Snow CAT day!

A SUSV Army vehicle.  Such fun to drive!

4 addition inches of snow.

After the slight drizzle we had yesterday, it began to snow on top of it.   You might think "Freezing rain,"  But actually,  the temps hovered around 30, so the 4 inches or so acted as insulation for the "Sculptable" snow we had yesterday.  The 4 inches on top are also packy... so why not make another snowman? 

Different layers of snow. 

Or so that was the idea.  Turns out...  the two different layers of packy snow act quite differently from one another. the top layer bonds with itself just fine, but it does not want to stick to the lower layer.   Weird!  I know!  But that means I could not roll up a decent size snow ball to build another man.   ( and I had such big plans today...)  Instead,   All I could do was shovel up a pile and try to pack it down to a small mound.  My plans had to change!

A snow Llama?

So what could I possibly sculpt out of a mound of snow about half my previous snowman's size?   A dog?  A lion?   A kid.  ( Not a kid... I hate kids!  Besides,  there are plenty of real ones creeping around these parts.)  How about a cat?   

A "mid-sized" snow cat!

I'm not sure what comes to your mind when you hear the word "snow cat".  But for me...   we used to call those a brand of Snowmobile.   Later.. in the Army,  a Snow Cat was one of those treaded machines used to climb mountains at ski lodges.  We called them SUSV...  or Sus-Vee.  Short for: Small Unit Snow Vehicle.  Hurray for the Alaskan Arctic Infantry!  But I digress....

I don't see the resemblance.

My attempt at a snow cat.

Truth be told, it started out a dog. A Howling dog!   But things just did not gel.   After a few minutes of carving the snow, it looked more like a lion or cat.   I decided a "Larger than Normal" cat would be more fitting.   Besides... I like cats.  And Cats mostly seem to  like me.   It seemed like the perfect fit. 

Whiskers included.

With a frowny face.  Because... it's a cat!

Adding the whiskers and eyes were really essential to separate it from a "faceless snow statue."  I find that the pointy ears and long whiskers are part of the defining characteristics for a cat.  Otherwise it looks like an "Egyptian Fertility god" or something.  (Were cats considered gods of fertility?  I don't really know. But it sounded good for this blog posting, so we will keep it.)

My "Cool Cat" that warms  me up.

Now Mr. Snowman has a cute and very large, feline friend to keep him.... cold?   at night.   I would guess that snowmen do not want any thing that warms them up.   Even a cute kitty.   Though the expression "melts your heart" might be something that applies to most of us cat lovers. If I were made of snow, I would want a "Cool Cat" next to me, I'm sure!   

Cheryl in Rehab.

Well,  I can handle a little more snow as long as the cold does not get out of hand.   On the other hand,   A cold wave would freeze up the snow creatures and keep them around a little bit longer.   That might be fun as well.   I know Subie would much rather start in any temperature above thirty degrees...  and when Subie is happy,  I'm happy.  Yes, I base most of my happiness on my car.... But only because it is a Subaru!  Is that so "Un-American?"

At least we will be able to walk a bit now that Cheryl is in "rehab"  ( From a running injury... not drugs.  That!  Is another blog post...)  We did not plan for the wind and the trail was rather slippery, so we called it after a short trip.  At least we were able to get out in the fresh air for a bit.  Hope everyone is having a fine day today.  And if the temps allow,  get outside!  It's a great place to be. Thanks for stopping in. 

Snowman Day!

Snowman Weather!

There is a winter storm predicted today.   Currently... it is raining outside. The temps are slightly above he freezing point and the snow was "packy."   A great day for a Snowman.

Look in the Mirror!  Kids!

Now, last time,   The neighbor brat... I mean "kid"  decided it would be a great idea to knock my beautiful arctic sculpture down... with the help of the "other neighborhood kid."  ( Who, I'm sure, will get all of the blame for the destructive plot.)   I knew the risk!   But proceed anyway.   Because artist must make art... or die!  And I'm too young to die simply because I could not make a snowman. 

Run!  Eric and Ethan, Run!

But his mother assured me that he was not to go near the sculpture.   Or she would "kill him"  or something.   (Some form of "bodily harm", I was assured.)   I won't hold my breath.   Parents are far more lenient on their kids these days than my mother ever was on me and my brother.  ( She really WOULD try to Kill us!)  Good thing we could dodge the projectiles and outrun her. But I digress...

Great Looking Hair!  Who is your Barber?

The snow was the perfect level of "Sculptabability."  (It's a real word...   Even though Spell-check hates it.)   I was able to make him 4 snowballs high.   That is like "dog years"... only for snow men!  (I'll let you follow the logic of that one. )   I was able to sculpt the face slightly better this time since the temps were hovering around 32 degrees. 

