Yesterday in my neck of the woods it was minus 19(celsius), minus 32 with windchill.

They're making a MINUS 32 these days?

WOW.

Yep, not only do they make -32C, but we usually get it into March where I am. Yay.

Your L.A. sounds way more fun that the Hollywood type. Umbrellas in February and melty cats!

LOVED your Virtual Book Tour on Kristy's blog this morning! b.t.w. CONGRATULATIONS on your new book! CAN'T WAIT! (also, I may have a problem with capitalization and exclamation points this morning)

Yay for sunny weather in Salt Lake City this morning. It almost feels spring-like.

Soba is beautiful, as always. Even when She (notice the cap. again) is melting.

Is it just me, or does Dapper Dallas need a haircut? Or a better stylist? 'Cuz he's not looking as sleek and refined as normal, and his hair looks like it's been through a windstorm!

Dapper Dallas is looking mighty fine these days. I wonder how long he's been on the air?

Ok....in the great state of Tennessee, we had 5 inches of snow! please, i beg of you bring me weather that is 60 degrees!!!

I'm curious... has Dapper Dallas Raines ever contacted you? Does he know that you take pictures of him on the teevee and post them on the innernets? It's a small world, so I just had to ask.

Sorry about your rain, Laurie! It must be such a pain.

We're due for 20 inches of snow in Virginia this weekend, on top of the 12 inches we got last weekend. IN VIRGINIA! IN THE SOUTH! Between your rain and our snow, I believe the world has gone topsy-turvy. BE VERY AFRAID!!! ;oD

Let's just get rid of El Nino, I mean if he's causing rain in LA and snow in NC, he can't be good!

To be fair, all that snow we got in VA last weekend melted by the next day. The six inches we got yesterday is half-melted. Still, it's pretty and it's a good excuse to stay inside and knit. I'm all for the year of YES.

It's been about ten years since we last had an El Nino winter -- more than enough time for folks to have forgotten how wet they can be. The other day the weather person up this way said that we were currently at 110% of our annual average rainfall. I'm not complaining though since rain usually means more work for us at my job. Of course I could do without the thunder and the tornado watches. If I wanted crazy stuff like that, I'd live in the South.

Oh Dallas Raines, you will be perpetually dapper!

Love the pic of Frankie at the bottom. Don't tell Soba, but Frankie may be my fav kitty right now.

It's kind of hilarious to me that you watch the weather all the time. When I lived in the LA area I never watched the weather, probably not once in five years. You can stick your arm outside and see how cold it is or if it's raining and that's all the "forecast" I ever needed. It was kind of a shock when I moved back here to Kansas and had to start monitoring this kind of thing again, b/c you just never know.

Did NPR ran a story this morning about winter ending in six weeks? Or is it my wishful thinking? Frnkie is delightful. We look forward to meet the rest of the clan!

I'm in northern CA and here's how I'm looking at the El Nino year - peep toes are on hold indefinitely. Therefore I felt it was entirely logical and justified to buy a new pair of boots this weekend (gorgeous! 70% off!) at Macy's. Silver lining, etc.

I just got an alert from my Desktop Weather that there is a Winter Storm Warning for Thursday night/Friday all day for more snow - - another 3-5 inches of the fluffy white crap. I'm SO done with Winter - - I'm SO ready for SPRING! *sigh*

And with all the rain you have been having in LA, I'm sure the cats are melting . . . :)

I don't know where you live in VA, Bonnie, but here in Central VA we still have a foot of snow on the ground. I love snow, so I'm not complaining, though!

Well, I guess I can feel a little sorry for you with your weather woes, but check out the forecast where I live: http://www.theweathernetwork.com/index.php?product=weather&placecode=cask0120&switchto=f

I even switched it to farenheit for you! I don't really care how cold it gets here because in 5 more sleeps my husband and I are on our way to Honolulu Hawaii!! As long as the weather is good for our flight, that's all that matters to us.
I get a kick out of your Dapper Dallas Raines. I wonder if he knows he's on here! Anyhoo, hope your weather smartens up real quick!

I feel for you.

Ok, no not really.

I'd bitch about the weather, but around here 27 degrees is downright BALMY. I'm gonna go breakout the old bikini and tanning oil...

I wish I were in LA right now. I really love LA. It is beautiful there. Even when it rains.

Dear Los Angeles,
Thank you for taking so much of our rain, it really helps.
Seattle

...and there are people out there who don't believe in "climate change" ?!?!

San Francisco isn't dealing very well with this either. You'd think with the perpetual fog and chilliness (what? Fifties and low sixties is chilly!) we'd be fine, but no. Actual precipitation causes a vague air of confusion and dejection amongst the populace.

And sometimes the storm drains turn into fountains cause nobody thought to build them to handle actual rain. That's super fun.

I have yet to buy one of those "umbrella" devices. I'm down here in San Diego where it rains even less so I figured, why bother?

Please have Dapper Dallas send some snow up to Vancouver for the OLYMPICS! How on earth will they have winter Olympics without snow? lots of snow making machines I guess. We're having a milder winter than normal up here in Alaska---at least my little spot on the state. Brutally cold way up north though. -60F anyone?

that dallas is one dapper dude. having lived in the south east my entire life - i've never even visited LA... but if the opportunity ever presents itself i can say that one of the highlights might be turning on the tv to see his weather forecast for the day. they just don't "do weather" like that here.

also - one of the highlights of 2010 is the frequency with which you are blogging again and the comments! thank you so much. love reading your thoughts and feeling part of the community of your online friends.

I own a couple of "umbrella devices"..however they always seem to be in my car when I am exiting the grocery store with a cart full when it begins pouring. The rain wouldn't be bad here in SoCalif if people would just STAY OFF THE GAS PEDAL and acknowledge the change in visibility/safety!

Torties kinda look blurry anyway, don't they? I can hardly tell mine apart from across the room!

After seeing the blurry pic in this post, may I recommend the Canon Powershot A480? I just bought one based on the comments in this very blog, and the pics it takes are awesome! I lurve your blog.

I hope the blurry cat wasnt a picture from your potential new camera.

I love that your "always blurry" camera seems to take perfectly okay pictures of the television screen (at least at the size the pics are displayed on your blog)!

- - - - - -

Reply from Laurie:

Erin, I can only assume this is your blatant attempt to get me to give you my old camera once the new one comes!

Look closely at the TV pictures... Dallas is blurry, especially around his face, and you can see the blur around the days of the week. That is from a perfectly still shot of a paused, perfectly still TV screen. And it's still blurring on the edges. I sharpen and retouch all my photos in photoshop but some come out better than others. The TV pictures come out better because it's easier to sharpen a picture of a picture and your expectation for crispness is diminished.

But I can't believe after seeing the quality of the cat picture you would "defend" the lemon! People are so funny!!!!!!!!

Laurie, did you ever see this article from the SF Chronicle about how a writer made fun of Dallas Raines's name and then got a letter from his daughter?

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/parenting/detail?blogid=29&entry_id=55422

(I'm sorry, I don't know how to post links in this format)

Send some of that rain our way. Your El Nino rain is our El Nino drought over here in South Eastern Australia.

I want a Dallas Raines action doll but I can't decide if I want stern or dapper. Maybe I'll get both and have like a face off. Where do you get them?! You can get them, right?

I am a huge long-time fan with a cat currently walking on my computer desk - hard to see that way. Wanted to ket you know I have tried your baked cauliflower dish and love it. Even DH is impressed. Also love it with brussel sprouts. Can is getting very pushy. Thanks for your blog.