Weather, Lunch, Cards

Woke up to snow.

So it's been weird weather here so far in 2017.  We expect January air inversions and cold.  We always hope for snow because it really is kind of a desert-y area.  In January we had tons of snow. And some really cold temps.  Not so much inversion because of all the storms that kept coming through.  But February has seen cooler weather, warmer weather and weirdly warm - Tuesday it was 64 out. There's been crazy strong winds, and we've had rain and more rain. There's been flooding in lots of areas.  And today it's snowing. Again.  With more snow predicted for tomorrow.  That's the kind of weather we see more in late March or April.  The poor trees have leaves that want to spring open and all the flower bulbs are stretching toward the sky.  Makes me nervous for the summer.

Favorite Reuben Sandwich

Yesterday I braved my nervous fears and took Trax downtown to go to lunch with a friend.  She's such an example to me of courage and strength and dignity.  What a treat it was to spend a couple hours chatting with her. I'm so grateful that she seems to welcome our time together. We went to the Oasis Cafe and I had one of my all-time very favorite sandwiches - the Reuben.  It was so yummy, huge enough for a couple meals but I wasted no time scarfing the whole thing down.

Scooting between the falling snowflakes I brought in the mail to this delightful card.  What is it about bicycles that reaches out to the romantic kid in me?  That kind of bike just evokes thoughts of gentle meandering rides through sheltered trails in perfect weather.  The inside contained a sweet thank you. I love that people are thoughtful enough to say thanks.

Love this card.

The mail also contained a pair of summer sandals that I splurged on.  I shouldn't be spending money on anything luxurious like that this time of year. But I saw some the other day in DSW that I liked, went searching for a cheaper price on them and stumbled across these at Amazon that are more supportive and were only $10 more than the cheapest price of the first pair.  (And the same price as the other ones were in DSW which totally justified me getting them.)

I've got creamy chicken stew in the crockpot for dinner, the ironing is finished and there's a book just calling out for me to sink into its story for a little while.

But first, a quote for today.  The lack-of-sunshine-gray-skies call for something uplifting.

“If you are lonely, please know you can find comfort. If you are discouraged, please know you can find hope. If you are poor in spirit, please know you can be strengthened. If you feel you are broken, please know you can be mended.” 
― Jeffrey R. Holland, Created for Greater Things

“I testify that no one of us is less treasured or cherished of God than another. I testify that He loves each of us—insecurities, anxieties, self-image, and all. He doesn’t measure our talents or our looks; He doesn’t measure our professions or our possessions. He cheers on every runner, calling out that the race is against sin, not against each other.” 
― Jeffrey R. Holland

I'm grateful for the gray days that help me to appreciate to summer days of unending (and sometimes relentless feeling) sunshine. I love the weather here that has contrasts from season to season. (I'm definitely not one of those who only likes fair weather.) I'm grateful for sick days from work.  I'm grateful for kind souls who like to go to lunch, for thank you cards and for crockpot dinners.