Snow

I complained of blue skies and not a flake of snow on James' blog. Literally within 10 minutes of that complaint, the skies turned dark and down it came. I love getting what I ask for.

So now it’s a winter wonderland around the mill, the forest and fields covered with a thick blanket of fluffy white stuff. Later the horses will wander in those snow cover fields and it will remind me of a painting. It times like these I love living here.

In San Francisco, I never experienced the quiet that accompanies snow. I feel so bundled and safe, wrapped in it arms. Well, that is, I feel safe while I’m inside or walking in it or throwing snowballs at sparky. I never tire of snowball throwing.

However, driving is a different thing all together. Last night, in the middle of the snowfall, I had to pick up Sparky from the train station. I figured if I followed the main streets, they would have been salted/cleared. They were not.

My car, Gracie, has winter tires. She’s heavy. I can drive it in the snow with only a little trepidation. She’s also in the shop. My car really likes our mechanic. I think she’d like to run away from home and live there. The mechanic won’t allow that because then he’d have to pay for her and she’s a total luxury bitch. A better mistress than wife.

Sparky’s car, Lexi (short for Alexis because at first we couldn’t figure out if she was male or female and didn’t want to give her a complex) is our workhorse. For some god damned reason she doesn’t have her winter shoes on. Our mechanic was supposed to deliver Gracie while we were in Cali and pick up Lexi and install her winter tires. This sounds like fantastic service I know, but we’re tight with our mechanic. We spend so much time with him, delivering one car and picking up the other that at this point, that I’m surprised he hasn’t just moved in with us. In fact, if he moved in with us, it might offset some of the cost of keeping two ridiculously temperamental cars.

So, with Sparky traveling via train all over the country, I’m left with a summer tire shod car. Let me tell you, summer tires + rear wheel drive + summer tires = a nice slalom experience, one not recommended by our insurance company. Lexi has some sort of ability to automatically correct fishtailing. This is nice, but unnerving. Not to mention her taking over brake control. She’s kind of controlling now that I think of it. No wonder Markus loves her so much.

I sent Sparky off to the train station in a taxi because the roads would not have been kind. He’s in Munich today. He was in Hamburg yesterday and Nuremberg earlier this week. This man gets around.

It’s supposed to snow all morning and I would like to enjoy it. God knows it will probably be the last snow of the season. I move to Germany, all excited with the prospect of winter snow only to live in the “balmy” part of Deutschland. “We only get a little snow each year. Ist wunderbar, ja!” my neighbor says to me. Wunderbar?

I want the snow. I love the snow. Snow is new and exciting and cold and soft and fun and well, really cool for a Cali girl. And my brother bought me three pairs of Uggs for Christmas. I’m accessorized.

So this morning, I’m contemplating skipping school in favor of not driving.

Sitting with a cup of coffee and some toast, calm music in the background, cats curled up on heated window seats, clean house, toasty slipper socks and my favorite cashmere cardigan. It’s a good life and a good day.