First Tornado Warning of the Season

Today we had our first dangerous weather of tornado season. I didn't even know there was a serious weather front on our radar until I was getting ready to leave work and a co-worker said, "good luck with the storms tonight." I was like, "what storms?" and she said, "oh, you have to tune into the radio because they're predicting tornadoes tonight." Gulp. We don't have TV and I mainly listen to the local public radio station that broadcasts NPR. Aside from the National Weather Service Alerts that interrupts their broadcast during imminent dangerous weather, they are not huge on posting tons of weather information. So, on the drive home I tuned into KRMG, which is the local talk radio station (read: CONSERVATIVE talk radio) and that supposedly has the best radio weather reports.

Once I got home, I mentioned to my mom that there were reports of severe weather on the way...so she tried to tune her TV in her room to a local station. She doesn't have cable, so she uses a digital antennae, which means that in severe weather it generally fails. And of course, it wasn't working that well, but she did manage to get spotty coverage from Fox23. I nursed Libby and she fell asleep for a second nap of the day, which she has dropped had since before her first birthday and typically only has one nap daily. I placed her in her crib and carried on with checking email, getting dinner items ready and tidying up around the house.

At 5:30 p.m. the radio blared a warning and the tornado siren at Harvard and 41st went off. I jumped up from the computer, scooped Libby out of her crib and headed to our bathroom, which, aside from the hall closet, is probably the safest place in the house to ride out severe weather. My mom rounded up the four dogs and got them into the bathroom. Next she brought in blankets and our couch cushions. Meanwhile, I nursed Libby while sitting in the tub, as she was fussing and I didn't want her to start wailing which inevitably leads to a quartet of small dogs howling together in unison. Mom turned up the radio in the living room, grabbed our purses, extra diapers, bottles of water, extra batteries and her medications and returned to the bathroom. She heard the cat outside the door so she opened it, grabbed her and placed her in our linen closet so she'd be away from the dogs. There we were: me, mom and Libby with four dogs and a cat...all stuffed into our teeny 1950's tiled bathroom. I loaded new batteries into our combo flashlight/radio (it also has a crank, just in case it loses juice) and turned into KMRG so we could hear the reports better.

They're located near 71st/Yale and we're at 41st/Yale and we got very scared when they broadcast that they were evacuating the building. They also reported the ominous green sky that sometimes comes before a tornado. The sky darkened the small window in our bathroom and my mom began to cry behind a couch cushion. I continued to nurse and rock Libby as the sirens blared and the reports from the emergency radio intensified. All of the sudden it got extremely bright outside. I looked out the window and it was eerily calm. No leaves bustled. There was no sound. After about 3 or 4 minutes the sky darkened again and thunder clapped. It began to rain hard and fast and then the hail came. And the wind kicked up again. After that the sirens stopped. We're not 100% sure but we think that tornadic activity passed over our house. Swirling clouds, at least. That explains the green sky. And it makes sense since that is what the radio station reported as well and they're not far from us. Thankfully, that was all it was here. The folks in Tushka were not so fortunate. And it's a reminder to us that we need to be prepared. It's Spring in Oklahoma and that means it's tornado season.

More snow! Another short work week...

So Monday was back to the daily grind after 6 days home due to record-setting snowfall here in Tulsa. I was feeling cabin fever and ready to get out, as I had not been out of the house for a week.  My "uniform" as of late has been comfy flannel PJs, a nursing tank and fuzzy slipper socks! It felt odd to actually get dressed in real clothes and put on a bra and shoes!

I pretty much despise Mondays, as a rule, except that after Libby was born on a Monday, my heart has softened just a tad towards them. But drudging to work at 6:45 a.m. after a nice cozy weekend at home with the family is always tough. This week though, I was ready to get back to the office and try to catch up on the stuff that didn't get done last week.

