Winter made its first serious attempt last Saturday. The roads and sidewalks looked like this ...
... slippery and sloppy to get around in as the temperature hovered right at the freezing mark. It was very pretty later in the day as the sun disappeared and what had been water drips earlier solidified into ice.
Like rows of little diamonds. My cheap little digital camera didn't do it justice!
Last Saturday happened to be one of those days when you officially get a year older. I like to keep pretty quiet about the event, so took myself out for a glass of wine ...
... and some dinner at a local establishment. It was Szhechuan-style chicken. Very good. I had a second glass of wine and read my book and felt quite happily relaxed after a stressful work week. Just what I needed!
This morning, Miss Boots opted to climb into her "cozy cave" ...
... a fake-fur cube with a hole in one side ... after breakfast instead of bugging me to get out on the balcony where she usually spends some time telling off any passing dogs or wildlife. Smart cat! It looked like this when I left for the bus ...
... about 8:30 am with blowing snow and about 10 degrees below zero. Minus 10 is not particularly uncomfortable ... okay, at least not for me ... I'd rather have cold than heat any day, and that's probably why I'm happy living up here in The North! However, my feet (who totally prefer to spend their days nekkid) were not at all happy being confined in these ...
... knowing that they will probably be so confined until April or so next year! My coworkers were all waiting to look at my feet this morning to see if I actually had boots on as I always push it with footwear wearing sandals well after frost and shoes well into winter.
Note to self: those are really crappy looking boots ... quit being such a cheapskate and go buy yourself a dressier pair already!
With today's not-so-balmy temperatures I discovered something disturbing ...
Have a great day y'all ... stay warm!
HIS name is Marge the Moose. Apparently HE has gender issues as no respectable bull moose would be caught dead in a fancy bow like that. Or so I've been told. Whatever the moose's issues are, I think he makes a right fine addition to the fireplace area!
Oh, and a snuggly knit blanket I found at "StuffMart" for $12. You would never know under all those cushions and blankets that my sofa is 1970s 
It cost $10. That's my aboriginal talking stick in it. My talking stick was a gift and it's very special to me. Oh, and one of my guitars to the left. I have a bad habit of sticking music sheets under the strings. One of these days I need to buy myself a music stand. Do you think music stands come in 
Did you notice the little stool in front of my chair? It's an old wood milk stool that I found at a junk store last summer. Looks right spiffy with its new coat of 
... a glass of