The last of my small stones for January. Couldn’t quite manage the one per day the Mindful Writing Challenge called for, so I’ve had to write a bit more several times.

 

This week has included a dental consult, two days of trying to make a program work from an external drive, followed by an order for the darned upgrade, and then wonderfully warm weather but no blue skies or sun. Isn’t it funny how Ottawa winters work? A choice of pretty deep freeze days, or depressing warm and wet ones.

 

 

Winterlude, Ottawa’s wonderful winter festival starts soon. Looks like we may be having another year of Waterlude. That is not good for the ice sculptures, the snow sculptures or

 

for skaters looking forward to trying out their blades on Ottawa’s canal rink.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Visit to the Dentist

 

One tooth no longer welcome
in my jaw, its root, shattered,
lies under a bridge. The tooth,
dormant since Christmas flares
again, anxious and inflamed.
Complicated, they say. Sedation.
Bring a friend.

 

CS Jan. 28, 2013

 

Computer Glitches

 

These necessary machines
now drive our lives, create
havoc when they refuse to
do things our way. Installation
not as planned, files here, files
there, and somewhere the hidden
key. Some days nothing works,
it won’t print, it won’t save,
it won’t open, it won’t send.
Spend hours fixing something
to save us minutes when (sometimes)
it works.

 

CS Jan. 29, 2013

 

Guaranteed Delivery

 

Order by six, delivery guaranteed
next day. Could download software,
but want security from owning the disk.
In case of glitches.  Wait all day.
All evening. Shoulda done the download.

 

CS Jan. 30, 2013

 

Rain and Grey Clouds

 

Winter cries for its own passing,
sends rain and covers herself
with grey cloud. Last week’s white
has melted to dirty grey heaps, puddles
everywhere as thermometers rise
above freezing. Young men sport pants
rolled to the knee, runners with shoelaces
undone and flapping. Teen girls leave coats
behind, walk about with bare arms
and goosebumps.

 

CS Jan. 31, 2013

 

A final picture of an ice sculpture at night, from Winterlude.

 

 

Related articles

 

• Mini TFO Performing at Winterlude! (prnewswire.com)
• Freezing rain threatens travel, winter festival (cbc.ca)
• Record temperatures warm Ottawa, surrounding region (cbc.ca)
• Experience Ottawa’s 35th Annual Winter Festival, Winterlude (sys-con.com)
• Small Stone #30 January 2013…and a Chevvy update. (jobryantnz.wordpress.com)
• January Small Stone # 20: (readinpleasure.wordpress.com)
• January Small Stone # 27 (readinpleasure.wordpress.com)