Life in the Slow Lane

At 1:00 in the afternoon it looks sunny and as warm as today is going to get. Weather.com says it has warmed all the way up to 26 degrees (although it feels 10 degrees cooler), it must be time for my bike ride. For the first stage of my work out, I wrestle my bike out of the solidified snow bank. Then I bang enough ice free that my wheels can move. I don't bother taking all of the icicles off, though. People pay good money to add noisemakers to their spokes. Today I get mine for free. The icicles and I bicycle five and a half miles together. The more we hang out, the more we have in common. I think the "wintry mix" is probably responsible for these icicles, too. 

More snow today. Can I prevail upon you all to bless the name of my hard-working SOS? Not only did he shovel out our car, but he also cleaned up the too-quick job of the university snow plow from our door to our car. All the other sidewalks are nightmares of ice. But I've got better than a red carpet walk from door to door.

Today is the kind of day that makes living in Wintery Wisconsin sound fun. Family snow day, anyone? Impenetrable snow fort Or maybe not. (Note: Limp child in background is merely sleeping.) Do all Wisconsin babies sleep through snow sledding? Yay for warm layers that allow for smiles on SmilesBabyGirl!

Laundry Day. In which we learn that snow with a stiff wind behind it is not a fun time to be outside. The path to trod to the laundry room. Mid-storm

Tomorrow's forecast calls for "wintry mix." Is it just me or does that sound like a cheap knock off of Starbucks Christmas Blend?

I'm not sure what Winter in Wisconsin was like for these four days, but let me tell you that this winter in Ohio was lovely. Every day I walked at least a block in flip flops and coat-free. And the best part? The sun didn't set until nearly 5:30! That's the life, folks.

Today we are driving all.day.long. The good part about having so many days that are not really fit for outdoor play is that we've discovered a number of ways to occupy many hours without stirring from our seats. For instance, today's entertainment includes  Curious George Flies a Kite which we listened to approximately ten times between Madison and Chicago... and that was just the first third of our drive.

Tomorrow is the official first day of winter. See how efficient we are here on Living in the Snow Lane? We've already gotten in more than a month of winter weather. Ironically, it is the first day of winter that we are fleeing Wisconsin. We're bound to Ohio for the next few days, where I hear it is warmer. I'm cool with that.

Today I tricked manipulated   convinced suggested that SOS fill the gas tank, saving me a trip later in the week. In observing his loving service on my behalf, I am glad to notice that I am not the only one who has not yet figured out the art of staying warm while pumping gas in winter.

Ah. Saturday morning. A perfect day for staying toasty in pajamas until lunch time. Poor SOS had to go proctor a final for his undergrad students at 7:00 in 18 degrees. I'm not sure who I feel more sorry for... SOS or the students. Who schedules finals for a Saturday?

I confess I've gone a little overboard on Christmas gifts for the kids this year. Not so much as to bury the tree, but it is a little on the impressive side. I can't remember if I've ever gotten Christmas presents for the kids before this year (that's what grandparents, aunts and uncles, and friends cleaning out their kids' closets are for). But this year I'm extra motivated. Most of the gifts I got this year for the kids are actually sanity gifts for me: inside games and activities, books, kid-sized trampoline that fits perfectly in front of our fire escape... It's all to preserve my sanity. Just don't tell the kids.

I've been trying to make it out on my bike every day that SOS is home and the weather is even the least bit agreeable. I've taken to trying to mark out how far I get before I am warm enough and the endorphins kick in so that I am glad I made the effort. Today it never happened. The wind coming off the partially frozen lake was my undoing. I was so very tempted to stop at a bus stop and let the bus bring me and my frozen self all the way home. But if I do that once, won't it be all the more tempting to do that every other day?

I totally get the old, scary fairy tales about woods now. When the wind really starts up, it rattles the bare bones of the trees in the wood near our place so much that it creates a roar. It took me several days of hearing the noise before I realized what it was.  Any day now, I'll look over to the woods and see Hansel and Gretel escaping with their lives.

Today CutieLittleBoy stood at the kitchen window and looked out on the sunshiny day. "It looks like a hot day," he said. And he was right. It did look like a warm summer day. Then I opened the triple pained window and let a cooling blast of air into our cozy kitchen. (Have I mentioned yet that the cost of heating our apartment is included in our rent? Best. Deal. Ever.) I took no pleasure in proving that looks can be deceiving.

