IN WHICH BEAR 'S LIFE BECOMES STORMY

Weather Warnings

Ezra Pound, American poet of the last century,  wrote an ode to winter which expressed a number of feelings. One line that I remember (more or less) was about "sprayeth bus and sloppeth us." 

That is a good image for the streets of River City today. Water, sand, snow, salt, all over the place. Waiting to attack any unwary pedestrian, or driver. The temperature, in the space of a couple of days, has gone from minus 40 to melting, and above. 

Yes, it's strange, but that's how the weather works up here.  And if we get a flash freeze overnight, everything will be dangerously slippery tomorrow. And I have a friend's funeral to attend.

Meanwhile the wind is picking up, and should reach up to 110 km/hour, or about 70 miles/hour. That's hurricane force wind. Without the hurricane, or tornados. (I'm going to put some extra lead in my boots so I don't blow away.) 

I've checked around the house, for branches or other things which might cause problems. I think we're OK. But we have to put the garbage out tonight, and I'm not so sure how our bin will fare in the bluster and blow. I'm rethinking that plan. 

Back to the Books

I have long thought that I do not read enough books. So I thought I would make a point of reading at least 12 books this year — one a month. I know that's setting the bar terribly low, but I want to succeed. Nothing, after all, succeeds like success; small successes lead to larger successes.

The first book is Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes. Actually, de Cervantes wrote it as two separate books, about 10 years apart, which were later combined. It's only 965 pages, really the size of about four books, but, well, whatever. (A book this size will take a long time to read, and will have to be borrowed several times from the library. I won't be reading it in one weekend.) 

As I read along, I'll tell you about what I'm reading. (I'm not great at doing book reviews, so I don't now how this will work.) This will be an irregular feature. But hopefully, it will be fun.

So far, I've discovered that Don Quixote, a gentleman of the La Manchia region of Spain, is the hero. With nothing better to do, he read so many books on chivalry that he drove himself crazy. He decided to become a knight-errant, riding around on his horse and doing noble, chivalrous things. 

But Don Quixote's life is not an easy one. He tried so hard to get things right — he thought he's doing things right — but he invariably seemed to get them wrong. 

For example, he saw some giants in a field, and decided to charge them and kill them, or at least scare them away. But they're not giants; they're windmills. And our poor hero suffered for his indiscretion. 

In another care, he comes to the aid of a boy who is being beaten by has master. Don Quixote rides up and solves the problem (to his thinking), but when he leaves, the hapless lad is beaten even more seriously. 

Don Quixote is, it appears, an accident perpetually looking for a place to happen.

More, the next time.

Oh, I'm also reading A Concise History of Canada' First Nations, by Olive Patricia Dickason. She begins in the period of prehistory, taking time to explain the formation of the various cultures of the groups which, supposedly, crossed the Bering Sea ice bridge more than 10,000 years ago. That's thousands of years before the arrival of the British, French and other Europeans. Dickason details the cultures of various groups of hunters, fishers, and farmers. All quite fascinating. Then the Europeans came. 

Again, more next time.

A Weighty Matter

Some of you may recall that Bear is trying to become smaller. Not shorter, the other way. For the record, Bear became 2.5 pounds smaller over the Christmas holidays. Not what one would normally expect, but, I'll take it. Or, actually, got rid of it.

So, to Conclude

I think that's enough for now. I'm not sure whether I'm walking Wally again today, so I had better check on that.

Blessings and bear hugs, everyone!