Dogs, Birds, Gnomes, Frida Kahlo, and Hot Chocolate

 

by Pa Rock

Cold Timer

It's 9:15 a.m. on a very frigid morning in West Plains, Missouri.  Alexa has just informed me that it is zero degrees Fahrenheit outside, which is up six degrees from when I woke up a couple of hours ago.  Alexa predicts that we could reach a high of eight degrees later on today.     

I've showered (and completed several other morning routines that begin with the same letter), taken the dogs outside to do their business - and put 1,500 steps on my wrist odometer in the process, had a breakfast (of sorts), and am now sitting in front of the living room window trying to  form a few scattered thoughts into a blog entry while watching the birds, mostly cardinals, and one pushy old squirrel, all fight for a place at the bird feeders.  

The temperature is supposed to stay in single digits today and tomorrow, with a possibility of snow on both days.  That gloomy forecast inspired me to get the bird feeders topped-off yesterday afternoon, so at least I won't have to go outside for that particular chore for a couple of days.  (I threw some whole kernel corn on the ground in an effort to  keep the squirrels out of the feeders, and old Mr. Pushy has just discovered that corn - which is much easier pickings than trying to pry sunflower seeds out of the wire feeders.)

My bird feeder area is encircled and guarded by seven cast iron gnomes who have been with me since my days in Arizona.  There are also a couple of plastic gnomes out there as well who have shown up to visit and elected to stay.  The cast iron Gomes have been standing outside for more than a decade, and they have darkened and discolored with age.  I won't have much to leave my heirs because I converted my life savings into silver and buried it in the woods, but I would like to paint the gnomes this summer and leave one to each of my six grandchildren.  The seventh I will probably have mounted on a slab of concrete and used as my tombstone.

I would also like to have a Frida Kahlo rosebush planted at my grave.

It is now 10:00 a.m. on a very frigid morning in West Plains, Missouri.  The dogs are asleep and snoring peacefully, the bird feeders are still bustling with business, the gnomes are stoic but look like they could kick it into party mode with very little provocation, and the blog is ready to post.

This would be a great time for a big mug of hot chocolate!

Stay warm!