Bah Humbug

I am the Valentine's Scrooge- quite a bit different than when I wrote two years ago.    I think the blizzards just completely messed with my karma, my routine, my hitch-in-my-get-along.    I was a bad college mom because I didn't send my college boy a package - he has been dating someone, and I figured that he wouldn't want anything from MOM-ew.  Hubby is getting Valentine's shaped jello and some DeLISH fondue - he is easy to please, bless his dearest <3.  Our Valentine's plans got delayed because of the SNOW.   L got to pick out a DVD she has been wanting.  I didn't even make my heart cookies for those around me that I love.

Although, right now I am craving those tasty morsels....  Do you ever give yourself a Valentine's treat?

Probably not.   Dang.

The One About the Blizzards

I am not sure if anyone who reads this (besides Kate S :) ) isn't a friend of mine already on Facebook.  So these photos may be old news.  Sorry - please keep reading.

Marylanders (no offense) are often made fun of due to the possible over-reaction to snow coming.  After living in Utah for over 4 years, we witnessed this first-hand.  We were newlyweds and new apartment dwellers in MD back in 1980-SOMETHING and one night we got a ton of snow.  The parking lot of our apartment complex had not been plowed much.  We were shocked about that, but more shocked that Hubby did not have to go to work!  NO work? Are you serious?

Those who are offended, relax and keep reading...

I didn't have a job yet, so we were happy to have a free day together!  Awesome - let's go shopping!  We dug out the car.  We drove to the mall and it was....closed.  We went to the grocery store, and it was....closed.  Mind you, we did not own a t.v. at this point.  It's true - NO T.V.  We obviously were young and free and not attached to the Weather Channel - OH wait, it didn't exist yet....

After a semester of driving to Springville, Utah from BYU to student teach 5th graders, every early morning regardless of weather with ne'er a delay nor a closing,  I was in disbelief.  And yet....I thought, ,"hmm.  I could get used to this!!".

I have now been a Marylander longer than I ever was an Arizonan or a Utahn.  Weird.  I have adapted.  I do however stay stalked up on toilet paper and milk so as to not have to brave the storm, so to speak, to fight for those items in the store.  I do have my pride.

These storms beat them all - not an overreaction, however - Marylanders could generally just kinda plan ahead better, don't you think?  Seriously - the hoarding at the grocery stores need not be necessary.

No offense intended, again. Really - and I mean it.

L has been home from school for a week now.  Hubby has been off work for a week as well.  He will work Saturday and on President's Day.  All my work has been non-doable as well.  And I mean my work at home as well as my work-from-home- JOB.  No traveling with it either - everywhere I  needed to go was closed.  I tried to be productive and I enjoyed the "down time" as well.   This kind of weather will do that to ya. 

Now for a few photos - first of Blizzard #1:

And now, Blizzard #2 - a few short days later:

Pushing snow out the window off of the roof above the porch - amazing!

And, after it is all over.....more shoveling.

 

 

 

 Still, my heart beats for the desert sun.

Reacting to "Reactionary"

This morning L informed me that she joined a certain club at school.  Today would be the first meeting during 4th period.  She spoke it to  me calmly as if it was a meeting of a little quilting group or a group to discuss the scriptures or something.  I assure you it was not.

All the parenting skills I have worked SO very hard to attain went out the window.  While she was away at the school last year to help us all cope with her challenges, we had intensive parent training, which I have mentioned before.  My voice got louder, my breathing quickened, my emotions came to the surface.  I went back to the OLD me.  Ugh.  Hate that.

Rest assured -we worked through it.  We got back to "baseline" and became "regulated" once again.  She forgave me for over-reacting.  I mean, come on - it wasn't a club to blow up the world or anything.  It was, however, one that I would not choose for her.

Fortunately by the end of the conversation, she was saying, "hmm....maybe I won't go.  Maybe you are right".  Music to a mother's ears.  Either way, she is old enough to choose.  She has been taught.  She knows.  Now the ball is in her court.

After this episode, as I beat myself up for a few minutes, I thought, "AHHH.... I was SO REACTIONARY".   Reactionary?  Where have I heard that word before?  I thought I had heard it from former therapists who were teaching me to NOT overreact to things.  I decided to look it up at dictionary.com.

Here is the definition they give:

adjective

1.	of, pertaining to, marked by, or favoring reaction, esp. extreme conservatism or rightism in politics; opposing political or social change.

 

I then looked up several other dictionaries.  They all pretty much said the same things. 

So, because I am a political-thinking person, I had to then evaluate my politics!  Am I reactionary?  Hmm....

I am definitely opposed to some types of change.  I am against anything that takes our country down a socialist or radical road.  I am against things that take us away from God, believing that this country was founded upon God's principles.  So does that mean that reactionary is the opposite of radical?  I don't view myself as extreme.   

Maybe, just maybe, there is a radical left-wing conspiracy to change all the dictionaries in the world to make the word "reactionary" have an extremely negative political connotation.

Just teasing ya.

What is your personal definition to reactionary?  Do you see these definitions as correct, based on your background and experience?