Playing the "Snow Broom."

The weather is predicted to rise a little... then drop.   But they changed the prediction from yesterday.   I guess now we are going to get a deep freeze.   With a little luck,  the snowman might be able to last a while this time if no kids knock him down.   Fingers crossed. 

He is pretty tall

Almost as tall as me!  (I'm the guy on the left..)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I know the pictures do not really show how tall he is... But he is only slightly shorter than me.   ( Yes, it is a snow man.  Trust me on this one.   Don't let the hair fool you.   I don't really want to prove my position since that would be creepy and disturbing.)  

Cheryl the puzzle expert.

Not really our cats!  Rocket and Leo.

Otherwise,  we went to Muscatine today and did not run.  Cheryl has been running on a hurt leg for the last few days and today, she needed a break.   But the Pizza was good and it is always fun to drive the Subie to the river.    As for me..  the rest of the night I will probably be a bum and play my video game while Cheryl plays with her puzzles.    I'm sure if I ever get bored,  I will be able to play with one or more of the cats.  ( Two of them are not really ours.... but don't tell them that...)  

"Rockin' On" in a Winter Paradise!

Hope everyone is ready for the deep freeze that is about to hit.   Or the snow....  Or possibly the warmer weather!  Who really knows here in Iowa.   I always think the weather channel is simply throwing darts at the wall when they make predictions.  Fingers crossed for half-way decent weather, regardless.   Thanks for stopping in.

Snow Storm and Cats.

Subie COVERED in snow!

 We got about 8 inches of snow dumped on us yesterday.   I say "about"... Because the howling wind blew most of it into tall drifts  while leaving other areas with minimal coverage.  Wouldn't it be awesome if the wind would blow all of the snow off of the sidewalks, trails, and roads while piling up the drifts in the middle of a cornfield somewhere!   That would be awesome.   But.... It'll never happens.   If Mother Nature ever listened to me,  things would be so much better.  

Misery Mistress

Plowed trail, but still slippery.

We decided to run anyway.  Because...   Cheryl.   She does a lot of things that do not make a whole lot of sense.   ( including marrying me!)  With the wind blowing and the temps plummeting,  we made it a short run day.   Even though the sidewalks looked plowed, they were still covered with just enough loose snow to make things slippery.  Just one too many misery variables to make it a worth while experience. 

Cats muscling me out of my seat.

I barely have room to type!

Back home,   in the small 600 sq ft apartment in Wellman, Iowa,   I snuggled up with three cats on our small IKEA loveseat.   Actually,  they take over the majority of the space, leaving me only the left shoulder and  one half butt-cheek of seating to type my blog.   Even that is not enough, as Rocket ( not really our cat)  has to lop on the keyboard while I type. 

Cat helping with Puzzle.

  It is moments like this when I wish Cheryl was more of a cat person.   Heck!  I would accept an "Animal Person" of any persuasion....  as long as she managed to take a cat or two off my space.   Things would be so much more perfect.

Not much else is going on currently.   Cheryl is "puzzle-less" for this evening,  meaning I will probably have to entertain her as well.   Hey!  I have things to do too, you know.  I can't entertain three cats AND my wife all at the same time.   There are video games to play and blog posts that have to be written.  I'm a busy man!

The only hills you find in Iowa...

Hope everyone is enjoying the deep freeze.   ( At least it is dropping here in Iowa for the moment.)  Not sure if the snow is done, but it appears nice and sunny outside as I'm writing this.  Sometimes I think the bears and groundhogs have the right idea to simply sleep their way through the winter.  Wish we could all do the same since there is not much you can do this time of year unless you ski, sled, or ice skate.  But to do those things requires hills, snow and  large bodies of water.  Three things Iowa seems to lack...  most of the time.  Thanks for stopping in.

Arts And Crafts With Cat Toys.

 Being in a rather "creative slump" lately,  I have fallen back on the simple, "tried and true" things I usually do to keep boredom at bay.   Origami and home made cat toys! 

I can tell that things are not as they should be by my origami.   If the folding goes well, the universe is perfectly aligned and happiness ensues.  But if the folding is a struggle,  frustrating, and turns out to be disastrous....  Then things are out of balance. It is a zen thing. 

Yesterday was a disaster.  But today...  Much better!   I folded two Origami roses and they mostly look "OK."   Mostly....

The Original Progression of a cat wand.

But to distract myself from sub-standard origami attempts,  I chose to repair a few of the cat toys that the cats have mauled over Christmas.   The evolution...  or should I say:  Devolution!  Of the cat toys is like this:   They start out with feathers and a bell.  (The cats mostly like the wands, because I have to do all of the work to make them appear alive.)  The bells are torn off almost immediately.   Then the feathers.   Finally,   just a few fluffy nubs are left.   Time to make some improvements! 

