After Effects

Sometimes I wonder "Why do I live up here?" Usually those times come when I'm on the handle end of a snow shovel or sweltering in a July heat wave. But there are reasons, and yesterday Mother Nature showed me one reason why.

This is a neighbor's house, not mine, but the snowpile at
the end of the driveway is very similar. I really liked
the snow coming over the eaves of the driveway.
DH would have pulled that snow down by now. 

It was a stunning day. I admit that I awakened to 2"-3" of new snow added to the 6"-8" we had received the night before, so my day started out with more than a half hour of intense snow shoveling, but when I got to the pool, I was one of the few who braved the roads and I had a lane to myself for the full hour of my swim. What a treat! The day got even better from there because we had one of those rare 'day after the storm' days that remind us of how beautiful it can be up here.

Looking through the tree that stands at the end of
my own driveway, you see hints of that bright blue
sky and my snow-covered front yard. 

Moving toward the house, this was my view of my front yard.
The central tree is my silver maple. I love the way the snow
perched on the branches. 

To the west of my driveway are these larger evergreens that
mark the boundary of my neighbor's property. With the snow
on their branches, it looks like a perfect holiday card. So pretty! 

It was a stunning day - a clear blue sky with crisp, cold temperatures in the upper teens F (around -7C for my Celsius friends). The sun was shining like crazy causing a serious melt even though the temps were way below freezing. It was so beautiful. Today will probably be icy as I drive to the gym, so I'll need to be cautious, but it was absolutely worth it!

Wednesday's are $6 sushi days and I often check it out. They
don't have the crunchy rolls on sale, so I nabbed one when I
saw it. So good! 

I was so happy looking at the beauty that I treated myself to sushi for lunch. A crispy roll - very yummy - and their wasabi is hot, Hot, HOT! Awesome and the perfect lunch.

Every good thing has to have a reverse also. This is my fly
in the ointment. 

But there's a fly in every ointment, right? Yesterday, apparently one of my customers at the shop complained that I was "weird". Well, yes - I admit that I am a bit weird. That's why I had the guts to open a store. It's why I am a designer and an artist. It's why I have had a fabulous husband for many years. I'm not boring, that's for sure! When my Assistant Manager posted that on FB, several other customers jumped to my defense (thanks, all). But I was a bit surprised by the fact that being called weird actually bothered me a little. Is my thick skin suddenly getting thinner?

Well ... yes. I am weird. But I think that's a very good thing
when it gets down to it. I don't follow pipers very well, and
I make my own pathway through life. 

Oh well - maybe I'll work out this stupid angst on the elliptical this morning. It's been a week since I was on the machines and I know they'll kick me into the next county - LOL. Here's hoping you have a great Thursday. I know that I will.