It looks like Winter out there

And my goodness it it sure does feel like it too! This morning was SO cold, i had to scrape heavy frost off of the windows of my car. But what a great day for the weather to decide to snow for us. Jessica and I met up with Jodell at The Herbfarm this morning to decorate for the holiday season. It's always so much fun to prep up for Christmas. Jessica tackled the tree decorations and putting the tree together (it's a fake one, of course) and I took on the mantle decorations in the salon. Jodell was helping us and giving us tips on the holiday embellishments and it was such a pleasure to work with someone that has a great eye and communicates so well. I have to say that i would love to spend a day as her student and learn tricks of the trade in floral design and just plain 'ol decorating in general. She gave me a few tips on floral design, which i asked for since i absolutly love (and lose too much time sometimes at work...). She said that i have a great eye and a good opinion of color and placement. I certinley will take that as a great compliment from someone who has a background as her. She recently designed a line of umbrellas which will be delivered to her in about 3 weeks. She said that there are seven different colors with an additional three different handles which of course are mixed and matched. Anyways, Jodell is doing well and i had fun with her and Jessica. I actually got to do a little silk floral arrangement that i got critiqued by Jodell, she said that it was great, since i picked what went it there and all she did was come in and do a little "fluffing" and gave me a few pointers. She also asked why i hadn't taken over the floral arranging for the restaurant, she thought that i should have a LONG time ago. Anyways, i again had a good time this morning with the girls. I made coffee in the big pumper pot and we went through two of em! Carolyn and Misty were also there this morning doing the monthly inventory for the pantry, which i got out of because i was helping with the fun stuff, good trade off? YES, i got lucky this month, and last month because i was off eloping... :)

Now about that weather again! As of this moment it is mixed rain and snow at my house here in North Seattle. It was plain old raining for quite a while when the storm system started through, but i don't think we will get anything that amounts to much out this way, we are just too low. When i was leaving this evening to go to dinner it felt pretty warm out there. Too warm to snow, but it smelled of snow. And when i left The Jones there were a few little flakes that were falling and melting as soon as they hit my windshield. I always get so excited when there is a possibility of snow in the city. There is just something about snow that is so pure and serene. I love when it has snowed and you go outside to walk around and it is so quiet and the sound of steps in the freshly fallen snow is so wonderful. Another great thing about the snow coming to Western Washington tonight and tomorrow is that i don't have to try to be anywhere! That is the best when you know that you don't have to brave the roads with all of the other people out there. Especially when you live in an area that is very hilly. Even if we don't get any measurable snow here in the city, it's fun to watch the news and see the kids out there sledding and all of the pictures of the area covered.
Joe, Jessica and Sally all reported snow at their homes on Sunday morning. They live in the Monroe and Mill Creek areas. I learned that they are part of the convergence zone in Puget Sound and usually get snow when the rest of us see nothing, i think they also get more rain when the rest of us just get clouds. Lucky ducks, they have already gotten snow!!
On my sad note of the weather, i believe that it has thrown me into another arthritis flare. For the past two or three days i have been very worn out and yesterday i noticed twards the end of my work day that my hand started turning red and was getting a little swollen. This morning it was worse, and the redness was still there. Pain is getting worse and i'm affraid that it could be the return of an infection. It hurts to use my right hand for pretty much anything. I could feel it throbbing when i was trying to nap after i got home from work today. The pain killers aren't really doing anything. I think i have to put a call into Dr G tomorrow and see what she says. The oxy's are hardly touching the pain, it mildly dulls it, but does nothing of the sort of taking it away. The thought of that scares me. I was driving into work this morning and listening to a morning radio show and they were saying something about how something was as fun as taking vicodin and hot cocoa, I nearly laughed out loud because vicodin does nothing to me anymore. I think i would have to take 6 for them to make me feel any effect. Tonight i took my usual one oxycotin that i take (one in the AM, one in the PM is the schedule they have me on) and two percoset and didn't touch the pain and i wasn't all loopy as most people would be. Most people it would knock em out, but nope, not me, I just sit here and type away about decorating for the holidays and the potential for snow. It really scares me on the tolerance that i have gained over the past 23 months. And when i saw Jason tonight for dinner and showed him my hand, he said "it's christmas time, that means it's time for another surgery" Past two christmas days i have had painful times that led to trips to the emergency room and eventually to surgery. I don't know what they could possibly do this time. I'm thinking that when i get blood work done and if it shows infection that they will just put me back on the zyvox. Nothing too major, but i don't like being on these antibiotics all of the time. That thought scares me more than the pain killers... almost...
I have been doing so well with the tapering too! This sucks. I'm all the way down to 13 mg. I had to take an additional 5 mg today to try to stop the swelling in the hand, but i feel like my attitude is getting better from finally getting off the high dose. I was even doing a trial taper of the zoloft, but i don't think that this is the time now since the flare is in action. I found myself being on edge this past week. I thought that it was just because i was mad that the restaurant was open for Thanksgiving, but started to realize that even when i wasn't thinking about that, i was still grumpy. So i decided that i will keep the same dose of zoloft until my prednisone level is stable and i have gone down as far as i think i can go. That will probably be next summer. We'll see. I just don't want to be sad or grumpy this holiday season. There are so many good things going on right now and i really need to enjoy them. Jason and I just got married, Andy is getting married in February. Sarah is coming to visit soon with her family. Nickki and i are hanging out more. I WILL get a raise at work and i still do enjoy my job for the most part. J and I get to have a party to celebrate our marriage!! Just too many wonderful things are going on that i hate being so tired all of the time. I don't want to be the person that just can do one thing a day and then go to sleep. And that's all it has been for the past 6 weeks it seems. I get so exhasted from work that all i want to do is crawl into bed and lay there. I have gotten so far behind in my ironing for work that it's wearing me out just thinking about starting that project. I've been just able to keep up with the lace doily ironing, havent had the energy to tackle the table cloths.... Damn that's what i should be doing right now, especially since this week at work is so busy and weird. We are going to be serving 5 days in a row. We have a lunch on the 30th, 2 small groups for dinner on Thursday and regular service for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I stayed at work for about 2 extra hours tried to get a head start on all of the folding. The shipment of linen that i got in this week was wonderful and just the right amount of starch so folding has been a breeze this week. I'm such a dork when it comes to my work, i get excited about the smallest things. The small things are really the things that matter right?? I think so. I have been trying so hard lately to do my very very best a work. I made a updated my prep sheet for work about, oh goodness, 6 weeks ago, maybe 2 months ago, and it's very detailed and it covers all of the tasks that i do that i would do on a VERY thourough day, but it's everyday thing now. I was wondering and not realizing why it was taking me so long to do set-up a few days back. Then i realized that it's because i am doing all of these little things that make the restaurant tighter and tidy. And the dining room has been looking so good. The new chargers are not chipping like the last ones and that makes SUCH a HUGE difference. The goblets that we FINALLY got in make things sparkle again and Carolyn does a wonderful job on polishing the stemware and flatware. I have to say that we are a good team. An eye for detail and caring about what you do really comes through when you put in the effort. I've been having so much fun in my own little world setting up, i just need to stop stessing myself out about things at work that are out of my control and just relax. When i learn how to do that.... Wait, i don't know if that is a possiblity, but i can try!

Alright, enough for tonight. I did my ranting and raving about work, depressed myself all over again for my one day off this week. Talked about the weather and how i love weather. Discussed the wonderful things that are going on in my family. And revisited days with Jodell and decor and floral arranging. Good night and have sparkling snowy dreams.

Love Anne Jones