While snow in November may be common up in Chicago, here in the Great State of North Carolina® it is an extremely rare event. So it was quite a treat this morning when we looked out the window to see that it was snowing.
Unfortunately, it didn't last too long, but we did get our first real snow fall here in Moyock (I say "real" because apparently it flurried the other day, but I never saw it).
It's not even December, and it is freezing here in God's Country. Currently it is colder here than it is in Chicago.
I'm trying to come up with the perfect "global warming" joke that would best fit this situation, but it's hard to pick just one.
On tuesdays, Kasia and I usually stay at the house so that I can clean. I like to set one day aside and get it all done all at once, and that seems to work best for me.
What does Kasia do while I'm cleaning? Well, I took this picture just after I finished cleaning the kitchen. And this is why we don't have nice things.
She dumped every single toy she owns out onto the floor. And keep in mind, you can't see the stuff that's on the floor behind me while i was taking the picture.
The Slim Jim was invented in North Carolina.
And the most amazing of all, Alfred E. Neuman, that lovable face for M.A.D Magazine, made his debut right here in North Carolina on the cover of the magazine, The State in 1935. Contrary to popular belief, he actually is a real person... and yes, he looks exactly like the cartoon version of him. All information about his identity has been lost over time and nobody who was at the original photo shoot seems to remember the name of the man with the big gap-tooth smile.
Only North Carolina can produce people as pretty as Kellie Pickler and as strange looking as Alfred E. Neuman.
Now that gas is below $2.00 a gallon, we decided that it was time once again to go on a road trip. We had been talking all summer about going up to the mountains in autumn and see the mountains as the leaves were beginning to change. Kara took friday off from work so that we could go up and spend a long weekend enjoying the beauty of fall in Virginia.
That was the plan anyway. The weather had other things in mind.
It rained the whole weekend. Not only that, but in the mountains it was raining with thick fog. On the ride up, we decided that maybe we'd skip the scenic drive in the mountains and do something that may be more suitable for the weather. We were going to visit Monticello in Charlottesville, but when we got there, that too was surrounded by fog. We then just headed for downtown Charlottesville to see what there was to see.
We spent most of the evening walking up and down the historic walking street of Charlottesville and dodging in and out of the neat little stores they have. Actually, that's not entirely true. We spent most of the time standing next to an old fashioned merry-go-round watching Kasia spin around and around.
The really cool thing about this merry-go-round is the fact that it was people powered. We had to spin it, but then it means we could also make it go as fast or slow as we wanted. We could make it go for as long as we wanted. Oh, and it was free. I think that it's fair to say that Kasia absolutely loved it and she must have spent the better part of an hour riding around and around on that thing.
After the merry-go-round was closed for the evening, and we saw all there was to see on the street, we decided to head into the mountains and spend the night at Bill's cabin in Wolftown. Where's Wolftown, you ask? Exactly.
The directions we had were the old fashioned kind that mapquest is trying to destroy. "Turn left at the gas station, and then right on the road behind the General Store. You'll see the Chapel, go past that and make a left when you see the old sign..." The names of roads were irrelevant. And as we drove further and further up the mountain, it became apparent that roads were irrelevant as well.
The rain was coming down, the fog was rolling in, and we were creeping along at thirty miles per hour. You couldn't see anything, and the only thought going through my mind was "I hope we don't hit a deer." And wouldn't you know it, as soon as Kara made a comment about hitting a deer, one popped out right in front of us. I slammed the brakes just avoided hitting it. Kasia slept through the whole thing.
We saw five more deer in the next few minutes, and I'm wondering why people spend so much money on clothes for hunting when deer seem to be so easy to find. Eventually we found the cabin, and somehow I was able to get our minivan up to the top of Bill's driveway. The minivan was not designed to tackle mountains, and had there been any ice at all, we would have been screwed.
We spent the evening at Bill's cabin, which is extremely nice. I hear that the area around it beautiful as well, but with all the rain, fog, and dark of night, we really couldn't see much. So we went inside, relaxed, watched some TV, and drank all of Bill's liquor. He did say that we could help ourselves to whatever we wanted.
The next day it was still raining. It was still foggy. And the thought of having to drive down Bill's driveway was making me nervous. Again, the minivan is not designed for mountains, and his driveway is near a straight vertical drop. Fortunately, we were able to get down, and off the mountain... though we did encounter a little difficulty that we thought was going to strand us up there. But we made it down.
It rained all of saturday as well, so we just decided to drive back. We stopped off at the mall at Short Pump, but decided to make it a relatively short day. By the time we got home, we were exhausted and ready for a vacation.
Thankfully, that's what Sunday was for.
I'm sure I don't need to remind anyone out there that tomorrow is election day in America. So, if your registered to vote, do your research, study the issues of the candidates, and then go out and make a wise and informed (and rational) vote.
Or, stay at home. After all, there'll probably be a line and you'll have to wait. That is, unless you live in Moyock in which you could go vote at a peak hour, and still not have to wait in line.
By the way, where do I get my bumper-sticker that says "Don't Blame Me, I Voted for the Other Guy?"
Finally. Today I spotted gas at a local station for $1.99. Kara says that there are stations in the area that are at $1.89. She actually filled the car up with gas this morning for less than $20. How awesome is this?
Aside from Christmas, I think that Halloween has to be greatest holiday for kids. What other day do you get a ton of candy, and your parents are totally cool with you eating as much as you want? It just doesn't happen outside of Halloween.
Kasia had a great time this year on Halloween. She dressed up like a pirate, and actually kept the little head scarf on her head all night long. That in itself was a miracle. Isn't she cute?
We walked up and down our street hunting for candy treasures. She used her wagon as a mighty pirate ship that plundered house after house for chocolately goodness. By the end of the night, he little pumpkin basket was stuffed, and she was gorging herself on treats from Hershey. By the time the sugar high wore off, we were all worn out and the night was a success.
Now we get ready for Thanksgiving. Or do we now get ready for Christmas? I'm all confused now.
For breakfast, Kasia enjoys nothing more than a big bowl of hot oat meal. Usually, if I'm making her just the plain variety of oatmeal, I'll throw in a little sugar and cinnamon to give it some spice. She loves it.
Over the weekend, Kasia was playing in our pantry and moved all of the spices around. So, where I normally keep the cinnamon, she placed a different spice that just happens to be in the exact same style bottle as the cinnamon. This morning, as I went to sprinkle some cinnamon on her breakfast, we were both surprised to find out it had a slightly different flavor.
The spice? Chili powder. Now that's what I call a HOT! meal.
