Old Man Winter Just Keeps Crashing the Party

                             

The last few days have been absolutely BEAUTIFUL.  Sun has been shining, hadn't needed anything more than a light jacket to be outside, and Hubby even fired up the grill Friday and last night to cook dinner while we sat outside.  It's been really nice.  I've been making my plans for getting my little garden going, and I'm just craving to start walking again.

But, then, wouldn't you know, Old Man Winter decides he's just not ready to retire for the year.  Just when we think Spring is finally starting to make her presence known, Old Man Winter comes along and crashes the party.  Once again.

Yesterday, we had every patio door (we have 4 of them) in the house open letting in the fresh, warm air. It started raining later in the evening, but it was a nice rain.  A springy rain.  The type of rain that is wonderful to listen to with the windows and doors open.

Fast forward fourteen hours, and it's STILL raining.  But, the doors are no longer open.  That niceness is no longer in the air.  Now, there's ICE pellets mixed in with the rain and it's supposed to start SNOWING in the next couple of hours.

Now, I love Old Man Winter.  Between the months of November and February, I welcome him with open arms.  If he feels like blanketing the ground with snow, I'm OK with it.  I love spending those four months hibernating on my couch with a blanket, my crocheting, and staying away from the cold outside.

And, in the past few years, he hasn't really hung out much with us during those months.  He's popped in for a few visits, but doesn't really stay long.  In fact, up until this year, I've begged him to visit us more often.  Apparently, though, my letters never made it to him and they were all stacked together at the post office and he received every letter I've ever sent and decided to cash all the requests in THIS year.

I'm pretty sure Mother Nature told him it was OK to stick around and answer all my years of requests, make himself comfortable... and now he's become drunk with power.  He's like that family member who asks to stay for a couple of days until they get themselves straightened out, and then three months later is still laying on the couch and hasn't looked in to a single place of their own.

I guess, somehow, he heard that spring was starting to wake up.  She's been starting her move-in, and Old Man Winter just isn't ready to move on or move away.  You'd think after giving us 20 days off school due to snow, he'd be tired.  Ready to rest.  But, nope.  Don't let the name fool ya, he's not as "old" as you think.  He likes to party and have a good time, and why not crash Spring's season starting party?

I guess the good thing is, though, Spring has been around just long enough this week to make the ground nice and warm so the snow isn't supposed to stick to anything...maybe the grass, but not the roads.  So, shouldn't have to worry about anymore snow days.  Thank goodness.

As I'm typing, I'm watching the snow start to form.  Big flakes of snow are falling, mixed in to the rain that's still falling, mixed in with the ice pellets I'm hearing "tink tink" against the windows.  I have to say, it's a pretty weird sight.  All three forms of precipitation falling at the same time.  Old Man Winter just doesn't know what to do... when I said "drunk with power" I didn't literally mean "DRUNK"!  But, apparently, that's exactly what's happening.

Today, despite the wintery weather, I'm moving in to day 2 of some spring cleaning.  Yesterday, the front half of my house (living room, dining room, and den) got a good scrub.  Of course, with all the in and out of the kids playing, the floors need to be swept ONCE again.. but I'm not worrying myself with that.  I'm just happy they actually went outside to play.

Today, I'm moving on to the bedrooms.  Jelly's bedroom needs a HUGE cleanup and so does my own.  I have to do that, as well as go grocery shopping, as well as finish up writing my lesson plans, as well as do laundry, and start copying over all my files from my old laptop to my new laptop.  Plenty to keep me busy.

Which probably means I've been sitting here long enough.  All that work isn't going to do itself.  

Have a great Sunday, and stay warm!  (Didn't think I'd have to say that anymore..psh!)