Snow in Central Virginia

Hello, dear readers. I hope you have been warm and safe wherever you are. Central Virginia has had frigid temperatures in the single digits to 0 and even below, and that’s not taking into account the wind chill. That is very unusual for our area, and some records were broken.

We also got snow Monday and Tuesday, a little snow on Wednesday, then more snow and ice on Saturday. We haven’t been out of the house more than necessary. I love winter, but even I’m looking forward to some warm sunshine. More cold is coming, though.

Here are some pictures I managed to get this week. Some were with my phone and some were with my camera through a window.

And I hope I’ll have more to say on Thursday. Sigh.

Snow falling Monday, late afternoon. The road is already covered.

Snow on the lower driveway, Saturday.

Small pine tree branch caught in the snow.

Cat prints in the snow, apparently from a neighborhood kitty. Please bring outside pets indoors when the temperatures drop!

Ice clinging to the tree branches Sunday morning.

The streets were very slick on Sunday morning.

Checking in

Hello, friends. I hope wherever you are, you are safe and warm. This wild winter weather in the U.S. is wreaking a lot of havoc. It has been very cold in my part of Virginia, and it’s supposed to start snowing later today.

Saturday night, Larry and I went out to eat for Valentine’s Day. When we drove to the restaurant, the wind was blowing fiercely. Soon after we sat down in the restaurant, we saw through the window that it had started to snow, and the wind whipped it through the air. The snow soon ended, but the roads were left slick with black ice in some areas. I’m glad Larry was driving!

I’m sorry I haven’t been around much lately to visit you. It has been a nerve-racking few weeks, but I hope things will settle down soon, and I can give you more details.

I have some decisions to make. I told you last month that I was waiting to hear about a job I applied for. I may have an announcement soon about that. Things are moving slowly, and I will be so happy to make a decision and feel more settled.

Take care of yourselves, and I plan to be back here on Thursday!

A Review of 2014: The Year of Adventure

I hope those of you who celebrate Christmas had a wonderful and peaceful holiday! Larry and I had a quiet but very enjoyable time.

It’s hard for me to believe that this is the last post I will write in 2014. The years go by so quickly now!

Before the start of 2014, I chose a word to guide me through the year: Adventure. I did have some adventures during the year, some fun and exciting, some not-so-fun but life-changing, some big, some small.

Here are some of my adventures in 2014:

January: I opened a freelance editing business.

February: I started thinking about and making notes to write a mystery novel. I went sledding for the first time in years and had a blast!

One of my favorite photos from 2014. It was taken by Larry.

March: I covered the Group 1A boys basketball finals in Richmond and wrote a story about it—me, a non-sportswriter.

April: Larry and I started our first garden in the raised bed.

The raised bed garden in June.

May: I did an interview for a story on OCD and scrupulosity on CNN.com.

June: Relationships with family members changed forever.

July: I started to knit. I went on a ride-along with a deputy with the county sheriff’s office.

Chase Bird doesn't seem to think too highly of my knitting.

September: I made an adjustment in my medications that made a big, positive difference in my depression. I didn't start talk therapy as I planned. I put that off until 2015 because of scheduling problems.

October-November: I started and finished physical therapy for a problem that remains to be diagnosed for sure: Neck? Shoulder? Both?

November: Larry and I tried authentic Japanese food for the first time. We found snow at the Peaks of Otter on Thanksgiving Day.

One adventure I worked on the whole year was reading. Yes, reading is always an adventure for me. I set a goal to read 24 books. I thought that was manageable and not so high that I would set myself up for failure.

I actually went over my goal and read 27 books. That might end up being 28 for 2014 since I’m currently reading one of my Christmas books.

I read a lot of articles and essays, too.

All but three of the books I read fall into the mystery/thriller category. I’m not sure what that says about me. Yes, I love mysteries. But maybe I needed some escape time, too.

Of the mysteries, 15 of them were by John Sandford. I discovered him last Christmas, and as you can guess, I found his stories captivating.

Here are the three nonfiction books I read:

The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey Through Madness. By Elyn R. Saks.

Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation. By Palmer J. Parker.

