ARE THEY FILLED YET?

It's raining, cold, and my apartment mate has the flu. Altogether this is a fairly miserable way to start the year of the horse, and it is hard to smile and be cheerful. There is sog and quite possibly mildew. we're at forty five degrees Fahrenheit (8° Celsius), more or less. In Hong Kong it's twenty degrees higher (18° Celsius). With almost no precipitation.

Californians remain concerned with storm drains and reservoirs.
Even after decades living here I am not.
I'm kind of thoughtless.

Instead, I worry that because of the cold I will grow torpid, stunned by the low temperatures, and fall from a palm tree. Or go into hibernation mode and not rouse till Spring, at which time I will stirr from a pit under the building, and, reserves of fat depleted, go outside to forage for berries, grubs, small mammals, and bee hives.

And of course I'm blaming the Republicans for this.
As any sane person would.
Heathens!


Okay, I'm glad that we're not as cold as Minnesota (30° F., -2° C., America's version of Canada), but still, this is NOT weather conducive to building a flourishing civilization!

Sometime within the next few hours I shall head out to eat lunch at the usual place, do my weekly grocery shopping, meet codgers at teatime, and smoke a pipe or two. A pipe that I will have with me is pictured above. It's a Big Ben made in Holland (36° Fahrenheit, 3° Celsius), which I've had for two decades. Evocative of warmer times, and a well-heated office in the Financial District. Both conditions rather missed right now.

Also, errands. Pharmacy. Bank. Hardware store.

I would much rather stay in bed with three blankets, a down comforter, and stuffed animals. Sadly, one should never smoke in bed because that's how elderly alcoholics set fire to their wine-soaked mattresses late at night in freezing cul-de-sacs in New York City and burn to death, which is why cigarette paper now has to have a chemical added to retard combustion if left unattended blame the U.S. cigarette manufacturers if you get cancer, and smuggled in ciggies are cleaner and better anyway, cheaper too, thanks health puritans in Sacramento, but primarily because my apartment mate would have questions if I spent the entire day stewing under my bedclothes puffing away like a darn hippie.

Life is tough. And it involves freezing.


Are those darn reservoirs filled yet?



==========================================================================
NOTE: Readers may contact me directly:
LETTER BOX.
All correspondence will be kept in confidence.
==========================================================================