It’s the first Friday of the month, which means it’s time to join Coco and Deborah for the Ultimate Coffee Date! Ugh, February- I might have mentioned (oh, a few times), that I’m a Valentine’s Day scrooge. The latest annoyance is that this month’s episode of the Indie Press List from Currently Reading podcast is all romance novels. Grr. Let’s just get past this pink and red heart holiday and on with regular life.
The first thing I would share over coffee is that I ran a marathon! Well- not officially, but according to my Garmin.
I had a 26 mile run on my schedule, and you better believe I added that extra .2! More details coming up in the Weekly Rundown on Sunday, but for the most part it was a successful run.
Let’s move on to the big topic- the weather. We survived our cold snap! We had three nights in a row where we got down in the 30s (the first two nights hitting 32 with windchill temps in the 20s). This is COLD for South Florida! While we’re set up really well for heat, we don’t know what to do with cold weather. Let me give you a couple examples.
The first morning, our house was pretty cold so we turned on the heat. At first it blew hot air, but after a few minutes the air coming out was cool. I asked my husband “Does it seem like this isn’t working?”
He said “Oh yeah- the last time the AC guy was here he said not to turn the heat on. I forgot about that.” WHAT. I mean- windchill temps in the 20s require a heated house, RIGHT? I grimly got myself prepared for a chilly couple of days, but then we hit on a formula- turn the heat on for a little, then turn it off again, etc. Every time we turned it on it blew hot for a while, enough to take the chill off. Sheesh.
The second day of our cold front was Monday. When I went to take my daughter to school, I discovered that my windshield was iced over. This has never, EVER happened to me in South Florida! I was baffled. My daughter said “Can’t you just scrape it off?” Um- with WHAT? It’s not like we own an ice scraper.
My husband came out to help. We turned on the wiper fluid and rubbed at the ice vigorously with cloths until it was cleared. Meanwhile, my daughter’s friends were texting that their windshields were iced as well. One of them just turned on the defroster, but had to wait 20 minutes and was late to school. At least we were on time!
What would you tell me over coffee? Do you like Valentine’s Day? Romance novels? Do you own an ice scraper?
45 Responses
I am not a big fan of Valentine’s Day either. It feels so forced and I was glad when my kids were out off Elementary school and we (aka I) had to get Valentine’s for the whole class.
Sorry your heat was not working during the cold spell. It never gets this cold where we are but it gets cold enough to have the heater on a lot of days during winter (we are all wimps in California). We do have an ice scraper but never had to use it so far but in the good o,d days I chipped away at the ice with a store membership card or other which does not work very well.
Yes- I am glad to be done with all the Valentine school stuff. My daughter still gets things for a couple friends, but I leave that up to her.
We usually don’t turn our het on at all- even if it gets down to the 40s (occasionally) it heats up enough during the day that we don’t need heat. This week was very unusual for us!
I hate Valentine’s Day. I hate how it makes people who are not paired up feel like shit (aka, my daughter).
So is this is forever? You can’t have your heat on? Can it be fixed? Is it worth the cost?
Well- we don’t normally need heat. Next time we get the AC serviced we’ll have to ask them about it.
Glad someone else is a VD scrooge!
Also can confirm that a credit card is better than a cloth for those of us who do not need an ice scraper more than once every 30 years.
Okay, good to know!
How s*** you ran a marathon all by your lonesome?! That is crazy work my friend! I cannot fathom running that far by myself on a random day. But I guess if you’re planning to run 60 miles on your birthday, you have to be able to run a marathon mid-week!
We get some colder weather than South Florida, but frosted windshields are rare here. When there is frost on the grass everyone freaks out! I feel like this year it’s been a lot chillier than normal, but I was realizing we haven’t had a frosted grass day. Which seems weird…
I also dislike Valentine’s Day. For YEARS I only got on Valentine, from my mom and it made me feel like shit. Now I still don’t get a Valentine, even though I’ve been with my husband for 20 years. Go figure…
I hope you have a good weekend. I assume you’ll be watching the Superbowl, which I will be trying, and failing to avoid, since we’re hosting it this year! I just want this weekend to be over…
my husband and I don’t exchange Valentines either (which will come as no surprise to anyone.) I feel like it’s just a waste of money. I know- I’m really fun.
i am looking forward to the Super Bowl, but I wouldn’t be if we were hosting a lot of people- that would be stressful! I like the first half of the game and then by the second half a remember that the next day is Monday and I have to get up at 5 am… I would enjoy the Super Bowl a lot more if it were on Saturday.
I like Valentines day, for kids and family. A little chocolate, some cute cards, and done. Maybe if I’m the room mom , a cute little goodie bag with candy. But I have no high expectations. However, my wedding anniversary is the next day ( selected so that my husband would be more likely to remember anniversary!) so I have fonder feelings for the holiday.
Congrats on the long run! Hope all your body parts behaved!
Thank you! And… I do have a new reason to celebrate on Valentine’s Day, because it’s Foxy’s birthday. I’m hoping that will make me less cranky. I hope you have a nice anniversary!
Not a Valentine’s Day fan. Maybe that’s why I go on vacation.
