February Treats

I wrote the last post while I was watching The Oscars, one of the treats of February.  I had seen more of the movies up for awards than I realized.  I saw Birdman and The Judge by myself and want to see them again with Ken; I particularly enjoyed the performances of Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Duvall in the latter; I thought Birdman was over the top, which might have been why it was so popular, and while it wasn't one of my favorites last year I wouldn't mind seeing it again to see what I might have missed. 

Ken and I both liked Wild; I got so absorbed in the movie I forgot Reese Witherspoon was acting, and in a different year I think she could have won the Oscar.  Ken and I thought Grand Budapest Hotel was weird, but that kind of movie often does well with voters of The Academy; I don't want to see that one again.  We did like The Imitation Game, but instead of seeing it again I want to learn more about the mathematician Alan Turing and how his mind worked.  We saw Begin Again on DVD, and that is the sort of movie I will watch again because I like the story and the actors and the music is good.  I saw Into the Woods with my daughter and it was good fun; Anna Kendrick has an amazing voice, and Meryl Streep certainly held her own.

While still watching The Oscars I added movies we haven't seen yet to our Netflix queue:  Boyhood, Selma, The Theory of Everything, and Big Hero 6.  The winning song from Selma gave me goose bumps.

There are some movies from last year that I don't care to see at all.  I read the book Still Alice and thought it was well written, but now that I know the story I don't want to see the movie, though I'm sure Julianne Moore did a terrific job and deserves the Oscar.  I am just as sure J. K. Simmons earned his Oscar, but I don't want to see Whiplash because I don't enjoy movies about one person intentionally abusing another.  American Sniper and Foxcatcher are based on true stories, and I don't want to see them because I know enough about those tragedies already.  After last year's Academy Awards we gave in and rented Gravity, which was as bad as I thought it would be; I will not be suckered in this year to watch Interstellar.

That Sunday evening awards show was the perfect way to end February vacation.  I was relaxed and well rested.

Then I went back to work.  I have been tired every night, so tired that I have climbed into bed early the last two nights.  The frustration of the job is tiring, as is the frigid cold weather and the mountains of snow.  Sometimes the best thing is to climb into a warm bed with a good book ~ I'm on my third re-read of favorite Elizabeth Berg novels.

Another treat of February is that it is the shortest month, so no matter how cold or snowy it is we know it will be over soon.  It's also the last full month of winter.  We have no illusions that spring is anywhere close, but it feels good to say "the last month of winter."

We get accustomed to the snow as it piles up.  I took photos after the January 27 blizzard and again on February 22 after the storm the day before.  Yes, we had a lot of snow in January, and photos show how much more we have now.  Ken does a terrific job of keeping us cleared out ~

Results of the Blizzard of January 2015 ~

After the February 21 Snowstorm ~

He gets those nice clean edges and keeps the driveway wide by blowing snow right up against each side.  It's a lot of work but it sure makes it easier to come and go.