On Monday, I arrived at my usual 7 a.m. to find that the roof in my assistant's office had leaked (again!) but this time her carpet was soaked and it traveled under the wall to my office (next door). Ugh. Despite the management's best efforts, we continually have this leaking roof problem on our side of the building anytime there is heavy rain and apparently, snow. We relocated my assistant to the vacant office on the other side of mine and a restoration crew showed up quickly to pull out the soaked ceiling tiles, insulation, and get to the task of drying out the carpets. My assistant settled quickly into her new digs. Me? I had the LOVELY task of trying to get my work done while being 10 inches from one of these:

If you've never seen one of these, let me tell you. They suck. Literally. As in, they'll suck the humidity out of everything, including your body. That may have been a welcome effect, since I am still suffering with a runny rose and stuffy head, but unfortunately, it just exacerbated the situation for me. It was so bad that I had to get some ultra-healing Blistex to take care of my chapped lips from Walgreen's on my way home on Monday afternoon! And these lovely fans are not quiet. They're right up there with the decibel level of a hair dryer. So after six hours or so of this I had ringing ears and a headache too. It's a wonder I was able to get any work done. Anytime the phone would ring, I'd have to turn the fan off so I could take the call. Guess that was the one plus to it being located less than a foot away from me. At least I could switch it off quickly!

I left for the day and when I returned on Tuesday, the fan was still going! I checked my carpet and it was dry. The restoration crew showed up a few hours later and I told them I couldn't work another day with it blasting me out. They said, "okay" and then took it away. I felt relieved. Until they came back with a BIGGER one and asked me to just turn it on when I left for the day. No problem. Except, as I type this, I cannot remember if I actually did that. Oops. I hope I did, but I am not certain. And since we got 5-8" of new snow overnight, there's no way I am going back up there to double-check. Maybe my nice assistant did, before she left for the afternoon (she leaves 90 minutes after I do). Guess we'll have to wait and see. It'll be at least a day before the office opens again. And just about a hour north of us? They got 12-18" of snow. And with the windchill factor we're sitting at -7 this morning. Eek. Let's just say our home is not really cut out for below-freezing temps. We have hardwood and tile floors, old windows and crappy insulation. We've been running our gas heater 24/7 AND have space heaters in each bedroom. Problem is, we have to alternate running those or else we blow fuses. Yes, fuses. Those old-school-screw-in kind. I am SO ready to move! But since we're renting I don't want to move to another rent house. I want us to buy. Not sure if we're quite ready for that just yet, so we're stuck here, for now.

So, today we're hunkering down for another snow day. And thankfully, it's supposed to warm up to "normal" temps on Friday. We had to reschedule Libby's smash cake photo session from last Saturday to this coming one, so I hope we'll still get to do it. She has her 1 year check-up at the pedi tomorrow morning and hopefully we won't need to reschedule it.  All this snow has just shut down the daily comings-and-goings of folks around here. And we're SO ready for it to be done. And while I am usually way ahead of deadline at work, these office closings have made one of my project's Friday deadline a little scary. I think we'll still be able to meet it, but I won't know for certain until tomorrow. If I have to delay it, I am sure everyone will understand, but I just hate missing deadlines.

Blizzard 2011: Day Five

Okay, I am done with the snow. Seriously. When did I sign up to live where it snows? I don't remember that being part of the deal when we decided to move here. Tornadoes? Sure. Sweltering summers? Yep. Thousands of miles from the nearest ocean beach? Okay. But snow? Nope. Not on the checklist.

I'll admit, when it's just a one- or two-day snowfall, it can be fun. You get the day off work and can snuggle close with the ones you love. But day five of unrelentless cold and feet of snow piled everywhere is not fun. I have literally not been out of the house since Monday afternoon. Nor have I been out of my pajamas!

On top of all of this, I am sick. Sneezing, coughing, plugged up head, sick. It sucks. But I still have my mama-duties...nursing Libby at 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. Settling her back down. Hoping I am not breathing on her too much. The last thing I want (or need) is for her to get what I've got.

And the cabin fever? It got to the point last night where we let her watch a Thomas the Train DVD. Despite deciding not to show her any TV until at least the age of two, my mom brought home the DVD yesterday. She just HAD to get out of the house and ended up at CVS. And the movie was there and on sale, so she got it. You know, "just in case." "Just in case" what? Well, it was nearing bedtime and Libby was all ramped up. So after several failed attempts at getting the nigh-night routine going, we all climbed into my mom's bed (she's the only one with a TV in the house) and watched about 15 minutes of Thomas the Train. What a weird show. The only thing I like is that Alec Baldwin does the narrations. But it did the trick, Libby calmed down and then we could start her bedtime routine. Two hours later than normal, but we got there nonetheless.

