Things I Love About Winter (From Someone Who Hates Winter)

Winter is my least favorite season and as soon as the holidays are over, I’m counting the days until the official start of Spring, and I figure once we make it to that, we’re home free, it’s smooth sailing from that point on, most of the time. If we can make it even further without murdering anyone, like, say April or even early May, then that’s even better. So to try and brighten these weary winter days, I’ve come up with a list of what I think are the best things about winter.

1. The Holidays. My favorite holiday is Christmas, but it’s usually a stressful time of year for many people. I try and put the hustle and bustle of the season out of my mind and just make the most of it because it only comes once a year. Instead of corporate greed, I see it as a time to spend with family and friends, to eat some great food, and make new memories as well as keeping old traditions alive. The presents are just an added bonus.
2. The Air. It’s a clean, fresh, crisp smell, which travels down your airways and straight into your lungs and head, making you feel suddenly alive. On those especially bitter cold mornings, there’s a hint of wood smoke. When it snows, if the temperature is slightly above freezing, you can practically smell the snow, kind of similar to the smell of the air after a spring rain.
3. Hearty Food. There’s nothing like good barbecue or pasta salad in the summer, but there’s something about putting together a delicious beef stew on a Sunday afternoon while the snow is lightly falling outside. The cold weather invites you to feast on hot, hearty food to keep you warm and full, especially if you’re doing a lot of shoveling or other winter activities. My favourites in the winter (besides stew) are chicken/turkey or roast beef/pork dinners with all the fixings and clam chowder with lots of crackers and butter. Not to mention others like chicken soup and bacon and eggs and French toast or meaty spaghetti and lasagna.
4. The Sky. It seems more clear and blue in the winter than it does in the summer, but I think it’s because the Earth is tilted and the sun is lower and also because the air is dryer which makes the atmosphere more transparent, hence the reason why the stars in the night sky also appear to be brighter and clearer. There was one morning a few days ago where the sky was a brilliant magenta. There were just enough clouds and they were predicting a storm for later that day but it was gorgeous to see.
5. Feeling Cozy. The cold weather makes you want to throw on your warm pajamas and wrap yourself in a fuzzy blanket. I’m not a sweater person, but I do like adding layers to warm up. An added bonus in the winter is that you can bring your blankets up to your chin when you sleep and it’s easier to get a good night’s rest when it’s cooler outside, not hot and muggy like in the summer.  
6. Reading, Watching, Writing and Listening. Winter evenings are for staying in. I love making my bed cozy and climbing into it in warm pajamas with a book I’ve been meaning to read or turn on the laptop for my twice yearly viewing of the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers. A Lord of the Rings or Star Wars marathon never hurts either. I recently discovered the HBO series ­Girls and binge-watched my way through forty episodes in less than four days, but I tend to stick to my old favorite shows like The X-Files or ER or CSI: Miami. I’m sure there’s a channel playing Criminal Minds all day, every day as well. The long days also give me a chance to write, whether it’s a short story or a fan fiction of some kind. It may not be great, but it’s something I enjoy. Finally, there’s nothing like unwinding with some favorite music after a long day or when you have a weekend off. I love going through my playlists or throwing a Dave Matthews Band concert in the DVD player and singing along. Sounds corny, I know, but I love it.

Okay, that’s it for now, but I may add more to this list in the coming days….

Vacation Bucket List

I'm creating a bucket list of things I would like to accomplish when I'm on vacation. The things on this list are fairly simple but I would like to finish them. I was thinking of different things I could do to make the days a bit more interesting so that's why I've created this list.

1. Take pictures of at least 10 different flowers.
2. Go swimming or have a day on the lake in a tube or air mattress.
3. Fireworks
4. Have a bonfire.
5. Watch 1 DMB DVD.
6. Read at least two books.
7. Go to the library.
8. Go for a walk in the woods.
9. Go fishing.
10. Go on a day trip or overnight trip.
11. Write at least two stories.

Patiently Waiting for Spring

So February is officially over and what a terrible month it was. So many storms and blizzards and very cold days. I remember in winters past, we might have had only a few days throughout the season where it was bitter cold. This winter there were weeks and weeks of temperatures below -15 Celsius. My work actually closed several times due to bad storms, something unheard of before. Right now there is approximately 199 cm of snow on the ground, and we're roughly 3 weeks away from the "official" start of spring. I just hope we have some fog to take it away quickly, not rain. We will have to wait and see. 

