So we're about to get hit with a major winter storm

and I do mean major, followed by frigid temperatures. I mean, it's just now starting to snow, and it's 13 degrees now, but that's rather balmy compared to what it will be. Here are the alerts in effect for Lexington at the moment:

Weather Alerts- Lexington, Kentucky

Winter Storm Warning Until Mon 7:00 am EST

1 of 2

Action Recommended:  Make preparations per the instructions\

Issued By Louisville - KY, US, National Weather Service

Affected Area Portions of south central Indiana and east central, north central, northwest, and south central Kentucky

Description ...WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 AM EST /6 AM CST/ MONDAY...

WHAT...Heavy snow mixed with sleet and freezing rain along and south of the Bluegrass and Western Kentucky Parkways. South of the Parkways, storm total snow and sleet of 4 to 8 inches with total ice amounts up to three quarters of an inch. Localized areas may see total ice over three quarters of an inch. Across southern Indiana and north central Kentucky, mainly snow, heavy at times. Total snow accumulations between 10 and 15 inches. Localized higher amounts of snow and sleet possible.

WHERE...Portions of south central Indiana and east central, north central, northwest, and south central Kentucky.

WHEN...Until 7 AM EST /6 AM CST/ Monday.

IMPACTS...Expect power outages and tree damage due to the ice. Travel could be impossible.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food, and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency. In Indiana, for Indiana Road Conditions please visit http://511in.org In Kentucky, for Kentucky Road Conditions please visit http://goky.ky.gov

 

Cold Weather Advisory From Mon 12:00 am until Tue 11:00 am EST

2 of 2

Action Recommended Make preparations per the instructions

Issued By Louisville - KY, US, National Weather Service 

Affected Area Portions of south central Indiana and east central, north central, northwest, and south central Kentucky

Description ...COLD WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT EST /11 PM CST/ SUNDAY NIGHT TO 11 AM EST /10 AM CST/ TUESDAY...

WHAT...Very cold wind chills as low as 15 below zero expectedW

HERE...Portions of south central Indiana and east central, north central, northwest, and south central Kentucky. 

WHEN...From midnight EST /11 PM CST/ Sunday Night to 11 AM EST /10 AM CST/ Tuesday.

IMPACTS...The dangerously cold wind chills as low as 15 below zero could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes. 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Use caution while traveling outside. Wear appropriate clothing, a hat, and gloves. Make frequent checks on older family, friends, neighbors, and pets. Ensure portable heaters are used correctly. Do not use generators or grills inside. 

 

Well, it never hurts to be prepared, especially if you have major anxiety issues that can only be helped with obsessive steps. I have charged my large car-battery-sized power bank (the one that can be charged either through AC current, via car adapter, or solar (that one I don't have an adapter for, but cool and that runs my CPAP for several hours a night, and I have the CPAP adapter at the ready. I have also charged every electronic device that takes one in the house. I have made sure that all five flashlights either have batteries or are charged. The crank one is in the car in case it is needed there. It also has a radio. I found the 20 LED tealights and 20 regular tealights to put in our many hoarded jars for light, as well as my five normal scented candles, plus at least two he's borrowed from me. I found a cache of matches and bought two lighting wands in addition to mine, as mine is low on fuel. He also has a few boxes of the wooden matches. The car has half a tank of gas for charging the power bank and keeping any vapour lock from happening, but not a full tank because the power steering is having issues, and I think it'll need to be fixed soon, and I may have to switch to the bus anyway after I can get out on my own. My wipers are up. I have deicer and WD-40 for thawing locks and doors, and they are in the utility room with an extra scraper/brush. I have done everything I can think of to prepare. I managed to get all of our foodstuffs except yellow onions, which I thought were pretty good. I was on the waiting list (#!0) for a service that takes healthcare workers to work in severe weather, but I've been assigned a driver, so I think I've been bumped up. I'm going to check. That'll help on Monday. It occurs to me that I did not request a ride home yet(!). Here's hoping we all get through the storm okay. 

PS I just put in my request for a ride home...it's pending. Hopefully it's not too late.

