Woke up this morning in tears because my back was so sore. It hurt to even move. Why? Let me tell ya, there's whole lotta snow out there that needed to be moved! I had just finished boasting to my friend in the city that the island had an extremely mild winter and that I'd experienced much harsher weather while living in Toronto and Montreal. Goodness! I spoke too soon! We got dumped on the other day. I'm not sure how much snow we got, but it was a lot!

I'll post a picture later on just to show you how much snow we got. Anyway, after saying "It feels like Spring's here!" I get a whack load of snow to shovel. Fun. Ohhhh...we also experienced something I had never encountered before! For the very first time in my life, I witnessed a snow-thunder! No, not a snowstorm...a snow-thunder! I always thought thunder and lightening happened in conjunction with rain, but this was a first for me! It was the strangest thing ever! It was snowing like crazy and there was thunder and lightening!! Ever neat!

I get to experience all sorts of new things while up on the island. I've seen my first of a lot of things here! I've seen the Northern Lights, meteor showers, black bear, fox kits, fischers, muskrat, deer, bald eagles...all from my backyard! Well...not quite. I saw the black bears on the highway. The first one was a shock, since I'd never seen a bear other than in books, magazines, the zoo or on TV! I was driving on the Hwy to West Bay and my mom and I said, "Hmm...that's a funny looking dog!!" and then we got a bit closer and realized it wasn't a dog at all! The other bear we saw was on Hwy 6 near Sunshine Estates. It looked like a yearling- very cute. It paused, looked at us, and then sauntered into the woods. One lady got out of her car to take photos of it. Crazy! Anyway, I love, love, LOVE living up here on the island. There's always something new and exciting going on! Every day there's a brand new experience waiting to be had!

Okay, where was I before I went on this tangent about the bears? Oh yeah...the snow-thunder and the backache from all the snow that needed to be shovelled. I also noticed how itchy and dry my skin has gotten this winter. My hands are ALWAYS itchy and dry (the summer's okay, but the winter's brutal). I've got the perfect solution though...

THIS HAS GOT TO BE THE BEST STUFF ON EARTH!!!
I've just this year been introduced to THE MOST amazing stuff on this planet!!! CORN HUSKERS LOTION! My mother-in-law to be let me try some a while back, when I had seriously dry and chapped hands. This stuff is INCREDIBLE! My hands have NEVER felt so soft before. This magical concoction instantly moisturizes and softens dry skin. Instructions: Smooth in a small amount of Corn Huskers Lotion wherever your skin is dry and rough. Use regularly for extra protection.

The past summer, with all the yard work, cleaning, dishes, piling wood, gardening, and hard work we did at the motel, my hands were seriously getting callouses and the skin was peeling off in several areas. This 'city girl's' hands had never seen such torment before. My mother-in-law to be handed me some of the lotion and I've been hooked ever since. The only downside is that this lotion is currently not available in Canada. It helps to have contacts in the U.S. who can buy the lotion for you by the crate-full!!!

Absolutely LOVE this stuff and wanted to share it with the rest of the world!!
**Interesting Factoid: Corn Huskers Lotion was originally intended for Iowa corn huskers! I can imagine how hard on the hands it must be to be a corn husker!!**

Profuse apologies- I know this entry has been all over the place. Mehhhhh...it's Sunday and I'm sleepy! Good thing we've only got one room occupied for the night! Funny how in the summer, having a full house is no problem to do. It's just go, go, go every day. The winter's a different story all together. For some reason one or two rooms feel like lots of work! LOL