mixed feelings
when walking inside from another round of snow
and being greeted by a 4th of july display
at least i have my sandals on
with my long down coat
and i am ready for anything.
“there are certain odd times and occasions
in this strange mixed affair we call life
when a man takes his whole universe for a vast practical joke.”
-herman melville
hope springs eternal
and
as the snow returns once more
i hope for eternal spring
or for even just a month of it.
—
“in the spring,
i have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours.”
-mark twain
—
image credit: flower power gnome – magic onions
arklow, county wicklow, ireland
on the irish sea, summer 2016
==
“st. patrick’s day is an enchanted time –
a day to begin transforming winter’s dreams into summer magic.”
-adrienne cook
my view on the way to work today
with a full moon still in the sky
the beautiful calm after the storm.
—
“kindness is like snow—it beautifies everything it covers.”
-kahlil gibran
march.
storming in like a buffalo
and out like a wing?
“february makes a bridge and march breaks it. “
– Witts Recreations, Selected from the Finest Fancies of Moderne Muses, with a Thousand Outlandish Proverbs (edited by George Herbert, 1593–1633)
==
image credit: tom murphy, Yellowstone Park Buffalo, “Frozen Snow”
one day
at the beginning of this long winter
a sweet kid not more than 14 years old
showed up at my front door
shovel in hand
wearing sweatshirt and gloves
quiet and polite
asking if i wanted to hire him
yes!
without a moment’s hesitation
soon he was at work
clearing my walks, my driveway, my porch
he charged me a very fair rate
looking to make some cash before christmas
lives with his mom
in an apartment nearby
i know nothing else about him
except that he works very hard
often appears without warning
just in time
to clear my path and then
is gone again as soon as he’s finished his work
i’ve no way to contact him
sometimes i see his steps and shovel marks
signs that he’s stopped over
but our timing was off
and now
on this weekend
with the long days of deep snow
he’s nowhere to be found
oh, where, oh, where,
is the kid with the shovel?
and so
i am paying myself
getting a free workout
day after day
i’m sure i’ll see him again
maybe when it’s time
to move dirt
for the gardens.
—
“never doubt the power of love or one woman with a shovel.”
-carrie newcomer
a glimpse into the real story behind the legend.
the groundhog
stays up all night
trying to calculate
exactly when spring will arrive
and is exhausted
when they wake him up
to bring him out
early in the morning
for his official prediction
each february 2nd
on groundhog day.
—
“i’m so tired…i was up all night trying to round off infinity.”
-steven wright
