almost gone...

We had two days in a row with temps in the high 40s (F). Last night, as we walked home from a neighbor's home, gentle rain began falling. And then all night it rained, and now we are back to the 30s and 40s (F). Three weeks ago we were locked in sub-freezing temps and snow up to my waist where it was plowed out. Then dry warm temps more suitable for late spring or early summer. This morning water is standing all over the townlet, along the small ditches and on the main esplanade on the north end our loop.

Much of the earth's color is dry and brown, the leftovers from winter. The utility company's tree people have been out hacking away along the powerlines, and there are lots of dead branches spread out along side the road for later grinding and mulching. The heat (after what we've been having, 76 degrees can feel awful warm), while much appreciated, had a great oddness about it, the out-of-sync feeling of nature's forces not all matching up appropriately. Yet already, bulbs are pushing out, and buds are forming on lilacs and forsythia. Spring is coming. The promise of resurrection, new life coming out of the earth where all is dead.

Yesterday Franklin the dog got his last check-up at the vet, and grooming. He follows us from room to room. We've finished most errands, delivered most things that needed to be delivered, have packed all but a little which we finish today. I am mentally and physically tired, as is partner.

One more day and then we are on the road.

passing

I found out this morning that Murphy, a neighborhood dog, died over the weekend. Nobody knows for sure how old he was, but he one day selected a family a few doors down and became their dog. He was a big tall dog, with lots of black hair. He refused all efforts at being locked up.

Franklin liked Murphy a lot, and when we went for walks around the townlet, he used to often accompany us. As Murphy got older, his arthritus became more painful, and when I saw him last week, struggling to walk, I wandered if maybe he was reaching the end.

A sweet, tough dog who roamed our part of the townlet as if he owned it, and I'm sure in his dog sense of the world, he did.

Murphy, the Airedales - Fred and Penny, are all gone now, Franklin's old pack. His cats are gone, too. I am hoping he will make new friends in NY.

Farewell, sweet Murphy.

la blizzard

I could feel myself get anxious on Monday as the weather folk on tv started warning us of impending doom and slaughter, or to be more specific, the onset of a winter storm.

They cried, There will be heavy snow, there will be ice and sleet, and there will be heavy winds.

At some point in the hysteria, I remind myself that weather rarely exceeds their worry. While it is to everyone's benefit to listen when they warn us, I sometimes reactly poorly to that tinge of excitement as they stress how bad it is going to be. I try to hear what they have to say but not overreact myself. Still, I cancelled my appointments for the next day and stopped by the grocery store on the way home.

And yesterday we had a lot of snow, lots of sleet and heavy winds. And because we all listened, almost nobody was out driving through the mess and almost everything in Indianpolis was closed, and we all sat in our homes and watched unrelentless sleet falling for most of the day that had followed a night of snowfall, and on local television, we watched a million reporters scattered on more corners than ones with Starbucks telling us that this was a really bad storm. One young weatherman said as he stood out in the freezing, falling sleet, that we will always remember the really bad storm of 2007. Ok. Maybe. He certainly will.

So I shoveled my walk and drive twice yesterday, once in the morning when it was fluffy light snow, and once again last night when it was hardened packed ice covered snow. And then again this morning, a mere two inches or so from late snowing and from drifting. And I helped cut-out the driveways of a few neighbors -- the snow plow pushes the snow from the street into the driveways, and with frigid temps for the rest of the week, I assumed that to leave the packed snow there was an invitation for sealing off driveways.

So the snow is all here, and only a few came into work today. The week will really start up again tomorrow.