Getting to work tomorrow, hopefully

The Fayette County Sheriff's Winter Care programme will still be in effect tomorrow, January 7th. I called a little while ago and they're going to pick me up at 7:30 AM from my house and take me to work since I work in healthcare. I thought about taking the bus but I think the stop, which is relatively close, is still too far to safely go there. If you need help as well, call 859-252-1771 and ask about Winter Care. So I just need to get to the street. I've got my hiking poles with the snow tips ready and snow boots with good treads. There's some snow on top of the ice now, which can be good or bad. Wish me luck!

So we're getting ready for the funeral

I'm dressed and ready; YKWIA is shaving.  We have to be there in an hour.  It's cold outside, much cooler than yesterday (the high I think is supposed to be 39 degrees).  The crows have been taunting the dog; the starlings have been flying in a flock up and down in the yard.  It is very windy.

The kitten went into the bathroom during each of our showers.  He is careful not to get wet, but he likes to keep us company.  The cat is asleep on my bed, something he usually only gets to do on weekends after breakfast, as I keep my room closed so the kitten will not play with wires or orchid roots during the day.

Tomorrow I'll have to get up much earlier and go to work.  Today my backup is dealing with the stuff I normally do, and I'm grateful, as I need a break.

I just wish the break hadn't included Mrs Fore's passing.  She was such a lovely person.  I will miss her terribly.  I've only known her since April, but she was so good to us, and really rather adopted us both.

Okay, I have some final things to do before we go.  Hope you had a good Thanksgiving break (if you're in the US, anyway).  Otherwise, at least I hope you had a good weekend.

Baby, it's cold outside...

In case anyone missed it, Fayette County Schools are closed tomorrow due to extreme cold. High tomorrow should be 18 degrees Fahrenheit, whereas tonight and in the morning the low should be 5 or 6 degrees with wind chills to minus fifteen. Brrr. Stay warm. Dress in layers. Drip your faucets. Keep your gas tank fairly full - - all that stuff.

The cold continues...

It's supposed to be six degrees tonight (Fahrenheit) with a wind chill down to minus 15.  I went to the store on my way home tonight and it was so cold going out, as the wind had picked up.  We're not really getting the snow you see further South, just a few flakes here and there, and I'm thankful, as it's too cold for salt to do much good.  A lady on the UK shuttle was talking about a friend in Myrtle Beach freaking because they'd had a lot of bad weather.  When I lived there in 1972, we had an ice storm followed by seven inches of snow.  We wound up piling into a neighbour's recreational vehicle and driving to Garden City so that we could plug up at a K-Mart parking lot--all nine of us.  It was miserable.  So yes, it does happen, but rarely.

Today started a bit shaky.  I didn't get paid till about 9 am (it's usually there at midnight) due to the New Year's holiday, so I didn't get breakfast at the University of Kentucky Dining but rather ate some homemade bread that I'd brought for lunch.  But it all worked out.  It was a slower day, especially about mid-day, and we got a lot done on queues.  I showed one of our co-workers who helps out in her department how to do check out.  All in all, it was a pretty decent day.  I didn't get a shower this morning, mainly because I couldn't contemplate it as cold as it was, I wanted to save time, and also because my friend went to the bathroom and I didn't realise he was finished for ten minutes.  He said he told me, but I didn't hear.  Anyway, by that time I was past the window for the shower, but really, the idea of getting wet and then going out in this didn't appeal to me.  So my hair wasn't as nice, but really, I have thin, baby fine hair, so it pretty much never really does much of anything.  This afternoon they sent an e-mail out saying that we were going to rebuild the employee directory on the intranet, where employee photos are listed by department and name, so you get to know your co-workers.  We had it at the old place, and apparently, they took it down when they moved.  I was trying to show one of the new co-workers in our department who the care managers were, for example, and the doctors, and it wasn't up anymore.  Anyway, they sent out the e-mail stating that they were bringing it back and instead of having pictures from our badges (which are usually bad), they invited people to send in a favourite self-portrait, take one in our work area (for which they are giving a prize for best 'selfie'), or the public relations department will take one if we'd like.  So I looked through some pictures and didn't really like any of them, and decided to take a picture in my work area, even though I didn't feel like my best.  It came out pretty well, actually.  Here it is:

YKWIA says I always do this thing in portraits where I put my head out like a turtle.  He's right.  But this isn't too bad.  I could use some makeup, and the hair isn't as bouncy as usual, but they always say hair is easier to style when dirty.  Of course, I just combed it.  But anyway, that's what I sent in for my 'selfie'.

