I am clad in winter now, packed away by snow and cold and dark;
\nI become a flippered seal: thick layers of clothing insulate me like layers of blubber;
\nI see, hear so little too much: muffling snow tricks reflections of light and sound;
\ndriving becomes absurd: slush and ice and snow in all those varieties
\ndefeat tire treads until sideways and merry-go-round are the new forward.
\nAt night, house lamps and streetlights varnish snow, casting their dim calls
\nup to dark low hanging clouds, making outdoors a dim, indeterminate
\nabysmal room in which this night walker waddles like child in a snowsuit
\nfearful of being struck by a rogue vehicle loosely under the semi-control
\nof a citizen whose encumbrances rival my own: I am the equivalent of
\na severely arthritic, slightly demented, aged invalid. Since those adjectives
\ndescribe me fairly accurately indoors and in summer, perhaps I should be
\ngrateful to this season that levels the playing field for me. Hail to winter!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Winter imposes many physical limitations upon those of us who live in snow and ice and slush and cold. It has its compensations. (#1024) Continue reading