Not in January

 

The other day I took

off my hat and gloves

shortly after I boarded

the bus. 

I put them back on just

before I exited the bus. 

At least I thought I did.

I made my way from the

bus stop to

Jenna’s classroom. 

While I waited I once again

removed my hat and gloves –

oops - glove. 

How is it I had only

one glove on.  Why hadn’t

my hand mentioned to me

that it wasn’t covered? 

I looked around the area

where I was standing. 

I must have lost it

somewhere along the way. 

Weird.

So yesterday I kicked the

snow in a few areas where

I could see color. 

No pink glove but a lot

of fall autumn leaves.

                          Most of the trees stand

naked outlined in the snow. 

But there are actually a few with

leaves still clinging to the branches. 

I don’t think I’ve ever seen

autumn leaves in January. 

Not real ones. 

And some still had their

crunch even beneath

the soggy snow. 

I find that fascinating!

kfralc

Bus Temperatures and Waiting

The one thing that I really don’t like about the bus system is the change in temperature.  Each bus driver has the ability to control how hot or cool the bus may be – or so that is my guess.

The regular driver, who takes Jenna and me from West Valley to Tannersville each morning, keeps his bus at a comfortable temperature – the way I like it in my house and room.  The way I keep it when Roland’s away.  Windows open.  Fans running.

Most of the older drivers keep the bus at furnace temperature – the way Roland likes it.  The way that makes me hot and uncomfortable and worn out. 

 

Long before I got married and was working downtown.  Taking the bus in summer wasn’t generally that big of a deal – not like it was in winter.  I would always sit in back next to a window that had been pried open.  I would remove my hat, my coat, my sweater and whatever else I could.  I’d pant. Before arriving at my designated spot I’d bundle up all over again.

Right now I wear a back pack in order to carry my coat, umbrella and sweater as needed.  I won’t need it when spring comes.

I’m actually getting familiar with some of the bus lines and how to get from here to there.  Yesterday I went out to see Harold.  It took only 30-40 minutes from Jenna’s school.  But the return home was not great.  The weather would have been fine with it.  My body was okay with just a sweatshirt but my ears and fingers felt frozen all day.  No hat seemed to work.  My ears felt like they would break off.

I should have gone back the way I came, but I took Desa’s advice at trying another route.  I must have just missed it and the other way late.  I think I’d been waiting for 30-40 minutes (the same amount of time it had taken for the entire trip between Alpine Ridge and Jenna’s school).  It took nearly two hours for me to return home.

Not quite as bad as it had been on Monday when I’d gone downtown to a rather expensive salon.  I wouldn’t have gone at all if the services offered hadn’t been free – well, free financially – but it did cost in time.  After I dropped Jenna off at school, I caught an 8:30 bus and transferred to go downtown.  90 minutes.  

I had arrived an hour before my appointment, but it just didn’t seem worth going home for just half an hour.  The hair dresser was late getting started which accounted for another 30 – 50 minutes. The process of fixing my hair was over two hours – which wasn’t a surprise.  I have a LOT of hair.

I was going to try another route on the return, but when I looked at the clock, I knew I should head back the way I came for there would not be enough time to go home.  I would have to return to the school for Jenna.  My bus arrived at the same time the first bell rang for dismissal.  Fortunately Jenna is a dawdler and hadn’t known how late I was at coming for her.

It’s true that I don’t like to wait for busses, but overall I have developed a sense of comfort – even though it does cost in time.  I’m okay with it at this point in time.

Fall: Beginning of the end

I saw the leaves scurry quickly
across the street when pushed
by the angry wind which has
been howling the last few days. 



It appears that autumn is
nearing its end this year.
But we have been blessed with
warmth and colors and
really awesome weather for the most part.

 

Some trees remain in their
brilliant state of gorgeous color
while others have been stripped naked -
skeletons ready for
the harshness of winter.

 

I hope it's not a harsh winter like
last year.  It was cold.
Always so cold.
Miserably cold.

 

And summer was unbearably hot.
But autumn was awesome.
autumn is awesome.
Let us keep that awesome feel.

 

Mother Nature please
don't strip the trees.
Let them radiate
throughout the year -
without the wind,
without the snow,
without the heat,
without the cold.

Sunshine and Rain

     Jenna and I got off the bus the other day.  It was raining – not a pouring rain, but the sky had definitely produced more than just a drizzle.  We needed our umbrellas (which we just happened to have).  The weird thing was that I also needed sunglasses.

