The only way to deal with a storm like this is to stay up with it, and this storm felt like it would never end. The much ballyhooed frigid system has arrived as promise, and I feel for the animals outside tonight. At least they can get out of the wind.

The Pole Barn is solid and  dry.

Maria is determined to finish the bedroom tonight, this is ambitious, but it makes sense to get it over with. I’m listening to Janell Monae on my Beats speaker, and that is moving things along. We finished painting the wall above – that was my job – and are turning to the other three walls. It takes about four hours for the paint to dry, so we might well get it done tonight.

Almost every bone in my body is hurting from the shoveling and scraping we have been boing all day, but we are, in fact, both obsessives, and it would be a treat to look around at a freshly-painted room tonight and then just get to work tomorrow.

So I’m heading back upstairs, I have my own brush. I like the green very much, it is, as Maria imagined it, warm and cozy. Come and take a look for yourself.

You’ll see we are a little flat, we are both tired,  but that’s to be expected after this kind of day. As the old saw goes, my muscles are sore in places I didn’t know I had. I am also pleased that I was able to help out, to do several hours of snow shoveling and feel fine.

It took breaks and moved slowly, but I am happy to know my once broken heart is up to it.

I think we both would  rather be tired than idle, and we have done a good job of keeping  up with this storm, she’s gone now.