We also finally defrosted the washing machine pipes and are getting to those poopy diapers. Yuck. I swear, INSIDE laundry is one of the TOP priorities for us when we get our next house. Heading into meat locker conditions to wash a load of laundry is unbearable. So is the opposite...when it feels like sauna in the summer. So yeah, INSIDE laundry will be right after 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and a gas range for the next house we get. The rest? Negotiable.

Blizzard 2011: Day Four

It's snowing! Again. We haven't had any new snow since Tuesday, when ALL 14 inches fell within a 24 hour period. Oh boy! It sure is pretty to watch it fall, but the mess it makes afterwards is not pretty at all. On top of it, I am sick. Started yesterday with a scratchy throat. Overnight it developed into full on aches and pains, sore throat, stuffy nose and a fever. The fever broke this morning around 8 a.m. Being as I have been at home 24/7 since Monday evening, I am guessing I picked up the bug at work sometime on Monday. I ran into a few coworkers who were coughing and sneezing. Thanks a lot! Add cabin fever to my real fever and a cranky, fussy baby and well, let's just say I've had better days. And it's only 11 a.m. Hope things improve from here, I really do.

Blizzard 2011: Day Three

No pics today. We're all a little stir crazy and just trying to stay out of each other's hair. J's work has been canceled, so has mom's clients. Libby's teething (again)...one year molars pushing on up. So she's clingy and cranky. I am feeling run down...not sure if I am coming down with something or if it's just due to lack of sleep (because of the aforementioned teething baby) or because our house gets downright cold (despite running our heaters 24/7) and my feet have been cold for days! Tonight? I hope to just get the baby to bed around 7 p.m. and do the same. I already know that I have tomorrow off from work due to the weather...they're predicting MORE snow too...so I bet J will be off work as well. Day four? Bring it on!

Blizzard 2011: Day Two

Tulsans are still digging their way out of record-breaking snow and freezing temperatures. Yesterday goes on record as the most snow ever for the area, at 14 inches, and the snowiest February as well! We've been a little stir crazy, three adults, four dogs, a cat and a toddler in a 1300 sq. ft. house can be a bit much of too much togetherness!

I had today off work, again and tomorrow has been canceled too. Today, I finally finished my Pregnancy Journal on Mixbook.com. It was the last day to get 30% off and that was just the push I needed to finally finish this project that I started this time last year! It should arrive on the 16th and I hope I like it as much in person as I do online. I am considering using them to make Libby's first year memory book. So we shall see.

Here are some photos from our snow days...

We remembered to bring Libby's swing in from the backyard before the storm hit.

Today, she looked out the window and was wondering where it went!

Our stroller, on the other hand, we thought would be safe enough on our porch. Um, yeah...not so much.

Mom and J spent about 3 hours digging out our driveway

I tried to get some laundry done, but alas, the water pipes are frozen. We put a work lamp on them in hopes that they'll thaw a bit. Our bucket of poopy (cloth) diapers, that we keep in the garage near the washer, was frozen solid too. Hmm...poopsicle? Yuck. We like to wash our cloth diapers every other day, so I hope that the pipes will thaw soon so I can get them in there and cleaned! Tomorrow's another snow day and I've got to do something productive! I might just have to bust out the glue gun and get some DIY craft projects done...you know the one's I never have time to complete? Seems like right now, all I got is time. Might as well put it to some good use. That and I think I'll nap...it's been way to long since I've been able to do that!

Blizzard 2011

This time last year, we had some snow. It was only a few days after Libby was born so January 28-29, 2010. I remember it because we had to take her to the pediatrician for a weight check and janudice test.  The roads hadn't been cleared and J drove so cautiously the 2 miles up to the doctor's office.

This year, our annual January snow storm is much worse! We've known since Friday that this was coming, so we're prepared. People are bit freaked out though, I guess they're remembering the Ice Storm of 2007 and want to be as prepared as possible. The stores are all picked over and sold out of bread, eggs and milk. And bananas! Who buys bananas in an emergency? Weird. Anyway, here's a screen shot of Weather.com from this morning:

They're predicting record snow fall and wind chill factors below zero. The constant snow fall and the blowing winds started in the wee hours last night, I could hear the ting-ting-ting of ice rain falling on our cars just outside our bedroom windows. And the wind howling. Awoke this morning to a winter wonderland with about a foot of snow!

