Blog post for Friday, 1/28/11 – 21 degrees – just a dusting of snow
Had a “off day” yesterday. My bio-rhythms were out of whack or something. I feel better so far but it’s early.
Thanks for asking.
From yesterday’s list we will spin the wheel and pick…..I froze my ear once.
I grew up, to whatever extent I have, in Vermont. We lived in Burlington for a few years and I went to Burlington High School.
I could do a book on my high school days, couldn’t you?
Before I could drive I walked to and from school pretty much. Oh, I did ride with a friend now and then.
But I almost always, for some reason that is lost to me now, walked home.
Just under 3 miles total
That’s the route. The longest stretch is North Avenue. If I was lucky I might catch a ride down it’s length.
During most months you could take shortcuts that would cut down the length of the walk considerably. But in winter (Burlington gets 78 inches of snow on average a year) those routes were blocked.
Average temps in January are 9 degrees. I can easily remember weeks at a time where we never saw anything above 0. With windchill it was a pretty frosty walk, those 3 miles.
I disdained a hat for some reason in those days. Who knows. It may have been a hat would disturb my hair do. More likely it was teen-age rebellion.
Mom: “Wear your hat.”
Jimmy:” “No!”
Mom: “You’ll freeze your ears off.”
Jimmy: Laughs disdainfully.
Let’s take another look at the route. The yellow highlighted portion is Starr Farm road.
Just under 3 miles total
Even if I got a ride by hitchhiking or took a bus, both pretty doubtful premises, I would be dropped off and have to walk Starr Farm Road.
The winds across Starr Farm Road are from the north, blowing right off Lake Champlain.
It’s probably 1/2 a mile from North Avenue to Curtis Avenue. About a half hour walk. Plenty of time to freeze flesh on a sub-zero, windy January day.
I know I froze it. My right one. The one that would have taken the wind off of Champlain. When I got home and looked in the mirror it was beet-red.
Not sure why I did this but I hit it with a fork.
Memory is not clear. But either the fork or the ear went “ting.”
Like a tuning fork, I guess.
Hurt like a sonuvabitch when it thawed out.
-30-
The rant is from 2005. I am having a lot of fun editing these to make them conform to my current standards. This didn’t need much.
The last few nights have been a full moon.
One night when it was clear I was up at 3 am and it was bright enough to…more
