Posts Tagged ‘snow’

Snow 2015!

We’ve had snow before while I’ve lived in North Carolina (last year, for instance. or in 2010, which I have some nice pictures of). But this year was my first time trying to drive in it! Not really a fan of that, I’ve gotta say. Luckily today the library is closed, so I’m staying home and baking. I had to walk to the store to buy mini chocolate chips, and took some awesome pictures:

We got at least 6 inches!

We got at least 6 inches!

Poor just-planted shrubberies

Poor just-planted shrubberies

This tree looks much more blingy now

This tree looks much more blingy now

Trixie, not happy

Trixie, not happy

Clio, having a rave??

Clio, having a rave??

Clearly Steven is more used to the Frozen North since he remembered to put his wipers up.

Florida girls!!! Killin it

Florida girls!!! Killin it

Not many people have gone out yet, so these are mine

Not many people have gone out yet, so these are mine

Harris Teeter parking lot: a winter wonderland

Harris Teeter parking lot: a winter wonderland

It's hard not to sing Christmas carols

It’s hard not to sing Christmas carols

Luckily, Snow Command is on the case.

Snow!!

So maybe you’ve heard about North Carolina’s recent duel with icy winter death. Which isn’t just me being overly dramatic–Cary has sent me like 5 emails a day with titles like “SNOW COMMAND ACTIVATED: IT’S GO TIME” because that’s how the Town of Cary rolls. And I’m totally okay if you want to take this time to say something like “Why are people panicking over six inches of snow? Where I’M from we don’t cancel school unless children are eaten by polar bears and also I’m an ice road trucker and you are a wuss.” That’s fine. I get that saying things like that is the one consolation you get when you choose to live somewhere that turns into a barren frostscape of despair for half the year, so you do whatever you gotta do to avoid falling into a pit of Seasonal Affective Disorder or whatever. Call me if climate change brings another hurricane to the Northeast and you need tips. No hard feelings.

Anyway, Steven and I have both been safely at home for most all of it. The power’s been going off and on, and I definitely heard some transformers are Maynard blow up last night, but if you’re not immediately worried about freezing to death, it can be really pretty:

This was the view out my window yesterday around 5

This was the view out my window yesterday around 5

It had slowed down by then (started around noon), although it continued to periodically rain icy pellets throughout the night.

Our apartment complex's ancient AC units bedded down in the snow!

Our apartment complex’s ancient AC units bedded down in the snow!

Of course, I had to go out to check on Trixie. Earlier we’d had the harrowing experience of driving home from the community center in the first blast of the storm, and she still might be traumatized.

We're both from Florida, okay?

We’re both from Florida, okay?

Which is probably why I couldn’t figure out how to get my windshield wipers to stand up like that. I actually tried this time, though, which is a first.

Clearly it means I'm becoming a Northerner

Clearly it means I’m becoming a Northerner

Yesterday evening when I went for a walk (to get the mail! Which had arrived! Neither snow nor rain nor glom of nit! Good job, USPS!) the snow was still all soft and crunchy and mostly pristine. Here it is near the mailbox, coming up around my ankles in my nice snow boots:

I don't often get to use them for their intended purpose

I don’t often get to use them for their intended purpose

This morning when I went out, the ice-rain overnight had hardened everything. Now instead of crunching down on the snow, your feet punch through a layer of ice:

That's what it feels like, too, a punch. It makes for slow going

That’s what it feels like, too, a punch. It makes for slow going

But I still walked around and took some pictures of things

Here's Trixie, all covered in icicles

Here’s Trixie, all covered in icicles

And here's a pine tree, needles all icy and pretty when the wind blows

And here’s a pine tree, needles all icy and pretty when the wind blows

Here's some dude's truck all full of snow

Here’s some dude’s truck all full of snow

Here's the main road leading into my apartment complex!

Here’s the main road leading into my apartment complex!

It was looking pretty good this morning, thanks to Snow Command and Town of Cary’s A-Team (I have yet to really figure out the relationship between the two. The emails give clues, but nothing definite). Unfortunately, my apartment complex’s parking lot was still a sheet of ice:

Maybe it cleared up after I went back inside

Maybe it cleared up after I went back inside

Although I kind of doubt it because then this afternoon:

More snow!

