Ol' man winter must die

Reality has arrived.







Well.....hasn't winter made its point lately? In Iowa it has. Snow and then snow and then snow and then snow and then wind and then blizzard conditions and then subzero temps (as in 27 below WITHOUT windchill) and then snow and then ice and then wind and then snow.

I went to a comedy show this weekend at the Funny Bone in WDM for our work "Christmas Party" where a total of three of us showed up. Nevertheless, very fun and funny. I had never been to a comedy show so I wasn't sure what to expect. I was wowed by the to-your-table with drinks service and even more so, the sit-with-a-table-full-of-strangers atmosphere. But most of all, these guys were FUNNY! After a horrific week of work, I admitted to both Steve and myself that I might need to laugh for once and laugh I did, until I cried, until my cheekbones hurt, and my face was sore. The best part was when the headliner came on stage and pleaded with us to let us know, kindly of course, that we didn't have to stay here in Iowa! There were roads and we have an airport and everything. Cars would get us out of here and we could even car pool. No one has to live this way! No one. HA! At times, an Iowan does step back to consider the worth of all of this. However, with our little girls in tow, we are reminded of the joy that such weather can bring. Steve takes all his girls (minus me) out to sled amidst the elements and they love it very much. Rosie Posie chases them down the hill to tear their hats off their little heads, but other than that, they, for the most part, get along. Steve spends countless hours perusing snowmobiling forums on the internet. He points every snowmobiling trailer out to me as we pass them on the road. The boy needs a snowmobile. Someday.

With winter comes illness. For the majority of this winter, we have escaped harm. But as I sat stroking Sophie's hair yesterday morning on the couch, I pulled her bangs back to discover a 3 inch wide perfect circle of baldness!!!!! Even as a nurse, this made me panic. I packed up the kids, and we were at once on our way to the urgent care clinic.....even though un-urgent, very creepy thus warranting the trip. So as we learned, little miss Sophie has ring worm!!! RING WORM. On her head! UGH!!!!! Her beautiful blonde head harbors fungus. Worst of all, she is now required to take a nasty medicine once a day for 4 weeks called Griseofulvin. Now if that isn't the grossest word to top off the grossest disease, I don't know what would be. Poor thing. And poor self. I'm super sicked out under this all knowing and understanding Mom exterior. I'd never let her know that I'm creeped out by her head. Still, my stomach just secretly flips as I sterilize and wash all blankets and pillows in the hottest water possible. Winter...I'm starting to hate you.

To top all things off, we were in a car accident on Saturday night. A big new truck turned left head into us as we went straight through an intersection. I saw the whole thing coming as I sat in the passenger seat and put my hand out as I might ever be able to stop the whole thing as our Impala cruched and crushed into the F-150 towering much higher above us than I ever expected. This was a frightening event. And my knees hurt from hitting the dash. But we are alive and well and a fender bender is not the end of the world. On the way home from this accident, we were once again stopped by a cop to let us know that our headlight was out. IS IT???? I asked as we handed him our card showing the accident we had just drove away from an hour before. Our exhausted selves were in no mood for such encounters with this town cop to which I gritted my teeth and thanked him for caring.......Winter. GO AWAY. So this is what its like here in Iowa right now.

Now this is what I dream of:









I've always been a person to anticipate the next thing MONTHS in advance. Here I go again! :)

I raise my coffee cup to toast a yard with deep plush green grass, sprinklers making mud holes in my back yard, clothes on the line swaying in the warm breeze, feeling a rush of cold as you step into your house from the heat of the outdoors, sitting on a burning hot seat in your car, the feel of the lake on a hot summers day, grilling steaks, sitting on the deck, riding bikes, and camping out. Summer is here, if only in my worn out by winter Iowan's dreams.