It's 5am and the newspaper hasn't been loaded to the library website yet so I'll write while I wait. This was a big money saver, cancelling the e-edition subscription and reading the daily through the library. It was a difficult decision since I've subscribed to the paper since 1990! But my discontent started when they started sending 'breaking news' emails with the score of the football team, and then tried to appeal to the entire state instead of the metro area with their news, and then they made their news cut-off time 3pm and moved printing to IOWA(!), and had page after page of public notices, it was a worthless newspaper. I now get local news through the library edition or through an RSS feed using Feedly. And the comics from GoComics.com (because it's not a good day unless I can read the comics!). All free.

Speaking of reading, I calculated yesterday that I read or listened to at least 32 books this year. (I'm sure there were more, but I couldn't figure out which Kindle free ebooks I read this year.) Switching to digital audiobooks from the library has made a huge difference in how many books I can get through, as I have a hard time just sitting and reading a book, but I can take audiobooks along on my daily walks or when I drive to honey's (2 hrs roundtrip). I'm such a fan of libraries. I just don't understand people who buy books. Good authors I discovered this year are Ann Patchett and Alina Bronsky.

It appears we got about 6" or so snow, a far cry from the 7-12", but the wind is still howling this morning. I shoveled a path from the door to the backyard for dog a couple times yesterday. There is a layer of ice under the snow, so it will be slick the next couple of days since it will be too cold to melt. For the first time that I can remember, I-35 is/was CLOSED(!) for 125 miles across two states because so many cars were in the ditch. That ice I was talking of combined with blizzard winds. Too many people who didn't pay attention, thinking they could return home after the holiday on Sunday. Anyway, I have very nice neighbors (yes, plural) who come over with their snowblowers and do my driveway so I don't have to shovel the whole thing. That's one of many benefits of having moved to the city, having neighbors who look out for each other. I never had that in the suburbs and obviously not in the country at honey's.

Well, today's paper has posted, so that's it for today. Happy to be going back to work and having something to do.