Danielle arrived around 2 PM, and we were soon playing an entire campaign of "Left 4 Dead". We had a great time! We then watched the new Christmas episode of Fairly Odd Parents, followed by Recess Christmas: Miracle on Third Street. I made us dinner, some Buitoni frozen cheese ravioli and tortellini which I doctored with some additional spices and served with freshly grated Romano. I also sliced up some pepperoni and let it simmer in the sauce before adding the pasta. Very good, it's something we've had before and Danielle really likes it.
So, we spent close to five hours together which I greatly enjoyed. Around 6:30 I went out to snow blow the driveway. The new snow blower is a monster! I easily did the driveway in half the time than with the old snow blower and the headlight on this model really helped in the dark! I missed that feature from the snow blower I used to have at the X's house. I called for Danielle and we headed, very, very, slowly to her mom's house without incident, though the roads were treacherous and in bad need of plowing particularly in the intersections. As I feared, getting to the X's house was no problem, other than having to drive very cautiously. Getting back was a nightmare. As I expected, coming out of her street and having to make a left, I got stuck in the snow, and had to back up, time the oncoming traffic (which I had to estimate by headlights reflecting off of the snow, and then pull out, which I did finally manage to do.
I decided that since the weather report was basically snow tonight, snow tomorrow, I was just going to hit Forest Hills Foods now since it is on the way. I got the fresh ground beef and ground Italian sausage for the lasagna, some additional beverages, and a few other items, as I was not planning on leaving the house until after Christmas!
Again, it was as I expected driving in the snow; there is an incline from Forest Hills Foods up to the corner where I need to turn left and then a hill before hitting the downward slide home. The only chance was to time it coming out of the parking lot and using the built up momentum to get past the incline and start up the hill, hitting the intersection when the left turn signal at the corner is green. I failed and the Mustang was unable to move forward. As traffic was sparse I backed up, and tried again, failed, and tried again, and again failed. I was very worried as more traffic was approaching in the distance from all directions. I ended up backing up about 50 feet while avoiding the oncoming car in the left lane that the Mustang had drifted into and the cars in the right two lanes adjacent to the left turn lane I was in!
Finally moving forward but still without a lot of traction I approached the turn and just as I was just about clearing the incline the left turn signal went red! I beeped the horn and flashed the lights and took the turn anyway. As I had planned since there is a delay in opposite street light going green after the left turn signal gos red, the cars in those lanes saw me and waited. I then had an near impossible time getting up the incline of the hill with the Mustang wanting to go sideways instead of straight. I finally cleared the apex of the hill and moved into the left lane. This time I was able to time the next left turn onto my street with the left turn signal. I rolled into my driveway (which already had another inch of snow, it is falling at about an inch an hour) and pulled into the garage, so very glad to be home safe. I even had the presence of mind to put the trash can at the curb before carrying in the groceries.
I unpacked and put away the groceries, had a beverage, and settled down to blog! Tails is comfortably curled on my chest between me and the keyboard, oblivious to all this, and purring gently. While the house is shaping up there is still so much to do; tomorrow is going to be a very busy day between cooking, cleaning, and organizing the remainder of the house! Being a single parent, particularly at times like this when the kids are not here and there is lots to do, can be a challenge.
Below is the current radar map. I am under the + mouse cursor (a bit above and in between Chicago and Detroit; click the small image for a larger one and you can easily see the cursor). The storm is tracking Northeast so everything below us is just coming across the lake, which enhances it, and then tracking through our area. It may snow all night and a good portion of the day tomorrow!
So, we spent close to five hours together which I greatly enjoyed. Around 6:30 I went out to snow blow the driveway. The new snow blower is a monster! I easily did the driveway in half the time than with the old snow blower and the headlight on this model really helped in the dark! I missed that feature from the snow blower I used to have at the X's house. I called for Danielle and we headed, very, very, slowly to her mom's house without incident, though the roads were treacherous and in bad need of plowing particularly in the intersections. As I feared, getting to the X's house was no problem, other than having to drive very cautiously. Getting back was a nightmare. As I expected, coming out of her street and having to make a left, I got stuck in the snow, and had to back up, time the oncoming traffic (which I had to estimate by headlights reflecting off of the snow, and then pull out, which I did finally manage to do.
I decided that since the weather report was basically snow tonight, snow tomorrow, I was just going to hit Forest Hills Foods now since it is on the way. I got the fresh ground beef and ground Italian sausage for the lasagna, some additional beverages, and a few other items, as I was not planning on leaving the house until after Christmas!
Again, it was as I expected driving in the snow; there is an incline from Forest Hills Foods up to the corner where I need to turn left and then a hill before hitting the downward slide home. The only chance was to time it coming out of the parking lot and using the built up momentum to get past the incline and start up the hill, hitting the intersection when the left turn signal at the corner is green. I failed and the Mustang was unable to move forward. As traffic was sparse I backed up, and tried again, failed, and tried again, and again failed. I was very worried as more traffic was approaching in the distance from all directions. I ended up backing up about 50 feet while avoiding the oncoming car in the left lane that the Mustang had drifted into and the cars in the right two lanes adjacent to the left turn lane I was in!
Finally moving forward but still without a lot of traction I approached the turn and just as I was just about clearing the incline the left turn signal went red! I beeped the horn and flashed the lights and took the turn anyway. As I had planned since there is a delay in opposite street light going green after the left turn signal gos red, the cars in those lanes saw me and waited. I then had an near impossible time getting up the incline of the hill with the Mustang wanting to go sideways instead of straight. I finally cleared the apex of the hill and moved into the left lane. This time I was able to time the next left turn onto my street with the left turn signal. I rolled into my driveway (which already had another inch of snow, it is falling at about an inch an hour) and pulled into the garage, so very glad to be home safe. I even had the presence of mind to put the trash can at the curb before carrying in the groceries.
I unpacked and put away the groceries, had a beverage, and settled down to blog! Tails is comfortably curled on my chest between me and the keyboard, oblivious to all this, and purring gently. While the house is shaping up there is still so much to do; tomorrow is going to be a very busy day between cooking, cleaning, and organizing the remainder of the house! Being a single parent, particularly at times like this when the kids are not here and there is lots to do, can be a challenge.
Below is the current radar map. I am under the + mouse cursor (a bit above and in between Chicago and Detroit; click the small image for a larger one and you can easily see the cursor). The storm is tracking Northeast so everything below us is just coming across the lake, which enhances it, and then tracking through our area. It may snow all night and a good portion of the day tomorrow!
I'm a bit worried now; I just talked to the X; Scott left work at 8 PM and has not arrived home yet; it's a 10 minute ride in normal weather and now it is 8:50. I hope he's OK, she's going to call when he gets in!
I'm also worried about Kevin, Lili, and Lucy; they are driving here from New Jersey and they could not have picked a worse time weather-wise to to do this! They are supposed to arrive tomorrow and then will hit nothing but snow it appears, from the freeze line somewhere in Ohio and the Michigan border. That's about 3 hours driving in good weather!
I'm also worried about Kevin, Lili, and Lucy; they are driving here from New Jersey and they could not have picked a worse time weather-wise to to do this! They are supposed to arrive tomorrow and then will hit nothing but snow it appears, from the freeze line somewhere in Ohio and the Michigan border. That's about 3 hours driving in good weather!
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