Weather.com and I are new buddies. I think it is quite likely that I have checked the weather forecast more times in the last two months than I have in all of my life previous. Recently, every time I visit my new friend, I see headlines about this crazy winter we're having, where some places are unseasonably warm and others are unseasonably cold. Whenever they show the map, there is a great big swoop differentiating the two climate zones. I'm fairly certain the swoop goes directly over my head. There's no doubt around here in anyone's mind that we're experiencing a mild winter. As someone recently pointed out to me, I haven't stepped outside only to feel every last particle of moisture in my nose freeze. Can we all just sing a little praise chorus about that?

Today it rained and rained and rained. In Church today, they announced that since it definitely has not felt very Christmasy with the weather (apparently I'm alone here in my assessment that fogginess brings on Christmas cheer), next Sunday everyone is encouraged to wear Christmas sweaters... Ha! And they told me this was a nut-free church. (Okay, so the context was regarding snacks, not sweaters.)

We've had several foggy, foggy days this week. This is the kind of winter I knew in Central California. Finally, I am beginning to think Christmas may be on its way after all.

Christmas is two weeks away and I'm completely surprised by how few houses are decorated. Maybe in Southern California everyone has to convince themselves that it is Christmas time by tripling their electric bill and here in Madison [usually] the snow makes it look all Christmasy starting in October.

In all honesty, I might not be able to call the last few days winter. Of course it is still cold-ish, but  fun afternoons at the park only ended by the sunset!

Now that all of the leaves are gone from the trees, our favorite thing to say to each other when we are out and about in the car is "Hey, did you know that [house/lake/building/path] was there?" The biggest surprise: I might actually be able to see real lake water from my kitchen window.

Today we went outside to fly a homemade kite. We didn't have great success with the kite, but I consider the fact we got out a huge success. Another success to be noted: Apparently, BabyMyBoy likes sleeping in his snow suit. Best daytime nap he's had so far.

On a foggy winter morning, I wonder exactly how far north Wisconsin is. Why is it still dark at 7:30? I didn't realize that the sun's winter hours only required it to clock in at 7:15 and clock out nine hours later. At least there is no lunch break for it (usually).

Last night SOS and I were talking about the gorgeous days we've been having. Yes, it hasn't made it much above 40 degrees, but we've had sun! and minimal wind! Thus, we decided that it was an excellent idea to plan a hike and a picnic after church. The day started gloomier than we had expected, but it was still going to be warm, right? We dressed a little optimistically. After church someone in the row behind us struck up a conversation and when we mentioned our lunch plans, he agreed that we were having a lovely, mild November. It is the nicest November he ever remembers! I mean, last year, there was only one day in November that ever made it above freezing. He didn't think there had been much picnicking last year. So a few minutes later, we were on our way. Let me stop here and comment on a few other times when we've been a little over-ambitious and under-prepared for lengthy walks: h iking an island with almost no food and water. Searching for a na

It might surprise you to know that I use MapMyRide to keep track of the mileage I travel on my bike rides. It might surprise you because I never publish my workouts on Facebook or here on this blog. That's because I am ridiculously slow. (Yes, I've been passed by runners.) Part of that is a function of using a one speed beach cruiser. Part of it is because it took me until I was 32 to find an exercise I could enjoy. But lately, I've been entertaining the idea of posting my bike rides for all to see. Not to let everyone marvel at my athletic prowess, but to say "It's 27 degrees outside and I chose to go out in it." Then of course, everyone will leave lots of comments saying how awesome I am. I just need to see whether the MapMyRide people would consider adding an option to log the outside temperature alongside the miles traveled.

I've experienced quite a bit of the famous Midwestern friendliness since moving to Wisconsin, but curiously, I find it distinctly lacking when I'm riding my bike. No one nods. No one returns my smile or my mouthed good morning/afternoon . No one calls out they are coming when they pass from behind me. (Yes, I'm slow.) What's wrong? Is my winter riding gear really that frightful?  I'm not even wearing a ski mask. (Yet.)

Let's play a game. Let's play "Guess Which Apartment Has Their Heat On."

It is snowing again. So of course tonight was the night to go pick out our Christmas tree because that is how it always is in the movies. Besides, I learned recently that when it snows, it actually means it is warm. Friends of ours were sharing about being at a football game and being glad that it was snowing on them because it was a warm snow. So many preconceived ideas to rewrite. And not just me. Every time we talk about it snowing, CutieLittleBoy says it means that it must be almost Christmas time. That's fine for now, but what do we say in March when it finally gets warm enough to snow again?