Dan Antion

This Winter Stuff – #SoCS

Cheryl makes a pretty good Michelada
I snagged this through MuMu’s gate.

February is upon us. JusJoJan is over, but the roller-coaster-weather-ride is still running in New England. It’s time for our Stream of Consciousness Saturday visit to the bar, where Linda G. Hill has given us:

“Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is ‘affirm.’ Use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!”

If we were having a beer, we’d be talking about the weather, but we’d be late.

“Hot enough for you?”

“Ha ha – yes, forty degrees is hot enough for me, after this past week it feels positively balmy.”

“Talk about cold, we better get inside and accept the cold shoulder Cheryl has waiting for us.”

“Agreed.”

“Well, look who decided to show up. Were you boys trying to avoid me today?”

“It’s my fault, Cheryl. I called Dan and asked him if we could meet a little later. I was stuck at a family thing.”

“Again, with the family? Don’t they understand the concept of priorities?”

“They do, but only when their priorities are involved…like today.”

“I’m sorry for giving you a hard time. I hope it wasn’t a funeral.”

“No, my wife’s cousin bought some new furniture and had a little lunch thing to show it off.”

“OK, I take back the part about being sorry. Dan, you knew about this? You approved this?”

“I only knew that he had a thing. Speaking of things to have, could I have a Corona?”

“Yes.”

“I guess I’ll order some bourbon when she gets back.”

“Here you go, one Corona who has found her lime.”

“Um, Cheryl, could I get a splash of bourbon?”

“Of course. I thought you might have had your fill at the great sofa unveiling.”

“I can affirm that no good liquor has ever been wasted on relatives in that house.”

“Ouch.”

“Not that we were trying to avoid you, Cheryl, but don’t you usually leave at four?”

“I do, Dan, but I’m working open to close today. Pam had a wedding to go to.”

“Aw, that’s nice of you to cover.”

“It’s more like giving up a cold day in February and putting a nice day in July in the bank.”

“That’s a great way to be generous.”

“And here’s another generous touch.”

“Aw, you put cherries in my Bourbon. That is the nicest thing that has happened to me today – thanks Cheryl!”

“Well, that was easy.”

“Maybe, but I appreciate it. So, Dan, did you work from the comfort of your wood stove on Wednesday or did you go into that freezing office of yours?”

“I worked from home, once I got there.”

“Huh?”

“I was in Boston Monday and Tuesday. I came home Wednesday morning.”

“I didn’t think you traveled there if we had snow coming.”

“I don’t! At nine-thirty Tuesday night, the forecast was still calling for less than an inch of snow.”

“And you got how much?”

“We had almost six inches, and a snow squall dropped another inch in the evening.”

“When did you get back?”

“My wife texted me at five AM. I was on the road by six.”

“That seems like a long time to pack up and get gone.”

“Yeah. Well, I was at my car at five-thirty, but it was covered in ice.”

“I hate that.”

“And, thirty seconds into the scraping, my snow scraper broke.”

“Ugh, Cheryl, bring him another Corona before this story gets any worse.”

“One Corona, one fresh lime and a cool frosted glass, coming right up.”

“Did you escape Boston before the traffic got bad.”

“Not entirely, but once I got off One-Twenty-Eight, I was heading against the flow.”

“Now, did you clear the driveway, Dan, or are you waiting for the fifty-degree days heading our way to melt it?”

“I cleared it. I always clear it.”

“Why not let Mother Nature do the work? After all, she did the damage.”

“I don’t trust her. If I leave that on the ground, it will partially melt and then freeze solid and be there for a month.”

“Sounds like experience talking, Dan. Here’s your beer.”

“Thanks Cheryl. That did happen to me once, a long time ago, but I’ve never forgotten.”

“That’s how we learn. Where’s your buddy going?”

“The little buddy’s room – speaking of nature.”

“So, once the driveway was clear, did MiMi let you work at your desk?”

