Near Spring

Thursday, January 18, 2024

This morning, Central Oregon will be slushy, with rising temps, melting snow, and slick walkways. Maybe the weather-worst is lessening, will relax some high tension from the past ten days or thereabouts. Meanwhile, we shouldn’t feel too optimistic because weatherwise, February and March could prove tough, too.

I’ll be off work for several days, after frequently filling in for some who couldn’t get to work through our heavy snows. I’ve no plans today and tomorrow beyond ensuring that my animals have plenty of what they need and doing any possible cleaning up despite the deep slush.

Actually, I could justify going out and about. I have a package awaiting pickup at my workplace, and I could visit that big hardware store and greet ex-coworkers that I miss. In thinking about these destinations, more stops seem possible. This day could become busy.

Through the bitterly cold days when I’ve been away at work, my dogs have stayed inside the house waiting for me and have been terrific. No battles, no messes, and lots of excitement about going outside again, even in the awful freezing temps.

Our tough, harsh-weather weeks were brief. Annually, we have a couple of such deep-winter weeks. What’s left will be some bone-chilling cold, but the earliest spring buds will soon appear as our days become longer.

Dear Friends: Ahead is a relatively short hunkering-in period. Diana