Blush: A Mennonite Girl Meets the Glittering World. By Shirley Hershey Showalter.

I’m not sure yet what number of books I will set as a goal for 2015, but it will be higher than 24 or even 27. And I hope to include more nonfiction books.

So there’s a quick overview of 2014, one that in no way reflects the complexity of life. I am glad to put 2014 behind me.

On Thursday, let’s talk about 2015.

Readers, what one word sums up your 2014?

Snow at the Peaks

We had read online that there was four inches of snow up on the mountain. We didn’t have any snow in Altavista Thursday morning as we started west toward the Peaks of Otter, but as the road started to climb in Bedford County, we began to see patches of snow. And we could see snow on Sharp Top Mountain in the distance.

By the time we got to the Peaks of Otter Lodge, it was clear that for the second year in a row, we were going to have Thanksgiving dinner in a snow-covered natural setting.

You probably know by now that Larry and I love snow. When we visited Mountain Lake in Giles County last Thanksgiving, we were thrilled to find snow.

This year, the forecast for snow caused us a little concern because if it got too heavy, the Park Service would close the Blue Ridge Parkway, and dinner would be canceled.

We made it safely to the lodge, though, and enjoyed a beautiful buffet of roasted turkey, cornbread and apple stuffing, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, and so many other meats and side dishes.

It seems that now Larry and I have started a tradition: we must eat Thanksgiving dinner where there’s snow.

 Once we parked the truck, I got out my camera and started taking photos. We slowly walked to the lodge as I stopped again and again to try to capture the beauty around us.

This is the first photo I took of Sharp Top.

  

When we turned back around a few minutes later, clouds were rolling in.

 There seemed to be at least four inches of snow resting on the ground around the guest lodgings.

  

This is a view of Abbott Lake behind the lodge.

  

These red buds were a pretty contrast to the brown of the weeds and the white snow.

 Snow on trees—one of the loveliest ways snow decorates nature.

  

Another view of Sharp Top.

More views of the lake.

They already had their Christmas decorations up. A large tree stood in the lobby.

  

I especially liked these decorations because of the bears included.

Our table had a good view of the lake. A small tabletop tree stood beside the table. I took this photo with my phone against the light, so it's not a great shot. But I liked the rustic decorations.

Once we sat down to eat, facing the lake, the sun broke through the clouds and shined directly into Larry’s eyes. So we quickly adjusted our seating at the table. You never know when nature will change.

No, I didn’t get any photos of the food. But it was delicious. And I ate a lot. The first thing I did when I got home was to change into sweatpants. My nice dress slacks seemed to have gotten tighter just since that morning. Wonder what caused that?

Good Fences

Happy Thursday! Today I am joining Theresa (TexWis Girl) at The Run*A*Round Ranch Report for Good Fences, a fence photo meme.

Theresa was inspired to name the meme after a line in Robert Frost’s poem “Mending Wall”: “Good fences make good neighbors.”

Visit Theresa’s blog out HERE to join in!

This is our rail fence on one side of our property. In this photo, the fence seems to be surrounded by deep winter. But it was taken just this week during a spring snow.

The fence doesn’t do a lot to keep anything out or in, but I’ve always liked the look of wooden rail fences.

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A snowy day in spring

March 25, 2014, side yard outside our house

The weather forecasters were calling for an inch or less in Central/Southside Virginia areas on Tuesday. We got more.

So here’s a look at probably the last snow here (but who knows?) until next winter.

March 25, 2014, trees on our street

You can tell I like the look of snow on trees. My camera lens just pulls my eye in their direction.

March 25, 2014, front yard of our house

March 25, 2014, tree on Main Street, Altavista

You know how I love snow. But we’ve had a lot of warm days lately, and it is almost April. So while I enjoyed walking in the snow Tuesday, it’s OK with me if it’s the last of the season.

As we welcome spring, let’s look back one more time. What was the most fun thing you did this past winter?

A Truly Random “Random 5 Friday”

It’s Friday, so I’m joining Nancy of A Rural Journal for Random 5 Friday.

One

When I told my editor at the newspaper about my sledding adventure, he asked me to write a first-person account of it for this week’s paper. We rarely do anything like that, but he thought it would be fun for readers.

