New hot water bottle on it's way

I cannot remember which wise person I learned this from. It might have been a member of my womens group or another group I belong to.

On these nights during the cold winter months, about 15 minutes before bed time I fill a hot water bottle, and put it under the covers of my side of the bed. When I arrive, my bed is warm, and my feet don't freeze.

Last winter, at the end of the winter, the hot water bottle sprung a leak. It was a small leak, but nevertheless, a leak. Our second hot water bottle also had a small leak so I pitched that as well. I did my research and read the reviews and last night ordered a new one online. Why did I not visit our local pharmacy you ask? I looked and they are not the same quality. Even some of the reviews about the one I purchased, mentioned that often ones bought at CVS or Walgreens are inferior.

This is such a small purchase, and one I am so excited to receive. This routine of warming the bed has happened for many years. Before central heating there were in fact bed warmers.

As the temperature was 12 degrees when I left for yoga this morning, the USPS shipment cannot come soon enough! - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Christmas present

Sunday afternoon I spent a relaxed two hours listening to a reading of "A Christmas Carol" in front of a fire in our church's Parker Hall. This is an annual tradition.

Dan Fenn, a member of our congregation, reads the story, the fire roars, and cookies and cider are consumed part way through the two hours. Time stood still, or crawled very slowly, as I listened to Dicken's story. I imagined what Christmas was like for the characters in the story.

I must admit that my mind occasionally wandered during the two hours and to-dos entered my mind but just like in yoga or meditation, I kept bringing my attention back to the story. There were some there, who were hearing Dan read it for the first time, and there were others, two of his offspring were there, who have heard it every Christmas Eve of their lives either read by Dan, Dan's father, or Dan's grandfather.

I cherish the traditions that my family has like this and I cherish the opportunity to spend 2 hours listening to an old story and sliding peacefully into this season of lights and miracles and traditions and family.

It is a challenge to live in the present in this season of high expectations for a perfect holiday created by Walmart or Kohl's advertising. For those two hours, for the most part, I was present with the story. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Give it up to the snow!

Rant alert!!!!!

Ok, so there is snow coming down and it has been a mighty winter but would everyone please chill out. We cannot control the weather, unless global warning is in that category, in which case we are controlling it.

As I drove around doing errands just now, YES, it was snowing. But winter is almost done and it is officially spring after all.

As we pulled out of the driveway yesterday and remembered the 5 foot snow bank, I reflected "that was not such a bad winter!". Remember I am an eternal optimist and please don't throw any rotten tomatoes across the Internet at me. I warned you this is a rant.

Maybe the comments made about the weather make it so we don't have to talk about Japan or Libya. Have you ever noticed that small talk is often about the weather. Nice safe topic we can all identify with.

In fact at a lay led service recently the winter weather was a prime topic, but many of us are on the other side of the coin and don't need winter to be over so soon. We are not so tired of the winter weather just yet. We should retire north, and those tired of winter in January, better retire to Florida.

Yes, it is snowing, and yes in 2001 there was an April Fools storm, and yes this weekend it was in the 60s. We cannot control the weather but we can control our reaction to it. Spring is here, the sun will come out and we won't have snow on the ground in May.

Rant over!!!!!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Don't like the weather - wait a minute

As I sit here on a Sunday morning, looking out Channel 1, it is fogged in. I can barely see the road and when I first saw it, I thought it was a blizzard. It should be a blizzard at this time of year but in keeping with this strange weather year, it is fog.

Yesterday, Murg and I walked out on the causeway which is an old train bed that used to connect South Hero to Colchester. There is a small "cut" in the causeway for the boats to get out of the Colchester bay/harbor. As we looked east to Mount Mansfield, they were enclosed in a cloud of either rain or snow. As we looked west to White Face, it was also enclosed in either. Looking south, we saw Burlington in a dark cloud, but further south it was sunny. This 360 degree panorama is wonderful. We also knew that at any time, the weather could change, and we could get wet.

When we got back to Coniston for 3.5 minutes we had a snow squall. I really thought at that point that we would get more precipitation, but that was it.