I did better with my blood sugar.  They've been running normal, but I haven't eaten much lately and yesterday it was hard to gauge how much insulin to take. I wound up testing my blood sugar AFTER lunch, and it was 56 or 58.  I downed quite a few glucose tablets, as that was all I had with me, and brought it back up.  But I was pretty shaky.  Today I dialled the insulin down, taking 55 units of Lantus this morning, I think, rather than the normal 70-80.  That definitely helped.  If I can come down on the two insulins, I think that would be a wonderful thing.

We ate some wonderful soup with egg and homemade bread along with a lentil salad for dinner, then shared an apple that Brenda left on Sunday for us to try--it's the Opal variety.  It was very good.  I found some 'lunchbox'-sized McIntoshes at Kroger and got some.  That is my favourite variety, and I hadn't seen any at Kroger in probably a good three or four years.

The cat and the dogs have been fed; I didn't leave the dogs out but a few minutes.  The night is not fit for man nor beast.  The cat's in his post-prandial cuddling phase.  He likes to curl up with us afterwards.  YKWIA is reading, and of course, he wants in his lap.  I think I'll go listen to some music in bed, and so he'll probably come in and climb up on me.

Tomorrow I have two doctors' appointments, with my psychiatrist at 8 am, which is pretty early, about the time I usually get to the University, but it's further away.  I have to take a shower before I go, either tonight or tomorrow morning. I think I'll try to do the latter and wake up earlier. My ophthalmologist and field of vision test are at 2 pm.  On the bright side, because I'm coming and going for appointments, my boss put in for me to have one of the five spaces in the back parking lot.  Yay.  They're doing a lottery for any spaces that aren't used on a daily basis, which is fun, too.  But tomorrow, I get one for its intended purpose.

So, I think I'm going to sign off here.  Have a good night.

Tired (but it's been a relaxing evening)

I only woke up in time this morning because an ambulance went by at 7:15 am. Plus I'd taken a shower last night AND Fayette County Schools were still out, so there was no traffic to speak of. But I made it. We were very busy. But it was good. I handled everything well.

So I came home and had a quiet evening, baked some bread, took care of the animals, and listened to music.

It is so cold. We've dripped the taps for days now so the pipes won't burst. I curled up in bed under the blankets and the cat for awhile. I handle cold well, but there are limits.

Well, I'm in bed on the phone, and holding and swiping is both awkward and painful. I'll go now.  Hope you had a good start to 2018!

It's been a quiet New Year's Day

I'm very sleepy as I haven't had any caffeine at all today. I should have saved some of the soda from this weekend.  I've already had a short nap and I'm still falling asleep.  But I've also been doing laundry, working on the computer, and I'm about to write a book review, which is due today.

It's 16 degrees Fahrenheit outside, very frigid. I just took the recyclables out and got my coat out of the car so it would be warm in the morning.  The taps are dripping to prevent the pipes from freezing.  It's 69.4 degrees in here and YKWIA is freezing (he's cold-natured), so he's left the work he was doing on the computer and is reading in his room under the blankets, the dog, the cat, and a Southwestern poncho.  Fortunately, I'm warm-natured, so I'm not doing so bad, but I would like to get back under the covers.

Last night was quiet, too.  I listened to some music and got up about 15 minutes before midnight.  I downloaded the official Times Square ball drop application on my phone, which seemed to be working for a change (it's frozen on me three years in a row), but when it got to a little over a minute left, the video froze, since I'm sure their servers were overwhelmed, so I didn't get to see the ball drop (we don't have TV, and YKWIA was working on something on the desktop).  So that was a little disappointing.

