Still, I'm happy

I hear my washer working out there. It's an okay washer, better than the big beautiful expensive Samsung. It gets the clothes clean. Cleaner than the Samsung. And it spins okay. Better than the Samsung, believe it or not.

But it isn't as good as my old Kenmore or as good as my sister's Whirlpool, which is several years older than this one of mine. My Whirlpool is not exactly a whirlpool, if you get my meaning. It's just average. It agitates more slowly, more carefully, I guess is the right word.

For my safety, no doubt.

And, though I am no child and not likely to stick my arm into an agitating or spinning washing machine, it has--as did the Samsung--a lock. Yes, that's right, for my safety, the lid locks as soon as the washer fills with water and begins the wash cycle.

I find this feature annoying.

Just another weather gripe

I suppose there are other things to talk about. I suppose. But I can't be sure because it's the weather everyone is talking about. We've had winter before, like every year, but not like this one. And we're sick and tired of it. I know, tough toenails.

Now, today, after zero degrees and below every morning for, like, 10 days, it has warmed up. It's in the 20s. That should rate a hooray! but it doesn't.

Why?

Because we had a freezing rain over night, and every surface I've been on outside--including my own driveway and the roads to my little gym and their driveway and walkway--are slick, treacherous. My ABS brakes went dut dut dut dut dut every time I stopped. I had to hold onto my car as I made my way to the sidewalk by the door of the gym. And when I left, my car slid sideways just turning from the FitClub parking lot to the driveway that leads to Apple Street.

Even the ducks were slipping and sliding as they walked across the road. And that's not funny.

As I went carefully along Apple toward Boise Avenue, where I turn left, some guy in his big red pickup with big lights and big wheels came barreling down upon me just as I was saying, "No, I'm not going anywhere else, if I make it home." He paid no attention to my speed. Guys in big red pickups fear nothing, not ice, not old women in the cars in front of them. Thank goodness I could move into the turn land before he drove right over me.

I made it home, and my neighbor called to say, "You went out?"

Every school district has closed for the day, even College of Idaho. Except Boise and Meridian School Districts. And why they didn't close I don't know.

I know. This is enough.

And again, how cold is it?

Come on! Where do we live? Minnesota? The Yukon? It's cold here. Zero degrees this morning and not yet to our hoped-for high of 19.

I grumbled to someone who said it's warm in Alaska. My granddaughter in Great Falls, Montana, said it's in the 40s there and no snow on the ground. Someone else said it's supposed to get up to 28 next Thursday. Formerly, I wouldn't have thought 28 was a good thing. But now, I can't wait.

What's the deal? I'm tired of this, and I'm not the only one.

So, she's still a good person

My friend who says coherse likes to talk. That's fine with me. I'm a good listener.

The other day she was telling me about something she bought at one of those little places in the mall. "You know," she said, "those little stands in the center. Can't think of the word."

"Kiosk?" I asked.

"Yes, kioss," she said. "This kioss is down by the Apple store." And so on.

I said nothing. Well, I may have said kiosk one more time, but what does that matter?

How cold is it? you ask.

It's cold today, has been cold for several days. No melting of snow. It's just sitting out there in piles, all white and icy.

How cold is it? Well, my mother might say it's "colder than Billy Heck." I heard her say it many times.

Just today I wondered where that came from, so I did a small bit of research. On the internet, of course. You can find anything on the internet, you know.

Turns out there have been and probably still are people named Billy Heck or Billie Heck, but there is no such saying as the one my mother used. The actual saying is colder than Billy hell. I don't know why the Billy was stuck in front of hell. And it seems to me that we know how cold hell is. It isn't. It's hot.

Anyway, I also know why my mother said Billy Heck instead of Billy hell. She didn't swear. To use the word hell in that way would be swearing. So she changed it.

At least, that's what I figure.

Random

A friend of mine said today that she had to "coherse" her daughter into doing something. The third time she used the word that way, I used it correctly. She didn't notice. You know. That's the way of it. She was still cohersing a while later, so I finally said, "There's no h in that word. It's coerce." She asked how to spell it; I spelled it; she didn't believe me. I told her to look it up. She said it's a regional thing. I said, yeah.

*     *     *

Speaking of spelling: Sign on a business downtown this week.
Looks like we're in for a bad spell of wether.
I like it.

*     *     *

Paula Deen said of her brownies. "They're so good they'll knock the socks off your feet and into the washer." 

For today

I want world peace. No joke. I don't know if I'll get it, but I want more of it than we have lately had.
Sometimes I think I need to stop reading the news.

I want peace here at home in my country. America. I love this country, and I pray for this country. Sorry to say I haven't a lot of respect for our government leaders. Too much politics. But I'll say no more about that.

I pray for peace in the homes of my children, for joy and for health and for love. I pray that my children will love their families and love one another. Always a mother's hope.

I am one thankful woman, by the way. Words fail me here, but my life is full and good.

Of course, yes, of course, there's more, but I'll keep it to myself for now.