This ought to work!

I may have overdid it a bit.  The feathers are from the Canadian Geese that bother us during our runs.   The shed their feathers during the Spring nesting time and I pick up as many as I can carry.   Mostly for the cats, but sometimes just for other things to play around with.  ( They make great paint brushes and glue spreaders!   The DNR uses them for mixing  Salmon eggs in the hatchery  during fertilization.) 

At least Rocket likes it. 
(Rocket likes everything...)

Cheryl says it looks like the cats have caught a Hawk!  The wind resistance makes it difficult to capture their motion sense.   But the scraping on the rug really captures their noise attunement. ( Yes!  It is a real word!   Even though Spell Check does not like it.) At least Rocket likes it enough. 

2 inches of snow today.

 

Cheryl does the shoveling.

In other news:  It snowed today.   We ran 7 miles,   And Cheryl continues to put Puzzles together with the help of the three cats.  

Cheryl enjoys "Puzzle Time" with the cats.

 (I stopped helping her three puzzles ago....)  She has upgraded to the 1000 piece puzzle as she was finishing the 500 piece ones in a single day.   ( Even without my help!)  Nice to see she has extra energy to burn off.   At least it keeps her busy and away from dangerous internet purchases. 

Hope everyone is having a fine day today.   Tomorrow they are predicting a winter storm for our area.   Good times! If we are lucky, it will miss us and we will be allowed to continue to run without a snow drift or whiteout  affliction.   At least the Temps are back in the mid 30's.  Thanks for stopping in.

An Allenbrite Road Trip.

Road trips are such a clich'e.   I guess if you just want to go for a Sunday drive out it the country, that is not a road trip.   And if you actually have a destination, that is also NOT a road trip.  

So what is it?   My definition:   Using an automobile ( like a Subaru!)  specifically for a journey of discovery.   Usually of one's own spirit or meaning.   

Since when has Subaru replaced the VW bus?

Ok, THAT sounds like a bunch of hippie hokus.  Self discovery? "Life Journey?"  SUBARU!!??  Seriously, how did the Hippies hijack the Subaru as their vehicle of choice?   It's not electric or "green".   It is not a death trap like the VW bus!  Subaru does not even claim any "spiritual guidance".   They simply make a car that is something you can love unconditionally.  And I would add... Subies love you back! 

Hmm.... Maybe that is it...   

 But I digress! 

That winding lead-in is meant to explain, vaguely,  how Cheryl and I ended up traveling to Mallard Iowa.   Yes! "Like the Duck!"   How,  or more specifically:  WHY?  Did we end up traveling to the distant and REMOTE area of Iowa that is the Upper Northwest corner of the state?   That is a good question for which we have no really good answer.   All I can say is:  "Discovery."   Perhaps a bit of information and research.    And we might as well throw in a decent helping of Wisdom while we are at it.   

Friendly Ducks!

For our travels and troubles,  I have very few pictures of the incident.   I will say that there is NOTHING of note worth taking a photo of.   That section of Iowa is FLAT!  Barren!  Wide-open and un-sheltered.   I don't know what people do up there for money... other than farming.   There were a few small manufacturing plants there.   The towns are all small.   The Stores are all Small-er! In the end,   we left that place having secured the knowledge that we do not need to revisit this area any time soon.  Don't get me wrong!  I'm sure the people are very nice.   Friendly, even.  But the area seems a little too remote and inhospitable for my taste. ( and I have been to Dead horse, Alaska!)  

On the way back ( it was a 4 hour trip just to get there!), the Sun had set and the dark horizon blinked with Christmas tree color.   It took a while to figure out what all of those lights were in the distance.  Turns out,  they are from the Windmill farms scattered along highway 80 between Des Moines and Iowa City.  Trying to capture the scene in the dim light was a challenge.   But hopefully,  the animation will show off some of the splendor.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not much else happening today.   We washed the Subaru.   Wiped all of that salt and road grime away for the moment.   I barely got it toweled off before Rocket went out there to attempt to muddy it up with his paws.  He already tagged the neighbor's car with his paw prints.  I managed to keep him off of Subie... for now.  

Proof Rocket was here!

I will most likely spend the rest of the day uploading videos to the Rumble account.  It is something to do, after all.  And it costs no money!  Something I always find agreeable.  Hope everyone is enjoying this wonderfully sunny day.  Highs are in the mid 40's here.   I hear that will change tomorrow, so enjoy it while you can.   Thanks for stopping in.