But the company was good.  We wished each other a happy new year's, and then I basically just went back to bed.  There were fireworks at midnight, but the little dog who is scared of them is getting deaf so she couldn't hear them inside the house, but I did let them out very briefly and she barked because she could hear them out there.  I brought them in; it was snowing, just enough to cover the ground.  And then I went to sleep, waking up to the dulcet tones of little dog barking because, well, she's older and her bladder is tiny.  I stayed in bed for awhile, got up, took all my medicine, took my blood sugar (including downloading the results to my phone), kept track of my food, weighed myself (I've gained a little back, but I'm still a stone under what I had been.)

Alright, I should go work on that book review.  This is the first of what I hope is a more prolific blogging run; it may not be every day, but I'm going to shoot for that.  I hope you're having a good year so far.  I've been really looking forward to saying goodbye to 2017 and I hope there are bright things on the horizon for you and yours.  Have a great day!

Preparing for tomorrow

Tomorrow it's supposed to have snowfall at the morning commute, be frigid tomorrow night, and oh, yes, it's the first night of Chanukah. So tonight has been all about preparing for all that. I already had most of a tank of gas, but the first thing I did upon returning home was to make a grocery list of things YKWIA needed for cooking, things I needed for the latkes, and general things we needed. I then proceeded to go to the Tates Creek Kroger, got almost everything I needed (although I had to get them to stock the half and half from the back and wandered a bit until I found applesauce in the fruit snack aisle). The one thing I needed to go to Fresh Market for was a Belgian endive. On entering the Landsdowne Shoppes, I had an old man who was in the right-turn lane who suddenly he decided to go into the left-turn lane (my lane) while I was occupying it. I laid on the horn, something that has taken me years to really do--I usually tap it ineffectively, and had the satisfaction of not only having him return to his lane, but he startled and I suspect I nearly scared him half to death, which is fine, given how inattentively he was driving. It is so easy to startle Southerners, who cannot fathom why anyone would be rude enough to honk their horn at the person trying to hit them. We as a lot tend to be overly polite, never stick up for ourselves, and do everything in a roundabout way so as to not offend or confront. YKWIA was raised in an aristocratic Southern family, but his Yankee roots are also quite evident. He does very well in places like New York, which would eat me alive. Southerners frustrate him, however.

Anyway, I got the endive, returned, put everything away, and then we ate leeks au gratin, which was wonderful, with a little bread, too. I cleaned up while he made a phone call to a friend, and I proceeded to go through one of my nightstands and consolidate some medications and fill up my pill reminder box since I brought my medicine with me today but didn't take it because I didn't have it pre-sorted. The bag it was in was at least useful; I gave that to a family who needed something to prevent the glitter glue from a cast (hey, we are a children's medical centre) from getting all over a car seat.

The plan tomorrow is to make classic potato latkes with applesauce and sour cream, latkes made from strained cottage cheese (sweet latkes that are very yummy with the applesauce, as I prefer the sour cream with the potato ones) and some zucchini latkes with tzatziki. I've made all three recipes before, but not in the same year, I don't think. I've been making latkes for Chanukah for YKWIA for years as a treat. This year I gave him a nice linen napkin set because his old napkins were in sad shape. He gave me a lovely hooded periwinkle scarf that is fleece and very warm, which will come in handy tomorrow. I did discover that I cannot back into our driveway to save my life. I thought it would be better to be heading out towards the street if we got any real snow, as I have front-wheel drive, but I ran into a branch that was over to the side and I'm sitting mostly in our side yard, but I'm definitely off the driveway with the back of the car a little crooked, on the grass. I think it's a shame that my car, a 2001 Taurus, is just too old to have been outfitted with a backup camera. That is one thing I miss about that Hyundai Veloster I rented. Well, that and Bluetooth. :)

Okay, I'm at a strange angle on my bed, typing, and my neck is starting to hurt. I'm going to sign off and head on to bed. I must get up a little early just in case I need to scrape the windwhield or otherwise deal with precipitation. Hope you're having a good week so far. Good night.

Home now

We decided to record 'Grimm' and watch it tomorrow, as they were tired and were all comfy in bed. I came on home. It's supposed to get really cold tonight; my apartment leasing office actually put up a notice on our building door for tips to prevent the pipes from freezing. At least all of our plumbing is on interior walls, so that helps. Which makes me wonder if I left my friends' kitchen faucet dripping when I got some water. I'll call them a little later and remind them to check.