And I broke my foot on Feb 14 a few years back.
Yes on the ice scraper. We keep our cars in the garage.
It’s supposed to be -25 wind chill this weekend. You bet I’m counting the days till Florida.
See you soon?
Yes! I’m texting you about the schedule today.
I thought it was warming up there- -25 does not sound “warm.” You’ll get some good weather down here.
I’m so impressed you ran a marathon by yourself! I probably need to do that before my big race in May but it seems so daunting — mostly because I’m really slow on the trails so it’s gonna take me like 8 hours.
I’m not a fan of Valentine’s Day either. I’m single and don’t like how there’s such a focus on couples and romance! I don’t think I’d really like it even if I were in a relationship though.
I don’t own an ice scraper either but luckily my mom still held onto one from when we lived in Colorado because I needed it last April when I camped at the Grand Canyon and woke up to 6 inches of snow on my car! I really could have used a shovel but I made it work.
I’m here to tell you that Valentine’s Day is still depressing even if you’re married. Everything about it seems so fake.
My marathon was on the trails (not hilly like yours though!) and I was slow!!! Somewhere between 5-6 hours.
LOL at not knowing what to do with a frozen windshield. I am glad to have a garage now, but the trick is to turn on the car and blast the heat to at least soften the ice and then, yes, use a scraper. If it’s a thin layer you can use your wipers, but if it’s too thick you could mess them up.
So glad to hear your 26.2 went pretty well.
I am not a huge fan of romance books, but I’ve enjoyed some books that fall into that category. I don’t mind a love interest in the story, but I don’t want to read on and on about does he or doesn’t he like me.
Yes- I don’t mind of a book has some romance in it. I just don’t like if that’s the whole point of the story.
Since this is the first time in 26 years that my windshield has iced in South Florida, I doubt I’ll have to deal with it again. But you never know! Next time I’ll be better prepared.
I am completely neutral about Valentine’s Day. For me, it’s basically a non-day. My husband will be away this year and I’m not offended IN THE LEAST.
I cannot imagine living in a world where I didn’t own an ice scraper! This fascinates me.
I love how casual you are about RUNNING A FREAKING MARATHON, Jenny. Haha!
My husband will be working on Valentine’s Day as well (during the day and evening.) Like you- I’m not offended.
We definitely live in different worlds! I was completely astonished to see the ice on my windshield.
I was tempted to bring my snow brush when I moved to Florida just so I could laugh at it (ha, don’t need you), but in the end gave it to a friend to use these. So, no, I don’t have an ice scraper!
I can’t believe you don’t have working heat. We’ve had ours on for the last ten days! Of course, my mother being in her 80s, and unwilling to wear three layers at all times, kind of requires it, but I don’t mind not being very cold. How cold is it getting inside your house??
Our heat worked well enough so that we weren’t frozen, but yes- it wouldn’t have been good for an 80 year old. I think it’s also a little colder there than it is here? For MOST of the days (not all) we got fairly warm during the day. This morning it was 62 in the house and that felt CHILLY.
I’m kind of neutral on Valentine’s Day. I don’t really care one way or another. I certainly don’t decorate for it. Congrats on the marathon! That’s always a huge accomplishment! I’m sure you know there are plenty of ice scrapers and snow brushes around here! Haha! Glad the heat was at least taking the chill off for you. Not fun!
Yes, I would imagine most people reading this own an ice scraper. And no Valentine’s decorations here!
Oh the frozen windshields are fun aren’t they?! Congrats on running a marathon on your own that takes some real grit and determination. I used to get very into Valentine’s Day when my kids were little. It’s always a good time to remind people you love them
I definitely made a bigger deal of Valentine’s Day when the kids were little. I seem to remember making heart cookies and homemade Valentine’s. Well, everything is more fun with little kids!
Nice job with your marathon run! I can’t imagine running that far without all the fanfare of a race.
I kinda chuckled at your windshield story – as you can imagine up here every car has at least one ice scraper if not multiple…and when in doubt windshield fluid and the wipers will get the job done until the defroster kick in.
I’m not much of a fan of Valentine’s Day either – very much a “Hallmark holiday”.
it’s a Hallmark holiday for sure! And, I’ll be prepared for the next time my windshield ices over… which may be years from now when I no longer live in Florida.
I actually love Valentines, and always have – even when I was extremely single, lol. I used it as a reason to celebrate the love I had/have for my friends, especially the other singletons who were getting overlooked like I was. That said, Mr and I celebrate Valentines in a very untraditional way, lol … Neither of us likes overhyped “performance” dates so we usually get Domino’s takeout and eat pizza at home. Last year I made homemade pizza. This year may be a first for us, since Vday is a Saturday: we may actually go eat lunch ‘out’ before hitting a greenhouse and Whole Foods, LOL!
Glad y’all made it through the cold! We are getting another cold snap this weekend, after thawing out at a toasty 42* … sigh.
Eating pizza at home would be my idea of a great Valentine’s date… if my husband weren’t working, ha. It does sound fun though.
I can’t believe you guys are getting MORE cold weather! Yikes.
Awesome job on your marathon-distance training run! That’s fantastic!
