closing the door hard!

I call it "slamming", but we'll just call it closing the door hard. I've known Mike for going on 6 years, and never, not ever, have I seen him like this. "Are you mad at me, Sweetie", I asked? "Nope!", and then SLAM! to the drawer with the silverware. "Are you sure?" "YES!!! I am NOT mad at YOU! (followed by a SLAM! to the refrigerator door.)

Sigh. In a country used to diagnosing particular syndromes to folks (or excuses as to why we do stupid things, or eat too much, or can't do anything because we're tired or depressed), I have come up with one of my own, and I am considering calling the "Today Show" about it when I quit typing. It's called, "SNOW rage", or SR, for short.

How to know if you are suffering from SNOW rage? The symptoms occur following a prolonged period of snow fall for one thing. The sufferer becomes very quiet at first. Talking is too difficult. Then, normally small, simple and quiet acts, like turning on the water faucet, or opening and closing the refrigerator, become loud and angry for reasons unknown to the person in the room not prone to suffering this way. Then, the un-suffering (is this even a word?) person is inadvertently responsible for all things wrong with the weather---not the weather itself, but with what happens as a result. (Sore back, from shoveling; bad mood, from working all day and riding the trainer; too much dog hair on the floor---this is not the hound's fault, it's the hound guard's fault for only vacuuming once this morning before she went to work). Sigh.

We got another 5-6 inches last night. Rain, snow, sleet, you name it. The good news is that the library called me last night at work and said that they had the book I wanted (I requested two that weren't in the Marshall library, but they locate them all over Minnesota for me). It's called, Let The Sea Make A Noise and it's about 800 pages of the history of the North Pacific by Walter McDougall, recommended to me by my financial advisor in California. So I ran over (literally) in the snow to the library and I have some indoor entertainment for the bad weather. (Still waiting for Mango Season...also on order)

The bad news is Snow Rage. The cure is easy; sunshine...anything above 40...and a day off from the grind. The cure is also months away so if any of you can bottle some for me out in California and send it...that'd be great. (Even the California rain is ok...it always smells so good...aroma-therapy might help!)

SLAM! (Ooops...gotta run to see what's up now...it was nothing...) Mike just came into the room to give me a kiss good-bye. This snow-rage, it comes and goes...

Have a Happy New Year and a wonderful and safe holiday weekend!

FOG

Now here's a weather attribute I know! Mix a little fog with 27 degrees though and it's a little less familiar. It was funny watching the news this morning and listening to the warnings and instructions for driving in dense fog. This is something I know how to do! Sigh. I guess the unseasonably "warm" weather is the culprit---although I'd be pretty hard pressed to call this below freezing temperature warm. It's all relative.

We've got snow in store on our horizon and it isn't the "let's dash to Lake Tahoe for some downhill-skiing" snow either. It's more the "first it's gonna rain enough to make it icy and treacherous before it sleets and then snows on top of it snow". Everyone still is happy that it's not "cold". I can't wait until I feel that this is NOT cold. I liked it better when I didn't watch the news. I like knowing about the weather (really? I couldn't tell!), but I hate having Mike know the weather. It's like the anticipation of what's to come clouds his mood forecast and it's not easy to remain "chipper". I hate the weather too lately, but I'm not an athlete---so an hour and a half on the trainer and I may not be thrilled, but I have my fix.

We've been "conserving" our heating bill and so we keep our house at 55 (at night and when we aren't home) and 59 (dinner time) and 60 (when Mike isn't home I splurge!). When I get home from my walk from work, the 55 degrees feels warm for the first two minutes...I bet we're the only folks in Marshall who's heating bill is just barely over $100! We're probably the only folks in Marshall who eat dinner with several layers of clothing, hats and scarves, etc.

I saw a photo on sfgate.com (Of course I still read the SF News!) and it was taken from Sydney's hound-park in Diamond Heights. It was a rainy, foggy, GREEN and gray day in my city-by-the-bay with a dog being walked in the Haas park looking out over the city's skyline. Funny thing is, no one here is very happy about the fog, but I just LOVE it! It's comforting for obvious and not so obvious reasons.

Oh yeah---and thanks for the remnants of your Pacific storm...it's gonna hit us sometime later today! Have a very happy Thursday!

It's all good...

Happy Everything!