“Actually, MiMi was in near the fire. MuMu was on the shelf over my desk.”

“I thought MuMu stayed in ‘her’ room.”

“She normally does, but lately she’s been drawn to the sun in that window.”

“And she shared her space with you?”

“Grudgingly, but not without a fee.”

“Ah, did you brush MuMu?”

“Affirmative, Cheryl.”

As part of our deal allowing me to work at my desk, I promised MuMu that I’d give her some time in the spotlight, as it were. And, this late breaking news – Cheryl’s wonderful take on this prompt is now available.

View from my hotel.
This is not what you want to see when leaving a hotel at 5:30 am.
This would take time with a functional scraper. That’s a layer of ice under there.
Broken snow scraper :(
In other words, no facilities.
I think we have 8 hours to clear the sidewalk. It shouldn’t take very long.
One of Maddie’s paths. We also discovered that our resident bunny likes the paths.
The Trex has to be shoveled by hand.
Maddie is ready for the big game.
MiMi enjoying the fire.
MiMi loves to see this.
At first, I didn’t know if this was MiMi or MuMu.
MuMu seems to be checking out the snow.
Hmmm. short socks all around – that’s MuMu.
“We have to talk.”
“What are you doing here? I thought you were in Boston.”

80 comments

  1. Oh, I remember those days. Having to get my car started by a generator-truck in Vermont, trying to get an early enough start to clear ice and snow to get to work on time, etc. But you make it humorous – as it should be, Dan!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  2. Okay I think I’d have to give it up and just call them both MiMu! Lol. That sunrise is beautiful. But if your scraper broke, how did it you clear the rest of the ice? That is no traveling weather my friend. I think you should retire. ASAP. Then you could spend more time at the bar. 😀cherries in the bourbon are always a nice extra. Good cherries, that is..

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Thanks. I’ll work on that plan. Don’t tell MuMu I told you this, but she’s a little, um, heavier. But it’s the foot, MiMi has that one long sock – front right paw. We sometimes just call a cat MiMu.

      I had to wait for the defrosters to loosen the ice’s grip on the glass. The I used what was left of my scraper to push the ice off. Unlike a lot of bozos up here, I will NOT drive if I can’t see.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  3. Hey, I like the new character!! I am on MiMi’s side, a little snooze by the fire . . . That’s the plan for today. Oh, about your scraper . . . My Dad was working in Russia in the winter many years ago. He and my Mom went over for a few months to help open a glass plant. They gave him a car to use but no scraper. He used his credit car to clean the windshield. Later it took him a while, through an interpreter, to explain what he needed.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  4. Oh, the ice scraping! I hate that, along with the frigid cold. Then again, I have a garage this winter and have been able to avoid scraping ice, brushing off overnight snow, and worrying about the car starting in the morning. Traveling in the snow is the pits, so I’m glad you made it home with only a broken ice scraper.

    Awww, MiMi and MuMu have been acting like cats… “Brush me! Build a fire! Brush me more! Why are you disturbing me! Brush me again! Love me! Leave me alone! Where are you and that darn brush?”

    Give the kids a few more pets today, from Auntie Mary, and have a wonderful day Dan.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Thanks Mary. Traveling in this weather makes me appreciate that garage, that’s for sure. I remember my first years in New England, I was on the road almost 80% of the time. In the winter, having more than one ice-scraper was the rule. I used to have to go out and clean the car in the parking lot, then come back to the hotel and change into my suit – I do NOT miss those days.

      I’ll give the girls a few extra scritches from Auntie Mary. I’ll tell them “she knows how to care for good kitties.”

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  5. The bozos driving when they can’t see is one of my pet peeves, Dan. People backing up when their back window is covered with snow a/o ice, people changing lanes with same and side windows covered, too, etc. Although our garage is theoretically a two-car garage, it would never actually work for two car, even if no “stuff” was stored in there. So my husband parks outside. That works much better now that he works from home because he hardly ever drives anywhere and my van stays nice and safe from snow and ice.

