Inclement Weather

My area is part of a storm sandwich.  Schools closed, or at least officials very concerned to the south.  Closures already announced to the north and real concern along the coastal cities to the northeast.  I never revived my snow blower, hand shoveling two minor accumulations last month.  And this time I can expect a lot of rain, or so the official prediction.  I looked out the window, however, to find a coating of snow.  Not a lot, but more than the zero the weather radar anticipated.  I've not heard from OLLI.  It must be a dilemma for them, as they function on-site in three locations, all part of that sandwich pattern, and conduct a lot of remote courses.  And the people who attend, and teach, are all seniors, some with mobility or steadiness concerns.  Parking lots need to be cleared, surfaces coated to make them less slippery irrespective of the accumulation.  The campus has an enormous number of handicap designated parking spaces to reflect the needs of those in attendance.  The main parking lot requires a minor uphill walk to get to the classes and the secondary lot a longer, steeper return from classes.  It makes for a difficult decision by the people who run the place.  No word yet.  

It's a treadmill day.  One with the time shifted earlier to allow me to make it to my 9AM class.  I will exercise like I need to, then reassess this morning's travel.

Did Nothing

Snow shoveling left me sore.  Two days this past week, spread over three sessions.  One effort to clear the small ridge deposited by the street plow.  Not a lot of snow, as much pushing as lifting.  But maybe not something a senior citizen should be doing, even if paced.  I gave myself credit for an exercise session in lieu of the scheduled treadmill.  

The following day, a Sunday, treadmill hiatus day, I took off.  Not catch-up.  Idle.  As every Sunday morning, I mapped out my week, a very long list of activities I aspire to tackling.  Then a much shorter list of activities for Sunday, most doable at my upstairs desk in My Space.  I did next to none of these.  Washed milchig dishes.  Retrieved the Sunday paper from the driveway to the front door for my wife. Descaled the Keurig Express-Mini as the guy on YouTube recited the instructions.  Made an Aunt Jemima or less offensive new brand pancake for breakfast.  More coffee.  Filled my weekly medication cases, AM and PM.

Over the course of the day, I had done no mental activities other than some easy crosswords and responding to some r/Judaism inquiries on Reddit, including as abrasive response on adverse day school assessments which pampered my id in some way.  No housework other than washing milchig dishes.  No Twitter.  No significant meal preparation.  No quest for my highest level of amusement.  No pursuit of my semi-Annual goals, though I did consider places I might like to travel for the OLLI intercession.  No exchanges with old friends.  Not a whole lot that anyone would judge trying to get ahead. 

By mid-afternoon, I felt a little bored so I got in the car, intending roughly the same circuit I would take during the height of the pandemic when all I could do to get away was drive somewhere.  This time I stopped at a department store.  Strolled the upper floor where they have the non-clothing items, with no serious interest in acquiring more stuff.  A half-lap of that floor got me to the escalator.  Despite my herb pots being indoors due to a freeze, newly placed lurid patterned men's swim trunks at premium prices had been placed at the base of the escalator on the first floor.  I guess people are preparing for their cruise or week in the Caribbean.  I'm not.  No tour of the rest of the clothing floor, just a straight path back to my car.

Home in time for NFL Divisional games.  I didn't really want to watch any whole games, just the final quarters.  First game late afternoon, second game after supper.  No particular interest in supper.

I keep two logs that I fill out each evening except Shabbos.  One is a record of Daily Annoyance.  Not doing anything of significance is a good way to not having any personal calamity, though I did slip on the ice sheet outside my front door.  No fall, no injury, but recorded in the log.  The second journal was titled Hakaras HaTov, or Gratitude for Good Things that day.  It really turned out more to a record of three things worthwhile that I achieve each day.  Being purposefully idle, I found it hard to come up with three, but on reflection:

1. I ate a proper breakfast and lunch
2. My remarks of r/Judaism satisfied my id and were helpful to others
3. I arose from bed when the clock said to even if I didn't really want to=

There's always at least three.  The sun always goes down at the time the astronomers predict.  I read my current e-book, three chapters of a classic borrowed from the Hoopla Service offered by the public library.  I do not know when it will have its auto-return.  And watched the score of the Division Playoff on my smartphone.  

After supper, I always outline the following day, which I proceeded to do.  Having done nothing of substance, largely by intent, all Sunday, Monday would have to be a lot different.  Activities to pursue filled three columns.  Some element of my twelve semi-annual projects appears somewhere on this very long to-do list.  It is the day I weigh myself and take a waist circumference.  I have fleishig dishes from shabbos to wash.  It's a scheduled treadmill and stretch day.  Time of the month for financial record keeping.  And some future projects that have deadlines.  The very opposite of my idle day.  And more forced than motivated activity.  I cannot really say my Sunday downtime left me restored for Monday. 

Yet I needed this respite, one day in which I created a Daily Task List as usual but did not get concerned about letting it sit mostly untapped to the right of my laptop while I escaped for one day.

