00:28 - 17.12.08
Brrrrrrr
After I last posted to you on Sunday, the temperature dropped another few degrees to -40 C with the windchill. That's about the same as -40 F, I think. Doesn't really matter, because it is the same sensation either way. The cold takes one's breath away - literally. Meant my youngest and I hunkered down for the evening after my oldest came by to take my grandbabies home. Last week of school you see.
Close on to midnight my youngest wandered into the computer room, where I was enjoying surfing youtube looking for more political commentary on our national storm in a teacup. He opined that one of the singers he really missed was Burl Ives. Huh? Where did that come from? Now I think I still have a vinyl record that I received for one of my birthdays before I was even school-aged myself of Mr Ives singing children's songs. Haven't played it for decades though, even though it boasts my favorite song from childhood - the Doughnut song. My son must have heard Mr Ives singing on records played at my parent's home, because the song he said he most remembered and loved was "Pearly Shells". Hmmmmm. My parents loved Hawaii and its music, playing it often for their own pleasure. I usually think of Don Ho as a result, when thinking of "Pearly Shells", but neither singer was featured on youtube performing that entire number. The two of us searching together was a very companionable experience though and also an interesting trip down memory lane. My youngest was quite interested in listening to both Johnny Cash and Tennessee Ernie Ford (one of my Mom's favourites) while we had a debate about poets singing their own lyrics versus the stars who usually interpret them. Who'd a thunk.
The weather was almost tropical today after the fierce cold of the past weekend. Unfortunately, that dramatic a meteorological shift also seems to aggravate any illnesses or chronic aches that one has in the process. My grandson has missed the past two days of school, my youngest wandered upstairs this morning all aroar because of the violent headache he had, and my oldest son arrived this afternoon just after seeing the neurologist about the intense pain near the skull fracture he received after the hit-and-run accident he was in during August. He was frustrated when the doctor just said that there was no identifiable source of the pain, so he couldn't be of any help to my son. Funny, when I took medicine we were taught that pain is nature's way of indicating that "Houston, we have a problem" within the body. But never mind. At the same time, my body cratered today too and I found it necessary to nap a lot. Just recovering from the non-stop work schedule of the past few months with no time to recuperate fully from the flu virus that kept attacking me. I think the violently cold weather has to be considered a factor in all of our illnesses manifesting this week. Even A+ had a couple of bad days after our Saturday rendezvous and he is pretty hardy even measured against most of this city's other native or nearly native sons, having moved to this town, as he did, as a baby.
Meant all my plans to accomplish certain goals today went out the window. I did finally manage to walk over to the grocery store around 4:30 in the pm dressed in four layers of warm clothing. I might have looked like the Michelin man, but at least I was toasty warm and would have simply bounced had I fallen on the ice covered streets. Because of those terrible road conditions, though, I didn't arrive back home until sometime after 7. Had to wait almost an hour for a taxi, you see. I sipped on a seasonally flavoured coffee while I watched for that cab and entertained myself by people-watching all the other shoppers. The cabbie commented that the traffic was gridlocked all over the city making driving both dangerous as well as frustrating. My youngest had arrived from his work to meet me at the grocery store about the time the cab arrived, commenting that his bus was over an hour late too. Just the way it is.
My inbox is full of cartoons from fellow sufferers all joking about the trials of foul weather. Misery loves company, but it also takes the sting out of the problem and puts it back in proper perspective. A lot of those cartoons also remind one that there are a lot worse things than being a bit cold, you see.
Anyway the cats are trying to herd me to bed so they can cuddle away the cold hours. Good night dear diary.
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