My office is closed today, as are most places, including all schools and the major shopping malls. At this rate, I am thinking tomorrow might be more of the same! I just hope we don't lose power. As long as there's power, we'll be okay. If we lose power, we're going to get to a hotel because we have no fireplace and no means of keeping warm.

The dogs are beside themselves. Normally, even in snow, they'll go out. But they've never been in snow this deep before. They insisted on testing it this morning:

They didn't last ten seconds! So...we're just passing the time. It's days like this I wish we still had a TV (we turned off the cable and donated ours to AmVets in August). We might watch a movie later...on the computer. We've played games and read books. Libby and grandma even colored with crayons for a little while:

Times like this call for comfort food! Yesterday afternoon, I made a big pot of chili and baked up some cornbread muffins. Today, we've already had Malt-o-meal with brown sugar and toasted cheese sandwiches and chicken noodle soup. Brownies will be baking shortly. We're passing the time with yummy food and music playing on the CD player.

Snow Pugs!

The pugs are not quite sure what to think about all of the snow that the blizzard dropped on us.

Regina surveying the snowy backyard through our window.


Regina cannot believe all the snow in the backyard!


Luigi and Regina investigate what has happened to their backyard.


Snow pugs!


Regina warms up after playing in the snowy backyard.


Luigi warms up after playing in the snowy backyard.


Luigi likes his winter sweater. So cozy!


Regina and Luigi figure two bodies = warmth!


Regina suns herself in our window. Look at all that snow in the background!


Luigi suns himself too.

Luigi and Regina find a patch of sun.

Luigi and Regina snuggle together in the sun.

Luigi and Regina cope with the snow by sunning themselves as they snuggle together.


The pugs use Bella the cat for added warmth...it's not so bad snuggling up to a cat!

Christmas 2009 - Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Well our plans for Christmas this year were drastically changed by old man winter. He dumped 6 inches of snow on us on Christmas Eve. The next morning the roads were closed and there was no way we were going to be able to make the 2 hour drive southeast to spend the holiday with J's mom, step dad and brother. We were especially disappointed because this would have been the first time we could visit them at Christmastime without his mom being in the hospital. The last two Christmases she was in the hospital fighting pneumonia and gravely ill. But with all of the adjustments to her health care this year she's been feeling good and was ready to host us.

Here are some pictures I took from throughout the day on Christmas Eve:

Our backyard at mid-afternoon

A little later that day....

Christmas morning!!!

Our driveway...the snow was so thick that J couldn't get the car up into the driveway!

J scraping the driveway so we can get in and out and also get our car parked in it!

Since we had planned on Christmas dinner at the in-laws we had nothing really planned or prepared in the house. J managed to put together a lovely meal for us (we were thinking it might end up being frozen pizza, but he defrosted some steaks and make a proper Christmas meal for us). We snuggled up with the furbabies and rented some movies on pay-per-view. This being our last Christmas as just a duo at the end of the day is was perfect...just the two of us.

Maternity/Family Photos - Sneak Peek!

We have been having some unseasonably warm weather later and boy did it pay off last Saturday! We could not have asked for better weather. We spent 1.5 hours with a local er, Malisa Morgan Walrop at Woodward Park with our puggies. The weather was glorious! It was nearly 80 degrees!
Here are a few snaps from Malisa's blog:

We cannot wait to see the rest!

Flash Flooding!

On Monday afternoon a crazy storm rolled through...it brought 50 miles an hour winds and about 4 inches of rain in 2 hours. The main street that runs parallel to ours flooded and soon enough ours did too. Here are photos of the neighbor across the street's driveway and side yard...water was gushing like a rapid!


Luckily, our driveway is sloped up from there and we didn't take on any water. The dogs were a bit stir crazy since the backyard was a muddy mess and they couldn't go out. By the next day, it was sunny skies and gorgeous! Ah! Okie weather!

