Winter Mode

 The temperature hit a low of 16.7F last night. That's winter mode! This morning my pond was covered with a thin layer of ice, and even late this afternoon, when I finally screwed up enough courage to venture outside, it was still pretty well frozen over. The only open spots are where water is running in. There is no snow on the ground, but tonight and tomorrow (and apparently several days after), that will change, too. Somehow, it always seems warmer once the snow arrives, but with a forecast of from 3 to 7 inches possible, I feel I need to be careful what I wish for. It got up to 31 this afternoon, but that's as high as I've seen it today. I expect it's headed down again for another chilly night. 

I've been hearing a lot about "ageism" recently. It seems that some older folks are protesting being discriminated against. I'm sure that happens - nobody is immune from things like that. It's a fact that there are some things we cannot do as well or sometimes at all, as we reach advanced age. Most of us take that in stride. I thoroughly understand and sympathize with those who are "getting up there" in age who have to go looking for a job and are overlooked or denied because of their age. The part I really don't get is attacking optional stuff like greeting cards. I don't take offense to things like that, in fact, I get a chuckle out of a lot of them - and I can relate! That said, I do understand that looking at them in the greeting card rack and actually receiving one of them are two totally different things. However, after an acquaintance, upon hearing I was celebrating my 91st birthday back in October told me, "You should be dead!" nothing surprises me. It's called "foot in mouth disease," and there's no cure. I was more amused than offended, considered the source, and went on about my business.

All of the to-do about what is or is not proper reminded me of some other things people today get wound up about but that went unnoticed as part of life a few decades ago. I think I've mentioned before that I remember being quite pleased to get a "wolf whistle" from a young man when I was young. Probably because I didn't get many I thought of it as a compliment, like lots of girls did in the 40s and 50s. That said, the other day I began to wonder about its origin, and after considerable reading online, I decided nobody really knows. I found that one of the first times it was used was in a 1950s cartoon, "Red Hot Riding Hood." That, I don't recall, but here's a picture from a promo, and I found the cartoon online. I warn you, it's pretty awful, and quite offensive by today's standards, but indeed, there are plenty of wolf whistles in it, and it gives a new dimension to the issue.

 Another site I came across likened a wolf whistle to the Boatswain's whistle used to pass orders aboard Navy vessels. It's possible that's where it started, I guess, but I listened to some of the calls and didn't find any that were very much like wolf whistles. There was hardly a movie made in the 40s and 50s that didn't have at least one guy whistling at a pretty girl. 

So there it is. I'm not going to take sides, but if anyone is interested, there are actually videos online that teach you how to wolf whistle! The one I found was not pretty!

On to pleasanter things. My friend, Liz Randall sent me these spectacular photos of Franconia Notch in New Hampshire, taken yesterday as she and John drove back to Vermont. This is a beautiful region, especially going north as you enter the Notch. Any time of the year it's awesome, but yesterday it was particularly pretty. The photo on the left is approaching the Notch, and the one on the right is further along the route. The rainbow picture was taken at their son, Jason's home near Plymouth, NH, before they left to return to Vermont. Thanks to Liz for these great shots.

Be careful tomorrow. Roads will probably be slippery and drivers may be either unprepared without proper tires or traveling too fast for conditions, so there will no doubt be the usual fender-benders as we all get our winter driving skills back. Also, there may be icy spots, and those can defeat even the most careful driver. So allow a little extra time, travel at a reasonable speed, and expect the unexpected. Be safe and stay healthy.