yeah..IT must be "GROUNDHOG'S DAY"! -- I've seen that WHITE STUFF *BEFORE*!!

WEIRD, HUH?

Gee. *ALMOST* TWO DAYS in a row with **NO** PRECIPITATION!! So, of course, THAT *had* to END!! -- Only a "dusting" of FINE POWDER on the Ground. However, IT sporadically continued throughout the Day... Eventually, causing some Roads to be Slightly-SLICK!

Hey! Check IT Out! The ROAD-ELVES seemed to have been Out & About Last Night *SPRINKLING* "COLD-PATCH"-ASPHALT into *SOME* of the GAZILLION **POTHOLES**!! -- I guess THE-CITY got a "CLUE"..?

-- I'm going to *assume* that INSURANCE-CLAIMS from the DOZEN-Plus Tire-*DAMAGED*-Vehicles in about an HOUR on one Particular stretch of "Important"-Roadway the Other Day caused by the Bottomless-PIT-POTHOLES, *might* have been a "HINT"!?!

ANYHOO... After a 2-Minute QUICKIE-SHOVEL of a "PATH" between the Front Door and the Garage, We set out for MICHAEL'S... MOTHER was kinda chomping-at-the-Bit to RIFLE through what was LEFT of Those CLEARANCE-BASKETS!

oh. Look! I found MORE STUFF... Granted, THEY weren't AS LOW-Priced as Yesterday's HAUL, but nevertheless, CLOSE ENOUGH!

MOTHER got a bunch of "JEWELRY"-Stuff that She can probably Use for SCRAPBOOKING or KID'S "GRAB-BAGS"...

Meanwhile, MANAGER-DAVE had the Day-OFF... hmm... Perhaps, I'll see Him TUESDAY..?

Whatever... I finally Dragged MOTHER out. Seeing as the Roads were beginning to get just a tad "IFFY", I decided to head for THE MALL while We still had "DAYLIGHT"! -- hmm... IT's weird... Despite the Fact that We'd only gone into THREE Stores, We still ended up getting HOME *LATE*!?!

oh! BTW, as Promised... Yesterday's STUFF from PIER ONE....

The 12-Inch "SERVING"-TRAY is of somewhat weighty Porcelain. Perfect for CUPCAKES or TARTS or even a Variety of DIPS..? -- Got IT for $9.48 - [70% OFF]

And at 38-Cents Each, the *cute* little PURPLE-FLOWERED CERAMIC-BALLS were just a NO-Brainer to RESIST!!

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AHHH... I *Love* the Smell of BROWNIES on "BIRTHDAY" Mornings!!

WELL... "Morning" IN *SOME* TIME-ZONES. JUST NOT *THIS* ONE!! -- Hey! I didn't get to Bed until LATE, again... Besides, I'm **OLDER** Today!! NEED My "Beauty-Sleep"! -- And, My SORE-all-Over-Shovelled BODY just *DOESN'T* want to come out from under the Snuggly-Warm-BLANKETS!!

Sooo... MOTHER was just taking the "BROWNIES" out of the Oven when I came UP for "Breakfast". Once THEY cooled down, We Skipped the Icing, Candles, ecetera and went straight to MUNCH!! -- I was *behind* SOLO-SHOP-SCHEDULE!

TEMPS were back to FRIGID. The SUN had "returned" from WHEREVER..? After several Grunts and Groans, I finally managed to INSERT Myself into Many-Layers-of-Clothing. Then grabbed the Food-COOLERS and "BLINKY" - [FATHER's Car-Battery-SOLAR-Charger] - and headed OUT for *MY* Day of Fanciful-FREEDOM and "ADVENTURE"!!

...and, to get MILK.

COSTCO first, then... And, I also had Something to "Return" There. -- Anyway, NO "Exciting"-Purchases. Just a Few *ON SALE* Grocery-Items... Along with the usual FREE-FOOD-SAMPLES-"LUNCH"! - *Not* as Flavoury-varied as Last Time, however, I did try some "BORSCHT"! - [I don't readily recall ever having ANY Before..?] - IT was "okay"... But, was "Packaged". I'm sure that "HOMEMADE" would NO doubt have been quite TASTIER!

