Gray Days
I hate to make a big deal out of something a lot of people experience all the time, but it is getting really cold. It’s going to be a where-were-you-when event. Highs in the teens, lows in the single digits, topped off with snow lasting several days. It’s going to change the landscape as well. Trees will die. Plants will die. The world will be reshaped. All because heat left the scene.
I’ve camped in weather approaching these temperatures. We layered up and went about our business. A campfire was a nice friend. I’d start one in the house, but the physics say that’s a bad idea it would pull more warm air out than the fire could replace. Nope. I’m just going to be thankful the house is clad in limestone blocks, our windows are limited, and I know how to put on layers of clothing.
As for the animals, Mama cat is staying inside while here semi-feral children have insulated heat lamp warmed kennels on the southern porch. I have no idea how the local fox, racoon and skunk populations are handling this. My guess is they’re underground somewhere. If I had a basement, that’s where I’d go. I guess, however, all of this is apropos for my situation. The real world matches how I feel most days. With the passing of my wife, there’s a bleak coldness on the land and summer feels a long way off.