February 2025 Seems to Have me Silenced

Nevertheless, I will try to break it as it sit before my desk, before my window, watching rain, previously cold rain, previously freezing rain, previously snow perpetually since some hour this early morning while I slept. It is now mid, late afternoon. I am noticing that the 10 new inches of overnight have been reduced to probably 6 inches, sitting atop the 4 inches of two days ago, that began their morning as 8 inches, but, like today, seeped down and out to the roads, the walkways, the gutters, the exposed areas of soft surface anywhere as the temperature rose. Yesterday, walking was a mindful experience, having to look always at the next spot my foot would step or slip thus slide. Today, post shoveling, I didn’t even bother to walk, thighs, especially quads, too achy, and weather/surface conditions, too wet. Then there’s tonight coming up–temperature drops, and ah ha, tomorrow sliding/skating/slipping on sidewalks time. No matter the treatments we apply, and when walking, I pass over, alongside, around many manner of efforts to make the pedestrian’s way stable.

All this about weather, all this weather!!

We are so less than certain about so much in life. Damocles sword ever swinging.

What do you do when you are particularly uncertain? Do you pause? Do you ponder? Do you weigh options? Do you forge ahead? Do you put a toe in? Do you circle and pounce? Do you sidle into? –a decision, an answer, a conclusion, an action, a response, a choice. Do you have one way, always the same way, same tone, same expectation, of approaching uncertainty? Or are you situational? Circumstantial? Communal?

I believe I will ponder that question myself. I doubt I’ll let you know what my answer is. I doubt I’ll be certain it is the only possible answer. So I would buffer it, and is that helpful?

Would you lie to help someone? To maybe even save someone? Is a lie of omission a lie?

It must be the rain, raining down on me.

Perhaps it’s because it’s February and the groundhog prediction is for six more weeks of winter. Of the ground hog’s accuracy, there are arguers for both sides. Always. But it has been snowing here in New England an awful lot this month of February. Have I told you recently how grateful I am that I had a french drain installed last year? My wet-dry vacuum is wondering why I have ignored it since spring 2024. My cats, on the other hand, are grateful not to have to tiptoe to their litter boxes down in the basement. I will not subject you to pictures of them this time. I could!! But I won’t. You have been very patient.

This weekend is also the “Great Backyard Bird Count” weekend. I will like to believe my counts are so low because the weather is most uncooperative. There is one persistent member of several families: a titmouse, a chickadee (or two), a nuthatch, a downy woodpecker, two cardinals, and, of course, a dozen house sparrows flitting, fidgeting, flying. Oh and the juncos. Out front a mockingbird sits in the ornamental (read mock) cherry for long spells and scrunches up and scowls.

At the river a couple of days ago, a pair of swans swam downcurrent with me as I walked the length of the riverwalk.

However, look at these locusts!! The keep away message from the one on the left is clear. Although the squirrels, backing their constructed home on under-spiked locust, dare to stay close.

This is my February visit to you. Thanks for letting me in.