I'm listening to the radio now. Ed Sheeran's 'Thinking Out Loud' is playing. I'm a little tired, a little sleepy, but not as bad as I have been on and off this week. I did a little cleaning up when I got home, and the house doesn't seem quite so bad now. Tomorrow I'm running by the pharmacy, taking a friend to the credit union, taking them shopping for sheets, taking one to the grocery, and then to their Valentine's celebration. So tomorrow will be busy. Our hiatus with the game was slated to end Sunday, but Brenda's got an ill member of her family who needs her to stay home with him until he's back on his feet, so it may be next week. I still have a passage to transcribe from awhile back, but the actual game notes were finished weeks ago. So I'll try to finish that. Also this weekend I hope to get my taxes done. I put my info through an estimator and I'm not getting much back at all this year from the federal and I usually get almost nothing from the state, usually about $25 or so, which is why I usually just donate it to one of the causes you can choose. We'll see. I may wind up doing them on my phone with the Internet down at home; it's probably more secure than going on the library's Wi-Fi network. I wonder if the library is open on Presidents' Day. We've only had that holiday off since last year, so I'm still not used to a February three-day weekend. But it would be nice to go over there and do some blogging. Or I could go to our laundry room, which has a Wi-Fi password hung up on the wall, a couple of chairs, and a small table. :)

I think I may do some reading. I've got several books out from the library, both paper books and e-books. I'd like to get them read. Good night for now.

Up and bright-eyed and bushy-tailed

For all that I had trouble sleeping last night, and probably got to bed about 2 am and then listened to some Depeche Mode for awhile after that, I got up at 7:45 am and am pretty perky, or about as perky as I get in the morning. Yesterday I was not as vigilant about doing all the stuff to keep my blood sugar in control, and my bedtime glucose was high, so I took both Lantus and Humalog (long-acting and short-acting insulin, respectively). This morning my fasting blood sugar is 117, which is very good, and I’m back on track. I only missed one pill and one injection, really, but I felt a bit like a slacker, when I’ve been doing so well. So, here’s to being back in form today.

It is 9 degrees outside, quite cold, and sunny. I plan on waiting for it to warm up before going anywhere. I’d like to pop by the library today, as it’s been closed, but on Sundays they open at 1 pm, so I may not be able to. We’ll see. A friend wants me to get a book from the Beaumont Library for him, and I’d like to hook the computer up to Wi-Fi for just a bit to get any updates there might be.

But I’ve got some time today before then to maybe work on my to-do list, since I haven’t really done anything on it except dishes.

You’d think with this much snow on the ground, nothing would be bothering my allergies, but I have inside allergies as well. My eyes are watering to the point of crying and I just blew my nose and unstopped it. I just took my allergy pill and I’m taking eye drops for that as well. These help. I really need to get back on track with my allergy shots, since the phials are at the practice and ready.

A few things to do this week:

1. Get my allergy shots, at least once, but twice if possible.
2. Take YKWIA to an appointment during the workday and three appointments in the evening.
3. Go to Time Warner Cable and give back the modem/router.
4. Go to one appointment of mine during the day and one evening appointment, the second of which coincides with YKWIA’s, at least. Getting allergy shots twice this week is looking slim. But there’s Wednesday, when they’re open late, and that’s free, for now.

Oh, by the way, speaking of taking the box back to TWC:

Vonage will not let me go. As you may know, Vonage is a voice-over-Internet phone provider, meaning that an internet connexion is required to use the phone, unlike bundled phones from the cable company. I have had Vonage for (apparently) nine years and five months. During that time, I have happily paid my bill through an automatic draught month in and month out. So they consider me a wonderful customer. Years ago, I was having trouble making a payment, and they actually comped the entire month. Last year, I lost my internet for a couple of months and they forwarded my calls and gave me credit for two or three months so I wouldn’t be charged.

