Disordered Thoughts

I've been thinking of adopting a theme for certain days in the posts here. I figure that might serve to keep me a bit more organized and to give you the readers a chance to build expectations for what you will be reading. The problem is what to choose for the themes. It is a safe bet that I'm not going to be following a theme like HNT (Half Nekkid Thursday) or TMI (Too Much Information Tuesday) . First off, because I'm shy, and more importantly, because I don't want my readers to run screaming from their computer screens clawing their eyes out. I'll probably make Wednesday be Writer's Wednesday since that would be a good time to put up the response to Mama Kat 's Writer's Challenges. (Did I get enough s's in there?) And I kind of like the idea of Stupid Saturday to recount the stupidest thing seen or read during the week. So what do you think?

Today was one of those days. You know the type, when the phone rings often but the calls are a wrong number or have no real purpose in being. And of course, no day is complete with the requisite call to complain about something. Most people who call the mayor to complain are just misinformed. Sometimes it is because they actually believe what was written in the local newspaper (which is often retracted/revised in the coming days) or because the coffee shop gossip circuit has got it wrong. Most times when you get to the root of the problem and explain what is really going on, they do an Emily Latella imitation and say "Never mind." The problem is that every so often, the caller has a real problem or a legitimate beef. So you listen through the Emily Latella 's of the world so that you can get and respond to the useful calls.

This evening when I called L and the son at the mountain abode, I got the answering machine. So I figured they must have fallen asleep in their chairs/couches. Sure enough, a bit later L calls to say she was sleeping in the chair and the son was asleep on the couch when I called. L has been under the weather for the last day or so, so I was calling to see if she was feeling better. She was, she's still tired but getting better. The son on the other hand has been burning the candle at both ends, getting in at 2am just to go back to work at 7am. So of course this evening when he got in early, he took L to send off some business papers, grabbed some food, and then fell asleep on the couch. I remember being able to sleep on any couch, no matter how short. I am old enough now that sleeping on a couch means waking up in pain and walking like a hunchback for several hours.  Oh to be young again!

It interesting just how different the weather in the mountains and here can be. Although here and there is only 300 miles or so apart and are at roughly the same latitude, they are at different altitudes. Here is at ~3900 feet, the mountain abode is at ~9200 feet. So today it is in the 40's and a little windy here, but n the mountains the wind is howling and it is snowing like mad. There they have something like a 7 foot layer of snow base already, but here there is no snow on the ground at all. The thing missing here is moisture in any form. I hope it rains or snows soon or the winter wheat won't be growing come spring and the dryland farmers will have a rough year. The climate out here on the plains is semi-arid bordering on arid, which is the technical term for "damn near desert." We average less than 12 inches of precipitation a year. The last couple of years have been closer to 6 inches. I always kind of picture that the Australian outback might have a very similar feel.

Well, I have to get some other things done yet tonight and have to be up early to mosey down to the radio station for the show in the morning. Don't do anything I wouldn't.