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Minnesota's got to me
Jan. 29th, 2019 02:20 pmIt is eight degrees below zero F in my corner of MInneapolis. The wind is getting up to mischief; watery sunshine is sparkling off the new-fallen snow. I have a cold and would benefit from a steamy shower, but the idea of getting wet on a day like this is confounding. I'm sitting in my office, a somewhat drafty sunroom, wearing a T-shirt, a sweatshirt, a pair of cotton knit pants, slippers, an ancient and enveloping purple fleece robe, and the little lap afghan with rosebuds on it that Lydy made me some time ago. Saffron, having stomped and thoroughly sucked on one shoulder of the robe, is curled up very tightly on the cat cushion on my desk. I tried covering her with an old hand towel. She sat up, wriggled from under it, sniffed it thoroughly all over, had a definitive bath, and lay down firmly atop the towel. I'm not sure if it has been accepted or rejected.
The viral rather than the climatic cold is providing most of my discomfort at the moment; the only weather-related piece is that the radiator is slightly too warm for me to press my slippered feet against it. When I get dressed and put my shoes on, it will be perfect.
This is far from the most miserable cold of my experience, but it's removed my ability to focus. I've shovelled snow in the course of it and ordered groceries. I'm hoping to cook tonight. I think we will probably have to have soup of some kind, perhaps very miscellaneous.
The viral cold presented itself quite late on Friday night and caused me to cancel attending my tea group's feast, having a date with Eric, and attending my own family birthday party. I minded all that, but I don't mind being sick during this epic cold snap, especially since I did get some shovelling done. I should add, to be accurate, that I was assisted in the shovelling by a woman bringing her two sons along our block on their way to Butter, our lovely local bakery. The boys were, maybe, eight and ten, or nine and eleven, somewhere in there. They were very shy and wouldn't speak to me directly, but she got me to hand over the snow shovel and directed them in clearing the walk and tidying up the edges. She said they were bored and had lots of extra energy and it wasn't too soon for them to learn to be helpful. I thanked them all fervently; the rest I got from not clearing the public walk enabled me to widen the single lane I'd made in the walk through the front yard.
At this point the wind is blowing the snow around and the tidiness is somewhat marred, but everybody made a good effort just the same.
Tomorrow and tomorrow night are the really terrifying parts of the climatic cold; after that, we revert to more ordinary winter weather followed capriciously by a brief thaw. A February thaw is not unusual, but it doesn't usually ring itself in with such an air.
Saffron just tightened her sleep circle considerably, but I know that if I try to cover her with the edge of the towel, she'll just have to shake it off and start over. Cats are stubborn.
I'm going to try to clear my brain by showering and then either work on the less-complicated parts of the taxes or on my book, but it's possible that I'll just reread some old favorite or take a nap. I hope everybody who needs to be is safe from the whims of the climate and the vagaries of the weather.
P.
The viral rather than the climatic cold is providing most of my discomfort at the moment; the only weather-related piece is that the radiator is slightly too warm for me to press my slippered feet against it. When I get dressed and put my shoes on, it will be perfect.
This is far from the most miserable cold of my experience, but it's removed my ability to focus. I've shovelled snow in the course of it and ordered groceries. I'm hoping to cook tonight. I think we will probably have to have soup of some kind, perhaps very miscellaneous.
The viral cold presented itself quite late on Friday night and caused me to cancel attending my tea group's feast, having a date with Eric, and attending my own family birthday party. I minded all that, but I don't mind being sick during this epic cold snap, especially since I did get some shovelling done. I should add, to be accurate, that I was assisted in the shovelling by a woman bringing her two sons along our block on their way to Butter, our lovely local bakery. The boys were, maybe, eight and ten, or nine and eleven, somewhere in there. They were very shy and wouldn't speak to me directly, but she got me to hand over the snow shovel and directed them in clearing the walk and tidying up the edges. She said they were bored and had lots of extra energy and it wasn't too soon for them to learn to be helpful. I thanked them all fervently; the rest I got from not clearing the public walk enabled me to widen the single lane I'd made in the walk through the front yard.
At this point the wind is blowing the snow around and the tidiness is somewhat marred, but everybody made a good effort just the same.
Tomorrow and tomorrow night are the really terrifying parts of the climatic cold; after that, we revert to more ordinary winter weather followed capriciously by a brief thaw. A February thaw is not unusual, but it doesn't usually ring itself in with such an air.
Saffron just tightened her sleep circle considerably, but I know that if I try to cover her with the edge of the towel, she'll just have to shake it off and start over. Cats are stubborn.
I'm going to try to clear my brain by showering and then either work on the less-complicated parts of the taxes or on my book, but it's possible that I'll just reread some old favorite or take a nap. I hope everybody who needs to be is safe from the whims of the climate and the vagaries of the weather.
P.
