Things I Learned in the Winter Storm

We had about 36 hours of enforced togetherness/cabin-fever during last week's winter weather event. I learned much about many different things.  Here, in no particular order, is the list:

• Just because I have an extra day off does not mean I'll get a lot of extra things done around the house.                                           
• A female purple finch has somewhat obscure striping on its head but the female house finch has a completely plain head.  That's the only way to tell them apart.                                                                        
• A male purple finch usually is "purpler" than a male house finch, but not necessarily so.  It does not have any streaking on its sides, whereas the male house finch is heavily streaked on its sides.                                                                                         
• Yes, I can go 24 hours without any makeup whatsoever.  Not even concealer around the dark eyes.                                                                                             
• Snow will melt more quickly off a metal roof above a cathedral ceiling than over attic space.  (Noticed on a neighbor's house.)                                                                                                
• One reason ducks are scarce this year, even with the very cold weather, is because there is so much water in our area this year that there are many more little puddles and water-filled places where they can hide.  They don't have to come to the open ponds where they are more readily observed.  (This piece of information courtesy of Mike.)                                                                                          
• The land where a pool has been filled in does not get snow accumulation.  This, along with the observation about the neighbor's roof, interests the former science teacher in me.  Why not?  There must be air pockets in the pool fill-in that harbor heat.  Or some other reason, but whatever it is, heat is held in there somehow.                                                                          
• Lining a bread pan with waxed paper makes getting the bread out much easier and cleaning the pan up much simpler.                                                                                                                             
• I am ready for a new crochet project but have to get the current one done.                                                                                                                                                  
• Watching too much Cops during forced solitude at home, after getting out, makes a person suspicious of every car on the road.  "He's getting away!  Pursuit!  Radio for another unit!!"                                                                                                                                  
• And finally, Mike gets a little stir-crazy too.  He was concerned about a pot of potatoes on the stove.  I assured him that they were merely peeled potatoes, covered in water, that I was going to boil the next morning, and they were fine.  His response?  "If I die of food poisoning, I'll never speak to you again."