Discoveries

1) The cold snap brought the realization that my closet has become devoid of cold weather options. I had spent New Year's day making another purge of clothes that no longer fit and, in the process, had discovered a few pair of tights that I had forgotten I owned. I thought it was a lucky find to add some warmth for these cold days. Discovery #1 is that tights that are a couple of years old have a real tendency to loose their stretch. I had some very real concerns today that I would get up and my tights would pool around my ankles. I made it through the day, but the tights ended up in the trash basket as soon as I got home.

2) A couple of weeks ago I was in the grocery store and succumbed to the temptation to try a new product. I, who have never liked egg nog, sampled some Southern Comfort Vanilla Spice egg nog (non alcoholic) and loved it. I bought a quart, even though it didn't really fit into my diet plan. I kept feeling guilty about having any, and guilty that it would go bad sitting in the refrigerator. Discovery #2 is that if you use this egg nog as creamer in coffee, it is yummy good. And a little bit in coffee doesn't hurt the diet all that much. (If you aren't on a diet and you like egg nog, it is killer. It's also really good mixed with a bit of amaretto.)

3) Coco has a waist. Who knew? We are religiously taking our daily walk, even on these cold days when Mommy would rather curl up in her robe in front of the fireplace. These walks invariably begin with a sprint down to the corner, with Mommy jogging along while Coco and Mojo run full out. This regular exercise, along with adhering to their new diet, has seen them both slimming down a bit. I realized a few days ago that Coco is developing a nice little waistline, where she used to be straight from shoulder to hip. At the same time, she and I are getting much closer with all this Mommy and me time.

4) I've been too hot for years now, with menopausal hot flashes being the norm. Who knew I could still have cold chills? The central heat has been out since Christmas Day and my repairman just got back today from a holiday trip. He's ordered the necessary part, but for now we are still getting by with space heaters and the fireplace. I figured I would be fine, since I'm too hot all the time anyway. But my contrary hormones, as soon as they figured out that reliable heat was not available, decided to go into violent chill mode. I keep adding clothes, but just as I approach the right temperature, my hormones reverse and go back into overheat mode. I can't win.

5) Never leave heathen cats alone with unprotected rolls of toilet paper.

LSW