If you’d like to read the article, you can click HERE.

Two

Last week when it was snowing, I went to English Park, which is along the Staunton River in Altavista and found these ducks.

Three

Back at the house, I found these tracks in the snow outside Larry’s shop. Can you tell what animal they belong to?

Four

I was at the newspaper office on Wednesday, working at my desk. My cell phone was in my pocket. Suddenly, the phone sounded a shrill and very loud alarm. Simultaneously, my co-workers’ cell phones did the same thing.

It was an AMBER alert. A little girl in another part of Virginia had gone missing.

Thankfully, the little girl was found in less than an hour after the alert went out.

The alarm may frighten you the first time you hear it, but I’m so glad such alerts are in place to help.

Five

I’m reading another mystery/thriller by John Sandford. It’s called Rough Country and features a character named Virgil Flowers. It’s very well-written and a great read, too.

But as I’m reading it, I’m also studying the structure and how the mystery flows. I hope such study will help my own writing as I tackle the mystery writing process.

I am taking next week off from blogging. I need some time for rejuvenation. I will be back on March 3. Blessings to all of you, dear readers!

Random 5 Friday: Adventures in the snow

Happy Friday, and Happy Valentine’s Day! I hope you are all doing well.

I’m joining Nancy of A Rural Journal in Random 5 Friday, a very fun meme. To join in the fun, go HERE.

 

Our upper driveway as the snow fell on Thursday.

One

Virginia got snow! Altavista got snow!

I’ve written before how I love snow, so Wednesday and Thursday were exciting for me. We haven’t had this much snow in about four years. We got around 10 inches, maybe a bit more since it snowed again all afternoon Thursday. Lots of other parts of Virginia got more.

It started snowing Wednesday afternoon and snowed all night into Thursday morning, plus Thursday afternoon.

Looking down our street.

 

Looking up our street.

Two

I have marveled at the beauty of the snow, especially how it looked on the trees and branches of bare shrubs.

Looking out the window on the side yard.

Each branch made beautiful by the snow. 

Three

I have not been sledding in years. In fact, I don’t remember going sledding since I was a teenager. But Thursday, we got out a sled and a snowboard, and Larry and I packed a good path in the side yard. Then I went flying!

Adventure is my word this year, but foolhardy is not. I knew I couldn’t stand on the snowboard, so I sat on it.

Larry wouldn't try it. He said he didn't want to break something. But he pushed me and took photos. And laughed with me.

Me taking a break. I am soaking wet. 

This photo is a little blurry, but you can still see I'm having a great adventure!

Four

I didn’t know I had so much laughter and yelling—the joyful kind—in me. I laughed, yelled, squealed, and had a fabulous time sliding down the hill and falling into the snow.

After one fall, I just rolled over on my back and lay in the snow, looking up at the sky. It was turning gray, getting ready for more weather. The branches of the trees were stark against the sky. And I was content.

Five

For Valentine’s Day, Larry and I are going to eat tonight at Main Street Café and Coffee, a restaurant in Altavista where we often enjoy lunch. They don’t normally serve dinner, but they are having a special Valentine’s dinner featuring tastes of Italy. We’re looking forward to a nice evening.

It’s a Snow Cat

If the weather forecasters are correct, there’s snow coming to Virginia, including Altavista, today and tomorrow. Finally, we are supposed to get a storm from the south, which brings more snow than the little “clippers” we’ve been getting.

I haven’t made any snowmen this year—not enough snow. But I thought I’d be brave and show you a snow creature that I built almost five years ago, in March 2009.

We had an unexpectedly deep snow. I worked for a state agency then, and we closed for the day. So I got to get out and play in the snow.

I carefully created a Snow Cat.

Larry looked at it and asked, “Why did you make a Snow Squirrel?”

“It’s a cat,” I said.

“It’s a squirrel,” he said.

Can you believe that we still have this discussion whenever it snows?

I say it was a Snow Cat. He says it was a Snow Squirrel.

Have you made a snowman, or another kind of snow creature, lately?