Second Trimester Update

Whoa! Where does the time go? I am now approximately four months pregnant. And I am defnitely starting to look pregnant. I promise to post a bump pic soon since I have now, finally, located the USB cord for my camera! Now I just have to recharge the batteries! I also finally have a ton of photos from winter that I need to post too.

Let's see, where are we with all of this "preparing for baby" business?

We have started our registry at Amazon.com after pouring through the Baby Bargains book and dozens of review web sites. We've decided upon the major things that we need before baby comes...a bassinet (Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper in Cherry), car seat (Graco32 in Zurich with two bases, one for each car and the stroller frame), bath (Spa Baby European Style Tub aka Tummy Tub), baby carrier (Moby Wrap in Sienna), and swing/infant seat (Fisher Prices Zen Collection Cradle Swing).

We have researched cloth diapering and are pretty sure that we're going to go with unbleached Indian cotton prefolds, snappis and thirsties diaper covers.

My mom has already bought us some "gender netural" clothing on sale from consignment shops and off-price retailers like Ross and Marshalls. I am headed to Just Between Friends on Saturday evening here in Tulsa, but hope to hold off on buying more clothes until we know for sure whether it's a girl or a boy. We should find out on September 11. That's when I have my Level II Ultrasound scheduled. Just in time too...the Monday after that I am off to Scotland and England for a week! By the way, my bloodwork for the Triple Screen has come back and everything is good. YAY!

We are already looking into our daycare options, since we need a place for the Little Being during the days/times J is in school. We plan to visit St. Dunstan's Preschool next week. I hope we like it in person. It comes very highly reviewed, is conveniently located between our home and my work as well as J's school and work and they offer part-time care, which we want. We only need 1-2 days/week, at least to start. And their prices are right....so I am praying that this is the place for us!

From even before we got pregnant, we were considering hiring a doula to help us with labor. We've since nixed that idea, since the dozen or so local ones I've contacted are all unavailable for my due date. So, we've decided to go with the Bradley Method, i.e. "husband coached childbirth" and have hired a private instructor to come to our home for classes in November since we have such wacky schedules that never permit us to be able to attend the regularly scheduled classes in our area. Chris and Sandra, parents of our godson who will turn one on Friday, highly recommend the Bradley Method, so we're feeling pretty positive about it too.

J is actually excited about this and feels confident in his ability to work with my mom in coaching me through labor. My main concern is not heading to the hospital too early because we're panicking. So hopefully in the coming months we will feel more prepared on how to handle laboring at home. I am also reading Ina May Gaskin's "Guide to Childbirth" and it really makes me want a home birth. Maybe next time? By then J will be an R.N. so maybe it will something we'll feel more comfortable with doing.

Oh, and I have found a local photographer who has offered us a fantastic deal on a maternity shoot as well as newborn, 3, 6, 9 and 12 month sessions. Our first photo shoot will be in November...us (with my big belly) and our pugs too.

Whew! It's been a busy couple of weeks. It's like, all of the sudden, I've realized that we're going to be parents in 6 short months. So I have flown into major planning mode. And nesting mode! Sunday morning I scrubbed the kitchen floors until they sparkled, same with the stove and washed down all of the cabinets and appliances. Next, I'll tackle the bathroom. I guess my second trimester energy is kicking in. I still get tired, but am not exhausted like I was in the first trimester. And my nausea has all but gone away at night (I sometimes get a little queasy if I've stayed up too late).

So, life is good. J started school (books are SO expensive these days...sheesh!) and we're looking forward to the weather changing soon. It's been one hot summer! Our second wedding anniversary is at the end of next month, so we're starting to think of how we'd like to celebrate. Whew! Where does the time go?

Recovering from D.C.

Still lagging on posting to this blog! I am so sorry. I promise to step it up. Life has been busy and full. I got home from my business trip to D.C. on Wednesday. Six hours later than originally planned. It took six hours to take the normally 45 minute flight from DFW to TUL! UGH!

First it was a mechanical issue that delayed our plane. Then they decided we couldn't fly on that one at all and tried to find us a new one. More delays. And a gate change (in a completely new terminal). We finally boarded that plane 3 hours after our original departure time and they announced that it had a mechanical issue too! They resolved it and we began to taxi for departure when the pilot announces that there are 35 planes AHEAD of us on the runway! We waited and waited. Then he tells us we're heading to the gate to refuel. WHAT?

