Rather skunked

The sturm and drang about possible storm and ensuing wreckage of the city petered out, more or less. All took action and precautions, but the snow didn't lay deep on our town; it will freeze harder tonight, but that just inspires us to make comforting dishes and put on more blankets. The birds are all still trying to nest and mate, and seem to be having the usual set-tos, crows versus jays, hummingbirds against everything. Maybe the jabbering and zipping about keep them warmed up.
Blossoms frozen, glad I didn't plant peas...

Cold ass bookend

A sandwich of weather, with cold and snow imminent; then on to lovely bright days. Family visiting from the south, introducing one person to the country west of the Mississippi and snowy mountains, at which he is sore amazed after a day of boarding; time and sleep are disrupted, but mostly pleasantly. We walked in West Seattle, along the water; wonderful views of the Olympics, half-shrouded in snow showers, and the Cascades, crisp and clear as broken glass, with bluebird skies above.

Bright and chilly middle

The days have been lovely to view, brisk to enter. Clambering back into fitness with friends who have been more deprived than I, and grappling with nightmarish domestic situations; can only hope my sympathetic ear helps. Set back a bit musically due to dental work, but guilt at missing some practice usually overcomes discomfort.
The snowdrops have been rampant for days, and the crocuses are supplanting them in cheerful clumps and scatterings. The few dumb daffodils on display will freeze in the next several days as we receive another arctic blast. As a new acquantance remarked last night, we'll be crying come June, wondering where spring is. Funny how you can get hornswoggled every season around here.

Strange events

Walking down to get groceries the other day, I watched a Native American or maybe Latino man pointedly flip off a police patrol car as it drove down a street. It struck me as a stupid act; after we both got acrss, and were headed down hill on opposite sides of the street, the patrol car suddenly pulled up next to the flipper. Two young officers got out, and asked the man if he was signaling them for some reason. He barely stopped, and then kept walking. The police folks asked him if he needed help; he sullenly replied that he didn't, and continued to walk on. The officers called out something about being available, then left. I was relieved not to witness any conflict, Seattle's had far too much bad interaction between citizens and cops for a while. You can understand why both sides are edgy.
A few days later as I was heading home, a fine fat squirrel ran up a utility pole and across a cable over the street, with a big bunch of red berries in his mouth. When he reached the other side, he was crossing another line when there was a strange sound, the berries fell out of his mouth, and he flew up in the air and plummeted to some shrubs below. He never emerged; I could only think he'd gotten shocked severely.
Unsettling times.

Who knows where the time goes?

Up and down with the fight against a virus; a couple of days in a row of climbing at the gym, and finally clawing my way back to relative strength. Spent more time also week with our concussed friend, and my homemade coconut and chocolate chip filled cookies helped the healing process, I like to think. Those are ingredients of renewal. She loaned me Margaret Atwood's Year of the Flood, a prequel to Oryx and Crake, and I could not put it down. I am hoping for a third novel, to make a trilogy. There could be a sort of hopeful post apocalypse... Also read an odd novel called Lives of the Monster Dogs. It kind of followed in the footsteps of H.G. Wells's The Island of Doctor Moreaux. Imaginative possibilities, not quite the control of Atwood.
The kitchen is freshly painted and looking nice, thanks to the beloved offspring; we will keep plugging away at renewal of the homestead.
Productive band rehearsal tonight, and interesting directions for the future of the group, as revealed in the election of new officers. There is a drive to keep the sense of community but be prepared for growth.