COLD

If you haven't heard, it's COLD here. It's been cold here before, but it usually doesn't stick around this long. I know I have nothing to complain about since this is probably just the norm for most of my family and friends, so I'm not complaining, just commenting loudly about the weather.

I've been driving Phil to and from work since it hasn't warmed up enough to melt the ice off the roads and it's way too cold to be cruising on a motorcycle. I don't mind the extra travel time since it allows me to warm up twice a day; yep, my car is much warmer than my house.

The kids don't seem to mind too much since hot chocolate has become a necessity. When we're not drinking hot chocolate, we're fighting for a turn in the bathroom. Partly because of all the hot chocolate, and partly because it is by far the warmest room in the house.


Strangely, our chickens don't seem to mind much either, and one has even finally started to lay; of course by the time we get to it, it's frozen. I'm not sure if frozen eggs are edible, and since they usually burst open, only Angel knows. Speaking of Angel, she and Peace (our cat....what Christmasie names, I know) have taken over the underground floor of Austin's hut, I guess it's warmer than the dog house.

The cold has also made for some fun cozy nights around the Christmas tree, part of our "more excellent" Christmas plan. The kids look forward to doing this every night, which makes it less like me entertaining them and more like just wanting to be together. We even strung popcorn this year. I've never done this before, but I love how it looks on the tree. Everyone made a chain except for Bingham who made a mess, then made a bigger mess by plowing the spilled popcorn all over the living room with his bulldozer that has morphed into a snow plow; still, I think this tradition is a keeper.