Wednesday, February 09, 2011

Zen Moment

Awake, more-or-less standing and coffee brewing,* I went to the front door to sniff firsthand this single-digit-temperature air the strange people inside my TV were so excited about.

Whoa. Brisk.

From the North, I heard a strange grinding, crunching sound. It was a bit like the icefall several days ago and it was moving closer, growing louder--

A single, small bright light speared the darkness, pursued by a tiny red light: someone on a bicycle zoomed by, crunching on the thin skin of ice in the (mostly) cleared center of the street in front of Roseholme, flashing into view under the streetlight and gone again, a silhouette in the predawn. An Ice Rider.

It's 4° F.

Godspeed.
________________________

* Jamaican Blue Mountain. In the Chemex. Ooooo, my Mr. Valentine, he is So Fine!

5 comments:

ViolentIndifference said...

It would have to warm up 15 degrees to be that balmy.

Jennifer said...

Mr. Valentine is fine indeed.
I've been seeing joggers in the snow running on the side of the road because the sidewalks aren't clear. There are cars sliding around, and they are jogging. These people are insane. They will wind up on a Darwin list, I'm certain.

Anonymous said...

Given studded tires, clearance from traffic, and flat (vice clipless) pedals, I'd be happier on a bike than on foot.

I'd be happiest trying coffee like that; the beans I can get and I have a worthy mill but I don't have a Chemex. (Yet.)

Jim

Roberta X said...

They're worth it, Jim. I'd rate a vacuumatic next best but they require a fairly dust-free, medium-to-coarse grind for best result.

Ritchie said...

Here, south of Denver, when weather is moving in from the North I may remark that "It smells like snow out there". This may be due to the stockyards on the upwind side of Mordor, or the mentally unwashed masses in District One, yearning to be supervised. Oh, the humanity.