Baby it's cold outside...

What to do when it's -10 degrees and sunny (Hint: nothing)

Freakiest thing...the colder it gets the more beautiful the sky. I'm sure there's some meterological explanation that I'm not going to figure out, I'll leave that to you and Google. It's the worst case study in irony that I've ever experienced. Probably akin to the desert mirage...you think it's gonna be so nice but NOPE. Sorry, tricked you again.

You wake up, wondering to yourself..."hmmm...it's so sunny out today; what a great day to go sledding (yeah that's now in our vocabulary) or whatever..." So you stumble into the bathroom, glance at the handy digital thermometer you have sitting next to the toothbrush (these things are an absolute necessity, I mean you become so fascinated with temperature up here that it's a part of your routine every day) and GASP!! What does LL.L mean in thermometer-ese ? It means it's too dang cold for even the thermometer to read...below -10F !

So cold that time seems to slow down...light bulbs don't glow as bright (for real), the car doesn't respond the same (ours actually came with a plug to keep the engine block warm) and your FACE feels like it's going to shrink up so tight it will snap. And don't think you're going outside "real quick" to get the mail or paper. I did that once and figured out that facial hair has just enough moisture to freeze. I swear it's turned some of it white already. Oh, and yes Virginia, boogers freeze. Like ROCKS, painful rocks. Man (I) was not intended to live in these conditions.

Even more sad, sunlight is so RARE during February that the weather dudes actually tell you how many minutes of sunlight we've had each day. So these bright sunny days are torture.

Then there's that comforting sound of the air ducts expanding and contracting as the heat cycles on and off. It's always so nice to hear "POP" in the night. No dear, it's not the Abominable Snowman, just the house, moaning.

PS- Have you ever heard of Frozen Fog, I didn't think so. It's really dense fog that occurs when it's below freezing. Check out the pic...if you can see it clearly...the fog freezes on stuff and it looks like whitefuzz.

Weird Things #2 - Food is Weird Here

You know I couldn't go too long without a food-related posting. Especially with Rachel working around it and the rest of us putting our fair share of it down our pie-holes.


I'll start with the pizza. Not the "Chicago deep-dish" stuff, just the regular pizza. Thin crust to be more specific.


Pizza is round. Yes it is, I'm not going to discuss Little Skeezer's square thing, pizza is round. But for some reason, up here, it's cut in squares. Evidently no one played with that toy as a child there you put the square blocks in the square holes and round blocks in round holes. Think about what happens when you cut a pizza that's ROUND into SQUARES. You're left with tiny freak pieces on the edge.


Hot dogs have vegetables on them. Relish, tomatoes, pickles, peppers...weird. Check it out, Google a "Chicago dog" and feast our eyes on that disaster.


Corn is royalty. It holds a special place in the mid-western heart, second only to soybeans. You don't mess with it while it's growing and you don't shun it in the grocery store. You buy lots of it, eat it, grow it in your front bed (see the Picasa site)...you can't escape it. You must respect it.


Don't worry though...it's not too weird to eat.

Back from the East

We made it back in 6 pieces. And that picture of the Griswolds in their Truckster was spot-on for the Greens in their Freestlye, cruising down the magnificent turnpikes that stretch from here to Pennsylvania.


All in all it was a nice trip. Sixteen hours isn't that long if you stretch it out over two days and add junk food, a DVD player, markers, a tomtom and a radar detector. Sprinkle in some skanky rest stops, a couple of priceline.com quality ho/motels and LOTS of McDonald's stops and you've got the makings of a perfect road trip. I felt like we were suspended for two days somewhere between a reality show (Fear Factor) and Cannonball Run.

We arrived disheveled but happy to be at our destination: Middletown, DE...in the middle of the First State, smack between the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. GG and Big Daddy had transformed their home into a Christmas Wonderland complete with a massive supply of food and musical knick-knacks (is that spelled correctly ?). Bring on the Amish delights and real Coke.


Christmas morning (#4 for our family) was way fun. It's always a treat to see how excited the little ones can get over opening presents. The kids were excited too.


Yeah, I wrote #4. Christmas started in early November when Rachel's brother's family came to visit. #2 was when Grandaddy Dean came in December, #3 was Santa's first attempt at our house just before the journey East.


Everyone's Nazi came out...the wrapping paper one (grabbing the torn paper before it even has a chance to hit the ground), the bow one (snatching every bow that wasn't a victim of violent unwrapping) and the picture one (hurry, snap it so the next person can open their gift). It was fun.


Funny thing about having multiple Christmas mornings...it messes with the little brain. Every morning held the expectation of more presents. Poor Jake, he was never as excited about a new day than he was over the holidays. I think he finally caught on around the 28th.


4greens




It snowed while we were away. The grass was barely visible but still green...amazing how resilient it is.