Even a broken clock is right twice a day. There's a guy on another gardening forum who's been saying for the past 3 years that a very cold winter was coming. Even though the 2 before this were incredibly mild (at least in the mid-Atlantic and south) is he now correct in saying "I told you so?" That being, I think this could be G-d's punishment for the folly of playing the superbowl in the Meadowlands.* BTW I have a huge prediction: one team will win! * one of the the world's great ironic placenames. Ought to be called the "marshy industrial wastelands". This post was edited by davidrt28 on Sat, Jan 25, 14 at 10:27

I'm not ready either and I'm hoping I'm far enough south that it misses us. Tonight our local meteorologist gave our region only a 30% chance of some sort of snow or snow/rain mix on Tuesday. (Maybe on Monday, but I hope not, because that's the night of Marietta's combination lighted holiday parade, Christmas Tree lighting, arrival of Santa, and kickoff of the holiday food drive for our local food bank.) We don't need rain or snow interfering with all that activity! I have a gazillion boxes of new Christmas lights and other decorations piled up in the weight room awaiting Sunday's "let's decorate the fire truck for the parade" party. I'd hate to do all that work and have snow/sleet or whatever cancel the parade....or just enough rain falling that families won't bring their kids out to see it. Oh, and we had freezing rain mixed with regular rain on Thanksgiving Day this year, but we weren't at home to see it fall. It didn't stick anyway because the ground was warm and the air was hovering right around but not below freezing. I'd forgotten about that stuff. I enjoyed the snow last year. All my life I wanted a "white Christmas" just like in the song of the same name and, finally, at the age of 50, I had one in 2009. It wouldn't bother me if we have no snow this year, but based on what the forecast is showing, I think we'll likely have some this year and it seems like it is trying to start early. I still have green leaves on some of my oak trees. Apparently they aren't ready for winter either. Dawn

Thank you for the birthday wishes. I had a very nice celebration. I left work several hours early and spent the day with DD#2. We mostly shopped and she made out like it was her birthday LOL - I did manage to get a nice pair of tiger patterned peeka-boo toe shoes (they sound tackier than they are LOL). DD#1 had flowers delivered to my office - so that was a nice surprise. DH gave me some spa treatments so I can indulge in a day of beauty. We had a lovely dinner at a favorite restaurant. Marci - thank you for the decorations - how appropriate. Zig - you make me feel so special. Amy - I am honored that you should happen to pop in at my birthday - it is always good to hear from you. Donna - thank you, I did enjoy the day even with the leftover ice and snow haha. Have a great Sunday - there is no laundry for me today.

I have not decided which path I will take today. Right now I am watching the birds at my “feeder tree,” a large white spruce tree in the front yard. I have several fat-quarters washed and dried that I want to press and the first “Baby Bud” pieces ready to sew. I want to go to Jo-Ann’s to get two more ArtBin containers, but that is about a 90-mile round trip. I try to limit my runs “to town” to twice a month or less so I may order them from Amazon. I was in town last Friday to have the Bernina lady adjust a spring in my walking foot. On the way home I hit black ice, spun all over the road, narrowly missed an on-coming car, went airborn, and landed at an acute angle down an embankment. It turned into a comedy of errors with other vehicles sliding off in the same area. No one was hurt; my muscles are bit stiff from the impact but are doing fine. I just don’t feel like getting back in the saddle today. We’re expecting a bad snow storm beginning tonight, so that’s pushing my plans even more toward “stay at home and sew”! I’m also doing de-cluttering, purging, and re-purposing in the sewing room. I could stay busy in there for weeks! :)