While others traveled to Norway, the Riviera, and back to the States for ski resort and ocean holidays, we Chordas' stayed put and watched the snow. The sun comes up at 9:00 AM and sets around 4:15 PM. It's minus 12 degrees Centigrade (10 degrees Fahrenheit). So during the daylight hours, we baked, made trips to the grocery store to get provisions (mostly wine and milk) since the commissary was closed, and forced ourselves to the gym to counterattack the overindulgence of hibernation.
On New Years Eve, I took my lunch break to run to the grocery store to buy dinner. The lines were extending out into the isles and I stood 45 minutes in line, only to find out their debit card ability was down and I didn't have enough cash on me. There is a smaller store a block closer to home and I'm glad I checked it out. Prices are higher but there were far fewer people. I settled on a pork roast with vegetables and Dina made an apple pie from scratch. Work was busy that week while I was on call, but then it was back to lounging, reading, and daily wine tasting (mostly the same case of wine!) Here is a snap shot from outside our back door, which is about as far as we got.