Snow and Cold in Town

Last Tuesday night (1 February), it started to sleet here in Metro St. Louis. It was followed the next day by slight snow fall at first. By early Thursday morning (3 February), it got heavier. Snowfall here got to around 6 inches (0.15 m), while temperatures went down to 10 degrees F (-12 degrees C). 

I was able to shovel snow off half of the driveway, but my manager advised me not to drive to work on Thursday with the rough road conditions. Thus, I stayed home that day. This gave me time to work on finishing a ship model for this month's IPMS/Gateway meeting.

Friday morning, I made it to work, where I helped my colleagues to dig our vehicles out of the snow. Business was understandably light, but things went well.

Yesterday, I finished clearing snow off our driveway and the walkway in front of our house. After those chores, I stayed inside, watching the NHL All Star Game on TV and working some more on my ship model.

This morning, the roads were good as I drove to Olympia Athletics & Events Centre in St. Charles to referee SLYSA futsal games. Today was the last day of the 2021-22 season. I worked four girls matches as scheduled, but then stayed to do a boys game that I didn't know was added to my schedule until that morning. Fortunately, all the matches went well.

Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:

Enterprise Rent-a-Car: Rental Cars at Low, Affordable Rates | Enterprise Rent-A-Car

IPMS/Gateway: IPMS Gateway Chapter (google.com)

National Hockey League:Official Site of the National Hockey League | NHL.com

Olympia Athletics & Events Centre: Olympia Athletics Events

St. Louis Youth Soccer Association: Home - St Louis Youth Soccer (slysa.org)

 

Christmas 2021

Entering this past week, I didn't feel much Christmas spirit. Uncertainty about the future and my present situation had me feeling low. A few friends tried to cheer me up. We'll see how that goes.

Last Tuesday night (21 December), I went to the monthly IPMS/Gateway meeting at the Affton Elks Lodge. We had voting for next year's club officers and for this year's Stroup Award (Member of the Year). I was reelected President by acclamation, as no one else was nominated for the post. I am happy to serve another year as club president. The Stroup Award will be presented at next month's meeting. I am one of the three nominees for that honor.

We also had a buffet dinner, with entrees from Smokee Mo's BBQ and sides provided by club officers. (I brought some cupcakes from Schnucks.) We also had the annual Recognition Contest, in which we had to guess the war movie from the theme music. I got 20 of 23 correct for the best score of the night and earned a $10 gift card from Schaefer's Hobby Shop.

Finally, we had the big kit raffle, in which all members had a chance to win a model kit. With my winning ticket, I selected a kit of the German battleship Tirpitz.

After the rental branch closed early on Christmas Eve (24 December), I drove to Super Smoker's BBQ in Affton to pick up a Christmas Eve dinner my brother Doug ordered for my mom and me. It was delicious, featuring sliced turkey, green beans, and potatoes. 

Up the next morning, my mom and I went to the Christmas tree set up in our living room to open some presents. I bought mom a pair of slippers, which she greatly appreciated. I received from mom and my brother Rick several books, including five from Rick's employer, the History Press. I also received a book I ordered from the National Museum of the United States Air Force's gift shop about the XB-35 and YB-49 flying wing bombers, and a large book with maps of key battles over the centuries.

Midday today, I was at Olympia Athletics & Events Centre in St. Charles to referee St. Louis Youth Soccer Association (SLYSA) futsal matches. These three matches were with under 9 boys' teams, and I worked them solo. I had not refereed futsal in about two years and was concerned I would be rusty, but fortunately all the matches went well. I hope to work some more futsal matches in the season, which runs until early February.

Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in This Post:

IPMS/Gateway: IPMS Gateway Chapter (google.com)

Affton Elks Lodge 2635: Elks.org :: Lodge #2635 Contact Us

Smokee Mo's BBQ: Smokee Mo's St Louis BBQ Restaurant - Best Meat & Vegan BBQ (smokeemosstlouisbbq.com)

Schnucks: Home | Schnucks

Schaefer's Hobby Shop: Schaefer's Hobby Shop - Arts, Crafts, Beads, & R/C | Schaefers (schaeferhobby.com)

Super Smokers BBQ: BBQ + Cajun | Affton St. Louis | Super Smokers’ Newest Location

The History Press-Arcadia Publishing: The History Press (arcadiapublishing.com)

The Air Force Museum Store: The Air Force Museum Store Air Force Museum Store

Olympia Athletics & Events Centre: Olympia Athletics Events

St. Louis Youth Soccer Association: Home - St Louis Youth Soccer (slysa.org)