Yesterday I called to cancel, and they really did all they could to make sure I didn’t. They dropped it down to an account that would be $6 a month with taxes, then gave me the credit for six months so that I could call back in that time to see if I got a connexion back in that time. That way I get to keep my phone number. I agreed to this (probably I will get the internet back in that time, through some provider, if I can find a good rate that I can afford, so I can watch Netflix on my TV again). So, everyone was happy. They really have bent over backwards to try to keep me as a customer. I certainly would recommend them to anyone. Anyway, thank you, Vonage.

I’ve been playing more of ‘Inside Out: Thought Bubbles’ and I finally got through that one level, but I’m stuck again, getting within one ball several times, using both Joy’s and Sadness’ powers. :( I’m assuming I’ll eventually unlock the other emotions, if I can just get past level 24.

Okay, it’s nice and bright in here, with the sun reflecting off the snow. I think I’ll read for a bit. I’ll write later, hopefully.

Chilly

I brought my geraniums inside last night, which is very fortunate, because it's 35 degrees outside this morning. I don't have the heat on, and it's a little chilly in the house, compared to what it has been, but it's 70.7 degrees according to my thermometer, so there's no reason to put the heat on. It's just a little colder by the windows, and I slept in shorts and a tank top, and haven't changed yet.

I just had some blackberries and raspberries in yoghurt, and I'm plotting out my morning. I'm going to do some errands with A, but I have a few things to do around here, too, so my plan is to go over there about 11 am, and so I'll call him in a few minutes and make plans. But I'm still kind of waking up at the moment, so I'll check the news first and drink some caffeine. Hope you have a great day.

Cold

It is 69 degrees in my apartment.  Apparently when the maintenance person came in and fixed my leaking air conditioner (again),  he left it switched to 'on' rather than 'auto',  and it's been running non-stop.  I've corrected that,  finally,  but brrr....(pulls the covers over her in bed).  Good night!

I wish today had been sunnier and warmer

I know we do need the rain, but I'd hoped to go back into the pool today, but I don't think it even made it into the sixties in terms of temperature, and it rained most of the day and even now is very cloudy and could spit rain at any moment. Welcome to June, after several days of 80s in May. :)

Well I got my car dug out

with the help of three neighbour women who showed up and offered to help as I was clearing off my car. They had a small snow shovel thankfully. In the ten years I've lived in the apartment, I've never needed it, but you better bet I'll get one for next year. The snow had drifted so that on the back there were about six or eight inches on it, but in the front it was about two feet--my windshield wipers were barely visible where I'd left them up due to the ice. It took us about 45 minutes to free the car, but I should be able to go to a couple of appointments tomorrow morning, one with a friend, and then on to work tomorrow.

Kentucky made the national news, as parts of the Interstate in a couple of places were almost like parking lots, and people were trapped for hours until rescued by National Guard members. That area had had at least 21 inches of snow. I can't stress how rapidly this stuff came down, on top of about 24 hours of heavy rain, so pre-treating was not really possible. One popular local spot for sledding had to be roped off because there was standing water at the end of the hill--not frozen, just standing--over by the Beaumont YMCA.

I hope we're done with the snow for the year. The temperatures are plunging tonight, so we are definitely still in winter's grasp. It should be around -8 degrees Fahrenheit in the morning. Next week is looking to be around the high 50s when I travel to Chicago, and Chicago is looking to be in the 40s. So let's hope Spring is on the way, soon.

One of my neighbours

has been digging a parking spot out nonstop for over two hours (I don't know how long before I came home) so she can get her car into the spot. She'd had it mostly done, I'd thought, when I got in, but she's still going, way past dark.

I left work early today and picked up my friend and we went by his house to pick up a prescription and then headed to the pharmacy so we could both get our medications. Then we tried to go to the Kroger on Alexandria Drive but there was no place to park and lots of frustrated drivers, so instead we went over to Chinoe's Kroger, got a few things for each of us, and then I dropped him off and came home. My street still hasn't been touched; my parking lot is now more clear than our street. I managed to pull into a parking space that was pretty clear, which is good, because we're looking at significant snowfall tonight, some ice, and some rain. It's all going to come down to what temperature things stay at, to see which we get more of.

Speaking of temperatures, it was -18 degrees here in Lexington. In one of the neighbouring counties, it was in the negative 30s--again, not wind chill, but rather air temperature. My car was a little reluctant to start, but did, and I was able to drive to work for the first time this week.

