. This might be the best motivator to get me to the gym yet.

Small Efforts, Large Results?

I tend to be the all-or-nothing type. If I can't finish something, I don't like to start it. And if it I make a mistake or get derailed, I have this tendency to just give up. Thus, my new mantra:

Small efforts bring large results when repeated often enough. - Ralph Marston

It seems simple enough, and yet I'm having difficulty getting it through my thick skull. I've been getting a bit frustrated with my inability to get large chunks of any of the following completed in a timely manner:

• That novel I started
• A book proposal I'm working on
• Landscaping of my back yard
• Landscaping of my front yard
• Saving 6 months income for that day when I finally decide to kick Corporate America to the curb and go full-time freelance
  
• Reaching my goal weight
• Developing a consistent yoga practice
  
• Getting my articles published
• Reading a book each month
  
• Renovation of my home (this, of course, is also hindered by the money factor)
  

Considering the fact that I work a full-time job, am technically single and have to take care of all household chores by myself, I suppose it's not surprising that many of these things have been on my to-do (or to-finish) list for quite a while. While I'm slowly working toward completion, for this all-or-nothing, perfectionist type who hears stories about busy people like me who get it all done despite the challenges, it's tough to still see these tasks lingering. That's why I've taken on this new mantra.

Today, instead of focusing on what I haven't completed, what I can't get done in the small amount of time I have, I'm going to focus on what I have completed and what I can get done. With each small effort, I'll be that much closer to checking these items off my to-do list.

What small efforts are you making to get closer to your goals? Suggestions for being more productive are always welcome.

Pictures for the Weekend

First, the garden. Now, when I planted these things, I definitely felt like it looked amazing. The tall stuff is irises. The floppy stuff in front is lamb's ear. And the cluster to the left in the back are daisies. I forgot to take a photo of the day lilies, which are further down in a different weeded patch.

This picture doesn't really do it justice, but you get the idea. When they flower, they'll be wonderful. Now, they're just a tiny patch of non-weeds among a much longer patch of weeds. I'll take more pictures as I make more progress and as they start to bloom.

Tada! The haircut! I finally decided to suck it up and post a picture of myself. I wasn't going to, but I just had to show off this great cut. I might even post a pic of it styled flipped under one of these days. It's very versatile and so easy to style.

Ta-Da!

The painting is finished! I actually did it, all by my lonesome. And I'm very pleased with the result. It went from this...

To this...

I was a little worried that the wall color might be too dark, but it looks great. Exactly the way I'd pictured it. You can't really tell the true colors from these pictures because of the lighting in the room, but the walls are a warm medium blue (Behr's Bleached Denim) and the ceiling and trim are a light blue-gray color (Behr's Cumberland Fog). The walls are a bit darker than they seem in the pictures, but the bottom picture is the closest to the actual shade.

Now that I've finished that little project, I'll be moving my furniture back in and getting things organized as my home office. I'm hoping to find an affordable futon or day bed to make it a combination office/guest room, but for now it's all book cases, file cabinets and desk.

I've already picked out the colors I'll be doing my dining room and kitchen. Now I just need more three-day weekends.

Labor for Labor Day

What's a Labor Day weekend without, well, labor? So, instead of visiting family for a clam bake, I'll be painting all weekend. The plan is to get the guestroom finished. I'm very excited about the colors, which I picked up today. I hope it all turns out as well as I'm imagining it (and gets done as quickly as I'm dreaming). I'll post pictures when I'm finished. If, in fact, I do finish. Because right now I should be moving things out of the room and laying down drop cloths and I'm dreading all the sanding and taping and scraping.

It will be worth it.

It will be worth it.

It will be worth it.

(*peaking through squinty eyes* Is it done yet?)

What's That On My Thumb?

Nooooo. Is it? What? Could it possibly be? Why, yes, I think that is a bit of green on the end of my thumb! Despite the fact that the Green Thumb gene is absent from my DNA, I seem to have overcome my disability, at least partly.

My herbs are thriving. My dill plant is about a foot tall. My basil plants are sprouting so many leaves that I'm making up recipes just to use it. My cilantro just bushed out today, and my parsley--while it seems to be taking a little bit longer to "establish"--is starting to send out new leaves, too.

And today, I purchased and planted two tomato plants: Romas for sauce and drying, and Beefsteaks for sandwiches and salads. Did you know that some tomatoes can do well in pots? It's amazing what you can grow in containers. I never thought I'd be able to grow vegetables in my tiny back yard. But it turns out you can grow lettuce, peppers, cucumbers, squash, broccoli, eggplant, beans and even carrots. I'm already planning next year's container garden.