On December 24th, Mike, Diane, Dave and I (and a bunch of other folks) served a Turkey Dinner at Church for those in the community who needed one (and some who just wanted to participate). I enjoyed myself...I got to be the Schwan's "Ice Cream Girl", handing out ice cream sundae's to everyone. We even did a home delivery for a lady who couldn't make it. I highly recommend doing something like this---especially if you find yourself feeling overwhelmed around the holidays or if you have a case of the "Bah Hum Bug Scrooge". You'll feel better afterwards---

On Sunday I made Mike some "French Toast" for breakfast and he rode off in the frigid air, while I rode my bike in the basement, watching a Law and Order Marathon (Oh the exciting life I lead!). We (Mike, Syd and I) walked over in the snow to Minnesota Mom and Dad's for a specially cooked dinner and spent the evening opening presents with the Rooney's and the Taylor's. It was wonderful. Afterwards we all (10 in total) played Old Maid (with special rules) and Minnesota Mom WON!

"So how do you like it here in Marshall, Joni", Tom asked (Tom is my brother in law for those who don't know). "I like it just fine", I replied. "And the cold, are you adjusted to it?" This I had to think about for a minute. I mean, does one really adjust to such a cold environment? Minnesota Dad LOVES the winter, after all. I forget my answer, but these were good questions and I went home that evening and gave them a little further thought.

What I realized is this; I don't love winter. I don't love the cold weather. I miss my Mom and Dad and all my friends (you!). And I do miss California's predictably good weather days and the ability to ride my bike everyday, blah blah blah. And yet, and I've mentioned this before, I'm the happiest I've ever been. I love my life. I love it. Right where I am. Right here in my hometown, Marshall, MN which is probably only recently on your radar.

It's all good!

I hope your holiday was a warm one spent with people who you love and who love you back. The weather hardly figures on a day like that.

A day on the road, outside!

Feeling like shipwrecked souls who just spotted in the distance a "rescue-ship", the weathermen of Minnesota sent words of delight to two certain bicycle worshipping fair weather folks. Ah yes, 40 degrees! Looks like I will get my outdoor bike ride this month after all! I personally can't believe that I'm excited about 40 degrees, but I am. The roads in Marshall are still icy and filthy, so Mike advised me to not ride in town---but to drive just outside the town limits (sigh), park and go from there.

And as much as I hate driving to go on a bike ride, the prospects of not riding inside are too great, so drive I will. How about that? In addition, the next few days are all above freezing and so this snow may melt before January. And with all the global warming, we may be in store for a mild winter yet, even if it started off with a harsh bang!

I have to remind myself that 40 degrees isn't "warm"--just warmer. It feels warm to not freeze when peeking your head out the door in the morning, even though it is technically just about freezing. And on a bike it's always cooler because of the breeze. But after a month almost of riding the trainer, I am gonna brave the elements for a few hours on my bike.

Nice! Have a lovely Thursday!

gimme' 20 degrees!

It'd still be 12 degrees or so below freezing, but 20 degrees would be at least tolerable for doing anything outside. This is brutally cold weather---never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined what this felt like! Yesterday I walked a 10K circle through the woods in "minus degree/below zero" weather. The snow drifts are so frozen that most of the time you don't even sink into the snow. There's a crusty ice topping! Where the sun shows through, I sunk in up to the bottoms of my knees...but in the shaded areas the snow is frozen on top and you don't sink through.

My hands were so frozen that I couldn't unzip anything for about an hour after I thawed. You can't blink your eyes and when your eyes tear the tears freeze on your face! And if your nose starts to drip (inevitable), you'll have a frozen drop on the end of your nose. Jeeezz! even the scrapper has like a freezer burn on the palms of her paws---and she's growing hair on her tummy! Long hair! It's very cute to see her pink belly have this long fuzzy hair all over it where it's never been before.

Mike and I went to wash some of the salt off the car before dinner and after we washed and rinsed everything and were about to dry it off (We were indoors at an indoor car wash), the water froze before we could get to it. Ice sheets covered the windshield, mirrors and all the other windows so luckily we were close to home. And the water doesn't melt off over night and so it is still frozen. This is really really ridiculous weather. Off the hook.

And we are both tired of hearing about how "this is worse winter we've had in over 5, maybe 10 years", which all the locals tell us. It is what it is. What it is though is a very un-warm welcome to winter. I have a feeling it will be a long time before I will be able to ride outside. Last year when we were here, it had snowed...but it all melted and a couple of days after the snow storm, we were outside on bikes.

But, come on...20 degrees, please! (I already know I will get this wish...so I felt safe in asking) Hope you had a good weekend!

Good Books/Bad Weather

I've never much needed a reason to snuggle up with my small hound and a good book. It's a luxury I've afforded myself even on the nicest of days in San Francisco (though usually it would have been a luxury that followed a 3-4 hour bike ride along the coastline that I miss every day). Add in a bunch of snow, ice, flurries and wind, with temps barely in the teens though, and this is what I call "reading weather"!

