Milestones

"A healthy male adult bore consumes each year one and a half times his own weight in other people's patience."

-- John Updike

That one had me going for a moment there until I realized the animal in question was human. My muse abandoned me this past week; but then, it seems to have left my correspondents as well as my “In Box” has been a lonely piece of electronic real estate.

What to write about the week that was? Boring is good. A week ago the temperature hit -40 in Calgary with significantly lower wind-chills. At that level the two scales meet. I did not feel left out when that cold wave did not make it this far east. The blizzard that arrived Friday Morning blew in from the South East.

Was at work at an unmentionable hour Tuesday to check to ensure our Personal Data Terminals received the online download that was sent overnight. I was supposed to be able to sleep in Wednesday. I was proud of myself Tuesday when I awoke minutes before the alarm I set for the first time in weeks went off. I was not so satisfied when I awoke at the same time the following day.

Thursday

Today marks a milestone in my life. I submitted my request to be processed for retirement this morning. I also ordered the RV I plan to make my home for the next few years. Symbolically the two are linked. One marks the end of my working life and the other, the beginning of a vagabond existence as a man of leisure. I wrote this last Thursday but didn’t get any further. Be advised that further ruminations on the subject are guaranteed.

On Friday I managed to prove, yet again, that I can make the best coffee. Our sixty cup pot made the best coffee I’ve brought off in ages. Having good fresh cold water always helps. Planning for bagels and coffee on a day that brought us a blizzard was truly inspired if not intended.

On Saturday morning at 2:00 AM I was sorely tempted to go at shoveling the snow off my living room balcony. Directly below were about ten or so drunken college students returning from the pub and loudly and rudely making their parting gestures to their “friends” in the parking lot across the street. Prudence prevailed as I decided that two wrongs don’t make a right but…. ? After that rude awakening it took me some time to make it back to bed. This was not a good start to my weekend.

By the time I did get up I’d completely forgotten the significance of February Second. When it finally dawned on me what day it was I went searching and was surprised to discover just how many prognosticating marmots there actually are:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groundhog_day

On the plus side most of them are predicting an early spring. After several years which saw almost no cold or snow I must admit that I’m rooting for the hogs. I can only hope that next year sees a return to milder weather particularly in the southern climes where I’d like to spend the season.

I will confess to a particularly unproductive weekend. Since I let lethargy take over and eschewed doing laundry Sunday evening saw me doing something I haven’t done in years. I got out my sewing kit and started darning socks.