Life Inside the Bomb Cyclone

All of a sudden the meteorologists are giving us their fancy vocabulary instead of allowing the media to create terms like 'snowmageddon'. So instead of living inside a blizzard (or a snow globe), we are inside the bomb cyclone.

What is it like? Today when I woke up it was not snowing. By 8am it was snowing. The black cat (Evil Kitty) came in with snowflakes on him. I am also watching the barometer (because we have one finally). It was at 29.8 last night, 29.4 this morning, and is already down to 29.3. I am being such a geek.

I did some planning yesterday afternoon. We have been home for days on end. We went out to dinner last week some time. But we also had a snowstorm, house guests, and the holidays. Since then we have been eating leftovers, morning, noon, and night. Last night I suggested we go out to dinner. Which we did. It was nice. I am so sick of my own cooking.

But I digressed. Its snowing like hell right now. The temperature is a balmy 18 degrees. Yesterday was 28. But for a week before that it was around 10 for a high. And Saturday is predicted to be around zero. (Can't wait.)

My plans for the day include catching up on the DVR, knitting, weaving, and reading. I will not leave the house unless I get really motivated. I might make some kind of something out of the last of the left over (damn) lamb from Saturday.  We might even pull out the scrabble game and play for a bit. I will ice my knee for a bit and when my back starts hurting I have my heating pad.

I also do not have any doctor appointments planned until next week. But I do have to make some calls on prescriptions... My insurance company changed mail order prescription provider as of the first of the year and everything is currently a mystery. I also have to make some notes on past and upcoming doctor appointments so I don't lose my mind when I can't remember anything.

So life inside the Bomb Cyclone isn't any more complicated than during any other snow storm. What would I be doing if we weren't having a 'bomb cyclone'? Probably the same thing, except I would not be watching the barometer.

Winter returned

For some reason winter has returned here around Boston. Right now wind chill is about 10 degrees, air temperature is 18, and we got probably 5-6" of snow yesterday. Last Thursday I was out gardening in shorts and a t-shirt. Yesterday I spent 9.5 hours (730am-5pm) driving in what felt like blizzard conditions. The snow storm was moving east and I was driving east.

The roads were horrible, snow covered, blowing and drifting snow. I probably drove past close to 20 accidents. I got stuck behind multiple conga lines of plows going 40. You know the road conditions are bad when the trucks are all going slow.

Last week I planted pansies in pots outside. Today they are buried in the snow. I hope they did not freeze solid. This will be a test on how hardy pansies actually are.

My plan today is to stay inside as much as possible. However I do have a doctor appointment today but not until late afternoon.

The snow should be gone by Thursday when it rains. After that I think spring will be back, for a few days at least.

What are we whining about?

Today is St Patrick's Day. Although I have some Irish heritage somewhere, we will have corned beef for dinner tonight appropriately. But more importantly there are three more days until Spring. We have had a bit of snow here. This graph shows the snow in Boston. But since we are a few miles west/inland, we probably got a bit more than there.

Around here we are all whining about the snow because we are so sick of it. The most amazing part is how much has already melted and how much has not yet melted. I think we have lost a few shrubs here. I only care about the ones I planted, not the ones which came with the house. Maybe now I can get rid of these.

But now all I can do is watch and wait. I am physically unable do any plant rescues because all that does is make my body hurt. I tried to dig out some of the box wood by the front door. It is all bent over to the ground and clearly some branches are broken. Maybe it will be toast and I can grow roses instead (that would make my day).

Yesterday we had enough melting so I can see the ground near the driveway but nothing green growing yet. We should have crocuses and daffodils by now.

I used to like winter

I always liked winter. (Stop me now if you think I have blogged about this for the past few years.) I used to go outside and play in the snow. I viewed winter as another season to get outside and have fun - skiing, snow shoeing, hiking, and more.

Now things are a bit different.

I feel like I have turned into a little old lady...

"Is that ice? I don't want to fall again and have to go back to the doctor."

"Its too cold to go out today."

"Do I need a walking stick to walk to the store? There's an inch of snow."

I am turning into a wimp.

I complain about the cold and snow, instead of enjoying it. The cold makes my ailments feel worse. I am whining and waiting until spring.

