Winter, it seems, has finally arrived, with lows this morning well below 0F/-17C. Taking a deep breath of air like that is so invigorating - like someone poking a thousand needles in your lungs.

*Gorse tips his glass of acorn tea and nods his head to Stargazer, quietly wondering about his favorite winged-stone walkers*

*Erik's sensitive ears manage to catch Gorse's reference, so he bundles up baby Molly and grabs Abby to seek out some time with their long-time friend. Acorn tea is not a taste they've acquired, but they'll settle for "Tea, Earl Grey, hot."

The pair is glad to see him again and eager to chat about life in Ditto Town and their daughter, who will likely be walking before they know it.*

NarniaWeb became a place of healing through so many different people - some are still here while others moved on.

It's been wonderful getting to know you, ceppault, both here on the forum and in real life!

Reached under a set of storage lockers to pull out some garbage stuck underneath. Something crunched. I pulled out the something that crunched. It was the head of what I thought at first was a mummified mouse. After I screamed like a little girl, I looked closer and found it to be the head of a very, very large moth.

Yeah, I would've screamed like a little girl either way. Not even sure I would've worked up the nerve to pull out the something that crunched!

Well, the next couple of weeks are going to be interesting. I'm technically on jury duty, but I'm on "call-in status", so I don't actually have to go in unless I'm told to when I call. Unfortunately, that means I have to call twice a day for the next two weeks until I either get called in or I get excused from jury duty. Even if I don't have to go, I won't know whether or not I have the day free until after noon. Oh well; at least I don't have to drive down to the courthouse every day to find out whether or not I even needed to come.

Aside from that, I've loved this December so far. We're getting plenty of snow to make up for the brown/pathetic Christmases we've had for the past couple of years (even if I can't drive in it very well, I love snow ), and I'm already done with my Christmas shopping. I've got a couple presents that I can't wait for my family to open them--my brother found something that's absolutely perfect for my mom. (For the record, I was there when he bought it--I'm not that sneaky. )

*Rya steps into the Cup & Platter, her face grateful for the warmth inside. She orders a glass of hot apple cider and some soup. Outside in the town square, there's at least half a dozen snow angels that weren't there before Rya came by.*

*A fox dressed in a blue and green tunic strolled into the Ditto Town Square and looked around. His golden lion clasp glinted in the sun as his tail switches back and forth. He closes his eyes and took a deep breath, and a small smile broke on his face. He opened his eyes and took his quiver off his back and set it and the matching bow down. There were no enemies here to face: only fond memories and good friends.*

Good Mortereve to you all! I hope you all had a nice Christmas and start to 2014. It has been many years since I was in Ditto Town, but it is so nice to be back. So much has changed for me since I was here last, but it is nice to see some things not changing. Time will tell whether my stay is short or long, but I hope it is the later so I can reconnect with the place that changed my life forever.

Welcome back, Narnian_Storm! Glad you've returned to grace our fair Square.

We've had some weather worth talking about...the kind that gives us bragging rights (so to speak). The coldest days since 1996 (today might get up to -13F). Ryadian can tell you about the crazy things her parents and friends (like me) did during that 1996 cold snap...freezing bubbles outside, launching hot water into the air and watching it sublimate directly into a big cloud, and (craziest of all) building a fire in the driveway to roast marshmallows (which froze immediately) to celebrate temperatures rising about -20F. Good times! (or not )

Alas, the heat in the apartment has been spotty the past few days, and when it's 20 below outside things cool off pretty quickly! It seems to be working now. Hopefully it'll make it through the night tonight, when it's expected to be 20 below or colder again.

Other than that, things are pretty quiet around here.

20 below? Without windchill?

... Okay, I got nothing to complain about on the east coast.

In other news, I am about two weeks away from being a sophmore in college! (For reference, I've only been doing college since July) So I'm pretty happy with that.

Christmas was awesome! I got my baby brother (who suffers from Downs Syndrome) a furry singing Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and his little face lit up like the deer's nose. He was dancing around the living room, holding his deer and singing off-key. So adorable! To make it even better, my mom got all the kids (6 of us) those new nerf guns that shoot foam discs. We spent the rest of Christmas Day having an on-going game of Live Call of Duty.

Stargazer, your outdoor activities for freakishly cold weather are brilliant. Now I have to get some bubbles.

Winter, it seems, has finally arrived, with lows this morning well below 0F/-17C. Taking a deep breath of air like that is so invigorating - like someone poking a thousand needles in your lungs.

Yep! And that was written a month ago. It's even colder now. Last night, our windchill here was -40 ... in Celsius and Fahrenheit.

So, how did the whole jury duty thing go, Ryadian?

We're getting plenty of snow to make up for the brown/pathetic Christmases we've had for the past couple of years (even if I can't drive in it very well, I love snow )

Hear-hear!

I've got a couple presents that I can't wait for my family to open them--my brother found something that's absolutely perfect for my mom. (For the record, I was there when he bought it--I'm not that sneaky. )

LOL! And now that Christmas is over, may I ask what it was? Or would you prefer not to divulge?

Outside in the town square, there's at least half a dozen snow angels that weren't there before Rya came by.*

Lovely!

Narnian_Storm! Welcome back. It's always special when members return for a visit (and maybe a longer stay ).

