Winter in May

Not really, but it sure felt like it all day. Last night was one of those nights I tossed and turned and couldn’t go to sleep—unusual for me. Finally dawned on me that I was cold, so I turned on the heat. A blessing about the cottage—all I have to do is reach to the bedside table for the remote control, turn on enough light to put it on sunshine instead of snowflake—that is so not intuitive—and turn it on. Slept wonderfully the rest of the night. This morning I turned it off thinking the day would surely heat up soon. Wrong. I was pretty quick to turn the bedroom unit back on and then the living room—a double whammy I don’t even use much in the darkest days of winter. Still I have felt cold all day.

Weather was crazy all over. My oldest granddaughter is at Colorado University in Boulder, and her mom posted on Facebook that graduates there did not throw their hats in the air—instead, they threw snowballs and ended up with a rip-roaring snowball fight. My daughter-in-law in Tomball, near Houston, reported that schools were closed because of high water on the roads. She’s a teacher, and today is her birthday, so a day off was like a gift to her but for all the wrong reasons. Their little lake had crept up over the lowest level of patio but receded by this morning. I can’t even imagine the road to their house—it’s rutted and difficult on the best of days.

After my iffy night, I was up before seven to wash my hair and get my day going before leaving at 8:40 with Jordan to take Jacob to school. He was bummed to hear that his Tomball cousin didn’t have school today, but he was still the most cheerful of the three of us in the car. Jordan and I did a quick grocery shopping—so quick that I have a list already of the things I didn’t get.

Lunch with my writing pal Carol—we share a love of local history, although she is much more knowledgeable than I, and we always have lots to talk about. I am now researching what I hope will be a new book someday, and I am realizing with regret that in downsizing I gave away a lot of books I need. Carol has become my lending library. When I asked for one book, she said yes, she had the copy I got rid of. I now have it on extended loan. But there are others. When I find them cheap on Amazon, I’m buying books I once owned, but I balk at paying $15+ for a slim paperback that I wrote and now can’t find. It’s probably in the storage locker, but that’s so much trouble it’s easier to buy it.

We went to Swiss Pastry Shop, renowned for its Black Forest Cake, though neither of us had that—we had bratwurst and potato salad. So good—but we were seated at the far end of the restaurant and someone in the adjacent store was remodeling, with great loud and constant buzzing noise. Distracting to say the least.

I didn’t get that much done all day between grocery and lunch and nap—just worked in fits and bits. But late this afternoon I got more done than I had all day—mostly taking notes from a book Carol had brought me.

Tomorrow more rain. I swear we are all going to wash away. Hard core climate change deniers are probably rejoicing at the cold weather and rain, claiming is disproves climate change, but of course it does just the opposite.

Stay dry and warm, folks.