And the home visit comes to a close....

My friends in Connecticut asked me if it was snowing in Syracuse. I had to laugh. I've been here a week and I can count on one hand the two days it didn't snow during this break. Christmas  is always nicer when it's white, even though I do remember skateboarding in shorts on during my childhood. The rugged plow life is more like it - I prefer the cold, wintry, miserable Syracuse that has become infamous across the nation.

I'm also stoked to have new boots now to match the lifestyle of Syracuse. I hope I get to use them when I return to plow out my driveway tomorrow, too. I know lil' Roseanne ( the Ford Focus) won't get up my driveway in Stratford unless it is plowed. Nikki calls the shoes "butters," which I sort of like. I shall call them that, too. I scraped them already, thought, and they were flawed within the first 15 minutes of owning them. Mom says, "They're boots. Get over it."

Ah, but it is time to head back to work and the routine of academia - there is always much more to be done. The hiatus of cookies, cakes, and Clay Jam has come to an end (and I anxiously await the January guilt to work off everything I ate these last few weeks even if I was a bit smarter this year and tried not to eat much before I drove home).

I enjoyed the relaxation, knowing my mother is feeling better, Nikki's one liners, Casey's whisky-fest, and having WIRELESS everywhere I go - it took my family a while but everyone is now caught up to the 21st century.  I used my IPad more, too, even if I still feel more comfortable on the laptop.

And so, Syracuse, it looks like a departure until March. I think you are in for much, much more snow, but only time will tell.