Winter 2015

We finally had our winter snow. We had been anticipating snow for over a week and it never happened when it was supposed to. This more than made up for all the false alarms. Even VW let employees work from home and shut down production. I posted these on facebook, so you might have already seen them.

Back yard

Front yard

Our road

I spent a long time searching for a cardinal in the snow. This little guy was way up in a tree, but once I cropped the photo you can see him better.

Caleb sledding in our backyard.

As the snow melted, it curled over itself and looked like a snow person sitting in the chair.

Caleb skim-boarding down the hill.

It was impossible to focus on the drips of water. I sped up my shutter speed so I could catch it falling, but couldn't quite get the drop in focus. I tried several times and this was the best effort.

 

 

Since Valentine's Day, I've worked 2 days at school--I do countless hours of school work from home. We are home again today, since there is still quite of bit of snow that hasn't melted. I hope spring is around the corner!

Bird Watching

As I was sitting at the table, writing up lesson plans and wondering if we will ever go back to school so I can use them, I noticed hundreds of birds flying by the window and settling in the bushes and trees out back.

At first it was the familiar orange of the robins.

Then I noticed this guy. Look at the top middle.

Soon all the robins were replaced by cedar waxwings. Caleb and I watched and took pictures until something spooked them and they all took flight. This was only the second time I've seen a flock of cedar waxwings. Maybe they aren't too rare of a bird, but they are rare to me so this was an unexpected perk to being home for yet another day.

Snowman

Caleb's masterpiece.

Losing Faith in Weather Forecasts

The radar shows this.

                               

But as the sky lightened up and I looked out the window, this is what I saw outside. You can't tell from the picture but there are a lot of flakes coming down. 

                          

This might not be a big deal up north, but when you live on a hill in the south just a small amount of snow can be a big headache. School is closed again today but Eric has to venture out to work. 

                         

This and That

I have been really keeping up with my healthy eating for quite awhile now. I got pissed off earlier this week when I forgot to check off that I'd had my daily fruits and veggies on my Small Starts app. When I went to check it the next day I had to start over again.

Now for the not-so-healthy eating! I am super proud of myself for making a lasagna from scratch. It took over 3 hours of simmering sauce, mixing, and baking. I even got the noodles you have to boil, instead of the ones you put right into the oven. Noodles are very tricky to get out of the boiling water. But I managed. This was a fabulous lasagna! The recipe is from Taste of Home, so you can google it if you want to give it a go. The only thing I changed is that I added fresh mushrooms to the sauce.

We saw Madeleine at the airport this weekend. The team flew into Chattanooga from Florida and then took a bus up to Knoxville. She had a very successful weekend, stroking the 3rd varsity 8.

We went out to the Terminal for Valentine's dinner. Caleb said he was trying  to match his dad's expression so he gave me this look. Don't ask me what the guy behind them is doing. Oh, and while we were there, a Pedals and Pints (the bike thing you ride around and drink beer on) group came in. They were so rowdy the bartender refused them service and they left. Ha! Then we were left to enjoy our Oatmeal Stout in peace.

I'm about three quarters of the way through with three different books right now. I started Voltaire's Treatise on Tolerance shortly after the Charlie Hebdo shootings. Voltaire cracks me up. I wish he lived next door because I think we would be good friends. He made quite a few serious points in his essay that I had never considered before too. Especially regarding the true source of most conflicts, which is very rarely religion but rather power, money, land, and the fact that some people just annoy the hell out of you and you want to smack the shit out of them (or bomb them, etc.). But you really shouldn't resort to that sort of thing. However, if you offend people you should expect them to respond in this manner, so don't do it. I'm also getting toward the end of Turkey: A Short History. They are a complicated people with a long, meandering history. And I've been working on The Works of Hugo for a long time now. I finished The Hunchback of Notre Dame last year, but there are several short essays also included in the book that are interesting.

School's cancelled for tomorrow and I finished planning today. So just a lazy day to look forward to.

Small Starts

                                        

The state of Tennessee, in an effort to improve the overall health of our population, has come up with an app to get people motivated. You can choose from 20-30 different "small starts" that you want to focus on. I picked Veg Out, Get Fruity, and Make Time For a Walk. I'm doing pretty good with the food ones but don't always get around to walking. This should get easier as the days get longer though.

If you want to sign up and don't live in Tennessee that's okay. I've seen people's hometowns listed as Guest of Tennessee. 

Surprisingly Good

                               

I tried making kale chips as an alternative to potato chips. I put a little too much salt on them, but other than that they were pretty good. And so easy to make!

Cut the kale into pieces, getting rid of the thick spines. Lay it on a cookie sheet and toss with a tablespoon of olive oil and just a little sea salt. Cook on 275 for about 30 minutes, turning halfway through. Enjoy!