Ouch! Our early morning temps nearing zero had me hopping while outdoors. I’ve always found it interesting how sound seems to travel father when it gets around zero and below. Have you even noticed when at night during the deep freeze, how the normal noises our neighbors make, sound so much closer? Well, it has to do with the refraction of sound waves which takes place when the air above is warmer than below, and since warm air rises and cold air falls, those sound waves travel farther due to being refracted downwards. So the next time you think your hearing is more acute when it’s really cold outdoors, it really isn’t because you’re having a first-hand experience of sound wave refraction. I’m sure you could’ve lived without that explanation. Right?
Once again, I had emails to return and calls to make this morning, and after they were all taken care of, I headed back to my conference room to work on my year-end taxes. For the strangest of reasons, I’ve been on a burn to get them completed all the sooner this year, which is giving me hope I’m subconsciously preparing myself for a busy year in real estate. We’ll see.
After finishing the last entry on a journal’s page, I looked at the clock and it read exactly noon. I looked around the room in search of a crowd to start clapping for me having completed that daunting task in record time, but not a soul was to be found. I dare say I can’t remember the last time I had them readied this early, but perhaps when speaking some days ago about creating a method and then sticking to it, inspired me all the more to trudge onward. The only docs I’m still waiting on, are those yearly statements coming from banks which take less than a half hour to log. Oh how happy I am to have that nasty project completed for yet another year.
With that now over, I headed over to a bank to make a payment, pick up some cash, and then drive out to McDonald’s and treat myself to a small take-away lunch. On my way back, I made sure to stop at a vacant home to check on it due to my great fear of freeze-outs. All was well, so I headed back to my office so I could enjoy my personal reward for getting those taxes readied so early in the year.
I’m sure most of you’ve been noticing how bright it’s been outdoors these recent cloudless nights. Well, tonight is the night of the Wolf Moon which is the name of January’s, so if you hear a few howlings in the night, just figure it a group of humans who’ve decided to transform themselves into those creatures for but one night. It’ll be interesting to hear tomorrow morning, how much craziness happened over-night. If you should ever ask convenience store workers who’ve worked late night shifts, you’ll hear all of them tell how many more crazy people there are out and about during a full moon. I’m certainly a believer.
After getting additional work done on closing files this afternoon, I made time to call several of my dear ones whom I’d not spoken with in some time. I managed to get in touch with both of them, and glad to hear all has been well since our last visits.
My first call was to a past client whom I’d grown to enjoy visiting with about past events in our lives, and since she went to the same school I did, we’ve always had all the more to chat about. She mentioned that since her mother’s death, she’s been noticing every so often, while glancing at herself in a mirror, finding marked resemblances to her mother which she’s now considered a pleasant visual reminder of her beloved mother. I chuckled a little and then shared how I’ve also been getting those super-imposed “flashes” of my own mother whenever the lighting is right, and most of the time, in one particular mirror. It’s been common knowledge I have my mother’s eyes, but there are now more similar facial features appearing. After today’s conversation, I’m just going to consider them my joyful reminders. I’ve found that more sooner than later, we all start taking on the physical characteristics of the “bloodliners” that’ve gone before us.
When visiting with one of my dear ones, we spoke again about how ill-prepared many in our younger crowd would be if we’d have some catastrophic event taking place due to how little they know about being prepared. She’s not an end of the world conspiracy theorist, but rather one who’s of the mindset that it’s better to always be prepared for the worst while hoping for the best. I’m now wondering what last year’s impetuous buyers are now thinking about, after realizing they’ve jumped too “coin” high before thinking.
We also talked about how some pay little or no attention to their surroundings while out walking after dark. Irregardless of the neighborhoods in which they live, there’s no question in my mind, people who’re out walking after sundown, are placing themselves at greater physical risks. It’s not just the possibility of being assaulted, because we all know, there are many crazy drivers out there who’re more interested in what’s on their smartphones than pedestrians crossing streets or walking near curbs. I know of enough terrible accidents that’ve happened during the night in North Iowa, which should give our community more incentive to not be placing themselves in un-necessary situations.
Oh did I have a good internal laugh when describing to another today how in the old days, we’d have pan-fried squirrel. I even went on to describe how they were skinned, cleaned, cut up, and then soaked in salt water over-night for the following evening’s meal. I kept reminding her how tasty squirrel is, but I doubt she’ll ever allow a dish containing their edibles laid before her, and mostly due to her finding them cute. Having come from the farm, I consider them nothing more than rats with bushy tails. In defense of their being cute, I find the smaller ones with pointed ears, most photogenic.
Tonight’s One-liner is: None are so eager to gain new experiences, as those who don’t know how to make use of the old ones.