So we do and the passengers get very restless, some demanding to get off. The pilot, who was about 6'5" and 350 lbs. came back and convinced them otherwise (thank goodness...getting their baggage off the flight would have been a nightmare and more delays for the rest of us)! Finally, refueled, the pilot pulled some strings and we cut in line behind about 10 planes to depart. The passengers applauded when the plane took off the ground.

Forty-five minutes later we landed in Tulsa, just intime for a thick downpour. I was soaked getting into the car! But we needed it. We have had record temps for the past two weeks. All in the high '90's/low 100's. It's been nuts. Today we have a respite with 92 degree weather. It seems to have rained overnight and lowered the heat index a bit. WHEW! Our a/c is working overtime and the poor puggies can only go outside for five minutes at a time.

Speaking of which, Ms. Regina broke her toenail off on Friday so we had a nice unplanned trip to the vet because of it. This is the second time in 3 months she's done this and I have no idea how it's happening. I am guessing that when she's chasing birds and squirrels in the backyard she runs across some exposed tree roots that are grabbing her nails. I hope this doesn't happen again. She bleeds A LOT and it's not cheap to run off to the vet with that sort of minor emergency.

Anyway, D.C. was good, I did manage to get out of the hotel/convention for one great meal out at a Spanish Tapas place called Jaleo. It was delish. We also tried the new bagel place here in Tulsa, Old School Bagel Cafe, in Brookside. They have a good menu and lots of fresh items, although J thought they were all a bit overpriced. Of course, we're used to having more bagel options, in general, in CA and of course, NYC. So this place sort of has the market cornered and can charge $6.00 for a bagel with cream cheese and lox. Oh well, it was yummy! So was their fresh-squeeze OJ, but at $4.00 I won't be ordering that again. I will, however, be back for their Everything Bagel with cream cheese and lox. Now, if we could only get them to start making Asiago Cheese Bagels!

A Post...Finally!

I have been a slacker blogger these past few weeks. So much has been going on and I just haven't had the chance to blog. J is in school fulltime now and also still working two jobs (60+ hours a week). Mom is back after a month in CA and I have finally recovered from my whirlwind trip overseas last month.

This weekend I head to Washington D.C. for a music educators' conference. I'll be there through Wednesday. I hope to have dinner with some of the gals I've been chatting with online for the past few years. We met while planning our destination weddings in Hawaii on a message board for brides. Hopefully that will work out. My next trip is to Detroit in late July. After that, no travels until October, when I head to Nashville for ten days. Oh how I'd love a leisure travel trip too, but with my work schedule and J's crazy work/school schedule I don't really see how's that possible anytime soon. We'll have to find a little getaway, closer to home.

Other than that, we've just been trying to beat the heat. It's been really humid and near 100 degrees for the past few days and should continue for a few more. I am seriously considering getting a kiddie pool for the backyard. We never go outside because it's too hot. The poor pugs, even at night, get overheated because it's still in the high 70's/low 80's after the sun goes down around 9 p.m. I did see fireflies for the first time last night, so that was fun. I don't remember it being this hot in June last year. We mostly had rain and thunderstorms. Guess it's different this year.

Happy Birthday J!

J's birthday celebration was low-key, but lovely. I awoke at the crack of dawn (my regular waking time, oddly enough) and got up with the doggies. I know I was only gone 6 days, but I sweat Luigi has grown! By 10 a.m. J was getting up and I was dozing off on the couch. I did manage to ask him what he'd like to do for the day.

We decided upon seeing "Angels and Demons" followed by dinner at Mahagony Steak House. It was warm and we actually had the a/c cranked up all day. We also remembered that it was Memorial Day weekend last year when we drove out here! May 28th will officially be our one year anniversary of being in Tulsa! My how the time does fly.

"Angels and Demons" was good although we both agreed that we liked the book better. We had listened to it on CD while driving to Vegas about 6 years ago. We got home just in time to change clothes for dinner.

Dinner was fantastic...we both had filet mignon and shared an order of asparagus, wine sauteed mushrooms and gratin potatoes (with a delicious smoked cheddar). Dessert was a decadent 4 layer carrot cake that we got to go along with their berry basket which is mixed berries marinated in orange liquor and served with a vanilla pudding/whipped cream topping in a caramelized tuille basket. YUMMY!

