Very

I think that true winter has arrived. There were hours of cloud-scattered moonlight, the dim world revealed as by an unending gloaming, and then the sky turned darker, and appeared to have frozen over. This is the coldest night yet this year. It's like being in a giant air bubble trapped under the surface of a frozen lake.

Standing on the porch, I heard what I thought to be deer hooves approaching. The sound passed up the block, but seemed too soft. Then I heard voices. The deer were Speaking! But no, it was a pair of early runners out in the icy dark of six o'clock. They carried no lights. Either they had very good night vision, or they were very sure of their route.

The weather box on my Lycos page said that Los Angeles would be colder than San Francisco tonight, and only six degrees warmer than here. Strange year.

oldefool is quite old. Older than me. I like his user icon.

Six blankets, for the first time this year.

Cold

If I had made the OK Cupid Death Quiz, I'd have given everybody an identical date of death, with the linked image set to constantly update to three days in the future, and I'd have given the cause of death in every case as Armageddon.

So, this place is still being refrigerated once the sun goes down. Rain is expected Wednesday, and with precipitation's arrival the nighttime temperature will rise once again. So far, we're not on the track for snowstorms this year. It's just as well, as I don't feel like shoveling. That recent period of mild weather caused many of the plants to develop buds early, though, and I'm hoping that another such period doesn't send them into premature blooming. The icy nights between storms would slaughter anything that dared grow this early, leaving us with a dull spring.

A young cricket has taken up residence in the bathroom, but I haven't heard it chirp yet. I hope it remains in that room. The cat almost never goes into the bathroom, and even then never climbs onto the counter where the cricket is. If the insect decided to explore another part of the house, though, it would be apt to become a protein supplement to kitty's diet. The cricket is probably wise not to chirp and attract feline attention.

I still haven't found the maps I've been looking for. A more thorough cleaning of the room is in order.

Also, I need to get some more wintry user icons.