I've never experienced these Siberian like extreme's (until now...sigh), though I have read about them. One of my favorite outdoor writer's, Mark Jenkin's has a new (to me) compilation of tales in his book, The Hard Way. If you read his column in Outside Magazine, you'll be familiar with some, though I think they're longer in his book. I escaped to foreign/domestic lands for three days in this collection of adventures---from Afghanistan to Wyoming to the tops of big meter climbs in Tibet. It isn't called The Hard Way for nothing!

My Mom sent me The Kite Runner. Read this book! I couldn't put it down, even though when I read what it was about, I didn't think it was "my cup o' tea" at all. It's a novel about a boy coming of age in the trying times of Afghanistan---back to the US and to of all places, Fremont (near Lake Elizabeth---I lived there once) and San Francisco (where my heart still lives). I have to say my paradigm shifted and I feel more educated ---even though it was a story for the most part. I think it is a very important book.

And now what am I reading? A fabulous book called Dreams From My Father, by Barack Obama (U.S Senator from Illinois). Wow. I can't put this one down (to the annoyance of my husband who tries to sleep while my bedside light stays on at night). I only picked this one up from the library a couple of days ago and I will be finished tonight. It's that good. It's a non-fiction account of the son of an African man and a Mid-western (caucasion) woman...and it will blow any stereo-types you might have away. Very powerful.

I am lucky I like to read. Outside activities are challenge. Especially since the temperatures just dropped again. My walks to work became a bit more treacherous with the ice that has formed...but driving would take away the only outside time I get. It's cold, sure, but the wind is showing me it's most miserable displays of power. Mother Nature at it's worst. Like she's angry or something. Maybe she should cuddle up and take a break and read a book and give these two West coast transplants (Mike may have been born here, but he says he's a Californian now!) some relief!

We are off to St. Cloud on Saturday and Sunday. We're either going XC-skiing or snow shoeing even though the temps will be in the single to maybe 10's of digit's, with some other cycling friends who are also miserable about the weather. Have a wonderful wonderful weekend!

Balance

It's funny how different things come up for me out here on the Prairie. The weather is of course NOT one of the plusses. Summer was hot (which I was pretty fine with) and full of biting bugs (which I was not fine with), Spring was windy windy windy, with a few nice days thrown in to the mix, Fall was too short, and Winter is colder than I ever thought possible, with snow to keep me riding indoors (I know, I know, it's not officially Winter yet...but trust me...it's Winter here). If you're a cyclist, and the weather rules your days, the Northern Plains will test your mettle in more ways than you can imagine.

That said, and "that" is a big one, here's the balancing act thing coming into play. Remember I mentioned my wisdom teeth incident? I'm fine by the way. I ate dinner the evening they were extracted and was eating hard crunchy pretzels the very next day, to the delight of my dentist who called me at home that evening to make sure I was doing OK. My initial teeth cleaning was put on hold since they had to pull my teeth first and I had an appointment re-scheduled for cleaning in January (he's a busy/popular dentist, and he only took us on as client's because he's a cyclist and we ride with him---I think).

About 10 minutes before I was off from work yesterday I got a call from his office, asking me if I could come in for a cleaning since they had a cancellation. I told them I had walked to work and had no way of getting there in time for the opening. So the gal said, "Well, I will come and pick you up at work if that helps". So I got picked up at work and then afterwards she dropped me off at home.

My forced rest off the bike takes an adjustment. The feeling of a community is also new though. One is very trying and one is such a nice experience. It's a balancing act. As I ponder both sides of the coin I realize how both lifestyles are important to me and I wonder, "Can't there be a world where you can have both community and paradise-weather?" I want my cake and I want to eat it too---but who doesn't?

Let's just say, that since I'm not riding outside anymore, I'll have to suffice with less "cake" for a few months...or there'll be more of me come Spring. Balance is good---gives you perspective. Enjoy your day!

Skiing with Sydney!

XC-Skiing with the Scrapper!

We've been above 0 for about a week and I think my blood is getting thicker (at last!). Mike went to St. Cloud on Friday and stayed overnight to go on a 3-4 hour off road ride in the snow, and on Sunday we headed out to Camden in more snow-flurries. We weren't sure of the conditions of the snow and thought that it would be icy there and so I just brought my snow boats, but Mike brought his (un-waxed wooden) ski's. My plan was to hike around for a few hours with Sydney while Mike skied. Sydney had different plans. The small hound was too quick for me and she took off on the ski trails!

