The roundest snow I've ever seen

Alright, alright... most people call this hail. But it felt like snow when I grabbed up handfuls of it. It was an impressive downpour, five minutes for sure of white balls of fury bouncing off of every surface and fuzzing the air so you couldn't see that far in front of you. I had to run outside and stand in it like an idiot because it makes me happy like a kid.

I am always trying to catch the snow/hail on film. It's so magical to me and gorgeous to be in the middle of it. However, my camera refuses to capture it the way I experience it. This is my bike. I ride it to work almost every day. I ride in the rain (that explains the plastic bag over the seat), I ride it in thirty degree weather that makes my knuckles stiffen so that my hands become big claws, and I ride it in snow. I will definitely avoid riding it in ice, which I expect the ground to be covered with by tomorrow morning. The water that gathers at the curbs was just beginning to ice up on my way home. My bike has a bambi bell on it. Philip and Max picked it out for me one year to put in my stocking. I enjoy it quite a bit.

Right as I left the store to carry all those packages to the post office it started snowing again. Big dashing flakes of it. Kind of slushy, but satisfying. I worried that it would be over by the time I got back outside. Right as I left the Post Office it filled the sky in a huge flurry of wet giant flakes that immediately made all the roads white and I walked back to the store with the biggest idiot grin on my face. Then I had to get the camera to try for more pictures. Maybe I worry that no one will believe I get to walk in snow now.

As you all must realize by now, my least favorite holiday is fast approaching and I want to come up with a few gift "baskets" for guys (or gals) to get their gals. A few boxes filled with goodies and decorated. So I ask you, would you like to open up a pretty box and find these things inside? The items are: a My Perennial t-shirt with felt flower embellishment, an oilcloth make-up bag, and a bar of Ahava moisturizing soap. For the cool girl on the go. I just made that up. (Maybe I need to work on it a little more.)

Here's another possible gift box: a Terramoto tea pot with two tea/dish towels. Personally, I would love to get a box with those things in it. I guess that's pretty obvious since I don't carry things in my shop that I don't like. Would you enjoy receiving that?

The funniest thing about trying to come up with Valentine gift boxes is that Philip and I don't really exchange gifts for this holiday. We buy nice alcohol (like a bottle of Iron Horse champagne. Oh, excuse me, I mean: sparkling wine.) Sometimes we buy each other some fancy chocolates. Usually I make an extra nice dinner. As materialistic a person as I am, I really don't feel the need to give or receive anything on this day. It might be because of my feelings about this holiday. Which I won't repeat since I already went on about it in a previous post. (I really should learn to link old posts with new ones.)

As a retail store owner though, it's in my best interests to inspire people to exchange gifts as often as possible. It's a little weird. I'd like to become less materialistic myself and yet I spend every day trying to inspire people to acquire more things. I will say that my shop carries items that people need on a regular basis like cleaning products. Which makes me feel good.

Well, I have to go write up an order for Chronicle Books. I've been avoiding it. But it must be done. You all have a great night. May it be filled with snow!!


FutureGirl- see, I did it! I did what you said and it worked! (the strike through text trick)