Eureka

I am currently sitting in the kitchen of my youth, with every part of my body freezing. See, I'm from Eureka, CA and there is only one way to describe the North Coast: COLD. Current Temp outside: 54 degrees. And the high is only expected to go to 62. That is it is every day of the year. It really doesn't get any colder than that, nor does it get any hotter. (It does however get rainier)

Many people know my aversion to the cold. However, for some reason I still love Eureka. I love the smell of Eureka most of all. It smells like the ocean, salt water, wind, fresh bread, fish. I love it so much. I just roll down the window and breathe and breathe and then roll it up quickly so i don't freeze.

I love sleeping with three quilts on my bed and having all that weight on me and waking up all snuggled up. I love steaming cups of hot chocolate, lighting a fire in our den and watching TV with my baby curled up by me. I love going for walks and getting damp in the mist and walking through the Redwood Forrest and jumping around on the springy earth. I really love Eureka.

I do NOT love my mom's house. First off, it's old. It was built in the 1930's, and when all the other houses of that era were getting updated and getting bathrooms upstairs, I had a father who didn't want to do that and so I grew up in a nasty house. 4 bedrooms, ONE bathroom. Sunday morning before church was a joke. Literally a horrible horrible joke where the punchline is that there are 3 people crammed into the shower together all trying to wash their hair without crashing into the person next to them.

Second: There is a funny smell at my mom's house. I think it's all the wood. Wood absorbs smells, and it's hard to get them out. Also, there is lots of moisture here, so it smells like damp, stinky wood almost everywhere. She got rid of the carpets and re-did the hardwood floors. But the slight smell still lingers. I don't know how to get rid of it. I don't know if it can be done.

Third: My mom has a giant house to clean all by herself. She is living alone now, for the most part. Her sister + husband are here lots, and they don't do anything to make the place cleaner. They leave their messes everywhere, and then my mom has to come home from work and decide whether or not she wants to clean them. Basically, if my mom had a fully cleaned house it would never get dirty. She's at work all day, comes home, eats a little food, and then is of to walk the dog. So when others come and leave messes, she won't clean them up. (And why should she? She was working all day and she didn't make the mess) Anyway, because she's almost never here, she really doesn't care what it looks like.

But I do care. I have to be here for the next 2 weeks, so you'd better be sure that I'm going to clean it. (which is what I should be doing now because my baby is still asleep at 9:44 am)

Finally, I have a problem. I forgot to bring warm pants/PJ pants. I'm used to sleeping in my chones. I mean I do have warm fleece PJ's, but I just forgot them back in Utah. So I'm freezing once I get out of bed. I also forgot a SWEATSHIRT!!! I'm not going to be able to last too long without that.

Luckily, I brought plenty of warm stuff for Evi. She's going to be bundled up all the time and I'm so excited to put on this ADORABLE outfit that Melanie got me. But as for me? I'm in trouble. Serious butt freezing trouble. But at least I'm in Eureka!!