Monday, December 30, 2013

Status Update


Qidi Vidi Village in the heart of St. John's - photo by Perry Howlett

It's been an unusual December around here. Normally, our December is green. But we've had lashings of the white stuff. Then a layer of ice on top. Then more lashings of white stuff. I have a tunnel up my driveway to the garage. I am very lucky I've a lot of land around me to handle all the snow. In the city people are stuck. Nowhere to put it. And St. John's does not clear off its sidewalks. Seriously. Like at the first sign of snow it rolls itself up in an ice fortress for the winter and tells everyone to feck off. I fantasize, sometimes, about living there in the heart of downtown St. John's which is uber pretty. But holy Hannah, I would go mental in the wintertime. Especially at my age, nervous about breaking something in a bad fall. Hearing the horror stories of others who smash their pelvises and other sundry bits on icy sidewalks. Kids risk life and limb meandering through traffic in the middle of the roads going to school. I've seen sidewalks piled six feet high with the snow from the roads. Impassable. Completely.

I'm reading Caught by Lisa Moore. And I'm thoroughly enjoying it. I love her writing style where the small is magnified into something beautiful, the swish of fabric, the lupines at the side of the road, the lighting in a bar. I was fortunate to be her dinner companion at a conference and was in awe of her vast general knowledge.

I'm trying to put a priority list together and getting nowhere. Screen sucking distracts me. I need to unplug the effing Thingies and get on with my life rather than create these endless byroads in my brain. I can waste, um, two six hours and not be able to tell you what the hell I was doing or even try and sound minimally intelligent at the end of it all. Not good. For me. For anyone.

Avoidance.

I'm the expert.

Free lessons.



15 comments:

  1. Snow and ice are treacherous, all right. Be safe.
    That is such a pretty little village, I have got to say! I loved the rust-red-painted houses on my recent visit to Sweden and imagined how they would look in the midst of snow.

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  2. Cut that number in half and keep it to three hours, WWW. Does that sound reasonable? That is enough not to put you in a stupor and alienate you from your fellow human beings. I'm sure there's a reason why you feel like getting lost in the internet. :)

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  3. Hattie:

    Yes, it is one of the prettiest place, all the bright colours amidst the snow. But beware of getting around in the winter time. It is treacherous.
    XO
    WWW

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  4. Like I said, Irene, avoidance. Just too much other stuff on my plate including a party I'm planning and loads of other stuff :(

    All good I should add but I am fierce procrastinator by profession. Ha.

    XO
    WWW

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  5. No snow in Belfast yet, just lots of rain. It's been a bit icy though some mornings. I'm not yet frail enough to worry about falls, but my 91 year old mother daren't go out in icy conditions.

    Fabulous picture. I love the way the snow sets off all the colours.

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  6. LOL, no,no,no, I'm the prime time waster and need to unplug. Hard to do with lashing wind and rain and have to stay in. Books, movies and PC vie for pole position.

    A happy New Year to you and your devoted readers of this excellent blog. xxx
    P.

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  7. I'm always scared of falling, too and breaking a bone. That would really throw a spanner in the works for our family.
    Hoping we won't get any of the white stuff but we do get frost and that is just as treacherous.
    Wishing you a Happy New Year and hoping theres a thaw and that you will avoid any breakages too!
    Maggie x

    Nuts in May

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  8. As Nick says, we had plenty of rain and the river is very today. An unidentified object -yellowish, appeared in the sky so I had a walk. Back in to bunker down for the remainder of the day.

    Stay safe and have a fruitful and healthy 2014!

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  9. Green in Canada in the winter? That is news to me. In any case, I hope that you are safe.

    I am reading a fascinating book On Hinduism by Wendy Doninger. I had read her The Hindus earlier and this is a follow up on the earlier work following the big controversy. If you are interested, these two books are a good source on Hinduism.

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  10. I can see nothing at all wrong with ‘wasting’ six hours on daydreaming, pottering, being unable to tell you what I did with my time.

    Particularly during the dark end and beginning of the year, when I feel utterly entitled to be kind to myself and give my inner sloth full rein.

    Happy New Year, if you believe in such arbitrary events.

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  11. We've had very little snow, which is normal for us. But it's gray and cold many days. I've done pretty well with limiting computer time (until now, of course), because there really is a lot I want to get done.

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  12. a lapful of snoring cat reduces my typing capability to two fingers. out in alberta we are up to our hoo-hahs in snow the likes of which we haven't seen in 30 years or more. the www absorbs me too. tracking down dead ancestors, the only people i can outrun any more. i'm waiting for scream, oh i mean spring.

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  13. Deb:
    LOL, I often wish my dog was a lap dog, replace all those afghans. I know what you mean about cats, mine like to lie on the warm keyboard.

    Yes, the snow. What more can be said. Ontario had it the worst with the power outages for weeks.

    Count the blessings, I guess:)

    XO
    WWW

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  14. What a beautiful photo. But I agree that the reality is probably somewhat less picturesque. I am also the King of timewasters given half a chance, though am becoming a bit more disciplined these days.

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