Snow Came, Snow Went

I got that little dusting of snow I wanted to cover the bare spots but as you can see it's gone again.  That retaining wall and fence face south so if it's sunny, like it was yesterday and is again today, the sun reflects off the wood and, boom!, the snow melts away from the wall.  I'm not wishing for more snow to better cover the ground, no I'm not, because I'm not in the mood to shovel or snowblow a crapload of snow today.  Or tomorrow.  Or over the weekend.  If there's a vote, I vote NO!

When I opened the shade this morning there was the full moon sinking toward the western horizon.  Good morning, Moon.  I wish the lights of the used car lot at the end of the block weren't on all night to bleed light into the bottom of the frame but if I had a lot full of cars I'd want the lights on too so nocturnal baddies weren't tempted to vandalize or steal my wares.

I got some knitting done at work yesterday.  It was semi-quiet.  People don't think of snorkeling or diving when it's 8 degrees outside, unless they're on their way to Hawaii or the Caribbean, which was where the people I waited on were going in a few days.  I was very pleased with myself that I figured out how to make certain pattern rows blend in the way they were supposed to.  It's so logical once you take a step back and look at what you've got.  I knitted to the end of the first of three skeins which was a real motivation boost on a cold February day.

February 5--Larry Ulrich, Coast Highway 1, Big Sur, CA.  Amelia stands as close to the edge as she can get.  Her toes grip the ice plant that cushions the rocks with its fleshy leaves.  She feels the onshore wind press on her like a hand holding her in place.  If she stares straight ahead it's as if she's floating on the light and air, there's no land in view.  The waves rolling in come all the way across the Pacific to fling themselves onto the rocks below her and the gulls wheel and dive after a school of anchovies that flash silver at the surface.  A pair of sea lions pop up in the midst of the school, barking like neighborhood dogs.  She steps away from the edge as the sun emerges from a cloud bank to paint the wave tops gold.  "Well, did you get what you needed?"  Ram smiles at her from his perch on a boulder.  She sits down beside him.  "I did.  Sometimes I need to come out here where I can see forever and everything else is behind me.  It clears my thoughts."  She squints into the sun.  "I'm taking the job."

I've been up for about 3 hours and I feel like I could lay down for a nap.  That's not possible, it's a work day, so I'd better paste my toe warmers to my socks, put on my boots, coat, gloves, scarf (I don't wear a hat until after work so I don't spend all day with "hat hair") and trundle across town to keep the world safe from scuba diving.
--Barbara