Day 275 ~ "Me", a Name I Call Myself...

I never thought I would find myself writing about the weather.  But from where I sit, why not?  ... Besides, if you think about it, it has been pretty crazy out!!

First off... if you don't know by now, you do now... I live in Texas... the most far west point of Texas... ol' El Paso. 

This picture is of the brown-out on Wednesday... the heat go-
ing  up to 80.  Looking out, we normally have a view of Frank-
lin Mountains in this direction- this is not a poor quality pho-
tograph, truth is this is how it looked!... I literally had to take
a second look... and I couldn't see a thing!

When I first visited El Paso nearly twelve years ago, I never thought (a) that I would end up living here, and (b) that it was capable of snowing here as well.

The heat... I was warned about...  The winds... I was warned about... The snow... well I was warned that it did that here as well...  

However... to have it be windy, brown out conditions, with over 80 degrees Fahrenheit one day ... and then two days later have it be in the mid forties ... and now I am hearing on the news that there's a possibility of snow tonight!  This is absolutely crazy!  I was never warned about this!  wink, wink.

Taken 12.24.11 ... looking at Franklin Mountains (Snow!)  We
do have clouds covering up the peaks, but the skies above
are blue. 

It is winter, for crying out loud!  What happened to our winter!?!  It seems as if El Paso has two seasons, a warm cool and HOT!

First off... I think that this year we had snow in El Paso, before my girlfriend did in Chicago!  Poor gal.  She's still waiting for winter to come... 

Me... well I would like for winter to stick around longer.  But from the look of it, it looks like we'll be back up to 80 by next Thursday, with winds and a slight possibility of rain.  Rain, YES... Wind, GO AWAY!

This is the same city, that last year in the beginning of February we had what they call a flash freeze like you wouldn't believe.  It shut the city down for three days, leaving some families without power for days and in some cases, without water for weeks (a friend of mine has a well, and they did not have water for two months!).

We were down to below zero at night for a couple of days, with the highs in the upper 10's.  again... It was absolutely crazy!  Pipes were frozen throughout the city, ours too  :(  There was a huge power outage, we were out for a day  :)  You couldn't get any water anywhere... all the  shelves were left in a debacle.  Somehow, we ended up with 8 cases of water... we were good here.

This winter has not gotten that cold.  However we have had it snow on three different occasions, including Christmas Eve, and it's on the verge of a fourth time.  But it really has not stayed cold... more like overnight occurrences.

Is this normal?  I have no clue, I've only lived here for three and a half years.  All I know is, it is hot seven months out of the year... and then it's either mild or a bit chilly.  But to have it be cold like back east... luckily we do not experience that here as a norm.

So ... is there global warming going on, or not?  Many people (republicans) think that it is just another ploy by others (democrats).  Who'd a thunk that weather could get political too?  

I remember someone telling me that the "others" were paying off the scientists to come up with their findings... really?  Then the arctic is not melting?  

I don't know...!  What I do know is that I feel like grabbing two fists full of hair and scream due to all the confusion.

I have been called a "liberal" by many republicans, and then a tad "conservative" by democrats themselves.  What am I? ... 

well I am "me"! ... (or as Donny and Marie would sing... "I'm a little bit country, and I'm a little bit rock 'n roll") ... maybe I am liberally conservative?  or conservatively liberal? ... when it comes to politics, I don't believe any of them (politicians that is... they'll say anything for a vote!)  I hold on to my true values and morals, try not to judge others, and do what's best for my family and myself... That is what I "am".

How does the joke go?  How can you tell if a politician is lying?  ...If he's talking.  

I am not trying to get political here... but between the weather, and politics... well let's just say the weather-(wo)men, or to be politically correct (pc), the "meteorologists" are better at their jobs, than most of the political leaders we have in office.  

I leave you with infamous words... or rather the words of the infamous Rodney King, 

"Can we all get along ?" 

Blessings to all!!

90 days to go...

PS... for a, l & c.  You are my sunshine(s).  

Some images courtesy of google and bing images.  U.S Copyright laws may apply.  ©

Day 198 ~ Enjoying My Snow Day

What a day! ... Just finished wrapping a ton of gifts.  Do not ask me how I ended up with a ton of them, because it wasn't like I did a bunch of shopping.  Okay, and money does come into play as well- not like we had a ton of it laying around either.  

Doesn't matter how you look at it, I feel blessed that we even have some gifts under our tree.

Then there's tomorrow... I just finished my plan on what I need to get done tomorrow... and it is not pretty!  

I have the line up of all the cookies Calley and I will be making tomorrow.  Comes out to be around fourteen dozen.  Yes I said fourteen!  But, I am only making about six or so different kinds... my famous oatmeal/raisin/pecan cookies, my signature cinnamon roll cookies (I will not be sharing this recipe, just sayin'), turtle cookie bars, and fudge.  I know fudge is not a cookie, however I am making it.  A Christmas time must.  I know there's one or two more, but I do not want to get up to get my to do list.

Why am I making so many?  Well, it's the ultimate gift this time of year.  Right up my alley.  Which means, that I will enjoy baking and cooking with Calley most the day; giving treats is easy on the pocket; and it spreads love and joy.  What a great way to give and spread cheer!  

