Now THAT'S Cold!

While I'm off enjoying the warmer weather in Las Vegas (mid-60s all week), I thought I'd share with you a picture from our last cold snap.  It was below zero for a couple of days (felt like a month) and we got snow.

The front U-joints are going out on RockCrawlinChef's Jeep, so I was driving her back and forth to work, while he was driving Ripley (his commute is much longer than mine).  The Lil Blue Box (Jeep) is missing her back window.  The zipper broke and so there's no way to keep the window in place.  It's not really a huge deal as long as the heater's going full blast.

Add in the snow and you get a snow-globe on wheels.  The snow would blow off Lil Blue's roof and into the back window, swirling around with the heater fan.  I can honestly say it was the first time I've ever been snowed on inside a moving vehicle.

It warmed up to about 2* above zero that day and the sun was shining brightly.  It shone bright enough that the snow started to melt despite the below freezing temperatures, causing icicles to form.

The snow that had been previously on Lil Blue's head melted and ran down her side, eventually freezing.  When my boss left work that afternoon, she called me to tell me that my vehicle was frozen to the ground.  Huh?  I knew it was cold, but was it really cold enough to freeze a Jeep to the ground?

Apparently it was.  You can't see it well in the picture, but the icicle's about two inches in diameter and frozen solid to the puddle on the ground.

Ah, well, the good news is that it being Colorado, it was much warmer the next day - we made it to 20* F.

Turn The Clock Back

Note:  This was scheduled for tomorrow, but blankity-blank Blogger scheduler apparently isn't working.  Sorry.

I miss being a kid.  Especially when it's cold out - and it's been cold.  Not just here, but every where.  I hate the booger freezing cold that we've been having and I hate having to be the Mommy when it's this cold out.

I miss being a kid.  When I was a kid, I was too little to have to go out and start the car when it was cold. I just had to bundle up in my coat and make it from the house to the already-warmed up car.  There wasn't any of this booger freezing shit scraping rock-hard frost from the windows.  Nope.  When I was a kid, I just stayed in the house, nice and toasty until it was time to put my coat and mittens on and go to the car.  I miss that.

You know what else I miss?  Kind of along the same lines.  I miss footie pajamas.  I never had cold feet in footie pajamas.  Know what was the best?  When we'd be out somewhere late and we'd change into our pajamas where ever we were.  Then Mom or Dad would go out and warm up the car.  We'd get into our nice warm pajamas, put on our nice warm coats and mittens, and get into our nice warm car.  It would be so nice and cozy that inevitably I'd fall asleep and get carried into the house and slip right into bed.  I miss that.  I want to be the one getting carried in all nice and cozy like.  I don't like being the one to have to do the carrying in and shit.

Being a Mommy sucks sometimes.  But, most notably in the winter.

2009 The Year of the Blanket

So...The Christmas theme this year for my family must have been "blanket" 'cause that's what we got.  Lots and lots of them.  My friend at work started the trend with a leopard print Snuggie.  Yes, the leopard print one...

'Cept on me it doesn't quite look like that.  Apparently it's made for someone 5'9" or so, since it pools around my feet and hangs off my arms.  I feel like a little girl playing dress-up in my Snuggie.  But a warm little girl playing dress-up, which is the important part.  Cheesy as it is, I love my Snuggie.

Fast forward to Christmas Eve.  The Gun Diva gets her presents at Grandma Mary's house - yay!  Present number one: a blue snappy-uppy blanket.  Present number two: a fleece horse throw.  Present number three: a fleece throw that my dad customized using one of his old touring t-shirts.  Laugh if you will, but I'll be warm!

Christmas Day brings Snuggies for all of the children in the family!  Ash gets her own leopard print Snuggie, so now we can be twinsies!

Poor Jay was left out - he didn't get a Snuggie.  But that's okay, 'cause I'll share my snappy-uppy blanket with him.

So, either everyone in my family thinks that my house is too cold or we've become unbelievably difficult to shop for.  I'm going with the family thinks that my house is too cold thing.

But, I tell you, the next time I hear one of the kids whine about being cold...

Colorado Car Starting Attire

It's been COLD recently.  Even for Colorado winter, it's cold.  So for your edification...a tutorial on proper Colorado Car Starting Attire.*

Let's start with the boots, worn for two reasons: 1) easy on/easy off function - no tracking snow through the house - 2) the snow has to be really deep to fall inside - while not warm, toasty feets, at least dry feets.

Next, the ever sexy running pants circa late 1980s (yes, I've had them that long).  Again, two reasons: 1) they slip down into the easy on/easy off boots, so no snow gets stuck in the cuff (so I'm short, I have to cuff my scrubs) and 2) I can go back in the house, kick off my boots and pull on my scrubs or jeans over the top and be toasty warm.

Big fluffy coat that covers my butt.  'Cause there ain't nothin' worse than a cold ass. (Not even a dumb one.)

Gloves.  Have you ever stuck your hand to the car in sub-freezing weather.  'Nuff said.

Dry hair is preferable, but not required if you don't mind frozen hair.  But it's just hair, it'll thaw.

Now, some of you who follow my Tales From The Trail blog may realize that the Car Starting Attire sounds very similar to the Bear's In The Dumpster Attire.  Very astute.  It varies only by the britches (flannel jammies vs. running pants) and the state of the hair (clean and combed vs. bed head).

*The pictures are a tad fuzzy because of the frost on the inside of the door - my eldest son was too wussy to open the door for the pictures.