thar she blows

The news predicted it, but I tried not to believe it... This morning the wind is blowing so hard I'm hiding in the office, all huddled up, far away from any windows. I don't like wind, ever since it knocked me down and broke me a few years ago. That had to be some strong wind to topple a goddess of my own personal proportions. Now I have a general distrust for wind of any sort. I don't even like fans blowing directly on me. Rick finds this very disturbing, since he's a big fan of fans. He likes to move the warm air around the house in winter, but I put the big oh-no-you-don't on that one. Chilly corners are fine with me thanks.

I'm hearing rumors of Springtime in other parts of the world. Some of you are even sending me pictures, which I like very much. Our own little buds are doing their best to pop through, but I think if they're smart, they'll wait till after Wind Season, which is apparently only just starting today. Watch out for the big trees. I know there are some dead branches up there.

Good thing we have Katy George to deliver flowers once a week. Katy Herself is in Paris right now, but her stand-in, Janay, is doing a fabulous job. Every Thursday she pulls up to the house with a car-load of fresh flowers. There's not a lot of spare cash around these days - don't we all feel that crunch - but since I don't have to drive to work, I figure $14 a week plus tip is cheaper than gas will ever be again, and I get fragrance instead of fumes. Sweet deal. My friend Sally-in-Seattle once showed me how to arrange flowers, starting with the small filler stuff, and then one by one plugging in the bigger blooms. I think of her every week when I do this. I also imagine myself to be a very Zen sort of Japanese Ikebana Designer, like in Lost in Translation. My arrangements are anything but serene and minimal, but still, I enjoy going into the zone for a few minutes on Thursday afternoons.

Spring will get here eventually. Until then, hooray for the flowers that meet me at the front door.