It surprises me how many days can pass without anything special to blog about — just the normal flow of seasons, of light and dark, of . . . sameness. There’s not even anything in my stream of consciousness to make me stop and wonder. Of course, if one pays attention to one’s surroundings, there is always something that’s not exactly the same from day to day or even minute to minute. For example, I’ve noticed that the last couple of snows we had didn’t melt so much as evaporate. They disappeared without leaving behind puddles or even moist dirt. In fact, the ground is so dry, it makes me wonder if I’m going to have to start watering my lawn and garden spots. It’s still cold enough, though, that I could probably pass on the chore for a while longer.
Despite periodic bouts of temperatures that never rise above freezing, there are signs that spring in coming. When I walked home from work last night, it was still light. Well, twilight, but that’s still light enough for me to see my way. The longer days, if nothing else, promise that the spring equinox is not far off.
I’m still ambivalent about the end of winter. It will be nice not to have to deal with the cold, but spring brings a need for outside work. Lots of work! And I’m in a lazy mode right now, not wanting to do much of anything. I imagine when spring is here and I need to start taking care of my yard and gardens, I’ll welcome — at least for a time — the opportunity to be outside. And, I must admit, I am hungry for color. Last winter, my lawn stayed bright green, but this year it’s as drab as the rest of the yard. That the days themselves have so often been gray only exacerbates the drabness.
But then, I have to admit, what I mostly see is words on the pages of the books I am reading, so what is going on elsewhere is of little import.
Come to think of it, I have no idea what is going on elsewhere. Is there still a world out there beyond what I can see with my own eyes? For a while, I watched the news with the woman I sit with a few hours a week, but she lost interest in television. Which means I get to go back to my normal state of obliviousness. For a long time, even before that brief spate of news watching, I inadvertently managed to keep up with what was going on in the world by the events my Facebook friends commented on, but since I stay away from Facebook — if Meta doesn’t want links to my blog, then I don’t want it — I don’t even get that second or third hand news gossip.
I guess the moral of this story — to the extent that there is a moral — is that even when everything seems the same from day to day, things are still changing, whether we want them to or not.
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Pat Bertram is the author of Grief: The Inside Story – A Guide to Surviving the Loss of a Loved One. “Grief: The Inside Story is perfect and that is not hyperbole! It is exactly what folk who are grieving need to read.” –Leesa Healy, RN, GDAS GDAT, Emotional/Mental Health Therapist & Educator.
Bertram's Blog 
February 25, 2023 at 12:11 pm
I understand your feeling. We have had a lot of grey, gloomy days here, wit off & one rain, so it all looks the same for awhile. We did have a couple of sunny days that go to the upper 70’s and even low 80’s, but that too has disappeared. They say we could have a day or 2 or sun, in the 60’s by mid-week, but we’ll see what mother nature has in store. I am working on my exercises daily in order to keep some muscle tone. It does help me to feel better to a degree. I fell in the bathtub yesterday, and I would not have been able to get up if my arms & legs were any weaker. Getting old is rough!
February 25, 2023 at 3:14 pm
Ouch! You’re right, getting old is rough. I hope you don’t hurt too much today.
February 26, 2023 at 7:19 am
I am slowly getting better today, thanks. If you should ever get the chance, you would get a real kick out of seeing the movie 80 for Brady. I really liked it & laughed.
February 26, 2023 at 10:36 am
Good to know!
February 26, 2023 at 5:12 pm
I am known for my obliviousness
February 26, 2023 at 6:46 pm
Cool!