Weary of Dreary

After several days of bright, beautiful, and sunny weather, Saturday and Sunday were such a letdown. Thick clouds lowered Friday night into Saturday morning. A cold drizzle replaced the warm late autumn days that I’d just enjoyed. Why do the temperatures of a chilly day always seems more intense when it’s damp? There are only two things that would have made me less happy. One is that the temperature was even colder and it had actually snowed like my relatives out west had shared photos.

If another thing that often occurs and would have really bummed me out would have been to hear flocks of geese singing their lonesome autumn song as they make their way south. That event would have meant winter was close on their heels. Many times the geese fly over just before a snow storm blusters in, close on their heels.

Why is it that the same song from the same flock’s sounds are so much different on their return trip heading north in the spring? Is it because of my own imagination and anticipation that I hear a difference in their songs? One is the forbearer of frost, ice, and snow while the other is the herald for springtime with the melting of the ice and snow and the warming and thawing of the frozen earth.

Once winter arrives, I’m glad that I’m retired and no longer have to leave my house, only if I decide to do so. There’s no longer the responsibility of a job that pries me from my warm bed or compels me to shovel out my driveway if I don’t want to. I usually have food stocked in my pantry and more in my freezer. If I’m snowed in, there’s always dried beans, rice, and pasta. I have a gas stove, so even if the electric fails, I can cook. With candles and several kerosene lamps, I still have light. To keep warm, I have a wood burner in the basement and a stack of wood outside.

I have tons of unread books that fill several shelves to keep myself amused if there’s no computer or television to divert my attention and I can limit the use of my cell phone to make the battery last longer. I will admit that the house might feel a little quiet with only Willow my long-haired cat to keep me company. Even her meows are quiet. Her galloping run through the house is often louder than her voice.