More snow!

Bring it, I hate leaving the house anyway.

Well, it's true

Well, it’s true

Pink Hair Adventures

I’ve had pink hair for a little more than two weeks now, and it is pretty great.

The only bright thing on a gray day

The only bright thing on a gray day

I smile every time I look in the mirror. It’s hard to be sad or annoyed or worried when you look one wardrobe change away from being a cartoon superhero or really punk. Unfortunately, I don’t own any clothes like that, so I just end up looking like me with hot pink hair. Which is still awesome. I knew it would be awesome. I also knew people would generally stare at me, but there were some other things I didn’t expect. Clothes is one of them. I’ve been dressing myself with blondish hair my whole life, so I wasn’t really prepared for a change. Pretty much every color looked okay with my old hair. I guess except yellow or orange, so I don’t own anything like that. With hot pink, there’s more things to consider. Anything pink is probably out, since shades of pink clash, and red generally looks weird too. Even certain purples can look strange, which is unfortunate, since you know my closet is a purple-based ecosystem. It’s also just so bright. So even though my favorite turquoise jacket might look okay next to it, color-wise, I’m then wearing two incredibly bright things at once. It turns out, I own a lot of brightly colored things too, so getting dressed is suddenly a lot more complicated than before. I’m sure I’ll get used to it.

My dad pointed out that since my hair is already over the top, why do I care about the rest?

My dad pointed out that since my hair is already over the top, why do I care about the rest?

Maybe that’s true. At a certain point, I just reach a critical mass of colors and it probably doesn’t matter after that. Unfortunately, Cary is no Carrboro, so people don’t randomly compliment how cool my hair is in the street as much, but children make up for this. There were no children in Carrboro, but here they are everywhere, and they freaking love my hair. One girl in the frozen food section of Food Lion just screamed “PINK!” at me at the top of her lungs. One boy followed me around the library, refusing to speak to me, but silently grinning. The only child I’ve encountered who’s not ALL ABOUT this was my cousin Caleb. He’s only 8 months old, and spent a lot of time staring at me warily. Steven wondered if an 8-month-old girl would have done the same, or been more inured to pink being everywhere. I’ll report back when I find some more children to freak out.

BFFs!!!

BFFs!!!

I’ve also gotten to know a lot of people since dyeing my hair, which I love! It’s definitely a conversation starter, but it also makes me instantly memorable, so two trips anywhere makes me a regular. Even running errands is fun when you have pink hair!! Pretty much everything is fun when you have pink hair. Probably my favorite reaction has been from the senior class that meets at the same time as my aerobics class at the community center. You would think older people would be the most disapproving, but a lot of them seem to like seeing me. “What are you doing today, Flamingo Girl?” They remind me of my grandpa and how he was always friendly with everyone he met. Like him, they just seem to be enjoying life and all of its variety, which includes me and my electric flamingo hair.

Letter Writing During a Blizzard!

The best part about this New Year’s Resolution is that I have blog fodder for at least the rest of the month. Although some blog-worthy things happened yesterday. For one, snow!

Some of it had already melted by the time I woke up!

It wasn’t that much snow here, but of course people were all freaking out beforehand. Apparently there’s still “icy conditions” on the roads so it will be a fun drive to work later!

Also, my friend Meghan and I discovered that we were also BFF in preschool before we both moved away! Then her mom found all these preschool pictures of us! Crazy times.

Also, I’ve been writing letters!

Two of the letters I wrote this week were sort of unusual. One was to my brother in Houston, which will arrive in my signature cloud envelopes in a box, since I also had to send him this:

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Winterpocalypse Notebook: II

The Night it Began

The night it began I was at
Harris Teeter
Because Steven had discovered at the last minute
That our milk was bad
and he needed it to make tortillas.

There were so many people
(I parked across the street)
It seemed like everyone was a college student
Buying beer and wine
Or a mom buying cat food.

I stood in line for the self check out
With my one bottle of milk
In the middle of the shampoo aisle
When from the front of the store
We heard someone shout
“It’s snowing!”

And getting home was a bitch.
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