Boxcutter Cold

At last, I am perfectly cozy, hard won after a day of freezing. Everyone is out. I am under the glow of the Christmas tree, wrapped in Bob's bathrobe after a bath, and listening to a Lorena McKennitt concert. The dogs are laying all around, and I've got a green smoothie. Take note, this is heaven. Finally, warm, everything good.

The thermometer in the car said negative 8 degrees today, which can't be accurate, can it? I've never noticed the thermometer to be inaccurate, but that is too cold for Pennsylvania. The news said it was 12 degrees, so it was probably that. The heater in the car is busted, and I wore a giant leather coat, nearly as big as I am, stamping through life, as wide as I am long, using inner determination to get the damned day done. Bob has no heat in his car either, and doesn't lament like it is the end of the world, but to me, it seems to be. I can't get mine fixed first, and lose face. 

I had 15 executive gift boxes and two crates of pears to hand deliver in Allentown. 15 boxes to load, and unload, seats folded down, in the boxcutter cold. I amused myself in the car trying to think of the perfect adjective..cutting cold, searing cold, breathless cold, steel cold....boxcutter cold just came to me now. It was boxcutter cold. Philadelphia's XPN radio station is doing an alphabetical end of year countdown...

• 
  
• While My Guitar Gently Weeps - The Beatles
• While You See A Chance - Steve Winwood
• Whip It - Devo
• Whipping Post - The Allman Brothers
• Whirl Y Reel - Afro Celt Sound System
• Whisky Train - Procol Harum...
• 
  

play on the car radio, which is all the way up.

• 
  

I drove Sequoia to school, cold, drove to the farm, cold, drove to Allentown, cold, delivered pears, thawed out for a while, went to the bank, cold, went to Target, cold. When I stopped for lunch, I stopped at a pizzeria. Knowing I'm intolerant of gluten, I ordered two pieces of pizza each as big as my head, and ate them like a starving animal in the corner. Have you ever heard of lizard brain? The automatic, instinct brain? I think I was operating from the lizard brain because I was maybe a bit hypothermic. I remember being hypothermic once before and thinking it was a great idea to drink hot water with pine needles in it. Not like I intentionally boiled pine needles, which doesn't sound too off, but more like, pine needles fell in my drink because I was under a tree, and I thought that was normal and didn't pluck them out...lizard brain. Fucking excellent pizza, though. It is never this cold, and my days are not usually spent in the car, but in hindsight, the combination probably was teetering on the edge of safety.

Yeah, maybe not do that again.

Half hour back to the farm to drop off the money, cold, another half hour back to the house, cold, first chore upon returning...take the dogs out...hahahahaha!

Another remarkable thing that happened today is that my friends and I raised $270 to give to a family in need at Christmas. I had the honor of delivering the gift (yeah, cold) today. It was very warmly received, and made me feel the true spirit of Christmas. I use "Christmas" as a loose term that generally everyone understands. I'm not Christian. I celebrate the solstice, but Christ's love, God's love, Community Spirit, The Warmth of Doing A Kindness... all that, is non-denominational. I only wish everyone who contributed could feel how much they were appreciated.

Now, I've had a deep bath, bubbled AND salted, and I've had my green smoothie, and I've heard Lorena McKennitt, so, goodnight.

Love and Light,

Your friend,

Hil