A Tuesday

Insistent, icy wind. To Madison, with a stop at REI where people were lined up to buy gloves.

The leeks
newly washed white-
how cold it is!

       —Basho

Too Cold For Comfort

A blistering five degrees F on our morning walk this moring (as they would say in the Department of Redundancy Department). And, on our afternoon walk we came across stretches of sidewalk that had been salted; I tried to keep Pax off, but he decided to do things his own way, and a few minutes later I had to remove my gloves to apply a warm hand to his paws. (I can't really begrudge him since I didn't walk the walk barefoot.)

Leisurely  breakfast with Jeff and Liz, discussing various things, but chiefly architecture and house renovation—as they are deep in planning upgrades to their recently purchased house in Estes Park.  (Where, btw, it was below zero last night.)

Visitors from France

Spaldings arrived about 2. Long walk, much conversation, great dinner, and a fun evening. 

Continued cold and wintery. 

Concert on a Snowy Evening

Clear and frosty morning.

Much house cleaning (Sue mostly) in anticipation of out-of-town guests. Then out to dinner with neighbors, followed by a Leo Kottke concert at the Auditorium—great guitar.

Back home the walks and drive covered in three inches of snow, and so the first shoveling of the season can officially go down as happening on November 15. This seems a little early. 

Xmas Already?

Jingles in the grocery, trees in the parking lot. Wasting no time, for sure, although the weather does feel a mite yuletidy—chilly and mostly cloudy, with occasional snow showers. (The glass very high. )

And, here is today's quiz: the number of Xmas trees on board this trailer.

Step Into Winter

Snow squall over frozen pond.

Snow showers and squalls, robust west wind creating wind chills. Up to Victoria Lane for some fun with Ellie, Maddie, and Becca.

Acclimatization...

...needed. We've had chilly and we've had cool, but today was cold—and nobody seemed quite ready for it. By January standards nothing of consequence, but below freezing all day, and, apparently for the week to come. Puddles and ponds are icing up, and the cold wind numbs fingers even through gloves. Pax seems to like it.

Photo courtesy of Sue

To Riverknoll today, and some good fun with Katy and Will.

Bring the Fire Inside

Too chilly to sit outside, so time to fire up inside. The bad weather finally arrived, with a cold NW wind and precip comprised of alternating rain and snow.

Over to Janesville at noon for lunch at the O'Riley Irish Pub, with the O'Reillys (Trina and Chris) and with Nik and Ru. Nice place with great ambiance, friendly service and, an extensive menu. We may be expecting a review by Ru. Pax actually appreciates (at least a bit of) a good Reuben. 

Spring-like Day

Quite warm and mostly sunny, although the glass is low. And, no sign of any vortex.

The book I'm reading (more about that later) mentions Alexander Pope as a contributor to the underlying philosophical underpinning of the American revolution. Pope was afflicted by an odd disease and only grew to be about four and a half feet tall, though he had a towering intellect. He was self taught, but ended up translating the Illiad and the Odyssey.  (And was also fluent in Latin and other languages, not to mention English.)

But what I find most interesting is that he created phrases that I have used (and continue to use) all my life. Without him, I'd be nearly speechless:

........................................ 

To err is human, to forgive, divine. 

Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed. 

Fools rush in where angels fear to tread. 

A little learning is a dangerous thing. 

The proper study of mankind is Man. 

If you want to know what God thinks about money just look at the people he gives it to. 

Hope springs eternal in the human breast. 

Nature and Nature's laws lay hid by night: 
God said, Let Newton be! and all was light.

_________________________

I mean, what can I say? 

Esthetics

Time to re-work the garden—if it can't produce anything but weeds, then it better look good. So, edge lined with pavers, and a new trellis on the south side (not yet done in this photo). The pavers are intended to stop the incursion of creeping charlie, and the trellis to keep wandering squash from visitng Vi.

Nest year, the entire growing space (much reduced over the last few years) will be completely blanketed with garden fabric, and then just a few slits for beets, and a few holes for squash. My nemesis weed WILL be vanquished. 

And, of course, produce that grows in an esthetically pleasing garden tastes much better than that grown in an unruly tangle. (At least that's the theory.)

While I was digging garden-side, Sue was sewing, and Christmas stocking number 5 is under way. (Seems the seamstress has moved from Halloween right to Xmas. Of course, this may be the last stocking required, so next year I am hoping for new or renewed sail covers (which have been promised now for several seasons).

Pleasent day, cool but warm, and sunny with some high, thin clouds. Glass lowish, and dropping.