Happy New Year!

2008 is here with a roaring north wind, darlings! May the new year bring all of you many blessings, love, peace, and prosperity - and NO ice dams! It's not fit outside for man nor beast right now. The wind is howling, several inches of already fallen snow has landed in the corners of my porch and driveway, and the icicles I knocked down this morning are growing again. ICE DAMS! Fortunately, I stocked up on my supplies yesterday early evening, so I didn't have venture out today any further than the deck - to feed my critters. The office actually closed down early (3 p.m.) - I was in shock! I decided about 3:30 p.m. to make my exit. After jumping on the 3:51 bus and running my errands, I was home at 5:15 p.m. - and snuggled under my nice, warm sheets about 9:15 p.m., drifting off to dreamland. LOL! So much for my resolution to stay up until midnight and email everyone in my address book with new year greetings. This being winter in Wisconsin, change is constant and inevitable - the January thaw is coming early this year - as soon as this weekend, in fact, when RAIN is forecast and temperatures near 50 degrees F. Eek! Of course, darlings, you know what that means. ICE. Lots of ice. The ground is frozen, the more than foot of snow ground cover will have nowhere to go when the rains come. More ICE DAMS too. Sigh. My house hasn't sprung any leaks (that I know of) - yet. But the warmer air won't be here until Saturday. So, for the trek back to the office tomorrow and the rest of the work week, I will wear my heavy duty ankle-length down coat with hood and the super-sized mouton mittens under which I can comfortably fit gloved hands. This year, instead of the extra wool scarf, which I love for its beautiful blue and red plaid, but which is itchy, I have a four-in-one-fleece hoodie or, as they called them in the old days, a balaclava. With my 50 pound Sorel boots, I shall be toasty warm, although I won't be able to move faster than half a mile an hour... The Badgers lost the Outback Bowl - boo, hiss - the game was rigged, the referees were bribed, I just know it! Usually I take down the Christmas tree this day, but I just couldn't bring myself to do that this year. I am not yet ready to remove my beautiful tree for another year. Perhaps this weekend, when the January thaw rain is beating against the house from the southwest, I will feel motivated to pack everything away. Right now, I'm going to head downstairs, get a fire going in the fireplace, and spend the rest of my holiday watching television, eating good food, drinking Christian Brothers egg nog, and relaxing. I already feel incredibly decadent - I had a nice 3 hour nap earlier :) A final note - does anyone REALLY care about the Iowa caucuses other than the national television networks?