Seasons Change, and So Do I

Song lyrics often provide an accurate mood determinant for me. The lyric running through my head now, “Seasons change and so did I,” from the song “No Time” by the band The Guess Who. Fall is quickly turning to winter, and I am feeling (and maybe dreading) the changes, some of which could be good. But mostly, I keep asking, is it spring yet?

The roads will soon be treacherous, with fog rolling in and snow, ice, and icy fog following. Driving to tennis games in Walla Walla and Costco runs will be less frequent. I have even started to look to make those drives without fishtailing every time I turn the steering wheel.

Playing ball with Mugsy to tire him out will be tough. He doesn’t like the rain, cold, or wet ground, and finding a ball in a heap of snow is challenging. It’s even become difficult to get him to go on a walk now because he’s not happy when it’s raining or if he must step on wet leaves.

The weather has inspired me to pull out my knitting supplies. First, I unloaded a trunk full of yarn, including bags of matching yarn and some random balls left over from past projects. I have patterns without pictures or titles; some are so difficult that I have no idea what I thought when I purchased them. It took me two hours to find my collection of needles and other knitting accessories to start. Evidently, I bagged them, bagged the bag, and then covered it with another bag in the attic, but I found them!

Daniel’s route will take longer during the holidays. First, the plethora of catalogs, then the mailers that must be placed in every mailbox along his route, on top of bad weather, poor visibility, and now a portion of another route has been added to his.

Mondays are his busiest, making him very late getting home. I am back to dinner duty, which I am not sure is worse for me or Daniel. I have yet to cook a meal that he hasn’t critiqued with notes on how it could have been improved. I may just give him a package of Lipton’s Cup of Soup for his next meal.

My neighbor told me about Albertsons’ program, “Fresh Pass,” which I joined. Members can have food delivered for an annual fee, which is currently on sale. Maybe I should order some prepared dinners for Daniel, and he can diss Albertsons’ cooking, and I won’t have to drive in bad weather—a win-win.

I should be glad to have a few months of no mowing, weeding, trimming, and watering, but it’s a straight trade for the sub-zero question of whether the pipes will freeze this winter.

To be better prepared, we have a new modern radiant heater in the kitchen. The studio now has a mini split for heat, and I will remain diligent in weeping the pipes when the temperature is below fifteen degrees. I have warm clothes, thermal underwear, yarn to knit more scarves, and a dog to keep my feet warm on the couch.

Even though winter can be dreary, newly fallen snow is pretty, and we will hopefully celebrate a healthy new year with friends, good food, and wine.