William Degouve de Nuncques -The Grotto of Manacor, Mallorca

I have never shoveled so much snow in my entire life as I did this past Wednesday.  The storm had started the night before and seemed to have stopped by the next morning…I stayed home anyway, because the roads just looked terrible and I could log on from home and get some work done, and really, I just wanted to stay in my pajamas.  At that time there was maybe 5-6 inches of snow on the ground, and then around 10 o’clock it started up again…and did not let up until about 8 hours later!

We went outside to shovel snow around noon, and by the time we peeked out the door at 3:30-4:00, everything was already covered again - and then some!  So…what was there to do but grab our shovels and start anew.  I probably make it more of a chore than it has to be; I hate driving in the snow, around the snow over the snow….especially over the snow.  I am terrified I will get stuck and spend all this time spinning my wheels and digging myself deeper and deeper and not be able to get out.  It is a valid fear I think.  It could happen! Or…I could spin my wheels,  pressing harder and harder on the gas pedal not expecting to go anywhere, when POP!  I shoot forward unexpectedly and plow into someone.  I am sure that could happen too.  That is why I shovel every mound, every speck of snow, right down to the blacktop, no skimping.  The Man says I am a psycho, well so be it.  I am crazy…for safety.

In between tortuous sessions of grueling labor we did take a moment to construct this little fellow:

Little man of snow 2.10.10

…by the next morning he was buried under 2 feet of snow…and we had to shovel again.

This weeks much loved things and moments of enjoyment & adoration include:

† an early Valentine’s gift from The Man, a gorgeous handcrafted silver ring with a shimmering blue grey star ruby, from etsy seller jessitaylor

circinus ring

† Roza’s Socks pattern from Interweave Knits, Spring 2007; I have knit this pattern countless times and it always turns out perfectly.  It is my go-to sock pattern…so much so, that it’s spoiled me for all the rest of them.  It’s really the only one I knit anymore. Luckily there are probably a million different sock yarns out there to knit it with, so I doubt it will ever get boring.  Pictured with a tiedyed yarn I picked up at She Sells Yarn in Daytona Beach, along with a Beaujolais Nouveau, which really wasn’t that bad.  I am not much of a red wine drinker, but my guy at the house of spirits recommended that I try it and use it as a starting point for what I like or might not like, an he would guide me from there.  So far I am pleasantly surprised!

†  aloe vera juice  † Naoko, by Keigo Higoshino.  Synopisis: “expertly interweaving the real and the unreal, Naoko involves a working man, Heisuke, whose wife dies in a bus accident. His young daughter survives, but seems to be inhabited by her mother’s personality”   †   Sally Hansen Black Diamond Nail Polish  †  squishy, soft bamboo charcoal socks - so much better than cotton socks, or thin synthetic material for when I am on the treadmill.  Well, if they are scientifically better for my feet I am not certain, but they certainly make my feet feel better!  †   House of Harps, a blog with some of the most gorgeous vintage fashion items I have ever seen  †   The Art of Simon Marsden -oh, how I would love to travel in his footsteps to all sorts of secret, eerie,  destinations!

West Wing, Castleboro House, County Wexford, Ireland

The Main Hall, Dunboy Castle, County Cork

Window, Castle Frankenstein