:: After 2 rather sleepless nights, I arose yesterday morning and without the benefit of even one sip of coffee, shoveled a long path through the snow so the dogs could take care of business. That being done, I came back in the house, drank the coffee and then proceeded, with the help of my husband, to shovel more snow. Another 8 inches. Enough already.

Anyway, I came back in after all the shoveling and decided that I was going to get back into my pajamas and wear them the rest of the day. And I did.

My pink flannel ‘squirrel’ pajamas, a present from my husband a Christmas or so ago. Now, check out the slippers. My friends, these are not the sort of slippers I would usually choose for myself. But, I’ve been having a slipper problem. I cannot wear the kind that slip on and have no support around the heel. They fall off – often when I’m running up the stairs – resulting in bruised knees. So I buy the slippers that are not slip on. Unfortunately, they stretch out rather quickly. The last pair I tried stretched out in a ridiculously short amount of time and kept falling off my feet. So last week, I set out on a search for slippers. There wasn’t much to choose from. I suppose they were snatched up for Christmas presents. I bought a pair at Target. I came home and realized they were terrible – they didn’t fit right. I went back out. Looked everywhere. Sick of the whole thing, I went into TJ Maxx and grabbed these. They are so not me. When I showed them to Don, we both laughed. I was doubtful.

I love them. Who knew? They are warm and wonderful, especially with hardwood floors. Maybe I can spend every day in my flannel pajamas and slippers. They make me happy.

:: As I was traveling to NYC the other day, Don came home to a frozen pipe under the kitchen sink. It’s been really cold here, but I don’t think we realized how cold it was that morning. Fortunately, it had only been frozen for a short while. Hair dryer in hand, he eventually heard a drip. Then another. Then the gush of warm water.

Since it has remained very cold and will be for the next few days, we are living with cupboard doors open, so the pipes are exposed to the warm air in the kitchen. It’s driving me nuts. Between that and the keeping the drips going, I feel like I’m living in a bunker. And yes, we have wrapped all the pipes we can reach with insulation. These are in the crawl space under the kitchen and we can’t get to them.

:: The garland on my living room cupboard/armoire is staying where it is. It makes me happy. Speaking of the cupboard, I must confess that it holds some items that I am hoarding.

Yes, I admit it. I do not like the new energy efficient CFLs. I have them. I’ve tried using them in several lamps.  I want to be a good citizen. But, I do not like the quality of the light they emit. And, quite frankly, I don’t like being told that they are the only kind of bulb I can use in the future. Excuse me? Plus, they have mercury in them and if broken, are dangerous. And we all break light bulbs. So, every time I go out, I buy some more incandescent bulbs.

I recycle. I try to be environmentally conscious in my home. But I hate CFLs.  I want good, old-fashioned incandescent light bulbs.  And if that means I have to be on a episode of Hoarders, so be it.

:: My friend Donna of Brynwood Needleworks sent me this:

She made this pincushion for me, using my favorite color. Isn’t it adorable? It is swoonalicious (a new word I’ve had coined for just this kind of sweetness.) Thank you, my talented friend!

:: I am a lover of words. Words have power. My professional work deals directly with the power of words. Once written or uttered out loud, they cannot be taken back. Their energy goes out into the world. Something has been bothering me for a few years now. Surely, surely there can be no debate, no question that the political rhetoric in this country needs to change. Name calling, character assassination, demeaning language – all of it promotes and condones a lack of civility in this country that is appalling. It cheapens the debate. Wherever someone stands on the political spectrum, if he or she consistently uses inflammatory language, demeaning language, language meant to incite violence in any form – be it literal or figurative, that person forfeits his standing as someone to be listened to and respected.

This isn’t a political blog. I try to keep my political beliefs private. But this lack of civility is becoming more and more an ‘accepted’ way to treat one’s fellow man. It takes a bit more time to choose one’s words carefully, but it simply must be done. We must treat each other with respect. We are all one.

:: Have a wonderful day. I’m going to work on my script today. And then travel to Manhattan tomorrow.