Simply Norma

I’ve always been one of those people who send their Christmas cards out by Thanksgiving. Not so this year. I still have one left to mail.

The feel is different this year as I also missed my “shop by Veterans Day for Christmas” day this year.

My traditions have been replaced by trying to get into an apartment, packing a Seattle house for storage, contacting companies to disconnect and reconnect utilities, changing addresses, etc.

All simple things but time-consuming nonetheless.

Now the anticipation of finding the right house to buy and everything that goes with that, unpacking, sending out new addresses again, etc.

Perhaps my son was right when he said we should just buy an igloo.

The snow has not daunted my efforts in plodding along.

It’s more the brain that is moving slower with trying to compartmentalize and process all the new things.

As a middle-ager, I have to think that it’s a good thing to keep the brain active.

There can come a time though when the brain says “enough now” and takes a mental break.

As Christmas draws near, I am reminded to stop and smell the roses, er snow, and rest in the beauty of the new moments in time we are given.

They call it “arctic sunshine.”

That’s because it’s -6 right now and sunny.  The high temperature for today is 2.

I have to laugh, although looking forward, I would like to have radiant heated floors in the house we buy.  At least in the kitchen and bathrooms.

The apartment we live in has carpeting but on a day like today my feet are still cold.  Slippers are a must.  And when I step off the carpet in my socked feet, it feels really cold.

I so enjoy the sunshine though.  Quite different from Seattle’s clouds.

The blizzard has passed us.

We woke up to 2 degrees today in Woodbury, Minnesota.

One of my concerns in moving to this region is my asthma.  Cold and wind can bring it on as well as a serious cold.  So far, the cold and wind have not had an impact but that’s because I don’t spend much time outside.  From car to store, store to car, etc.

It’s really no different than what I did in Seattle.

I did buy a ski mask for myself.  This is the new fashion for me when I cover my mouth so as not to breathe in the cold air.

When I enter stores, I remove the bottom portion.  Not too bad — definitely a different look.

Looking out the window from the Starbucks where I am having a cocoa and scone, I enjoy the beautiful change in the sunrise colors from a deep pink to a soft pastel cream.

I continue to watch what people do in this town of Woodbury as the weather changes from the 20’s to highs in the teens.

So far, Minnesotans continue to do what I call the Minnesota shuffle going from car to store with an intense look on their faces to get inside.

And yet, most walk around in jackets that are not buttoned or zipped, no hats, no gloves.

As if they are either acclimated to the weather changes or they are invincible.

I continue to don my hat, bright multiple-colored scarf (in case I should need to be located amidst the white snow) and gloves.

My Seattle thermal underwear have held up well but I know I’ll need something much warmer soon.

The gray skies have returned now as we await the 2-3 inches of snow this afternoon.

I’ve learned that one can get along quite well in that amount of snow as streets are quickly cleared returning to their salty white look.

Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree,
Why art thou artificial?

Yes, our very first artificial Christmas tree.  When we went to buy a real one they were frozen.

The white you see outside the window is snow that has drifted UP to our window as we experience our very first blizzard.

Last I heard we had received 16 inches of snow but the neighborhood next to ours has 20 inches so … could be more as it’s still falling.

The State Patrol has advised no travel in the metro area.

Delta Airlines canceled all flights.

Plows being pulled off the street as the drivers can’t see what’s in front of them.

This is the 4th largest snowstorm/blizzard in Minnesota’s history.

Optimistically, we are getting all of the bad weather out of the way during the first month that we’ve been here.

Last night, I sent a text to my son who lives in Seattle to check in on him.

He’s doing fine.

He told me that this coming Sunday our temperature high would be 1 degree with a low of -10.

Since we’re looking for a house, he wanted to know why we just didn’t get an igloo. I laughed so hard I had to get up out of bed so as not to wake my husband.

This morning, the radio used the “b” word as they call it here. “B” standing for blizzard. Up to a foot of snow to fall overnight with strong winds could cause it to feel -30.

Fortunately for me I purchased my -25 degree warmth coat.

Not that I’m planning on leaving the house in the wind and cold.

It’s not easy to walk around in this town of Woodbury.

I’ll be glad when we find a new home – but I’m pretty sure it won’t be an igloo.