| 1.24.05 —
Real heat wave
Once again we missed the big snow. We feel certain it is because
we invested in a snow blower this year. Our temps are in the 50s
this week, and all of our snow is melting. We need more white
stuff!
I'm not sure if this is because we live in a small town, or if
it's a testament to local small businesses vs. big corporations.
I called our LYS
to get their hours. They said, "10 to 6. Will that work for
you?" Work for me? Wow!
Did you know Johnny Carson was a Husker?
Speaking of Huskers, it was so warm out today that the Husker
baseball team had practice outside. Spring is on its way!
1.17.05 — Heat wave
It's like a tropical paradise here compared to Minnesota.Well,
if tropical paradises had snow on the ground.
1.16.05 — Wanting to help
Last night we stayed in and watched Tsunami Aid. It was hard.
You watch something like that and just want to help—to
give. We are trying to live within a strict budget right now.
Right after the devastation, we gave what we could. Last night,
I wanted to give more. After all, many of these people don't even
have anything to budget. We'll be giving more. Just not
right now. Maybe in another month or so. In the meantime, I am
going to continue working on my squares for Warm
Up America.
On a lighter note, we stayed in and made a fabulous (easy on
the budget) dinner: Honey
Mustard Glazed Cube Steaks, but with chicken instead of beef.
We served it with spinach salad, steamed broccoli and mashed cauliflower.
It was amazing. If you know me well, you know I sing the praises
of Saving
Dinner from the mountain tops. We have the original book.
You should look into Menu Mailer and/or the low carb book/mailer.
Leanne is fabulous. Her recipes are filled with nutritious whole,
super foods. And they're easy on your budget.
1.15.05 — Glitter from the sky
Have you ever seen it snow while it's sunny? This whole weekend
is about snow flurries. We won't get any serious accumulation—just
a few inches—but the flurries sure are pretty. Yesterday
they were falling while the sun was out. The way they caught the
sun made them look like little pieces of glitter. We were out
driving around, and it looked like the whole city was being sprinkled
with silver glitter, kind of like one giant craft project.
One of our favorite restaurants now has a Grill.
We went there last night for date night. We're very excited because
it's right across the street, and one of the best places to eat
in Lincoln (our opinion) and now we can afford to do so on a regular
basis. The restaurant is affordable for lunch, but is a bit pricey
for dinner. It's more of a special occasion thing. Now with the
Grill, we're about to become spoiled, and when it's really cold
out, I doubt we'll venture out of our neighborhood much at all!
Speaking of the cold, Runza
has a interesting special going on right now. Whatever the temperature
is at 8 am, you pay that all day for a Runza sandwich. If the
temperature is zero, your Runza is free. I want to know what happens
when the thermometer dips below zero. Do they give you change
with your sandwich?
Knitting update: I've finished my first hat.
It matches the scarf I was knitting over the holidays, so now
I have a set!
A note about our last entry—yes, it is belt buckles.
1.12.05 — Weekend plans
It's a tough decision this weekend. Pheasant
Fest 2005 or the Toy and Buckle Show: I can't imagine what
Pheasant Fest will be like. Bird and guns. We've lived in Nebraska
for over a year now, and still don't get the hunting thing at
all. A colleague is big into pheasant hunting. In fact, he has
a monumental role in planning Pheasant Fest. He's been very distressed
over the cold and snow we've had lately. You see, when there is
snow on the ground, the pheasants can't eat. And then they die.
And then he can't shoot them. I guess because of the weather,
Pheasant Fest should be crowded. I couldn't find anything on the
Internet about the Toy and Buckle Show. I understand the toy part,
but do they mean belt buckles? Not planning to go to either event,
but if we find out, we'll let you know.
Last weekend we stayed home and T cooked up a few gourmet meals.
Our new stove has a grill, and he made a Mario Batali grilled
lamb dish so good, it was almost as fabulous as our meal at Sotto
Sopra two weeks ago. (Note I said almost. Nothing
beats their duck tortelli!) We'll probably stay in and cook again
because it's going to be a blustery weekend. I'm planning to do
a big grocery and yarn run this Friday so we can hunker down,
make some good food, and I can knit some patches for Warm
Up America.
1.08.05 — Bean loyalty
I'm typing this from our local coffee shop, Wilderness
Perk. When we first moved to Lincoln we were a little disappointed
that we had no Starbucks. (Even Sunnydale
had one!) We could get Starbucks coffee at Barnes and Noble, but
they didn't have all of the specialty drinks, and the atmosphere
wasn't the same. We eventually got one downtown. But even though
Lincoln is a small town, who wants to drive 15 minutes for a cup
of coffee?
Then we got our own local coffee shop. The owners are super nice,
and it's a great place to hang out. They even special order Chocolate
Raspberry coffee for us and offer free wireless internet access.
Can't get that from Starbucks!
Recently we got a Starbucks on our end of town. It's been a few
months now and we haven't even stopped by. We are in love with
our coffee shop, and the owners. We usually spend Saturday mornings
surfing the Internet and getting our daily dose of caffeine. Soon
we'll have to come on a Sunday and try their Belgian waffles!
1.07.05 — Dropping the ball on the ball drop
This year was the first time we ever rang in the New Year outside
of the Eastern Time Zone. A few minutes before midnight, we turned
on the television for the countdown and to watch the ball drop.
I'm embarrassed to say it took us awhile to figure out why there
was no countdown. Just really bad commentary from Ashlee Simpson.
Then they cut to an empty Times Square. Doh! We are in the Central
Time zone. We missed the ball drop by an hour! How incredibly
stupid! By the time we rang in our new year it was 12:06 am. We
clinked glasses and let off some fireworks. But without the ball
dropping, it felt weird. Like we missed the traditional right
of passage into 2005.
We're feeling a little rural these days. This week we had a snow
storm that gave us eight inches of snow. When I left for work
yesterday, the majority of our neighborhood had not been plowed,
but the rest of Lincoln's streets were in good shape. Then T called
to say there were John Deere tractors plowing our streets. Yep,
that's right! Tractors. We live on the far edge of the city, and
instead of the municipal plows clearing our streets, we have farmers
who contract with the city to provide the service. Farmers! Plowing
our streets! They did a great job.
I've recently started knitting, and I'm stitching like a crazy
woman. That means you will probably get a scarf or hat for your
birthday or Christmas this year. Let me know if you have any color
requests!
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