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January 30 Slippery on Ice I thought the warmer weather would banish all travelling problems. Not. We've had freezing rain, freezing drizzle this week. We, here on our end of the Island are a bit luckier than some parts. Our freezing rain monday night changed over for awhile to just rain. But some parts, "up West", had all freezing rain. This resulted on trees falling down on power lines and just power lines falling down due to the heavy ice on trees and lines. 22,000 homes were without power and some are not expected to get their power back 'til Friday! We just had some flickering of the lights but no outages.
Monday I did go to work but it was a treacherous road. The guys lane was blocked by snow so I had to park on the highway and walk up the long lane. It was freezing rain then and my pants were just clinging to me. I must have been a sight as I borrowed a pair of "old man" pants while mine dried in the dryer! The lane was plowed before I left so I walked down, drove back up to get their garbage to take it down the lane to their garbage bin. I stayed home the rest of the day. The roads were still so slippery Tuesday I stayed home and will go Thursday to do Tuesdays job, cleaning at my Dad's.
I had to do the "penguin" walk to go open the Community Centre. The road looked fine and bare, but it was covered with a thin sheet of ice. So is the car so another spell of scraping off the car before heading out this morning. Hopefully the sand trucks will be out ahead of me.
 My sign language class was cancelled again. We will make it up at the end of the classes though. I am pleased to get the books from Millie. I can review now what we did last week and begin to form some sentences from the illustrations in those books.
Not much else going on in my life, though I have lots I can do. I went in the basement for a bottle of pickles the other day....I forgot...I need to put on my "to do" list...boxes of Christmas decorations I left off the shelves to sort through are all over the floor...out of site, out of mind!
Hope your week is going well.
January 26 Beach Party in January...yeahCome to a Cyber Beach Party
Quote Beach Party I am so ready for this! Digging out my bathing suit and sunscreen now...
 January 23 Wednesday Well that super cold weather passed. The first thing I heard upon waking this morning was the snow plow on our road, but only about an inch or so fell. The sun is shining and no cold wind is blowing so that's the best to expect being winter. It is so uplifting to see the sun!
So I had my second sign language class last night. He went over so much but I think some of it sunk in. I guess I'll have to review it and keep learning new words from some web pages I found. Still watching the mail for the books from Millie, they should be here anytime soon, I'm anxious to see what she sent!
Well not any news from here. I just wanted change that cold picture from the other day, it was depressing. Enjoying the warmer temps and sunshine and so far there are no forecasts for more snow or supercold weather in the next few days. Tomorrow is Thursday and I have no jobs so it will be nice to be home a day. I really must make an attempt to get the fridge cleaned out before it walks away!
 January 21 Brrrrr....... The graphic just about sums up the weather today! It's -22'C (-9'F) with a wind chill of -35'C (more than '30'F). I walked up to the community centre to unlock the doors for a group coming at 8am. It's just a short walk and by the time I got home the pain from the cold was biting my legs and fingers (even with gloves on). I guess I'll be putting on my long dress coat to go to work. It's just a cleaning job but I like to be prepared in case anything ever happened to the car and I had to walk to the nearest house. This is in the country so it could be a long walk.
It happened to me before. I had the old white car. It was extremely cold that day and gusty with drifting snow and white outs. I rammed into a hidden snow bank in the middle of the road. Yes I know you're supposed to stay with the vehicle. But here I was a white car, in a white out in the middle of the road. I didn't know what to do...I didn't like the thought of being in the car when a plow or truck came barrelling through.
It was colder than most of you can imagine...dangerously cold. I ended up wrapping a blanket...a farm house was nearby...they just happened to have two vehicles by the road and the doors were unlocked. So first I went into the car....then I thought maybe I should try to shovel out the car...so cold. The lady of the house happened to see me walking back and forth and came down her lane and brought me into her warm house. First we had to walk up an unplowed long lane. I was never so cold in my life! After her husband and son worked at trying to get my car out a friend with a truck was able to haul it out. Something had broke underneath (I don't know much about cars!) so it had to be towed into a vacant lane. He also drove me back home so I never did get to work that day, just ended up with car repairs. That is why I always keep extra clothes blankets in the car. I never want to go through that day again!
January 17 Thursday
Well my sign language class was cancelled due to inclement weather. Though I was able to get to work schools and such were canceled due to snow and blowing snow. Also when the schools are canceled it is policy to cancel all community school classes to. This avoids any confusion. Locals could have made it but that wouldn't have been fair to those from outlying areas that couldn't make it. That will give me another week to improve my ASL alphabet. I know it but not too swift yet, you'd have to go awfully slow for me to pick up any words. In the mean time I'll also try to learn some sign language words which are a single sign for a word not spelled out. I am looking forward to recieving some sign books for a thoughtful blog friend. Thanks Millie!
