It was warm yesterday. It’s cold this morning. That change in temperature means, of course, more frost: not the heavy coating of Friday, but a thin rime everywhere. How dull, you must be saying, to live in a place that dresses itself in a delicate, white scrim. It’s not always this way. It will get warmer as today passes, and by the time I leave my office, the frost will be gone. I’m glad I walked in early enough to see it.
The park was busier than usual. I saw runners and joggers, people walking alone, together, or with their smiling dogs. Chickadees piped in the trees. A half dozen ducks flew through the air. Where did they come from? A squirrel appeared to be eating snow. That makes sense–there’s little open water to be found here in January.
Why am I at work on a Sunday? Because I’m teaching courses I’ve never taught before, and I need to get some lectures ready before the inevitable wave of marking arrives. I’m not sure how much I’ll get accomplished today: at least one lecture finished, along with its accompanying PowerPoint. At least I’ll be lecturing about something I know pretty well. That’s not always going to be the case this semester.
I’m often up late on a Sunday getting slides ready (most nights, actually). I find that teaching new classes really takes away the notion of a weekend!
I get to a point where I can’t any longer.