Oh, and I haven't even mentioned what I am dreading to do on my list and have tried my best all week to avoid... going to the store tomorrow!  Y-I-K-E-S!!!  I discovered that I need just a few more stocking stuffers.. just a bit shy.  Darn Christmas stockings!  (don't want the stockings to be all skinny!)  Oh and I need just a tad more butter and sugar for the baking.

AY! That's not the half of it... We woke up to snow this morning, which does not happen every year in western Texas, let alone at Christmas time.  So Lord knows what the roads will be like in the morning.  Ideally, I would love to be at Target right when the doors open, and then hit Sam's on the way back home, stopping only for dog food.

Question of the hour... What will the weather bring us tonight?  How will it affect my morning?  (I know that was two questions, not like I'm in the 9 items or less line)  Goal is to be back home by 9am... What do you think?  Whatever way it goes, I will have fun and be safe.  After all it is Christmas Eve tomorrow, which only brings more festivities in the Karam family.

The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other.    - Burton Hillis

On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me,

...   ten years of music

...   nine cousins playing

...   eight years of lovin' 

...   seven days of singing

...   six months of blogging
...   five rooms plus more

...   four loving dogs

...   three cook books

...   two ceiling fans 

...   our little girl, we call Calley

Blessings to all!!

167 days to go...

PS... I love and miss you boys.  To the moon and stars above and back.  You are my sunshines.

All contents herein are protected under Copyright laws and can not be used, altered or copied.  All accounts herein are written by Carla B Karam and are true accounts of her life.  Some names may be changed to protect the innocent or protect me from the guilty.  (just kidding...wink, wink)

Picture credits... images courtesy of Bing images.

Day 181 ~ Life Through Calley's Eyes

As you may have already suspected... yes... the first thing I did after waking up this morning was look out the window! ... and no... the snow did not stick on our side of town.  Funny thing, just over the hill, fifteen-twenty minutes away... it did snow.  

El Paso is like that.  It can be raining cat and dogs where we live, and six miles away where my in laws live... zilch.  So... although I felt slightly hesitant at believing the weather forecast, the little girl in me wanted it to snow so bad!

courtesy of Bing images

Funny... I just realized that it has been ages since I felt that way... excited for snow to come.  Did you ever feel that anxious feeling, and, or the excitement, as if you're were a child again, waiting, and staring out the window, wishing for snow to come.  I saw that "feeling" in Calley last night.  I would have to say that now that I look back on that moment, it was a precious moment.


What happened with Calley this morning?  Well, it so happened that we woke up busy.  Have you ever had that happen?  From the time our eyes opened, and we headed out the door, Calley did not bring up the "s" word... "snow."  And ... then, we left to run some errands, drove away and headed towards the mountains... Calley was so sweet and innocent when she turned to me and said... "WOW! look at the mountains mommy, they are so beautiful."  I would have loved to have shared a picture of our mountains with you, however... I was driving. (wink, wink)

I love seeing life through Calley's eyes.  She keeps me young.

Youth is a wonderful thing.  What a crime to waste it on children.  ~George Bernard Shaw

 Children seldom misquote.  In fact, they usually repeat word for word what you shouldn't have said.  ~Author Unknown

Blessings to all!!

184 days to go...

All contents herein are protected under Copyright laws and can not be used, altered or copied. All accounts herein are written by Cali-Gal/Carla B Karam and are true accounts of her life. Some names may be changed to protect the innocent.

Day 180 ~ ♪♫•♪♫ Let It Snow ♪♫•♪♫

What a lovely fall day.  Most of the day was cloudy, lot's of record fog around town, rainy and brrrrrr cold.  At one point it was thirty-five degrees out and before I knew it, within the hour it had dropped down to twenty-nine.  It began haling, very small little balls and a few moments later Calley and I looked out the window, and there we had it... light flurries!

It was snowing!  It wasn't sticking, but it was snowing!  and Calley... ecstatic!  The rest of the afternoon?  Yes, you got it... Calley wanted it to snow more.  As if I had a switch to turn it on and off!

I can not say that I would be able to live back east... I feel for all of you and I'm a baby (raised in sunny Southern California, Thank you very much.)  The closest I got to having a taste of cold weather, was living in Seattle [for nearly ten years.]  

You could almost count on seeing snow at least one day each year in the fall or winter... I even remember it snowing for two days one year, and the city completely shut down.  [What happened was that the city of Seattle had sold their snow plows/machinery to a neighboring city the year before because of its lack of use!  Bahaha!  Isn't that always the way it goes?]

Not that I am wishing for a two day closure here!  Bite your tongue!  Well, regardless it was a lovely cool day in Western Texas today!  I think the only thing that would have made it a tad nicer... a roaring fire.  (No fireplace.  A small little detail.  wink-wink)

I can't believe that it is twenty-two degrees right now, with the wind chill... a whopping twelve degrees!  WOW! I can just imagine hold cold it will be at six in the morning.  I certainly hope for Dean's sake that there is at least a two hour school delay so he won't have to go in at six in the morning! (my poor baby.)

Here's to hoping Calley can make a little snow ball in the morning.  (big smile.)

It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air.  ~W.T. Ellis

When we recall Christmas past, we usually find that the simplest things - not the great occasions - give off the greatest glow of happiness.  ~Bob Hope

Blessings to all!!

185 days to go...

All contents herein are protected under Copyright laws and can not be used, altered or copied. All accounts herein are written by Cali-Gal/Carla B Karam and are true accounts of her life. Some names may be changed to protect the innocent.