Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Spring is here? Yeah, right!

First day of spring...
That would be Wednesday, March 20th. Yeah, they say it's officially spring, but you can't really tell by the frigid temperatures. It's still so cold that the last time I even stepped out the door was Sunday afternoon, March 17th. Yes, it was St. Patrick's Day, but I did not go to a parade or anything like that, I just went outside to try and get some fresh air because I thought it was going to be nice, but by the time I returned from a short 20 minute walk, I was about frozen through.

The best part about winter...
Well, since I don't hardly ever have to go out in the winter time, I guess the only good thing to say about it, is that I don't have to go out in it. On second thought, there are two good things about winter... it's also kind of pretty when there is snow on the trees. I say kind of, because that can also be a problem if the snow gets too heavy on the limbs and they fall and bring down electrical wires. Yikes, I do not like being without electricity since the dentist chair I sit in requires electricity and if that does not work, then I have to lie in bed until it returns.

Should be our last snow of the season...
Monday, around 10:20, it started snowing again. The weather forecasters made it sound really bad, but by the time it ended at around 1:00, we may have gotten two inches. Below are some pictures that were taken across the street from our home at the St. Louis Catholic Church. The snow covered the grass and cement, but the road and parking lot was clear.


It wasn't over yet...
But then Monday evening, March 25th, it started snowing again, sometime after 7:00. I guess the snow in the morning and afternoon was just a tease, because Tuesday morning when we woke up, we found the following (see picture below) - about six more inches. As the day went on, we probably got another three to four inches. My brother Bob is squatting, not standing behind that pile of snow. He was shoveling when my friend and aide, Dianne, took his picture. A few feet from Bob is a blue scoop shovel that I found on the internet. Bob and Rick, my other brother, have been using it and they like it because they do not have to shovel and pick up the heavy snow to move it, but they stand behind it, and push the snow away with their arms and legs and then unload it off the driveway.



Where the heck is spring?
The only reason I am reporting about this snowfall, is because it's supposed to be spring and I have really been looking forward to warmer weather so I can get out and walk all the time instead of just once a week. So, this afternoon I decided to get out again so I bundled up a little more than usual and walked about 45 minutes. I was wearing an extra sweater under my hooded jacket and I had socks on my hands. Yes, you read right - I said socks. I know that sounds very strange, but I can not wear mittens and especially not gloves because the rheumatoid arthritis has adversely affected my hands to the point that using socks is the only thing that works.


Getting out to walk again...
I really hope that the last snow was the last snow because I am so tired of this winter weather. In my humble opinion, it stinksaroni. I know, that word doesn't  exist in Webster's dictionary, but it's better than saying some other really bad word. Getting out much more frequently and walking every day with warm weather is kind of a dream come true at this point. I enjoy the fresh air, sunshine, exercise and yes, even sweating, because when I'm doing all of these things, I am also getting stronger and healthier.

Weighty concerns...
I weighed myself last week and I'm up to 125 pounds. Even though I'm 5' 9", that may not seem like a lot, but having rheumatoid arthritis and a smaller bone frame, that's about 15 pounds more that I would like to weigh. Weighing 110 instead would just feel better and my clothes would also feel more loose too. I don't have a problem buying food and supplements, but when it comes to clothes, I usually buy most of my clothes at Good Will because they are much more less expensive.

First day of summer...
That day is going to be Friday, June 21st. I know, I'm jumping the gun a bit, because first we need to get a lot better spring weather before we can get on with summer. Hey, you can't blame me for looking ahead. What else do we have to look forward to but more snow? YUCK!!! I say, come on sunshine, we're waiting for you!!!