I snow-hiked the mountain bike race course (about 6-7 miles) in the snow by myself while Mike and Sydney skied the trails. It was so lovely. Once I hiked out of the river valley area, the snow was deep and I was followed at one point by three big white tailed deer. It was still below freezing, but I got hot! I was over dressed. I never get hot. So I took off my arm-warmers and scarf and even my lobster gloves. (I still had on a long-sleeved craft and a wool jersey and big jacket...I wasn't going sleeveless!).

I've never spent much time in the snow though. I've gone downhill skiing/sledding and all that, but once done with the activity, I go inside and hang out. I highly recommend walking in the snow. It is so quiet. And the crunch of each footstep is satisfying---like taking a bite out of a crunchy fuji apple! Being followed by deer was also interesting. I felt like I was being watched or followed, and I kept looking behind me and saw nothing. Then I finally heard the crunch of branches, and three HUGE deer went galloping by. Their legs sank to their knees in the deep snow (Do deer have knees?)

Mike and I hooked back up when I hiked back down into the river valley. I heard Sydney's jingle and knew they were close by. Sydney probably ran about 10 miles in the snow...and she was tired the rest of the day. Mike and I then went a spent a lovely and long overdue evening with the Muchlinski's for homemade soup and sandwiches and dessert. Aunt Mary makes soup the real way...she gets her stock by using soup bones! And after a day out in the Prairie snow, nothing taste's quite as good as real homemade hot vegetable soup!

Happy Tuesday!

Wisdom teeth

Why do they call them wisdom teeth? Sigh. Mine are now gone, thanks to a very caring dentist with alot of good advice.

Paul Johnson, a fellow cyclist and very kind man looks at me gently and says, "These have got to come out Joni...I am clearing an hour today. No more waiting, unless you want to be completely toothless. I'll just take 4 and you can keep the rest!" (I thought I was just gonna get by with a tooth cleaning, but the X-rays indicated otherwise).

"Can you give me all the proper drugs (the three N's: Numbing, Novicane and Nitrous)" I uttered with a fake smile?

"Whatever it takes....these are coming out", he replied gently.

What he didn't say? Well for one thing, he didn't say, "Jeeeez, for a seemingly smart girl, why didn't you ever get your wisdom teeth pulled?" (Because I was scared and stubborn....that fear thing again) Here's the really dumb part. It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be and now I've got to back for an extra cleaning because they were impacted and so...no cavities maybe, but I've got some work to do with my gums...and luckily we caught it before it was a real problem.

I'm sure my Mom's and Dad's in MN and CA are all saying the same thing (as my dentist) right now. Sigh. I know Mike is (and we won't even get into the "fee's" part). Bigger sigh...

So am I wiser now that my wisdom teeth are missing? I sure hope so. Right now I'm just happy that it's so cold outside, and I'm off to stick my whole head in the snow to numb things up a bit...the human snow-girl! Happy Thursday!

Minus, subtract, less than, below...

...put the word zero after any/all of the above, and that's my temperature today. Here's how warped a person becomes when dealing with such extremely cold temperatures; my response to this Saturday's (hopeful) forecast of 35 degrees was, "It's finally warming up!" In fact, by Friday it's gonna be 20 degrees and it feels like a heat-wave is coming on. So yeah, I know you guys think it's cold in California (Jamie said she woke up to a frigid 41 degrees yesterday---I love you Jamie-girl; I remember when I too thought that was cold), but 41 degrees and this Minnesotan transplanted snow-girl was happily riding her bike still outside! (Can you believe it? The same girl who wore her lobster claw gloves when the temps went below 50 in California!)

It was way below 0 with the wind-chill yesterday morning on my walk to work (-27 degrees---so my -32 boot rating may indeed get tested before winter officially starts)...and yeah, I was bundled up to the gils, but I crunched new paths in the snow and the only sounds you hear on the quiet streets is that crunch. The river is just about frozen now...just a tiny stream up the middle has running water and I can see the thick sheets of ice on the sides as I crunch over the bridge. I usually follow Mike's steel-studded tire track marks to work.

Today I'm baking almond bark pretzels and another little treat with my Minnesota Mom! I shared two of the four sugar pine cones that my California Mom sent and apparently if you bake them for a bit the sugar sap melts and glazes over the cones. (MN Mom did some research on the internet!) I can't wait to see how they turn out.