I haven't visited my parents since Christmas, the last time I saw them was actually on December 28th, so it's been two months. They live about an hour away, but in a village where the roads aren't that great in the winter, so I just hibernate for the season. I usually make the annual trek up to see them in mid-April, for my mother's birthday. That's usually when the weather is better and the roads are clear of snow. I'm hoping to be able to do that this year, I've already booked off the time, from April 16th- 21st. Easter is the week before, but it's usually so busy at work that I can't take the time off, plus now that I'm older it's really just another day. In the meantime, I just have to be patient and countdown the days until I see them, and maybe (just maybe) see some signs of spring too. 

Trying to think of some ways to pass the time while I wait for nicer weather. I need to stop at Canadian Tire and buy a new bird feeder because I've been getting a few birds coming around, and my tube feeder isn't really cutting it. I want something to put sunflower seeds in. I wish there weren't so many crows around because they will eat everything I put out, but I think I will try. 

I also want to start taking daily pictures of the snow and track the melting process and see how long it takes. Maybe I will start that tomorrow. We're supposed to get a few cm of snow in the morning, here's hoping it doesn't make the drive to work difficult. 

Anyways, we'll see if I can keep this blog updated on a regular basis. Happy March!

Vacation has come to an end...

Well, it's been sort of an eventful, or sometimes lack-there-of, nineteen day vacation from work. For the first ten years at my job, I never bothered to take a vacation, mainly because I didn't think I could afford it, nor did I think I needed it. Now, I've come to realize that it's a MUST if I am to keep my sanity during the summer months. Usually I would just take an extended weekend, or a week and a few days or something similar. This was the first time I'd ever taken more than thirteen days in a row and now that I have, I may want to keep doing it in the future.

Friday, August 1st- Day 1: I woke up at a fairly decent time and because I had packed the majority of my stuff the night before, I showered, gathered some food, and headed to my parents. Shortly after I got there, I slipped on some loose dirt and rocks on the slope near the stairs of my parents house and nearly broke my ankle. That was fun. It was swollen for the majority of my vacation and even now, it still hurts when I do certain things.

Saturday, August 2nd- Day 2: Mom and I took my new car to Sussex for a "few" things. Came back with the car stuffed full, and we wouldn't have been able to fit anything else in there if we tried.

Sunday, August 3rd- Day 3: Mostly uneventful day, until the late afternoon, when somebody dropped off a wandering dog to my father, who is the resident animal control officer. Our guest for the night, a female mixed-breed hound of some type, and who we nicknamed "Stinky" because she stunk, was not very well behaved except when she had to spend the night in a crate on the floor of our basement.

Monday, August 4th- Day 4: Successfully found Stinky's owner and come to find out, her actual name was Smelly! Who would have thought!

Tuesday, August 5th- Friday, August 8- Days 5-8: nothing really eventful, my parents acquired some unspent fireworks from one of their clients and we were able to set some off every night for a few days.

One of my favorite surveys....

TEN random things about me:

1. My all-time favorite song (like in the history of my life) is The Animal Song by Savage Garden

2. I broke my left leg twice when I was a kid (once when I was seven and once when I was eight). 

3. I am addicted to tuna wraps (tuna w/mayo, cheese, and lettuce on a tortilla wrap). So good!

4. I think about my lovebird, Ollie every single day and wish he was still here with me.

5. I am addicted to Pepsi and Dr. Pepper... weened myself from the regular stuff and onto the diet til I can quit cold turkey.

6. I love flowers... any type of flower, and taking pictures of them too!

7. I've been feeding the outdoor birds for about a year now and it's been fairly successful! It's great therapy!

8. I watched the Oreo commercial featuring Owl City over and over so I could memorize the lyrics.

9. I hate going to the malls or stores lately or anywhere public except work, because I can't stand people.

10. I am turning 30 this year and I don't really know how I feel about that.

Spring

Early morning rays of sun warm the damp earth,

Shedding the last of winter’s white labour.

Thin wisps of vapour lie in the valley and linger

between the budding trees.

Purple crocuses and bright yellow tulips appear first.

Then along come the red-breasted robins.

Decay is replaced by new growth.

The days grow longer and the air warmer.

Spring is here, life is waiting to begin…

© 2014 Chelsea Appleby

Another survey....

Since I'm bored out of my tree, here's another survey to read.

1: Full name. Chelsea Lynn Appleby

2: Zodiac sign. Gemini

3: Three fears: my house burning down, losing my parents, spiders.