Spent too much Time There! HAD to move ON... I would have *Liked* to have popped into HOMESENSE - that's just across the "Highway" - but, I needed to get to TRAINYARDS before the SUN became a "Visual"-Problem!

NUTS!! - Some EVIL-WOMAN ahead of Me JUST drove into *MY* FAV PARKING-SPOT at MICHAEL'S!! -- Both "BLINKY" and THE CAR are gonna be really p*ssed-off having to STARE at a WALL, instead of getting to "Watch Traffic"!

MEANWHILE... There's this "Rumour" that MANAGER-DAVE *is* IN the Store, but IN "some" MEETING!?? -- I *never* did SEE Him... -- pooh!!

NO matter!! AUNTIE-"BIRTHDAY-GIRL" *SHOPPED* anyway!!

IT was the LAST Day of the "CLEARANCE-SALES"-SALE... Scarcely ANYthing of Note LEFT! -- HOWEVER... WHAT *was*, I gathered UP! - A Good Thing, too! AS, THEY turned out to be BEYOND MARKED-DOWN!!

THIS *BAG* weighs a FEW Pounds... Containing SEVERAL Packages of Those DRAWER-"Label"-FRAMES and various Sizes of Those COVERED-BUTTONS-FORMS. But, only a Couple of the GLASS TILES...

The "TOTAL-COST" of THIS BAG's **CONTENTS**..? -- $2.08!! -- [before Taxes]

I got *over* the Parking-Spot LOSS Thingy...

MOTHER will be Straining-Her-Brain over how MANY "Projects" that We can come up with to USE Those FRAMES!!

"The MEETING" was turning out to be TOO LONG! And I, *wasn't* getting any YOUNGER! I still had OTHER Place to BE! -- Not to mention, THE CAR & "BLINKY" were likely Bored *NUMB*!

TRAFFIC "Conditions" determined My Decision to swing into PIER ONE - [It's a tricky-traffic Entrance]

I didn't stay for Long, although, long *enough* to Purchase a Couple of CERAMIC ITEMS... I'll "show" You, LATER!

From There, I headed to THE MALL. Finally! Arrived just before SUNSET!

Groceries.
Junk Food.
Future-Losing-LOTTERY-TICKETS! - IT's been a While...
More Groceries...
**HOME**!!
A CARD from SISTER!
A Call from SISTER.
uhh...One of Her Cats just *threw-up*..?!
...Will Call-Back in a few Minutes...
GOOD! Have to EAT My DINNER! *WHILE* IT's still HOT!
Almost finished when Phone RINGS... well, She DID send a *NICE* CARD!!
Small-Talk, small-talk, small-talk... SHE had to GO!
hmm... WEREN'T there *suppose* to be some "BROWNIES" around Here..??

AHHH... YUMM!!! -- *NOW* WE'RE TALKIN'!!

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Oooo! SWEET!! The WEATHER-"FAIRY" got Me a COOL "GIFT"!!

I CERTAINLY WASN'T *EXPECTING* "THIS" SCENARIO!!

When I last "SIGNED-OFF" in the *WEE*-Hours - [4am] - it was to the DISCOURAGING Sounds of RAINFALL! -- *ALL* I could Think of as I TRIED to fall asleep, was the Amount of *Probable* FLOODING that was going to be AWAITING Me, LATER...

As I drifted between Slumber and Awareness, some Time after DAWN, the ROAR of WINDS grabbed My Drowsy Attentions... huh. great. now I'll have branches that will probably be falling on Me while I scoop...

Alas, I dozed off.

WHEN I *finally* Awoke, AND got OUT of Bed, the HOWLING was still going on!

-- Sooo... IMAGINE My **SURPRISE** as I had a LOOK Outside to "SURVEY" My Day's *likely* Activities of "FLOOD-CONTROL" and/or SHOVELLING - [there had been this Forecast of SNOW?!] - only to DISCOVER a rather Noticeable **LACK** of AQUEOUSNESS!?!

**NO** WATER!

NO SNOW! -- Other than the presently somewhat *smaller* SNOWBANKS...

LESS ICE...

Just overall **DRYNESS**!!??

oh-KAY!!

