Reflections on the Ninth Week of Winter

Monday the low was -19.1° without wind chill. Spence kept the fire burning and said, “We're going through logs like crazy.” At the YMCA, mist hung over the pool. The life guard opened and shut windows quickly to replace deteriorating insulation. As I swam past an open window, cold air stung me and mist turned into an enveloping cloud. Spence had worse news. The Cleveland furnace had broken, the house was 31°, and water had frozen in the pipes. Furnace guys replaced an igniter switch, but Spence had to make another trip Tuesday to meet our handyman and arrange for pipe repairs. Wednesday, the quilt guild secretary emailed “...with great sorrow...” to cancel our meeting for the fifth time this season. “Someone needs to shoot that dammed groundhog,” she said. Thursday the high was 6° with a wicked wind chill. Air cut through my knit cap and chilled my skull. Schools cancelled, but I went to the deep water fitness class and, for the first time, blow dried my hair before going back outside. Cleveland news was worse. Our handyman arrived to find the house at 31° and the supplies he'd left Wednesday frozen. He chewed out the furnace guys and ordered them to fix the heater–the igniter they'd installed had broken. Friday morning the low was -22.5°. I ventured out to wash the window so I could get photos of the sun shining through icicles. In the process, I knocked down the bird feeder so I set it, topless, in the snow. Spence said, “Four more weeks till spring.” Then Saturday arrived with a high of 28° and wind driven snow.