Cameron shoveled the entire driveway – and ours goes to the right around a tree and then left toward the garage. And then he shoveled the walk for the postman. I looked at the cuts at the edge of the path and saw he had shoveled a foot of snow. A lot of linear feet of a vertical foot. So we took the car out for a spin – oops, unfortunate choice of words – and traveled around town on the plowed but snow-packed roads.

Just think, we had a blizzard and my driveway was shoveled the next day and I didn’t have to touch a shovel. Woo-Hoo.

We had blizzard conditions yesterday – fine, dense snow going horizontal due to a strong piercing wind. This morning I had to put my shoulder to the screen door to get it open for the dogs to go out. We are not buried, however, and we did not lose power. Guess what? Der Bingle  was without electricity for about six hours during the late evening and into the night. The apartment was plunged, plunged we say, into darkness; but, thanks to us teaching him to appreciate Yankee Candles, he had some light. Now, our point about keeping an oil lamp on hand has been re-enforced as well. He went to bed with his charged Kindle and read for awhile.

Ah, yes, Abe Lincoln and his Kindle light. Oh, I believe I am mixed up.

The base was closed yesterday and today and he says he is getting cabin fever. Gee, I remember someone who spent a couple of Iowa winters in married student housing with a kid from five months to 2+ years. The “student” was a grad assistant and came home for supper and then went back until the late bus brought people back from campus some time between 10 and 11 pm.

Let me say two words: Three channels. Well, I think we had PBS also. Sesame Street came on at 8 am.

We were the first residents in the new housing – 162C. Our rent was $88 per month and the new laundromat was great. It had all glass walls and  scores of washers and dryers and it was not far from 162C. I believe it was open 24 hours a day. While your clothes washed and dried, you could stand at the window/wall and look at the COLD. Yes, on the edge of the Iowa prairie you can see cold.

Now, we had a blizzard there and you could walk up the drift to the 6-foot privacy fence and then flop down into the four feet regular level of snow. The first year we were there, “All in the Family” started its run. Yes, those were the days.

Actually, Der Bingle did have the worst of it yesterday and this morning; Dayton got freezing rain and everything is iced over. Even his tires are covered in ice. LZP was slammed as well and the nurses have not been able to get through. The last time he slept was 5 am yesterday; last night he turned his Christmas lights back on just for the heck of it. I think he will send a picture of them. Jody is 26 years old today . . . We’re just going to pretend the lights are candles on a huge white cake and not let on that her dad is one big lovable nut.