Standing at the Trailhead of Winter

So, I had (still have) a post about the furnace having a gas leak and the gas company coming out, shutting it off, and my little house getting a bit cold for a day. That same post then goes into my fridge gasping its last breath and me venturing out to find a new one to replace it. There was also the fiasco with a large box store that kept pushing back the delivery of my fencing supplies. Yeah, I have that post ready to publish. But then Funny Delightful Son messaged all of us (we have family channel in Discord) that he tested positive for COVID. Of my three kids, I've been most worried about Funny Delightful Son getting the virus. He's the one who spent four days in the hospital when he was just nine months old. Pneumonia. He's also the one who had mono when he was 14. Then again when he was 17. We hear all the time that a person can't get mono twice. Not true. And each time, Funny Delightful Son was really down and out.  When we went on lockdown back in March, Funny D...

I put a post-it note on my monitor to remind me to listen to the Purdue men's basketball game at 1 today. At 3:30, I looked up from the book I was reading to see I'd totally missed the game. This is like the fourth game I've wanted to listen to but missed because I simply forget. Hence the post-it. Lot of good it did. I must not be all that interested in actually listening to the games or I'd figure out a way to make sure I remember. I almost missed taking Ado to the vet yesterday, for his spa day, because I'd totally forgotten about his appointment. I didn't have to get up for work, so at 6 am I rolled over and went back to sleep for over an hour. When I finally dragged myself into the living room, I noticed my phone's calendar had kicked in, trying to remind me of Ado's bath and nail clipping appointment. Maybe my forgetfulness was because of the first week back in the classroom fatigue. Maybe it was because of having a gnarly headache four out of th...

Yesterday I drove Angel Baby's car to work. This morning I rode my bike to Uptown, went to Starbucks for my usual Thursday treat, then hopped on the bus to work. I have most definitely come to prefer the bus or my bike, and even though it would be much easier -- I'm not even sure easier is the right word; convenient?  --  to take Angel Baby to work then drive on over to campus, I'd much rather wait five minutes at the bus stop, feeling the cool November breeze touch my cheeks take a seat near the back of the bus look out the window, watch the last of red maple leaves skitter along the sidewalk relax, ten minutes of meditation or reading a chapter of the book I'm into, music whispering from earbuds. The idea of driving being easier, more convenient, and time-saving than riding my bike or taking the bus really isn't true in my case. Driving the Jeep is fun. No doubt. But I simply don't want the stress of driving. I want to be chauffeured around. ...