Plans tomorrow include a possible bigger trip to the grocery, but that will depend very much on the weather. I'd hoped to give blood, but I suspect that will not be possible. If I do get snowed in, I'll just hang out here. I doubt we'll get to play the game Sunday, but perhaps if things aren't too bad.

Okay, I think I'm going to do some things around here. I did dishes and put them away last night, gathered the recyclables, etc., but I need to take them out and straighten up. I feel bad sitting here next to the window while someone works so hard outside.

Success!!!

After a co-worker and her family dropped me off at home from work, I managed to get the car cleaned off further, and got it out of the space! I went ahead and headed to Kroger, filled up the car, which was on empty, and then stopped in the store for a few groceries. My street still hasn't been touched, but I handled it pretty well. I almost got stuck again trying to get into the spot next to the one I left, managed to get back out, circled around, and found a spot without any snow and parked there.

Once I got in and put the groceries away, I changed clothes, lit a candle, and updated my computer while I made a couple of breakfast sandwiches. (Yeah, I know, it's breakfast for dinner). And while I ate, I updated my phone, which downloaded Android 5.0 (Lollipop) and is just now finishing up. So I'll have a new operating system to play with, and since I was on Jelly Bean 4.4.2 and never got the 4.4.4 update, I'm happy. We'll see if I have any issues with 5.0. Right now it's optimising the application (apparently I have 445 applications on my phone. I really should take some off, huh?)

Now that the car is free, I plan on giving blood either tomorrow afternoon or Saturday, depending on the wintry mix/rain we're supposed to get this weekend. I'm O+, so while I'm not quite a universal donor, I'm close, and the blood and platelet stock has been hit by cancelled blood drives and the inability for donors to get out and about. I called this morning to check and see if it had been long enough since I donated, and it had. They wanted to go ahead and schedule an appointment, but I didn't know about the car. So, I'll try to drop by as soon as I can. The main office is open till 6 pm tomorrow, but is on the other side of town from me. There's one closer, and I'll check tomorrow to see if the hours are the same. If so, I can make it there after work.

The cold is just crazy. It was -8 today, -22 air temperature a couple of counties over, breaking records. Our high was 7 degrees. Tonight we're supposed to be about -15--not wind chill, mind you, that was in the negative 20s and 30s today. I'm so glad the car started, especially without any gas in it, and I hope the battery holds for tomorrow, too.

Okay, I'm going to go see what I can figure out about my phone's new OS. I'm updating Google Play services now. Some of the settings have changed, so I may need to tweak it a bit. Good night, although I may write some more later.

Get ready for the Big Chill

City Intensifies Efforts To Keep Citizens Safe In Bitter Cold

It's going to be a doozy--temperatures going down to -13 or so, with wind chills about -35 degrees Fahrenheit. Fayette County schools are closed for the rest of the week, and the University of Kentucky is also closed the rest of the week, with only essential (Plan B) employees working. My class was cancelled as well, thankfully.

I lucked out this morning. I got to the bus stop, with some difficulty, and had just sat down at the shelter when one of my co-workers, an orthotist who also has an office over here, stopped and offered me a ride. So I got to work about 9:30, which wasn't too bad, considering the ordeal of digging out the car and getting it stuck. Another co-worker had her husband pick us up at work and drop me off at home, so I didn't have to take the bus home. So now I'm half in comfy clothes (still in my jeans). I need to check on my friends and make sure everything's okay with them. And then, to be honest, I am going to take a nap, the idea being that I will get up and work on some things here in a little while.

Well, I made it to work and back today

and I'm pooped. The official snowfall total for Lexington yesterday was 10.2 inches, or the fourth-largest snowfall from midnight to midnight in our history.

