Sunday, January 26, 2014

Duly noted.

I learned several important things over the course of this weekend.

Firstly, that you cannot machine-wash your (possibly all-time favorite) alpaca wool hat without it turning into a child-sized replica of itself.  Foolish of me, that was, and I'm about as upset as anyone can be about a hat, which isn't a lot.  But I will miss that hat a great deal.  It's been my one and only for quite a while now, several years at least, and has accompanied me on many backpacking trips, short and long hikes, camping excursions, river trips, cross-country ski runs, snowboarding escapades, backyard bonfires, meandering scrambles, wandering ways, here and there, from dawn to dusk and back again, all seasons of the year.  It was unique, if not cute, and it "became" me I suppose; more than one good friend told me they liked me in it, and I did, too.  I'll not find another like it, and it's a little surprising to suddenly--stupidly--lose something like that and then have to consider its value.  I don't even have another hat in the house that I can wear, that will actually keep my head warm in this weather...sigh.  That is a bummer, but I guess it's time a for a new hat.  I guess for now it's back to that stripey number I wore when I was five...

Secondly, if you unplug your thermostat, your furnace will stop heating.  I wasn't sure until I did it and I wasn't planning on leaving it off for so long, but I was painting, and one thing led to another and things being what they are... I found it interesting that it took so long for the house to start to feel cold, though, on a day as cold as yesterday was.  After nine hours the temperature in the house had dropped approximately 10 degrees.  Not bad, I'd say.

Thirdly--and this one is pretty significant--it is not a great idea to go out skiing in high winds and blowing snow, with windchill in the negative digits, without carrying any gear that may be needed in the case of emergency, even if you are warm and the sky is blue and the snow is soft and it's going to be eighty below zero tomorrow.  I made it back safely--if a little "winded"--and I'm glad I went out, but boy let me tell you... I have not been so happy to see another human being on a trail, or parking lot, in many a day.  I was also rather proud to see how many devoted Minnesotans were out in defiance, if not ignorance, of the blustery/blizzardy conditions.

Lastly, I painted the damn piano room finally.  I'm not sure I learned anything from doing that except that sometimes you just have to wait, even if you end up doing what you were and then weren't and then were and then weren't going to do in the first through eleventh place.  I'm still not sure I dig the color but it looks "good" I guess, and in any case is different than what was there, which in this particular case (and in a lot of cases, actually) is better, because what was there was a whole lot of random barfiness.  

I learned a few other things as well, but I won't get into them now.  That run today took a lot out of me... I was looking forward to writing (better) earlier this evening, but after a good hour in the tub and another on the phone with my sister and a late run for chips and a cuppa raspberry lemon balm I seem to hear my bed calling, and I can't help but wish I had a two hour delay tomorrow morning... Anyway, one of these days I hope to get back to the English language.  For now this will have to suffice. 

RIP, tiny little hat.  Or, better yet, rest on some little person's head, and serve them half as well as you served me.  Now what will rest on mine?

Friday, January 10, 2014

did I say F it?




stymied

I am behind, here, by about a million words.  

How many words are there, in a day?

Ahh

F

it.

later......