And I know you guys all think the pictures of snow look lovely. I think they do too. But living with the cold and lovely snow, and looking at pictures of it sent to you from hundreds (thousands) miles away is different. (Not bad or good....just different) This is cold that hurts. But like I said, we're expecting a balmy 35 on Saturday---We even broke a record of cold yesterday! More of that un-seasonal stuff.

We are supposed to warm up to 3 degrees today, but the weather guy wasn't very convincing...at least they say "bitterly cold" now. I know what Minus, subtract, less than, and below the zero mark feels like though. (sigh) Stay warm---

XC- skiing/-2 degrees!

Ready? Set? GO!!!

We woke up to, get this, MINUS 9 degrees. Yes, that would be 9 degrees below 0, and unless you're reading me from Minnesota, trust me, you have no idea what that means! Way beyond cold. Anyway, once it warmed up to -2, Mike and I loaded up the car with ski's and headed over to Camden. Cycling gear translates well to XC skiing by the way---you just need several layers of it. I wasn't cold once we got going.

And, it's so cold and the snow was so fluffy that even when I crashed (often) the snow would just brush off...and it never turned to water so I never had that soggy feeling you get when you get wet.

We got out there before the trails were groomed, so we crunched our own paths through the trees and down by the river. It was SILENT. And I forgot how snow glitters like a million diamonds in the rough. Mike attempted to teach me the herringbone technique for going up the hills. I prefer the side step, but it takes too long so I "herring-boned" and fell a bunch of times going UPHILL. Very different than downhill skiing.

And while we were skiing, the trail grooming guy buzzed his way around and made things easier. I am seriously lacking on technique, but XC-skiing is quite the workout and uses a bunch of muscles that cycling does NOT. When we got home we ate a bunch of food and then (I wasn't surprised, but was in awe of) Mike (who) geared up once again for the cold and headed out on his studded tire mountain bike for a couple of hours riding his bike outside in the cold, ice and snow. When he got back home, I was in the basement on the trainer and he just said, "My feet feel like 2 ice-blocks". I hope I always feel such admiration and pride when I think and talk about my guy! I really do!

They are finally using words like "bitterly cold" on the news here. The wind chill here in Marshall today is -27 (below 0). I'm sure it's warmer where you are, so get outside and enjoy the day! I will too----though I promise you, I'm wearing way more clothing than you are!

(In these pictures...two craft LS baselayers with windfront, bergamo arm warmers, long sleeve bike jersey, long sleeved wool bike jersey, bergamo leg warmers underneath pearl izumi tights (2 pair, one amfib), wool swobo tights, two pair hardcore wool socks, face mask (but I exposed my mouth cuz my glasses fogged up), neck gator, ski hat (so three hats), Winter weight pearl vest, and lobster gloves). You try walking around in all that!

Bright white-out...

How cold can it get? (I didn't really ask that...just kidding!) I don't guess I want to know. This is cold enough. It's gonna warm up to 14 degrees later...I think it's 9 right now. But hey, no wind. I'm walking to work...I even have cramp-ons that cut the ice on the streets! Mike has been riding outside since he bought a pair of studded tires. I bought a pair of snow boots and can now enjoy the snow a little better ( alot better). Live and learn. That's been the process for me.

You can read about stuff, get advice from folks, even watch stuff and be shown stuff on TV. But until it's you doing it and experiencing it for yourself, it's all pretty meaningless. It is bright bright white, and cold cold cold! I bought the coolest WARM Sorel snow boots---they zip up the front (let me tell you about trying to tie a bunch of laces with frozen fingers), and are rated to 32 below. I hope I never have to test that rating system!

I'm also getting to be a pretty good shoveler! Mike came home from work yesterday and thought he'd have work to do, but he said I did a good job. The snow plow guy who clears the street though always leaves a pile at the end of the driveway and Mike uses the Polaris machine to get that part cleared out.

And the Peet's guy left me 3 pounds of beans yesterday evening! He loves coming to drop stuff off for me cause he says I am so happy to see him all the time. We've probably got a foot of snow already and more is on it's way starting this afternoon. 4-7 more inches. It'll probably be a record year when you think of all the other weather records being challenged.

I'm curling up with my new subscriptions to Outside Mag, two new books The Kite Runner and The Hard Way(by Mark Jenkins...who inspired me when he biked across Siberia and wrote a book called Off the Map, perhaps I should invite him to Marshall and he can make comparisons?), a hot cup of Peet's and my snuggle small hound to enjoy the calm and quiet snowy day! Mike and I are going XC skiing tomorrow---something new to do! Happy Birthday Zachary! Jason, that blanket from Iceland rules!! Stay warm and happy Friday!