katallison

Since it's been such a mild year so far, I got my first chance this morning to field-test the new winter coat (just like this one, except all black) in severe conditions, and friends, we have a winner. This thing turns aside -25 windchill like it was *nothing.* I am most pleased.
( More pointless blather about winter coats, oh my god am I boring )

Good *god*, it's wild out there today. The past week has been a succession of almost-identical days -- grey, dampish, still, mild (well, mid-30s). But today there's a big cold front blowing in, with *massive* violent winds screaming down from the north, gusts up to 50-60 mph. It was very exciting walking across the open parking lot from my car into Target--I nearly got blown off my feet a couple of times--and I've seen several houses whose holiday decorations are strewn all over the front lawn.

A wonderful day, in other words, to hunker down with a blanket, and some of the excellent beef stew I made yesterday, and a chunk of homemade bread, and my Sekrit Santa story, which is stalled about three-quarters of the way through. Later I shall decorate the tree (and thank *god* I brought it home yesterday--this would not be a good day to be tooling down the freeway with an eight-foot balsam hanging out of the back of my Civic).

And I am having way too much fun putting Santa hats on icons. Must shut down Paintshop now, and open up the goddamned story. *sigh*

A strangely mild, foggy, drizzly night. The sky is a sort of washed-out puce, dark grey overlain with pinky-orange, a shade that comes from the city lights reflecting off very low clouds, a sky you only get on late fall and winter nights. The wind is blowing, and in the back yard the birch leaves--brilliant gold in daylight--are, in the darkness, the same weird pale washed-out shade as the sky. It's very quiet, except for the movement of the wind, stirring the birch leaves.

I had a million things I wanted to post here, coming home from work in the daylight, but now I just think I'll watch another Millennium episode.