Sports Balls

Yesterday I wrote about the snow. I thought it was still snowing as I finished writing, but it wasn't. It was just blowing off of the trees.

Today it IS snowing. It snowed most of the day yesterday and all night. This particular type of snow is not due to weather systems. No snowstorms are happening on this side of the world.

It is something called the "lake effect". My parents live pretty close to Lake Ontario and according to the National Weather Service, "Lake Effect snow occurs when cold air, often originating from Canada, moves across the open waters of the Great Lakes. As the cold air passes over the unfrozen and relatively warm waters of the Great Lakes, warmth and moisture are transferred into the lowest portion of the atmosphere. The air rises, clouds form, and grow into narrow band that produces 2 to 3 inches of snow per hour or more."

Here is a graphic from the National Weather Service

My Papa really is miserable with the cold. He thinks I'm crazy to want to move here. But it gets pretty cold where I live in Texas, too.

The above photo is from exactly one year ago today. It was the coldest day of the year. With the wind chill factor, it was -23F (-30C). It doesn't look as cold because there isn't a lot of snow in the trees. That is because the wind was blowing at 45mph sustained with gusts of up to 60mph. In comparison, New York feels downright balmy.

If you look carefully at the photo above, you can see the snow coming down. I think it looks so pretty. Like Christmas every day.

I'm sad to be away from my husband. Not only is it Valentine's day, but I haven't seen him since December 31. I think this is the longest we've been apart. I could've been home a lot sooner, but after Liz, my other mom, died I got an intense urge to see my mom. She is 80 and you just never know what could happen.

We went to the dog park yesterday so Mom's dog, Sally, could play with some other dogs. It was pretty cold and I think my face got a little sunburned. There is something that happens when the sun reflects off of the snow.

When we were finished playing, we went to the grocery store and bought some game day food. My parents are really into sports.

I am not.

One of the first things I asked my mom when I got off the plane was, "Do we HAVE to watch the Superbowl?" The answer, as always, was, "Yes."

I guess it was a pretty big deal that the game was held in Los Angeles and the team was from Los Angeles. It's all they talked about. And I really could not care any less. I stayed and "watched" (really I searched for more properties and did dishes and cleaned the kitchen because, as I may have mentioned, I just do not care) through the halftime show. I was really tickled that hip-hop music has finally reached the national stage. It's about time!

After the music, I went to bed. I read for a bit but fell asleep pretty quickly. I had to wait until Papa got up to find out who won (not that I care). It was the Los Angeles Rams. Yay?

The house hunting is pretty slow going. Outside it looks like a fairy tale world. I wish I could just close my eyes and wish real hard and some house-elves would come build me a house. With my luck, it would be three little pigs building my house. And I would get the one made out of straw!

My brother assures me that there will be many more homes on the market after the Super Bowl. I do hope he is right.

I also hope all of you sports balls fans will forgive my lack of enthusiasm!

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All images, unless otherwise indicated, by Jonica Bradley