How about a vacation day once a week?

Doesn't that picture make you feel cold? I am horrified by pictures of the snow accumulating in the Northeast. I saw one of a fellow author's office with snow packed against the lower panes of two windows. Made me cold to look at it, and I couldn't imagine working while looking at the wall of snow. All those images all over the television screen make me guilty that I whined today about mid-to-upper thirties and rain at the start of the day. It wasn't as bad as predicted--they said rain all day but it quit by mid-morning and got to about 40. Tomorrow a high of 49. Still, today was one of those days that you could set the thermostat at 80 and still be cold. I vowed not to poke my nose out the door and indeed, when I locked up for the night I realized I hadn't opened my front door all day. I took a nap today and was too cold to sleep, woke up wanting nothing more than to be too hot. Tonight, an extra blanket and a pair of socks. It's that damp cold.
The result of the cold though was a wonderfully productive day--I wrote two guest blogs, my daily thousand words on Murder at the Mansion, and finished gathering together all my tax information--a chore I had been putting off for some time. I'll deliver it to the accountant's office later this week, my week being taken up with a furniture delivery and a visit from the exterminator. Sophie has been barking furiously at the ceiling in the hall--not often but enough to make me believe there's a critter in the attic. Somehow the critter always moves, or Soph always hears it when I'm asleep.
I find that when I set my mind to a full day at home alone, I get so much done. It's amazing. I think I ought to declare a vacation one day a week, to catch up on house chores, desk work, whatever. Tomorrow is not supposed to be a lot better, but I will be out and about again in the world.
For my friends in the Northeast, stay warm and safe and don't work too hard shoveling that snow. For everyone, stay warm and cozy.