Surviving Winter

The holidays are history and winter settles in with its pain-in-the-rear wind chill; a light covering of snow finally brightens the mood for a day or two until it’s washed away by rain. The sump is broken and the north end of the basement floods. The overdue heating bill on the desk screams at me, telepathically, for attention; a red circle on the calendar says a check is coming and my crusty eyes begin to widen. But since it’s already been spent, they quickly narrow and re-crust. The soothsaying marmot sees no shadow, and my mood stays low as the thermostat stays high; hey folks: it’s February and things are supposed to get warmer, right? Pitchers and catchers report, but I’m not there, so I might as well be in Helsinki. Things should get better in March, but we’re greeted by a mother of blizzards; however, the next day it warms and snow drifts disappear like vanilla ice cream on hot pie. By six-thirty, the sun still hasn’t set. Sump’s still broken, but I have wide eyes and a smile.