WHAT TO DO WHEN IT IS -20 OUT

I haven't seen it this cold in years, with the wind-chill warnings spreading over 3 days up here on the hill. The dog does not want to go outside to do her business, and instead deposits offerings on the living room rug. Really? Ya couldn't wait? So I am going to make a few modest suggestions, and hopefully, the dire political situation will stay outside on the windy deck.

1/ Stay in your fuzzy pajamas all day. Then you won't have to change at night. Just keep those warm leggings on and those ugly UGGS to keep warm. First I took a pic of me in my warm sweaters so you could see the layers, but it frightened me so much I almost passed out. Instead, took a pic of me in the bathroom mirror--distance helps erase those age lines.

2/ Look at a beautiful flower, and if so inclined, pray a little. This is one of those odd inventions plant people came up with: no watering, no soil, wrap around plastic, and kind of depressed blooms. CBD oil for discouraged plants? Viagra for blooms?

3/ Start a prayer flag for a dear friend who needs one.  I think all of us need prayer flags for the various dire events in our lives: chronic illness, cancer, wobbly legs, an unsteady marriage, going AF, aging, and more. This is really fun to do, and when you are creating something, your mind cannot worry or obsess. (Check out "Prayer Flags" on pinterest if you are interested--great ideas.) And yes, I had to order a whole new sewing machine because--guess what--chemo brain forgot how to thread old one. This is self-threading!

4/ Take pictures of beautiful things in your house. This--oddly enough--is a hosta plant I've kept inside ever since a friend gave it to me. (I will not say gifted, I will not!)  Once or twice yearly it sends out these astonishing, delectable blossoms which remind me--as babies did Mark Twain--that God still believes in this world.

5/  Do not, I repeat, do not raise the shades. They keep the cold air out of your house. Imagine that an unshaded window is effectively an open window. This is our dog lying on back of couch over heat vent, happy to be warm. Even the squirrels are huddled in their holes. 

6/ Take a video of the storm while it is happening. I did this Sunday, in my PJs, as I wanted the full effect of the wind and snow from the open deck glass door. I was freezing at the end and thought about making coffee with Bailey's Irish Cream in it, but I am still AF for another 3 days. And still feeling amazing with no alcohol in my system.

Stay warm, my peeps; make Tuscan/farro soup; don't go outside; drink hot tea with honey; and soon this will pass, as most things do. Even Trump will pass. God told me so.