Beneath the Wraps

             The earth spins around as it faces the sun and away from the sun.   It takes 24 hours to complete each spin.   We call the spin cycle of 24 hours a day.   While the earth spins, it also circles around the sun.   It takes 365 ¼ days to circle the earth.   Thus a full year is 365 days except every four years when we have a February 29 added to the calendar. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2016/02/26/leap-day-february-29-calendar/80618064/              The earth has a northern hemisphere and a southern hemisphere – each experiencing seasons opposite of one another.   For example, someone from Minnesota may comment about how cold it is and how much snow they’ve had to shovel while someone in Indonesia may express how hot and muggy it is.   Both of these examples were posted the very same day – though maybe roughly twelve hours apart as one was expe...

We did not have much of a winter this year.   I’m quite grateful, actually.   At least for now.   It was good to take the bus in nice weather and not have to trudge through the snow during the time when we’re walking. We had 5 – 8 hours of snow on the 3 rd – though I suppose those who live closer to the mountains or even in the mountains may have experienced more. The snow fell hard and didn’t let up until after five feet or so, and then it let up.   Meanwhile I lost my bus pass.   I figured whoever picked it up needed it more than I did. I chose not to purchase another pass.   Though I had only gotten three fares out of the first – I figured we could save thirty dollars if I just paid the fare each day.   Still expensive.   But as of Monday I’ll have a car again.   Still not comfortable with driving – but the sun is starting to warm and I don’t wish to wait in the blazing sun after school. It will be nice to wait a...

This week I’ve been wearing my green coat – in case of rain.   Neither one seem water resistant.   But I think the brown coat would be scarred by the rain whereas the green coat would still look the same after it dried. Last week I had dressed in layers.   There was one day when Jenna and I left the house that I had on two sweatshirts, my coat, a hat and a scarf.   I was neither hot nor cold as we walked to the bus stop and waited.   However I felt the need to strip down the second we stepped on the bus. The heat was blaring.   Before I had even sat down, I had removed my hat, scarf, coat and one of the sweatshirts.   They may have both come off except the bus had started moving and I felt squashed where I was seated.   I had gone from quite comfortable to sweltering. I believe that even if I could have gotten away with stripping down to my birthday suit (which I would never do outside the privacy of my home) I would have sti...

Jenna’s off for ten days for Spring Break.   It appears that spring is also on a break. It did make a brief appearance.   But mostly it’s been winter and fall.   We have seen a few trees in bloom. We have also seen autumn leaves on the ground.   I don’t recall ever seeing autumn leaves in January, let alone  March. On Monday I saw autumn leaves still clung to the neighbors tree.   They are gone now. Winds have been howling. It has been spring, winter and fall all in one day.   Not much summer, though there have been some who’ve jumped the gun and were wearing shorts and flip flops in February.   I didn’t think it was that warm.   I’ve taken poor Highness for a walk only   one day.   It was warm.   There may have been a breeze.   But not the heavy wind that usually knocks me in a coma. Yesterday we could hear the rain   ...

  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 wi...

     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. ...

There have been some mornings in which I could feel a touch of fall in the air.   Some mornings.   Not all mornings.   Not Yesterday.   In fact it was hot.   Jenna’s first day of school and I put Highness in the car so that I could take him for a walk.   It was hot.   Very hot. The sun shown in my eyes. Too bright. I couldn’t drive home towards it so we walked around until The sun rose higher in the sky.   Yesterday was very unlike today which has a coolness about it.   I don’t know the temperature outside.   But the promise of fall seems real now.   Not like the overcast days in July when the dark clouds filled the skies with malicious teasing creating a sticky hotness that wasn’t felt from the sun alone.   Today the sun peaks through but there is still a touch of fall in the air.   A touch of a promise.   I don’t think we’re through with sum...

--> The school that Jaime attends is surrounded by three ball fields – one to the south, one to the west and one to the north west.   In the center is a parking lot where many parents will drop off and pick up their children.   For the most part the lot remains empty during the school season.   But on the last week or two the parking lot is filled with more cars than parking spaces. I told Jenna to come and look for me in the Church parking lot – which I learned has become the overflow parking for the softball fans.   I called out her name last night, for I could see her searching the Vantana parking lot.   I’m certain she’ll remember to look for the car in the Church parking lot for the remainder of school. Yesterday morning I had Highness as the sun made its way over the horizon and could take him for a walk without getting caught in the rain.   We left the house at 7:30 but school doesn’t start until 8:40. As I passed...

          For the first time I recently watched “The Odd Life of Timothy Green” – I’m certain it was involved with a lot more symbolism than what I saw.   Timothy came to his mom and dad in the spring and had to leave when the last leaf fell in the fall.            I was crying hard as the show came to an end – nothing to do with Timothy Green or his departure or anything to do with the movie at all.   Just reminiscing the long fall that was present during the last five months of 2012 – symbolizing the same fall as my mother and each of us seemed to be going through with her. Her leaves were falling more rapidly each day – and then came the harsh winds of winter. And it’s been cold.   Bitter cold.           She will never return to spring again.   Not in this life anyway.   The only way she can have sprin...