There is an expression "If you don't like the weather in Vermont, wait a minute." This was totally applicable yesterday.

As an aside, a truck drove over the ice while we were talking from the Colchester side to South Hero and an ice fisherman with 4 dogs was fishing out on the ice. He did not drive his truck out but only because 200 feet away there is open water, or maybe because his license plate was NH and he does not know that it is still safe to drive on the ice, apparently. The sign of spring in Vermont is when the first truck falls through the ice. This year spring will come sooner than most, given how little ice there is.

Nordic Skating - who knew I could fly across the ice

Yesterday at Coniston we went to North Hero to repeat our 2 mile trek out to Knight Island. Last year there were a few inches on snow on the ice, so we walked out. We also had Qammi with us and she thought we were crazy to be out on the ice. In fact she did not want to leave Knight Island to come back to the shore, since she could not see the shore from the island.

Yesterday was an entirely different experience. There is almost no snow at all, and Hero's Welcome which is a country store in North Hero rents nordic skates. Google them to see what they are like. For me, after I got up my courage, it was like flying across the ice. The movement is very similar to cross country skiing and you have poles for balance. Even with the poles I managed to fall twice, but that did not matter. You can get gliding pretty fast on these nordic skates.

The ice was beautiful and for the most part smooth. The sun came from behind the clouds, and away we went. G and J and the Svenson Jas family. Some of our party had regular skates on, but Murg and I rented these skates. Regular skates are not as good on parts of the ice. The nordic skates are much better when there are bumps on the ice or paths where snow mobiles, or trucks (yes trucks) have gone across the ice.

Looking down at the ice was a bit eerie. You could see at least 8-10 inches in most places so it felt pretty safe. What was disconcerting were the cracks and settling of ice that you could hear. This sounds like gun shots in the distance, but we realized it was ice melting and settling and cracks occurring in the ice. The Svenson Jas family who were with us, had a crack form in a few directions, right in front of them.

Once or twice, I got going pretty fast and wished that I were a bit more adventurous. That being said, I did feel like I was flying over the ice, and I think these will be a purchase for next winter or maybe later this winter if the ice holds out.

10 miles south of where we were, in Burlington in the open part of Lake Champlain there is no ice on the lake, but in Colchester Bay, and in the bay in front of North Hero, the ice is thick and safe and very exciting.

Who knew I could fly across the ice?

Loving the Snow - SORRY

When I arrived back from church today in MASSACHUSETTS, it was snowing. Rarely when the white stuff falls from the sky do I have an "OH NO" feeling. Good thing we are going to retire to Vermont, huh?

Sure, people do not drive as well in the snow and you have the clear the stuff in order to get to work but I am just not sure I could live somewhere that it does not snow.

Granted, I have a wonderful husband who snow blows when it gets really deep. I am out there clearing off the cars as he snow blows making it a team effort.

I guess, as long as I can get out in the stuff and we can get it cleared, I am going to always LOVE the snow.

I am sure a part of this is growing up in CO and VT. Snow was just part of the climate and we would always race to get out into it. I have said this before, but I took both my kids out in snow storms, so they could learn to drive in it.

So, yes it is October 18th and this is the second bit of snow we have had so far, but even with all of that I just love the snow.

The cold comes along with the snow and my feeling is you can always put on another layer in the cold. In a hot climate on the other hand you cannot always take off another layer. I suspect that I will visit warm climates but I am not sure I will ever live in them. I could surprise myself.

This is SO Spring in New England and EDT

Yesterday was beautiful, sunny 60 degrees, some snow left and lots of mud. I actually only wore a coat at 9:30 at night, when I picked up my car from the "Park and Ride" at Fidelity in NH.

Today, waking up an hour earlier than I was supposed to, coz of EDT, there is snow on the ground. Wet slushy snow still falling.

Everyone I know at work has an EDT hangover and combine that with a snow, has really slowed things down here. I have met several people at the coffee machine, moving in slo mo, getting another cup of coffee.

