We are at a standstill

By JOE BOCANEGRA

Special to the News 

We are at a standstill.

Joe Bocanegra

At one side, January has passed with his bitter chill and harsh winds. At the other side, February is yet to be known, her presence hidden by the fogs and billows of the future. And here we are, stuck in a small cold front complete with light showers and dappled skies.

It could be worse, of course. It could have been the Snow of ’04.

That year, a day or so before Christmas, two arctic fronts of dismal temperatures slammed down on our town, sending the thermometer down to the mid-20s and then some.  And while the rain turned to sleet, and icicles began to form on various surfaces, I was outside, bundled only in jeans and a light jacket, crossing over several blocks to a local fast food place to get a large sweet tea. After staying there for a moment, I crossed back, taking the long way home, and enjoying the cold.

This is an example of what extremes I go through when I walk. It does not happen often, of course. We do not get such drastic weather all the time, but I usually slog through it when it does. Before the Valley Metro made itself known here, I used to walk all the time in whatever cold weather came in, usually to the public library and home again. I remember one time a stray cat, eager for warmth, followed me ten blocks or so to get into the library and just sit there for a moment, soaking in the warmth, before scampering out.

However, I do not call the cold my perfect weather to walk in. I would consider that when we have the rare rainy day. Most of the time, I would be under an umbrella , but once in a blue moon, I would ixnay the required item and just walk under the deluge. This does include hurricanes and tropical storms, of course. An interesting time was when we were going through Hurricane Dolly in ’08, and me, being the curious person I still am, crept through the back door and walked around a block or two while the gusts and rain did their worst to ruin me.

On the other side of the scale, the summer sun also does his best to make me submit, which it does nowadays, but in the past, I would walk around the city streets while the temperatures would reach 100F. I would take a break at a local shops downtown and cool off for a moment, maybe get a small siesta in, but usually did not.

Now, it is different. The bus takes me hither and yonder in any weather, regardless of the rain or the sleet or the sun. Nevertheless, I sometimes cast my mind back and think of those wild, wooly days of when I would stand tall against Nature’s randomness, and wistfully wish I could do it again.