It’s official. Phoebe has her very first (official) sinus infection of her little life. If she’s anything like me (and Alex), she’s in for a long haul of sinus infections. Poor girl. I had hoped she wouldn’t get that little bit of happiness from me.

In other news… we got a heap load of snow between yesterday afternoon and this morning. While we had around six inches at our hours and the roads were beyond treacherous, the closer to the little town we live “in” the roads were not bad at all. One of my friends that lives in town said they only got about two inches of snow — three at the absolute most. I drove Alex to school this morning, so I know first hand how bad the roads were. I was livid that they had school, especially after driving the roads myself. I wonder if the new superintendent ventures out much beyond town before making that call? We are, I believe, a mile or less from the district boundaries for two districts that were closed. Guess we are just lucky.

Phoebe did not go to school, instead I took her to the doctor’s office where she received her sinus infection diagnosis from her pediatrician. That makes me the only one of us not currently on antibiotics for a sinus infection, but I feel my time is coming… quickly.

Later on, I’m heading over to my friend’s house to do some scrapbooking. I haven’t done this, I think, since the last time we got together to do it. I’m overwhelmed and not quite sure what all I want to do (and therefore take with me). Yet.

This weekend had a lot of things going on, but not so many as seems typical.

On Friday, I took Phoebe to playgroup. It was a fun time (always is!) and the weather was gorgeous. Alex stayed after school for their “yearbook dance” in which the students pay to go to an after school function so that they may pick up their yearbooks (otherwise, they wait until Monday). After Phoebe and I left playgroup, we picked Alex up from her school and headed home. A snack and a nap (for Alex!) later and we were on our way to Alex’s softball practice.

Apparently, back at home while we were away at softball, there was rain and hail! We only saw a few dark clouds slip past otherwise it was warm and sunny.

Arriving home, we found that the power was out. Oh the joys. Made that “report a power outage” phone call to the electric company who replied “at this time a restoration estimate is not available” (rarely is). Ray hauled the generator out of the barn and it was VERY resistant to starting. Finally, he got it started and running and switched the house over to the generator. Then we discovered that most of our outages are during the day as not one single light in the house is on the generator circuit! Ooops. So glad I never packed away our two rope lights!

So, once things were running, Ray went to take a shower and discovered that the water wasn’t going. Now, we have a well, but it is purposely put on the generator (as is the fridge, deep freezer and our corn stove for winter), but no water was coming out. Turns out it had lost its priming (or however you say it). Ray had to get water to fill the pipes to be able to prime the pump again. (It’s in our dug out basement.) Normally, he would have gone and pulled water out of the pool… we haven’t opened it and are not likely to this year (sadly) so there isn’t much water and it is nasty. Well, in the end, that is where he got the water to finally get the well pump going again. In the mean time, the power came back on.

Too much drama of the negative kind for a Friday.

Saturday was a lot of chore type things. Mowing the lawn (but only half was finished), planting the garden (finally! it’s only mostly done though), repairing hoses, grill cleaning, and a bunch of other mundane tasks.

Saturday evening, I went and met some girl friends for a drink. We hung out for a while and talked and laughed and had a great time. While the hockey game was on at the bar, I really didn’t pay much attention (just happy that the Red Wings won!). On the way home, I stopped at the grocery store. That was nice as it had hardly anyone shopping, but the deli counter was closed.

On Sunday, we spent the afternoon celebrating my neice’s first birthday at my sister’s house. It was a fun party with nearly perfect weather!

Sunday night was watching the Red Wings beat the Penguins (3-1) again while getting things ready for the Monday morning grind.

This will be a busy week chock full of activity. The girls end their school year this week. Phoebe on Tuesday and Alex on Friday.  At least, then, I can sleep in a little every day!

Does anyone else think it was wrong to get snow today?

I do.

This photo is from this afternoon… March 29th:

The worst part of it was that it kept snowing for a couple of hours after this.

As many of you know, we apparently have a skunk that decided to move into the barn in the last month. Oh boy. So, every time we go outside or pull up in a vehicle there is that scent of skunk in the air. I guess better the barn than the crawl space under the house!

Anyway, I left the house to run some errands today and when I returned I could not detect the skunk stink! Then again, the smell from the manure being dumped on the fields was so overwhelming that it might likely knock some city folks flat on their backsides!

It’s all about perspective, I suppose. Then again, after the wind died down later in the afternoon, I could once again detect that skunk.

Anyone know how to make them move out and away (without getting ourselves and everything else sprayed)???

This morning started out in the realm of fairly normal days…for a Thursday…around here.

I walked Phoebe to the end of the driveway to wait for her school bus. Yes, be jealous (if you want), that the little country kids tend to get picked up at their own house rather than a communal bus stop.

The transfer of my child from being by my side to the care of her bus driver went normally — which was just fine.

It was my walk back to the house that caused my sadness for the day.

The first one I noticed was my arborvitae next to our door. It used to be about five feet high, healthy, and gorgeous. Now, it looks like this:

I was am horrified. Then, I began to look around… My other arborvitae that is a little further from the house is in a similar state. Just behind the arborvitae pictured above was a gorgeous barberry bush that was huge and wonderful and blocked the site of our air conditioning compressor is devastated as well.

*sob*

This afternoon when I went outside to meet Phoebe’s bus (if I’m not there, the driver won’t let her off the bus…it’s a rule for the kindergartners), I walked around the back and opposite side of the house. I have a variety of a white spiraea (spiraea nipponica ‘Halward’s Silver’ I believe ) growing beneath the giant lilac hedges trees and they are much smaller in size as well.  I didn’t plant these myself like the other objects of deer devastation, but it still is not a good thing.

I am worried that they will start attacking our young dawn redwood. Alex got this tree when she did a service project for Girl Scouts way back when (three years ago or so) and it has grown rather well so far.

I’m going to be spending some quality time with Google tonight.

This is why I’m saddened today. *deep sigh*

Why, oh why is it that people act like they have never driven in Michigan in the winter before? Every year it snows. Every year life must still go on when it snows. Work, school (most of the time), business, bills, and errands still need to be done.

I don’t personally like driving a lot when there are hoards of people out in their vehicles rushing her there and yonder to accomplish something. Today, it was likely Christmas shopping. In three weeks? Who knows. It really doesn’t matter why your out in the hideous driving weather.

Just do the rest of us a few favors, please:

1. Don’t attempt to driver your Mini Cooper (or other smallish, two-wheel drive vehicle) through a three foot snow drift. You WILL get stuck. You WILL then piss off the people behind you, some of which will also get stuck because of you and some which will have to turn around and go a different way whilst having upset children (some having to use the bathroom) with them.
2. Don’t ride the bumper of the person in front of you. Bad idea on good weather days. Horrid weather days? Unspeakably stupid.
3. Clear the snow and ice from ALL of your windows, and, yes, the WHOLE of the window! Do not attempt to drive in bad weather with a peep hole to look out of.
4. Yes, that funky stick on the side of your steering column? That is for activating your turn signals. Not only for turning corners, but they are also used for CHANGING LANES. Of course, you must also LOOK before you attempt such a feat. Really.

There are many, many more insightful and useful tips I can give, but I’ll save those for another day.

That is all.

For today.

Well, except for all the kind and considerable people that held the door open for the person behind them today (and always).