We live in New England because of the change in seasons, right? Well this last 18 hours there has been a lot of season changing. I know that the sun will be around later than usual tonight, and it might still be behind those snow clouds but it is there.

Happy Spring, Happy Winter, Happy Spring, Happy Winter . . . repeat rinse

-19 F in South Hero

WOW, that is cold. I hope our house and the related pipes make it through this cold spell. C and M and A and M are there this weekend. I am so glad that someone will be in the house and using it.

In CO growing up, I am sure it was regularly -19 F and I know for a fact in VT it was -19 F. As I have said before on Facebook, and maybe here, "I love it when my nose hairs freeze." Call me weird if you want, but somewhere around 0 F, my nose hairs freeze. This got me thinking about how people told the temperature before thermometers. P at work does not wear a winter coat. At 12 F, he was in shirt sleeves the other day. I am in my North Face jacket, the thickest you can buy and he is in his shirt sleeves. Yesterday he wore a wind breaker. I was in my North Face.

All this is to say, I love cold weather. I love when the temperature is below 0 F. I really love it when it is sunny and cold. The snow sparkles are different with that mixture.

The crunch of snow under foot is another sign of cold weather. The crunch is crunchier.

So, I think today is the coldest day of this cold snap. Why is it a snap? Always asking why . . .

Ice and lakes freezing

For the past few days up at Coniston we have had some amazing experiences with ice forming, lakes freezing, and in general with winter. Our first morning here on New Year's Eve, it was -3 degrees F when I got up at 7am. My nose hairs froze when I went outside for the first time that day. Our "Channel 1" is the lake and with no leaves on the trees, we can see a lot of the lake. Our first 24 hours here, Colchester Bay was still waves and water. 4 days later is is frozen pretty solid. The ice fisherman are all out there each time we drive across the causeway to Colchester. They sometimes have a little tent over themselves when they fish but today they were standing out on the ice with no tents.

Yesterday we took the ferry from Grand Isle to Plattsburgh. In the summer, it is nice to get out on the ferry deck. Yesterday it was pretty cold although John and I did get out on the deck on the return trip. We hiked in Pointe au Roche State Park. While walking along we could actually hear the ice cracking and forming. We practiced taking movies with out new camera of the ice and water. Pretty neat. We were going to snow shoe but there was not enough snow.

My sister in law grew up going to the ocean so water freezing is new to her. Ken Charles and she took a night time walk (to try to get Thomas Henry to go to sleep) and came back with a big piece of ice, which until it melts is now a piece of art out in front of our house. My brothers, Ken and Charles, carried the ice from the lake. It was probably zero degrees F that night.

We actually shovelled off our pond on New Year's Day in anticipation of a hockey game, but it was way too cold. We played Apples to Apples instead.

It is definitely a science experiment to live in this house and watch Channel 1. Growing up we spent most summers on the lake but we rarely went there in the winter, except for the ranch. Ice and winters are very interesting, and in fact awe inspiring. I don't think I will ever be an ice fisherwoman, but maybe. It is a pretty solo activity with long days out in the cold.

I bought a new parka today. If we are going to spend winters in this house I need to be warm. The next time I put ice in my glass I will look at it a new way.

Change and reflecting

On one of our VERY cold walks yesterday at Burlington, VT first night we had yet another Myers Briggs conversation. I don't like to spend much time alone, in fact in my extreme state of mind I would say NO TIME ALONE. As I sit here on New Year's Day and no one is up yet I thought about this time I often have when no one is up yet. A part of me is waiting for someone to get up to talk to. A part of me cleans up loose ends to start the day and a very little tiny part of me, sits back and enjoys this time alone. Mostly, I wait for someone to stir and get up.

With the New Year, I thought of changing the appearance of my blog, but why change something that works and is recognizable. I added a new quote today but only because the old quote was just that OLD and it is New Years Day after all.

So today I make the resolution to use a mug for coffee and drinks rather than use throw away stuff. I might need a belt clip to put my travel mug on or a camping one that collapses put in my handbag.