Another Giant Storm

I am very intrigued by how winter storms are now named. I did read some semi logical government rationale (is that an oxymoron - semi logical government rationale?) Nemo brought us a (whopping big) pile of snow. Q was somewhat mysterious - just like in a Bond film. Rocky is just rocking along with snow and rain. If we are already up to R and its only February, we might even run out of letters - what does the oh-so-smart government do then? Switch to the Greek alphabet?

All these giant storms could be doing lots of things:

• relieving drought in the south, central and western states. Maybe this will be a year where the rare desert flowers bloom again.
• a precursor of climate change where we get lots of giant (named) storms (until there are no more letters) which cause a lot of storm surges, erosion, power outages, structural damage and more trauma.
• signifying it might be a good time to sell your beach front property quick before the next storm wipes it out.

We live about 5 miles straight inland (as the crow flies) at about 150' above sea level. We joke that we might own beachfront property in a few years.

Today we are getting the remnants of Rocky as he rocks his way through New England. I believe that we are not due for another storm until next week. It will be nice to have a weekend where we aren't house bound due to the weather.

These big storms are hard for me. Due to lymphedema arm and arthritis body, I can't shovel snow. Or vacuum - but that doesn't really help in a snow storm. Its hard enough for me to clean off my car.

I will get through this giant rain storm and wait for some needed sun shine to appear.

Weekend recovery

Most people use the weekend to recover from their work week. Today I am recovering from my weekend. My husband only got mad at me a few times for doing too much (because he says when I overdo things I have a tendency to be cranky and he would prefer me uncranky) and today I am paying the price.

Friday it snowed. A lot (in case you have been living under a rock and didn't notice). I went to the gym, my therapist, and made brownies and fish chowder. And did some work. Saturday I did a little work, peeled some wall paper, went out on my snow shoes (just on our street - I wasn't stupid and went off in the woods or anything) and took pictures of all the snow.And did some knitting.

Sunday I peeled more wall paper, helped with more shoveling - meaning I cleaned off both cars and started them and got one out of the driveway. The other required a lot more excavation.

Our neighbor was an absolutely life saver as he went around with his bob cat widening the road on Saturday afternoon and then helping clear driveway openings on Sunday for the five houses on the street.

Then we went to help a friend get her car out of long term parking where it had sat during the entire storm. She just needed a little push from my husband but had been very concerned about how much digging might be needed. We got a take out for dinner and I went to bed early.

While driving around we were  amazed at how narrow the streets are, how big the snow drifts, and how much snow in general there really is.

This morning, both arms are very sore, and my back. And in general I feel like I was run over by a truck. I will take it easy for a bit. The contractor who was here last week is coming to get his tools out of the basement but I have no idea how he will get them up these stairs and across the lawn which is buried in snow.

Then I will drag my battered body to the gym and home again. I have to get some work done today but it will involve a lot of sitting around.

Blizzard warning

There is an itty bitty snow storm coming our way. Everyone needs to be off the road by noon. No on street parking. The subway is shutting down at 330. Its the end of the world!!!!

I am moderately concerned about this. My real problem is I can't shovel so I am dependent on others to remove snow so I can leave the house. I hate being dependent on others.

But I do have plans. This morning I am going to the gym and then to my therapist. at 1030 am. I should be home at 1130, after a quick stop at Trader Joe's and will stay put until sometime tomorrow.

Tonight for dinner I am making oven baked fish chowder. The recipe is similar to this one but does not require stove top cooking at all. Its completely done in the oven. I might also make some cookies - half a batch - enough to satisfy cravings but not enough to blow our diets. Besides someone might appreciate them after shoveling two feet of snow with the five foot predicted drifts.

Because of the storm, my husband's job is closing early (an Air Force base) and they never close early.  Once he returns home this afternoon we are putting the living room back together. We have had construction work done with windows and rotting wood replaced and the contents of the living room, dining room and my husband's office have been stored elsewhere in our house. Tomorrow we will put the dining room back together. This means I will supervise furniture moving and reconnect the DVR.

Sunday my husband will remove wallpaper in his office and prep for painting it. Again I will supervise.

I could get used to this supervisory thing but I don't like the dependency part. Crap. I want to take my snowshoes out and take pictures of the snow falling.

