February 4, 2026
I don’t know about all y’all, but
I am having very fond memories right about now of the January thaw that took
place nearly a month ago. The last few winters sure as hell spoiled us, didn’t
they? This season we are now in is more like what the ubiquitous “they” refer
to as a “traditional winter” than what we’ve had in the past several years.
It’s very wise of them to call
it a “traditional” rather than a “normal” winter, because honestly very little
seems normal anymore.
Today marks the 23rd
straight day that I have not left my house. That is due almost but not entirely
to the weather. It’s too damn cold for me outside, period. There’s too much
snow and ice, as well, for me to navigate. That’s the weather.
Here is one more factor: Do
you recall that I was delighted when the road construction crew, on their last
day, put down some asphalt to connect what used to be my walkway (and which
they had torn up all to hell) from my porch to the road? Well, I’m still grateful,
although there is a teeny-tiny problem with it. Turned out, it’s not a nice,
gentle slope. It’s a steepish slope with a big bump and dip at the end.
And with the ice and the snow,
even after safety salt, I cannot navigate it alone. My daughter asked for and
received my promise that I wouldn’t even try. I’m not an idiot. The first time
she helped me from the base of my porch steps to the road, I knew that I would
not be able to manage it without help.
Now, this isn’t a permanent
problem. Come the spring there will be a landscaping crew here who will remove
the asphalt and then reconstruct the walkway base that the crew had destroyed.
Then there will be a new walkway, and we will install proper railing, and then
all will be well.
I was able to navigate the
journey from road to house quite well, year-round, before the disruption of
this construction, and I will be able to do so again once it is complete.
In the meantime, you’re likely
thinking how lucky I am that our daughter is here. She can fetch and carry what
needs to be fetched and carried. And you’re more than half right, there.
However, there is a limit to the number of items she can bring home on any
given day. Oh, she manages that asphalt, but it’s not easy for her, either.
Bringing home a full grocery
order is a lot easier done when she has her two pre-teen grandchildren there with
her to lug and carry.
Of course, we don’t want to overtax
them. And on other days she will bring what we need after work, but I don’t
want to overtax her.
So just recently we’ve found,
tried, and adopted another tool for our toolbox. We have a restaurant delivery
service here in Canada called Skip the Dishes. And lately they’ve extended
their services to include certain grocery stores and other places like
pharmacies and even convenience stores. There are four places we shop for
groceries on a regular basis, and another store where we shop occasionally, and
Skip covers two of the five. Our main go-to for groceries uses a different
service, and we now have an account with the company that covers that store as
well.
Some members of my family
might be surprised at the speed with which I’ve changed my routine and way of doing
things. (The people closest to you never really see you clearly.) The truth is,
I’ve never been against change.
I just don’t like change for
change’s sake. But show me a solid, good reason to adapt, and I’m there.
That trait and my sense of
humor haven’t saved my life. But they have saved my sanity.
P. S. My 71st title
for my publisher, which is also the 49th title in the Lusty, Texas
Collection is out today! You’ll find it at the second link below.
Love,
Morgan
http://www.bookstrand.com/morgan-ashbury