Last night was interesting. I needed to connect with our family traveling in Egypt and I did that via text. Rod was late connecting with England 2:45 am their time, CLS called just as he and Meg were going into Grace Potter and Mom called me at 10pm as we were leaving Burlington VT to go home and watch the fireworks from our very warm loft. Lots of extended family were touched in one way or another and some of the rest are helping us continue our First Foot tradition at Coniston. Only Ted and Margaret will need a phone call later today.

I did not write this yet but it is a true Sallyism. Tuesday night as I needed to kill some time before I picked Miss Amy up, I went to the Library. Truth be told, I needed to use their bathroom, but while I was there I decided to browse the recent returned fiction. That is the closest section to the bathroom. In that section was "Death on the Nile" and I grabbed it. What you need to know is that our traveling family got on a cruise of the Nile today their time. Why was that book there? Why did I chose to use the bathroom and browse for 30 seconds the recently returned fiction books? Why did I grab the book and think is some way that someone put that book there for me? I have never read it, so what an opportunity.

Typical blog, typical early morning basking in the recently appearing sun over Camel's Hump. Onto mugs and sub zero winter days in Vermont.

How did we get here so fast? New Year's resolutions

Is it really December 29th? I love this limbo week between the 25th and 1st. Work is really quiet, the harassing of the 25th by the media is almost done with. There are all kinds of articles and shows about looking back over the last year and planning for the next one.

So, I have had my New Year's resolution identified for a few months now. The important part of these is making them a habit. DUH! My new habit for 2008 was to use reusable bags. It worked. I only used plastic 5-6 times during the year. If I forgot them in the car, I made myself go back out to the car. I also bought more reusable bags several times when I did not have them with me. Even my local yarn store gave me one this week. Free advertising.

So this year, 2009, I am going to use reusable mugs and glasses. Rather than take the Starbucks or Peets paper cup and plastic cover, I am going to hand them my mug. I have been practicing this and it is not that difficult. I really have already broken the habit of water in bottles. It is so stupid that we drink water out of plastic bottles, except if we are in areas where the water is not drinkable.

Back to bags, when I see people use plastic I wonder if they are reading different articles than I am about how bad they are for the environment. I want to lecture them and say, "It is not that difficult. I made a New Year's resolution last year and followed it most of the year." But, I should not butt in, maybe just gently suggest.

These are both very small gestures for the environment and at the rate of one a year, won't make that big a dent, but they are a start. A really difficult one would be to turn off all of the electronic machines in my house. When I walk through in the dark, all these little lights are still on. I would need support from other family members on this one, but maybe I could just do a few of those as well for 2009. We are thinking of a new car, and I can definitely purchase one with high gas mileage.

OK, on to the 1st and a trip to Vermont for 5 days. Yum, Yum . . .

One Year Notice

OK, so this will really only be effective for my blog readers and in that case I am preaching to the choir. Next year, I am going to make an attempt to go GREEN with our Christmas letter routine. I know, the USPS may go out of business eventually if more people like me do this.

Working for a technology company where we talk a lot about social networking, I think web is the way to send this out next year. If you really think about it, my BLOG readers, I love you guys!, have way more information already than our letter. The letter is very cathartic for us to realize what we did in a year, or in the case of the current letter, the last 2 years. That is another story.

So maybe I will experiment this year and post our picture collage and letter here, and you guys can give me feedback on the experiment. Spenser if you read this, you are a key person to input into this decision, because you will have to direct your Mom and 2 Aunts to this blog next year. What do you think? I guess we could print a few out for those who just won't come here. I will discuss with Rod and Bee and Crick and Meg and see what the consensus is.

Happy Winter (I see now, why she is named Winter Lola)!!!!!

Taking things for Granted

While talking to several employees who have been without power for 5 days now, I quickly started counting my blessings. Somehow the problems with our toilet at Coniston seems less drastic; it flushes. The wind that I wrote about last, was incredible but we did not lose power. And if we do lose power, we have a wood stove which can heat the house and I guess we could cook on the wood stove.

