There was warmth in the sun when I went for my walk today. Snow was slipping off roofs but still clung on tenaciously.
Category: Winter
The climate-controlled dilemma
To paraphrase Oscar Wilde: there is only one thing in the world worse than the Skyway, and that is not having the Skyway. While I don’t care for the way it stifles life at street level, I certainly appreciated it today. I enjoyed walking part of the 9½-mile system in shirtsleeves with friends even though it was single digits and windy outside.
Waiting for the light
Aglaonema sat by the window as snow fell all day, waiting for longer days and bright sunshine. Meanwhile, we stayed in, doing indoor things, and arranging to be in a kinder climate next March.
A winter forage
Walked over to the farmers market on a fresh overnight dusting of snow, a reminder that winter isn’t finished and that local produce would be scarce. I carried home crusty bread straight from the baker, along with bacon sausages and lamb from a local farm for “Sausage Saturday” and a Sunday root vegetable braise.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
With temperatures hitting -21°F (-29°C), our building’s heat failed. My smart home setup let me manage this from afar. I watched the temperature drop and ran ceiling fans and the AC blower to circulate air. The thermostat remained “on,” so glycol stayed moving through the radiators to prevent frozen pipes. There wasn’t anything more I could’ve done in person. After a few hours, the heat is finally back on and the plants look OK.
Extreme cold and extremist provocation
There are two reasons to stay inside today: first, it’s freezing; second, Proud Boys and other wannabes have come in from out of state to march through Downtown and harass the Somali-American community in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood. Since some ICE goons are known to be Proud Boys, we can only hope they’re busy marching rather than abducting brown people.
Playground wars and real terrors
My shadow, with a hiking pole to brace against icy sidewalks, reminded me of a Dalek, the violent, merciless, and extremely xenophobic alien from the long-running British sci-fi show, Doctor Who (not to be confused with the ICE goons currently terrorizing Minneapolis). I remember wandering the playground as a kid, arm extended, mimicking a Dalek, chanting their catchphrase: “Exterminate! Exterminate!”
Taking a rain check
It was a gloomy day out there: rain, icy sidewalks, and the downtown towers barely visible. ‘Too much like England,’ a friend teased, suggesting we postpone our walk until tomorrow. It was a fine day to stay in and tip the fridge: Japanese curry for lunch, and a strata for dinner.
Snowbird prep
In about two weeks we become snowbirds, which means it’s time for the ‘Clustering of the Rolling Plant Racks’ and the ‘Tipping of the Fridge.’ Our plants are now all connected to the drip irrigation system, while some are also periodically misted. Tonight’s dinner features carnitas I made and froze a month ago; other delights will be making encore appearances in the coming days.
Icy ascent to bus number 7
My hiking pole came in handy for boarding the bus, as I climbed onto the icy hard-packed snow left by a snowplow. Eventually, this snow will be loaded onto trucks and taken to a snow-melting facility.