    Ahh, a wood stove. Makes me nostalgic for our Cleveland house. :-(

    janet

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  6. Thanks for sharing my pet peeve, Janet. I followed people who scraped a 6″ square in the ice of their back window. I did see one guy, who had been pulled over on the Mass Pike. I’m assuming it was for not having cleaned his window, because he was cleaning them as the trooper was writing a ticket (or maybe a warning).

    We get two cars into the garage, but it has to be a certain way. More than not having to clean off a car, I love not having to clear the driveway with a car in it. Since I had just gotten home, I left my car in the driveway on Wednesday. I had to clear the other side, then move my car, then clear where it had been (and deal with the packed-down snow in my tire tracks).

    The fire in the wood stove feels so good on these bitter cold days. MiMi approves.

    Like

    Reply

  7. …You clear the path with a light saber? That seems kind of like Samurai Delicatessen, but whatever works. Sounds like MuMu has figured out a way to get MORE brushings: hang out where you work and extort you. Clever girl.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  8. It’s a toss up of which is worse, shoveling sidewalks or cleaning off car thoroughly. But it all has to be done. And these idiots who drive around with a mountain of snow on their car roof, or only a small section of windshield scraped on driver’s side make me livid. 😡

    The shot of Maddie and her ball in motion is fabulous! MiMi just hanging out by the fire is the ultimate in the good life for a kitty! Sure hope MuMu is enjoying her 15 minutes of fame! Except for the socks, it’s pretty hard to tell them apart. They sure are cute little sweethearts.

    “In other words, no facilities” still has me laughing Dan.
    🐾Ginger 🐾

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • Thanks Ginger. You would be proud of me. I had cleared all the windows before leaving the hotel (despite having broken the scraper). I pulled into the rest area to dislodge the ice from the roof and hood, so it didn’t blow off into traffic. It took almost an hour for that stuff to get loosened up to the point where it would let go.

      Maddie likes to come out an play in the snow when I’m done clearing the paths. She’s been happy to come inside pretty quickly on these really cold days. She lays very close to the stove.

      MuMu seems happy with her “equal time.” She has been fighting with her sister over that self in recent days. The sun is so strong there. I guess we need a shelf in the south-facing window of the other bedroom a.k.a. MuMu’s room.

      Closing our rest areas from 3:30pm until 8:30am is the worst idea our state has ever had – and now they want to add tolls, for the privileged of tromping through the snow to a porta-potty.

      Like

      Reply

  10. Glad you made it safely home, Dan, even if it was a rough start.
    No fire here, but Crystal loves the electric throw blanket! She’d like me to put it in the sunshine window for her, I think. LOL.
    I know what you mean about the stuff freezing and then being harder to move… Ugh… I learned the hard way too, not to trust Mother Nature.
    Hugs on the wing.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  11. Clearing drives and sidewalks can be a challenge. Getting the tire tracks and foot prints cleared before they turn to ice is important. Otherwise the surfaces turn into a slip and slide zone. Winter gravity checks on ice are not on my bucket list. The last storm the first layer was slush so there are whole sections of slip n slide. Waiting for the coming warm spell to clear them.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  12. I remember being let out of work early to start the car and scrape the windows–I so do not miss those days. Short sock all around–that is what I look for with MuMu and MiMi–they are so cute, Dan. And look at the expression on MuMu’s face–it’s all in the eyes.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  15. Yikes – you did get the snow storm! That photo of the spray off the blower is awesome. MuMu is so smart to sit in the sun and feel the radiant heat of the wood stove. You’ve trained her well. And the Corona makes me think of a tropical spot – cheers to you, Dan, another great SoCS for the blogosphere!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Thanks Shelley. The girls fight over that shelf, but when there’s a fire in the wood stove, MiMi doesn’t care about the sun. We only got about 6″ of snow, but I have to clear the sidewalk, which gets what the plow pushes off the road, so it’s more like 12-16″ out there.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  18. okay — so the cat photos and comments stole the show for me today – well done – and of course our bar dialogue continues to deliver as you share and connect to so many little culture things – like this family one: “only when their priorities are involved”

