Tuesday Twitterdeedum

Looks more like January out there this morning.  Dark.  A bit gloomy.  Quiet.

Maybe it's time for a mood changer.  After all, a couple of days ago while many of us were out enjoying the unusually beautiful sunny days, others were lamenting the lack of snow.

From what I read in this morning's paper, laments can rest.  We have three weather events coming in the next several days, all guaranteed to bring wet stuff.

I do believe everyone will be glad to see something cover up or rid us of the ice skating rinks we have just outside our doorsteps for the past week or so.

Yesterday I stopped by to visit my friend Roxane and suggested she transition from her horse boarding operation to offering an ice-skating center.  

Her round corral, her outdoor arena, her entrance to the barn complex-----all shine from well established layers of ice.

So, to walk outdoors without fear of landing on one's head, elbow, knee or posterior will be welcome should we see some weather changes.

So far---knock on ice---I've managed to stay upright so far this winter.

If we do get a few dark days, that will restore our North Idaho resilience banks which haven't had to let loose with too much of their reserve in helping us through our often bleak mid-winter moods.  

Heck, I haven't even used the "happy light" Annie gave me for Christmas last year, and I can recall having it lit up virtually every morning for months a year ago. 

Anyway, Bill brought up a prospect last night while we were watching that fantastic national championship football game.  

"The Olympics are next month," he said.

"Yup," I said.  "Having them and the ZAGS is going to help us skate right through February." Hopefully, this year the Seahawks will even do their part for the usual winter doldrums.

So, it seems the winter and January are moving along more quickly than usual.  

So far, I haven't even complained about January, but I'm sure that by the end of the third weather event promised for this week, I might have to bite my tongue a time or two. 

In the meantime, I've got to take my 4-string banjo to town today in hopes of bringing home a 5-string tuned instrument. 

The banjo went off key the day after Bill tuned it, so the two of us collaborated on re-tuning it, so I could learn the process.

I needed some tutoring, so our team approach involved his saying "Tighten . . . tighten . . . etc."  

I can't remember which note we were trying to get the string to be, but I do remember distinctly the sting from my fingers when the string snapped. 

My hopes had been to get myself back up to speed before taking any new lessons from Fiddlin' Red, and that's what I'll probably tell him today when I ask him to fix the strings, maybe replace them all and tune the thing.

Then, I'll come home and spend some of that promised bad weather, plucking and polishing "I'll Fly Away."

By the time I get it to sound like a real song on the banjo, maybe I'll be flying away and no longer worrying about the winter.

Only time and plucking will tell.

Happy Tuesday.