In My Car I Have

Well I don't have it yet, and I'm not on the road that much. All my jobs for the prior 20+ years were barely over 1 mile from my home but I am gonna restock the items that left the car during the summer. Here is a guide to Winter Safety that might be especially good for those who have never faced a winter drive - yet. The DC area is always full of these transplants who Never Knew.

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Trust me, we can get a winter here. Valentine's Day...I place my bets on that one for a Big Storm. You have been warned. It isn't fun being stuck with on 50 or 66 with a bunch of lunatics and who wants to join That Group.

Things You’ll Need:

• Flashlights with extra batteries
• First-aid kit with scissors
• Windshield scraper
• Maps and compass
• Paper towels, tissues, and moist towelettes
• Blankets
• Extra warm clothing and socks
• Gloves or mittens
• Rain gear
• Large plastic trash bags (for impromptu rain gear)
• Gallon-size resealable plastic bags
• Calorie-dense nonperishable food (e.g., energy or granola bars, nuts, pemmican)
• Pocket knife
• Bottled water
• Waterproof matches
• Newspaper/wooden shims (to burn for melting snow)
• Metal container such as a clean can (for melting snow in)
• Collapsible shovel
• Jumper cables
• Tow rope
• Bag of sand or nonclumping kitty litter (for traction)
• Red bandana or other brightly colored cloth (to make a distress flag)
• Small amount of cash (e.g., $20)
• Large permanent marker
• Bar of white soap (to write on interior of car windows)
• I add...if short people are part of your daily drive, I'd add munchies, diapers, good boots or at least loads of plastic bags and heavy rubber bands for their tootsies in the event you ALL have to hoof it.
  

Also...keep cell phone fully charged tho service will probably be &#^@% up in a big storm. Always is.

I'm just grateful that we don't have this kind of weather on a regular basis. Really grateful.

Committed

Since DH and I got married, we have tried to keep our Christmas as a fairly low key season. I knew how much he hated the overabundance (addictive greed?) of some Christmas celebrations we had seen or known. I had certainly enjoyed decorating the house but when we combined furniture, there was less and less room even post renovation.

Finally we agreed that with 6 adult children, their Christmas was their Christmas with no obligation for anyone to travel in either direction. December would be a time we would do something for our marriage, and we have often have gone to CA for a couples retreat. DH does not like cold weather very much but one of our best 'Christmas' trips was to Prague, Vienna and Budapest in 2006. Cold but neither one of minded it. That may be a future repeat!

The tree saga you have read below.

So this year, we were to go to Florida - Marco Island (Marriott Preview) and then Miami for his conference. However my lingering cold and our inability to get a cat sitter led me to decide to stay home and have a Quiet Week. His gift to me is time and space. We will go to Hilton Head for New Year's and hope for some warming up there.

So with all this free time ahead, what's a good blogger to do? Not only sign up for NABLOPOMO but also for Ali Edward's December Daily AND Shimelle's Journal Your Christmas. This is sounding dangerously like I'm becoming a scrapper but...I'm committed.


For me these are not three different things, but one way to continue to document how I Cook My Life. I may not have an album like Shimelle's above with lots of bought goodies including a string of pearls, and it may not get done even in December, but it will be fun, and it will keep reminding me how good my life is and how many blessings I do have. Sharing the love...isn't that Christmas?

NABLOPOMO

So. I've taken on a new project for December. nablopomo.

What does all that mean? National Blog Posting Month, and for me I'm starting in December. A post a day, 31 in 31 days. I expect to be home almost all of this month, and godwilling and FIOS keeps working, I will have my trusty IMac and power.


So...a post a day in December. That isn't the hard part. The hard part is making it worth my time in writing and your time in reading.We'll see how we go, ok? Stick with me peeps, I'll do my best! If the idea strikes YOUR fancy, jump in and join the crowd. Or think about it and go for that upcoming short month - February. Any or every month can be nablopomo for you. But remember - 1. Fun and 2. Blogging without Obligation. Those two can exist with this project. I know they can.

NABLOPOMO

Ready to keep posting all thru November??? If you loved Blogtoberfest, then here's another way to keep the joy in your life.


Nablopomo...National Blog Posting Month keeps on keeping on.