the sky is falling in fluffy white frosted flakes!

it's been windy all morning, and about five minutes ago it finally began to snow. lovely large flakes dancing by the kitchen window, where i stood with my hands ensconced in protective yellow gloves as i scalded the dishes in the hopes that two years of accumulated grease and food-bits might simply slide off and not require scrubbing.

i have been cleaning out my in-laws pantry. it is full of moths and larvae... i threw out two garbage bags of open food that was crawling with little bugs.

ew ew ew ew ew....

my father-in-law simply doesn't see the filth, i think. he's not accustomed to thinking about it, and my mother-in-law can't do it... she's too tired to see, or care. until recently they used to get offended when i came to visit and started cleaning, but i think they have come to accept the fact that i am a little anal retentive when it comes to the bathtub not having mold in it, or my food, for that matter... and now they let me clean.

and as gross as this morning's project has been, i feel accomplished at the end of it. there is something deeply satisfying about turning chaos into a semblance of order. between that and the snow, and the fact that my sweetheart is coming tonight, i am in high spirits and looking forward to getting out for my afternoon run.

my mother-in-law is in good spirits today too... anxious to start ringing in the new year, asking for some Manischewitz wine at 11:15 this morning. she hadn't even gotten out of bed yet, never mind had any breakfast. i shall watch carefully to see if this is a family tradition that has been passed on...

Happy New Year