Welcome to Winter!

Is it over yet?  ;)  Tonight we had another ice storm.  This one I wasn't expecting, as it started while I was in a store.  I walked out and couldn't decide if it was rain or sleet, and if I was walking on lots of crunchy salt or ice.  Turns out it was a lotta ice. :)  Luckily the roads weren't bad...my car and windows and everything else were just already encased in ice. 

So ice storms are one thing I have come know a little about during my 5 winters in Ohio.  One thing that was new were these cool wind-blown snow rollers (official term, really) that were all over the place right after the first Arctic vortex that we had.  Apparently they are a rare natural phenomenon that need really particular weather patterns and temperatures in order to form.  They are made by the wind blowing loose snow over another layer of frozen snow at just the right temperatures, and were pretty cool to see all over the place.  

I took that picture on a walk I took one day to the post office as I trudged through the snow, finding any excuse I could to get outside and get some exercise.  One of the problems with the crazy cold temperatures we've had this winter is that it has meant we are often holed up inside and it's too cold to do anything more than run out to your car when you absolutely have to leave. Get it above 15 degrees with wind chill, and I'm feeling good!  Speaking of walks, I took one a few weeks ago after being reminded of the import of our own "sacred places."  I was reading from The Power of Everyday Missionaries (have you read that yet? If not, you totally should.) and was reminded how certain places have an ability to calm us and recenter us--bring us "home" so to speak, and where we feel totally free and rejuvenated.  I need that with my exams, so I started thinking of my own.  Whiskeytown is certainly one of those places, but I can't pick up and go there every weekend just to spruce up some.  :) (I wish!) So I thought of other places that do that for me.  Certainly church is one.  And then I realized that just being outside almost anywhere gave me some of that.  So...I decided that rather than drive to the bank, I'd walk, and I'd let myself stop and take pictures and appreciate being outside on the way back.  It was so worth it. I just LOVE to be outside.

Snowflakes on ice on a fence rail.

Ice coverin' everything but me. ;)

Cracked ice, or penguin on a journey?

Walking meant I hadn't been driving my car (not to mention I'd been taking the bus), which meant I hadn't cleared off any of the 5 inches of snow we got a few days before, which had then been covered in a layer of ice over that snow.  Don't worry, it only took 30 minutes to clear it off, and another hour to shovel it out. :)

The ice on top of the snow made it so that I could tunnel underneath it and clear out the snow below, keeping the ice roof intact. 

I pulled the snow out from beneath, but the ice 4 inches above held form!

 It maybe wouldn't have taken me quite so long to shovel my car out from all the snow, if I'd had a better snow-shovel for the first half...

Dustpan snow-shovel, anyone?

Luckily my neighbor came home after I got done with one side and let me use their snow shovel.  'Bout time I invested, eh? :)

Other things so far this winter--

My friend Lisa and her friend Hareg came to visit.  We spent much of the day driving around in the blizzarding snow trying to find a restaurant that was open.  Finally found this expensive Italian place, only to find it's food was no match for it's price (not to mention everything about it was stuck in the 70's). 

A better food experience was had at this Puerto Rican food truck David, Michael and I made our way to.  Best empenadas I've ever had.  Hands down.  (And the fact that the owner loved us didn't hurt either.)  So worth it.

Michael is just taking in all that FLAVOR.

And finally, ...ice cream.  Did you know more ice cream is consumed in the winter than in the summer? Someone told me so, and I believe them. :)  And, it turns out that some of the sister missionaries serving in our ward are obsessed with ice cream.  So one night at the institute we made a run down the street to UDF and everyone got ice-cream (except me...I got chewy chocolate cookies--obviously the only choice), and it t'was grand.

I love all these sister missionaries (three sets!)

So, welcome to Winter!  I'll be ready for Spring, but in the meantime, I'll make the most of it!