Silent blogosphere.
A blogger posts.
Sound of nothing.

A second sizable blast of winter arrived today and Jasmine was wearing the storm’s vanguard late yesterday afternoon. Being a Scottish breed, she is built for cold weather.

So far, the chimes still sing, but the drift is building. There is less wind this go around.

And for Buddha, nothing special…

This is how I remember the winters of my youth – lots of snow and cold.

The light of 68 candles
Warms the room.
But not the heart.

The TSA has rules for handling monkeys. (H/T Bruce Schneier) Hay, I’m a monkey! Or a primate, anyway. Pay attention TSO-types:

• TSOs have been trained to not touch the monkey during the screening process.

But I want to know, when is the humiliation going to stop?

• The inspection process may require that the handler take off the monkey’s diaper as part of the visual inspection.

Yet another reason to dislike air travel.

The News
That is not News
Is the News

The storm appears to have passed. There are patches of blue sky…

…the sun shines on the frozen wind chimes, lighting a promise they will sing again…

…and still, is Buddha…

Such is Colorado.

Folks in the neighborhood are starting to dig out. My neighbor’s dog, Cher, is loving the weather as well as free reign over the streets.

And then there is the ever steady Jasmine, inspecting my work on the driveway.

Thought I was prepared for the storm, with a good stock of the essentials (beer and chocolate) until my neighbor returned from a mini odyssey to three separate grocery stores to find his version of essentials (chips, chips and…oh, yeah, chips). He happened to mention about half the gasoline stations were out of gas and closing up. Then it dawns on me (Wow! Two sunrises in one day!) that there is only about a 1/4 tank in the truck. The tankers aren’t likely to be making it through this snow for a few days and then it’s Christmas. So, I saddled up my trusty steed (Chained up, actually. All four wheels, no less.) and off I went to fill ‘er up. I found a station close by with gas and on the way there and back passed about a half dozen cars – sedans, mind you – stuck in the snow with people trying to push their way out. Fools. FOOLS! This is Colorado, not Florida. When it snows, you need something like this:

“Protector”, my war pony.

And loving it. The wind chime chimes no more…

Somewhere within these drifts rests the silent wind chime…



The view from the front door…



That drift hanging over the eve has crashed down several times during the night with a deep thud. Such noises, like Summer thunder, get Jasmine’s attention and she barks to alert the house. This also means that the snow just outside the garage has been well packed by both the wind and the falling drift from the roof. The final link in all this is that I have to chisel my way out when clearing the driveway. Sure enough. The ruler is showing 37.5 inches of hard packed snow.



And still, is Buddha…

The snow continues to blanket my humble home…

…while the wind improvises a symphony with the wind chimes (click image to see video)…

…and still, is Buddha…

Inside is warm…

Yes, that’s my fine dinnerware you see there (Thanksgiving leftovers, yum!) The beer, an excellent home brew we called “Ode to Oscar Stout” in honor of Little Big Man himself, has been featured on this blog before.

A view of the wind chimes outside the second floor window. The ridge of snow is a drift being created on the lower level roof by the wind. Normally, there would be a clear view down to the driveway below.

This intrepid sparrow has been camped at the bird feeder for the better part of an hour. He is on the down wind side of the feeder and thus protected from the driving snow. Plus, he has easy access to the seed with no apparent competition. In spite of the weather, this little fellow projects a rather cozy image.

Denver and the front range are currently getting hammered by the worst storm of the season, so far anyway. Some are saying it will be worse than the blizzard of ’03. For Buddha, this is just another moment.

Piercing, sharp snow
Rides a biting wind.
Reflected in a cloudy post.

Time Magazine’s Person of the Year: You

So, since “You” are the Person of the Year that makes “Everyone” the Person of the Year which makes “No One” Person of the Year. So just chill and get back to work. You’re not so special after all. Now, “Me”, on the other hand…

UPDATE!

Once again, the crack Java Zen Table, Desk and Counter Intelligence Teams have intercepted crucial documents. This time, it’s the early candidates for Time Magazine’s “Person of the Year.” Here’s the finalist…

… and here are the candidate personal pronouns:

[Edit History]

2006.12.17

Tim Blair has sussed a slight conceptual problem with Time magazine’s selection for Person of the Year.

One of my favorite bloggers and columnists, Cathy Seipp, is fighting cancer and has been for awhile. Another miracle she is. Looks like things are a bit more difficult just now, though. Sending your blessings and prayers to Cathy and her daughter, Maia, would be a good thing.