cold cold sunshine....

I officially learned this morning that it can snow on a brilliantly sunny day, snow can fall from a clear blue sky. I am no scientist, obviously, so I won't bother trying to explain it, but it can happen, and this morning, it did. The conditions were right, the temperature and wind speed and moisture level in the lower atmosphere...and voila! Snow that looked like diamonds, floating through the blue sky.

Of course I have to make a correlation here: some of the best things in life come in the midst of trials, or as a result of enduring faithfully through a trial.

My house isn't spotless this morning, but I worked in the kitchen for two hours. Just cleaning and shining, washing some dishes, wiping down appliances. I swept and cleaned the floors, straightened the living room, did some laundry. It would be more satisfying if I knew it would last, but tomorrow, same old same old.

This afternoon I have to pick kids up from school for eye appointments. Margaret, Suzanne, and I have check-ups. The little girls are going to Emily's house on the bus, which they were SO excited about.

Yesterday, I met my niece's little newborn, Vivienne Rose. She is absolutely beautiful. I got to hold her a few times, and oh, she is sweet. Being at the hospital where I gave birth sixteen times (plus Robert), brought back many memories. Things have changed, it is updated and really nice, but some of the same nurses are there, and the one on duty last evening remembered me.

As I washed the dishes this morning and marveled at the snow falling in the sunshine, I thought about warm places and vacations and camping and just walking around the yard in bare feet. I thought of how nice the sunshine feels on my skin. (I read a study recently that suggests that spending small increments of time in the sunshine lowers blood pressure, which could account for why heart disease is more prevalent in northern countries, and raises the concern that people trying to avoid skin cancers (which are rarely fatal), can be unknowingly putting themselves at higher risks for cardiovascular disease, which is much more dangerous. Interesting! And it makes me feel better about baking in the sunshine! Doesn't it sound nice about now? The forecast: cold. snow. more cold. more snow. some wind with snow. more cold. Saturday should be warmer, up to 25 degrees (3.8c), but the wind will be strong, with lake effect snow.

The gutter is falling off the back of the house, and under the kitchen sink is leaking. It makes me rather thankful that earth isn't my real home:)

My thoughts are all over the place this morning. I am talking to Jon, and drinking coffee, and planning what I have to do before I leave the house....work out, take the clothes out of the dryer, plan the dinner, take a shower, and I have....an hour. oops, bye!