I do not now, nor never will
Find a liking for the snow,
That I now find falling – FALLING!
Outside my window
I would not, could not like it in a row,
I would not, could not want it tied with a bow
nor made to work it with a hoe
And yet, there it is!
Falling, FALLING! – outside – SNOW!

Yes, this badly formed ode to bad weather now comes on the heels of the trip to Florida
that never was. Yes, that’s right kiddies, I did not make it to Florida, thanks
to bad weather in Atlanta, which caused a plane to tip over on an Atlanta runway
and then further caused more flight delays and cancellations. If that were
not bad enough, Delta (whom, I will never fly upon again) had the temerity to
tell me that I could not get out of Atlanta to my Florida destination for almost
24 hours. To add insult to injury, they then said they were not going to put
me up for the night, as they could not determine whether my canceled ATL to
TPA flight was due to weather or the tipped over plane on the runway because
of weather. After much haggling, I got them to send me back to Baltimore, but
my luggage made it to Florida before I even touched down again at BWI airport.
Hrrumph! We won’t go into how I was held hostage all day Friday waiting for
my luggage to be delivered to me, and how it so conveniently showed up at 10:28
pm…

So, no, I did not get my warm weather retreat, and now its #@!%$*& snowing
out.
It’s fitting, no?

Yes, this afternoon, just in time for the bad winter weather to show its ugly head here, I am beating a swift retreat southward to my(adopted)home state of Florida for a nice long weekend with my best friend and her family. It will be a typical Florida retreat weekend replete with girly-girl time all day on Friday, Nic’s Big 4th Birthday Bash on Saturday at Chuck E. Cheese’s and running around Clearwater, Tarpon Springs and Dunedin on Sunday for dining and antiquing. Many more, unplanned and fun activities are sure to ensue.

Did I mention it will be warm? Mostly 68° -72° during the day with nightly lows only hovering between 58° – 60°! Compared to here, it will be positively balmy! And you know that old adage: A bad in Florida is better than a good day virtually anywhere else.

Sadly, on Monday morning, I begin my trek back north, and the homesickness (for all things Florida) will set in, especially when I leave the terminal at BWI and encounter the "proposed" weather (courtesy of AccuWeather.com ):

Monday 1/17 | Partly sunny & cold | High 35° F .

Oh, pul-lease, A HIGH of 35° – Ugh! That’s criminal.

Its no surprise to anyone who has known me for a while that I color my hair. In the past year, its been blonde, light brown and now strawberry blond with highlights. I’ve been coloring my hair in one way or another since I was 14 … 10 if you count my days as a guinea pig for my mother’s cosmetology license.

Over the last few weeks, I’ve looked at Abby with some new eyes, pondering: if I can color my hair, and some men color their hair, and we’ve all seen at least one pink poodle in our lives, why can’t the Pigger do color? Now, I’m not talking about wild pink, purple or even blue, just an enhancement in a very small and targeted area — her face. And its not like I’m the first person to think about coloring my dog’s hair (See: What You Always Wanted to Know About Coloring Dogs…But Didn’t Know Whom to Ask!). You see, the little miss is turning 10 years old next month and she’s starting to go white in the face, mostly her eyebrows and the area directly below her eyes and her cheeks, (See the "before" pix) all of which used to be a lovely light golden brown color. (See the "after" pix) For anyone who has seen her lately, she certainly doesn’t act like a 10 year old (fat and sluggish) but she is starting to look like an older dog.

I’ve seen women on makeover shows or in magazines, go from gray haired and haggard to vibrant and younger looking with just a little bit of help from Miss Clairol, wouldn’t the same hold true for Abby? I can just imagine the new bounce in her step, or the swagger in her stride as she strolls through the neighborhood, sans the white facial fur, with a new luxuriously colored and conditioned face of tawny brown fur. Oh the compliments she would receive, she would be queen of the world – until of course, the color either grew out, faded or do what she does oh so well… shed – all over the darn place. Then we’re back to square one, and color maintenance. Ugh! The line of demarcation, the hair color splatters, the scalp tingling. Oy, I don’t know if she can take it.

Before	After recolorization

Heck, if TNT can recolorize old movies, why can’t I recolorize my dog?

On second thought, the application process would probably be a nightmare, especially in delicate areas such as above and below the eyes. She barely sits still to be petted, hardly tolerates getting a bath and is an absolute beast about doggie manicures and pedicures. Perhaps this is a disaster in the making. Guess this is one dog who is going to have to deal with her white hair, er, fur… or rather, her owner will.

The most important aspect of Abby really is not how she looks (although, most folks think she looks MUCH younger than 10) but that she is still very active, healthy and happy. And she is.

Yesterday I read
about two Northern Virginia teenagers that were found dead from gunshots. It
was initially not known whether this was a murder/suicide or a joint suicide.
It was just recently revealed
in separately written notes, the 15-year-old girl and the 19-year-old boy, who
were dating, committed a double suicide because their parents disapproved of
their relationship. The two teenagers were both healthy, well liked, and seemed
to have promising futures. But then again, at 15 and 19 respectively, it seems
no matter what your circumstances, you have a promising future. So what gives?

I can understand a parent not wanting his or her 15-year-old daughter dating
someone 4 years older. I went through that experience at 15 as well, and I can
tell you, there was a HUGE age gap between myself and the 19-year-old
I dated. My relationship was disastrous on numerous levels – especially the
end – I can still recall the gut-wrenching pain- but never once did I contemplate
suicide. I knew at 15, as I know now, no one is worth killing yourself over.
And yet, Kayla and Tony thought otherwise. Are we living in the time of the
Montagues and the Capulets or the 21st Century? What values are we instilling
in our children? What are we teaching them? Why, for god’s sake was a gun available
to them, and not locked away?

And now, in the first few days of the new year, when everything still has
that new, fresh out of the package smell, and feel, and the world seems full
of promise, how could two teenagers think there is nothing left to live for?

At this time of year, like everyone else, I’ve grown a bit nostalgic- thinking
of the year past, the friends I made, the friends I lost touch with, the places
I went, the things I did and saw. They call it taking stock of your life, and
for me, its my chance to make a list of what went down, checking it twice, seeing
where I was naughty or was nice, and THEN making resolutions to do better in
the coming year. Its the symbolic chance to start fresh in a new year. Nothing
too prophetic here.

As I read the Digital
Haus Frau’s blog today, it kind of helped to pull together my swirling thoughts
that for a while had been trying to coalesce, but some how, was missing something
to make it all mean "SOMETHING". I could only second her thoughts
and attempt to ponder what my contribution to "to thinking more about the
Big Stuff" would be and how I could help. So, in no particular order, here
are my few New Years resolutions. None will probably knock your socks off, but
I think its time to get back to the basics, to what really matters, and try
to just be better.

1. Be happy
2. Be nice
3. Take care of myself
4. Care for others
5. Be a part of the solution (read: the Big Stuff)

Its kinda of exciting to think there is a shiny new year just waiting for us
to create. It holds all sorts of undreamed of possibilities. What do you resolve
for the New Year?