The cold world of snow business

Meet Mr. Yeti:

He’s a middle manager in the IT department at Snow, Inc.

It’s only a seasonal job, and can be a tad unpredictible.

And his boss is a total nightmare.

He’s always riding Mr. Yeti, always making demands for faster through-put and more accumulation.

And the boss man jabs his finger in Mr. Yeti’s face.

Mr. Yeti doesn’t like it when he does that.

In fact, Mr. Yeti is thinking of quitting, of finding a new job.

Or… at least of finally getting that vacation he’s been promising himself.

*sigh*
Eileen

Category: Family  7 Comments

We’re not sick of it yet!

There are some winters where the thought of another snow storm makes me want to pack up the car and head south. But, thank goodness, this isn’t the case so far.

We’re loving the white stuff!

In fact, “the boys” suited up to play in it, building the super-secret element for tomorrow’s blog post.

Thanks boys — I’ll forgive you the pile of wet coats, mittens, and scarves you left on the floor, ’cause what you brought back to me on the camera’s memory card is super fun!

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Is THIS the “storm of the century?”

We’d lived through the last one — the last monster nor’easter that had the weathermen in a hyperbole-filled frenzy. That was back in 1996, a month before The Boy was born. The storm where we were trapped in our little cul de sac with three other very pregnant women.

But this one has already exceeded the storm we had a couple of weeks ago, and I believe it got close to the accumulation of the 1996 storm. I’d say we got somewhere around 18-20 inches in the last twelve hours.

It started later than predicted — long after The Hubster had gotten back from Washington, D.C., thank goodness — but lasted much longer than they thought.

And, now… we are officially snowed-in.

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“You smell good”

I’m finding it ironic that I’ve been posting about being frugal, but am about to show you one of my more expensive vices. For what I’m about to do, please forgive me.

This stuff is heaven.

This stuff smells like the baked goods of your dreams.

This stuff makes your skin feel like silk.

This stuff costs an arm and a leg (or it feels that way to a cheapskate like me.)

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A happy gluten-free find

Today has been busy so far: I got lost in Philadelphia, called The Hubster in a panic so he could help me get to where I was going, got the thumbs up from my neurologist, called The Hubster and apologized for the earlier panic, found my way to the Italian Market (where Rocky used to jog), drove right past the restaurant supply store I was interested in and then couldn’t find a place to park, gave up and drove back to the suburbs, and then decided to go to the fancy schmancy grocery store to pick up some gluten-free items.

And all of this on an empty stomach and a full bladder.

But I digress.

This post was not supposed to be about my bladder, but about a gluten free product I stumbled across that made my skirt fly up.

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Wonderland

When I went to bed last night, there was a dusting of snow on the ground, with more expected by this morning. Sure enough, my phone rang at 6AM with an automated call telling us school would be delayed 2 hours. The Boy stuck his head in our room and, upon hearing the news, turned immediately around for his own bedroom, and was snoring away within 15 seconds.

I, however, had a hungry black dog breathing hot stank into my face, so I pulled myself out of bed and headed downstairs, just as the wintry sun was rising.

Ooooh, we’d gotten more snow than I expected and it looked so lovely on my rose trellis. I risked the wrath of Kenzie’s hungry belly, and grabbed my camera before starting the dogs’ breakfasts.

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Freewheeling frugal

My mom and dad were frugal people — we lived in a very modest house for their incomes, we ate most of our meals at home, we wore clothes from Sears (until the kids could afford to pay for our own), and they saved, saved, saved, or invested well.

It trickled down to the three kids in different ways. My brother was a total “spender” until he met his wonderful wife, who keeps a much tighter rein on expeditures. My sister is often too busy to practice the kind of thrift that my parents did, but she’s still careful.

I am much like my dad in terms of spending money — and will drive a car until it’s on its very last legs. (You’ll get to meet Sunny soon — as she’s almost at 150,000 miles and her “legs” are getting mighty tired.) I am rather thrifty with anything I can control, and is why I’m sitting in a house who’s computerized thermostat is set for 62 degrees during the day, which explains the full-length fleece robe I’m wearing (with the hood up!) and the double layer of socks on my feet.

So, I felt an immediate kinship with Amy Dacyczyn, the author of The Tightwad Gazette.

These books are much-loved and well-worn, and have saved me tons of money over the years.

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Category: Frugal  Tags: ,  5 Comments

The skinny and the fluffy

I was patting Treelo’s side yesterday when I noted, with some dismay, that he’d lost the thin layer of padding over his ribs again.

This is common in the summer when he’s running so much, but he’d put on some good weight this winter — partly thanks to the addition of shredded cheese to his meals. (Which Kenzie is thankful for, being as how we can’t give Treelo a treat and leave out our chubby canine foodie on the largesse.)

But, here I was, feeling each and every rib through Treelo’ shaggy coat.

Why, my friend? Why don’t you want to eat your meals?

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Love my Kapoosh

… and no… kapoosh is *not* a euphamism. “That’s what she said!”

A Kapoosh is an ingenious little invention — a block that can contain all sorts of knives from different manufacturers!

Here’s mine:

See, there are my el cheapo Farberware knives in the same knife block with the most-beloved (and still el cheapo) Victorinox knives with Fibrox handles. There’s even a Kichenaid santoku knife tucked in there!

And they all live in the same little home in perfect harmony.

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It’s a little early, but…

I was puttering around the kitchen this morning, waiting for my guys to wake up, when I heard a rustling in the flower bed on the other side of the big window that gives us such wonderful, bright light.

At first, I could just make out a few muddy shapes in the dead leaves lining a corner nearest our patio.

After a moment of watching them, wondering if it was the danged mice I hate so much, I saw a flash of red.

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Category: Gardening, birds  Tags: ,  3 Comments