The storm of the century?

So there was this wee storm yesterday. Here in Iowa, the land of Canada, we got around 16 inches. I don't know if the wind was as bad as they expected because I worked from home and didn't have to deal with open interstate surrounded by farmland and shopping centers. The cities weren't plowing residential streets at first, but clearly we have been plowed. I went out and took some photos for Nature Notes tomorrow. Here you can see that the mailboxes are covered up front and back, not from the snow plow. It was 11 degrees when I went out to take the photos and I was bundled up. I felt great except for my fingertips. They were like ice. I had two sets of gloves on, too. When I took the gloves off, my fingertips were hard. I had never felt that before.

I've been working from home today, which is a great option, but I am sort of over it after having worked from home for three years once upon a time. We didn't get mail or garbage pick up today. I've been home all day with not much going on except for cat drama, which goes from barfing in the early morning, which I apparently slept through, to thumping each other on the head unprovoked to sleeping through lunch to smacking ice cubes out of the water dish and chasing that around the kitchen until it becomes lodged behind the leg of a large kitchen thingy so another cat can lick it. I would like to say I had no idea this sort of thing goes on, but I do. I've been privy to it in the past. It has been a slow day in the cat world, though. I feel for them and so when I saw an ad today for a Chia pet that grows cat grass, I exclaimed, "I love it! I want it! I'm a consumer!"

Do you know that my cats love to eat grass followed by vomiting grass? See? I'm torn. They vomit anyway, they love grass, it's Christmas. I'm all beside myself, but I think I will go to Walgreens at some point and buy me some Chia pet. I've never had one before, can you believe that? (If anyone reading this who has me on a gift list and can't figure out what to get...)

And one last thing because I need to shore myself up for this Saturday. I am running a 5k this Saturday morning. Early in the morning. In the snow because 16" of snow isn't going to melt any time soon. The high on Saturday? 24 degrees.

I bought a mask. I feel like a criminal in it and the Velcro closure gets caught in my hair and I have a sort of small head, so even the small feels a little like it is going to fall off of me. I just reread that and I am amused at myself. I do not feel like a criminal. I feel like I look like a criminal. The mask does not have magical powers that turn me into a petty thief. Not that I know of, anyway. I will let you know.

I have a photo. Let's see if blogger will cooperate. Hold, please.

I think it worked. So do I look like a criminal? Like a certain cannibal criminal even? Do let me know how ridiculous I look so I can be prepared for Saturday.

Oh one more thing. On February 28, I will be doing the American Lung Association Climb for Air up the tallest building in Iowa, which is 41 stories, 85 flights of stairs, 1,100 steps. I can't wait! I'm excited about it as it is something I've never done before and it will keep me sufficiently freaked out all winter about getting into shape for it. (I've had two delicious homemade peppermint cookies so far today...) Feel free to cheer me on beginning NOW and at random.

Or harass me about the cookies.