Nightmare Before Springtime

What's this? What's this?

Steve came into town for lunch today. He was attending a speech on religion and politics at UW, "Just to get out of the house," he said. He came by afterwards, around 1:15, and almost the moment he arrived, snow started falling.

This storm was forecast, but it wasn't certain whether it would be snow, rain or a mix of the two. The air temperature is well above 32º, so the snow is wet, though the flakes are small. So it started falling, we went out to lunch, and by the time we finished, the car was covered in snow.

Spring came a month ago; where's my back yard?

The roads were slushy (no plows out yet), and Steve dropped me off at home and headed out to pick up Pam at Western and drive back to Ettrick. The snow should be ending by 9 this evening, and tomorrow it's supposed to be in the 40s, so the snow should be gone by the end of the week when highs are forecast in the upper 50s and lower 60s.

This is the third snowstorm we've gotten in April. At lunch, Steve said he didn't remember a time in the past when there were three in April.

The standard shot of the German Lutheran church

One of the things cold weather has done is exacerbate my hip, which has been sore for the past week or so. I think I'm developing arthritis in the right hip joint, but moving around and being active seems to work it out. Still I think warmer weather will help mitigate.

But I follow Steve's advice on the end of winter: Spring's not here until the nighttime lows are always above freezing. Also, watch the old trees, as they don't bud until they know winter is finally over. And they haven't really started budding yet.

This afternoon I would have normally gone in to the Center to man the desk, but not today. And we were supposed to have the volunteer appreciation dinner this evening, but that has been postponed until May. Everyone shares the sentiment of being sick of snow.

Cheese shop in Nelson

I'm sure roads will be passable tomorrow, when we have a fundraiser for the Center at Fiesta Mexicana, one of the better Mexican restaurants in town. They kick back 10% of their take from folks who mention the Center when ordering. Seems like a good way to pack the place on a slushy Wednesday evening.

"The White Crow" reading went very well, with nearly 100 people attending. The performance went  really well, and the post-show discussion was insightful and compelling as the show itself. We performed, unfortunately, on the same day as the local community theater's annual gala, so many folks I was hoping would attend were rubbing elbows at the Webster Center instead.

The eagle center

Since October, I've been adjusting my eating habits, since the doctor labeled me as "pre-diabetic," which to me means "you're eating a crap diet and not getting enough exercise." So I've been cutting out sugar and refined carbs as I can.

Jessie at Robin's

The upside of this "new" diet is I've lost four inches off my waist (I haven't been weighing myself, as how I'm feeling is more important than the actual number of pounds dropped), and, aside from my hip, I'm feeling more energy and have a more positive outlook.

Still, like Steve, this late winter weather is getting me down. I'm getting tired of being shut in the house when my expectations were to be outside in warmer weather. In Alaska, we called it cabin fever. And even though I live in town and my street is one of the first to be cleared when snow falls, I still want to see some sun and warmer temperatures. Even several days of rain would be preferable to this.

Vintage robots at Lake Toys

But I am looking forward and staying positive. One of the things happening in May is the arrival of my friend, Jessie. She's lives in North Carolina and is taking a road trip. I'm very honored to be one of her stops. I'm just hoping there will be a couple days of good weather for her visit.

Vintage Toy kitchens

I'm planning on taking her on the "River Circuit," which is north on the Wisconsin side of the river to Nelson (and the cheese shop there), then across the river to the Wabasha Eagle Center, down the Minnesota side with a stop at Lake Toys (gotta get fudge), then back to La Crosse.

Right about now I was expecting to be talking to my yard guy about getting the lawn back in shape for spring. Instead, I'm writing him out another check for snow removal. (I leave it on the back porch for him so he'll get paid even if I'm not around.)

For now, I'm waiting for my tax refund to show up, and I'm mulling over what I'm going to do with it. I do know that I need to put a new roof on the garage, as the shingles on there are peeling off with any kind of weather. I find chunks on the ground in the back yard when it's not covered with snow. Nick, my yard guy, also does roofing, so I'm going to get a quote from him before I start calling roofing companies. I mean, it's only the garage, after all.