Snowy Adventures

Yesterday I was looking out the window...because really, what else is there to do when housebound with two small agitated, bored, crazy children except look longingly out the window, remembering what it was like to leave the house. But I digress...

As I was gazing out the window, a couple of our hooved neighbors wandered by and were getting perilously close to discovering Bob's nose. (Doesn't Bob look a little nervous??)

Using my ninja-like skills, I quickly formulated a plan to distract them. I went out on the porch and bribed them. "Come here, pretty deer. I have something tasty for you."
And wouldn't you know it, the fuzzy critters listened to me! And walked right up to me and took my offering oh-so gently right out of my hands. (Apples, in case you're wondering.) I even snuck a quick pet on their noses.
It was pretty cool. I never get tired of seeing the deer go through my yard or trying to entice them with treats (always apples so don't be hatin'!) I've written about our visitors before, here and here, but I'm always amazed and in awe to have such a brush with nature. I don't know why. I just love it. Or maybe I'm a Deer Whisperer and have a special gift.

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Today I loaded up the kids and headed out to brave the roads. I figured crashing into a snowy ditch couldn't be any more painful than enduring another day at home with them. Just kidding! (Kind of.) We headed in to the mall to look for some snowpants for Zoë and I couldn't have been more wrong: leaving the house and going to that particular destination was in fact extremely more painful than staying home would have been. Christmas shoppers combined with every single school in the state having a snow day resulted in masses of people and zero parking spots, which when added to the way below freezing temps and snowy parking lots apparently sucked any hint of Christmas spirit out of people.

I was in Target, meandering through the crowds and trying not to scream, when I came upon some de-icer. As I've mentioned, we have a perilously steep driveway so I figured grabbed some might not be a bad idea. I saw that it was in short supply so I squatted down to look on the bottom shelf. Lo and behold, there was one last gallon jug of the stuff. But! Before I could reach out and get it, some Astoundingly Selfish SOB reached around me and grabbed it. I was shocked into near silence, considering I'd stood there and watched the same man grab two 25lb+ bags of the stuff and heave them into his cart. So it wasn't like we were fighting over the last bit of de-icer. He had ALOT already and had moved away! Shocked and absolutely dismayed by his behavior, I simply stood up and started to walk away, muttering (loud enough for him to hear of course), "I guess I won't be buying any of THAT today." A kind lady who had grabbed several jugs already offered me one but I was too stunned to say anything other than "No thanks." Seriously, I still am in shock at his behavior. I mean, really? You're going to grab the last bit of de-icer, reaching around someone who is obviously interested in it? It just makes me really sad that people act like that. It would have been different if he hadn't already loaded up his cart. I considered following him through the store, waiting until he turned to look at something, and then taking it out of his cart and running off it with. But I didn't think that'd be a very good thing for my kids to witness: mama duking it out with some man over de-icer. Sounds like a scene from a National Lampoon's movie or something. Whatever. I hope he has a Merry Christmas with his extra de-icer.