I started out this morning from the apartment at 6:40 am, trudged through snowdrifts the two-tenths of a mile to the bus stop, taking great care to cross the road safely (that is the intersection where I was hit by a car while crossing in a crosswalk a couple of years ago, breaking my toes and ankle). I got there about 7:10. The bus was due about 7:16, but it got stuck in the snow over at Locust Hill and Richmond Road, so I sat there until about 7:45, when the next bus came. We went by the stuck bus when we went back up Richmond Road. I got off at my stop, managed to cross the road without too much trouble, but cars were turning into the lane, so I had to go over a drift up to my buttocks, then slog through the sidewalk, which had snow up to right below the knees. Fortunately I'd worn my jeans and had brought a pair of pants to wear at work. I had brought an extra pair of socks, too, but I wish I'd have worn them on top of the others, because my feet really got cold (it was 3 degrees Fahrenheit outside while I was sitting at the bus stop). When I went to go home, I did wear both pairs of pants and socks, and it really helped (it was also in the low twenties temperature-wise by then). But none of the sidewalks had been cleared, and I stood inside a snowdrift at the bus stop at work, so I got home, peeled off the wet clothes, got into something comfy (but not particularly warm, as I was pretty hot with the exertion, the 2-4 layers over my body, and a balaclava that showed just my eyes. My heart rate was probably up there with someone shoveling snow, and my breathing took awhile to settled down.

I had thought I might dig out the car while the sun was still out, but I just didn't feel up to it. Besides, we're supposed to get 1-3 additional inches of snow tonight, so I'd still have to do it tomorrow. I'll just have to get up early. I just hope the roads are better than this morning, as I really need to go by the pharmacy tomorrow after work, which means I have to get to work during the snowfall--and get some gas, too. But I've been home for about an hour and a half, and now I finally feel normal. I've eaten some lentil pilaf and a quinoa burger, along with an apple, and I think I'll do some reading soon. I did do some yoga yesterday, but I'm not feeling the desire to do any tonight. I've done plenty of exercise today, walking 8,036 steps so far today--well, more really, as I didn't have my phone with me every step. But as far as the yoga goes, I struggled through the poses yesterday (I used to be much better at that), but I did watch a segment after the workout on using props to keep proper alignment. So I'll try that, although I have a mat and strap, but only one block.

Brrr...I've been watching the weather. Thursday has air temperatures at a high of 3 degrees, and -12 degrees for a low. I just hope my car battery will work that low.

Okay, I'm going to go take my contacts out, get comfy, and do some reading. Good night, for now.

Brrr ...

It's 5 degrees outside at the moment with a wind chill of -10, and it should fall to sub-zero for the air temperature tonight.  I've got the faucets dripping a bit and I've kicked the heat up to 68 degrees.  I'm in pyjamas instead of a sleep shirt or tank top and shorts.  The fan is not on,  which is rare. I'm fairly warm-natured,  but I am also a Southerner,  and we freeze quicker than our Northern cousins. :)

Today was very busy and stressful,  followed by some errands.  But I unwound  some with friends, and that helped.  Tomorrow I have a field of vision test and ophthalmology appointment. I also have to pay some bills,  including my rent. And work,  of course.  But supposedly not in scheduling,  since that's usually Monday through Wednesday. That will give me time to take care of the library and get caught up in the revenue cycle duties.  Yay!

Okay,  keep warm. Good night.

Baby, it's cold outside

Deep freeze, USA: All 50 states sink below freezing point after second polar plunge dumps FIVE FEET of snow on Great Lakes

• Every single state experienced below-freezing temperatures Tuesday
• Five feet of snow is expected around Buffalo, New York
• Half of the nation is blanketed in snow
• Authorities shut down the New York State Thruway in western New York
• Dozens of drivers are stranded on the Thruway after getting caught in incredible pile-up of lake effect snow
• Temperatures are 15 to 25 degrees lower than normal for this time of the year across most of the country

Note that here in Kentucky, per one of the maps, we are 22 degrees lower than normal for this time of year, and you could certainly feel it. I was concerned this morning because my car doors tend to freeze shut easily and I've been told that my battery is charging at 50% capacity but haven't been able to get a new one yet before the cold weather settled in. Fortunately, this morning everything went as planned. Let's hope tomorrow will as well. We're going to steadily warm up till this weekend we'll see the 60s, and Thanksgiving is supposed to be sunny and 49. But getting down to the low teens in November for lows is not fun, and we simply aren't ready for it. Last winter was so horribly cold, snowy, and seemed longer than it should have, and I think most people are starting to think that this one will be similar.