Just another day in paradise, er. I mean, the ice palace!

As most of you know, this post-blizzard period is about as far from paradise as my mind can conceive.

I'm still doing quite a bit of reading and cooking as I am not one to venture out in the cold and snow if I can help it. The road leading to our house is still in poor shape with just a very narrow lane clear, allowing only one car in the block at once. This happens just past a sharp curve in the road at the lower end of a hill. It can be nervewracking to need to back up or sit and wait in this area. This is what we have AFTER the plows and front end loaders have worked on it. The last few days, the county has actually had someone out hand-shoveling the roadway here.

The last bit of road we need to use to get to and from the main drag is also on a steep and curving hill and, until this afternoon, was less than a lane and half wide at the peak of the hill. At that point, the snow piles are about 12' high making it difficult to see oncoming traffic as you approach the point where only one car fits. The Big Guy said they were working on that section today when he came in. Hopefully, we will have passing room there tomorrow.

All driving is complicated by pedestrians in the roadway as they simply have nowhere else to walk. The sidewalks along those stretches of roadway are owned and maintained by the county and are not in front of residential homes so no one has cleared the walkways. Although there has been some settling of the snow, one still needs to wade through snow that is well-over two feet deep if you are to attempt to use the walkways. For this reason, our school systems are still closed. Bus stops are impossible due to the piled snow, many residential streets are totally impassable and children cannot walk to their local elementary schools. For many folks, tomorrow will be the first day they return to their normal work routine.

Impossible as it seems, we dodged a bullet today and the snow they had predicted didn't happen! It did snow lightly for about two hours this evening but it didn't stick. So, while they are calling for some flurries through the night and a few snow showers tomorrow, we shouldn't pick up more than an inch or so from that.

I do usually love watching the Olympics but I have to admit, I'm having trouble getting into them this week. I think I have snow overload. I just can't stand seeing more.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel though, pro-baseball pitchers and catchers report to training camps this week!! Spring MUST be coming!! (Even with the home team record the Orioles have maintained for the last 12 seasons, we remain staunch baseball fans.)

I did manage to get some new listings up in my etsy shop, Splashin, this weekend. I'm trying out some mini-signs featuring cute sayings about all sorts of things. I've never put these in the shop before but they are a solid part of my show stock and have been for years. I believe everybody needs some sort of bread & butter item at shows that are priced low and have some appeal for everyone but this is the first time I've tried any "little" items in the online shop. I wonder if they will sell well enough online to make it worth all the photography and listing time involved. Only time will tell.