You know it's been winter too long when . . .

1.  You need to refer to the original purchasing documents to refresh your memory as to what color your car really is.  "Road salt gray" is not the original color.  In the back of your mind, you kind of remembered that.

2.  People understand that you need to sweep the inside of your vehicle and get the excuse of "winter car."

3.  You have a developed pattern of how you scrape your car off.

4.  You have an alternate plan when ice is involved.

5.  You don't have enough time between snowstorms to properly launder your coat.

6.  That's okay, because you are rather used to the cold.  A little fleece coat in 14 F seems fine for wearing while shoveling snow from the apron of the driveway.

7.  The console is beginning to run low on storm food.

8.  Your spouse has become desperate and has now had to bum windshield wiper fluid from your 2 gallon emergency stash in your car.  The worst part?  You are now down to a half gallon in reserve and that concerns you.

9.  Your daughter has worn snow boots every week to church with her cute little dresses.  No need to change.  No one even notices.

10. Tennis shoes seem like appropriate enough winter footwear.  You've developed a plan of action for avoiding big puddles and large slicks of ice. 

11. The neighbor rescues your parcel off the porch for fear that something inside may freeze and that wouldn't be good.

12. Gloves seem optional. 

13. Your hands are so dry that they would make lovely sandpaper, if only you were a carpenter. 

14. School is already called off for the next day at 6:30 PM the day prior.

15. That additional day off officially puts you over your allotted number of snow (calamity) days and now you are going to have to make that time up.

16. You have alternate ways of going everywhere.

17. You were considering draping a shower curtain over your windshield to avoid ice build-up.

18. Your mud flaps clog with ice, but thankfully the friction of the tires carves a nice curve in the ice flaps that are now permanently affixed to the winter sled you drive.

19. You don't want to know what the gas bill is.

20. You hit the grocery days before the storm is supposed to hit, because you know if you wait, you'll be eating pork rinds and drinking V8 while wiping with low-end toilet paper.  (Uh, no pun intended on the low-end, but now that I re-read, it gives me a good chuckle!)

21. You forget what your lawn looks like green.  It's been under near constant full coverage of snow since the third week in November.  (Except for 2 days of melting the last week of December.  Still not all succeeded in melting before getting hit again.)

22. You wander if it is still green or if snow mold has taken hold. 

23. You wonder if your zone 5 perennials will be perennialing for you anymore.

24. You hope that the branches can withstand all the ice.

25. The sleet outside is audible over a humming computer.

26. Managers called to say that they were closing the store down 3 hours early and you ask them why.  You are already there and it seems perfectly fine, right? 

27. You get paid for those three hours that you didn't work.

28. You take those three hours, go home and start making valentines.  That is the February storm project that you do every. single. year.  No need to break tradition now!

29. Your husband's boss calls to say that there is no need to risk life or limb to come to work the next day.  If there is need to take a vacation or personal day because of weather, he fully supports it. 

30. You can tell how bad the weather is by the height of the sleeves of the weather man on Channel 11.  Buttoned and cuffed?  You are fine.  Unbuttoned and rolled up to his elbows?  You are in for it.

31. When there is something bright outside you wonder what is going on.  Is it a fire?  A transformer blew?  No!  It's just the sun.  You remember!  Ahhhh, it hasn't been around in a long time.

I'm sure that I've missed some.  Feel free to add to my list in the comments. 

A prayer request:
My dad has been suffering from some funk from the time Mom had her hysterectomy August 26.  He's been on perhaps 4 antibiotics with no help.  The doctor was going to prescribe a 5th antibiotic when Mom suggested a scan be done.  The scan showed that my father has an aneurysm in the main artery that runs in the middle of his chest.  It measures 3.6 and the measurement for main cause of concern starts at 4.  I'm not so good with my dad hauling around with that in his chest, particularly since given the information just learned today, it is most likely that this is what caused my Uncle Bobby's death 3 years ago.  He goes to visit the doctor in 2 weeks. 

Grandpa is still in the hospital and on the vent.  They had to tie him down because he was trying to pull the vent out.  I'm sure that makes him overly joyous.

Smiles in my day:
-  Getting 14 of the 22 perling bead heart sun catchers made with K- this evening.  We'll bust out the other 8 tomorrow. 
-  Crock-pot dinner.  No fuss and very little muss.
-  April finally having the sound of relief in her voice.  Her parent's house will be on the market as of Tuesday.  This has been a bit of a long and tough road for her, but she is now to a point that hopefully she feels relief.

Have a very wonderful and safe day!