Taste Like Chicken-Ground Hog Friday-Feb 2

The gray sky is back today and it’s grocery shopping day. I would love to make my tax appt but one company has yet to send the 1099. We have everything else.

Kathy, what kind of a swap is that? You got the worse end of that deal. Nice photo with the reflection.

Linda, sorry to hear about the ears clogging already. I do not look forward to the heat of summer either even though we don’t get as hot as you. Poor Punxsutawney Phil.

Karen, it’s nice you didn’t have to drive all the way to Asheville for car service. Our TJ is small and is on the other side of town. I haven’t been in a while but I like it. Salsarita’s sounds good. I hope you enjoyed it. Iggy is making me a shrimp stir fry today and I am making soba noodles. I have some store noodles in case I mess up.

Thanks for the start, Chele. I hope you and Phil are right. Some people here are still trying to recover from the winter weather we had a couple of weeks ago. Bee Cave Bob, the armadillo in Austin, doesn't announce his prediction until later this afternoon. But it's cloudy in Austin today, so I hope he will concur with Phil. Sorry you aren't enjoying sunny skies today like we are. It's also warmer than it was yesterday, so it doesn't feel too bad for Groundhog's Day. Happy shopping--did you go Krogering or Meijering? WOW on homemade soba noodles! Are you using buckwheat flour? Good idea to have a back up just in case, but I hope they come out amazing. I do love Asheville, but spending an entire day over and back with car service is just getting a bit much for me. Sis from another mom and I are planning to get together there in late April, so I'll be there soon. I wish we could get our taxes done this early. It seems that several of our investments can't get the numbers right on the first form, so we have to wait until very late in the season to be sure we have the correct information. It's a real pain. We have an accountant do ours because it's a bit complicated, but our accountant expects it to be late and we always get it in just under the wire. Dale does all the financial stuff, so I just sign where he says to sign.

Kathy, how are things at the pond? The only activity we have are from ring-billed gulls that are year round residents in town (where they can pilfer from fast food joints), but many of them migrate to the lake when the water level goes down and they can find fresh seafood. We're already at 60°, so I know you have to be warmer. Didn't I just say earlier this week how wonderful sunny and 60 sounded? Well, it definitely is. I might have to take Arya out on the deck for a while.

Sorry the ears and now the arthritis are unhappy, Linda. What's up with the knees today? It doesn't sound like you got much mileage from the shots this time. I hope you get some relief from the PT. When was the last time you saw an ENT doc? If it's a viral infection, the antibiotics won't do anything. What's Miss Minni been up to today?

Send some good vibes Liz's way. This was supposed to be a city day for her and she had at least 2 meetings she was not looking forward to. Dale is on his way home from his run and the Salsarita's stop. Since it's a sunny day and we won't be tracking in wet feet and mud, I decided it was a great day to wash the throw rugs. The second load is finishing up in the washer. That also gave me a really good opportunity to do heavy duty vacuuming where the rugs usually lay. Arya and I have been for 2 walkies so far. She wanted me to take her down to the lake, but the hill is too steep for me to feel comfortable with taking down a wiggly pup that doesn't listen. She was not happy with me, but eventually headed back to the house. She'll have to talk Dale into that when he gets home. Anyone have plans for the weekend? Whatever you do, have a great one!

Chele, thanks for the start. I don't think we'll have 6 more weeks of winter either. Could you get your missing 1099 online? I think they have to mail them by the 31st, so it should come soon anyway. Shrimp stir fry sounds wonderful. Our TJ's is on the other side of town too. I wonder how our drives compare getting to "the other side of town". There is no good way to get there from here and traffic is a nightmare.

Karen, the pond is really quiet today. There are some turtles out there, but I haven't seen a single bird. I just got lucky yesterday with catching some activity. The great egret looked like he had a winter coat on with all the extra winter plumage. We've been around 70° today. A big weather system is supposed to come in on Sunday and they're worried about the Pro Bowl game. The latest is they think it will clear out before the game. They're also having the Olympic marathon trials on Saturday, but weather should be good for that. Glad you're having some nice weather there. Hope Liz had a good day. Meetings are one thing I really don't miss. No big plans here. Are you going into football withdrawal yet? I'll probably watch the Grammys on Sunday. Enjoy the Salsarita's!

Linda, you're definitely not the only one on the board that hates to see January go. We usually have a couple of cool weeks in February and then the heat and humidity starts coming back in. What I really hate to see go is the lows in the 60s or lower. Once the lows get into the 70s, the mugginess never ends. Sorry about the ear clog and hope it's something minor.