The first snow!

And man was it a doozy! In fact, it still is! The snow began to fall yesterday and has continued ever since, breaking the more than 100 year old record for the earliest snowfall here! In State College there was anywhere from 4-8 inches and we got at least 2 in Bellefonte (I'm guessing about Bellefonte, the State College numbers were on the news). I had to post tonight to document my experiences!

So in Memphis, this would be like a natural disaster. Everything would be closed and the grocery store would be without bottled water and milk! But here, it's basically business as usual. Schools were delayed but the only ones cancelled were those with no power due to tree limbs falling. That's the bad news, because it's so early the trees still have leaves and the snow made them VERY heavy and dangerous! The good news is that I'm in an area that knows what they're doing! Yesterday I just hibernated and stayed inside with the cats. Didn't have to work so I just cleaned the kitchen and read and watched the TV shows I missed the night before since I went to the show at PSU. Today however, I had to go to work which meant avoiding the roads wasn't gonna happen!

I left super early giving myself more than double the amount of time it normally takes. I got my brand new heavy duty mother-of-all ice/snow scrapers out and cleared off my car and headed in to work. The roads were fine! I still took it slow just to make sure but this is nothing like driving in snow in Memphis. The snow had been plowed and the roads were salted. The drive was not as nerve racking as I thought it would be, thank goodness! At work, several customers commented on the snow and when I mentioned being from the south they were all very kind offering good advice and telling me not to worry, it's not always like this. The drive home was the same, clear roads and easy going.

The only driving obstacle I'm genuinely concerned about is up and down hill. I have driven in icy conditions and I have gotten myself out of skids before (driving from Memphis to Cincinnati in an ice storm comes to mind) but I am not AT ALL used to so many hills and the idea of an icy hill kind of terrifies me. People suggest going to an empty parking lot to practice, but those are all basically flat. I'm gonna have to tackle this fear sooner or later and when I do low drive will be my best friend. Any other advice out there, I'll take it!

Oh, I nearly forgot! My other favorite part of this "snow storm"- Cleo the kitty's reaction! She sat at the back doors yesterday staring at the snow and crying to go outside (where she is only allowed if in a harness and on a leash). I finally decided to let her check it out. I bundled up and got her in her gear and opened the door she was so longingly gazing out. At one point you could see her trying to catch snow flakes through the glass. After opening the door, she looked out and after a glance in each direction, she promptly ran away from the door and snow and never went back! I undid her leash and harness and she spent the rest of the day hibernating with me. I had to get a picture.

Adjusting

It's been over a month and I've made it this long! My favorite things about Pennsylvania so far:

1. The scenery- the leaves are changing, the mountains are beautiful, and the sunsets are incredible. And I can dee star here at night!

2. I'm still cooking! I've made my first pork roast, my first swordfish steak, and many of my standards- lasagna, tilapia, mexican pizza. I'm also eating more veggies, which is really good!

3. Hallmark- I actually really like working there, and I had forgotten how good I was at retail. I sometimes think I should have gone into sales with my ability to talk to anyone at any time!

4. The Shopping- Now I know I said it kinda sucked, and it kinda does, but there is one great thing about the shopping here- the stuff that sold out in Memphis is still on the shelves here and SUPER discounted cause it's already cold outside! Example- this dress was originally priced $89 in Memphis and sold out before I could even think about buying it. I get here and it's still on shelves and marked down to $46.75. I wait and last week I bought it for, drum roll please...$26.30! Oh, and I used a coupon so it was only $21.36!! WHAT?!? I know it's too cold to wear right now but the whole reason I wanted it was for my trip to Hawaii in December! PERFECT!

5. Sales Tax- That's right, I like the sales tax. Why? Because there is none on food or clothes!! Every time I buy clothes I feel like I get a deal at the register cause I forget about the lack of tax until I get there! It's great!

So things are looking up. I've met a lot of the theatre department now and the head of their stage management program asked me to come speak to his class so we're working on a time for that. Also, I'm waiting to hear about a time but I did get on email from the music dept telling me I was on the short list for the job there and will be getting an interview with the committee! Yay! Fingers still crossed on that one! And our book club met for the first time, though only 2 of us showed up. I haven't gotten a definite time for the next meeting so we'll see if that pans out or not!

Fall Leaves Project

So I've decided that since I've never been anywhere to see the fall leaves really change, this year I'm going to relish it and document it! I found a little out of the way church with a farm next door and am taking a picture in the same spot every few days so you could see the leaves changing with me. I have the first two pics on my facebook page already and will put them here as well once I take the third (hopefully tomorrow if the sun comes out). Stay tuned!