Backwards forwards square and round

snowcastleI could actually write about the weather [again] but I bet if I look at my January posts, probably two thirds of them are about the damn weather. Nevertheless, the weather figured into today so here’s a synopsis: 1) Snowed to beat the band all morning and into the early afternoon. 2) About the time I decided maybe I needed to do some shoveling, I went out to *do* said shoveling and it was RAINING! They said it would. Ohhhh shoveling that heavy wet stuff was soooo much fun. We pretty much alternated between snow and rain and just about every variation thereof all day. It’s winter and this is Michigan. What can I say?

That snow cave. That snow cave? That snow cave! Oh my gosh! When I was a kid, we used to build snow caves and tunnels and things in the snowbanks in front of my house on Superior Street up there in the yooperland. This is the first kid-made snow cave I have ever seen down here on The Planet Ann Arbor Ice Road Asteroid. We had some good snowfalls when the beach urchins were small but I don’t think we *ever* had enough snow for long enough for a kid (and I’m gonna guess a parent) to make a snow cave. I stopped in my tracks to take that photooo. In a big puddle of water over slush and ice. Water droplets were collecting on my phone. It was snaining. I was prepared for just about anything today. I was wearing YakTrax (of course) and I had an umbrella in my backpack. I needed the YakTrax. I didn’t end up needing the umbrella.

I was walking home from the pre-glow party before the second night of the Ann Arbor Folk Festival. I love love love the festival and I love love love folk music. I do NOT like to sit in a seat in an auditorium for 4-5 hours. The GG supports the festival as a patron and I support that and so I always “sneak” into the pre-glow party. I used to be nervous that they would figure out that I wasn’t actually going to the show and deny me food. After a number of years that I don’t care to enumerate at the moment, I’ve learned that nobody much cares if I eat the donated buffet food or not. They even make me a damn name-tag. Tonight we sat at a table with Larry, who sat with us last year, a lovely couple from Grand Rapids, and a young couple from Virginia (keep me honest, Bob) who WON TICKETS and a whole bunch more stuff (like a flight, a fancy hotel room, and even some spending money) from an Acoustic Cafe contest. They were so excited and it was so cool.

As always, when I am at events like that, I struggle to sort out conversations. Tonight I watched how many red whines and beers the folks at the table had and realized it didn’t much matter. When somebody finally asked me what *I* did for a living, I said I was a systems analyst and then I added “I’m in the online banking industry”. Nobody (including me) can articulate what a systems analyst does but online banking generates a bit of interest. For about 30 seconds.. And that is okay. Mostly, I just used my iPhone to google the answers to questions other people at the table were kibbitzing about ad infinitum. Anyway, everyone else went to the folk festival and I walked slodged home, stopping at Kilwin’s on Liberty to give Mouse a seed package that came to my house. And here are the Yardbirds doing a song that I kind of feel some of the days.

3 Responses to “Backwards forwards square and round”

  1. Sam Says:

    What you aren’t giving yourself credit for is that there are a whole bunch-a questions out there that YOU don’t need on-line coaching to answer. Or glow-help. (They WON!)

  2. Margaret Says:

    Weather blogging…I’ve done it,but this year I haven’t had to–what a relief! 🙂 The folk festival sounds like fun; I do like those things once I get to them. It’s just hard to make myself GO. Good for you!

  3. UU Says:

    Chris and Theo (she) won the tickets from NPR Prime seats, flight, nice hotel, $1,500 in spending money, back stage passes and got to meet a bunch of people. The are from Wilmington, North Carolina. Nice couple starting out with two little kids. They needed the get away.