Again, Intuit is a fabulous company. I am running a meeting at 2:30 today to brainstorm how we can help those employees who don't have power. I am offering showers and laundry and a hot dish brought to your house. People are going to lend generators and get batteries, or large quantities of water in containers to use for flushing. There is no doubt but all of us would offer these things. Mountain View is getting involved as well, by publishing on the corporate intranet that employees can donate with matching funds to the Red Cross.

Yes, at this time of year, I am counting my blessings and reaching out when I can to help others. This after all is the message that Jesus taught us all.

We are in for some Wind

I am sitting here in the living room at Coniston, listening to the wind. I don't think it has let up at all since midnight last night so for 18+ hours there has been a south wind blowing off of the lake. Our driveway this morning has a pretty big drifted bank of snow near our new septic mound. The plow guy plowed at 10am and when Crick and Meg left at 11am, only 1 hour later (after Rod won the most incredible game of Settlers) they had to accelerate through a new snow bank. The plow guy came again at 4pm and plowed quite a bit of snow so Rod and Bethany could leave. I left my car at the end of the driveway just in case we have enough drifting to create another impassible bank.

So for those who keep asking me "Have you spent a winter up there yet?" rest assured that this wind situation is very exciting for me. I am sure we will get snowed in a few times and we may have to reposition our driveway because I think where it is currently positioned, is the most drift prone part of our cleared 2 acres.

Growing up in Colorado, some of my best memories were when we got snowed in.

This weekend gave up the opportunity to meet a few neighbors. Rich took care of the situation this week where we lost water. We had to hire a diver with a dry suit to go see what was wrong with the pump, that is in Lake Champlain. Apparently we/they also lost power for 2 days this week.

Yes, this is going to be an exciting place to live and I am up for the challenge. It is a great weekend to test some of the inclement weather that we will be experiencing when we live here full time. Rich was surprised that we are spending New Years up here.

We also met Laurie who is one of our closest neighbors. We took over our check for 7.8% of the snow plowing. They calculate it on our far down Phelps Lane your driveway is. She served as the treasurer for the snow plowing.

We also heard some of the neighbor relations. I guess we are pretty ignorant at this point, so will invite all of them to our New Year's party and sit back and observe.

Saturday morning, a non-Phelps Lane neighbor arrived walking down our driveway with a shovel. Could he shovel our pond, so his kids can skate on it? Sure. Now we need to buy ice skates so we can skate as well. It was pretty funny, that he arrived with the shovel. I think he would have shoveled it, even without asking us.

So, yes we are up for the wind, and drifts, and snow and fire. We also got connected to the internet this weekend.

Retiring to Vermont - Yes I have spent a full winter there

With the purchase of Coniston in Vermont more than a few people have asked "But, have you spent a full winter there yet?". I looked at the first few people with a questioning look, like "What do you mean have I spent a full winter there yet?" I think even my lovely husband has said "But we have not spent a winter there yet". In conversation with my friend Cindy we talked about the fact that some people retire to Florida or North Carolina and some people retire to Vermont. It is a very good thing that we are wired differently otherwise we would all be retiring to the same place and be on top of each other.

So yes, I have spent 22 years of my life living in a wintry climate, Colorado and Vermont. I love the snow, I love being snowed in, and blizzards. It might explain why at the first blizzard I get out in the car and drive in it. I took both of my kids out snow driving when they first got their licenses, so they would know how to drive in the snow. So that part of Vermont is clear, I love snow and driving in it, and yes I have spent 22 years in that kind of climate.

Now on to mud season. This morning I was thinking about it and kids love mud. They love to walk in it, get really dirty and squishy. Well maybe not all kids, but this kid does. As long as you can clean up and have the right boots mud season is tolerable. We looked at Coniston for the first time in March, during mud season. We could not even see the driveway for the mud, and we will made an offer a few days later. So, I don't mind mud season, because it ends and then the glorious spring and summer and fall arrive.

As long as we have heat, and layers, and snow shoes, and wood stoves and our Channel 1 then yes, I can spend a winter there.

It is a very good thing that we are all different. I would never be as excited about a sandy beach as a snow bank. If they could only invent a way to play golf in the snow then it would be paradise, this "Vermont in Winter" thing.