October Snow

There is something very wrong with that picture.

Flower & snow do NOT go together!

But they did on Saturday. Everything was covered in a blanket of white!

We declared a snow day & watched it fall from the warmth of our home.

For awhile, we were afraid the tree branches were going to break. At one point, the Bup went onto our front porch stoop & was able to knock snow off of a branch with a broom. Usually you couldn't even come close to touching a branch from the stoop, but the snow was SO heavy!

We worried that the branches would knock down the power lines. The power flickered off & on a few times, but we were fortunate to not lose it for any length of time.

Right after the snow started, we covered the garden. The tarp covered the purple bell peppers, the glass "greenhouse" went over the lettuce, and we put a tee-pee sheet over the other lettuce patch.

The kale wasn't fazed. Snow? No biggie!

I picked some swiss chard & then we left the rest to chance. The big leaves collected a lot of snow, so some of the stems snapped, but it didn't kill it.

It was so strange to see all that snow during October!

Our garden survived the snow storm, only to get frost bite the next night. :-(  The greenhouse lettuce is still alive, though, so we have fresh greens for a little longer! I'm hoping with the warmer weather we're getting now that a few of the plants that didn't get too much frost will perk back up.

I saved my last roses from the snow. They're a nice bright spot on the counter to remind us of sunshine.

How did everyone else in the northeast survive the snow?

Summer Sweater

I'm that girl.

The one who is always cold.

Who brings a sweater everywhere, just in case.*

*Why does everyone turn their AC to 68 degrees and then wear shorts and tanks? No one wants their heat that low in the winter and then they're wearing jeans and sweaters. C'mon now. I don't want to cover my cute tank that I waited all year to wear with a sweater. I just don't.

So thank you, God, for summer and the warmth of the sun shining!

This weekend was my first official big girl job weekend. The last 2 were still vacation time.

We went to see A Little Night Music at the Mt. Gretna Theatre on Friday night. When the first set of people came out singing, I thought I might have to leave. But it did improve from there. We did our yearly splurge on sundaes from The Jigger Shop during intermission, which sweetend the deal. I always get the CMP, with my own twist. Chocolate ice cream (no vanilla!!), chocolate syrup, pb syrup (instead of peanuts), marshmallow sauce and a cherry (sans the whip, please) on top. The Bup got the Peach Melba. He's less complicated than me, so he didn't have to spend 5 mintues telling the waitress how he wanted to alter it.

I should work on that.

Saturday was market day! We got fresh peaches, red and golden beets, and corn on the cob. Can't wait for dinner tonight!

That night we went to our family friends' house for dinner. It was crab night, and we brought beer. Andrew, my friend's boyfriend, makes his own! So I had a cherry wheat, which he made with muddled cherries. It was SO much better than Sam Adams Cherry Wheat. It had a much better (real!) cherry taste. He also had a Honey Basil, which the Bup and I split. I liked it, too, despite being skeptical about the basil. It was subtle and really complimented the beer.

Mom and I were in charge of the Linger Longer at church on Sunday, which means preparing snacks for about 100 people. I made a double pan of Double Banana Chocolate Chip Breakfast Bars, compliments of EatLiveRun. These are always a hit! Mom made Friendship Coffee Cakes, and we tag teamed a double batch of Feta 'n' Chive (Mini) Muffins, both from Taste of Home. Bonus: fruit skewers with watermelon, canteloupe, and pineapple. We had some food left over, but not too much. Easy. :-)

Everywhere I went, I froze. And covered up my cute tank with a sweater.

Skiing

This was my world for the past week. Snow, frost, gorgeous views, and cold weather at Killington Ski Resort in Vermont.

We went Nowhere...

...and Somewhere.

We skiied on Solitude, a slow ski trail through nature.

It was a nice long peaceful ski.

And we did plenty of not so peaceful, fast, steep fun runs, too!

 

All bundled up for a big day of skiing!

We really loved the tree skiing. It was out of the wind and kept us working so we stayed warmer.

My poor feet still suffered. They were red around the toes every day. (Don't mind the chipped polish...) It burned to take a shower because they were so cold. This was after the shower, so they were warmed up a little by the time I took the picture. I still have all 10 toes after 4 days of skiing!

The Bup successfully navigated the Beast. He now loves Killington, too!

Can't wait till next year! It was a great workout and so much fun!

Thawing out

We spent yesterday driving up to Vermont to ski for the week. At home, the thermometer in the van said 16. It dropped, degree by degree, to a beautiful low of -6. It may have blinked lower when we weren't looking. 

This morning we dressed in a suitcase full of clothes and headed out to ski. In case you're interested, that included 3 pairs of long underwear/pants and 6 tops, wool sweater, underarmour and a fleece included. Before the ski pants and jacket. I was feeling like a marshmallow.

The first time we checked the thermometer it was -20.

It got up to -2. Whew, that was a relief. It was almost balmy!

So tonight we're having chili. Ahhhh...  I think I can feel my toes again.