Odd relief

As I pulled into the parking lot at the food store, I noticed their flag hanging half mast. Oh no, I thought, some crazy person mowed down a number of unfortunate victims again, somewhere in either a school, a theater or a workplace. Then I realized with a bit of relief that it was a gesture to honor a momentous, giant of a man among men, who gave his last breath yesterday. He would probably think that was too much fussing over him; someone spending time outside to lower the flag in temperatures that were 13 degrees colder than at the North Pole.
It is so cold that when you breath in, your nostrils collapse and stick together. At least there is now about eight inches of snow to insulate the garden plants.

A neighbor shoveled the wall that the street plow left at the end of my driveway. That was his way of saying thank you for me waking him up at 8:00 am to remind him that if he didn't move his car to the other side of the street, he would get towed by order of the city plows and have to spend about $250 to get his car back from the impound lot. Winter is harsh in more ways than one. Wake me up when it's all over.