It just goes to show *how* EXHAUSTED I am from all of this YO-YO WEATHER of Late, that it NEVER occurred to Me that Those UNexpected WINDS in the +8C Temps would EVAPORATE **EVERYTHING**!! -- So much for "FORECASTS"! - The *only* Thing "THEY" got "right" was the Temperature DROP! IT's -14C with a -24C WINDCHILL at the Moment...

And, considering the *sudden* DROP, the PRE-Removal of all that "MOISTURE" is a *GOOD THING*!!

MEANWHILE... WOO-HOO!! DAY-*OFF*!!

To be sure, "SERIOUS"-VEGGING was *ENJOYED* whilst THE-ELDERLY-PARENTAL-UNITS "Escaped" for a Few Hours...

right. so. *TOMORROW*... "BIG DAY"!! -- There's even a Rumour of *possible* SUNLIGHT!?!

Anyway... I *must* GET to Bed!! -- I've got THINGS to DO! PLACES to BE!! "TELOMERES" to TEMPORALLY-ANOMALYZE!!

oh. And BTW, just a "WARNING"... SPENDING Money that I *don't* Have on STUFF that I DON'T Need *or* have "SPACE" FOR, WILL be INVOLVED!!

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YEP-per!! -- "WINTERLUDE" *Definitely* BEGINS *THIS* Weekend!!

DO YOU KNOW HOW I CAN TELL..? -- IT's EASY! - ONE WORD: MELTDOWN!

First off... We "mostly" MISSED *Another* MASSIVE STORM!! -- At least, as far as the RAIN was concerned... [**THANK YOU**!!] - However, We also managed to achieve *more* RECORD-BREAKING TEMPS!! Apparently, IT went UP to over 11C Today?!!

Remember THE ICE-CAP?? -- WELL... *Most* of IT is GONE! - Except, of course, IN the "Spots" *where* I needed IT to be!

FYI - UNLESS IT breaks *away*, WET-"sliced"-ICE tends to *Suction* back TOGETHER!!

Was OUT There ALL Afternoon again... CONSTANTLY Scooping out the Front of the GARAGE. Chopping and Scraping the LANEWAY. Scooping and Chopping the FRONT-WALKWAY. Carving NEW Drainage Routes on the ROADWAY so I could Re-OPEN the "SEWER-CANAL" for Local Iceberg Traffic...

Speaking of "DRAINAGE" and such... It "appears" that One of Our Neighbours a Couple of Houses over, must of had a "BACK-UP" or Flooding *PROBLEM*, as there were a Couple of "SEWAGE"-Trucks with the GINORMOUS-HOSE working from Their House for Several Hours?! -- NOT GOOD!

ANYWAY... The Temps have stayed UP Tonight, and there's been some RAIN... No doubt, I'll be breaking out the "SCUBA-GEAR" again Tomorrow! -- Then again, there's this "Rumour" about the Temps DROPPING and *SNOW*..??!! - [hmm... That STORM We're *rimming* might be turning North a bit more than I was hoping...crap!]

seriously..??!!

THE CAR hasn't been Out since SATURDAY! -- I *need* to get MILK!! AND, I *DON'T* want to be SHOVELLING on My *BIRTHDAY* in 2-Days!!

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hmm... IT was *suppose* to RAIN..?!

oh-kay... WELL, *THAT* DIDN'T HAPPEN! -- [NOT that I'm Complaining!!] - Temps were still too COOL...

HOWEVER... Not to "Disappoint", EVIL-SNOWPLOW-GUY *did* manage to Leave ENOUGH *crap* in the Driveway to sufficiently THWART *ANY* Shopping-Plans for Today!! - oh. And, there was also another 3-Inches of SNOW from Overnight...

The ICE-CAP is also well INTACT! -- At least, when I last Left IT... But, TEMPS are on the RISE!! And, *NASTINESS* is ON the Way! -- I *dread* Tomorrow... NOAH-esque MELTWATER will no doubt, *ALSO* be Involved!!

ANYHOO...

Yesterday, I mentioned that I was BACK to "HOOKING"... The FOLLOWING is an "EXPERIMENT".

