Winter Storm 2012

The last two days have been nothing short of blissful.  House bound we've been, relaxing and totally enjoying a few bonus days off.  With long underwear beneath our clothes and simmering cups of coffee in our mugs, we've cozied up beneath blankets and whittled away the hours with puzzles and technology, and maybe a little cuddling.  Any excuse to turn on the oven has been welcome, while I sit in the kitchen and absorb heat.  The wind rattles the windows and the ice creeps up the panes, freezing the fabric curtains to it.  The snow reflects the most perfect light into every room, even with such a low cloud cover the lights are all off.  The drifts of snow move and mold with the gusts strong wind and ice forms a deceptive barrier that makes walking hard.

When we did venture out, in snow pants and ski jackets our fingers were numb after scraping off the car, we ran between pockets of warmth as the cold sucked the air from our lungs.  We managed a trip to the grocery store and one sojourn to the gym, because despite my hatred of the treadmill the energy radiating from my muscles was mind-blowing.  Four days without a run was four days of pent-up power, I blasted out my best run ever (53:30!)

Because it was so cold outdoors (wind chill values of minus twenty!) I broke my cat-in-the-house-ban and Cyrus was allowed indoors.  So far he's been great and encouranged much cuddling.  I'll go back to work today, our impromptu winter stay-cation is over, it will be remembered fondly as a winter storm of my dreams.

Stuck. This is what started our stay-cation.

Ice patterns on the inside of the door. 

There was more snow by the third day.

Kale and Garlic Pizza!

Cyrus.

Cuddles.

Swiss chard and potato frittata.

Drifts.

This is the plant "island" in my front yard.  Completely covered, thank god.

Peanut butter caramel popcorn, drizzled with chocolate.

I boiled a batch of beans (I'm terrible at cooking them!) and completely overcooked them, so we had a black eyed pea dip.