Whoa, stargazer, I sure hope your heat does not give out again in these frigid temperatures! And reading of your exceedingly fun cold-weather activities back in that 1996 arctic freeze sounds so very cool! Literally.

Hey, Dernhelm! Congrats on becoming a sophomore soon! What is your focus there in college?

That's awesome about your precious baby brother! So precious!

*skips out of the Town Square for the time being, looking appreciatively at Rya's snow angels, and leaving a tray of hot cocoa ... which won't stay hot too long in these temps.

...leaving a tray of hot cocoa ... which won't stay hot too long in these temps.

Maybe not in those cups, but a thermos might do the trick. *gets a cup while it's still warm*

Hello, everyone! It's nice to see your familiar (and not quite so familiar--hi, Narnian Storm. Welcome back!) faces.

It was sooooo cold yesterday--my siblings made ice cream. They also tried the tossing the boiling water trick but it was dark so the results were sub-optimal. I braved the weather for a visit to the mailbox. It wasn't so bad on the way out because the wind was at my back, but the trip back left me breathing hard when I got inside. And I didn't feel like I'd been working hard.

Winter, it seems, has finally arrived, with lows this morning well below 0F/-17C. Taking a deep breath of air like that is so invigorating - like someone poking a thousand needles in your lungs.

Yep! And that was written a month ago. It's even colder now. Last night, our windchill here was -40 ... in Celsius and Fahrenheit.

Once when I was a child, we had a day with -40.
There was no wind, though, and the weather was dry - so we just put on our warmest woollen sweaters and went to school (by bus).

That was a different part of Norway from where I live now, though. Oslo is on the coast with more damp weather. -20 Celsius here feels considerably colder than -40 did there and then. We don't have -20 every year, though, and when we do, it's usually for less than a week.

Hey, Varna! You know, dry and moist cold really do affect me in such different ways. Moist cold at around the freezing temperature chills me right through, it seems, whilst -20/-25 is so dry, it's just cold, but does not have that awful damp element to it. I prefer the latter by far!

Ice cream, Mel? How fun is that?! What kind?

I just may try the boiling water trick tonight.

I would love to try the boiling water trick. Unfortunately it is a balmy 3ºF out. Temperatures are all up from here. I cringed when I looked at the models and saw 60º rearing its ugly head by Monday. If I had it my way, I wouldn't see 40º between November and April. Do you approve, Jo?

Nice to see you again, Stargazer. How have you been the past couple of years? I must try blowing bubbles next time it gets really cold. That sounds like a lot of fun.

It is a pleasure to meet you, Mel. I wouldn't be surprised if we crossed paths at some point, given that our join dates are but a few months apart. Ice cream does sound delicious...what flavor?

*pokes her head in inquisitively*
Good mortereve everyone! It's nice to see the Square still active and occupied!
I regretfully haven't been on Narniaweb in a long time, but I sure do miss it! How is everyone??
I'm doing good, a few years older, maybe a few years wiser. In the past year I've graduated high school, took a trip to China, and started my first job! I remember Narniaweb being a real encouragement to me in my early teenage years, it's awesome to see some familiar names around.
I hope you Northern dwellers are surviving the cold! It was in the 30's F yesterday and I thought it was freezing, I can't imagine any colder!
Stay warm, my dears, talk to you later!

Well how long has it been since I set foot in the town square? I think around 2 years or possibly more.

pogginfan: My past year has been somewhat similar. I graduated highschool at the end of 2012(Australia the terms work differently due to the seasons). I have spent the whole of last year working to save for uni which I start this march(though this is my second job since I worked casual shifts that a supermarket in highschool). I currently(well only for one more day) work at a pharmacy and I have my certificate two in pharmacy assistance and ear piercing license. I have to move away from who to go to uni so who knows what that will bring

I regretfully haven't been on Narniaweb in a long time, but I sure do miss it! How is everyone?? I'm doing good, a few years older, maybe a few years wiser.

Well how long has it been since I set foot in the town square? I think around 2 years or possibly more.

I really think it's great that people don't forget about the community here, and feel the pull to return even if they've been a long time away. I've experienced the same thing.

Since my last Nweb adventures in '07, I've graduated from uni with a Bachelor in Political Science & Philosophy, been on two world trips (one study-related), and found my new (temporary-ish) home (soon to be Germany, coming from Australia).

Such a lot can happen in the space of a few years! What will you be studying at uni IloveFauns? And pogginfan how did you find your trip to China?? That sounds like an experience.

Trusty:oh that must be exciting .Do you speak fluent German?

I am studying laboratory medicine at curtin(in Perth). I just finished my gap year job. Which is somewhat refreshing. I said I would visit to be polite and I probably should because I will miss some of them(others not so much). It does however feel odd being unemployed for the first time in since I was 15.(4ish years). At least however I am unemployed because I am moving and a student rather than being fired.

Trusty:oh that must be exciting .Do you speak fluent German?

I can only speak elementary German so far but I definitely intend to be fluent after a year there!

And yes I know the unemployed feeling haha - I didn't have a job through the entirety of my degree (government supported) and even now that I've graduated and moving around a bit I still don't have employment (I'm going on to postgrad work though). At the end of it all you'll come out with a decent job though. (Well that's what I tell myself)