South of the Storm

As I try to do each morning, I retrieved the newspaper from the end of the driveway so my wife who reads it can stay warm.  I wear night clothes even in the coldest, wettest weather.  I've not had to make an exception for snowy weather, as there's been none this winter.  My snowblower never got upgraded for the season but I know where my snow shovels are and have the business card of a snow removal contractor.

National weather forecasting indicates a noreaster, a big one, with serious snowfall to remind everyone that daylight savings time begins while winter weather remains a possibility.  It will fall comfortably north of me, something of a relief as I have a rare important evening outing that I've been anticipating and a meeting tomorrow that I would not like pre-empted by snow clearing.

But definitely significant wind chill as I retrieved the newspaper.

No Snow

For all the pseudo-attention I've given to having a functioning snow blower, I don't.  I've not gone to the garage to disassemble the engine or follow a YouTube on how to restore it so that it starts when I pull the crank.  Hardly even opened the garage door, let alone take the machine out to where I can work on it.

Despite my neglect, we've had no snow last season or this one.  It's not yet Groundhog Day, and it only takes one blizzard to cover a driveway enough to test my limits with a snow shovel, but so far it's really not dropped below freezing. I do not know if this is really part of global warming, and I have the shovels for when I need them.  And for the really deep snow, it's probably less expensive to hire a removal service than maintain my own gas device, though I've always gotten some satisfaction when I use it.

Maybe the snow will eventually cover my driveway before the next season.

Within My Shoveling Capacity

It snowed.  When attempting to retrieve the newspaper from the end of the driveway, which I could not find, though part of my morning ritual, I needed closed shoes.  The amount of snow came at the lower prediction of our SDS Weathermen.  A few shovel scoops for the walk.  Some brushing of the cars.  A little more effort on the driveway.  If our development's snow plow comes at all, the added burden remains within my shoveling capacity.

Still disheartened from the repetitive non-starts of my gas powered snow blower, it is time to just spend the $200 for an electric one.

Cold Snap

It's been more wintry this year than last, when it didn't snow at all.  I had made a brief trip to the Poconos about this time last year, trying some snow tubing that got a little slushy and Aquatopia Indoor Water Park that had a tolerable heated outdoor nook with just the right interface of warm water and cool air.  No travel this year due to the Covid pandemic.  Already we've had two snow episodes, neither beyond my shoveling capacity, which is just as well as I've not been able to start the snow blower.  Our two snows came with the ambient temperature just about at the interface of water and ice but once the snow has been cleared from everyplace except lawns and roofs, we have a more significant temperature drop.

Most mornings, still wearing flannel sleep pants and a t-shirt, I go to the edge of our driveway, usually to retrieve the newspaper that my wife likes to read, but sometimes to put mail into our mailbox or deposit a full box of recycling in the olive topped bin.  For the last two sessions, it's been discernably freezing, though not beyond my capacity to finish the brief chores without additional clothing.  Later in the day I typically have an errand or two, or even create an excuse to leave the house, even if a brief drive to nowhere.  With modern ignition systems, the car always starts with no difficulty, though it can take a few minutes for the climate control to warm the interior to its settings.  This time I have a coat, usually a red nylon ski parka with a beanie insulated cap.  Gloves are either kept in the pocket or the front seat of the car, though rarely worn.  Earmuffs also have a home in the car, though this year can be a little problematic coordinating with the often required oral-nasal mask.  But I rarely exit the car for more than the distance between my front house door and front car door or the parking lot and store entrance.  No ice fishing for me.  As much as I want to become more proficient with my camera for which the winter offers an opportunity, the cold gets the better of me.  But it is still bright and sunny to drive around.

Sore

After some snow shoveling, within my physical capacity, though not done in a while as we've not had meaningful amounts of snow for about two years, I find myself a little achy.  The cars are movable, my upper limbs and back a little less movable.  Interestingly, as I commit myself to exercising on the treadmill two days of three, which may have enabled the stamina to do the driveway as I nearly conclude my 60's, it has been my calves and ankles that have needed the day's break.  Fortunately, chest symptoms, either cardiac or pulmonary, have not limited me, either on the treadmill or on the driveway.

Still I need to deal with the soreness.  After finishing, I took a naproxen tablet, had a small mug of decaf coffee in the late afternoon, took a welcome nap timed to prevent it from extending into a late afternoon's premature sleep, and spent some time in the hot shower at bedtime.  I'm better today, not yet decided on naproxen.  And it's a scheduled day off from the treadmill.

I'm fortunate to still have the physical capacity to do this.  Moreover, there is something a little energizing as I see the various segments of driveway appear with each session, eventually to where I could back up my car into the cleared area to approach an uncleared area more efficiently.  Accomplishments appear tangible, much like washing dishes, less like writing or studying where progress often goes under the radar. Worth the sore shoulders.