So Good to Get Out

We just read about the Chinook Winds in the concluding chapters of The Long Winter. Coincidentally, they're blowin' this way right now. This past Saturday it was 0 degrees at 9 a.m., but our temperatures are in the 40's this week. The snow is melting before our eyes, which means we'll have to deal with localized flooding now.

The kids and I got out while we had the chance and what a great morning we had! We headed up north to the county library (we usually go to the city library up the street from our house). I had a few books there on reserve, one of which made Lily squeal.

We hung out there and read for awhile, and then we stopped by Starbucks. The drive-thru was closed due to falling ice, so we went inside for apple juice and snacks. Lily brought her Nellie book (as she calls it) for me to read. We had a very cozy time sipping juice and reading Lily's new book.

On the way home, I had to stop by the bank to deposit the insurance check for our collapsed patio roof (gotta love home owner's insurance!). There, in the parking lot, we watched a crane lift snow out of a grocery store that had closed last week due to its roof collapsing. The crane lifted a giant canvas out of the store and we watched the "worker men" dump large amounts of snow into a pile in the parking lot. The boys loved this! I figured if they had to endure my reading a pink book about 2 little girls, watching this large crane at work was a nice balance.

The lady at the bank gave the kids lollipops...a nice ending to our morning outing. When we arrived home, our neighbor informed us that his cat was missing. He asked us to keep an eye out for him. Gracie has been walking around the house for the past hour calling out, "Kitty..." She loves kitties. She would really like for this kitty to be lost in our house. Of course, this freaks Jared out like you wouldn't believe. He's deathly afraid of cats.

All in all, we had a great morning out. A change of scenery does wonders!