It's not just the temperatures outside, though today's high was only about 28 degrees, I think. It's mostly what I've been watching and reading this evening.
For video-time with the sweet girl, we saw about another 10 minutes of March of the Penguins, that epic lovesong about the beauty and devotion of emperor penguins. (Or "Peng-Juans" as S. has taken to calling them...her Daddy thinks such birds sound quite diverse!) Tonight was the segment where the Daddy Emperors all stood huddled together in minus-eighty degree weather, while the winds swirled snow all around them. Steadfast, they struggled for communal warmth against the cold (their "Daddy hug" as S. calls it) in a fight to keep their eggs warm against their feet. I think I was shivering before the scene was over.
Then again I might have been shivering already. After kitchen clean-up and before candle-lighting, I had a few minutes to rest on the couch and read the introduction to my latest inter-library loan gem: David Laskin's 2004 book The Children's Blizzard. It's the story of a blizzard in 1888, one of the most sudden and violent blizzards to ever hit the American prairies, at least since we immigrants to this land have been here and noticing. Laskin seems to write with great interest in and understanding of weather, history and humanity. The introduction to the book was mesmerizing; I can tell I'm going to have a hard time putting it down.
Even as I write this, my brother is making his way from his old home in Georgia to his new home in Nebraska (he starts a new job next week; his wife and daughter will follow him out there soon). And I think I feel cold!
2 comments:
I've been freezing too and piling on the fleece robes... We lost power at work today and the heat went out there, so it was pretty chilly at the mall too...
I really enjoyed "March of the Penguins." What a desolate landscape though... I remember seeing "The Children's Blizzard" at work. It sounded very sad but compelling. Anyway, I hear ya on the cold score!
Yep! I too have been piling on the fleece. My big Christmas present from D. and S. this year was a huge, warm, soft pink fleece robe. I feel like royalty when I'm wrapped up in it (which seems like most of the time in the evenings lately!). I was happy to finally join the warm bathrobe club. :-)
We're still watching March of the Penguins a bit at a time...we had to extend our rental. And I've not had time to progress much further in the Laskin book, but it's terrific so far (though sad, yes). He's a gifted writer.
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