Winter sky watch....

The weatherman is warning that we are going to get our first big winter storm sometime on Wednesday. Lake Michigan is still but waiting under a dark, dramatic sky for the first sign of the winter fury. So beautiful I just had to stop on my way home tonight and snap these photos.

Week one....and counting...

So it's been a week and I am Mrs. Lindqvist. I wish there was a smile cam so you could see this perpetual smile on my face now. Hahah!

The week, actually, sped by fairly quickly. I had to return to work right away and there was a lot of stress there. We met with licensing and all the procedures I've been writing for the past month were gone over and, yes, met the mark. We are a licensed Community Support Program for one year now. I felt particularly proud that I had a large part in that.

On Friday, I rushed out to go to work and found I had a flat tire. Turned out my two front tires were shot so I had to get some new ones. I was looking for used tires but apparently everyone in the world who drives a Dodge Neon uses the size I do so no one had any used tires for me. I got a good deal at Kenosha Tires and it only took an hour to get them installed and aligned. I highly recommend Kenosha Tires so if you're in the area and need tires, do check them out.

On to another work week... yish. I'm not looking forward to it but ah well. It's gotten very cold here and I'm having a hard time adjusting to it this year for some reason. I just feel cold all the time and that is not like me at all. Hopefully, it will regulate at some point and my internal temp will catch up! Until then, it's thick sweaters and flannel pj's for me! LOL

Jack Frost nipping at your nose....

The view from inside my car on this frosty November morn.

That precarious place between autumn and winter...

I can always tell when winter is around the corner. It all starts with the sunrise and my leaving for work somehow timing exactly for a couple of weeks. Those are the most beautiful mornings where the sun peeks it's fiery head over the horizon of Lake Michigan. It makes me almost want to be up and out of the house that early.

But then it happens...

The morning comes when I am up and out before the sunrise and the day hasn't yawned it's first hello. Everything is dark and quiet. Sleepy buses are making their way, riderless, through town and the I'm nearly blinded by the garish lights of the local Gas 'n Go. The wind is a wee bit colder and the great lake is pitch dark midnight blue. Today there were clouds but on some days there will be the reflection of the waning moon. It's a sure sign that the dark season, winter, is coming.

I'm not like most of the people I know who lament summer's passing. I love summer, don't get me wrong! But I also find an immense amount of beauty in a Wisconsin winter. Yes, it's cold. Burning, hurting cold sometimes. But the crisp clean snow and fresh air are wonderful. The roar of the winter lake against the rocky shore is comforting. The glisten of new snow on over laden trees is so beautiful sometimes it doesn't look real! I love winter. Almost as much as summer.