18 February 2008

Who's turn is it anyway?

It's been snowing. Hard. Incessantly. Just the way it's been doing for the last 46 days. In all fairness I should mention that we did have 2 days of sunshine, and another couple of days when it didn't snow, but we didn't see the sky.

The last bout of snow has been bad. The other half and I have been having conversations that are reminiscent of an Abbot-Costello routine.

Me: It's your turn to shovel the snow off the stairs.
OH: Not too.
Me: I've done it the last couple of times. It's definitely our turn.
OH: There's a cricket match on.
Me: I can't carry the little one down the stairs. It's iced over, and slippery as heck.
OH: After the match.

After the match....
Me: Is the match over?
OH: Yeah, I'm hungry.

After lunch...
Me: Err.. the steps??
OH: Lunch was awesome. I overate. I need a nap.

After a nap...
Me: What'd you want to do now?
OH: Play with the kids..

After playtime...
Me: The steps??
OH: Don't bug me on a Sunday.

I look at the stairs leading up the apartment. At least a third of them are frozen solid. Iced over with a vengeance.

It's probably my turn.

The doorbell rings. And there stands the OH, breathing hard, and the steps are clear of all slippery substances.

It's probably my turn.... next time.

13 February 2008

No weather please..

One thing I do not want to do this thoroughly freezing blustering day is to discuss weather.

Don't think I'm cribbing about extreme weather. I love scenic snowscapes. I can aimlessly walk around the place taking pictures by the dozen. I even have the patience to dress in what seems like half the contents of my closet before I step out. I love the way my breath is all steamy. I love the way the trees are delicately or generously) dusted in a layer of white. I love making shoe-tracks on pristine, uncleared snow. I really enjoy making snowmen, so what if they look like something Calvin makes, or like abstract art?

Then why am I complaining? Well, this has not been the easiest of days.

It's freezing today. The mercury reads lower than Dubya's IQ.. er.. shoe size.. ah well, they're the same thing actually, aren't they?

Lulled by the bright sunshine yesterday, I washed loads of laundry and hung it outside to dry. And totally forgot to bring one lot inside. This morning my laundry was frozen stiff, with a layer of snow and ice on them.

Later in the morning, the school bus was late. And my nose was totally frozen before I got inside again.

An hour ago I went to get the older one from the bus. The wind was so bad that our covered carpark was totally blanketed with snow. Then came a gust of wind with so much force that I was blown a couple of feet away. And there was this inconvenient patch of ice where I stepped, and skidded, and landed on my gluteus maximus.

And next time anyone back home, or in Singy wants to talk about temperatures in the upper 20s or 30s... you can go.... er.. hmmm.. is my mom reading this???