"Baby it's cold outside..."

Pa Joad having a Coke at our kitchen bar. This is right after they arrived.
Ma Joad getting the band back together.
Gma J and her walker were on tamborine (or baby shaker toy).
Buck was on percussion (baby pot and ladle)
A small picture of the band for the cover
Buck's favorite toy during the visit was Gma's walker. Both of them practiced their walking a number of times a day.

A few first thoughts: My parents are not still here. These are the pictures I took last week that I didn't post. Now that I am on top of the posting (every day, remember?), I am using the pictures from last week because they're still cute. I talked to my folks this morning and they were heading out of Elko and should be in Reno by tonight. Next thought: it's currently NEGATIVE 25 DEGREES CELCIUS (-13 F) here in Calgary. Yes, that's right - it is officially "butt-ass cold." Forgive my language - but this is the type of weather for which swearing should be presevered. Feel free to add a comment if you simply have never been in weather this cold. Feel free to come up and experience it. We're inside a lot. My favorite is that the humidity that builds up on the insides of the windows (between the windows and the blinds) actually freezes into a layer of ice covering the window inside the house. I currently have towels in all of our bedroom window sills. We live in a version of the ice hotel (and it could cost that much after we get our heating bill. I have shorts on right now).

Rumor has it that the spring will come. I already can't wait to get to balmy Colorado for Christmas. A couple that we're friends with here has asked us to go with them to cut down our Christmas tree -- uhhh...it sure as heck better get a little warmer first or that white tinsel tree we bought for the WT Christmas party might be all Buck gets this year.

It is also snowing. But those might be flurries. I can't tell if the wind is whipping up the snow already present or if the smoke & steam being released from our chimney (and those of our neighbors) is just freezing as it comes down. I haven't been outside today, so I can't tell you if I would simply freeze on the spot, but RKZ did shovel snow before work this morning and his face was still chilly after 10 minutes in the house. He's seriously my hero at this point. We are hoping to get his car into the garage tonight since he had some trouble starting it this morning (yikes). We watched some golf televised from Palm Springs the other day and I almost started to cry. Freekin' losers with their sunglasses on. They were wearing them just to spite me.

Bad mommy moment will go on all day as I scavenge (is that the word, E?) our pantry for something for Buck to eat since I have no intention of going to the grocery store today. I think he might like beets from the can. That's what Daddy's getting for dinner.