Robot, Ubuntero

Originally uploaded by enkrates.

Another day, another snowstorm.

In other news, Robot has become quite a dapper dog lately, with his fancy Ubuntu shirt.

Our newly shoveled driveway

Originally uploaded by enkrates.

It’s been about a week since the blizzards started, and I think today was the first day of the rest of our lives. We’ve been mostly waiting the storms out at home, although we did get out a few times on and near Christmas Day.

Today was also the first day we got any plowing on our street, which made all the difference. We tried to keep the driveway pretty close to shoveled, so that we could start driving again ASAP. Getting our street plowed today made it very quick to get from the beginning of shoveling to the beginning of driving (maybe an hour).

Things we learned:

1.) Buy more groceries that can stay edible for a week or two.
2.) Make sure we have shovels before the snow starts (we bought ours after the first blizzard).
3.) Make sure we have a car that is tough enough to drive in relatively deep snow, just in case we get stuck without plowing again.
4.) Maybe an indoor pool isn’t as decadent as it might have seemed at first…

So much rain in the springs

Originally uploaded by enkrates.

The first summer I lived out here in Colorado, it rained most days and even the hottest days cooled down to a very nice temperature after the typical afternoon shower. Last summer, my second, there was a lot less rain and a lot more uncomfortably hot days. This summer I’ve had my rainiest summer out here. I have to admit that I love it. Eastern Massachusetts was full of gloomy, rainy days and I suppose I got used to it.

And the best part is I can skip watering the lawn again.

Moving out of MA has really enabled us to enjoy life so much more. Almost everything we do on a day to day basis is cheaper, easier, and often better than the equivalent in MA. Our house is WAY cheaper than the equivalent in MA. Driving from place to place is insanely easy compared to any driving in the Boston area and we can park anywhere at anytime. And here in Colorado Springs, virtually everything is newer and nicer than in metro Boston.

I do miss some aspects of MA. I miss the ocean most of all, but I do have an amazing mountain range nearby for a great view. I miss the oxygen at sea level, but I miss it less all the time as my body adapts to the high country. And I do occasionally miss some of the cultural content that Boston offers, but we do have some of that here, too.

I am glad we moved from Quincy to Colorado and I would do it again in a heartbeat, unless we moved to Austin or somewhere like that instead. I don’t know if I’ll ever move back to Boston, but I really, really doubt it.