PineSiskin of Sleet

We were back to proper winter this morning. Yesterday's snow piled up to a couple of inches over everything, and it was the kind of snow that clings to every twig, so the streets are like a lovely fairy world of white branches against the grey sky. I felt tired and not like doing anything this morning. On days like these, I have to order Body to get moving, and Body says "Aw c'mon, do we hafta?" But yes, after a day with someone who can't do anything, we certainly do hafta. We hafta keep moving while we still can. It's hard to spend time with people who are headed down that slippery slope. It's like watching the specter of an unwanted future coming toward me. It's a motivator to try harder to stay strong. Of course, I realize that I may not have any control over this, but to the extent that I can stave it off, I want to try. Which is just a longwinded prologue to putting my boots on and shoveling some snow. It was not very hard work, because there wasn't very much of it, and the cold air was refreshing. I even heard some birds chirping. And I got a brief glimpse of a wan and fuzzy pale disc in the sky behind the clouds. I think it was the sun . . . .

Once I'd cleared the driveway and the car, I went to the grocery store while the Sparrowhawk had his piano lesson. I felt pretty good about my shopping, which doesn't happen too often these days. I got good prices on a few things I wanted. The cashier looked at me with something resembling awe and said, "You saved 47 dollars!" Yeah, go me. But this is what happens when you buy meat. The original price is so outrageous that if you get it on sale it looks like a great deal. But it's still expensive. I was pleased anyway. I combed through a few more chapters of my manuscript preparatory to turning it in soon.

Tonight I opened up the laptop to write this, and found an email from an old friend. His wife had a stroke earlier this month, and he has been too much involved with being at rehab etc. to inform us up till now. One of the nice things about my birthday was getting a very sweet email from Mr. Science, who thanked me for all the love I'd shared with him over the years. I was so touched. Then, at the end of the note, he confided that he was having trouble with his legs--as in, he actually cannot walk after he's been moving for fifteen minutes or so--and foresees back surgery in the near future, as soon as he gets home from the vacation trip he had taken with Ms. Science. Holy crap! My poor brother! I am surrounded by people who are falling down one way or another. I'm trying to focus on the joy of still being upright, rather than the dread of hurtling down that hill myself one fine day.