I am sick of showing this stupid picture.
Bundled in my heavy Land’s End coat, a scarf, two hats, gloves so thick that I couldn’t bend my fingers, double-layers of socks, clunky snow boots and a pocketful of damp, half-used tissues, I took Y-Bo for his morning constitutional.
All I could think about as we fought against the glacial wind, picking our way over piles of filthy snow and slippery ice was how tired I am of winter and all of it’s rotten accouterments. Especially those dangerously slick, bone-breaking, virtually undetectable patches of black ice that plague the sidewalks and roadways.
It was on one such mini-ice-rink back in 1960 that my mother slipped and broke her knee cap. Nowadays, they would have replaced that crushed bone with some sort of plastic disc, given Mom a prescription for painkillers, and a few sessions of physical therapy that would have left her physically fit and ready to run the Boston Marathon.
Sadly, back then they had no such technology and my mother had to undergo two surgeries. She spent several weeks in the hospital, was in a wheelchair for, what seemed, forever. The only therapy she had was from the policeman who lived next door. This Matt Dillon-like lawman was the only one who didn’t flinch every time my mother, who was in a great deal of pain, grunted obscene obscenities as he stretched the muscles and tendons that had atrophied during her long convalescence. Mom often said if it hadn’t been him, she’d have never been able to walk without pain and a severe limp.
Needless to say, I am overly cautious when it comes to ice on the pavement. Knock on wood, but while I’ve had a couple of scary falls over the decades, I’ve never suffered any serious damage. Still by this time of year, I’m completely fed up with being so careful. I’m done with the grimy snow, exhausted by the chill and gloom. I just want to walk, carefree and happy, in the sunshine. I want to let my mind drift, content that my feet won’t….
Usually when Y and I go out, I don’t let him zigzag all over so that he can sniff every stinky tree or yellow-stained rock of ice. But on this day I was in such a rotten state of mind, that when he wanted to pause a moment to investigate the neighborhood fireplug, I let him. To keep warm, I started kicking clumps of icy snow that were blocking the sidewalk. Before I knew it I had dislodged quite a chunk. It felt good to take a big bite out of winter. I kept stomping at it until I’d dug a swathe just wide enough for me and my dog to pass through. That felt even better; my mood improved markedly.
As we resumed our perambulation, I thought about how it was nearly St. Patrick’s Day. I noticed that some of the trees had those ‘false’ pre-bud buds on them. Both are always sure signs that Spring is on the way. Then quite unexpectedly, I saw a bright red Cardinal land in a bush. He raised his cheerful voice in an early morning song. It made me smile, lifted my spirits, and gave me hope.
By the time Y and I got home, wonderful ‘feel good’ endorphins were coursing merrily inside my brain and I was ready to have breakfast and get on with my day. Happy enough for a little music I switched on the radio just in time to catch the local weather forecast…“Ten to twelve inches of snowfall expected later tonight and into tomorrow. Heavy winds followed by temperatures falling into the low 20s.”
Ah March…in like a lion out like a lamb…I hope.
P.S. I had originally planned to post this blog last Tuesday morning. Alas, the above mentioned storm, which only dumped 9 inches of snow into my yard, did manage to knock out my internet, television, telephone connections several time in two days. Good news, though. The temps are actually supposed to heat up to nearly 40 degrees by this weekend and, even better, Y-Bo is in snow heaven!
Thanks to NanaHood and Smart Dog Blog for hosting Thursday Blog Hops!
We got a nice load of fluffy snow the other day…we still love winter and snow. Mom doesn’t like ice but it doesn’t stop us, just have to go a bit slower. She says that some day she will fall and break something but until that happens it is always a go for any weather. We are just happy she loves cold and snow as much as we do, none of us care much for summer…the odd ducks in the world…we know it but that is ok
Hey Emma, I must admit snow can truly be beautiful…the cold not so! Although I’m not much for the heat either. In my perfect world it would always be about 68 degrees, except at night when it would go down to 66! LOL Thanks for stopping by!
You should buy YakTrax. They are metal coil-y things that you strap on the bottom of your shoes or boots to give yourself traction on ice. They work wonderfully well.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for the name of those spring-y things. I’ve seen tracks in the ice/snow with those and thought I would get some if only I knew what they were!
Loy you get huge props for venturing out on days like this…You look ready to attack the South Pole and I don’t’ blame you one bit…It’s funny how we think of all that snow as a major inconvenience while dogs think it’s Nature’s finest amusement park Stay warm!
Hey Gizmo, Thanks for my ‘props’! But the truth is, Y-Bo really needs his exercise or he goes a little wonky! LOL Thanks for stopping by! And enjoy your sunshine!!
We did not lose any power with this last 9 inches so I am thankful for that. We don’t have sidewalks on our street and I hate walking in the street, but am so looking forward to the big melt.
Yeah, it’s been a crazy winter! Walking in the street is not my favorite thing either.
I guess I shall not tell you that where I live all the snow is gone and that we had sunshine and 45 F today
No, you should not tell me that! LOL Thanks for stopping by!
Or that we live here in the tropics where it’s sunny and summery all year round!
Oh sure, rub it in! LOL Thanks for stopping by!
I heard we’re supposed to hit around 50 degrees on Sunday, then get more snow on Monday. Enough is enough, I say!
Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…although 50 is an awfully nice tease! LOL Thanks for stopping by!
Your poor mother. I can’t even imagine how inconvenient that must have been -not to mention painful.
Fortunately, I was the youngest (9) and my brothers were all much older and able to ‘baby-sit’ alot! Thanks for stopping by!
Your winters sound even worse than ours! I can relate to all of it; especially the fear of falling on ice. (I have old injuries and the pain is excruciating; did that a month ago, landing on the bad knee, of course.) Kudos to you for getting out there and conquering that fear. I’m ashamed to admit that I wimped out a few times. Fortunately, I have a nice, big yard, so the dogs still got out and had fun playing, instead. Come on, spring!
Oh Yikes! Sorry about your knee. I don’t think you ‘wimped out’. You know your limitations and that’s SMART! Yeah, Come on Spring!!
YIKES! Ice on the pavement is pretty scary! Love your red coat, it looks very cosy. Thank you for joining in Thankful Thursday Blog Hop each week. I always enjoy your posts. Look forward to this weeks one too. :=o)
Thanks! Yeah, I love my red coat! And thanks for being a host!