Spring Forward

Last weekend was the dreaded "spring forward" ritual where we voluntarily lose an hour of our time - not to be seen again until the first weekend in November.

I say dreaded because it seems to take about a week for me to recover from this 60 minute shift. I am tired when it is time to be awake and wide awake when it is time to be asleep.

"Spring" forward alludes to the season of its namesake and I sure hope that spring will be here soon.  This has been a weary winter. Mother Nature has been teasing us....a couple days of  warm weather followed by frigid air masses and snow.  Something new was introduced to us this year: the polar vortex. What next?   Today temperature reached 80 degrees Fahrenheit, then quickly fell 30 degrees in a matter of hours. Snow is expected before tomorrow.  Where is the spring?

I do not mind having the sunset an hour later.  Instead of setting at 6:00 pm it is now setting around 7:00 pm and getting later daily.  It is good grilling time--- deck time--- take a walk time--- play outside till late time---all somewhat dependent on the weather of course.

The flipside of this though--- is that sunrise is also an hour later now.   That means that I am getting up in the dark.  I am getting ready for the day in the dark and I am leaving my home to go to work in the dark.  

Daylight in the evening, darkness in the morning --- my brain is confused!

So to recap- this past week, I :

• have lost one hour 
• am very tired 
• am waiting for spring while the forecast says snow 
• have more daylight in the evenings
• have darkness in the mornings
• am confused 

Maybe next week will be better!   

Hospital Time

My sister spent time in the hospital last week.  She had pulmonary embolisms.  That is blood clots in her lungs.  This is potentially life threatening and it was a very emotional time for us.
Read her story here.   The thing is --- my sister is a healthy gal.  She is active, she eats healthy, she has no unhealthy habit that I can think of.  So to get the call that she was not well was a shock.

This week she is better-- healing- on medication, needing to make some modifications for awhile.  A new perspective perhaps. I know I have one.
We never know what may befall us.

Blogging from A to Z Challenge 2014

I ran across this interesting blogging challenge to begin in April 2014 and have decided to sign up for it.  For each day in April, except for Sundays, participants will blog about something that starts with that day's letter.  So on April 1 we blog about something that starts with A, on April 2 something that starts with B and so forth.  Blogs are then linked up at the host site and participants can read and comment on each other's posts. 

Since the  challenge doesn't begin for a couple of months, I have time to start thinking about what I will blog about -- especially those difficult letters like X, O, Y, and well, you know what ones.  They all can be difficult!   


Have you ever done a blogging challenge?

Big Brother Google

My birthday was recently and I was pleasantly surprised and slightly freaked out to have this Google page all day long.   I quickly caught on that these were all cakes and cupcakes.  They are strategically placed to spell out Google.  How creative I thought.  I wondered what coincidence there was to my own birthday that would precipitate  this creativity.   But if you look closely, you'll see the little sign that says Happy Birthday and it is followed my name.    Now that is kinda freaky.

I know Google knows just about everything about me, but this just made me feel a little bit too much big brotherish.  Almost makes one consider the benefits of going off the grid for awhile.

Ponder on this....

Keep your face always toward the sunshine - and shadows will fall behind you.                        

                                            ~ Walt Whitman 

Crash!

My cousin's daughter had this car accident last week. Luckily, she escaped with only scrapes and bruises. When I saw this picture of her car, my stomach actually began to hurt as I thought how close she had come to dying.  God had his hand upon her and was protecting her. 

I can't imagine what would be going through her head as she saw the other vehicle coming towards her, knowing that she was going to be hit.  Or was it so quick that nothing went through her head?  I know in past traumas I have suffered, time seems to go in slow motion.  Regardless, whether she thought about it as it was happening or went over it in her thoughts afterwards- it must have been terrifying.  

Have you ever been in a serious car accident?  

What's Up with That?

I was making a nice meal the other day and to go with it I bought a loaf of Italian bread from my local big box super department +grocery store.
As I sliced it, this is what I found...... or rather what I didn't find.  An air bubble so big that there was very little bread.

What's up with that?