Grey & Dreary But Not Bad at All

It's grey, dreary, snowing lightly at 10 degrees, and  ... well, that sums it up nicely. Sounds kind of blah, doesn't it?

You can always find a positive if you look hard enough, and here's mine: the fresh coat of white makes everything all clean-looking again. No dark tracks of vehicle passage, no gravel spread on the intersections (yet) for traction, and the fresh white brightens the ground-level environment, even if the sky is an off-grey.

We've been out to The Dome for our three-times-weekly routine of walking & weight machines, stopped by the grocery store for a few things, and now back home where it's warm and inviting. My wife is fixing some chicken & noodle soup for lunch, and there will be a roast for dinner.

Older daughter, who's playing catch-up in the desire to get her driver's license, did all the driving on two family outings yesterday ... and she did well. She still hasn't practiced parallel parking, but with her little car that won't be much of a challenge. She'll have that license in no time, I'm thinking.

That will be one less thing for me to do in the evenings, once she's driving herself to work. It's always tough to be comfortably home from work, and then have to go back out in the cold to bring her home. (She walks to her noon-to-eight shift at the pharmacy, regardless of weather, and we've always believed that giving her a ride home in a warm vehicle is a nice way to reward her.)

Younger daughter is completing her final assignments to wrap up her senior year. The original plan was to finish by Christmas last year, but then the job in the hotel bakery changed that. Once schoolwork is completed, she'll get her learner's permit & start driving, too.

On another topic, my wife & I have finally had to chance to compare notes and expectations for our May trip to the Midwest. We've settled on the dates & itinerary; all that's left is to make the reservations (flights, car, hotel, meetings with old friends, etc).