That’s a bummer about your heat system not working properly. I bet you get that fixed ASAP for the next time you might need it.
I not a big, mushy Valentine’s person, but I’m not a scrooge either. I have a couple of cute little decorations, but I never seem to be home to put them out – last year I was in the hospital…
Well, glad you’re not in the hospital this year! Maybe you’ll get those decorations out. And about the heat- I wouldn’t be surprised if we don’t need it again the entire winter. So we’ll probably just wait until we get the AC serviced again.
The first thing we do when we arrive at a destination when we’re traveling is go to a grocery store. Basically, we get to a hotel, drop off our luggage, and go to the store. We did a family trip to Las Vegas and literally could not find where people were picking up shopping carts. It turns out that they store the carts OUTSIDE THE STORE. OUTSIDE. This was mindboggling to us since outside storage is not really an option here for like eight months a year. This is how I felt about you not having an ice scraper in the car. We keep our ice scraper in the car year round, along with a blanket and an umbrella. But of course you wouldn’t have an ice scraper!!
I like Valentine’s Day and romance novels and chocolate and flowers. I mean, this is a pretty great time of year, you know?
i knew you were going to say that! I know you like Valentine’s Day, and you and your husband do it up right- you guys are cute with your homemade cards.
Also, you guys are prepared- an ice scraper, blanket and umbrella in your car year round? I should take a pge from your book.
We keep grocery carts outdoors here too. It seems like such a waste of space to keep them inside, but yeah, with all of that snow and ice of course you can’t leave them outside. It makes sense.
I used to like Valentine’s Day, when it was just me and my husband, and when my daughter was young. Now she just feels all of the stupid pressure to be in a relationship, and she’s not, and it makes her really sad. Boo!
I’m glad you and your husband celebrate though! Love should be celebrated!
OMGGGGGGGGGG! The ice did NOT make it to Broward – probably a diff of just 1-2 degrees! That is CRAZY!!! I did see lots of paralyzed iguanas though 🙂 That was interesting!
I looked for iguanas but didn’t see any! Funny that you didn’t get the ice. I would say maybe you weren’t out early enough, but I’ll bet you were out early taking the kids to school like I was.
Oh gosh, an iced-over windshield is a problem with no ice scraper! I’ve heard of using a credit card, but if the ice is thick, that’s probably a no-go. I don’t think I’ve used mine yet this year because I have a garage at home & parking garage at work…
I didn’t even think of using a credit card- I guess I would be afriad to break it? But what do I know- not much!
We don’t own an ice-scraper but I use a credit card on the very rare (!) occasion we have frost overnight. As Kim said, it depends on how thick the ice is.
Woohoo, congrats on your marathon… NBD 😉
Dang that is cold! I am glad you could get some heat in the house but burr!! That is too cold for Florida! And then dealing with an icy windshield. I wish I didn’t need an ice scraper but it’s a necessity in Minnesota.
Way to go on running a marathon!! That is awesome!!
This will not surprise you, but we own several ice scrapers. I’m chuckling about the ice on the cars and kids being late to school. It would def throw one off if snow and ice were not the usual. The heat situation is mind blowing. I’m glad it is most likely temporary.
I am not a big fan of Valentine’s Day. I find it silly. I hate getting cards from classmates when I was little – when those cards included my read name spelled in the boy spelling. Grrrr. I do not enjoy romance novels. Blah.
If we had coffee, Hmm – I’d tell you that I’m excited that the temps are supposed to get in the 40s this week. I’d show you a photo of the identical twins that started in my daycare. I’d share how stressful it is having Reg experience epilepsy issues while so far away at college. I’d probably vent a little bit about being removed from the family group chat by my passive aggressive sisters. This is concerning considering that the group chat is primarily used to communicate about our elderly parents. My brothers will keep my updated as needed, but still – not right.
I don’t love romance novels much either! You’re not alone!
My windshield was iced too! I had the time to let it defrost but it was wild! Glad you worked outa solution for your heat!
I don’t mind Valentine’s Day, but now that I have a kiddo, it means I have extra work to do to pick up valentine’s cards for her to pass out at school….
Kudos on the 26.2! I feel like I would have done the same thing…might as well make it a full marathon!
I couldn’t help but chuckle at your struggles with the windshield. Defrosting can take time – it’s nice that we can pre-heat or pre-cool our car before heading out! Hopefully we can get out of our cold snap in Philly, soon!
I didn’t know that hack about using a credit card as an ice-scraper; that’s good to know!
Sorry about the surprise frost and ice though–it’s an extra pain when you’re unprepared.
If you don’t have an ice scraper, you can use a plastic credit card! I can’t believe it has been so cold there! I heard there was even snow in some areas! Here’s to warmer weather, but not too hot, going forward.
I do NOT own an ice scraper and I would not know what to do if I went outside and my windshield was iced over! I guess I would just run the defrost?!? Or just decide that means I’m not supposed to go anywhere today, lolol.
I have been running my heat all winter! If I’m too cold, the heat goes on. Comfort is my #1 priority.
I’m neutral about Valentine’s Day. I think it sets people up for disappointment, so I try to focus on other types of love.