Make It Red Theory - Just Ask Me

Oh.My.Goodness.

This stuff is a-MAYZ-ing.

Just ask me.

Best cab I think I've ever tasted.

I'll be going back for more.

I bought this on a recent trip to Lake Norman.

Total Wine.

I LOVE THIS PLACE.

I never walk outta there with less than 10 bottles of wine.

Red Theory.

 (That's easy to remember!)
It came recommended.

Oh, yeah.

Bingo!

Breakthrough

I've been checking my weather app a lot lately,

constantly checking...

updates...

what's new?

Anything?

Five-day forecast?  Ten-day forecast?

Come on, show me the elusive warming trend.

Give me hope, Weather App.

Every little minuscule drift upward in degrees keeps me clenching tighter.

Hanging on.

All this gray will pass.

Just hold on.

Let's Go Somewhere

Alton's

Lesson Learned: Check Washer Fluid On Frigid Days

It's ridiculously cold.  Winter just came crashing in and down around us here in my neck of the woods.  Up until last Sunday night, we'd only received about an inch of snow all winter.   And rather consistently mild temps.

Until now.

Did I brag too much?  Is that it?  I'm getting paybacks.

Paybacks are hell.

My face is cracking.  My hands are dry.  My lips are chapped.  My washer fluid froze up (and I didn't know it until I was on the highway headed to work).  I'm eating out of pure boredom -- and a little stress ...?

And my mother-in-law has been here since last Wednesday.  Stranded.  She was supposed to have gone home on Monday, when the earlier forecast was calling for sunny skies.  And then somebody decided to give a hearty shake to our otherwise peaceful, placid snow globe ..... and voila!  Crappy, crazy-cold, snowy winter weather.  And she's still here.  Parked.  Until Lord knows when.  And talking non-stop.

I need my silence.  I miss it.  I forget what it sounds like.

During Duck Dynasty last night I actually hid in  my bedroom so that I could watch the rest of the episode in peace.  Would you not think that when people are staring straight and intensely at a TV screen that they would probably want to hear what's being said?  Is that not a big enough clue?

Noooooooooooo!

Tonight the temps drop even more.  Is this a good night for whiskey?

Maybe Watch the movie Eight Below?

It would be good to be an Alaskan Malamute about now.

Say It...It's Worth Repeating

About-Face

So my appointment went rather well.  Audrey is a doll.  She's beautiful, talented, funny, and we hit it off royally.  I felt as if I'd known her for years.  She'll soon be 29, and she has dark red hair, beautiful pale skin and gorgeous blue eyes.  We talked effortlessly the entire time I was there.  All that for another post.

Time to hit the gym.  I've been working on my running at the gym on the track.  The turf makes running much easier on the joints and I'm getting kind of hooked on this.  I always loved running anyway.  Just hard to pull it off in the winter with the icy streets and cold morning temps.  Running on an indoor small track is a bit monotonous, but as long as I have my playlist ramped up, I'm good to go.  The aim is to increase my time little by little until I'm running a solid 5K again.  I'm making progress.

Fighting the creep, I've decided to do an about-face with typical protocol -- which is weights first, then cardio, so as not to use up all your energy and glycogen for cardio and wimp out with your training, thus making no gains with muscle building.  I'm putting that on hold for time being.  I'm running first, THEN training.


Giving this a month or so.  Let's see what happens.

Love is a Mystery

We enter the month of February.  The month of love and romance and candy.  And for many people, snow.  Lots of snow.

I listened to the news last night as I sat in our overstuffed chair in the family room, snuggled into flannel PJ bottoms, a hoodie, with a velvety-fleece blanket thrown across my lap.  Why all the wraps? We keep our house rather cool, usually on 66 during waking hours, 65 at night.  I looked outside and saw flurries, could hear the wind howling through the trees.  I was glad to be home, changed into comfy clothes and wrapped warmly inside our house.  The viscera of winter lingering.  Yet thankful that I wasn't among those in the north and northeast who'd been slammed with the snowstorms.  Just relentless amounts of snow ... and more snow.  Tons of flights cancelled.  People stranded.  Unreal.

Do I feel a draft?  I snuggled deeper.  I said a quiet prayer of thanks for so many little blessings that go unnoticed throughout the day.  Especially during the long days of winter.

... thankful that it's been mild enough this winter 

to build an occasional fire on the patio. 

After getting home from the gym on Saturday,

I asked my husband to build us a fire on the patio.

And he loves me.

So he did.

And as I sat out on the patio by the fire 

in the warm sunshine,

I kept huddling closer.

The sunlight deceiving.

Oh, silly child, it is VERY MUCH still winter.

Yet enraptured to be sitting in winter's bright sunshine

by this source of mystery and warmth

listening to the crackling,

watching the dance of flames,

mesmerized by the beauty.

The mystery.

"Oh pretty darling

This feeling is deep inside...

You got me mystified..."