This godawful winter

When I got up this morning and looked out the window I couldn't believe my eyes. Two to three inches of snow covered everything, all fallen overnight. I had an early doctor appointment so had to scrape the windows of the car free of light ice and snow, then watch for slippery spots on the way into town.

By 5 o'clock this afternoon it was 50 degrees and the weather person says it will reach 60 tomorrow.

How can a person achieve any stability in his life if the weather can't?

Another recommendation

Regular readers of this blog will know about my involvement in Magpie Tales, a creation of Willow which gives the would-be writers in the blogosphere a chance to give it a try each week. I say "would-be writers" but there are some professionals involved to give the rest of us something to shoot at. One whose writing I dearly enjoy is Vicki Lane. Check her out at one of her several blogs but you can start at Vicki Lane Mysteries. She's a treasure.

Spring in Indiana

A cousin on SWMBO's side of the family raises bees in Indiana. He has just sent me a photo of a couple of his bees enjoying the first spring flowers there - some crocuses. It's such a beautiful photo I had to show it to you.

Mag 4

The continuance of Magpie Tales. This being the fourth . . I offer this small fable. You can read the offerings of other writers by clicking here.

"What the hell is that thing?"

"It’s an elephant."

"Awfully small elephant."

"It’s a baby. A young one."

"Well why do you have it? You carry it with you all the time."

"It brings me good luck."

"Good luck! We’ve been in this damned prison for nearly 27 years! Some good luck."

"But we’re still alive aren’t we?"

"Sometimes I wonder about that."

"Have to keep on believing though. One of these days it’s all going to get better."

"Yeah, one of these days we’re gonna die and then it all WILL be better."

"Ah, now, you’ve got to have hope. Be like the elephant."

"Ha! How long does an elephant live?"

"They say it can live for some 70 years."

"Yeah, and how old are you now? 72?"

"Oh not quite. But I still have hope."

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Several weeks later – the guard opens the cell door. It is February 11th, 1990. After 27 years, Nelson Mandela and his cellmate are released from prison. Mandela leaves the small elephant on the sill of his barred window, smiles and walks out into a changed world.

It has been questioned as to whether this story is true or not. One fact is accurate. Nelson Mandela was released from prison on February 11th, 1990 after 27 years of confinement. The rest . . . is all my imagination.

Oscars

So, I got 5 for 7. I missed on the Best Foreign Film, picking "The White Ribbon" to win and I went away from the favorite, Sandra Bullock, to pick Meryl Streep for Best Actress.

But . . . all in all . . . 5 for 7 isn't bad.

Me and my big mouth!

I should have known better.

Yesterday I was bragging to some friends back East that it was pushing 60 degrees here. This morning, it became evident that rain had fallen during the night. And a little while ago . . . WHAT? SNOW? AGAIN? YeGods!

Now the good part is that it's warm enough that most of it is melting as soon as it hits the ground. But it is sticking on other things. Like the car. And the garbage can lids. And the satellite dish. THE SATELLITE DISH? Yes, and once it gets a nice coating, our television service cuts out. And tonight is the Academy Awards telecast.

So I finally did something I'd been told about once and kept putting off. I got the ladder out, climbed up to the satellite dish, brushed the snow off and then sprayed the entire surface with Pam Olive Oil cooking spray! I know. It sounds crazy. But I've been told that the slippery surface will then cause the snow to slide off and not stick. So far, so good. But we'll see. I have my fingers crossed.

Things feeling a little tight, John?