Brrrr...

It's cold in DC today. And yesterday. I think the weather report said it got down to 15 degrees Fahrenheit overnight. I don't actually think it will stay this cold for long, but it sure feels like winter now. It's supposed to get up to 40 tomorrow. I brought my parsley plant inside off the balcony last night. I really should have done it the night before but it is only somewhat battered. Parsley gets a little misshapen but it doesn't really freeze significantly. I've been glad to wear my big fuzzy coat to work lately.

I stopped by Safeway on my way home and got a bag of split peas and a ham hock. Split pea soup is really a great addition to a cold night. Or day. I also just took a loaf of fresh bread out of the oven and cut off the crust and ate it with butter and honey. Yummy as always.

It works really well to start a batch of bread (two cups of water makes one good-sized loaf) in the morning before I leave for work. I use the usual recipe (which isn't a recipe at all, more of a method) and just cut back on the yeast. Then it rises all day and I knead it when I get home. You let it rest a bit and then make into a loaf. It probably takes longer to rise in that shape too, but I'm not going out again tonight so that doesn't matter. Then bake and enjoy fresh, hot bread at the end of the day.

I went home to Oregon for Christmas. Really nice to see everyone and spend time with the family. I managed to eek out a full week of vacation using my credit hours in addition to annual leave. Strangely enough though, it was warmer in Halfway than it was when I got back to DC! My apartment heat is not that warm at the moment. It's not cold exactly but it just doesn't get quite as warm as I'd like, even when I turn up the thermostat. I think it is because I am on a corner and the building is not particularly well insulated. A guy who lives on a higher floor in the building told me a couple weeks ago that he scarcely turns on the heat all winter. He probably gets mine.

This is a rather rambling post, but that's what I'm up to today. At work I'm catching up with my underwriting reviews for two nursing homes and we're still working on the hospital assessment. It seems like questions keep coming up there. And I'm writing responses to Congressional inquiries. (Don't worry, other people review them too.) That's kind of interesting. You see some of the issues that people want help with.

Goodnight for tonight. I'll try to post some pictures soon. Maybe I should check out web albums. Any suggestions? Picasa is linked to Google I think so I might start there.

-Sarah