     It seemed to be raining north of 3300, but once we turned the corner and continued on our way to the south side, we no longer needed our umbrellas.  We were in the house perhaps only ten minutes or so when we could hear a heavy hail beating all around us.  I looked out the window to see the sun shining still.  Weird.

     Yesterday was beautiful – though we started the morning wearing light jackets.  Janna and I took the train to Midvale and walked to the post office and made a stamp purchase and walked over to the library.  On our return I mentioned to Jenna that Ellen and Nate lived close to where we were.  She crossed the street to look at their street name while I tried getting a hold of one of them on the phone.  I didn’t think they’d be home.

     As it turns out, they went hiking with the family and too enjoyed the awesome weather.  The air was crisp but not cold.  I had packed my umbrella just in case.

     Jenna loves standing on the train and bus as they are moving.  She also likes to flirt with the regular bus drivers.  When we came home (with train transfer to the bus) Jenna noticed the afternoon bus driver was/is the same who drives us near our house.

     Last night the sky appeared to be giving us fog.  

Did You See That Red Sun Last Night?

         Jenna and I came out of the library to see a brilliant red ball hanging in the sky.  

         There’ve been a lot of fires in Utah.  Many in the nation. The smoke makes the sun appear to be red.

        

         I’m sorry for the many whose homes have been lost.  

         I enjoyed seeing the sun.

Wednesdays are for Sleeping In . . . zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

-->

Nearly every morning Roland gets up at 5:30.  More than not I’ll get up at that time too (provided I’m not already up – due to not being able to sleep in my room) as he needs to be to work by 7:00 (or at least it is the time he chose to be there) but does need to be to work on Wednesdays until 11:00.

On Saturday we usually go to the Church to clean.  We try to be there by 8:00 (at least for this month) and then we have the garden at 9:00 (which changes to 8:00 next month – but I think it should already be at 8:00 and then changed to 7:00) and on Sunday he’s got meetings which generally  start at 7:00 or 7:30. 

Roland’s usually up by 5:30  regardless.  But I like to stay in bed as long as possible – especially when I haven’t slept well the night before.

I didn’t seem to have any troubles whatsoever when Jenna and I were watching one of her TV programs yesterday.  After missing practically the entire program (one I hadn’t already seen forty times in the last three years) I finally told her that I was going to lay down. 

Of course by the time I got all the way to my room from the couch (less than twenty steps from couch to bed; I checked) I couldn’t get comfortable and so did not sleep in my bed yesterday but seemed to do okay on the couch (sitting up position nonetheless)

Roland doesn’t get off until 8:00 and so whenever I picked Jenna up from school on Wednesdays, we would wander – never in a hurry to get home (not that I’m ever in a hurry;  I’m pretty tired of our house and neighborhood and the number of cars that make an appearance across the street.  Biff told me he witnessed a drug bust the other night.

I have perspired so much that I’m forced to wash loads every other day.  Thank goodness I have a clothes line or my bills would be more costly than they already are.   I still dry the towels in the dryer though. The texture of sandpaper does not appeal to my wet skin.  But I like what the sun does to my whites.

I am saddened for those who have lost their homes in Colorado and pray for them.  Damn elements!

Those Poor Confused Geese

          I’m walking my dog at the park when two geese started honking.  Highness hadn’t even noticed them until they brought it to his attention that they were there.  So of course he starts yowling and the geese took off and started circling the park – honking loudly as they flew.

          Now since I don’t speak geese, I don’t know if they were warning other birds that there was a crazy dog in the park or if they were announcing: “No – it doesn’t appear to be springtime over here, either.”

Or if they were just lost from their flock and asking others to make themselves known.

It’s supposed to be springtime huh?  According to the goose’s bodily calendar, it is time to end their southern vacation and get back to work in the north.  But the elements just don’t jive with their predictions.  And it’s frustrating.

But geese are not the only ones to suffer here.  It is every driver in the road who encounters poly cones and orange barrels, signs that say “Road Closed” and “Men at Work”.

Actually I haven’t seen the “Men at Work” signs this year.  I suppose after the elements they have faced the last few years, it is better just not to post them than to have the public say, “Where?  I don’t see anybody working”

It rains.  The sun shines.  The wind blows.  Sometimes all within five minutes of each other. It can be very frustrating.

That’s how it’s been every year I have tried to plan Jenna’s birthday.  Everybody wore coats on her sixth birthday when we had the clown.  I finally had a back up this year.  And so we held it indoors.  Guess what.  The weather was nice.

I hope the geese realize that it’s not just them.  We have all experienced a degree of questioning Mother Nature.