Dude! Where's My Snow?

We were supposed to get a heavy snowfall here in northwest Ohio today. The forecasters were predicting four to seven inches.

We barely have an inch left outside out of the two that fell. Temperatures climbed above freezing, and I can hear snow melt dripping into the gutters. Needless to say, I was a little disappointed.

We had stocked refrigerator, freezer, and cupboards in case we were stuck at home for a couple of days. I even had plenty of coffee, tea, and hot chocolate for writing. I was ready for a cozy afternoon while watching the fluffy white stuff fall in the back yard.

This has got to be the weirdest January I've experienced in Ohio. Very little snow, and the majority of the days have been in the high 40's to low 50's. But it's exactly what the climate scientists were trying to warn us about thirty years ago.

Just a ruminating old woman here. Be about your business, folks.

First Snow Day of 2023

Sort of. We got a couple of inches yesterday, but it melted almost as fast as it was coming down. The National Weather Service has already issued a Winter Storm Watch for tomorrow and Wednesday in our area. 4 to 7 inches possible. DH is all excited about pulling out the snowblower.

For me, it means a couple of nice, quiet days to write and edit while the snow quietly blankets the back yard. I found a place that carries the same tea from my favorite restaurant in D.C.'s Chinatown. I may run to the grocery to get some more Irish Breakfast tea. Otherwise, We still have a fairly full refrigerator and freezer from when GK and the Grandpuppy were here for a month on leave.

So depending on the number of texts and phone calls I might receive, it looks like a quiet couple of days to get some stuff done.

Hang in there, peeps, and stay warm!

Plague, War, Taxes, and Snow

Coronavirus Pandemic Day 769
Known COVID-19 cases in the U.S. - 80,612,681
Known COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. - 988,558

This will be my last COVID-19 numbers update. A large amount of local and state government health and welfare departments have stopped reporting. The official number above are no longer accurate. And all this is being dropped as Omicron-b is wending it's way through the nation. I need to ask my own general practitioner about another booster when I go in for my quarterly checkup in June.

In the meantime, the invasion of Ukraine continues. Atrocities rise, and President Zelensky pleads for help from an uncaring world.

Today is Tax Day in the U.S., but the government is being incredibly slow in processing returns, even if you got yours in early and are due a refund. I don't mind paying taxes because I like good roads and good schools, but no one in Washington can pull their heads out of their asses long enough to compromise a tiny bit in order to get things accomplished. *sigh*

And then, I woke up to the picture above. The early spring flowers bloomed like crazy last week. These two little daffodils had some protection from the eaves, but the rest are frozen and drooping on all sides of the house. It's supposed to be sunny and dry tomorrow and Wednesday, so I'll try to get the rest of the pruning and trimming done.

I don't know about the rest of you, but as much as I like sipping coffee while watching the snow fall, I'm ready for some shorts weather!

Catching Up on the Writing

I don't think I realized how much I needed Tuesday's break, even if I was filling a trashcan with used tissues and trying to swallow comfortably with a LOT of green tea.

I finished up our tax stuff on Wednesday while still getting a ton of words done. I highly recommend WMG's classes on Making a Living Writing Novels and Pulp Speed. Just the first two weeks of lectures and homework have helped me take a very hard look on my efforts and how I spend my time.

Our twelve+ inches of snow from Winter Storm Landon is disappearing beneath the warm air over the last two days and today's steady drizzle of relatively warm rain. I already miss watching the squirrels cavort in the drifts in the backyard.

Now, I just need to wrap up Apocalypse? Not Now! and Pestilence in Pumpkin Spice this weekend or possibly early next week so I can pass them on to the people who do their magic.

Anyone want to take bets whether we'll get more snow? Spring is just a hair over a month away.

Coronavirus Pandemic Day 328 - Soft White Blanket of Winter

People in the U.S. are taking COVID-19 a little more seriously. I see more masks being worn in our town when I go out. Most people with the opportunity to obtain the vaccine are doing so. The numbers in Ohio and our country are trending downward.