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  22. I like MuMu and I’m glad that she was safe and warm during this last week of frozenness. Now you were saying something about you… driving… in bad conditions? Well, I’d say you earned your cherries in your bourbon.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Thanks Ally. MuMu tends to always be safe and warm. I might add, well-fed. Unfortunately, driving in bad conditions is sometimes required. I look forward to a time when it happens less frequently. But I’ll take the cherries – thanks!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  23. I am crying inside about your ice scraper. Outside, I am giggling a bit, because you, Mr Prepared, still got the shaft on this situation. Ain’t that the way? And some idiot has a perfectly good scraper and doesn’t even use it. Ugh. I have a lil red scraper that I bought at a Sunoco station in like 1991. The Mister bought a big blue thing — brush and scraper thing — too fancy for me — and honest to goodness, 99% of the time, he takes the push broom to our cars and if they need scraped, he uses my lil red scraper. Kinda makes me lol :) I’m sure you’ll find a reliable replacement.
    We didn’t clear anymore than we had to this week and it was okay.
    I know people who built a house and all new furniture for the sole purpose of impressing guests. It worked, but it’s not my thing. There’s no liquor in that house, ever. It is verboten. Which is how you know you’ll most want to drink.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  24. I don’t know where you live but the temps are in the 50’s here today. Bye bye snow! Are you using your new camera, Dan? The images especially of your precious pets are really good! I LOVE the image of MiMi’s eyes (closeup) …. very cool and very creative. Happy Sunday! 😁

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • We will see those 50s tomorrow and Tuesday, Amy. We should see 40 today. Most of the kitty pics, including the close-up, were on my phone. The ones outside were with my camera. Tomorrow’s post features some of our squirrels in some rare, for me, shots from my camera. I have a close-up of the black squirrel that I really like. I hope you do too.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    • That was taken from behind my snow blower. We only got 6 inches of snow, but the sidewalk collects all the snow the town plows off the road. We have to clear all of that. The machine makes short work of it.

      Like

      Reply

  29. When you said the scraper had broken, I expected a broken handle, but the key working bits broke! I’ve never seen that happen before.
    I know what you mean though about the bozos who drive without having cleared their vehicle. I wish more of them would get pulled over and charged with being an idiot.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  30. Catching up on my socs readings and these snow photos gave me the shivers. I am not a fan of the ice scraping or the snow shoveling. Now staring out a window at the beautiful winter scenery? THAT I’ll do.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • You either need a Transporter, or a winter vacation. Although, you guys do get snow, and you seem to “shelter in place” as they say in the emergency response business.

      Like

      Reply

  31. Your comment about ice scraper brought back many a bad memory.

    On that note…Seattle got hit with mucho snow for them….one of daughters and son-in-law from up there were down here in LA for a long weekend to see the new addition to the family. They flew back Monday night to a foot of snow where they live. They live in the northern outskirts of Seattle area…not up in the mountains….that much snow in that area is un-heard of….Seattle proper I think our other daughter told us (her and her husband live in Seattle proper north of University of Washington) got average of 4 inches….anyway…shut many businesses down and all school districts….the joys of winter! (we have just finished another week long deluge of rain…very green out here, but not kidding about the amount of rain….lots and lots).

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • I’m glad you like MuMu’s pictures, Kate, she’s pretty hard to capture. I never understood the people in the northwest being upset by snow. Sooner or later I would expect they’ve been into the mountains.

      Like

      Reply

Add your thoughts or join the discussion. One relevant link is OK, more require moderation. Markdown is supported.

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.