Snow Day!

Well, I don't even know where to start. So we'll just start with the funny one. . . Jacques met the wet drywall compound (spackle) - this is the big white streak on his fur.
It's amazing this sort of thing hasn't happened more often. But to explain how funny it actually was I've got to back up a bit.
So Jeff is just the best contractor ever and I think just a genuinely nice decent human being. On Monday they brought drywall up to the second floor - instead of me having to order it at Home Depot and having them drop it off on the front porch and I could see how I would get it upstairs. I called to say thanks for bringing it up and he offered to have his assistant Bo, come in and do the drywall for me, for less $ because Bo didn't have anything to do anyway and Jeff had other things to do. That way I could get going on the painting in the kitchen. Really!? Yes. It was such a generous offer, and really the thought of being able to paint the blue wall in the kitchen this weekend? - was overwhelming. So of course I took him up on the offer - after asking him if there was a big infrared "sucker" tattoo on my forhead.
Looks great! Much better than if I'd done it. About mid afternoon, Bo comes downstairs and asks me if I have anymore compound. I don't even know what that is so I guess its spackle, which it's not, but at any rate I don't have any and Bo asks if I would go to the hardware store and get some. I'm gone for maybe 20 minutes, when I get back, Jeff (who has stopped by to see how things are going) opens the front door and who shoots out with the big white streak on his side? Jacques. So Jeff, who's already a bit irritated with Bo for sending me out and for not being further along, starts to laugh, but then quickly says, "Sh - don't say anything." - meaning "I don't want to hear about it" knowing full well, that I'm going to give him shit for allowing spackle to land on my cat. Jacques doesn't seem to notice his new adornment and since he likes Jeff too - and isn't scared to death of him, let me pick him up, bring him back in and Jeff took this picture. I tell ya . . . never a dull moment. Jacques came upstairs a few hours later with most of it gone.

And so yes! I love snow even more than ever because we had a snow day today! The radio said Philadelphia schools were closed and therefore, so was HSP! Yippee! Now of course since my alarm went off at 6am - I was up, and I was excited. Snow and ice was covering everything. It's the most beautiful in the morning before everything gets ruined. And since I've never had to do it before - I was excited about shoveling my sidewalk! … that was fun for about five minutes. But I did it, the last thing I want is anyone to fall on the sidewalk in front of my house. Since I was up, I shoveled a bit in front of Mr. El's house too. I kind of felt obligated you know? Karma gave me a day off, but I felt I had to give a little bit back.
Jacques wanted to go out at the same time. He left his little kitty prints all over the snow. They are so cute in the fresh snow. But he doesn't actually like it. After I shoveled, I gave the dogs a little treat so I could walk on the snow which had a layer of ice over the top, Jacques had to come out and show off in front of them, but he went howling back to the porch pretty quickly. It was quite an indignant meow. As though I could do anything about the snow.
I got lots done today - including cleaning the studio. That is a real relief.
I've also been meaning to blog about last weekend, but I never got around to it.
Friday and Saturday I lesson planned. Finally got a good handle on what I'm teaching. I'm so excited about my Advanced class - and the basic class is going to be fun - I think. They are excited about the class and that helps. Sunday I made Lime marmalade, I always forget how long that takes, with limes that needed to be dealt with. I went to see a gallery talk for Julianna Foster's work. It's really great. Katie and Mary came along for the ride which is good because it was VERY cold. We then trekked to Home Depot because Katie needed a space heater for the meat locker she calls her basement that she'd like to call her studio. And I got to see her new house. It's beautiful. Perfect for her and her family! Lots of beautiful features. I'm so thrilled for her.
Then it was off to Moore to do all of the final prep for class - lots of xeroxing and dropping off of stuff. I'm still not in the classroom I'm supposed to be in, wonder when that will happen.
Came home, dinner blah blah wind down, bed at midnight, only to be awoken by the garbage truck at 3am, slamming the dumpsters. By 4am I knew I was wide awake and I could either get up and be productive, or lie there until about 5:45 when i would fall asleep again and not be able to get up and go to work. So I got up - watched Saving Grace on YouTube and finished this lace hat: