How much does your effectiveness as a dissatisfied customer depend on your willingness to suspend your relationship with the business?

For example, I drive a Prius. I probably couldn't sell it now anyway, even if I wanted to, which I don't for a variety of reasons.

I suppose I don't enjoy speaking to people dissatisfied with my services, but I aim to please when things aren't right. I expect that from my service providers. Sometimes it seems they are unaware of the problem.

I feel like I've been complaining a lot lately. I'd love to hear any of your advice on how to be heard and maintain your relationship with the service provider.

And what if the service provided is to your children - their teachers, coaches, directors?

The kids are in school. I spent some time this morning washing socks and towels and hats and mittens left abandoned by the doorways.

I'm drinking a cup of Tulsi Tea, made with Holy Basil, that I bought this morning at MOM's, My Organic Market, that just opened in town. Yippee! Now I don't need to drive to Annapolis for my organic products. Linda gave me a cup of this tea last week and I loved it, but my grocery store doesn't carry it.

Speaking of Linda, yoga was fun last night, despite my embarrassingly squeaky old bra. (No wonder I hadn't worn it in a while.) There were only six of us in her cozy home studio. Near the end we all stood in a circle, holding hands while we did tree pose. Then we all bent forward into Brave Warrior. I'm sure we looked beautiful.

We stretched and meditated at her home studio because there was a pancake dinner at the church to kick off the Sue Cobb Memorial Scholarship Fund. Somehow, I think Sue would have loved this event happening on Mardi Gras.

Mardi Gras fell on my birthday this year, giving me double the excuse to eat cake, and brownies, and margaritas. I was well-wished all day. My kids did the dishes and baked me a cake. Mark promised to build me three compost bins, which I've been thinking and thinking about since I've been writing an article on composting.

Tonight we are going to one of my favorite restaurants for their signature Crab Bomb. Mmmmmmmm.... We'll all feel my nephew's absence from the family dinner, but we wish him well in basic training for the Air Force.

My foot is doing better all the time. Now I just need the snow to melt and the sun to shine.

The second wave of the blizzard had high winds, but we never lost power.





Nobody was really thinking about entering school anyway.







These icicles aren't mine, fortunately, but aren't they magnificent!?





My lovely tree tunnel...







Believe it or not, we did get mail.






Any front porch conversations will have to wait for the Spring Thaw.

It's still snowing. We had over two feet of snow that started last Friday and finally stopped on Saturday late afternoon. It started snowing again yesterday and this morning I woke up to see it snowing sideways in high wind. The storm warning is in effect until 7pm!

The roads are narrow with high frozen jersey walls of snow. The parking lots have whole mountain ranges, some with shopping carts plowed into them. The grocery stores have big gaps on the shelves, having not received all their shipments and everyone stocking up for the additional 10-20 inches we're getting now.







You would think that I would have gotten more work done: finished the articles I'm working on, begun chapter two of my ghostwriting contract, posted a new blog. But I've been cooking, picking up hats and boots, rubbing sore shovelers' backs, watching movies, playing Scrabble, doing laundry, restocking my fridge, drinking wine, and visiting with neighbors and friends on the phone. I have to get busy!

I'm not even sure what day it is. They're all blurring together into white.

My youngest daughter and a few of her friends worked on this wintry village. They built an indoor fort in front of the basement tv. They also set up a shelter on the front porch for any stranded kitties that might need shelter. (No takers so far as I can see.)

Today I'm going to make everyone clean their room. We're not going anywhere. I'm so grateful we have plenty of supplies and we still have power (knocking on wood.)