Another day, another year, but beautiful nonetheless – Photo: L. Weikel
It’s Ugly
I’m struggling to come up with something interesting to write about this evening. Everything just seems so damn depressing. From the politics of last week to climate change this week, preparing for the impact of which was completely botched by politicians in Texas due to their slavish dedication to the vaunted holy grail of deregulation, it’s ugly. And that’s not even mentioning the ongoing pandemic and the threat of what seems like a bazillion mutations appearing now and expected to continue dodging, dancing, and shifting their structures into the future.
I look out my window at the moment and see a car slowly making its way along our road, ice crunching under the tires. It’s slippery out there. I know firsthand.
A Miserable Mix
As we walked late this afternoon, the precipitation was a miserable mix of sleet and rain that turned to ice as soon as it hit anything – including my jacket. Running my hand along my sleeve or the front of my jacket felt like I was reading braille.
On the last stretch of the walk there were at least three inches of snow on the road surface, with a coating of ice on top that added that crunchy cadence to all our footsteps – even Spartacus’s. It was easier to walk in the thicker stuff. Anything that had been packed down was completely slick. So I was careful.
But as we started to make our final descent down the hill that leads to the crossroads near our home, my feet went out from under me. This fall unfolded more slowly than the last one (in which I smacked the back of my head) and I must say, I do believe I scored at least a 7.5 in grace.
Tomorrow’s Promise
I do have one hope that always bubbles up on days like this and never grows old. It’s the hope that we will awaken tomorrow to an indescribably breathtaking winter wonderland, where every single branch of every single tree, every single blade of grass and every single pine needle is coated in ice. And to top off the perfection, the sun needs to come out and cast glistening rainbows making life look like it’s taking place inside a magical kingdom.
If I’m lucky, I’ll see it and share the magic with all of you. In the meantime, we’ll have to make due with memories from other such storms. Because trust me – there was nothing but gray skies to document today.
Icicles – Photo: L. Weikel
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I hope your body is not bruised, and your bruised spirit recovers quickly! The days grow longer and the sun will shine, At least by Sunday! My irises are up 4″ under the snow, spring is coming!
Not a single bruise; the 7.5 I gave myself in grace really was well-earned. Ha ha ha. I was really lucky; all it takes is to land ‘wrong’ and it can ruin a lot of things…
Wow – can’t believe your irises are up that far already!