No pain, no gain.

I end up in pain all the time these days whether I do anything or just sit around. My theory on this is if I am going to end up in pain, I might as well have fun doing so. It is January. It is Boston. It is winter. So yesterday we went to the beach.

Why not?

It was low tide.

 It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining once it stopped snowing.

This might even be part of a ship wreck from the early 1900's.

 

There was snow on the beach and some ice.

And I made a snow angel.

 

Then we went out for (very healthy) fried clams while my next Tramadol kicked in to relieve the pain. I had fun while I was in pain.

Snow - a different perspective

Around here the snow banks are piling up significantly and there is another storm due for tomorrow with another 6-10" of winter fun. Just after Christmas, I blogged about the snow storm. Well that was several snow storms ago.

A few years ago after a snowstorm I would be happy to go out and play in the snow - ski, snowshoe, etc. Now I can't. It makes my back hurt. And I am worried that if I fell skiing, especially down hill skiing, I would do more damage to my back. I did try snowshoeing last weekend and it was a success as I thought - it made my back hurt for a few days. But it was fun while I was doing it.

Last Friday's storm started in the morning and intensified and then moved out in the afternoon. My husband made it to work where he stayed all day. I was basically stuck at home. There is a difference between being able to work at home and being forced to work at home. Then I can't shovel to get my car out and go anywhere when it stops. I have to wait until my husband comes home and digs me out. I can't walk in loose snow as it makes my back hurt. I am trapped and at the mercy of others. I don't like this.

Tomorrow I am preparing to be stuck again. I do have work to do but I will have to come up with more projects or something. Today the storm is supposed to start in late afternoon and be the worst between 8pm and 6am. If the roads get cleared out I might be able to get to work in the afternoon. Yesterday I drove to work in the snow - with a lot of morons. I don't wish to repeat that anytime soon.

Maybe I should move some place warm. Maybe I just need a vacation.

Snow and winter and cancer

It snowing out. It snowed all night. It snowed since yesterday afternoon. It is supposed to keep snowing for a few more hours. Our street was just plowed. We couldn't tell where the yard ended and the street began. I now have to wait until my husband starts shoveling and using the snow blower. I can't shovel. I can't use the snow blower. Bummer.

No its not a bummer. I will stay inside where its warm and get some work done. Its pretty to look at but I'll just stay here and hang out with the cat.

Between my tennis elbow, lymphedema arm, and bad back, I'm not going anywhere until the snow removal process is complete. I had actually planned a work at home day today so this fits in just fine. My husband's office (USAF) said non essential civilian employees did not need to report so he is happy to stay here with me and the cat.

Trying my patience

I am trying to be patient. I was told at my neck ultrasound on Friday that my doctor would have the results in two or three days so I should hear sometime this week. Well, its Tuesday. How long can I wait before calling for the results? Hmmm.... I should wait until Friday to call. Actually, I should wait until they send me the results but I am not always so good at being the patient patient so I will attempt to wait longer. They are very nice to you when you call and ask for the results of a test that is used to diagnose cancer - they usually get you the results pretty quickly.

In the meantime, I do things to drive myself crazy. I did research online. I am not trying to become a doctor or anything. Its a secret plot I have against myself to drive myself crazy. All it takes is a tiny bit of scanxiety and a computer with internet access and I am doomed. There is even a term now called 'cyberchondria'. The fascinating little tidbit I discovered this morning is that thyroid cancer is slow growing and can take more than 10 years to become detectable. Well, 28 is more than 10 so I consider myself stressed - until I get the results from my doctor.

Today I am off to my therapist and then to work at home because it will snow and I no longer consider myself required to drive to work in a snowstorm. (Or work with idiots but that's another story.) I did go to work yesterday morning to avoid a commute today. As I was driving home, I was struck by home much I enjoy working with people who don't let their personal issues take over the workplace and are just plain nice. My new goal is to find a replacement job for the other job I left which meets the requirement of nice coworkers.

Anyway, I can no longer procrastinate in bed but need to motivate to get my act together and get out of here on time this morning. I will discuss my patience, or lack of it, with my therapist and develop a plan for dealing with waiting. This is a key skill of cancer people and one I still am not very good at. I am not sure any cancer patients are good at it either.