However, the numbers aren't dipping as fast nationwide. Total known COVID-19 infections in the U.S. reached 26,440,519 today. Total known deaths have reached 446,267.

So far, my immediate family has not been hit by the virus, and I knock on wood that it stays that way. But people around us are starting to get a little stir crazy. I understand the feeling. A week from today will mark a year since the last time I was at a movie theater, which is why there hasn't been any Monday Movie Mania posts.

Nor am I going anywhere anytime soon thanks to Winter Storm Orlena. She made up for our lack of snowfall this year by dumping five inches on us between 10 p.m. Saturday night and all day Sunday. Now that we're on the backside of the storm, we're getting lake effect snow off of Erie.

So, I'm sitting on my recliner with a puppy nestled on my lap. She sleeps while I watch snow fall in the backyard. The squirrels are nestled in their nests, and both sound and motion are muffled in a blanket of white.

It finally feels like winter has arrived.

A New Hope

Yep, I used that title deliberately. And like the movie subtitle from which it's drawn, it means one step has been taken, but we still have a long way to go.

Two weeks ago, I fielded calls and messages from friends and family in the D.C. Metro Area. All of them have kids. All of them were terrified. I offered safe haven at our house if they decided to bug out, and for a time I thought I would need to call DH's family for additional beds. In the end, everyone decided to stay put for the night, waiting to see if the situation spread from the Mall to the rest of the city.

It's been a difficult first three weeks to the new year. The tension has eased a bit with the lack of violence today, but my shoulders are still sore.

But it snowed last night, and a fresh blanket of white is a new tapestry to the day. The pup and I are curled up on my recliner, and I'm ready to put fresh words on the screen.

Peace be with you all!

Snow Weekend!

A winter storm is headed our way and expected to hit here around midnight. The National Weather Service is predicting two to five inches depending which way the storm is steered by two other fronts.

This means having laptops charged, just in case we lose power. Grabbing a few quick and easy items from the store like extra creamer, eggs, and nuts. And basically settling in for several hours of writing in the morning.

Extra blankets are ready to go, so bring on the snow!

Let It Snow!

I'm a little late today, and I didn't write too many posts last week, because I'm trying to finish reviewing the print proof of Sacrificed. That's in addition to working on my NaNo project.

Tomorrow should be a good writing day. We're expecting more snow.

Yep, more snow. It's one reason DH and I love working from home. No more commutes. Not through heavy traffic. Not through inclement weather.

The storm has just reached the outskirts of Cincinnati in its roll north. We should be getting flakes around three in the morning.

So tonight, I'll make sure everything's charged and ready to go in the morning. We have plenty of coffee and tea. And I'll charge ahead on my wip!

Snow Day!

A huge storm passed through Chicago and Detroit last night. We were supposed to be on the southern edge. The weather reports said we would get 0-1 inches while Toledo, which is an hour north of us, expected 7-9 inches.

Needless to say, we got a little more than an inch. Genius Kid and I said, "Screw it," and went back to bed. Okay, we both stayed in bed. When Genius Kid's alarm went off, he checked the school closures report and rolled over.

On the other hand, I slept through the whole thing. My stamina sucks these days. I've been getting up every morning to do writing sprints with a fellow author. But he wasn't going to be able to do it this morning, so I didn't bother to set my alarm.

This afternoon though, I've got to get back to work. Over the last four days, I've been writing 1,500 words on Hero Ad Hoc in the morning and reviewing the e-book proof of A Modicum of Truth.

[Lesson Learned: Don't write a 100K epic fantasy in the middle of a major release cycle. I'm not touching A Matter of Death until my schedule is clear.]

Luckily, the guys are still planning on their night out with Papa. I'll have extra time since I won't have to make dinner, and I'll have a silent apartment for roughly two hours.

I'm also not baking today as is my usually wont on a snow day. I made mint chocolate chip cookies on Monday. (Only a two-hour delay though.) I don't think my waistline can handle more no matter what those cans of pumpkin in the cupboard are whispering.

So for those of you in the snow belt, how do you handle snow days with the kids?