"Slip slidin' away"

Paul Simon's song of remorse and longing could apply to tonight's weather. My location dodged the freezing rain, but sleet covered the roadways with a few billion icy ball bearings. Braking on nearly frictionless spheres is not conducive to optimal stopping distances. There are a few drivers in large four wheel drive vehicles who seem impaired in logic and feel that blasting down the roads at 10+ mph over the posted speed limit will not affect their vehicle's braking power. The tow truck companies will have a profitable day today.

The weather put a damper on my plans today. I had planned on going to the orchid show at the Como Conservatory today. I couldn't find anyone to go with me and did not want to attend it alone. By the time Annette told me about the brunch at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, the weather was starting to become a factor here in Bloomington.

Lucy really enjoyed attending the orchid show the years we attended. She was fascinated by the beauty of the flowers coming from exotic and tropical locations, and I was happy tagging along and spending quality time with her. Our next orchid viewing would come in June at the Arboretum when the lady's slippers would bloom. Believe it or not the Minnesota state flower, the showy lady's slipper, is an orchid and several types of lady's slippers are native flora. Lucy's parents had lady's slippers growing in the bog. Embarrass, MN gets extremely cold during the winter. Their home was close to a peat bog near a river, so the cold air stayed concentrated. I could count on Bob letting us know several times during the winter that it was colder than -50°F before wind chill. Summers were short and muggy and yet orchids survived in those conditions. Orchids in the northeast corner of the state and prickly pear cactus in the southwestern corner always cause disbelief in people from outside the area. Beauty is not always frail. Lucy's battle taught us all that lesson.

The electrical work Lucy and I wanted done is completed. I could not have it done during her battle because of the dust. Her immune system was working hard enough the way it was without introducing particulates. Midwest Electric and Generator did a great job despite working in sub-zero temperatures for part of the work. I think she would be happy with the ceiling fan in the living room.

It has been fun getting caught up with some of my friends. Mary and I had breakfast a couple days ago and I got to hear about her new business venture and what she wants done for her website. It was a fun couple hours and I enjoyed her witty banter. It knocked some of the rust out of my brain. Patty was kind enough to make a fabulous meal for my help with her iPhone. My cousin Julie and I worked ona craft project together (OK, she did the majority of the work). Suzy and I had lunch about a week ago, so I am getting out occasionally.

Ken and I will be getting together after the weather warms up and I hope to meet up with Gerry sometime soon. We may not get above zero from Wednesday night through Friday afternoon. Monday and Tuesday potentially can drop more sleet and ice on the area. Groundhog's Day is about a week away and it marks the halfway point of winter. Getting a later start on snowfall has help make the winter more bearable and seem a little shorter.

One of the nice things about blogging is not being constrained to a subject or a deadline. Lewis Carroll's "The Walrus and the Carpenter" has a verse that could describe blogging despite being written in 1872:

"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--
Of cabbages--and kings--
And why the sea is boiling hot--
And whether pigs have wings."

OK, the oysters did not fare well after the walrus uttered his soliloquy, and I hope that reading this does not make you long for boiling water. I do thank you for reading sticking though the blog's transition and I hope I've provided a modicum of entertainment along with my ramblings and philosophical pontificating.

Spend some time with someone special to you and give that person a hug. For those of you in a cold clime, cuddle if you have someone. It will keep your life from slip slidin' away.