It took 7 hours to get from GJ to Denver, instead of the typical 4 hours. I hear that the pass and tunnel were closed by the time we got home, and they’re still closed today! Boy am I glad we left in the morning.

This morning my car wouldn’t start. Just before calling a towing service Ben got some advice from his dad. He said to use something called “heat,” an alcohol that breaks up crystals in your fuel. After waiting a while the car started! I’m so happy to fix it ourselves and not deal with a mechanic! With the car working we tried to walk around Crown Hill. Blowing snow and frigid wind chill forced us back after a quarter of the walk. Jem was prancing around happily like she didn’t even notice the wind that was freezing our teeth.

Today I’m transferring all my photos and music to this new computer, doing laundry, dishes, and putting away presents. Ben wants a New England style beef stew dinner for his birthday tomorrow. I’m going to cook it in my new pressure cooker! Usually I would add potatoes and cabbage midway through the cooking time but with a pressure cooker I can’t remove the lid. So does that mean I need to cook them in a separate pot? Or let them get overstewed in the same pot as the meat? Does anyone know?