Other than that and work not much going on. I've been doing a bit of reading also. That last couple books I've read have been interesting. I get them from the library so if I can't get into a book I just return it and nothing lost. I used to belong to book clubs but then after reading them once, unless a reference book, they just sit on the shelf til I give them away, usually to the library for a book sale.
 I think my ab excercises are beginning to show...well really to decrease my pot belly and midriff roll so they aren't showing as much. I believe, or hoping this will help lower my cholestrol (along with no cheese and very little butter and eating my cereal with ground flax, eating mostly fruit for snacks etc.). And to be able to look great in a new pair of jeans this spring will really make me happy!
 We are going to town for the afternoon so I best close and get a bit down around here and work on those abs!
 January 12 ASL - American Sign Language We've had a very mild week. Some rain and warm days have made the snow all but disappear, I can even see most of the flower beds! It just makes my heart wish for spring though my head knows that spring is along way away and many cold snowy days will come before the gardens begin to wake.
We have during the winter months what is called "community school". Volunteers with many talents give of their time to teach their craft. These vary between violin, drama, line-dancing, "bunka", local history and more. Paul, on the insistence of his brother, Freddie, began line-dancing on Thursday. Though from the sounds of it Freddie is not to keen on it after the first night. Paul came home saying I should take it too that it's "great excercise".
 Classes are in the morning, afternoon, or evenings. Before seeing the schedule of classes I was asked if I was going to take anything.
Well I said I would love to learn sign-language and sure enough it is being taught and instead of other years when I was interested in something it would usually fall on a time slot I was working. The sign language class falls on a Tuesday evening, just perfect for my schedule! There is a big class this year, about a dozen, compared to one or two last year. Some already have a background in signing and the younger ones picked it up the first night. I am a beginner. Our "homework" this week is to learn the signing alphabet. We need to know these as many signs depend on using the letter jointly with the sign for certain words. I am struggling to learn. I've got some down pat but my brain just can't seem to get around to memorizing others. Hopefully it will come, I'm sure.
 Well if I am going to continue with my exercising (every second day) and not fall into the trap of putting off I better close and say goodbye.
 FayeJanuary 06 Sunday I am still here...never got lost in the snow. This week the temperatures are to get above freezing. Though rain is rather depressing it will help along with the temps to get rid of some of this white stuff. It's getting so hard to shovel as the banks are getting higher every time I shovel. We haven't had snow..well any amount since the two storms, one Monday and another on Wednesday. The plows are still busy trying to widen the roads. Your life is at risk, seriously, for those on foot as there is absolutely no sidewalk or "side of the road" to travel. I don't think I could jump the banks if two cars met! The sidewalks here are plowed but still aren't quite cleared for good walking. It was so funny last night...Homer and I went to the store...coming home on the corner house was a dog (tied up) it was barking at us and Homer of course had to put in his two cents...but he had to stand on his hind legs to peek over to get a view of the other dog! Homer is a good size dog too, part Husky/Shepherd/Collie.
Yesterday I got the house straightened up then spent the afternoon struggling at a painting I started but haven't done anything since well before Christmas. I am not happy with it, I haven't decided to try and get it together or just set it aside. My heart is just not in it. Maybe I had the time but not "in the mood" and tried to force myself, I don't know, maybe I should start a new one and set it aside for now.
 I had planned on "playing hooky" from church today, so much rushing, sick with the cold before Christmas. This will be our last free Sunday before Sunday School resumes next week. It took all my will power to say no (though I still feel guilty) when our minister called (we are both Elders). She thought she just had the cold go into her eye, but it turns out she has shingles in her eye and can't preach today. She had all her notes if someone (or two) could lead the service. Paul is away, I don't have a car, another one is expecting a new grandchild anytime, one just got out of the hospital and too ill. If last weeks attendance is any indication, there are so many people sick with this virus there won't be many there anyway. But I held my ground and will be staying home. "Someone" will do it and this time Paul nor I will be that "someone".
 I guess this week things will be back to normal. Just got an hour of work by going early on Monday and leaving early to beat the coming storm. Wednesday it was storming before I even got up. I was able to do some of my church work at home, finished it up by going in for an hour on Thursday though I had to park across the street at the bank and climb a large bank of snow and walk through knee deep snow to get to the door. The steps looked more like a ramp. Well the weather forced a rest though since I work numerous part time jobs I won't get paid for those days I missed either. Oh well.
Hope your day is going good. Those on the west coast of Canada and the US have lots of stories about there storm...hope your were home and safe.
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