Cold

Sunday was one of those days that when you open the curtains for the day and the sun is streaming through the windows you it is so bright and gorgeous and sunny outside that and you think to yourself "Wow! It is absolutely beeeyutiful! I need to go outside right now!! I think I'll do some weeding and sweep the front patio and I could wash the exterior of the windows! I could ride my bike!" and suddenly you’re belting out show tunes O What a Beautiful Morning O What a Beautiful Day Everythings Coming Up Roses! Everythings Going My Way". It is so bright and sunny and gorgeous outside that you temporarily forget that it is also February outside.

You don’t think about the February part until you run face first into a solid wall of COLD. It is at the this point that I changed my plans for the day, "Hmm. I wonder if there is any Curling on and at some point today I will have to glue my nose back on."

I was still thinking about the cold/sunny conundrum as I was driving home from church and I noticed that it was National Walk Your Dog Through The Inner City Day. I saw three or four different folks walking their dogs, I rarely see any one out walking their dogs when you can be outside with out worrying about your exposed parts falling off and now on a day when your exposed parts could fall off and everyone is out walking their dogs. I decided to join them.

I got home and changed into my The Michelin Man Does a Personal Appearance in Vladivostok outfit and tried to get Doggers' sweater on her .

Me - I need to put this on you.
Dogger - I need you not to.
Me - I really need to put this on you.
Dogger - I really need you to do something else.
Me - It’s really cold outside.
Dogger - I really have thick fur.
Me - We have to go for a walk!
Dogger - You have to get a grip!

I eventually won and we went for our walk - or actually, I won and we got into the car and drove to where we started our walk. Don’t judge me! it was, very, very cold!I noticed when we got out of the car that Doggers’ sweater and my coat are the same color. I hope no one else noticed. I almost announced "If you look closely, my coat is kind of lavender while her sweater is blue. It’s the light, we aren’t really matching". . I think I should have handed out cards.

I also have to tell you guys the secret to winter happiness. Ski Pants. Ski Pants are the secret to winter happiness. Better than a warm puppy, more effective than long underwear, Ski pants are our friends. They are not figure flattering, they are actually quite figure fattening, but I tell you what, ski pants allow you to be outside and do whatever it is that you need to get done and lets you get it done with out feeling cold. I love my ski pants.

For my local folks, the convention center implosion was successful. It is very flat now, it looks squashed - not so much from the front where it still looks like it has for the past several weeks but from the rear it looks like it’s back is broken. I would have taken pictures but my camera had some sort of digital stroke or something the other night and I had to send it back for its 5000 picture check up.

Dogger and I walked up and down Fayetteville street and the store fronts and facades are in good condition, they all need to be power washed and painted but they look really nice. If Raleigh had a film commission I think large swaths of Fayetteville Street would do well as a location for movies looking for an old fashioned downtown setting. I mean, really, most of it looks like it stepped out of a postcard. Except for the really, really, really Gawd awful ugly City Bank building that looks a lot like a three story black accordion.. Blech.