Today the celebration continues...we plan to check out the Farmer's Market and go for a walk along the river. I still feel a little jet lagged, but again, awoke at my normal 4:30 a.m. wake time this morning, so hopefully, I am catching up to myself. Here's hoping it doesn't get too hot before we make our way out this morning. One a side note, I did notice that gas prices have crept up to over two dollars a gallon. Ah! Greedy oil profits just in time for summer. Nice. Not.

Brr...it's cold and damp!

Okay, so last week it was sweltering and we had all of our fans going and the AC running. Today, it's downright chilly. I even ran the heater this morning! Just when I've stripped the bed of its flannel sheets and packed away my sweaters I am thinking maybe I made those moves too soon. It is May after all! I knew it'd still be rainy, but cold? I wonder if/when I'll ever get used to the weather here.

On a side note, in a couple of weeks I am off to Auckland, New Zealand for work. We'll have meetings and hotel site visits for an education event I am planning there for November 2010. Well in November, it's summer there. In May? Winter. According to my cyberfriend, Lisa in Oz, Auckland is uber cold this time of year. As I told her I was anticipating 60's and tropical. She said to expect 60's and cold! New Zealand is so far south of the equator it's near Antartica, so it gets downright cold there. Again, I've obviously stored my sweaters a bit prematurely.

Spring Green

It seems that as if overnight everything in Tulsa has turned bright green. Today on my drive into work it was if everything received a sprinkling of emerald dust! It must be from the rain that came in the wee hours along with the thunder and lightning. Be awakened by the rumbling sounds of an angry sky sure is unsettling. I am not sure if I’ll ever get used to that! At least the pugs have seemed to…they don’t even wake up let alone bark at it anymore. What a difference from when we first got here!

I love how the air smells these days…it’s thick with moisture and you can just smell the earth waking up to the warmer temperatures. It’s odd that here as it gets warmer everything becomes more green whereas in the SF Bay, the warmer it gets, the less green things are and the more dry and yellow they become. We just mentioned last week on our visit that we were glad to have been there while the hills were still green from winter. They are having a dry period again so no doubt the golden hills will be there sooner than later this year.

But here, in Green Country, it is living up to its name! We are loving the experience of four real seasons. It’s time to pack up all of our winter clothes and store them away until next year. This weekend I made sure to get my toes painted and feet ready for open toed shoes and sandals. I even wore capris and a tank top on Sunday! And I know that many folks suffer horrible allergies this time of year, but for whatever reason (knock on wood) I haven’t had one bout. That is pretty unheard of for me. In San Jose, I would surely be hacking and sneezing by now with the cottonwood blooming on the river. But here, not so much as a sniffle. Could be the moist, humid air. Or maybe I have managed to stave it off by eating honey produced locally in Sapulpa and being dedicated to my neti pot each morning. It’s also a lot less smoggy here than in San Jose, so perhaps that was the route of my nasal terror every Fall and Spring? Who knows? Whatever it is, I am thrilled.

Whew, it's hot!

For the past three days we've had nearly record highs. Well, Wednesday was actually a record day. We have been in the high 80's and low 90's! Mornings start out in the 70's. Winds are somewhat high too. It's definitely feeling more like summer than spring around here. We've had the A/C on so that the pugs don't suffer.


Heat aside, it's definitely looking like spring. The trees in are yard are finally all greening with new leaves. The grass has been mowed twice. And the hostas in the flower beds have come back bigger and shinier than ever. We were worried that they had died off last November. The days are getting longer too, which we definitely enjoy. The only thing that is not so great is that this is the start of tornado season. We've already had a couple of warnings earlier this month and more are predicting for later this weekend. Ah, thus is life in Oklahoma. I am sure we'll get used to it, someday. But since we've not even been here a year yet, we're not there. Guess I better clear out the closet that we use as a "hidey hole." It's gonna be cramped in there this year, what with one more body and two more dogs. It was already tight with us and the pugs. The cat? She's on her own. She's probably smart enough to hide somewhere good. Hopefully it won't come to that.