Random 5 Friday: The last day of January

Happy Friday to you on this last day of January! Can you believe the first month of 2014 is almost over? It seems to have flown by.

I’m joining Nancy of A Rural Journal for Random 5 Friday. Check out Nancy’s blog to find more posts where bloggers share their random facts.

 

Snow on the camellia bush.

One

We had another snowfall this week. We were supposed to get mostly flurries in our area, but we got more than that.

The roads were treacherous Tuesday night. I had to work at the newspaper office into the evening, but Larry came to the office and followed me home in case I had trouble getting up any of the hills. I made it fine, but it was nice knowing he was behind me.

Two

My work week at the newspaper wasn’t as hectic as I thought it would be. A trial set for Wednesday went to a plea last Friday.

Three

My schedule seems to be different every week and can change at the last minute. That makes it hard to have a lot of week-to-week routine.

I am working on finding a more peaceful morning routine. It’s hard for me to get up early before it’s light outside, but I feel so much better when I get an early start.

I have got to stop hitting that snooze button.

What time do you get up in the morning?

Four

My skin is suffering from the cold, dry air of winter. My hands look like claws. They’re not like they were when washing OCD ruled my habits, but they are dry and rough. I have dry patches on my face, too.

I probably don’t put enough lotion on. I don’t like the thick feeling of too much lotion, and it seems to make my face oily if I’m not careful.

What lotion do you use for dry skin? Do you know of anything that moisturizes without leading to breakouts?

Five

Chase Bird loves to curl up in small, dark, warm spaces, especially during the day. To accommodate him, we arrange a kitty blanket over different chairs, wherever he’s hanging out, so he can hide away and sleep.

Here’s one we fixed in the den. It’s where Larry usually sits when he’s watching TV. But he gives up the chair for his Chase Bird.

A cold Random 5 Friday

Happy Friday! I hope if you’re in a cold part of the world, you are staying warm.

It’s time for another Random 5 Friday, a great meme started by Nancy at A Rural Journal. To read more random posts and to join in, click HERE.

One

It’s so cold here, some of the meager snow we got on Tuesday is still hanging around. As I write this on Thursday night, the weather people are calling for temps in the single digits by morning, with wind chill 0 and below. That’s cold for Central Virginia.

I don’t usually wear hats, but I’m wearing them these days. Gloves are a must, too. And layers.

What are you doing to stay warm?

Snow in the yard on Wednesday.

It was cold, but the sky was blue.

Two

In the continuing story of the heat pump, the contractor called early Wednesday and said they couldn’t come that day because they hadn’t finished up the job that took them away on Monday.

So they returned Thursday and got the new heat pump installed and hooked up to the electric heat. They’re supposed to come today and finish.

We will believe it when we see it.

Three

As most of you know, I work 32 hours a week as a newspaper reporter for a weekly newspaper.

I recently read something interesting. CareerCast came out with its list of the most stressful jobs in 2014. “Newspaper reporter” was number 8.

I had to laugh when I read it. My first thought was, why is a person with anxiety disorders working in one of the most stressful jobs?

From comments I read on the site, not everyone agrees with the list, of course. And I don’t think my job stress can compare to those who work in personally dangerous situations or who work to save others’ lives.

But it was all food for thought.

What has been your most stressful job?

Four

My job with the newspaper can be very interesting. We have such a small editorial staff—one other staff writer and the editor—that we all end up covering a variety of stories.

Just on Wednesday of this week, I conducted a phone interview with an expert on senior issues. Then I did an in-person interview with the fitness director at the local Y on mind-body fitness. Finally, I covered a visit to Altavista by Sen. Mark Warner, one of Virginia’s senators.

On Saturday, I will cover the local chamber’s annual awards dinner. Next week, I’ll cover a murder trial in the county.

Five

Chase Bird will be glad when the heat pump work is done. Every time the HVAC workers appear, he has to be put behind the gate in the back bedroom.

He still goes in there on his own to eat sometimes. We kept his water bowl and a dry food bowl in there even after he got full access to the house last fall. Sometimes he sits on a stool by the window or in a cat bed in there.

But it’s better when it’s on his terms.

Chase Bird.