Stormy weather

In Minnesota, if you don't like the weather, just wait a day.

At the tone the time will be 11:00 pm.
Current temperature is 44F.

Above zero.

And more rain is forecast for tomorrow. It's a struggle to know what to dress for some days.

At the tone

... the time will be 11:15 AM. The weather in Saint Paul is sunny and a freakin' cold -8F.

That's just not nice, but it does make a girl want to knit.

A long day's night

nataliedee.com

All hail the lengthening of days that comes with the winter solstice!

Woo hoo - more daylight for shoveling...

Preparation, pageantry, and L&C on ice

TGIM. Strange, isn't it? It was a wonderful but crazy weekend, and I'm actually relieved to be back in the weekday routine.

Saturday started with a rehearsal for Lessons & Carols, which morphed into a long lunch with the AnderClan. Boy howdy, but the girls were squirrely! Oh well. It's amazing to watch B and Kidlet together - two peas in a pod. After lunch, Kidlet and I baked four dozen cookies, then made homemade pizza for dinner... bath, bedtime stories and songs, and one tired Meema.

Sunday morning was the children's Christmas pageant at St. Paul's 10:00 service. B and Kidlet were both cast as Mary. That's right - our Jesus had two mommies this year. Woo hoo! B struggles a bit with stage fright, but lasted much longer than previous years; Kidlet presented the baby at the end of the story while B looked on from the safety of Caytie and Mark's laps.

I've spoken many times on the love I have for my church choir. A feistier bunch of singers there isn't. Hearty, too, as yesterday would prove; Minneapolis was treated to a delightful winter rain which promptly froze as the temperatures dipped in the afternoon, just in time for our service.

Our annual Service of Nine Lessons and Carols was not as well attended as hoped, but those who braved the elements were enthusiastic and received a heckuva musical experience, IMHO. The choir sang so. freakin'. well. We performed Benjamin Britten's "Hymn to the Virgin", for which the four section leaders sang antiphonally from across the nave. I was blown away with how solid and sensitively the choir sang (YAY ALTOS!!!). Several other transcendent moments took my breath away.

The wonderful thing about singing in an Episcopal church is that we know how to put on a spread. Note the lovely traditional English Tea reception:

Following the festive gathering in the undercroft, Richard and Brian annually host a gathering even more festive in their Arts & Crafts bungalow. How festive, you may ask? Feast your peepers...

B and Kidlet learned the magic behind the Christmas decorations.
Maestro Scott finally gets a chance to kick back and relax.

Our genteel hosts, Richard and Brian, a.k.a. Mr. and Mr. Christmas.

And now we return you to your holiday knitting, already in progress...

Meg and Ben - 4 Oct 2008

The following post is one day out of chronological order - apologies to my fixed linear readers.

J, Kidlet and I travelled to remote pockets of SE Minnesota on Saturday to celebrate the wedding of a sweet young couple. It was a glorious day (aside from my navigation frustrations - sorry, J).

The ceremony was outside Nerstrand, MN, at a quaint clapboard church perched high on a hill surrounded by rolling farmland. The "new" church was yards away from the "old". Kidlet had opportunity to stretch her legs and explore the churchyard after the 22-minute ceremony.

Reception followed in Miesville, with dinner and dancing. Kidlet's first motivation was cake, but then the prospect of dancing took priority. She was about to jump out of her skin as she waiting for the bride and groom to "finish their dancing" so she could join in. Kidlet would probably have danced until she passed out with fatigue, but her mommies cut the night short and headed home (still well after dark).

Every happiness to Meg and Ben - congratulations!

Out like a lion in winter

The end of March, particularly with Easter already a week behind us, is leaving (thank the freshly-raised-up Lord) - can we have spring now?

These are Kidlet's little clingy gel window ornaments on the back seat window of my car. On a sunny day like last Friday, they're lovely; with another wet snowfall as the backdrop, just a little pathetic.

Really, there are virtues to living in Minnesota. It's hard to remember them right now, but I promise to share those, too, once the snow is done and gone.

What's new?

Today was 52°F, the warmest day so far in 2008. I sat on the patio at my favorite coffee shop this afternoon, enjoying my cold press and checking e-mail. Then the other shoe dropped. I just read this forecast for the Twin Cities.

Tonight: A chance of rain and snow. Cloudy, with a low around 33. North northeast wind around 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Monday: Periods of snow, mainly after 10am. The snow could be heavy at times. High near 37. East northeast wind between 11 and 18 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of 4 to 8 inches possible.

Damn.

Good Friday

Good Friday = snowy Friday here in the Twin Cities, as evidenced by our Parish House's coating of fresh wet powder:

I'm hoping it melts by Sunday.

See you in three...

Back on the merry-go-round

The weather was certainly more spring-like today with a high of 46°F, and the same is forecasted for tomorrow; Friday, however, isn't going to fare as well. Three to six more inches of snow are predicted for central Minnesota. Really, this has gone on quite enough. I'm ready to see the grass green up. Remember grass? Remember green? Feeling the need for an outing to a nursery or conservatory...

Yeah, I got your spring right here...

This was my drive into school this morning:

Three inches of heavy, completely wet snow. It was lovely but messy. (Look in the lower right corner of Picture #1 for the "oh sh*t" tire tracks in the snow.)

In other news, Going40 predicted greatness from The Great Minnesota Get-Together - the knitted Sock Monkey dress is now available as a custom couture creation for a mere $1500. Get noticed at your prom this year in a gown as comfortable as your favorite sweats. Please allow eight weeks for delivery.

dress photo by Gene Pittman of King Fisher Photo