Jonas vs NOVA.....Jonas Wins

we are buried this weekend under winter storm jonas. all the creatures at la casa de gaio are hunkered down for some gnarly winter weather. we've been hit with about 30 inches of snow.

before-as the first flakes begin to fall. a normal suburban street.

during-remember those cars from the last picture? they're still there....somewhere...lumps of white under more white. if you look really closely? you can see the rearview mirrors sticking out. but nothing else. with the winds, it's near white-out conditions. and we still have five hours of snow to go....

i'm sure in a few days i will be sick and tired of staring at white, but for now i'm enjoying the winter landscape. and appreciating that mother nature is forcing me to spend a few days inside. all plans have been canceled. the heated blankets are warm, and the jammies are on. i foresee many naps and snacks in the near future!

first order of business, i came up with a new cocktail to celebrate the weather! i call it "the snow drift". it's so very crisp and refreshing! and the prettiest of colors. i made them with our brunch to add a little warmth to the blood before going out to shovel. the first of many shovelings.

Snow Drift
3 oz pink grapefruit juice (fresh squeezed if you can)
1 1/2 oz gin
1/2 oz st germain liqueur

-shake with ice
-strain into cocktail glass
-garnish with maraschino cherry

tony was vigilant with keeping the back of the house shoveled so that our poor lil hound had a place to go when she needed to. here you can see exactly how high the snow has piled. when she tried to jump into a snow bank? she sank almost up to her ears!

we always keep a coat on her during winter weather. she's a florida girl. she doesn't like the cold. this is her face of "whisky tango foxtrot people......WHY??????"

cash faired far better. he has discovered that mahjong's dog bed makes for a nice warm spot to spend the day. he's doing well these days. healed from his injuries and becoming a snuggle bug!

other activities for the weekend will include making muffins, napping, making casseroles, snoozing, making chili, dozing, making cookies, and.......doing my taxes ('cause i'm a badass like that).

i'm sure the novelty of this madness will wane quickly. but for now? in this moment? i'm grateful for the hunkering!