That's if I succeed at getting these tomatoes to grow and produce. If not, I might decide to stick to the fail-safe herb garden. We'll see what the summer brings.

Wacker of Weeds

I met my next door neighbor to my left when I got home from work today. She offered me the name and number of their lawn guy (now she offers, I thought). We chatted on our stoops for a few minutes and then I went inside to assemble my weed wacker.

You see, in my lawn care ignorance, I'd let my grass grow way too high before I finally found the reel mower I'd been looking for at Home Depot. A reel mower, if you're unfamiliar, is really only effective when your grass is less than 2 1/2" tall. Mine was well beyond this limit, and growing fast. And I couldn't seem to catch any of the neighborhood lawn-care specialists to get it under control so that the reel mower could take over. Thus the weed wacker purchase.

I never thought I'd be spending my hard-earned money on things like heavy-duty extension cords and 3.4 amp weed wackers. Until Wednesday, that is, when I decided my lawn (by which I mean postage-stamp sized patches of grass in the front and back of my house) was becoming a jungle in the city and took a trip to Sears. There, C.J. so kindly took me through the many weed wacking options and I decided on the low-end Craftsman model. It would get the job done, C.J. told me, well enough that my reel mower could handle the rest. And I could use it to get at those hard-to-reach places, too.

C.J. was right. Tonight, I took weed wacking into my own hands. And in about two hours, I successfully mowed my back yard. It's not as easy as you'd think. Wacking weeds is hard work, despite the motorized parts. My left arm is still partially paralyzed from the strain of directing the wacker. My right hand is cramping from sqeezing the power trigger. And I may not be able to lift my arms or walk tomorrow because my shoulders and lower back feeling tighter with every passing moment. I'll be picking grass and weed bits from my hair for days, but I'm extremely proud of my accomplishment.

My neighbors were, too.

B & B, a husband and wife that live across the alley, had been sitting on their back porch watching me work myself into paralysis. When I finished, Mrs. B came over to introduce herself and offer me her rake. It was the first neighborly gesture I've received since I moved in. So, after talking for a few moments, I raked the mowed grass into three big piles (yes, I said three piles).

As I was heading down the alley to return the rake, I ran into one of my neighbors from the house on the right. Mr. W introduced himself, and commented on what a great job I'd done with my lawn. I thanked him and we talked for a few minutes about how long he'd lived there and how well I was settling into the house. As we were talking, Mr. B came over to introduce himself. We all talked about the weather and my great mowing job, and then Mr. W climbed into his car to leave. Mr. B took his rake and headed back home, inviting me over any time. We waved to each other as I went inside to eat dinner, leaving the piles of grass for tomorrow.

It's amazing what nice weather and a weed wacker will bring. I'm finally starting to feel a sense of community in my new neighborhood. And I'm feeling pretty bad-ass for having taking on the jungle in my back yard. Next expedition: the front yard.

Window of Opportunity

I'm supposed to be working on this week's article for Feed the Soul and clocking a few of those 5 hours per week of writing that I committed to.

But the banging downstairs won't stop. I should have known better. I went to work today bright and cheery, with the knowledge that I'd be leaving early and heading home for a rare afternoon of writing time. It never occurred to me that focus and concentration would be out of the question while the men downstairs installed my new triple-pane Preservation windows in the living room. I can work through just about anything, but it sounds like they're ripping out the entire wall, and all I can think about is the horror stories I've heard of construction and contracting gone wrong.

I'm trying to quell the anxiety by visualizing my beautiful, energy efficient new windows, but then I start picturing bits of duct tape holding the frames in place and nails sticking out of the wall. I'm actually afraid to go downstairs and see what's going on. What if they're making a mess that I'll have to clean up later? What if the measurements were wrong and the windows don't fit? What if I made a mistake?

Ah, paranoia...why do you keep coming around? I guess I'll go start a load of laundry. At least something productive will get done.

And I can catch a glimpse of whatever is going on downstairs on my way through...

---

UPDATE: Turns out I was worrying for nothing (of course). Soon after I posted this, the banging subsided and I got some serious writing done. Plus, the windows look fantastic! If only I'd had the $9000 to do all the windows in the house at once. Two down, six (plus the four basement windows) to go. I really am going to spend all of my spare cash on this house now, aren't I?