It is Time for Home

Arcadia Lake was rimmed with ice, but now everything is

covered by hard, white water.

Edith Sitwell spoke well about the atmosphere today.  “Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire; it is the time for home.”  It was 70 degrees about 48-hours ago.  It is now in the mid-20’s, the wind is blowing 40-50 mph, causing blizzard conditions where it has already started to snow.  We were awakened by the noise of sleet being driven against the windows, and it is sleet that has covered the yard in white.  As I type, it is finally switching over to horizontal snow.  The normal time for rising had come and gone, and I thought the only justification for getting up would be when I was driven from under the covers by hunger.  But, hunger was also what was on Jean’s mind as she crawled out, slipped into her shoes, and went out the door to spread feed for the wild birds.  The garage door was frozen to the jam, and she had to shoulder the door a few times before it cracked the ice bond and finally opened.  We now have a hundred or so small birds hopping about the patio to pick up the seed scattered there for them.

My GPS odometer for the month sits at 81.34 miles.  Until now, I had no doubt about making the 100 miles for the month, but now that sits in some doubt.  Half that distance was accomplished while picking up aluminum cans for Canton Lake.  While they were able to get the funding to rebuild the campground’s infrastructure damaged by a tornado, there was no money for replacing the trees.  Collecting and recycling aluminum helps with reforestation, shrubs, and flowers.  Besides falling on the ice and breaking an old bone or two, all the cans are now covered in white, so walking will be on hold until the dead grass reappears, so yes, “it is the time for home.”