THIS is the First Time that I've had a Chance to "PLAY" *HOOKY* with The WOOL... I usually make the "MOA-BOALOHAs" in COTTON. -- I wanted to see how far a 100g BALL - [used the "COGNAC HEATHER" Colour, which is *much* DARKER than This] - would get Me with CROCHETING - I can get a "SHAN-TOQUE" and a Half with KNITTING.

Despite, the Increase in Width with THIS, I know that I'll still be SHORT *IF* I stick to My Regular PATTERN... I'm thinking on doing some Design "Change-Ups" where the Use of WOOL is Involved. IT "hangs" Differently from the COTTON. - AND, I have "FELTING" possibilities to consider as well...

MEANWHILE... Seeing as THIS *only* took a FEW Hours to whip up - [as opposed to the few DAYS of KNITTING!!] - don't be Surprised when NEXT Time You see IT, that "RE-INCARNATION" has befallen IT!

What can I Say..? THE HOOKS like to "DABBLE"...

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RETURN of the SHOVELS!!

WATCHOUT, EVIL-SNOWPLOW-GUY!! THOSE SCRAPING SCOOPY KIDS ARE BACK AGAIN!!

sooo... DESPITE the 4 to 6-Inches of DRY-POWDER-SNOW, We got off really, *REALLY* LUCKY Here in OTTAWA!! That BIG *MESS* of WEATHER just Brushed Us with ITS Northern-Edge... AND, didn't Start coming down *until* 9am-ish!!

Of course, WHEN IT did, the tiny SNOW-PELLETS were literally RAINING down! -- THANKFULLY the Temps STAYED around the -11C Mark, otherwise, We *would* have had FREEZING-RAIN! By the Time I went OUT, the Falling was considerably LESS intense... Even Stopping on occasion...

Was OUT for close to 3-Hours... Removed what I could from the Roof-Edges. The underlying ICE that is still EVERYWHERE was pretty much a WASTE of Time to bother with! -- THAT is going to be a MASSIVE "PROBLEM" *when* the Temps go UP and STAY up for more than a Day.

FREEZING-RAIN is "Predicted" for later Tomorrow... Part of *another* NASTY-MESS headed THIS Way! -- ONE that will most likely *NOT* MISS Us!!

whatever... IT had ALL best be *OVER* and DONE WITH **BY** My "BIRTHDAY" later on THIS Week!! -- I have SOLO-ness-"PLANS" that DO-*NOT*-INCLUDE-the-USE-of-SHOVELS!! - [BEEN There! DONE *That* way TOO Often!! -- WINTER Birthdays can be such a Pain some Times!]

ANYHOO... I *did* Manage to get SOME KNIT-Time in. *AND*, some CROCHETING, too!!

YES. -- I got HOOKY!! -- But, *more* on THAT Tomorrow. Maybe... I'm still just "PLAYING" for the Moment...

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The MOST. *EXCITING*. Thing. I did. Today. Was...

"REPLACING" MY BATHROOM WASTE-BASKET!

Since Tomorrow is GARBAGE DAY, I thought that it was *Time* to TRASH that ICKY-OLD-CHEAP-WICKER-esque-BASKET with a *NEW*-TEAL-PLASTIC-"DOLLARAMA"-BUCKET!

And, that's about as "THRILLING" as it got... oh! AND, I *finally* got some KNITTING-Time in! -- It's been a Few Days actually... I keep getting *Side-tracked*!

BTW, I mentioned that I had *NO* "LIFE", right..?

MEANWHILE... Looks like WEATHER is "on the WAY"! -- I think The SHOVELS have been *missing* Me!

THIS is a Recent AIRPORT-RADAR "capture"... BLUE is SNOW. GREEN is RAIN. PINK is MIXED! -- I'm preferring the BLUE! The LESSER of the "THREE EVILS"... The "MIXED" is just *too* MESSY! And RAIN, will just cause *more* Problems with FLOODING over MELTWATER!

Actually, even BETTER, would be getting MISSED altogether! -- If IT could just Turn Right a little and stay SOUTH..?

Whatever... I just HOPE that IT's all DONE with Tomorrow. -- I have STUFF-TO-DO on Tuesday!!

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